In every edition of Council, we shine a spotlight on one local government from across Australia. Whether it’s a rural shire or a capital city, we want to highlight the best of local government and share valuable knowledge. This edition, we spoke to the City of Greater Bendigo.
1. What is the population size and land area of your council?
Located approximately 150 kilometres northwest of Melbourne in central Victoria, Bendigo is the principal city within the Greater Bendigo local government area, a major regional centre covering almost 3000 square kilometres. More than 125,000 residents call Greater Bendigo home.
2. How many employees work at your council?
We employ 1003 employees who work across a range of locations. This includes over 270 tradespeople, specialists and landscaping employees, and almost 250 administrative workers, such as our venues and customer service teams.
3. Who is the mayor?
Thomas Prince has served as Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo since November 2025, after being elected unopposed by fellow councillors. He represents the Lake Weeroona Ward and was first elected to council at the 2024 local government elections, following earlier campaigns in 2016 and 2020 that demonstrated his long-term commitment to public service.
4. Who is the CEO?
Andrew Cooney is the Chief Executive Officer of the City of Greater Bendigo, appointed in December 2023, and is a senior local government executive with extensive experience across Victorian local and state government.
He joined the City in 2018 as Director Corporate Performance, later serving as Director Commonwealth Games, and has previously held executive roles with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Coliban Water, Gannawarra Shire Council, and Loddon Shire Council, building a career focused on governance, financial management, major projects, and community development.
5. What is the council’s annual budget?
The Budget 2025/2026 is valued at $259 million, with an operating budget of $189 million funding services such as waste collection, street cleaning, environmental health, statutory planning, road maintenance, flood restoration works, early learning, immunisation, tourism and visitor services and much more. Council has a capital works budget of $70 million for new infrastructure projects across the community.
6. Can you give us a breakdown of spending for the budget year ahead?
At the time of writing, Council’s next budget, 2026/2027, is still under development, and will be presented to our community in June.
The budget will reflect what our community has told us matters most – affordable services, well-maintained infrastructure, healthy environments and strong, connected neighbourhoods.
7. What is your council’s vision for the community and its future?
Greater Bendigo celebrates and respects our diverse and growing community. We aim to be welcoming, sustainable and flourishing. Walking hand-in-hand with our First Nations communities. Building on our heritage for a safe and happy future.
8. What makes your council area special?
Greater Bendigo offers the best of both worlds: close proximity to Melbourne combined with a relaxed, welcoming regional lifestyle that’s hard to beat. Rich in history and creativity, the city thrives on a strong arts and culture scene reflected in its galleries, festivals, heritage streetscapes and vibrant creative community. Sport and recreation are woven into everyday life, bringing people together across generations, while extensive parks, trails and natural landscapes support active, healthy living.
Greater Bendigo is proudly diverse, shaped by the world’s oldest continuous Chinese community outside Asia and enriched by people from many cultures and backgrounds who now call the city home. At its heart is a strong sense of community that values inclusion, innovation and connection.
9. What are some of the unique challenges the region faces, and how does council overcome these?
The City of Greater Bendigo, like many regional councils, faces a unique mix of pressures as our community grows and changes. Cost of living pressures are being felt by many residents, increasing demand for affordable services, community support and accessible infrastructure at a time when household budgets are under strain. Concurrently, Council operates within the constraints of rate capping, which limits revenue growth and requires careful, considered decision-making to balance immediate needs with long-term financial sustainability.
Community expectations are also growing and evolving. Residents rightly expect high quality services, well maintained roads and public spaces, strong environmental stewardship, and inclusive programs that reflect the diversity of our community. As Greater Bendigo continues to grow, demand for housing, infrastructure and services continues to rise. We are planning for a population of about 200,000 people over the next 35 years, which will require the development of approximately 38,000 additional homes.
At the same time, Greater Bendigo is a city within a forest, surrounded by significant natural beauty and rich heritage. A key challenge for Council is accommodating growth while protecting what makes our city special. This requires thoughtful planning, careful land use decisions, and strong environmental leadership.
Council responds to these challenges through disciplined financial management, long-term strategic planning and a strong focus on collaboration. We prioritise investment to deliver the greatest community benefit, actively seek grants and partnerships with other levels of government, and continuously look for innovative and efficient ways to deliver services. Equally important is our commitment to listening to the community, ensuring decisions are informed by local needs, lived experience and shared values.
Shared partnerships are critical to our success. We work closely with other agencies and levels of government, being clear about our priorities while understanding and supporting theirs. One of the key challenges associated with growth is ensuring sustainable water and wastewater solutions for residents, businesses and primary producers. Council has strong partnerships with our local water authority and actively supports their advocacy and investment priorities to ensure Greater Bendigo can grow sustainably.
By balancing ambition with affordability, managing growth responsibly, strengthening partnerships and engaging meaningfully with our community, Council continues to work towards a Greater Bendigo that is liveable, inclusive and resilient.
10. How is your council addressing climate change and reaching sustainability goals?
The City of Greater Bendigo is actively addressing climate change and sustainability through the delivery of its Climate Change & Environment Strategy, which provides a clear, long-term framework to guide action across council operations and the wider community.
The strategy focuses on reducing emissions, protecting and enhancing the natural environment, and building resilience to the impacts of a changing climate. Council is reducing its own carbon footprint through increased use of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency in council buildings and facilities, and more sustainable fleet and transport choices.
Protecting biodiversity and landscapes is another key priority. Council continues to invest in tree planting, habitat restoration, water sensitive urban design and sustainable land management to support healthy ecosystems and greener neighbourhoods. These initiatives also help address urban heat, flooding and water security.
Council is also working closely with the community, businesses and partners to support more sustainable living. This includes education programs, waste reduction and circular economy initiatives, and planning policies that encourage environmentally responsible development and growth.
11. What is an exciting community program or initiative council has coming up in the future, or already underway?
The City of Greater Bendigo has a number of exciting, city-shaping programs already underway that will guide growth and strengthen opportunities for the community well into the future.
Bendigo 2050 is one of the most significant long-term initiatives currently in progress. It sets out a shared vision for how Greater Bendigo will grow and change over the next 25 years, focusing on housing, transport, employment, sustainability and liveability. Bendigo 2050 is about planning for a growing population while protecting what makes the city unique.
Another major project is the Bendigo Art Gallery redevelopment, which will be transformational for the city’s cultural and economic landscape. Building on the gallery’s international reputation, the redevelopment will significantly expand exhibition space and facilities, allowing Bendigo to host major global exhibitions, attract more visitors, and create new opportunities for local artists, creatives and businesses.
The Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct (BREP) is also a key initiative shaping the region’s future prosperity. Located close to road and rail links and near La Trobe University Bendigo, BREP is designed to support job creation, innovation and investment across industries including health, education, technology and advanced manufacturing. This precinct is critical to diversifying the local economy and providing long-term employment opportunities for our growing community.
12. Can you tell us about an interesting urban development project in the region?
An interesting urban development project in the City of Greater Bendigo is the Low Line, a long-term, city-shaping initiative that reflects council’s future vision for a more connected, healthy and liveable Bendigo.
The Low Line repurposes a former rail corridor into a continuous, gentle grade shared path that is designed to grow over time into a major active transport spine for the city. While it already provides an important route for walking, cycling and recreation, its real significance lies in its future potential. Council envisions the Low Line as a transformative piece of urban infrastructure that will link neighbourhoods, employment areas, schools, parks and community destinations, creating safe, accessible connections for people of all ages and abilities.
Looking ahead, the Low Line is planned to do much more than move people from ‘A to B’. It is intended to function as a linear public space – a green corridor that supports environmental outcomes, urban cooling, biodiversity and improved amenity, while also inviting community activity, events and placemaking opportunities along the route. As adjoining areas evolve, the Low Line will help shape higher quality urban development around it, encouraging walkable neighbourhoods and reduced reliance on cars.
The project also aligns strongly with council’s long-term growth and sustainability goals. As Bendigo’s population increases, the Low Line provides a future-ready alternative to traditional road expansion, supporting active transport, healthier lifestyles and lower emissions. Its adaptable, staged delivery allows it to expand alongside the city, ensuring it continues to meet changing community needs over time.
13. How is your council embracing digitisation and growing its technological capabilities?
The City of Greater Bendigo is actively embracing digitisation as a key enabler of better services, stronger communities and a more efficient organisation. We are progressively modernising how we design and deliver services by putting digital-first thinking at the centre of customer and community experiences. This includes expanding online self service options, simplifying forms and transactions, and using digital channels to make it easier for residents, businesses and visitors to access information and interact with Council at a time and place that suits them.
At the organisational level, we are growing our technological capabilities by investing in modern, secure and scalable systems. This includes the responsible adoption of cloud-based platforms, strengthening our cyber security and data governance, and improving how we use data and insights to support evidence-based decision making. We are also focused on building digital capability across our workforce through training, change management and cross functional collaboration, ensuring technology is embedded in everyday work rather than treated as a standalone function.
Looking ahead, Council continues to explore opportunities in areas such as smart city technologies, automation and digital innovation and at times this occurs in partnership with other councils to ensure value for money. By aligning digitisation with our strategic objectives and community needs, we aim to improve service quality, increase operational efficiency and future proof the organisation as Greater Bendigo continues to grow and evolve.
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