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 Port Phillip.
What is the population size and land area of your council?
The City of Port Phillip sits on the traditional lands of the Bunurong, Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri peoples, who have lived here for over 55,000 years.
Today, the municipality stretches 11 kilometres along the Port Phillip Bay foreshore and covers around 21 square kilometres, including 353 hectares of parks and open space.
Port Phillip is one of Victoria’s most densely populated areas, home to an estimated 112,669 residents (ABS 2024). Our community is diverse, with people from 164 countries, speaking 126 languages, and representing 37 religious affiliations. The city also includes a strong local economy with 21,508 businesses employing more than 93,000 people, contributing to a vibrant and resilient community.
How many employees work at your council?
The City of Port Phillip employs approximately 950 staff.
Who is the mayor?
Our Mayor, Councillor Alex Makin, has lived in Port Phillip for more than a decade in the Montague Ward. Drawn to our beaches, arts, culture and strong community life, he brings experience from both the private and not for profit sectors.
Alex previously served on Maroondah City Council from 2005 to 2012, becoming one of Victoria’s youngest politically independent Mayors in 2010.
He is passionate about strengthening community infrastructure, including better off leash dog parks, improved public open space and enhanced public transport. As Mayor, Makin is focused on accountable, transparent governance and delivering improved amenity, public safety, service delivery and long term planning for our city.
Who is the CEO?
Our CEO, Chris Carroll, was appointed in December 2022 after joining the City of Port Phillip in 2014. Before becoming CEO, he served as General Manager Customer, Operations and Infrastructure, leading major transformation projects and service improvements.
Carroll brings extensive leadership experience across local and state government and the private sector, including senior roles at Auckland Council and PwC New Zealand. He holds a Master of Public Policy and Management, an MBA, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a graduate of the Stanford LEAD program.
What is your council’s vision for the community and its future?
Plan for Port Phillip 2025-35 sets out our long-term Community Vision: “A liveable and vibrant city that enhances community connection and wellbeing.”
This refreshed vision emphasises Port Phillip’s identity as a welcoming, dynamic, and healthy community. It acts as the guiding roadmap for everything we do over the next decade ensuring our city remains inclusive, creative, resilient and responsive to the needs of our community.
The vision is brought to life through six strategic pillars that were developed in consultation with our community:
- A healthy and connected community
- An environmentally sustainable and resilient city
- A safe and liveable city
- A vibrant and thriving community
- An engaged and empowered community
- A trusted and high performing organisation
The City of Port Phillip expresses a forward‑looking vision that prepares the municipality for significant population growth and increasing density, ensuring it remains a vibrant and liveable place for current and future communities.
What is the council’s annual budget?
The City of Port Phillip’s Budget for the 2025/26 financial year is $321 million.
Can you give us a breakdown of spending for the budget year ahead?
Council’s 2025/26 Budget budget and investment align with our six strategic pillars:
A healthy and connected community
- Operating budget: $36.0 million
- Capital projects: $4.8 million
Projects will include actions from our new Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy, the redevelopment of six childcare centres across our municipality, a new Accessibility Action Plan and actions to strengthen social cohesion and combat discrimination, racism and antisemitism.
An environmentally sustainable and resilient city
- Operating budget: $28.0 million
- Capital projects: $2.7 million
Priority projects include implementation of our Greening Port Phillip Project and urban forest precinct plans to increase canopy cover, greening and biodiversity, as well as implementation of our revised integrated Waste Management Strategy to minimise waste and reuse more resources in our city.
A safe and liveable city
- Operating budget: $70.5 million
- Capital projects: $35.7 million
Major initiatives include footpath renewals and pedestrian infrastructure upgrades as well as significant public space works for new recreation precincts, playgrounds and our foreshore.
A vibrant and thriving community
- Operating budget: $32.7 million
- Capital projects: $21.0 million
We are continuing work with the Australian Academy of Music on the renewal of the South Melbourne Town Hall, focusing on our Great Places and Precincts program delivering more spaces for the community to enjoy and working on various upgrades to sport and recreation facilities.
An engaged and empowered community
- Operating budget: $15.7 million
Our priorities are to continue advocating for our community’s needs and to operate transparently and accountably while delivering strong community engagement and an excellent customer experience.
A trusted and high performing organisation
- Operating budget: $47.1 million
- Capital projects: $5.0 million
Our focus is on several projects that support improved employee experience including a new human resource and payroll system, upgrades to our council facilities, and innovation to support productivity, customer experience and financial efficiency.
What makes your council area special?
Port Phillip attracts almost three million visitors each year, making it one of metropolitan Melbourne’s most popular destinations. Our city is renowned for its outstanding food, shopping and entertainment, as well as iconic landmarks including Luna Park, the Palais Theatre, South Melbourne Market, St Kilda Beach, Station and St Kilda Piers (home to the resident penguins), the Albert Park Precinct and the Victorian Pride Centre.
We proudly celebrate this creative energy through major events including the St Kilda Film Festival, Australia’s largest and longest running short film festival, and St Kilda Festival, the nation’s biggest community festival. Port Phillip is also home to Victoria’s first declared Live Music Precinct. Together, these festivals, cultural institutions and creative industries help make our city vibrant, inclusive and unmistakably Port Phillip.
Equally important is the community that calls Port Phillip home. Artists, entrepreneurs, families, First Nations communities, LGBTIQA+ communities, migrants, older residents and young people all contribute to the city’s rich tapestry.
What are some of the unique challenges the region faces, and how does council overcome these?
Port Phillip faces several unique challenges as one of Victoria’s smallest yet most densely populated municipalities. We must carefully balance growth and liveability, ensuring housing, transport, open space, local businesses and community expectations are well supported, while also renewing ageing infrastructure and preparing the city for future needs.
As custodians of 11 kilometres of iconic coastline, we also manage significant environmental pressures. Sustained investment is required to address erosion, flooding and the impacts of climate change, while supporting high visitor use and protecting sensitive natural environments.
How is your council addressing climate change and reaching sustainability goals?
Council is committed to building a more sustainable, climate ready and resilient Port Phillip. Guided by the Act and Adapt Sustainable Environment Strategy 2023–28, we work with our community to reduce environmental impacts, prepare for climate risks and protect our natural environment. We have achieved and maintained net zero emissions for Council operations since 2021 and continue to invest in programs that support a cooler, greener and more resilient city, including expanding sustainability initiatives for residents and businesses and advocating with regional partners on shared climate challenges.
What is an exciting community program or initiative council has coming up in the future, or already underway?
The quality and experience of our public spaces and high streets is a critical priority for Council. Our Places and Precincts Program, re-established in late 2025, provides the strategic foundation for this work. The program guides investment on Council’s high‑profile public spaces and activity centres. Its purpose is to deliver more consistent, place-based strategic outcomes across the municipality.
The program consists of four key workstreams:
- Place‑based plans: These plans set out a long‑term vision for each area, developed through extensive community engagement.
- Precinct dashboards: These dashboards bring together social, environmental, economic and physical data to build a comprehensive picture of each precinct.
- Design Standards manual: A new Design Standards Manual will provide clear and consistent guidelines for the design of streets and public spaces.
- Short‑term initiatives: These targeted, quick‑delivery projects activate spaces, test new ideas and improve amenity while supporting the long-term vision for each precinct.
The program supports more coordinated planning, design and investment across our high streets and activity centres, while improving communication with our community about how Council is enhancing the places they use every day.
Can you tell us about an interesting urban development project in the region?
The Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area is one of Australia’s largest city shaping projects. Covering 485 hectares across the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne, it is expected to accommodate around 80,000 residents and up to 80,000 jobs by 2050.
Three of the five precincts – Montague, Sandridge and Wirraway – sit within Port Phillip and will deliver most of our city’s housing growth over the next 30 years.
The transformation is being led by the Victorian Government in partnership with both councils. This includes detailed precinct planning and preparing infrastructure funding strategies.
The draft Fishermans Bend Development Contributions Plan, expected to be the largest in Victoria’s history, identifies $2.45 billion in essential infrastructure. The State Government will also deliver major “catalytic” projects such as schools, health services and major public transport upgrades.
How is your council embracing digitisation and growing its technological capabilities?
The City of Port Phillip began a major customer experience transformation in 2019 to replace fragmented systems and meet rising expectations for digital first services. Through the OneCouncil implementation, we consolidated multiple legacy platforms into a single integrated system, giving residents a unified portal to manage transactions, lodge applications and track requests. This has improved transparency, increased first contact resolution and made services faster and more efficient.
We have built on this foundation with new digital services, making it easier for the community to engage with Council anytime. At the same time, we are advancing the responsible use of artificial intelligence to streamline processes, reduce administrative effort and support more timely, informed decisions. Our focus is on using technology ethically and transparently to deliver more connected, efficient and inclusive services for our community.
