Budget 2023-24 highlights

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council adopted the 2023–24 Budget at its Council meeting on 30 May 2023.

Download: Mornington Peninsula Shire Budget 2023-24(PDF, 6MB)

We received a huge amount of community feedback including 3,263 contributions via our online portal and 582 written submissions which helped shape Council’s approach to Budget discussions.

We’re delighted to share some highlights.

Playground and skate parks

Nothing is more exciting to children than a new playground. We’re building two brand new playgrounds and making upgrades to other playgrounds and skate parks.

• $500,000 for a children’s play space at Olivia Way in Hastings
• $3.8 million for a play space, carpark and pathway at Hillview Reserve
• $100,000 Crib Point playground/skate park upgrade
• $75,000 Rye Skate Park renewal and upgrade plan

Footpaths and trails

Our community has told us maintaining and creating more footpaths and trails are important. We share this sentiment, and have committed:

• $2.6 million for footpath renewal and risk mitigation
• $1.34 million for the Peninsula Trail, including detailed design, concept planning and delivery
• $900,000 to deliver stage two of the footpath on Alma Street and Field Street in Rye
• $65,000 to deliver a shared path along Boundary Road, Dromana – connecting to the secondary college
• $125,000 to Watsons Road footpath plan and Mount Martha Village parking
• $500,000 Camp Hill Road footpath, Somers

New major buildings

New, modern facilities are coming soon. We have committed:

• $5.5 million for the new Southern Peninsula Youth Hub
• $7.6 million for a combined sports and medical pavilion at Alexandra Park in Mornington
• $2.9 million for a new pavilion at Red Hill reserve

Roads maintenance and car parks

When we surveyed our community at the start of the year, a lot of people wanted us to continue to be vigilant about road maintenance and keeping car parks in good shape. We have committed:

• $75,000 to Balnarring Beach/Library Road traffic design and works concept plan
• $1 million to Canadian Bay foreshore carpark renewal
• $125,000 Mount Martha Village parking and Watsons Road footpath plan*

Natural environment

Conservation and habitat protection, better access to foreshores and caring for our Green Wedge matters. We have committed:

• $1.2 million to expand The Briars Sanctuary
• $190,000 to implement the Biodiversity Conservation Plan
• $265,000 to the Urban Forest Strategy and tree planting
• $20,000 to the Green Wedge exhibition*
• $415,000 for Safety Beach foreshore access upgrades.

Sport and recreation

Sport has the power to bring communities together! We have committed:

• $100,000 to investigate soccer facilities in Somerville
• $55,000 to investigate land acquisition for Red Hill Recreation Reserve
• $110,000 to Sorrento netball courts renewal
• $7.6 million for a combined sports and medical pavilion at Alexandra Park in Mornington *
• $2.9 million for a new pavilion at Red Hill reserve*.

Arts, culture and heritage

Creating opportunities to enjoy arts and culture as well as conserving Peninsula’s rich history is important. We have committed:

• $25,000 to an Augmented Reality Trail
• $75,000 towards Hastings Historical Society renovations
• $20,000 to the Green Wedge exhibition*
• $53,000 towards Rosebud Memorial Hall infrastructure improvements

Waste

We’ve improved and increased our waste services for everyone, including renters. These new initiatives will lessen the amount of dumped rubbish in our Shire.

• An increase in the number of tip/waste vouchers from three to four
• An increase the number of no charge green waste events from two per year to four per year
• No charge for disposal of individual items (e.g. fridges, tyres, mattresses)
• Renters given access to tip/waste vouchers
• An increase the number of chemical collection days from one per year to two per year
• An increase in the number of clean teams working in our public spaces
• Increased compliance action for illegal dumping

Grant funding

A generous $4.1 million has been allocated for community grants, sponsorships, and subsidies. The purpose of this funding is to support community groups, organisations, business and sole traders in the following areas:

• create opportunities for social inclusion
• build the capacity and capabilities of volunteers
• address climate change
• contribute to our townships’ vibrancy through history, arts and culture
• festivals and events
• to facilitate projects that support social connections and improvements to the natural and built environment through placemaking
• to lead infrastructure projects within their local community
• Provide subsidies to essential community groups and organisations that deliver a range of programs and services within our community, including community houses, toy libraries, community support centres as well as emergency services

Other highlights

• $1 million to the Emergency Response Reserve
• $220,000 to Dromana and Arthurs Seat management plan
• $350,000 to Placemaking Program (incl. east entrance to Dromana)