Advancing community outcomes

I’M PROUD that we unanimously endorsed the Council Plan 2025-29 at our July meeting, and I’m grateful to the many people who worked behind the scenes to bring this document to life.

The Council Plan clearly outlines our responsibilities and objectives as a local government to best serve our community in the short-term while setting us up for future success.

It presents a four-year roadmap for how we can best respond to the opportunities and challenges associated with being one of the fastest growing regions in Australia.

What I really appreciate about this plan, is that it’s both aspirational and grounded. It gives us a practical way to move forward for the next four years, while imagining the clever and creative city we want to become further into the future.

I’m sure you would agree, it’s a very exciting time to live in Greater Geelong. Aside from being on the cusp of a population boom, we have a range of projects in the pipeline that will make our region even more vibrant and liveable than it already is.

The Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre is set to open next year, drawing tens of thousands of people to our region annually, while creating new jobs and bolstering our arts and cultural sector.

We continue to lead on the global stage in advanced manufacture, attracting a skilled workforce while stimulating our economy through business and trade opportunities.

It’s clear Geelong has a bright and prosperous future. But with our growth comes a range of challenges, and we need to have clear, strong objectives to guide us in our everyday decision making.

So, after extensive collaboration, it is very satisfying to now share this document with you, the true beneficiaries of the plan.

The Council Plan is representative of the community and is the result of significant community engagement.

A deliberative panel of 48 community members worked tirelessly with our City officers to recognise the breadth of projects and services required to see our city thrive.

We received valuable community feedback through the Have Your Say platform, and our Youth Council provided insight into the needs of our future population, all of which informed the final plan.

All these factors helped to identify six strategic objectives: Core and Critical Infrastructure, Healthy and Caring Community, Economic Development, Heritage and Culture, Environment and Circular Economy, and Governance and Integrity.

If it’s in the plan, then it goes towards our commitment to advancing community outcomes for a thriving Greater Geelong.

It is important to note that we cannot deliver this plan without your help. We will be relying heavily on our collaborative partnerships and you, the community, to hold us to account in meeting our targets.

Community engagement won’t stop now that the plan has been published; we will continue to consult, report and listen to our residents to meet your changing needs.

That is not just good governance, it is a sign of the respect we have for our community and our partners.

To view the plan, head to geelong.link/ViewCouncilPlan