Crafting a budget for everybody

WHEN we talk about council budgets, it’s easy to focus on the big numbers but for me, the real heart of a budget lies in the people it’s built for – our community.

I’m thinking about parents juggling bills, the pensioners watching every dollar and the small business owners keeping things afloat. Every decision Council make touches someone’s life.

At our last Council meeting, we adopted the 2025–26 Budget. It’s the result of months of work and community feedback, including 380 public submissions.

The budget focuses on what matters most – keeping rates affordable, supporting local services, and planning responsibly for the future.

We’ve held the rate rise to 2.5 per cent, which is under the State Government cap, and we’ve removed several small fees to help ease everyday costs.

Something else I am proud of from our last meeting is that Council also adopted an updated Financial Hardship Policy.

It’s a policy that recognises something many of us already know – that life doesn’t always go according to plan.

Job loss, illness, relationship breakdown and all manner of other disasters can hit without warning, and when they do, the stress of unpaid rates or fees can make a hard time even harder.

‘Hardship’ is a broad concept, and this policy helps to determine whether the payment of rates and charges may be detrimental to a person’s quality of life.

The Financial Hardship Policy is a framework that our rates team can implement through the deferral of fees, rates and charges, payment plans, fee waivers and other means to remove the burden of an unpaid debt.

We are aware that cost-of-living pressures are high and that recent years have been an incredibly difficult time for many in our community.

We’re now seeing individuals who have always managed in the past starting to fall behind.

For the first time, community groups have been seeing homeowners accessing food relief and families cutting back on essentials.

Council can’t fix every challenge, but we can show up with the tools we have, and this policy is one of them.

Council must strike the right balance, as municipal rates, fees, and charges are the primary source of revenue for the City, ensuring the ongoing delivery of important services to the local community.

However, if you are experiencing financial difficulty, please reach out to the team and see what help they can provide.

If you think the Financial Hardship Policy might apply to your situation, please visit geelong.link/financialhardship

Applications are treated confidentially and assessed quickly, and the team behind this work is incredibly supportive.

This year’s budget includes responsible financial management – no new borrowings, a small operating surplus, and increased investment in maintaining the assets we already have.

We’ve also made space for community priorities, such as free two-hour parking on weekdays in central Geelong, additional sports lighting and funding for grassroots clubs.

However, for all the numbers, it’s the values behind them that matter most. We’re here to build a region that works for everyone and that includes standing by people when times are hard.

Thanks to everyone who contributed feedback to this year’s budget. Your voices helped shape the budget, and I’m very proud of that.

To read the budget in full, head to geelongaustralia.com.au/budgetCr

Cr Elise Wilkinson

Connewarre Ward, City of Greater Geelong