Residents call out council for forgetting Docklands in its budget

The City of Melbourne has come under scrutiny for overlooking Docklands in its latest draft budget, with residents saying it has failed to allocate any “meaningful” funding to major projects in the precinct.

The council has allocated $150,000 to explore a potential Little India precinct in Docklands, a new seafood precinct, more community markets, and business grants for festival decorations.

However, there has been minimal investment in capital works initiatives specific to Docklands, according to the former executive officer of the Docklands Chamber of Commerce Shane Wylie.

“It’s two airy-fairy investigations,” he told Docklands News. “$150,000 will go absolutely nowhere, apart from paying a consultant to come up with an idea.”

Mr Wylie is a strong supporter of Little India, however he struggles to see the rationale behind investing in a seafood precinct, given the troubles currently facing Queen Victoria Market.

Mr Wylie said the entire precinct had been neglected and believes there needed to be direct investment in capital works projects that will bring people to Docklands and make it a more enjoyable suburb to live in.

A former councillor, Docklands resident Jamal Hakim has called for the council to create a Docklands Capital Investment Plan, funded through its $154 million infrastructure program.

In his submission to the draft budget, he suggested that at least $5 million should be earmarked for greening and activating Harbour Esplanade, establishing a permanent community hub, and upgrading family and accessibility infrastructure.

“Despite being home to over 16,000 residents and countless small businesses, there is not a single dedicated line item in this budget for a Docklands community centre, for toilets, for shade, or for activating Harbour Esplanade,” Mr Hakim said.

In 2022, a Docklands Summit was held for residents, business owners, developers and government representatives to help identify and shape the council’s priorities for the precinct.

One of the key short-term recommendations was to activate Docklands with shops and open space, as well as improve access to basic amenities.

Mr Hakim believes this feedback has not been acted on and quipped that “a randomly plonked chair” on NewQuay Promenade is not a significant enough investment in capital works.

He recognises that while the City of Melbourne does not have full regulatory powers in Docklands, it should play a stronger role in ensuring the neighbourhood is managed and looked after appropriately.

Additionally, a major concern for the former councillor is that $70 million has been allocated to safety and cleaning, and he noted that the expansion of the CCTV initiative was a waste of ratepayers’ money.

According to Mr Hakim, the council would benefit if a portion of the funds were redirected towards lighting upgrades in known safety hotspots, arts and community activations in low-use areas, and investment in homelessness outreach and conflict resolution.

“This is a budget that plays it safe in a time that calls for bold, community-first leadership,” Mr Hakim said.

“By realigning spending, sharing power, and listening deeply to place, we can make Melbourne a city where families thrive, businesses co-invest, and communities are proud of the places they call home.” •