The Chamber’s agenda

It’s been an intense couple of months emerging out of COVID. One thing I am adamant on is that the Chamber is going to take a more proactive and vocal leadership role in driving our community. This past week we have participated in a few key initiatives.

Firstly, was the Future Melbourne Committee meeting held in Docklands for the first time. A great turnout was seen from locals with several key submissions. While I won’t delve into each personally, I will say that the Chamber has three key agendas we will be pushing at local, state, and federal levels.

The first of these is action on Central Pier. We’re very aware that it is a complex issue with several key governing bodies having a stake in the project, but there needs to be movement on it and publicly visible movement. We will be pushing this heavily, particularly with respect to the upcoming state election.

Secondly, Docklands needs certainty regarding planning and the harbour. Every so often a rumour pops, whether it be a freight bridge spanning the Harbour, a tram bridge spanning the Yarra, developments along Harbour Esplanade.

We’re asking for these to be laid out bare, in the open, for public and stakeholder discussion, rather than rumours to fly. It’s easy enough to quash if they aren’t true and better to do that than for Chinese whispers to propagate.

Lastly, our harbour needs attention and ideas. It should be a centrepiece for Melbourne and even Australia, a home to something magnificent. We honestly don’t mind what the direction is so long as it’s focussed on creating organic traffic and exposure for Docklands.

On a more Chamber-focused note, both of our Docklands Dollars programs will be winding up soon. We’re so proud of what we have done and the acknowledgement of its success from people such as the Lord Mayor.

We’re not finished yet with ideas so keep an eye out for our next big projects. •