Reflections of mayoral term

Published on 12 November 2025

As my term as Mayor comes to an end, I want to say what an incredible honour it’s been to serve our Hobsons Bay community for the first time in this role. It’s been a busy, challenging, and incredibly rewarding year, and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together.

This has been a year of significant change. We’ve welcomed a new Council, and navigated major leadership transitions, including the suspension of the CEO and the important step of recruiting a new one. These changes have laid the foundations for a stronger and more positive future.

We’ve been a strong voice on issues that matter to our community - standing firm on the need for ventilation filtration on the West Gate Tunnel, opposing the State Government's new ESVF tax, and advocating to keep Champion Road open.

We’ve also worked closely with our local police to re-establish Neighbourhood Watch and our Community Safety Committee, ensuring residents have a voice in shaping how we keep our neighbourhoods safe. And we have seen lifeguard funding restored for the summer season, because everyone deserves to feel safe at our beaches.

This year we’ve seen progress on major projects too - the Altona Beach entry reopening, the Altona Hockey Club upgrade, the Altona Bridge renewal, and we saved Laverton Pool with an upgrade. It’s great to see these projects now being enjoyed by our community.

At Techno Park, we’ve made real progress by recognising the existing use rights for three blocks, giving residents long-awaited certainty and recognition.

A big focus for me this year has been making Council more open and accessible. I’ve loved getting out into our schools, hearing from our young people about their ideas and hopes for Hobsons Bay.

I also decided to ditch the Mayoral robes - a small change to make the Mayor role more approachable and community-focused. And our new governance rules now let community members read their own public questions at meetings — a simple but important way to make Council more transparent and inclusive.

It’s been a year of change, advocacy, and real progress. I’m deeply grateful to my fellow Councillors, our dedicated staff, and above all, the people of Hobsons Bay for your support, trust, and passion for this wonderful community.

It has truly been a privilege to serve as your Mayor. Thank you.  

Cr Columns are published in the Star Weekly newspaper every fortnight.