Community Pitch voting now open

Community Pitch

Hobsons Bay residents can now vote for their favourite community-driven ideas and go into a draw to win great prizes as part of Community Pitch 2022/23.

Thirteen ideas have been shortlisted to vote on and Council will deliver the community’s favourite ideas in 2022/23.

Ideas were received from community groups, residents, organisations and businesses from October 2021 to February 2022.

Mayor of Hobsons Bay Cr Peter Hemphill thanked the community for embracing Community Pitch and pitching a diverse range of ideas.

“The thirteen successful pitches which progressed to vote stage all demonstrated a theme of reconnecting with the community as we recover from COVID-19 or focused on the environment,” said Cr Hemphill.

“Council officers have assessed each application against the selection criteria and are committed to delivering the projects with the highest number of votes.”

Voting takes place online at the Participate Hobsons Bay website. Residents have three points and can choose to vote for one, two, or three ideas but they cannot use all three points for a one idea.

Funding of up to $50,000 is available for the highest rated ideas with $600,000 allocated in the Annual Budget 2022/23 as part of the Community Pitch program.

Shortlisted ideas

  • Toys to the rescue – reduced Hobsons Bay Toy Library membership fees in 2022/23 to families who have experienced financial hardship during the covid-19 pandemic.
  • Upcycle in style– a regular get together to learn how to repair and reuse clothing which may otherwise end up in landfill.
  • Circular coffee – Single use coffee cups are difficult to recycle and usually end up in landfill, this initiative can encourage cafes and the community to utilise reusable cups.
  • Connecting Hobsons Bay residents safely online – digital literacy programs to support community confidence, skills and online safety, for example the basics of using digital devices and engaging with the internet.
  • Native plant giveaway – free locally native tube stock plants available for residents to plant in their own gardens. The plants will be provided at community planting days and events throughout the year to create habitat friendly gardens, assist with urban cooling and education to the community on the importance of growing natives.
  • Native nature strips – an initiative to convert grassed nature strips to native ‘habitat strips’ through supplying information and locally indigenous plants to residents.
  • Growing community though propagating plants – this initiative can deliver a structured education program to the community which could be included in the My Smart Garden series of events. The benefit of an increase in native planting and habitat creation on private property will also help our community to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
  • Weekend BBQ – Community events through food and activities to promote social connections and an opportunity to meet new people and explore the city.
  • Diversity potluck – a community celebration to taste different foods and learn more about cultures while celebrating all the diversity that makes Hobsons Bay so amazing.
  • Urban Harvest Hobsons Bay festivals of food – connect households through tips for growing their veggie garden, sharing produce and learning new cooking skills while celebrating Hobsons Bay’s rich migrant history.
  • Hobsons Bay Volunteer Expo –showcase local volunteering and volunteering opportunities across Hobsons Bay.
  • Zero Waste Pledge –an extensive education and promotion campaign to encourage residents to utilise reusable options to reduce waste element.
  • End period poverty – Similar to the reusable cloth nappy rebate from last year’s successful Community Pitch, Council will reimburse the cost of purchasing reusable sanitary products. Supporting women to purchase reusable sanitary products will reduce waste to landfill.

In addition, a number of community submissions have been slightly modified and will be delivered through Council’s day to day operations, such as including Lady Nelson Drive in Council’s Heritage Street Signs Program and developing indigenous signage acknowledging the Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of the lands, rivers and coastal areas in Hobsons Bay.

Park upgrades, large-scale infrastructure improvements and capital works projects were not accepted this year due to the $50,000 cap and Council’s robust Capital Works Program which includes an ambitious program of scheduled work for 2022/23, led by the Asset Management Strategy.

In total, 114 ideas were received. Each pitch was reviewed and assessed by the Community Engagement team and the relevant work area who will be responsible for delivery. Of these 68 were suitable to progress to the assessment stage and thirteen were shortlisted for the community to vote.

Voting closes 1 May 2022. To vote, visit participate.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/community-pitch-202223

/Public Release. View in full here.