Nick Reece is Lord Mayor of Melbourne.
Yes, pedestrian foot traffic is down and the working-from-home shift has caused pain for businesses. But when people visit the city now, they are spending more than ever before.
On any major CBD street you have fast walkers, slow walkers, people drifting diagonally like bishops on a chessboard, or those staring at their phone. It’s time for both carrot and stick.
International education is Australia’s biggest export industry that is not dug out of the ground. It is worth more than $50 billion to the economy and generates more than 200,000 jobs.
Melbourne’s population is surging and we need more homes. In the world’s most liveable city, we can surely do better than: ‘Welcome, I hope you packed a tent.’
In 1842, Melbourne’s first mayor, a brewery owner, presided over the City of Melbourne’s first meeting. After a period of lawlessness, and edicts from Sydney, the occasion marked the first recognition of Melbourne’s right to self-govern.
Melbourne City Council’s bold plans will undoubtedly attract plenty of brickbats and bouquets. This is a good thing. Let the debate begin.
Australia should follow the lead of New Zealand and get serious about saving our Indigenous languages, with renaming places and teaching in schools to play a big part.
The election spendathon and the federal budget put into stark relief the financial rip-off that Victoria suffers for our membership of the federation.
Melbourne led the way with the introduction of the 8-hour-day but 160 years later many industries have slipped back to their old ways.
State leaders are riding a wave of trust and the Prime Minister seems diminished, but ultimately the public doesn’t give a rats who supplies them with RATs, they just want them now at a price they can afford.