In conversation with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Nicholas Reece

In July our members packed the room for our annual Meet the Lord Mayor event with Nick Reece at Herbert Smith Freehills’ office. Listening to the Lord Mayor of Melbourne’s plans for the city while surrounded by amazing views of the metropolis, felt very fitting.

It was great to come together and discuss how we can continue to make Melbourne the best place to do business, live, play and work. Committee for Melbourne members enjoyed hearing the Lord Mayor’s plans for tackling the city’s main issues, such as homelessness, safety, housing and transport.

Mark Melvin, CEO, Committee for Melbourne, quizzed the Lord Mayor on major issues that the Committee has been grappling with, especially following the release of the Living in Melbourne 2024 report this month which highlights that Melburnians support investment in public transport and affordable housing. Important programs of work for the city were identified including:

• The need to support international students as an important way to continue Melbourne’s economic success.
• Investment in programs such as MARL, bus reform and MM2.
• Continued programs of arts & culture investment such as the visitor centre at Fed Square, the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel and entertainment precincts.
• The opportunities to continue to develop precincts on the doorstep like Fishermans Bend and Arden.

Melbourne is the fastest growing city in Australia with our population expected to reach 9 million by mid-century. We need to have strategic plans in place to tackle our pressure points and keep Melbourne thriving.

Thank you to the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Nicholas Reece for sharing your plans for the city.

A big thank you to Herbert Smith Freehills for hosting us.