Hobsons Bay City Council

🧼 Scrubbing up sustainably for Plastic Free July. Last week, staff came together for a hands-on HEAT (Hobsons Bay Environment Action Team) workshop focused on navigating the low-waste cleaning world. Facilitated by The Urban Nanna, participants explored the myths and marketing tricks behind so-called "eco" cleaning products, learning how to spot greenwashing, and make genuinely sustainable choices at home and in the workplace. The highlight? Everyone got to make their own homemade dishwasher or laundry powder using simple, low-cost, and eco-friendly ingredients. It was a hit! 💚 Practical, empowering and fun - this event was a great reminder that small actions really can make a big difference.

Last week, as part of our long-standing sister city relationship, we proudly welcomed students from Anjo, Japan, along with Mr Tokuro Furuya, Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne. For 37 years, Hobsons Bay and Anjo have shared a meaningful partnership, strengthened through cultural exchange and mutual respect. This enriching student exchange program, coordinated by the Hobsons Bay International Friendship Association, offers young people a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the customs and traditions of both cities—building lifelong connections. Consul-General Furuya also caught up with Mayor Daria Kellander earlier this week to discuss how to further promote and strenghten our wonderful friendship with Anjo. We were honoured to have the consul-general join us for this special occasion. His presence added great significance to the experience for all involved.

✨🌟 What an incredibly bright future our west has. Last week, our youth services hosted the 2025 Western Region Youth Forum – a showcase of youth voices from across Melbourne’s west. 🤝 CEOs, mayors, councillors and directors from six councils heard directly from young people about the issues that matter most to them and their communities, and together, collaborated to explore solutions. Congratulations to all the young people who participated in the forum – your passion, dedication and leadership is truly inspiring! In collaboration with: Maribyrnong City Council Moonee Valley City Council Brimbank City Council Wyndham City Council Melton City Council Facilitated by Amanda and Bonnie of Youth Engagement Project. Photography by Matto Lucas Photography.

Do you know an amazing business in Hobsons Bay? Or plot twist: YOU ARE the amazing business in Hobsons Bay? 😉 Whichever one you are, you should know about the 2025 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards! The awards celebrate local businesses doing great things in our community. Nominations are now open for a range of categories: 🌟 Creating Social Change or Diversity 🤝 Excellence in Customer Experience 🌱 Excellence in Sustainability and Circular Economy 💡 Excellence in Innovation 🚀 New/Start-Up Business (under two years) 🏠 Home-Based Business For more info and to nominate ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gi-xgpf

🌏 Forget about public holidays. Forget about gifs in Microsoft Teams. Forget about morning teas in the kitchen. There's one thing our staff value above all else — the annual staff planting event on World Environment Day. 🌱🌳 Today we planted a staggering 2,000 plants at Altona Coastal Park to support its precious biodiversity, including the endangered Altona skipper butterfly, which has recently expanded into the park thanks to planting efforts over the last decade. Thank you to everyone who participated. Happy World Environment Day! P.S. We still love public holidays 😉

If there was a clear message from our flag raising ceremony last week, it was that standing up against homophobia is not just for IDAHOBIT. It's for today, tomorrow and every day. We're proud to be an organisation that has worked to establish an LGBTIQA+ community liaison group to create events and programs that support our queer community, and to spread the word that we stand against all forms of discrimination. Last week's event was supported by teams right across Council, showing our commitment to our community, including our staff, that we believe everyone has the right to live their life free of discrimination. Every day. As Cr Lisa Bentley said: "It’s so incredibly important now, more than ever, to stand up and be bold, brave, and beautiful in this world. Don’t be afraid to show up and be different. Just go out there and be your best, incredible, authentic self."

We're making Met Gala outfits! 🧵 No, not really, quite the opposite... we're giving our worse for wear clothes a bit of TLC at our semi-regular Textile Repair Café for staff. Holes. Rips. Loose hems. Anne can fix it all, helping us to prolong the life of our clothes and eliminate fast fashion. 💚 The café is just one of many free initiatives our wonderful green team organise for staff.

Our amazing conservation rangers have been collaborating with a group of 20 RMIT students while they participate in an innovative conservation and land management program. Utilising Sandy Point Nature Reserve as an outdoor classroom, the project sees the students applying hands-on learning while contributing to critical conservation efforts. Our rangers have provided materials, equipment and expert guidance to support the students. An ambitious yet important task of the project involves constructing a brush fence with dead and fallen branches (pictured). The fence aims to combat erosion using a nature-based solution. Through the program the students are gaining invaluable field experience while making a meaningful contribution to the preservation of Sandy Point Nature Reserve.

Featuring Mayor Cr Daria Kellander, this video of the recent rally for West Gate Tunnel air filters is now playing at the Sun Theatre in Yarraville. With 16,000 trucks expected through the tunnel daily, see why locals are banding together in their demand for clean air.

⚽ In celebration of Cultural Diversity Week, our youth services and community development teams partnered with young people from the Karen community of Laverton to hold the Harmony Cup soccer tournament this past weekend. 🏆🏅 With 10 teams across three divisions and over 130 competitors and spectators, the day was both a massive event and success. What an achievement for our amazing youth services staff for organising the event on a tight time frame, thank you. We couldn’t be prouder of the incredible young people who combined with our staff to organise and host such an amazing event for the community. Their dedication, leadership, and passion made it truly special! And a huge thank you to Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed, Laverton Youth Foundation, and The Zone for helping bring this event to life, it's wonderful to see such collaboration in our community. 🧡 🌞 Oh and let's not forget to shout out Mother Nature for bringing the sunshine!