At each meeting of Hume City Council, members of the public can submit written questions for council staff to answer. Approved questions are answered by council staff who read carefully prepared statements.
Q: How can we address the problem of migrants in securing a job related to their qualification? How can council contribute in job creation in Broadmeadows and Hume city council as a whole?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY PLANNING AND PLACES: Council understands that migrants often face significant barriers in securing employment aligned with their qualifications. These challenges may include unfamiliarity with Australian workplace culture, limited local experience, language challenges and restricted professional networks. Hume City Council has taken a proactive approach to address this through its employment programs.
Some targeted programs include:
- Overseas Qualified Professionals Program: Delivered through Melbourne Polytechnic, this 16-week program equips migrants with the knowledge of Australian workplace culture and includes a 6–12-week industry placement aligned with their qualifications.
- Permanent Resident Employment Program (PREP): Initially tailored for engineers with overseas experience, PREP has helped participants adapt their skills to the Australian context.
- Career Clinics: Have been delivered through Deakin University Create, these clinics support refugees and migrants in rebuilding their careers by providing job-seeking skills, guidance, and pathways into professional employment.
- Council Tertiary Education Scholarships.
- In addition, local jobs are aggregated on the Hume Joblink portal at humejoblink.com.au
Hume City Council further contributes to job creation by:
- Attracting new business to Hume.
- Supporting growth of existing business.
- Supporting inclusive and accessible employment related education and training.
- Designing programs that respond to local labor market needs.
- Creating pathways for migrants to transition into professional roles.
Q: Are there any migrant focused supports available to help them in their career progression basedon their qualifications? For instance, as a master of agriculture science graduate, I struggle to find a job around here despite having 5 years of experience overseas and in Australia combined sometimes I feel, English not being my first language and my brown looks deter people from hiring me.
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY PLANNING AND PLACES: Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s a reality that many skilled migrants face challenges in progressing their careers, even with strong qualifications and experience.
Barriers such as unfamiliarity with local hiring practices, limited networks, and unconscious bias can make it harder to secure roles that reflect your skills. Hume City Council recognises these challenges and is committed to supporting residents.
As mentioned in the previous response Council supports a range of programs to help migrants transition. Council also works with Hume businesses to build their capability to support inclusive recruitment and employment practices and tap into untapped talent such as migrants and refugees and jobseekers facing barriers to employment.
Outside of Council there are also local services that can support migrants and refugees with professional employment pathways these include:
- Kangan Institute – Jobs and Skills Centre (Broadmeadows), VET ASSESS, AMES Australia
- Skilled Professional Migrant Program
The team will contact the resident for a further discussion.
Q: Can council please advise why plantation was removed at roundabouts on Micheline St & Dawson St and two on Broadmeadows Rd Tullamarine?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND ASSETS: The plantations at the roundabouts at Micheline and Dawson St and Broadmeadows Rd were removed as they had unfortunately died. Council is currently in the process of getting new plantings organised for these locations and these plantings are expected to be completed by the end of August.
Q: Does council have any plans to upgrade the Melrose Drive shopping strip with seating, lighting etc?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY PLANNING AND PLACES: Thank you for your question and continued interest in the Melrose Drive shopping strip.
Officers have completed an assessment framework and action plan for 23 of Humes established areas shopping strips, including Melrose Drive. The framework identifies Melrose Drive as an important activity centre and is scheduled for a major upgrade in the next 4-5 years.
In the short term, following community budget ideas and trader requests, officers are preparing designs for minor works including seating and safety barriers. These are expected to be installed by the end of 2025.
Officers will be on site at Melrose drive next week to engage directly with traders about preferred location for seating and barriers. Please get in touch with us if you would like further clarification/ information about these plans.
Q: Can Hume Council provide justification for the 30 January 2024 permit approval (and subsequent permit extensions) without public notice of a $50.3 million site-use modification (partial demolition/renovation) at 144 Northcorp Blvd, Broadmeadows, into a 24/7 robotic food packaging and transport facility, given this contravenes existing land title restrictions of (factory/warehouse(bakery) No. P9317 issued 30 June 2004, and contravenes Hume Town Planning rules.
Specifically, how does the Council justify this decision considering the potential increase in noise, traffic, and light emissions that will adversely affect the neighbouring residential zone properties, and what measures are being taken to address these impacts?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY PLANNING AND PLACES: Thank you for your question, a detailed response will be sent through to you in the coming days. This matter has been reviewed, and we can assure you that all decisions referred to were made consistent with the Hume Planning Scheme and normal process.
For Council Planning Officers making decisions on planning applications, it is always a question of balancing different land uses that are close by and applying appropriate conditions to ensure balance is achieved, residential amenity is protected, and appropriate development is facilitated given the commercial zoning of the land in question. All applications are assessed on their merits against the planning controls in place.
Q: Last week Merrifield and MAB have announced the long waiting completion of Aitken Boulevard to Merrifield.
This project is costing our Mickleham community $44 million, and all this money is coming from developer contribution which we residents are paying to private developers. Council is not putting even one dollar, but still trying to claim this road as their achievement.
This road is only one lane each way, not two lanes like our fast-growing community is needing.
The Honourable Ros Spence Parliament Member for Kalkallo, is telling us ratepayers on social media that one lane is not enough, and she is saying also that Hume Council is not contributing for this project and should do better.
I am asking, how Hume Council is saying they are advocating to make our community more liveable, but they are not giving us proper roads.
In two years’ time this road will be full of traffic and again it will be rebuilt, making more delay and more congestion for our community. Why such short-term thinking is happening for one of the fastest growing suburbs by our council.
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND ASSETS: In line with State planning requirements, when developing new arterial roads in growth areas the developer is required to construct the first carriageway. For Aitken Boulevard, the land set aside and plan anticipates duplication in the future.
Council is currently working on duplicating several sections of road including sections of Silvester Parade, Roxburgh Park, James Mirams Drive, Roxburgh Park, Elizabeth Drive, Sunbury and recently completed sections of Roxburgh Park Drive and Aitken Boulevard itself.
Council will continue to monitor traffic volumes on Aitken Boulevard and other roads across the Municipality to ensure it plans and increases road capacity as it is required.
Q: When will Hume deliver the rest of the road with full lanes in both ways for our whole community so we can access the ring road and freeways?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND ASSETS: Council monitors traffic volumes on key roads such as Aitken Boulevard, to enable the timing of duplication to be properly planned. Duplication will typically be considered when daily traffic volumes exceed 20,000 vehicles.
Q: Report 8.9 for tonight’s meeting counsellor travel request is asking ratepayers to fund a three day trip to canberra to meet with MPs but they’re is no itinerary or agenda attached to the request to show any value for ratepayers. Is there an agenda available for this trip and itinerary?
RESPONSE: ACTING DIRECTOR CUSTOMER AND STRATEGY: Thank you for your question.
The itinerary for the delegation to Canberra is being coordinated by the Northern Councils Alliance who is responsible for the scheduling of meetings with Ministers, Shadow Ministers, Senators and Members of Parliament for this delegation.
The political representatives that have or are being scheduled are aligned to strategic priorities for Melbourne’s north including roads and public transport, health, family violence prevention and the allocation of funding to local government to support the delivery of services, programs and projects for communities.
Q: What meetings have been booked in with MPs, please list each MP who has confirmed a booking with council for this trip that the counsellors will be meeting with?
RESPONSE: ACTING DIRECTOR CUSTOMER AND STRATEGY: Thank you for your question.
As of today, the 11 of August, members of the Northern Councils Alliance will be meeting with the following:
- Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
- Shadow Minister for Local Government
- Assistant Minister for Social Services
- Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
- Victorian Senators
- Local Members of Parliament including the Federal Member for Calwell, Federal
- Member for McEwen, Federal Member for Maribyrnong and the Federal Member for Scullin
- Other Ministers, Shadow Ministers and Members of Parliament are currently being confirmed