We explain some of the highlights from the meeting below.

Council noted the recommendations of the Community Priorities Panel

Throughout this year we have been running a community engagement program, Our Place, Our Plan, to involve residents in planning for the future of Glen Eira. Part of this program included a Community Priorities Panel, a group of around 40 community members to represent Glen Eira.

Over five meetings, Panel members learned about our role, opportunities and challenges, and developed 35 recommendations for us. 

The Panel’s recommendations were made across the five key topics of wellbeing, community, public places, environment and digital services, and included recommendations such as:

• Improve accessibility of services and information
• Build adaptable community hubs
• Prioritise reducing waste at the community level
• Lobby with other councils for community energy solutions like community batteries
• Seek partnerships to deliver services collaboratively

The Panel members were outstanding representatives for Glen Eira and their recommendations have been noted by Council to be used to help guide our long-term planning.

Council decided to undertake community consultation around a cat curfew

We are exploring ways to make our area safer, more liveable and more biodiverse. As part of this, we’re exploring the idea of introducing a cat curfew — and we want to hear what you think.  

Why are we talking about this now?

In Glen Eira, we love our pets. In fact, more than 5,000 people in Glen Eira have registered cats. The vast majority of these cats are in loving, responsible homes and well cared for.

We’re exploring cat curfews because they have been shown in other parts of Victoria, Australia and the world to keep cats and other animals safe, while also making neighbourhoods feel safer and more liveable. In our neighbouring councils like Port Philip and Bayside, cat curfews are already in place.

Cat curfews keep cats safe from traffic accidents, fights or unwelcome encounters with other animals, or exposure to harmful diseases, especially overnight. This means curfews have been shown to lead to longer, healthier lives for cats.

We also think a cat curfew could help create more liveable communities, which we know is a priority for Glen Eira residents. When left to roam outside, especially overnight, cats have been found to dig up gardens, create nighttime noise, and in some cases even impact or fight local wildlife. In 2023, more than 80 cats were impounded in Glen Eira. Cat curfews have been found to help protect native birds and small animals, helping to preserve biodiversity.

We committed to exploring a cat curfew as part of our Domestic Animal Management Plan 2022–2026. Under the Domestic Animals Act 1994, all councils must have a plan for managing cats and dogs in their communities. This followed strong feedback from our community, where many people told us they wanted us to consider how to keep cats — and other wildlife — safer in Glen Eira.

What are the options?

We’re still exploring this idea and would like your feedback. We’re asking your input on three possible approaches:

• A night-time curfew: Cats must stay on their owner’s property from sunset to sunrise.
• A 24-hour cat curfew: Cats must stay on their owner's property at all times.
• No curfew: Continue with the current approach, allowing cats to roam freely.

Our neighbouring councils already have cat curfews in place, and now we want to hear from our own community about how what might work best for Glen Eira.

Council received the list of approved community grants

We are committed to supporting our community by granting funds to various not-for-profit organisations for projects and activities that help shape our diverse and inclusive City.

Between February and April, we have approved Small Grants to Murrumbeena Bowling Club and the Yalukit Willam Nature Association. We have also provided over $21,000 to help several groups such as The Torch Project and Scope to hire out facilities for their various activities.

We also support Senior Citizen Centres with grants to cover the hire costs of community facilities, and to support program and activity delivery. 32 Senior Citizens Groups were awarded grants which totalled $97,245.

Our community grants program will continue to support our residents to be healthy, strong and resilient.

Council notes the Quarterly Service Performance Report

This Quarterly Service Performance Report informs the community on our progress from 1 January to 31 March 2025.

The report includes updates on significant projects such as:

• Our Place, Our Plan, a community engagement project to help shape our direction for the next four years.
• The Elsternwick Club community engagement, where we heard from residents on what they would like for the site’s development.
• The reopening of the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool and its improvements.
• Funding secured for improved road safety and reduction of transport emissions, and the switch to electricity for GESAC.

For more information and all the reports from the meeting, visit our Council meeting page.