Banyule’s economy has been growing steadily in recent years. Most new jobs are in health care, social services and construction — the biggest employers in our area. Local shopping strips and activity centres also create jobs and help bring people together, keeping our suburbs lively and connected. Even though Banyule’s business growth is a bit slower than the Melbourne average, there are still plenty of jobs and low unemployment overall.

But not every suburb has the same opportunities. For example, Heidelberg West and Bellfield have higher unemployment and fewer local jobs. This shows that some areas need extra support.

To help build a fairer and stronger economy, we’ve combined three plans — Inclusive Local Jobs, Social Enterprise, and Economic Development — into one Inclusive Economy Strategy. This Strategy aims to make sure that everyone has the chance to benefit from economic growth and take part in Banyule’s future.

We want this Strategy to reflect what matters most to our community. Tell us what you think about the draft Strategy from now until 1 April so we can shape an economy that works for everyone.

Community voices and evidence-based research have helped shape the draft Inclusive Economy Strategy.

Over the past two years, we 've worked closely with the community to make sure the Strategy reflects needs and wants.

June - October 2024:
We spoke to more than 160 people, including:

• people who have faced challenges finding work
• social enterprises
• local businesses
• service providers
• advisory groups
• Council staff.

We listened through workshops, discussions, surveys and one-on-one conversations. People shared ideas about inclusive employment, how to support social enterprises, and what the community needs in the future.

October 2025:
We also spoke with 57 people from local businesses and the broader community about what Banyule needs to grow a stronger economy and what new opportunities we should explore.

Alongside community input, we used research and evaluation to guide the Strategy.

Council completed:

• a Gender Impact Assessment to make sure fairness and equity are considered from the beginning
• an Economic Resilience Report to understand the strengths and challenges in Banyule’s local economy
• market research looking at the best ways to support people who face barriers to employment, including the right language and service approaches to use
• Comprehensive review of the Social Enterprise and Inclusive Local Jobs Strategies checking what worked well in earlier Social Enterprise and Inclusive Local Jobs plans
• a mid-term review of the Economic Development Strategy to see what’s been successful so far and where we still need to improve.

These insights have been integrated into the draft Strategy to make it both community-led and evidence-based.