Thank you to everyone who helped develop the Inclusive Economy Strategy.

Council will be asked to adopt the final proposed Inclusive Economy Strategy at their meeting this Monday 25 May. To view the meeting agenda and papers and to request to speak about the Strategy, go to Council's website.

Over two years, from June 2024 to April 2026, we spoke with the community to help shape the Inclusive Economy Strategy and Action Plan. We heard from people who face barriers to work, as well as local businesses, social enterprises, service providers, advisory groups and the wider community.

In total, we received 247 contributions. People shared their views through focus groups, pop‑up sessions in business areas, and an online survey, helping us gather both broad and detailed feedback.

Take a look below at some of the things we heard, or do a deeper dive by reading the Feedback Summary Report.

What we heard

Eight key themes emerged across both stages of consultation:

Key updates to the strategy and action plan

In response to community feedback, the strategy and action plan have been updated. Key changes include:

• A new section on Aboriginal Economic Self‑Determination, including a new objective and actions in Focus Area 4, after feedback from Wurundjeri Woi‑wurrung
• Support for Aboriginal businesses, cultural safety and self‑determination across the whole strategy, not just in one section.
• Changes to Focus Area 1 to reduce red tape and make it easier to run a business
• Clearer language in Focus Area 2 to recognise different ways people find and do work
• Updates to Focus Area 5 to better reflect Banyule’s different business areas
• Stronger checks to make sure sustainable procurement commitments are followed

Next steps

Council will be asked to adopt the final proposed Inclusive Economy Strategy at their meeting this Monday 25 May. To view the meeting agenda and papers and to request to speak about the Strategy, go to Council's website.

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.

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.