Politics
Melbourne Expands Mayoral Power Over Planning Decisions Next Year
Melbourne ratepayers will see council planning applications handled through expanded mayoral offices starting next year, matching structures already operating in Sydney and Brisbane.
How we reported this
The Victorian Local Government (Mayoral Decision-Making) Amendment took effect on 1 July 2026, giving directly elected mayors in Melbourne greater authority to fast-track certain planning permits and rate adjustments without full council votes. The change applies to the City of Melbourne and 30 other Victorian councils, affecting residents in suburbs from Footscray to Hawthorn.
State legislation passed in late 2025 requires councils to delegate routine housing density and infrastructure decisions to mayoral offices when projects meet preset criteria. Melbourne now operates under rules similar to those in New South Wales and Queensland, where mayors have held comparable powers since 2016 and 2019 respectively.
Comparison with other capital cities
Under the new framework Melbourne councils process applications for developments under 50 dwellings within 40 days, matching the timeline used by the City of Sydney. Brisbane City Council, by contrast, allows mayoral sign-off on projects up to 80 dwellings. Policy analysts note that Melbourne's population density of 490 persons per square kilometre sits between Sydney's 430 and Brisbane's 520, influencing how quickly each city applies the delegated powers.
Local residents in Melbourne's growth corridors will deal directly with mayoral offices for permits on medium-density housing near the Metro Tunnel stations at Arden and Parkville. In Sydney the same process has operated through the Lord Mayor's office since 2016, while Brisbane residents have used an equivalent system for West Gate Tunnel-style road projects since 2019.
Budget figures and next steps
The 2025-26 Victorian Budget papers allocated $48 million in transitional funding to Melbourne councils for additional planning staff required by the amendment. City of Melbourne records show 3,200 development applications lodged in the 2024-25 financial year, of which 1,150 now fall under the new mayoral delegation threshold.
Councils must publish updated delegation registers by 30 September 2026. Residents can access the registers through each council website or request hard copies at town halls. The government expects full rollout across all 31 affected councils by December 2026.