November 2025 Council Meeting wrap
Last updated on 28 November 2025
Key items considered and endorsed at the November 2025 Council Meeting included:
Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026 – 2029: This Plan, which Council is legislatively required to review and update every 4 years, was informed by two rounds of community consultation this year through which significant feedback was received (more than 550 submissions in total).
The Plan outlines its development, including summarising feedback received at a high level, before detailing key areas of focus – such as Registration and Identification, Responsible Pet Ownership and Reducing Nuisance, and Dog Attacks – and relevant actions to each proposed over the next 4 years.
The tabled Plan was adopted with amendments, including changing a proposed cat containment implementation from 2028 to instead start in 2029; including the investigation of options to ease the cost and improve compliance of introduction of cat containment; and for a review of the ‘For The Love Of Paws’ cat and dog education campaign.
Annual Environment Report: Council noted this annual report for 2024-25 – a report which summarises the progress of a range of environmental-related activities and indicators led by Council, including those in the Environment Strategy 2021 and progress towards achieving zero net emissions from Council operations by 2030.
A recommendation to incorporate future Annual Environment Reports into Council’s Annual Report from 2025-26 was also carried.
Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025: Council endorsed a formal stance in sharing various concerns with the Victorian Government’s proposed Bill, which would commence in October 2027 if passed, and make significant changes to/expands the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
Much of Council’s stance had been flagged in a media statement earlier this month, though last night’s amended motion added two points calling for a mechanism for the Minister for Planning to require the timely delivery of state infrastructure that keeps pace with housing growth; and strengthening Section 69 provisions to prevent ongoing extensions of time to permits, where a holder is not reasonably acting on it.
Delegations and Authorisations Policy + Instruments of Delegation: Council adopted an updated Policy to ensure delegations and authorisations are responsibly managed, monitored, and controlled.
In a related item, deferred from the September 2025 Council Meeting, Council also updated various Instruments of Delegation to ensure they are up-to-date, effective, and in line with expectations. These delegations are essential to allow the Chief Executive Officer and Council staff to manage the day-to-day operations of Council effectively.
Key updates, encompassing some additions through an amended motion, include the formal dissolving of the Planning Delegated Committee; revoking the C7 Instrument of Delegation(Community Asset Committee); quarterly reporting on a number of relevant outputs; and a delegations review and updated Instrument of Delegation to come back to Council by 1 July 2026.
Youth engagement: Council endorsed the creation of a new Youth Council, comprising 9 positions (3 young people per ward). An Expression of Interest and recruitment process will commence in the new year to appoint the initial members, to be completed by June 2026. Members will be serving a term of 2 years.
This approach, informed by benchmarking against other councils and other considerations, would see Councillors and Council staff supporting eventual Youth Councillors to build their capacity and understanding of local democratic processes; to deliver routine formal meetings of the Youth Council; and for members to provide input to decisions on matters that affect young people across the shire.
The tabled recommendation was endorsed with an amendment adding the requirement of a progress report going to Council at the June 2026 Council Meeting, in relation to the EOI recruitment process.
Notices of Motion were also carried to grant Councillor Dom Bonanno a 6-month period of unpaid leave, from 26 November 2025 to 25 May 2026; and to write to the Minister for Planning requesting a planning scheme amendment to include the Macedon Ranges Statement of Planning Policy 2019 into the Macedon Ranges Planning Scheme as an incorporated document, and embed in the State Planning Policy Framework with existing state and local planning policies, zones overlays and particular provisions that apply to land within the declared area.
Further information on this Council Meeting, including minutes and a meeting recording, can be found on Council’s website: mrsc.vic.gov.au/meetings