Sat, 5th, Sept, 2026: Cr Alex Makin Mayor, City of Port Phillip

They say all politics is local, and our next guest knows that all too well. The City of Port Phillip has parks to invest in, libraries and community facilities to run and services to provide ratepayers, but has found itself also chiming in recently on the Royal Commission into anti-semitism and the construction of AI Data Centres. Mayor Alex Makin joins us to what he’s been up to this month.

Cr Alex Makin, elected Councillor for Montague Ward in November 2024 and chosen by his council colleagues as Mayor of Port Phillip for the 2025/2026 term. Prior to moving to Port Melbourne in 2013, he served as a councillor and independent mayor at Maroondah City Council.

Senate AI and Data Centres Inquiry: The City of Port Phillip made 20 recommendations to the Senate Inquiry last month, stating that fast-tracked planning pathways are locking local councils and residents out of having a say. Among their recommendations were:

• Mandatory consultation with local councils before approvals.
• Stronger sustainability rules (requiring recycled water and 100% renewable energy use).
• Nationally consistent planning standards so tech companies can’t exploit weak zones.
• Greater transparency and public reporting on energy, water and environmental performance
• Stronger accountability measures

Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

• The City of Port Phillip made a submission to the Royal Commission in June, and Alex went to Sydney to appear before them and give evidence supporting it.
• Port Phillip—home to historical Jewish communities in St Kilda, Ripponlea, and Balaclava—has seen local safety and belonging affected by antisemitism, following incidents like the 2024 Adass Israel Synagogue attack and the 2025 Bondi attack.
• Council’s Practical Actions include Place-based planning (CPTED safety design, lighting), rapid response to hate graffiti, strong partnerships (e.g., City of Glen Eira), and visible civic leadership.
• What Council is Advocating For: Moving beyond crisis response to long-term funding; better data sharing; and formal recognition of local councils as critical delivery partners in social cohesion and prevention.

Closure of Coventry Childcare Centre

• Council is planning to close the Coventry Children’s Centre (next to the South Melbourne Markets) for at least two years, disbanding the staff and centre that uses the facility, and instead using Coventry to accommodate children from other centres as they are upgraded.
• A funded redevelopment plan of two other childcare centres in the City of Port Phillip, the Clarendon Community Managed Centre and Lilian Canam Centre, will not proceed until a suitable site for THEIR children is found – hence the decision to move them to Coventry.
• Council has now deferred that decision to 16 September as they assess whether they can find new funding to keep the roughly 30 children who are looked after at the facility at that base – which is operating at 48% of its capacity.
• Makin has likened this plan to kicking the can down the road as he feels council is unlikely to find that money in a month.
• But there has been backlash over the plan to disband the existing childcare group at Coventry, as no long-term decision has been made about its future as a childcare centre.
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