A cat curfew, a music industry conference and the awarding of more than a quarter of a million dollars in community grants were among the outcomes of Maribyrnong council’s meeting on Tuesday 18 November .
The meeting, the last presided over by outgoing mayor Pradeep Tiwari, resulted in the adoption of council’s new Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29 which includes the introduction of a cat curfew.
Designed to help keep cats and local wildlife safe, the curfew was originally proposed as a 24-7 measure, but scaled back to following negative community feedback.
A dusk til dawn cat curfew from 7am-7pm will now apply from 1 July, 2026, with a review to be conducted after 12 months.
Mandatory desexing, a subsidised desexing program and ongoing training for animal management officers are aspects of the plan which passed unanimously.
Also receiving unanimous support was the Live Music Action Plan 2026-28 which includes a proposal for a music industry conference similar to Brisbane’s ‘Big Sound’ held at the Civic Hub in Footscray.
The conference proposal will be explored by a live music working group and could include conference events during business hours and live gigs in the evenings.
A pilot live music support fund will be designed, while Footscray Park and Yarraville Gardens will be promoted as major festival venues.
A proposal for a major music festival at Whitten Oval that was included in the draft plan, has been downgraded to mid-sized twilight concert or an event held in conjunction with Western Bulldogs AFLW games.
The plan also includes an upgrade of busking guidelines to encourage more street performances.
Council then endorsed 21 community-led projects to share in more than $257,000 in funding as part of its 2025-26 Community Grants Program.
Among the recipients were Australia Refugees and Family Reunification Inc. (ARFRI), which received $25,000 for its Voices for Justice: Community Vision and Co-Design Forum.
The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association received $20,000 to conduct the Maribyrnong Vietnamese Dementia Support and Connection Project, while Parkrun Australia was awarded a grant of $8,600 to help establish a Yarraville parkrun event in Cruickshank Park.
