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Greater Dandenong's Independent Weekly
The Dandenong Local
Issue #5 · Wednesday 24 June 2026 · Free
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📬 From the Editor
G'day, and welcome to Issue #5.
The big one: council passed the 2026–27 Budget on Monday 15 June — more than $105 million in capital works, with Oasis Aquatics and Wellbeing as the headline project. It happened quietly, a fortnight earlier than the date we'd flagged for you, and the follow-up meeting pencilled in for 29 June has now been cancelled because it's simply not needed.
The same council meeting delivered a genuine bit of drama: a 7–2 vote to reverse course on the purple glass bin, with two councillors going down fighting for the original plan. We've got the named quotes, the real fine risk, and what it means for the resident who wrote to us about it weeks ago.
This week we're in Doveton for Suburb Spotlight — a place that gets talked about less than it deserves, and a school that calls itself a second family. Plus a carjacking spree that's been put to an end, what's on around the LGA, and a joke from someone who'd very much like to remain anonymous.
— Topher, Editor · The Dandenong Local
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📰 This Week's Big Story
💰 Budget
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The budget's passed. $105 million is locked in. Here's where it's going.
Greater Dandenong councillors passed the 2026–27 Budget at their meeting on Monday night, 15 June — a fortnight earlier than the special adoption meeting we'd previously flagged for 29 June, which has since been cancelled as a result. The budget includes a capital works program of more than $105 million, funding projects council says will "strengthen livability, connection and opportunity" across the LGA.
The centrepiece is Oasis Aquatics and Wellbeing — one of the largest community infrastructure projects council has ever undertaken. Once complete, it'll bring together a 50-metre pool, learn-to-swim and leisure pools, warm water pools, a gym, group fitness spaces, allied health consulting rooms, a café and an integrated sports pavilion under one roof.
Elsewhere in the budget: more than $2 million for community safety upgrades, including CCTV, fencing and public lighting renewal; another $2 million across eight projects under the Five Year Open Space Plan to upgrade playgrounds and park amenities; a new sensory trail at Tirhatuan Park in Dandenong North; continued investment in the Dandenong Market and the Dandenong New Art (DNA) project; and a commitment to transition council's vehicle fleet to hybrid or electric.
Council says it has applied the Victorian Government's rate cap and kept hardship and flexible payment support in place for residents doing it tough. Mayor Sophie Tan called it a "responsible and forward-looking Budget that continues to support our growing and diverse community," thanking the more than 3,300 residents and business owners who contributed feedback during consultation.
Oasis Aquatics and Wellbeing is targeting a mid-2027 opening. We'll keep tracking construction progress and the unresolved question of what happens to the current Oasis site. Full mayoral message at greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au
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🗑️ Also This Week — The Backflip on the Bin
Council reversed its glass bin decision. The vote split 7–2 — and it wasn't quiet.
At the same 15 June meeting, council voted to reverse its earlier approval of the state-mandated purple glass recycling bin, deferring the $3.6 million rollout. The majority argued the existing Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) — 10 cents per bottle — is already doing the job. Cr Rhonda Garad said deposit centres are now so popular that residents queue "1-2 hours" to use them, with people "combing the bins of our city" to collect bottles for charity. Cr Bob Milkovic argued a new bin risks contamination that sends recycling straight to landfill: "Why double bill the residents... for something that might not have any effect whatsoever?"
Deputy Mayor Phillip Danh and Greens-endorsed Cr Isabella Do were the only two votes against the deferral, taking a longer view: "The cost of our inaction today will be a cost to our residents tomorrow," Cr Danh said. The deferral also covers the state-mandated 'opt-out' model for FOGO bins — 85 per cent of Greater Dandenong households have already opted in voluntarily, so council expects to save around $500,000 there regardless.
The risk: city futures executive director Sanjay Manivasagasivam told council the deferral could expose Greater Dandenong to multiple $100,000 fines from 1 July 2027 if the state doesn't budge. Council's plan is to use the time to lobby for a formal review of the rollout — more than 30 other Victorian councils are pushing for the same thing. Read the full story here.
⚒ Also This Week — Workers Threaten to Widen the Bans
Six months, no offer. Now the union is threatening to widen the bans.
More than 1,500 workers across eight Melbourne councils — including Greater Dandenong — marched from Trades Hall to State Parliament on Wednesday 17 June, the second major full-day stoppage in this dispute. Dandenong Library closed for the day. The Australian Services Union is now warning it will reinstate wider-ranging work bans — covering bin collection, mowing, aged care visits and libraries — if councils don't put a wage offer on the table.
Six months into bargaining, not one of the eight councils has made a pay offer. The ASU wants 10 per cent in year one, citing real wages down 7.3 per cent since 2021; councils point to the state's 2.75 per cent rate cap as the constraint. Council CEO Jacqui Weatherill says she's "keen to get on with good faith bargaining." No resolution yet — we'll keep watching. Read the full story here.
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📅 What's On This Week
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FIFA World Cup — Live on the Big Screen
Harmony Square, Dandenong · 24/7 · Free · Alcohol-free zone
Still running daily until Sunday 19 July. BYO picnic, blankets, folding chairs. Family-friendly. More info here.
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Pet Drawing 🐾
Springvale Library, 5 Hillcrest Grove · 6:30pm–8pm · Free
Sketch your furry (or feathered) friend with facilitator Maroulla's guidance — all materials provided, bring your own pet photos for reference. Other art and craft projects also welcome. greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au
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Neighbourhood BBQ 🍢
Autumn Place Community Hub, Doveton · 4pm–6pm · Free
Bring a neighbour or two for a family-friendly evening. Free sausage sizzle (halal options available) and free kids' activities. A good one for our Doveton readers. greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au
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Sewing Machine Basics 🧵
Springvale Library · 1pm–4pm & 5:30pm–8:30pm · Free · Ages 16+ · Registration required
Hands-on intro to sewing machine basics, then create a stylish boxed, lined zipper pouch to take home. Register here.
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Dried Flower Resin Workshop 🌸
Keysborough Community Hub · 6pm–7:30pm · Free · Ages 16+ · Registration required
Create your own eco-friendly resin case using plant-based materials and sustainably sourced dried flowers. No experience needed — all materials provided. Register here.
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One Night in Memphis 🎸
Drum Theatre · 226 Lonsdale St, Dandenong · 8pm
A tribute to Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash, brought to life on the Drum stage. Tickets and details at drum.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au
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The Megaphone Project 📢
Various locations across Casey · 27 June–12 July · 10am–4pm · Free
Twenty-five giant megaphones in a range of shapes and sizes travelling across the region. Explore, play and interact with the installation. casey.vic.gov.au
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🚆 No planned disruptions on the Cranbourne or Pakenham lines this week. ptv.vic.gov.au
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🔎 Suburb Spotlight
Doveton
Postcode 3177 · 32km SE of Melbourne CBD
Doveton doesn't get talked about as much as Springvale or Noble Park, but it's quietly home to one of the most studied and admired community models in Victoria. More than a decade ago, Doveton College became the "lighthouse" site for the Our Place model — a wraparound, one-stop-shop approach to early learning and family support that's since been studied and replicated elsewhere.
On-site at the college: playgroups, after-school sports, holiday programs, maternal and child health nurses, mental health services, employment assistance, English-language courses and on-site child-minding — all built around the idea that a school can be more than a school for families who've recently arrived and don't yet know anyone. Early years director Serena Zito says newly-arrived, refugee-background families feel "more connected" because of it. "This is a whole new place. It's hard when you don't know anyone. To have the school here is like a second family — our reception staff speak multiple languages, they have this support around them, they can get to know some friends."
Playgroup coordinator Masooma Ali is one example of how it works in practice. A stay-at-home mum who'd felt isolated and unconfident, she took a six-week work placement at the college looking after kids while their parents attended adult education classes. She never left. "The ladies who come here, they love me. I'm happiest in here — I don't feel it's my workplace. It's like my family."
The community's own affection for the suburb shows up in smaller ways too — the previously untitled reserve at Autumn Place was named after a local legend following a community push, and the Autumn Place Community Hub remains a genuine social hub, hosting things like this week's free Neighbourhood BBQ (see What's On). It's not a flashy suburb. It's a suburb that looks after its own — and that's worth more airtime than it gets.
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🛡 Safety Update
Man charged after carjacking spree across Dandenong and Cranbourne
A 30-year-old man of no fixed address has been charged following two alleged attempted carjackings and one carjacking across the area this month. Police say he allegedly opened the rear door of a vehicle and demanded keys from a driver on High Street, Cranbourne on 18 June, assaulting the driver when he refused. A short time later, he allegedly entered a vehicle and demanded keys from a driver on New Street, Dandenong, before fleeing in the car and abandoning it on McCrae Street. Greater Dandenong CIU detectives located and arrested him on Clow Street. He's also been charged over an earlier alleged incident on 9 June, where a man's car keys were taken outside a McCrae Street gym. He was remanded to appear at Dandenong Magistrates' Court.
This one's resolved — he's in custody — but it's a timely reminder for everyone: always lock your car, even for a minute, and keep valuables out of sight — bags, wallets, electronics, anything worth grabbing. It takes a thief seconds.
If you witness a carjacking or theft in progress, don't intervene — call 000. For non-urgent reports, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at crimestoppersvic.com.au Read the full story here.
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⚡ Quick Bites
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🎾 The squash courts are going, and the players aren't happy about it. At the same 15 June meeting, councillors voted down a $46,000 feasibility study into preserving the last squash courts in Greater Dandenong, clearing the way for demolition as part of the Oasis redevelopment. Around 140 residents had signed a petition to save them. "They just decided to squash us," said regular player Terry Wilkinson. Council says it simply doesn't have the money, with $28 million in interest payments due over the next five years. Read the full story here.
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🦺 WorkSafe is putting Dandenong manufacturers under the microscope. New data shows one in 10 manufacturing fatalities and work-related injuries in Victoria happen in the Dandenong postcode. WorkSafe inspectors are converging on the area in coming weeks as part of Project 3175, offering free support programs alongside compliance checks. Free training and resources available via the WorkSafe hotline on 13 23 60. Read the full story here.
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📊 Crime "stabilises" locally, but family violence is climbing sharply. The latest 12-month Crime Statistics Agency data shows Greater Dandenong recorded a 1.1 per cent rise in overall crime, against a 1.9 per cent statewide drop. Family violence order breaches were up 31 per cent, harassment up 59 per cent, and stalking up 31 per cent — but aggravated home burglaries fell 14 per cent and aggravated robberies fell 29 per cent. Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill called the overall level "unacceptable." Read the full story here.
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📚 If the threatened work bans go ahead, here's what you'll actually notice. Beyond the headline numbers (see Side Story), the ASU has detailed exactly what wider bans would look like on the ground: library chutes closed, loudspeaker announcements and flyers at branches, mowing and sporting field maintenance paused, and aged care workers using home visits to talk to clients directly about the dispute. ASU deputy branch secretary Zoe Edwards says expect "increased activity in the community in Dandenong." One of the most senior local delegates, 37-year disability planning worker Chris Stewart — who is vision and hearing impaired and works with a guide dog — says it plainly: "I pay for services in Monash that seem to be going up all the time, but my wage in Greater Dandenong is not going up." Read the full story here.
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🍲 A free two-course meal in Dandenong, every Monday. St James' Anglican Church Hall on Langhorne Street runs a weekly Monday Meal through Endeavour Ministries, serving between 60 and 80 people a home-cooked two-course dinner. For details, contact The Andrews Centre on 03 9700 4944. stjamesdandenong.com/community-services
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Supported by a local Dandenong business
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Washer and dryer rentals for your home, from $50/month. Free local delivery, free installation, free maintenance — servicing Dandenong and the South East.
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🗣 Resident Voice
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"Another rate rise and I'm now required to do more work. Why do we need another recycle bin, why should I pay more to do the recyclers' job? Do residents have a choice?"
— Cheryl, Noble Park
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Cheryl, here's the answer in full: no, residents don't get a choice — the glass bin is a state government mandate, not a council decision. But as of 15 June, your council has pushed back on your behalf, voting 7–2 to defer the rollout rather than add another bin to your kerb. The catch is the state can fine council up to $100,000 multiple times over from 1 July 2027 if it doesn't eventually comply — so this is a deferral, not a final win. We'll keep tracking it. Got something on your mind? Drop us a line at [email protected]
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😄 Joke of the Week
"My wife asked me to pass her the lip balm, but I passed her a tube of glue instead.
She still isn't talking to me."
— Anon, Dandenong
Got a good one? Send it to [email protected]
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🌏 Only in Dandenong
TRUE STORY
"Ten cents a bottle, and a queue out the door."
Somewhere in Greater Dandenong this week, someone queued an hour and a half at the bottle deposit machine, feeding bottles in ten cents at a time — and they'll be back next week to do it again.
It's why council ended up voting down the new glass bin this week. Cr Rhonda Garad told the chamber the deposit scheme is so popular that people line up with "bags and bags" of bottles, and some residents now treat the bin runs like a part-time fundraiser — collecting for charity, ten cents at a time. Council looked at adding a whole new bin to everyone's kerb, and decided the bottle queue was already doing the job. Only in Dandenong does a recycling scheme become someone's actual weekend plan.
Got an Only in Dandenong moment? Send it to [email protected]
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✍️ Until Next Week
Thanks for reading Issue #5. The budget's done, the glass bin's deferred, and Doveton's College proves a school can be a lot more than a school.
The one to watch: the council workers' dispute. Six months, no offer, and now talk of wider work bans. If it escalates again before next issue, we'll cover it.
If you know someone who'd find this useful, forward it on. It costs nothing and means a lot.
See you next Wednesday. ☀️
— Topher · The Dandenong Local
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© 2026 The Dandenong Local · Independent & Free
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Greater Dandenong's Independent Weekly · Published every Wednesday 8am
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