Reflecting on 2023

Published on 25 December 2023

Mayor Cr Naim Kurt with Santa celebrating Christmas

The Christmas season is an important time for many in our community, to come together and celebrate with friends and family. 

For many the holiday is a religious celebration, which has also become a cultural holiday enjoyed by people of different faiths and beliefs who share in the traditions of gift giving, decorations, carol singing and having special meals with family and friends. 

It’s also a popular time for reflection, to contemplate everything we have achieved and overcome and to be grateful for what we have. 

For Hume City Council  we wanted to share some of the the obstacles we’ve faced, the gains we’ve made and some of the wins that we've had for our community. 

In 2023, we... 
  • Delivered a record breaking Capital Works program that supported programs including Progress Reserve and Seabrook Reserve, community hubs in Mickleham and Kalkallo, the commencement of the Sunbury Multideck carpark, major road upgrades and commenced development on the Jackson’s Hill Arts Precinct.  
  • Strengthened the way we communicate with residents from all corners of Hume City by launching our new multilingual service and Councillor request process.
  • Worked with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to create and commemorate our Stolen Generations Marker in Craigieburn.
  • Consistently advocated to Members of Parliament for better outcomes in our community through projects such as Banksia Gardens social housing construction, and the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal for which we received and advocacy award in conjunction with City of Whittlesea and Mitchell Shire Council
  • Shared inspirational campaigns such as the Hume Girls Can and I Love Hume.   
  • Disbursed $3.1 million of grants to businesses, community groups, charities, students and other sectors of the community, and raised over $17,000 for local charities through the Hume Charitable Fund.
  • Launched our Keep Hume Clean program, achieved a one-megawatt milestone for the Household Solar Rollout program, and rated second of Victorian Councils for solar installed on Council buildings.
  • Delivered major events including the Craigieburn Festival, Hume International Wheelchair Tennis Open, and our award-winning Hume Winter Lights Festival in Broadmeadows, along with the countless programs and workshops that enrich our city week in, week out.
  • Held 51 citizenship ceremonies and welcomed 7,246 new citizens.   
  • And of course, we continued to look after the health and wellbeing of our community through all of our wonderful supports and services.  

Quotes attributable to Hume City Mayor, Cr Naim Kurt: 

"2023 has been another big year for Hume and we have a lot to be proud of. 

“I became a Councillor because I want the very best for our community and our residents and I’m proud of the work council does each and every day to assist with making that happen” 

“I look forward to hitting the ground running in 2024 and not wasting a moment in delivering outcomes for our community, until then please have a very Merry Christmas and safe, happy and prosperous New Year!”