Wyndham councillor Josh Gilligan has used his inaugural speech as mayor to take aim at the state government and the state’s peak planning body, declaring that Wyndham is “on track to be less liveable”.
On Wednesday 12 November, Cr Gilligan was elected as mayor for 2025-25, ahead of Cr Peter Maynard.
This will be Cr Gilligan’s second time as mayor, having previously served as mayor in 2019-20 when he was the city’s youngest ever mayor.
Addressing the council meeting after his election as mayor, Cr Gilligan vowed to make his year as mayor count and to fight for the best interests of Wyndham.
“For too long, Wyndham has been told the power lies elsewhere, in the corridors of Spring Street, or King Street at VCAT [the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal], which is fast becoming the playground for developers to ignore councils through a state planning system that fails to capture the voice of our local community,” he said.
“Wyndham is on track to be less liveable and crippled by state overreach that undermines local communities.
“But I have always believed that Wyndham should never just accept what it is given.
“We are a burgeoning powerhouse in our right that supports the Victorian economy through housing and migration.
“And ultimately it is up to all of us in this chamber together to secure what Wyndham deserves and a commitment to ensuring Wyndham comes first.”
Cr Gilligan also vowed to fight for more local jobs and less housing, saying he believed that was what the community had told council over his decade in the chamber.
He announced a campaign to secure funding for Wyndham’s third aquatic facility.
He said a business case is complete and design details could be committed by Christmas.
According to Cr Gilligan, the new facility is needed because Wyndham has one aquatic facility per 48,000 people, with AquaPulse visited by one million people each year.
“When AquaPulse does go offline for repairs, there will be a time in this city when no aquatic facility is available.”
Cr Preet Singh will serve as deputy mayor for the next 12 months, ahead of Cr Larry Zhao.
However, Cr Jasmine Hill declared that she was not prepared to vote for either candidate and left the chamber because the city’s governance rules require all councillors present at the meeting to cast a vote.
