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A history of Committee for Melbourne

1985

Committee for Melbourne was founded in 1986 to establish three priorities: 

• to increase the frequency of international flights to Melbourne;
• to make Melbourne’s 1986 Spoleto Festival a success; and
• to increase Melbourne’s attractiveness to international corporate headquarters through Government/Private sector co-operation

1986

The Committee’s forms first three sub-committees, including:

• ‘Strategy and Planning’; and
• ‘Aviation, Science and Technology’ – which focused on attracting corporate headquarters and increasing international flights to Melbourne.

1987

• Committee holds its first conference – Melbourne: Leading the Way.
• The Committee establishes the Arts and Cultural Forum and CBD Forum.
• The Committee holds its second conference - Melbourne: Strategies for a Global Identity.

1989

The Committee establishes the following working groups, all of which fall under the Melbourne International Board umbrella, announced by the Premier of the day: 

• Business Policy Advisory Committee
•  Aviation Working Group
• Tourism, Events and Festivals Working Group
• Very Fast Train Working Group
• Melbourne Olympic Bid Working Group
• Science and Technology Working Group
• Multi-Function Polis Working Group
• Docklands Working Group.

1990

• Committee releases its Docklands Discussion Paper and hosts a Docklands Conference leading to the establishment of the Dockland Authority.

1991

• Committee advocates to add bud-lighting to Melbourne’s St Kilda Road and latterly, Collins Street;
• Committee develops several prongs of the Transport Hub proposal; and
• Melbourne’s Docklands Authority is established.

1992

• The Committee’s push to create more efficient links between existing freeways finds expression in the Western Bypass, and City Link project financed by a Committee-led initiative: infrastructure bonds;
• The Committee oversees progress on the Domain Tunnel, Western Bypass, Western Ring Road and privatisation of Melbourne International Airport; and
•  The Committee lobbies to raise Melbourne’s image as a tourist centre and supports the creation of the free City Circle Tram line specifically for tourists.

1993

Sub-committee of the Board focused on:

• Melbourne Airport, Domain Tunnel/Western Bypass,
• Very Fast Train proposal, accelerated progress towards improving Melbourne city through city works
• Improved city management and promotion
• Media and communications
• Attracting regional corporate headquarters to Melbourne
• Developing a Victorian Tourism Marketing Plan
• International recognition of Melbourne as a centre of science
• Recognition of Melbourne as Australia’s best host of international visitors
• Regional development
• Successful reform of the food processing industry
• Making Melbourne Australia’s centre of education
• Continuing the Committee’s international work, and
• Community integration of the Committee’s aims.

1994

• Melbourne’s reputation as a centre for medical research and health programs receives a boost through the Committee’s initiative to promote these strengths in Asia.

1995

• The Committee’s Transport Hub Strategy oversees the privatisation of Melbourne Airport.
• The concept of a unique two-year leadership development program - the Future Focus Group - is established.

1996

• The first intake of the Future Focus Group business leadership program commences.

1997

• A Future Focus Group project group launches Eleos Place – a four-bedroom apartment for homeless youth, in association with the Collins Street Baptist Church.
• The Committee wins the right for Melbourne to host the 1999 meeting of the United Nations Inter-Agency Procurement Working Group.
• In partnership with the City of Melbourne, the Committee launches the “Thinking Melbourne” program.

1999

• Through the work of the Future Focus Group, the Committee becomes the first organisation outside the United States to ‘Adopt-a-Minefield’ and raises funds to clear a minefield in a village in Cambodia.
• The Committee hosts the meeting of the United Nations Inter-Agency Procurement Working Group.

2000

• The Committee works with Mr Rob Gell to promote a sustainable corridor from Werribee to Geelong and to create a world leading water recycling and ecological precinct at the Werribee Sewerage Treatment Plant in its Werribee BioRegion Project.

2001

• The Committee initiates Melbourne as the first city in the world to sign the UN Cities Programme.
• The Committee establishes the BioMelbourne Network to promote Victoria’s biotech capabilities.

2002

• A Future Focus Group project group develops the Green PC brochure for InfoXchange to market PC recycling to the Committee for Melbourne members and Government with support from the Premier of Victoria.
• The Committee is appointed International Secretariat of the UN Cities Programme and the Melbourne Model is created, based on the model of the Committee for Melbourne.
• The Committee initiates the Digital River Taskforce and commissions development of the Digital Building Telecommunications Access Guideline (DBTAG) to promote competitive telecommunication access to buildings in Victoria. The Guideline is launched by the Minister for Information and Communication Technology.

2003

• A Future Focus Group project group develops ThinkCommunity, a program in which Melbourne professionals mentor disadvantaged 15- to 20-year olds.

2004

• The Committee establishes a Taskforce focusing on encouraging a creative Melbourne and initiates the Melbourne Prize Trust and Melbourne Prize.

2005

• The Committee’s Expansion Capital for Innovation taskforce publishes a report and submits key findings to Federal Government review of the Venture Capital Industry.
• The Transport Taskforce releases a groundbreaking report putting a figure on traffic congestion’s cost and receives widespread media coverage.

2006

• The Committee initiates its Digital River taskforce and has its Digital Building Telecommunications Access Guideline launched as the national standard by The Australian Building Codes Board.
• A Future Focus Group project group which includes Future Focus Group Alumni launches Moving Galleries, a ‘travelling exhibition’ of art and poetry riding the rail network for 12 months aboard 20 trains.
• The Committee’s Transport Taskforce releases its second policy paper and the Government adopts a raft of proposed measures.

2007

• The Higher Education Taskforce launched its White Paper ‘Higher Education at a Tipping Point’ warning that the higher education system is at a tipping point and calling for urgent action.

2008

• Climate Change Taskforce launches FutureMap: Melbourne 2030 in July.
• Future Focus Group project, Melbourne Open House, launches the free-to-visit city-wide event which features the opening of important Melbourne buildings to the public for viewing in July.
• Climate Change Taskforce briefs more than 100 Members in June, at Federation Square on 12 months of work. Buildings, transport and urban planning areas of opportunity for Members to build on with climate change initiatives.
• The Committee’s CEO, three Executive Board Members and seven Members take part in the Federal Government’s Australia 2020 summit in April.

2009

• New Taskforce, Shaping Melbourne, to focus on five key themes: Towards 2050 and Beyond: The Big Picture, Infrastructure, Built Form Solutions, Economics, Community Engagement.
• Recommendations in the Climate Change Taskforce report were implemented via a Procurement workshop held in March, to give Committee for Melbourne members an insight as to what is green procurement and what are the benefits for organisations.
• Committee for Melbourne helps organise ‘Our City Cares’ rally at Federation Square in February, in aid of those impacted by the devastating Victorian Bushfires.

2010

• Committee celebrates its 25^th anniversary.
• Volumes 1 to 3 of the Melbourne Beyond 5 Million series published – the resulting reports from the 18-month Shaping Melbourne Taskforce study.
• Culture Card Victoria – the Committee for Melbourne cultural exposure and experiences program for Victorian tertiary international students launches.
• Committee helps secure bringing the new United Nations Global Secretariat for the Principles for Social Investment (PSI) to Melbourne.