Thursday, 4 June 2026

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:59): (2375) My constituency question is to Minister for Local Government and concerns a recent decision by Merri-bek City Council to change the general rubbish collection from weekly to fortnightly. Since this decision was announced, many residents – many, many residents – have reached out to me expressing their concerns and have rightly raised objections to this change, noting concerns about the impact it will have on larger households and families with young children, who generate more waste – and I can certainly attest to that. While the bins are expected to increase in capacity, many residents are concerned it will not be adequate and will lead to overflowing bins and will generate hygiene and local amenity problems alongside the increased risk of illegal rubbish dumping. Given the importance of waste collection meeting the needs of the local community, will the minister intervene by engaging with Merri-bek council to ensure that these services properly reflect community expectations?