Melbourne City Council has been rocked by explosive revelations that senior executives deliberately withheld news of a major delay to the $316 million Greenline project until after last year’s election.
A Freedom of Information release uncovered a bombshell text message between a staffer in Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece’s office and a member of CEO Alison Leighton’s team, stating they would not disclose the delay “until the last possible moment, likely end of November” – weeks after votes were cast.
The four-kilometre Greenline, a landmark redevelopment along the north bank of the Yarra River from Birrarung Marr to Bolte Bridge, has already faced cost blowouts and bureaucratic hurdles. Work on the first stage at Birrarung Marr was meant to commence in 2023, but delays in securing a Melbourne Water permit pushed construction back by a full year.
Despite a highly publicised sod-turning event in May 2024 with former Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Deputy Lord Mayor Reece, and Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, fences went up but no real work began. The site had to be reopened for the 2025 Australian Open and Moomba Festival before construction finally began this April. Completion of stage one is now expected at the end of 2025, 12 months behind schedule.
Council Watch president Dean Hurlston said the text message suggested political collusion:
“If a CEO staffer and the Lord Mayor’s Office agreed to hide negative information during the caretaker period, this is interference. IBAC must investigate immediately.”
The revelations have raised questions about transparency, with critics accusing Town Hall of misleading the community during an election campaign. Under caretaker rules, councils are banned from using communications resources for political advantage.
The Greenline project, championed by Sally Capp, promises more than four kilometres of new parkland and walkways. However, it still faces a $200 million funding shortfall and ongoing uncertainty about delivery.
A City of Melbourne spokesperson defended the council, saying it had updated the community “as soon as a revised works timeline was available” and had acted in line with obligations.
Neither Lord Mayor Reece nor CEO Leighton confirmed whether they would refer the matter to IBAC. Calls for a corruption probe, however, are growing louder.
