With over $1 billion in infrastructure and an annual asset consumption of ~$20 million, Maribyrnong City Council faces a familiar challenge: limited ratepayer revenue stretched across ageing assets, increasing demand, and evolving community expectations. From roads and footpaths to parks and buildings, the city is juggling renewal, upgrades, and new investments—whilst some critical assets edge towards obsolescence due to changing standards, gender impact, and social value.
In 2024, amidst new Victorian regulations mandating deliberative engagement, we chose to reframe the conversation. Instead of relying on depreciation to drive funding decisions—or accepting declining service levels—we invested in better asset data to uncover capital efficiencies.
Using IPWEA-aligned condition assessments across key asset classes, we built a robust picture of asset health based on national indicators (2024 NSOA/IPWEA). This data informed multiple long-term scenarios that modelled how investment shifts (between asset classes, or prioritised by use and importance) could reduce assets in poor condition and in doing so, also lower the risks and potential claims that typically arise from poorly maintained infrastructure.
Armed with this, we presented three funding options to our community over three deliberative workshops. Coupled with the Council Plan and Financial Plan, our community landed on a balanced, affordable scenario—one endorsed by Councillors. We didn’t speak in spreadsheets—we told stories, using relatable language, visual tools, and real trade-offs.
This process wasn’t just consultation—it was collaborative decision-making. It signals a shift in local government: from discretionary spending to data-informed, community-backed choices.
This presentation explores the Maribyrnong experience—its challenges, breakthroughs, and what happens when asset modelling meets genuine engagement. We call it the Maribyrnong Storytelling Method—a new way to stretch every dollar, reduce poor-performing assets, and do more with less. And we’re just getting started.