The recent focus on the dire state of the St Kilda Police and Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) has rightly unified Councillors and Officers in the need to actively assist in bringing the organisation back to health. The PCYC is a community organization dedicated to supporting young people through various programs and activities with a focus on enhancing community health, wellbeing, and providing recreational services (gym).

In 2025, the PCYC Board announced financial troubles leading to its closure. The financial and funding issues include:

• Ongoing monthly losses of up to $12,000 and a lack of sustainable government funding from Local and State governments,
• The Board argues that it needs approximately $350,000 annually in secure funding or philanthropic support to remain financially viable at the St Kilda location
• The City of Port Phillip has rallied to save the facility with a cash injection of $22,000 for urgent repairs. The newly constituted Board has sought over $200,000 in further support as well as advocacy for State funding.

• Council officers have also recommended that up to a further $60,000 be considered as part of the 2026–27 Council Budget, due to be finalised in late June, essentially to reopen the gymnasium. This injection would give approximately five months breathing space for the PCYC.

The newly constituted Board (2026) is preparing a detailed analysis and budget to support overall funding, including seeking further Council support. The issue remains where to find funding within the CoPP budget if the financials and strategic plan do stack up with a workable plan to lift membership to create longer term viability.

Time to Reduce Funding to the EcoCentre- Here is Why?

In 2025, the Port Phillip EcoCentre opened in its new premises located in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens on Blessington Street. The new high-quality, environmentally designed facility was jointly funded by the City of Port Phillip and the Victorian Government. The total sum of this investment was approximately $6.7 million. The CoPP share of that investment initially in establishment, was $3.35 million.

Generous Lease Arrangement

In early 2024 a lease was established between the CoPP and the EcoCentre on the following key terms:

• Length of lease – 15 years.
• Rent – a peppercorn rate of $104.00 per annum +GST.
• The tenant to be responsible for a schedule of maintenance and for all utilities and outgoings associated with the operation of their service.

At that Council Meeting, one Councillor argued for a 20-year lease at $104.00 per annum but in the end the peppercorn rental charge was settled at $104.00 per annum for 15 years.

History of Support for the EcoCentre in 2025 from CoPP.

On 4^th September 2024, a renewed CoPP funding agreement was made with the EcoCentre from 1 July 2024 for a term of 5 years:

Funding Amount: To be delivered in two streams:

• Stream 1 – for the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2029 an amount of $390,098 adjusted annually by CPI on 1 July 2025, 1 July 2026, 1 July 2027 and 1 July 2028
• Stream 2 – for the period 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2026 an amount of $102,000 for an 18-month trial period to facilitate the Eco-Centre to operate on both Saturday and Sunday, with $34,000 provided for 1 January to 30 June 2025 and $68,000 provided for 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

So, we have that the CoPP also funds the EcoCentre annually through grant funding and has funded the EcoCentre since 1999 For the 2024-2025 year the amount was $390,000 (Stream 1 above) plus an additional $102,000 for a trial 18-month period to operate on weekends.
Since 2018, a history of grants from the City of Port Phillip to the EcoCentre, amounts to at least a whopping $2.446 million!

In cash and kind, assuming a rental yield of 6.5% net of costs, the total “derived” support for 2025 alone was:

Rent (In kind) (opportunity cost)             $195,000

Direct Financial Support                          $390,000

Support to the EcoCentre 2025              $585,000

The EcoCentre Financials 2025 Reveal the True Story of Largess

The EcoCentre financials for 2024-2025 show interest income on investment of $59,450, A more detailed look into the financials obtained on the Consumer affairs website show current assets of more than $2 million. Current assets comprise of term deposits and cash with maturities under 12 months. The EcoCentre in its Financial Report 2024-2025 further state a large legacy received. The website also encourages donations and fund raising through the “Giving Circle,” which they should be doing more of outside of Council. Currently the EcoCentre is publicly fund raising for a further $100,000.

Clearly current funding levels by the Council to the EcoCentre is an inefficient use of ratepayer monies when considering the EcoCentre’s strong balance sheet. The City of Port Phillip does not have a mandate to assist NGO’s in becoming wealthy organisations, nor assisting them for an eternity. We remain surprised that Council Officers have not queried this also. The seed and development capital have been provided over many years; it’s now time for the EcoCentre to become self-reliant, through greater entrepreneurial endeavour. As one Councillor proposed only a few years ago at a Council meeting, that after some 20 years, the EcoCentre needs to spread its wings and fly from the nest. Ratepayers want better management of scarce financial resources.

CoPP Budget Support Moving Forward – Support Should Now Focus on the PCYC NOT the EcoCentre.

Anyone who has witnessed a Council meeting near budget time will see a conga line of EcoCentre staff and supporters seeking further, if not, greater annual funding. In an environment of increasingly competing funding needs in the CoPP, the EcoCentre has had more than enough CoPP rate payer support over the years and should now take greater ownership and non-reliance of their funding from Council if it is genuinely capable of delivering a service they say is sort after not only by the CoPP municipality but also metropolitan Melbourne schools and municipalities. That is, the Council should not be treated as their annual ATM! Especially when the EcoCentre have current assets of more than $2 million!

The urgent priority is now the PCYC. As a matter of common sense, it’s time to redirect funding subject to rigorous testing of the new PCYC’s budget, projected financials and strategic plan. If the PCYC need a $200,000 capital injection and the new Board’s proposal stacks up, then take our rate payer funds from the well healed EcoCentre annual funding and give it to the PCYC!