Thursday, 21 August, 2025
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Amazon delivers Amazon has opened its third Victorian fulfilment centre in Cranbourne West. The 52,000 sqm facility can store up to four million products and supports small- and medium-sized businesses on Amazon’s delivery platform. It is said to create 500 mostly fulltime jobs across operations, HR, engineering, and safety. The site features towering shelves, conveyor belts, and advanced machinery. Local MPs, Casey Councillors, and Amazon executives highlighted the centre’s boost to employment, economic growth, and faster delivery for Melbourne customers. It is the second of its kind in Melbourne’s southeast. Full story page 14
Casey Mayor Cr Stefan Koomen joined Minister for Finance and Economic Growth and Jobs The Hon. Danny Pearson, and Amazon Australia Country Manager Janet Menzies to cut the opening ribbon. (Stewart Chambers: 496118)
CEO power curbed By Violet Li Casey councillors have reduced the CEO’s contract-signing delegation from a proposed $15 million to $5 million, following a heated debate at the August Council Meeting. The Instrument of Delegation allows the CEO to approve contracts within budget without councillors’ approval, a mechanism intended to improve organisational efficiency and speed up delivery of capital works. According to a council officer report, the delegation only empowers
the CEO to authorise the expenditure and delivery of projects that have already been approved through the councillors’ budget decision-making process. The original $15 million threshold, introduced under state-appointed administrators after Operation Sandon, sparked community backlash, with residents and advocacy groups arguing it gave the CEO excessive power compared to other Victorian councils. During the meeting, councillors debated transparency, accountability, workload impacts,
Thinking of
Selling?
and the legacy of Operation Sandon. Councillor Anthony Walter, who raised the $5 million alternative motion, believed it was a reasonable reduction, and he would not suggest going below the number. “Reducing the delegation drastically would not only slow down project timelines but also shift more decisions into closed council meetings. This would limit public visibility and increase the risk of conflicts of interest,” he said. “It would also burden our meeting agendas,
taking time away from strategic discussions and increasing administrative overheads.” But opponents, including Cr Dave Perry, pushed for a lower $2 million cap, warning the higher figure “undermines financial accountability by allowing major decisions without council review” and noting most other growth councils set the limit at $1–2 million. In the end, the compromise passed 10 to 2, with councillors agreeing the CEO can approve contracts up to $5 million. Full story page 3
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