November 2026 Council meeting update

Published on 12 November 2026

The City of Onkaparinga Council met on Tuesday 10 November – below are some of the key outcomes.

Council’s 2025–26 Annual Report adopted

Council adopted its 2025–26 Annual Report – an important way of sharing information with the community about what the City of Onkaparinga delivered throughout the year.

The annual report outlines how the council did against objectives it set in its annual business plan, with reporting aligned to the Community Vision 2034.

Whether you want to see how many bins the council collected (more than 7 million), how many visits there were to Onkaparinga’s libraries (649,426), how many trees were planted (6,932), how much road was resealed (21.8km), or what major projects were delivered (such as the Hopgood Theatre transformation) in 2025–26, you’ll find it in the report.

The council also took further steps to build a financially resilient organisation, reporting an operating surplus of $7.991 million and reducing borrowings by $19.8 million (to $94 million).

Mayor Moira Were said debt’s more than a number – and it’s not simply good or bad. What matters is why money is being borrowed, whether the repayments are affordable, and whether the community will benefit over the long term.

“We’re making financial decisions within a system that requires long-term planning, community engagement, independent scrutiny and ongoing accountability,” she said.

“We’re also mindful of ESCOSA’s 2024 advice as we consider our financial settings and future decisions.”

Council position on Port Stanvac suburb

Council will advise the state government it has no objection to realigning Lonsdale’s boundary and creating a new suburb named South Beach at the former Port Stanvac refinery site.

The Department for Housing and Urban Development asked for feedback on the proposal by Monday 23 November.

View the proposal – including the rationale for the proposed South Beach name – and provide your own feedback at the state government’s yourSAy website.

Final decision on Woodcroft land parcel

The council will revoke the community land classification for a portion of council-owned land at Woodcroft’s Hopkins Court, allowing it to be sold to the adjoining landowner.

The approximately 1,557m² portion of land is considered surplus to council requirements, and owners of the neighbouring retirement village want to buy it and develop it as a recreational space to benefit village residents.

The council has completed community engagement and received approval from the local government minister to revoke the land from its community land classification, allowing it to be sold.

Proceeds from any sale would contribute to the council’s annual $3 million target for revenue from surplus asset sales, helping improve the council’s financial position.

Major McLaren Vale music event gets funding boost

A McLaren Vale music event featuring some of Australia’s most iconic bands will get a $25,000 funding boost through the council’s Destination Activation grant.

Garage Days – an all-ages event at Richard Hamilton Wines on Saturday 6 February – brings together Spiderbait, Jebediah, The Potbelleez, Gyroscope, The Delta Riggs, and The Lizards for an afternoon and evening of rock, dance music, local food and wine

The Destination Activation grant aims to attract and support large-scale iconic/major events and festivals to Onkaparinga, boosting the profile of the region, and increasing visitation. Garage Days is expected to attract about 3,500 festivalgoers.

Progress on the environment and affordable housing

Council tracked annual progress on 2 major strategic documents aimed at delivering on the environment and affordable housing.

Year 4 of the council’s Climate Change Response Plan 2022–27 is complete, with another 7 of the plan’s 104 actions completed in 2025–26 (46 are now completed overall).

Highlights for 2025–26 included major electrification and energy efficiency upgrades at the Noarlunga Aquatic Centre, including solar PV, battery storage, electric heat pumps and energy efficient building improvements; revised urban greening targets (with 73,000 trees now planted towards the council’s target of 150,000 by 2037); and progression of the Urban Creek Resilience and Recovery Project into detailed design following extensive community and Kaurna engagement.

Meanwhile, year one of the council’s Affordable Housing Strategy 2025–28 has seen 25 of its 31 actions now underway, ongoing or completed, including a submission to the state government on the impact of short-stay accommodation; collaborations with organisations including Southern Domestic Violence, HomeStart and the South Australian Council of Social Service; and progress on the McLaren Vale Township Code Amendment.

Planning for Onkaparinga’s community facilities

The council now has a consistent basis for managing its community buildings, after elected members approved new strategic direction categories to guide day-to-day decisions – and longer-term planning.

Community facilities network planning is a key pillar of the council’s Great Places Program, which takes a coordinated, long-term view to help the City of Onkaparinga make better decisions about the places it owns and manages, where investment’s needed, and how these places can deliver the greatest benefit to the community.

Notices on motion

Several motions raised by councillors were passed. The council will now:

• prepare a report on how the organisation might provide residents with greater choice around their waste services (Cr Themeliotis motion)
• advocate to the infrastructure and transport minister for better public transport connectivity in growth areas (Cr Jew)
• reaffirm its support for compulsory voting in local government elections (Cr Bell)
• write to Dr Helen Haines MP to convey Council’s solidarity, thoughts and well wishes for a speedy recovery (Cr Bell).
• prepare a report on signage, coastal erosion and public safety improvements regarding coastal cliffs (Cr Yeomans).

More information

As always, you can delve further into meeting outcomes via the agenda, full meeting recording and the minutes at onkaparingacity.com.

Onkaparinga Now’s Council meeting updates are published following ordinary – and some special – Council meetings, providing a broad overview of some of the key outcomes. Not all Council decisions will be mentioned each month due to the size and scope of the meeting agendas.

You can find information on registering your interest to attend Council meetings, and how to raise concerns about issues in your area via petitions and deputations, at the council’s website.