Melbourne Assembly 2026: Day two

The University of Melbourne partnered with The Age for the Melbourne Assembly, a conversation about Melbourne's future as it heads towards becoming Australia's largest city.

Day two of the Melbourne Assembly opened with a keynote address from former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the forum before Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece to the stage.

This was followed by a panel discussion on shaping the city. De Blasio was joined by former Victorian premier Steve Bracks, Grattan Institute chief executive Aruna Sathanapally, Professor Dan Hill, director of the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, and Sarah Lyn Rees, associate principal at Jackson Clement Burrows Architects.