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Melbourne City Council Considers Proposed Fountain Gift from Marcocci Family

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Proposal for a Fountain in Argyle Square

The City of Melbourne is considering a proposal for a fountain in Carlton's Argyle Square, to be funded as a gift by the Marcocci family. The family donated $10,000 to Lord Mayor Nick Reece's 2024 election campaign, during which he pledged to build a fountain celebrating the Italian community and stated he would not accept donations from property developers. Lord Mayor Reece and Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell have stated they will recuse themselves from council discussions and votes on the matter.

The Proposal and Estimated Cost

  • A fountain has been proposed for Argyle Square in Carlton.
  • The project is estimated to cost between $1 million and $5 million.
  • The space for a fountain was included in the 2004 Argyle Square masterplan.
  • The fountain has not been donated; it is a proposed future project subject to council consideration.

The Donors: The Marcocci Family

  • The proposal is offered as a gift by the Marcocci family.
  • The family initially built wealth through the meat wholesaler University Foods Group, which was relocated from near the square during the pandemic.
  • The family has since expanded into property development.
  • They own the $80 million "La Storia" apartment development on Cardigan Street, which overlooks the proposed fountain site. Approval for this complex was issued under the previous council term.
  • The family also owns land in the Macaulay precinct. The City of Melbourne is considering whether to compulsorily acquire a portion of this land, with the family describing the area under consideration as approximately 650 square meters of an 11,000 square meter site.
  • Maurizio Marcocci stated the family followed due process in presenting the fountain concept to council and that the proposal was intended to symbolize migrant contributions to the city.

Political Donations and Statements

  • The Marcocci family donated $10,000 to Lord Mayor Nick Reece's 2024 election campaign through their investment vehicle, Lou Nominees. His campaign raised nearly $1 million.
  • During his campaign in August 2024, Reece pledged to refuse donations from property developers.
  • Reece initially did not publicly identify the fountain donor but confirmed it was the Marcocci family when asked on ABC Radio Melbourne.

Reece stated the campaign donation was accepted in good faith, as he was not aware of any live development applications from the family at the time. He has also stated that the Marcoccis "do not classify as developers" as they have no current development applications.

Reece stated he would recuse himself from any council vote regarding the fountain donation.

Council Positions on the Proposal

Most City of Melbourne councillors either declined to comment or did not respond to media inquiries regarding their position on the fountain proposal.

  • Three councillors indicated they would consider supporting the fountain if the final proposal had merits.
  • Independent Councillor Andrew Rowse said the proposal should not be rejected solely because of the donor's connection to the mayor's campaign and that he would decide based on a full council report.
  • Councillor Mark Scott said he would evaluate whether he had a conflict of interest due to campaign donations and would recuse himself if so.
  • Councillor Gladys Liu said she would consider the fountain on its merits if the matter proceeds.

State Government and Political Response

  • Premier Jacinta Allan did not commit to banning developer donations at state and local government levels, stating policy work was ongoing and future reform would be considered.
  • The local government portfolio was transferred from Nick Staikos to Paul Hamer in a recent cabinet reshuffle.
  • Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell called for bans on developer donations and the introduction of real-time disclosure.
  • Shadow Attorney-General James Newbury said the Coalition does not support industry-specific donation bans but suggested reviewing donation disclosure timelines.

Expert Commentary and Integrity Concerns

  • Transparency International Australia CEO Clancy Moore said the change of government minister should not delay donation reform and called for Victoria to ban developer donations to councillors.
  • Accountability Round Table representative Dr. Colleen Lewis also called for a ban on such donations.
  • Integrity experts have stated that gifts from donors with business before council represent a corruption risk.
  • Current Victorian rules allow unlimited donations to council candidates, while state candidates face a $4,320 (indexed) cap per donor per election period.

Related Council Actions

Lord Mayor Nick Reece and his team have recused themselves from two of three votes in council related to the Macaulay development area.

Public Reaction

Visitors to Argyle Square expressed mixed views on the proposed fountain:

  • Some supported the idea as a way to beautify the park and increase public use of the space.
  • Others questioned whether philanthropic funding could be better used elsewhere and emphasized the need to consider the project's design and public sentiment.