Meet the Mainstreet Australia Hero: Nicole Maslin – Manager of Healthy and Active Communities, Banyule City Council
My relationship with Mainstreet Australia has encompassed decades, spanning from Community Business Centres Victoria to Mainstreet Australia. This journey has been both rewarding and impactful. Upon reflection, I am proud of our achievements and grateful for the opportunities to help establish a new ‘movement’ with a group of highly skilled and passionate individuals — including traders, centre managers, local government colleagues, placemakers, and respected consultants. Throughout our work, the core principle was collaboration and mutual benefit — always.
Numerous events and milestones have contributed significantly to main streets’ current success. Organising our first CBCV Victorian conference was a notable achievement, exemplified by high attendance at the Mornington event. This gathering underscored the importance of unity and the need for continued advocacy for main street businesses, positioning us uniquely to offer vital support.
The transition from CBCV to Mainstreet Australia involved extensive effort, strategic planning, and committee meetings, with valuable contributions from leaders such as Claude Ullin, Stephen Bentley, Steve Sully, Debra Howe, Peter McNabb, and Kim Gibb. Together, we developed a strategic vision to help transform the organisation into a sustainable entity nationwide.
National conferences marked a pivotal moment, expanding membership beyond Victoria and fostering connections across other states. These events, held in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand, saw our events grow from 50–100 attendees to up to 400, enabling professional management and financial growth, advancing Mainstreet Australia toward semi-professional status.
This period also revealed the strong synergies between placemaking and main streets, enriched by the insights of gurus like Gilbert and Libby, who provided leadership and enhanced our programs and approaches.
The Main Street Awards were another significant initiative, providing recognition for those demonstrating innovation and dedication within main streets. By highlighting best practices, we consistently aimed to reward exemplary leadership and share knowledge for collective benefit. Peter McNabb contributed substantially to the awards, particularly in judging, reflecting its importance within Mainstreet Australia’s activities.
Looking back, I made it my personal mission to support traders’ associations and councils as they grappled with the complexities of the 2012 Local Government Act reforms, which brought significant changes to the way special rates and charges were declared, governed, and managed — it really was a nightmare at times. Our advocacy efforts included creating practical templates, running informative sessions, holding Q&A forums, and bringing in legal experts to clarify the details. I genuinely believe this was a crucial piece of work that helped the industry adapt to a complex change.
Getting money out of state government was always a hard slog — the number of times Stephen Bentley, Steve Sully and I would find ourselves heading into the Victorian Government, hat in hand, asking for $5,000 or $10,000. I still remember how incredible it felt when we finally secured a $30,000 grant. That funding was a real game-changer, allowing us to create toolkits for marketing and management and to produce videos that showcased what collective marketing and management really look like, along with the key success factors. We were back out on the streets, interviewing those putting these ideas into practice and capturing how shared knowledge makes a difference. I rewatched those videos just the other day, and their messages still ring true — collaboration, networking, a shared vision and purpose, strong governance, and the importance of trust between councils, traders’ associations, and the wider business community remain absolutely vital today.
Throughout my roles as committee member, president, and executive, the organisation remained a trusted resource for addressing challenges, sharing ideas, and advocating for main street businesses, centre managers, and local governments. We fostered strong networks, supported coordinators and presidents, and highlighted their efforts through regular meetings and workshops on relevant topics. Bus tours were a great hit — engaging with centre managers, associations, and councils on site to hear and see what is happening in the heart of main streets.
Kim Gibb absolutely deserves a mention — she’s truly the Queen Bee of Centre Managers. Kim was the one who welcomed me into this world, generously sharing her vast wisdom with not just me, but with everyone she encountered. Her guidance and willingness to support others in the sector has been invaluable.
Finally, in the spirit of collaboration, I want to recognise the invaluable contributions of Steve Bentley, Steve Sully, and Peter McNabb — all three have been outstanding mentors, advisors, and friends, each playing a pivotal role in shaping Mainstreet Australia. Their dedication, countless hours of volunteer work, and commitment to building strong relationships within the industry have profoundly impacted the progress of Mainstreet Australia. Through their guidance and deep understanding of the sector — its challenges, opportunities, and future directions — they have helped steer us towards success. I am deeply grateful for this rewarding period in my career and for the privilege of working alongside such remarkable people.
Other events that come to mind
- Melbourne 2007 Conference (auspiced by CBCV)
- The benefits of an integrated approach to developing business plans for our main streets — February 2009
- Funding options for a marketing management programme — April 2009
- Management and Marketing Special Rate Survey — 2010
- Mainstreet Australia One Day Conference — Wyndham — “The Vibe of Main Streets” 2010
- Developing practical, relevant and compliant rules of association workshops
- The Economic Value of Main Streets — 2011
- MainstreetSA — “Everything Old Is New Again” — 2011
- Energising main streets through people, programmes, planning and placemaking — food-grade community arts centre — Aug 2011
- National Mainstreet Australia Conference — Fed Square, Melbourne — 2013
Our Original Mission — 2012
Mainstreet Australia is a highly respected and energetic association, providing valuable networking, education, support, professional development and strategic direction to our stakeholders to promote main streets and ensure that they remain at the heart of our communities. Based in Victoria, we are not-for-profit and volunteer-based. We rely on membership, event registrations and some state government project-based funding to exist.
Our Reason for Being
Traditional retail shopping precincts (main streets) are one of the most important elements of urban societies, and their success is reliant upon a complex and interrelated range of economic, cultural, social and environmental factors. These factors are managed and planned for by a range of diverse stakeholders, which is often very challenging. The complexities of the success factors, coupled with the challenges, indicates that integrated partnerships are critical to enable main streets to overcome issues and seize the opportunities.
Vibrant and active main streets are at the heart of all healthy local communities.
What’s your favourite main street and why?
Rosanna Village is my favourite main street because it holds a special place — it’s where I live, it’s my local, it’s where I finish my walk, it’s where I get my coffee fix, and it’s where my husband and I spent 16 years as proud business owners of Bakers Delight Rosanna. As a Local Government Economic Development practitioner, I had a front-row seat to main street business, where connections happen, and people feel seen, heard, and valued. This is not just transactional retail; it’s that feeling of sense of place, and it is what makes main streets unique.
Like many local main streets, Rosanna Village has faced its fair share of challenges and has evolved over time — clearways and level crossing removals pushing many to the brink, whilst others survived and thrived. We now have another version of the Village, with the opening of a beautiful new library and a major supermarket. These changes are once again challenging some, but what is not lost is the human scale and community focus that defines the Village. It is working hard to embrace change whilst holding onto its identity.
Special shout-out to another local of mine — Burgundy Street, Heidelberg, in particular holds special meaning to me as the place where I met the legendary Kim Gibb, who drew me into the main street industry, suggested that I might like it, got me into CBCV, and the rest, as they say, is history. Kim’s influence, mentoring, and advice I am always grateful for. It’s these kinds of relationships and stories that make main streets more than just places to shop — they’re hubs for enduring connections, stories and shared memories. This is why I loved this part of my life and career. The people and the relationships always in my heart.
What Rosanna Village represents — and what I love most about main streets — is that every main street has something unique to offer: a business, a person, a story, a connection. Having experienced Rosanna Village as a business owner and as a main street advocate, it stands out as a place that has embraced change while holding firmly to its identity. That is why it remains my favourite main street, and why the Mainstreet Australia movement continues to matter. The sense of belonging and authenticity found here is a reminder of the value of supporting local communities, both now and into the future.
