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New website FAQ

Some frequently asked questions about our new website

I'm having problems finding what I am looking for!



What happened to www.melville.wa.gov.au?

The old website has been completely replaced with this new site. The website address 'www.melville.wa.gov.au' will be redirected to www.melvillecity.com.au, to ensure continuity of publications and materials which feature the existing address.

There will be now two website addresses, both pointing to the one site.



Why did you change to melvillecity.com.au?

The new website address helps to demonstrate a broader role for the City of Melville in the community.

The City of Melville has a commitment to community engagement, and this rebranding helps to demonstrate the change in local government from being a 'service provider' to a 'community partner', and to effectively market and communicate this evolution.




Why did you build a new site - what was wrong with the old site?

The old site relied on a very basic web design platform, and relied on specialised skills to maintain content. The new site utilises technology which allows officers to maintain and add content to the site with through an ordinary web browser.

This enhances the opportunity to ensure the site remains fresh and up to date. The new technology is also scalable and more powerful so we can develop and deliver wider, more effective and sustainable online services in the future. We can also leverage this technology to develop the internal intranet system.

In addition, the layout and design of the old site made a lot of information inaccessible - the new site offers a range of ways of finding information, and allows the City of Melville to communicate and engage with the community more effectively.




Who built this website?

This new site is the result of a collaboration with Western Australian Local Government Association, their Linking Councils & Communities (LCC) project team, and the City of Melville. The City of Melville hosts this website in-house, and developed the specifications, content and information architecture. Digital Trends, a Western Australian Local Government Association partner developed the website technology.




What technology does this site use?

This website is built using Zope - an open source 'application server' (www.zope.org) - and Plone (www.plone.org) which is an open source 'Content Management System'. The site is hosted in the City of Melville premises on a secure Apache web server.

The developers have created many custom features and tools to meet the City of Melville's specifications and requirements.




Is this website 'standards compliant'?

This website uses global design and construction standards including 100% valid XHTML and CSS. The Plone software meets or exceeds U.S. Government Section 508 and W3C's WAI-AA standards for sight and motor impaired individuals. All Javascript usage comes with fallback modes that work in any web browser.

This means that the majority of users in the majority of impairment or reduced ability circumstances have access to the information. Click on accessibility for more information.




How can I access this website if I don't have a computer at home?

The City of Melville is constantly looking at ways to improve computer and internet accessibility in the community. The City facilitates computer and internet use at City of Melville libraries and is looking at developing opportunities at other facilities in the City.




I'm having problems downloading PDFs!

This website has been designed to be standards compliant and accessible and useable across the broadest possible range of computers. However, as some software configurations often result in non-compliant operation, you may experience difficulties downloading certain files. Please note the following:


  1. You must have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer - Click here to download
  2. You must have version 6 or 7 of Microsoft Internet Explorer (MS Windows), Safari (MAC OSX) or Mozilla Firefox (Windows or MAC OSX)

Internet Explorer users - if you are having trouble downloading the PDFs:

  • Right click the link you want to download and select Save Target As...
  • Find a location to save the file (eg your desktop) and click save
  • In the Download complete dialogue box, click open
  • If you are still having problems, please contact the website team or the relevant service area to have the relevant information sent to you by an appropriate method.



So what's new on this website?

  • the layout of information has improved
  • the design and style has improved
  • the search mechanism works more effectively
  • the A-Z finder is more flexible and dynamic and will grow according to information development
  • the technology allows us to draw attention to information in a range of ways including feature items on the front page, customised URLs for promotional use and latest news relating to specific areas
  • user interaction - all news and some other items now feature an 'add comment' button - the community is invited to discuss and comment on items featuring this facility

  • Access to a range of online payments through our secure payment gateway

  • Access to a range of service requests including domestic bin requests, maintenance requests and more

  • Access to online reporting of problems, complaints, graffiti sightings and other community issues

  • An expandable sustainable technology platform which can adapt and adjust to new tools and features to be added in the future

  • Access to complete online demographic and forecasting tools




How can I make a suggestion about the website?

You can contact the City of Melville Marketing & Communications Team by clicking here