The Community-Led Air Quality Network Victoria is an RMIT-led pilot project funded through the Victorian Government’s Air Quality Improvement Precincts Grant Program. The project aims to improve access to local air quality information across selected communities in Melbourne’s inner and outer west.

While Victoria’s existing reference-grade monitoring stations provide reliable air quality data, they cannot capture every local pollution hotspot. This project responds to that gap by supporting councils to collect more detailed, neighbourhood-scale air quality data using low-cost sensor networks.

Working with participating councils and project partners, the project will establish localised air quality monitoring networks across selected local government areas within the Inner West and Outer West Air Quality Improvement Precincts. These networks will help identify pollution patterns, priority locations and local hotspots, providing councils with evidence to support planning, policy and community engagement.

The project will be delivered through a series of stages, including stakeholder engagement, site and sensor selection, sensor co-location and installation, website development, creation of a centralised data platform, and preparation of council-based case studies. Best-practice resources from the NSW OPENAIR platform will inform the design and implementation of monitoring activities.

Through improved access to local air quality data, the project seeks to complement EPA Victoria’s existing monitoring network, strengthen council capacity, and support healthier, more informed and more resilient communities.