"Ring and Ride" - Free parking "Cellphone lot" comes to MEL (20 minutes only)
 

Articles in the local Newspapers: Free for up to 20 minutes, $2 for 20-40 minutes, $4 for 40 to 60 minutes & $10+ for longer:

Ring & Ride waiting zone - Melbourne Airport

Frequently Asked Questions

The gouging continues. Many US airports (well, TPA at least ....) have free cellphone lots (and free wifi) and have had for years. MEL - no rail link and most have to use a toll road to get there. The parking rates at MEL are utterly outrageous - charging for a cellphone lot is just another example of the blatant rip-off that we are subjected to. You now have to run the gauntlet of the duty-free maze in the international terminal just to get to the lounge and/or gate - increasingly, MEL exists only to line the pockets of its operators, rather than as a service to the traveling public.

[Edited to add]
Gotta love the Q and A -

If I park in the Ring & Ride zone, how will I know when it’s time to go and pick‐up my family and friends?

Your arriving passenger can phone you once they have collected their luggage and are in the general public pick‐up area on the lower arrivals area..... unless, of course, you are a complete moron and don't have a phone with you ...