Archive for July 10th, 2008

2008 Maroondah Photographic Competition Awards

Published by Alex Makin on Thursday 10th of July, 2008

The Maroondah Photographic Competition is an annual event hosted at the Maroondah Art Gallery at Federation Estate in Ringwood. The competition allows entrants to submit up to three photographs in either the Open, Intermediate or Junior categories.

This year’s photographs included an array of Maroondah locations, including the finished construction of Eastlink, the serene scenes of Ringwood Lake and the Ringwood Clocktower glistening in the sun. A number of streetscapes were also included showing the differing urban characters that exist within the municipality.

There was a wide array of photographs, including images of sites within Maroondah, current events, such as the construction of EastLink and family photographs. I would like to congratulate all entrants in this year’s competition, as well as the winners within each of the categories.

I would like to offer my congratulations to all submitters for the breadth of creativity and photographic skills that were on display and also to the entrants who were recognised within each category.

The Maroondah’s Photographic Competition is an annual event and is free to all residents, employees and visitors of Maroondah.

Local Government Minister accepts VEC recommendations

Published by Alex Makin on Thursday 10th of July, 2008

Richard Wynne, the Minister for Local Government, has accepted all the recommendations from the Victorian Electoral Commission’s (VEC) review into the ward structure and representation of Maroondah City Council.

This means that the number of councillors within Maroondah will increase to nine and the current seven ward structure will be replaced by three wards, Mullum, Arrabri and Wyeena, each electing three councillors. Loughnan’s Hill Ward will be incorporated within the new Mullum ward, which also includes the Ringwood sections of Clocktower and parts of Ringwood North, which were formerly within Yarrunga Ward.

While Maroondah City Council attempted to seek Ministerial intervention to refuse the VEC’s recommendations, it is encouraging that the Minister has respected the independence of this statutory authority. It is clear that both the Minister and the Victorian Electoral Commission have rejected the tactics of Maroondah City Council, in its vain attempt to retain the unrepresentative status quo.

These changes mean that councillors will be elected using proportional representation rather than preferential voting. This will lead to fairer election outcomes and minimise the undemocratic practice of running mates. While proportional voting alters the way preferences are distributed, the method of voting, namely numbering each candidate remains the same.

For details on proportional voting and how it works, the VEC has prepared a slideshow which is available from www.vec.vic.gov.au/prslideshow.html. These changes which will take effect from the November Council election will lead to fairer and more equitable representation within Maroondah Council.

I would like to thank members of community who supported my stance in seeking changes to Maroondah’s ward structure. These changes will ensure a holistic approach to council issues and will lead to a higher standard of democracy and governance.

Croydon Conservation Society meeting

Published by Alex Makin on Sunday 3rd of February, 2008

Thursday, 14 February 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 6 March 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 10 April 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 8 May 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 12 June 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 10 July 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 14 August 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 11 September 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 9 October 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 13 November 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm
Thursday, 11 December 2008
8:00 pm	to	10:00 pm

The Croydon Conservation Society (CCS) is a conservation and environmental group that is dedicated to improving the sustainability of the urban and natural environments within Maroondah. Focal points include canopy tree coverage, remnant bushland, sustainable transport, planning outcomes and anti-graffiti measures.

The CCS is particularly focused on policy development to ensure that all tiers of government, including Maroondah City Council, encourage urban sustainability.

The Croydon Conservation Society meets on the second Thursday of each month. For details please visit home.vicnet.net.au/~croycons/