Archive for July 21st, 2008

Delegates’ Report: Support services, musical talents, advancing reconciliation and planning for Community Safety Week

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 21st of July, 2008

On the 20th of June I had the pleasure of attending Hope City Mission’s Charity Auction Evening. Hope City Mission, based in Croydon South provides assistance to people in need within our community. The mission does this by not only providing emergency relief in the form of food and clothing but by also focusing on the wellbeing of individuals. Through this focus on wellbeing and empowering change the Mission provides pamper days and extravaganza days, which provide haircuts and a chance to socialise and restore community connectedness. I also had the pleasure of seeing the Mission’s Pamper Day in action, last Friday on the 18th of July and I saw firsthand the benefits this service provides to some of our most vulnerable community members.

Individual wellbeing is just as important as food and clothing and Hope City achieves its Mission through broadening its focus on empowerment.

On the 4th of July the Eastern Transport Coalition held its Public Transport Summit, entitled it’s ‘Time to Move On’, that is time to move away from car dependence and the crippling cost that petrol is having on our families and towards public transport improvements. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many members of the Maroondah community who attended the summit and supported my presentation on the need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station and the importance of the Ringwood Transit City as a regional centre.

The redevelopment of Ringwood Station is critical to ensuring the revitalisation of Ringwood. The current station fails accessibility standards and is perceived to be unsafe, with Ringwood Station consistently being perceived as one of the most unsafe locations within Maroondah. Coupled with traffic calming along Maroondah Highway, pedestrians which total approximately 10,000 per day would be able to conveniently travel between the transport interchange and the residential/commercial precincts of Ringwood.

The Eastern Transport Coalition has recognised Ringwood’s importance as a regional centre and as a council we must support our neighbouring municipalities in calling for greater investment in public transport. There is strength in Maroondah being part of a concerted regional push, whereby one million residents across the eastern suburbs, recognise the importance in redeveloping Ringwood Station. Let us hope that the State Government heeds this call and delivers this essential upgrade to the station.

On the 11th of July I attended the Maroondah NAIDOC week celebrations which commemorated council’s permanent flying of the Aboriginal flag and I would like to congratulate the many community groups, the Indigenous networks and the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place for attending the ceremony.

The theme for this year’s NAIDOC week is ‘Advance Australia Fair?’ It is important to note that the organisers intended this theme as a question, since it is a timely reminder of the health, education and wellbeing inequities that exist between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia. Council’s Reconciliation Plan, which is included on tonight’s agenda will hopefully assist in bridging this gap and ensure that we as local government are working towards reconciliation.

On the 12th of July I had an afternoon of music, firstly with Enjoying Planned Retirement’s Hidden Talents concert. Where EPR’s unveiled the diverse singing, comedy and music talents of its expansive membership. EPR states that they are ‘recycled teenagers’ although I don’t think my teenage years were ever that fun! I would like to congratulate EPR on yet another fun filled event and look forward to the next Hidden Talents concert in September.

That evening I attended the Ringwood Eisteddfod, marking its 54th year of showcasing the immense musical talent that exists within our community. I would like to commend the many people involved in organising and performing within the Eisteddfod.

While the Premier Cabinet held a community cabinet session in Karralyka on the 15th of July, I was busy chairing the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee. With the year half over it is encouraging the see the continuation of the strong networking that exists within the committee with a number of agencies and organisations, such as Connex and the Department of Education, assisting council in undertaking activities for Community Safety Week in October. Do watch this space for details on the council activities for Community Safety Week.

Further interviews for the Maroondah Business Expansion and Retention Program

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 21st of July, 2008

This afternoon I accompanied Maroondah’s Economic Development team for another interview as part of Maroondah’s Business Expansion and Retention Program. The project aims to identify the key challenges facing businesses and to reinforce links between the business company and council.

The business we interviewed today was a large manufacturer and as such the issues facing this company were quite distinct to the challenges experienced by smaller manufacturers. Key challenges facing the company included the global economy and competition from developing countries, particularly in regard to research and development and labor.

Regardless of the size of the businesses being interviewed, it appears that in most cases employees tend to live fairly locally to their employer. This demonstrates that immense potential exists through initiatives such as the Ringwood Transit City, which aim to further provide lifestyle and employment opportunities to local Maroondah residents.

For more information on the programs available for business within Maroondah please visit www.bizmaroondah.com.au.

Maroondah City Council Meeting

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 5th of December, 2007

Monday, 10 December 2007
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 18 February 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 17 March 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 21 April 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 19 May 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 16 June 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 21 July 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 18 August 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 15 September 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 20 October 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Monday, 17 November 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm

Council meetings commence at 7.30 pm and are held in the Council Chambers, Braeside Avenue, Ringwood.

The public is welcome to attend and there is an opportunity to submit a question to be answered at council meetings or to speak directly to councillors and council staff after the meeting.

If you wish to submit a formal question at a council meeting, please download the form for Public Question Time from the Maroondah City Council Website.