Posts related to 'municipal association of victoria'

Maroondah Journal: Cr stripped of duties ‘hurts community’

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 26th of February, 2008

Divisions within Maroondah City Council are clearly apparent with four councillors (Les Willmott, Peter Gurr, Tony Dib and Natalie Thomas) continuing to deny Cr. Jo-anne Taylor from council’s committee appointments.

The Maroondah Journal has reported on this abhorrent act and the lack of debate that surrounded the motion to review:

Cr Alex Makin called for a review of Cr Taylor’s committee list for the council’s first meeting this year. Last Monday, the council maintained its decision to revoke Cr Taylor’s role on five committees

It is unfortunate that some councillors have denigrated Maroondah City Council through launching blatant personal attacks against other councillors and denying them the ability to represent council on committees.

Cr Makin said it was a “blatant personal attack on the councillor”.

The motion to review sought to reverse the decision made at last year’s council meeting to remove Cr. Jo-anne Taylor from representing council on the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Well-being committee, Road Safe - Melbourne Eastern Ranges and the Municipal Association of Victoria.

Unfortunately the gang of four, consisting of Les Willmott, Peter Gurr, Tony Dib and Natalie Thomas, used their numbers to block this motion and any corresponding debate.

“I always saw the role of being a councillor as one where we build and support our communities so that we nurture a municipality that is filled with, as the new council slogan suggests, community lifestyle and opportunity.”

This action, led by those four councillors has confirmed that Maroondah City Council is currently divided, with several councillors more intent on protecting their own self interests and attacking others, than caring for the communities they are supposed to represent.

“The actions to strip Cr Taylor from the council’s delegated committees and boards results in the exact opposite. It simply tears down our communities as it denies them the opportunity through Cr Taylor to represent their concerns.”

I can only hope that the gang of four will represent Maroondah on these committees with as much vigour and passion as Cr. Jo-anne Taylor holds for her community.

The full transcript of the speech I delivered in support of the motion to review is as follows:

(Read more…)

Melbourne 2030 Reference Group

Published by Alex Makin on Thursday 14th of February, 2008

Thursday, 21 February 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm
Thursday, 24 April 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm
Thursday, 12 June 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm
Thursday, 21 August 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm
Thursday, 30 October 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm
Thursday, 11 December 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm

The Melbourne 2030 Reference Group provides a forum for councils to discuss the State Government’s Melbourne 2030 planning policy and its ramifications for local government. The group has focused on activity centre development, public transport and sustainability to ensure that local councils are empowered and supported by the State Government in the aim of creating sustainable communities.

Ultimately the State Government must lead by example and implement its own planning policies. Ringwood, where Maroondah Council has been advocating for an upgrade of Ringwood Station, is an example of where State Government commitment is required to ensure the creation of a vibrant and sustainable urban community. While Maroondah has been strengthening its planning schemes to encourage sustainable urban design, these efforts will be difficult without a newly redeveloped Ringwood Station or a stronger statewide emphasis on accessible and sustainable urban design.

The Melbourne 2030 Reference Group provides an avenue to discuss these concerns and to seek improvements into the implementation of Melbourne 2030. I have been Maroondah’s delegated representative to this committee since being elected in November 2005.

MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group meeting

Published by Alex Makin on Thursday 24th of January, 2008

Thursday, 31 January 2008
3:00 pm	to	5:00 pm
Thursday, 27 March 2008
3:00 pm	to	5:00 pm
Thursday, 22 May 2008
3:00 pm	to	5:00 pm
Thursday, 31 July 2008
3:00 pm	to	5:00 pm
Thursday, 25 September 2008
3:00 pm	to	5:00 pm
Thursday, 27 November 2008
3:00 pm	to	5:00 pm

The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is the peak body representing local government within the State. To ensure that policies are reflective of the sector, the organisation has established a number of advisory groups to provide policy advice to the MAV board.

I have been a delegate on the MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group since being elected in November 2005. The group provides strategic advice in regard to transport and other infrastructure issues within Melbourne and Victoria.

The group meets five times a year and is particularly focused on the need for public transport improvements within outer suburban municipalities.

ALGA National General Assembly 2007

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 30th of November, 2007

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is the peak body representing all local councils across Australia at a Federal level. ALGA serves as a national-wide peak body and is the national equivalent of the state-based peak bodies such as the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).

The annual National General Assembly, which was held in Darwin, provides an opportunity for member councils to discuss motions of national significance to establish the direction of AGLA in terms of influencing national government policies.

This year Maroondah proposed two motions for consideration at the assembly. The two motions were as follows:

• That this National General Assembly call on the Federal Government to recognise the importance of public transport, provide specific funding for upgrading facilities, infrastructure and systems
• That the National General Assembly seek a commitment by the Federal Government to review, as a matter of urgency, the practicality and equity associated with the current funding arrangements for the National Immunisation program - Australian Childhood Register as these impact on the provision of services by Local Government.

Both motions were successful and will result in ALGA advocating for policy changes with the incoming Federal Government.

Local Government is predominately responsible for providing immunisation services but cost shifting is becoming an increasing issue with service agreements not adequately reflecting the cost of delivering the service. While local councils do not object to delivering the service, it is reasonable to expect an equitable arrangement to cover the cost of the service.

In regard to public transport, the motion demonstrates that local government across Australia stands united in calling for federal leadership in examining funding models for involvement in public transport. This motion expands upon the successful motion that was adopted last year at the 2006 National General Assembly:

• That the National General Assembly calls on the Commonwealth Government to adopt the transport recommendations as outlined in the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Heritage - Sustainable Cities Report (September 2005).

While the motion last year established a direction for ALGA, it was now timely to specify exactly what local government was requesting, namely federal funding of urban public transport infrastructure.

Issues such as the rising costs associated with traffic congestion and greenhouse emissions have national repercussions and it is therefore appropriate that the federal government be involved in solutions, such as the provision of public transport infrastructure, to assist in mitigating these concerns.

The purpose of this approach is not to shift blame from State to Federal Governments, but rather to improve governance and to ensure a national perspective on transport. This in turn can help shape State Government priorities to ensure that much needed public transport infrastructure is delivered.

The National General Assembly also included a number of speakers at the accompanying conference. Speakers included futurist Richard Neville, who spoke about the challenges facing Australia and the need for action and foresight in mitigating detrimental environmental effects.

Environmental issues were also discussed by Professor Tim Flannery, who spoke extensively about the need for action in reducing greenhouse emissions. This is the case given that the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has shown significant increases in Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide within the atmosphere. Local government can lead by example in reducing greenhouse emissions and promoting the need for action to both the community and other levels of government.

Delegates’ Report: Community involvement through advocacy and participation

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 19th of November, 2007

There are several items I wish to discuss this evening:

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Enjoying Planned Retirement for their second Art and Craft Exhibition, held on the 12th of October. The exhibition, which marked the conclusion of Maroondah’s Seniors Week, attracted approximately 500 visitors and provided an opportunity to demonstrate the fun and energetic nature of Enjoying Planned Retirement. Last year’s art and craft exhibition received a grant from council and it was great to see EPR continue the exhibition for a second year.

On the 18th of October I attended the monthly Eastern Transport Coalition meeting. I’m pleased to announce that the group appointed me as Acting Chair through to the end of this year. This will allow Maroondah to strengthen its leadership role in advocating for sustainable transport in the eastern suburbs.

On the 29th of October I attended Maroondah’s forum for people with disabilities and carers. This is a quarterly forum which provides an opportunity for attendees to raise accessibility issues directly with council. The forum continues to experience strong community involvement and I would like to thank these attendees for willingly giving their time to create a more successful and accessible municipality. Community attendance at these forums does make a difference and the outcomes produced by the Maroondah Pedestrian Strategy and the Public Footpath Trading Policy, which is listed in this council agenda tonight, are testament to this.

On the 1st of November I met with Eastland Centre Management to follow up on a number of items that were discussed at the Bar None Expo that I reported on last month. It is encouraging that Eastland has already pursued recharge points for motorised mobility aids. The Recharge Program was developed in collaboration between Maroondah’s Scoot Wheel N Move Group and traders to provide facilities for motorised scooters and wheelchairs to be recharged. This improves the level of accessibility for people with motorised mobility aids. It is great to see that Eastland, as a major retailer and shopping destination, is now part of this program.

On the 13th of November I attended as council’s delegate a meeting of the Melbourne 2030 Councillor Reference Group. As part of this meeting I delivered a presentation on the Eastern Transport Coalition and an analysis of ‘Creating a City that Works’ a report commissioned by the State Government’s Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability. The presentation focused on the key areas that the ETC is pursuing, including the need for public transport improvements to enhance the liveability of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. While it is clear that the MAV, as the peak body for local government, sees the ETC and hence Maroondah as a leader in the advocacy for sustainable transport, this an area we need to continue expanding upon particularly if we want to ensure the very best outcomes for the Ringwood Transit City and the Croydon Activity Centre.

Also on the 13th of November I attended the graduation evening of the FReeZA program at EV’s. FReeZA is a program that provides a dozen young people with the responsibility of organising, promoting and managing musical gigs and is just one of a wide array of programs supported by Council’s Youth Services team. It was great to hear each of the graduates provide an overview of their experiences of the FReeZA and particularly with the forthrightness they delivered. While the program may have been stressful at times, each of the participants certainly did learn something from being part of FReeZA and I would like to thank Youth Services for their continued dedication and support for our youth.

On the 14th of November I attended a Heatherdale Community Action Group meeting. It is pleasing to see that the Heatherdale community appreciates the ongoing work of council in regard to issues along Heatherdale Road. These issues have involved a wide cross section of council, including environmental health officers, building inspectors, planners and corporate services and I can assure this council that these efforts are definitely appreciated by the Heatherdale community.

Lastly, I was invited to officially launch Campaign Enable on the 14th of November. This campaign, which is organised by local community members and the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, marks a turning point in advocacy with the campaign being managed, organised and conducted by people with a disability.

The campaign currently has three central aims including:

• Financial help for people with a disability looking for work or trying to keep a job.
• The development of a National Disability Employment Strategy.
• The introduction of a nation wide Access to Premises Standard.

It is important to note that these issues are required to allow people with disabilities to be able to enjoy the same of level of access experienced by members of our society. Campaign Enable, is not a campaign for special treatment - it is a campaign about ensuring that everyone has equal access and inclusiveness within society.

Campaign Enable allows all people to have a voice and I look forward to the ongoing efforts of the group.