Category: General

General Items

Maroondah Journal: Web presence

Posted on by alex

Margaret Stevens, a local advocate for people with disabilities, recently wrote a letter to the Maroondah Journal, confirming that people with disabilities would benefit from being able to communicate with Councillors via the web and blogs.

I wrote the following in response to Margaret’s letter to encourage other councillors, as well as prospective candidates, to embrace the Internet as a communication tool to assist all people in being able to communicate with council.

Margaret Stevens is correct in her comments where she stated that an active web presence, through a website and blog, would assist Councillors in engaging all people in our community, including people with disabilities.

The Internet, through accessible web standards, means we can truly create a medium that can be experienced and accessed by all people. Screen readers, larger font fonts, and other technologies are available to assist people with disabilities to view content on the Internet.

Just as mobile phones are now considered essential equipment for Councillors, no doubt a web presence will be seen as a necessity shortly into the future. Councillors have an obligation to remain relevant and to keep pace with new technologies that will assist our community.

I certainly plan to continue my blog at www.alexmakin.com.au so I can document the activities I undertake as a Councillor and the many wonderful community groups I meet.

I encourage my council colleagues and candidates to follow this lead and set up their own blogs so that our community can benefit from the dialogue we can provide.

It is great to see that Cr. Jo-anne Taylor has recently established a website to encourage dialogue with all members of the community.

Media Release: Councils need to enter the 21st century

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MEDIA RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Monday, 18 August 2008

Councils need to enter the 21st century

Loughnan’s Hill Ward Councillor Alex Makin, an avid web blogger, has called on Councillors and prospective candidates to embrace new technology and develop an Internet web site and blog to strengthen interaction with the community.

“Local government is supposed to be the closest form of government to the people and yet councils have generally been slow to embrace new technology”, Cr. Makin said. “Interactive websites and blogs help bridge the gap between council and the community and should be seen as an essential communication tool.”

Cr. Alex Makin has operated a website complete with a regularly updated blog at www.alexmakin.com.au, since 2005. Alex uses the blog to publish details of community events he has attended as well as information on council activities.

“A blog provides an additional avenue for people to leave comments and interact with councillors. Blogging is particularly popular with younger people and people with disabilities, who sometimes shy away from traditional methods of consultation”, Cr. Makin said. “Blogs differ from websites, since they are interactive and encourage people to provide their opinions and make contact.”

“I am calling on council candidates and current councillors to commit to creating and regularly updating a website and blog. Just as email is an essential technology for a councillor, blogging will be also become critical to communicating with the community”, Cr. Makin concluded.

About Alex Makin:
Alex Makin was elected in November 2005 as the Councillor for Loughnan’s Hill ward in the City of Maroondah. Alex, currently the youngest councillor elected within the history of the City of Maroondah, has maintained a regularly updated website and blog at www.alexmakin.com.au.

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: CR. ALEX MAKIN ON 0408 311 645
– ENDS –

Heatherdale Community Action Group – keeping the community informed

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The Heatherdale Community Action Group exists to represent the businesses and residents within Heatherdale, a locality that is divided between Maroondah and Whitehorse, due to Heatherdale Road being the municipal boundary.

Tonight’s meeting provided an opportunity to update the community on steps Maroondah Council and other agencies are taking to enhance the amenity of the area. In particular the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued a Pollution Abatement Notice (PAN) to CMA Recycling (Victoria) in regard to breaches of noise limits.

The issuing of this notice means that the company is required to undertake an assessment of noise emitted from the site as well as implement measures to abate the noise so that further breaches do not occur. The notice issued by the EPA is available on their website.

It is encouraging that the EPA is taking this matter seriously and cooperating with both Whitehorse and Maroondah Councils. As the ward councillor, I will continue to ensure that I am making a difference to the Heatherdale community.

Maroondah Journal: honest to blog, keep up to date

Posted on by alex

While local council is often cited as the closest form of government to the people, it is critical that councillors and prospective candidates undertake new initiatives to help bridge the gap between council and the wider community.

I have recently called on the current Maroondah councillors (all of whom who have indicated that they are re-standing in the upcoming election) and prospective candidates to commit to creating their own web site and blog to provide a new form of communication to the community.

A Maroondah councillor has called on his colleagues to “move with the times”, encouraging them to create individual web pages and blogs to increase interaction between the council and residents.

I have been actively maintaining my website and blog since 2005, prior to being elected onto council. I have found the website to be extremely useful in conveying the activities undertaken as a councillor and encouraging people to contact me to discuss the issues that matter to them.

Loughnan’s Hill Ward Councillor Alex Makin said councillors and future candidates should move into the 21st century.

Local government has unfortunately been relatively slow to adopt new technologies and it is critical that councillors and candidates undertake this commitment to assist people in communicating with local councils.

“Local government is supposed to be the closet form of government to the community. Having an active web presence helps bridge the gap between the council and the community.”

An active web presence, going behind a static web page through the provision of an interactive blog provides an opportunity to leave comments and contact their local elected representatives.

He said residents could leave comments, ask questions, raise concerns and inquire about upcoming events within the council and community.

“It is another tool for the community to use, in addition to mobile phones and email.”

A web presence would augment rather than replace the more traditional forms of communication, such as telephone, email and postal mail. The more opportunities for the community to make contact, the easier it is for people to raise their concerns directly with elected representatives.

He said part of a councillor’s role was to keep up-to-date with technology.

“It also enables young people who may be disengaged with the community to have their say in a way they feel comfortable.”

Councillors have an obligation to keep up-to-date with technology and ensure that are representing the interests of their constituents. In particular younger people, as well as people with disabilities, tend to predominately use the Internet as a communication tool. A website complete with an interactive blog would assist these people in contacting their elected representatives and ensuring that are being heard.

It was encouraging to see that Cr Jo-anne Taylor stated her support for the idea and is considering establishing a website.

I will continue to maintain and update my website to ensure that the community is kept informed on the activities I undertake as an elected councillor and the community events that I attend.

If you would like to stay informed then please subscribe to updates to receive regular notifications on the events I am attending.

VEC to be congratulated for enhancing local democracy

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The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has released its final report in the representation review of Maroondah City Council. It is pleasing to see that the VEC has rejected council’s failed attempt to retain the status quo and has instead found that three multi-member wards electing three councillors each would provide a higher standard of democracy and representation for the City of Maroondah.

The model adopted by the VEC was the second alternative option within the preliminary report. This change, which will take effect from the Council elections in November this year, will see an increase to nine councillors.

The councillor for Loughnan’s Hill Ward argued that the current structure divided more than it united communities of interest. He cited the division between Loughnan’s Hill and Clocktower Wards as indicative of this, saying that this creates an artificial barrier and that the municipality had moved beyond simply dealing with ward-specific issues.

He stated that the communities around the Croydon activity centre and Ringwood Transit City are going to experience significant change and they will need good representation in preparation for this and as this occurs.

It is encouraging that the VEC recognised the importance of uniting our community. The new model with larger wards unites communities of interest and ensures that areas such as the Ringwood Transit City and Croydon Activity Centre will have consistent representation through being included within the one council ward. Likewise Ringwood south of Maroondah Highway, will no longer be divided along Wantirna Road, ensuring that Ringwood residents will have consistent representation within council.

He argued that since all three preliminary options presented significant change it was timely to recommend a structure that more broadly reflects both geographic and non-geographic communities of interest and is less sensitive to problems related to voter number deviations.

While Council chose to enter into petty arguments with the VEC over proposed growth rates, it is encouraging that the commission focused on the needs of the community. Under the new model, the ward of Loughnan’s Hill has been merged with Mullum and includes part of Clocktower and Yarrunga wards providing consistent representation throughout Ringwood and Ringwood North.

New ward structure for Maroondah City Council

The opportunity for fair and equitable representation is an important component of community support for and participation in the decision-making processes of the Council. The VEC considers it important that the community have the opportunity to elect a council that can reflect and represent the City’s diversity and local communities according to voters’ wishes.

The VEC is to be congratulated for seeing through the council’s attempt to maintain a structure that divides rather than unites communities. The new model will ensure a higher standard of democracy for Maroondah through combining communities with equitable representation.

Ringwood Historical Society March meeting

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This evening’s Ringwood Historical Society meeting included two guest speakers. Firstly, Neville O’Connor, a local Ringwood East resident spoke about his interest in theatre organs and the current locations of the surviving organs within Australia.

The second presenter was the President of the Ringwood City Soccer Club, who discussed the unique history of the club. Ringwood City Soccer Club, based at the soccer field in Jubilee Park, Ringwood. The club was founded in 1953 as Wilhelmina Soccer Club by John van Hoboken who desired to create a professional soccer club for Dutch players who migrated to Australia.

Wilhelmina Soccer Club was based in various suburbs including North Balwyn and Hawthorn before it was relocated to Ringwood’s Jubilee Park in 1962 and renamed Ringwood City Wilhelmina Soccer Club. The club had tremendous success in the early years fuelled by the quality of players that were being recruited into the club.

While the Dutch connection remained strong throughout the first two decades, this waned in latter years due to the establishment of a professional soccer league in the Netherlands, which hampered efforts to recruit new Dutch players. As a result the club’s standing and revenue began to fall causing a re-evaluation in its direction.

Today, as an amateur soccer club, the focus is on the Ringwood and Maroondah community catering to the needs of local residents. The Ringwood City Soccer Club has definitely had a unique and interesting history.

Lastly, there was discussion around a new website for the Ringwood Historical Society. I have volunteered to design a new site, which will provide the ability to add new content and photos quickly and easily. The website, which is currently being finalised, has been developed using WordPress, the same software I use to power my own site.

As I was showing a demonstration of the new site someone asked about the costs associated with WordPress. WordPress is freely available for download and I personally have a preference for free software. My main operating system is OpenSUSE Linux, which I use due to its reliability and additional features that are not found on other software. The next version of Ubuntu 8.04 is expected on the 24th of April.

For more details on the Ringwood Historical Society please visit www.rhs.org.au.

Online fundraising for charities through Mycause

Posted on by alex

One of the challenges of being a local Councillor is the need to balance a career with council duties. While in terms of time commitment the role may lean itself to a full-time position, the reality is that the current council allowances are insufficient without being augmented by another income.

This is particularly challenging for younger councillors who are often at the beginning of their careers and need to juggle work and council commitments. Unfortunately this appears to be one of the reasons why younger people are severely underrepresented within local government.

I have recently accepted a marketing position at MyCause to assist in establishing partnerships with the non-profit sector and to raise community awareness about on-line fundraising and charitable events.

The Internet presents a number of opportunities for the community and non-profit sector, through allowing these organisations to directly reach people through the use of websites, emails and other technologies. While over two-thirds of Australians have some form of Internet access, Australian organisations have been relatively slow in realising the potential of the Internet, particularly when compared to European countries or the US.

This role at Mycause will allow me to merge my marketing career with my interest in the non-profit and community sectors. For more information on Mycause please visit www.mycause.com.au.

Stage 3A Water Restrictions

Posted on by alex

Melbourne has now entered Stage 3A water restrictions. The primary difference from stage three being that no evening watering of gardens is allowed.

Gardens may now only be watered between 6am and 8am for manual systems while automatic systems (which turn on and off automatically) can only be used between midnight-2am.

Even numbered houses can water on Saturday and Tuesday while odd numbered houses can water on Sunday and Wednesday.

Greywater can be used for gardens but to ensure high health standards it must be used within 24 hours of collection (unless it has been treated).

Water restrictions are also having an impact on local councils. The current regulations allow councils to water just one in four sportsgrounds, Maroondah is working sporting clubs to try and rationalise sporting facilities.

For more information please visit the Yarra Valley Water website www.yvw.com.au.

Website Accessibility Improvements

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The Internet has the potential to become truly accessible medium allowing people of all abilities to be able to utilise the power of the web wide web. As part the redesign process, I have included a number of measures to make this site more accessible to people with disabilities.

Viewers now have the ability to control the size of the text used within this site, as well as choosing a high control colour scheme layout. Both of these initiatives are available through the display preferences column in the right hand size. In addition, the presentation and coding of this website has been re-organised to make it easier for screen reading devices.

These initiatives should improve the accessibility of this website. Please let me know if you have any feedback in regard to the accessibility of this website.