Tag: advocate

Attendance Report: Social inclusion and Council alliances

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One of the reforms undertaken during my year as Mayor was to extend delegate reports into attendance reports, to ensure that Councillors can confidently discuss the events and activities that they have undertaken. In addition, a new report, known as Ward Reports was also introduced which allows Councillors to discuss upcoming events.

On the 19th of November I attended Maroondah’s end of year function for crossing supervisors. The function provides an opportunity to thank crossing supervisors for the work they undertake in providing safety for students gaining access to and from schools. Several crossing supervisors are some of Maroondah’s longest serving employees and I would like to thank these dedicated members of staff for the service that they provide to the community.

On the 20th of November I attended the 10th anniversary of Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation. The group, which was formed in 2000 aimed to encourage reconciliation and promote an understanding and awareness of Indigenous culture. I would like to congratulate the group for its achievements, particularly in encouraging Council and the community to embrace Reconciliation.

On the 21st of November I attended the first annual general meeting of the Maroondah Inter-faith network. The network, which was established in November last year aims to encourage dialogue and understanding between faith based communities in Maroondah. The group has experienced a strong first year and I would like to thank the interim committee for their service and dedication, as well as congratulate the incoming committee, which is already planning events for the year ahead.

Lastly, on the 22nd of November I joined my then Mayoral counterparts of the Councils containing Central Activities Districts to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between these Councils and the Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne. This alliance will ensure that the Councils that contain Central Activities Districts, namely Maroondah, Frankston, Greater Dandenong, Whitehorse, Hume and Maribyrnong will be able to collectively advocate for the needs of these urban centres.

A meeting is scheduled for the 20th of December where this alliance will be introduced to the newly elected Mayors and priorities established for the next twelve months. This alliance will having growing significance to Council over future years as it will ensure that Maroondah will be also work cooperatively with these other Councils to ensure a cohesive approach to Melbourne’s Central Activities Districts.

Maroondah Leader: Maroondah and other CAD councils unite for action

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The Maroondah Leader has reported on the newly formed alliance between Councils that include Central Activities Districts and the City of Melbourne. This alliance will ensure that Councils will be able to collectively advocate for the needs of these central activities districts, to ensure that they become vibrant, accessible and sustainable urban centres.

Former Maroondah mayor Alex Makin said the councils had identified common issues across the CADs: mainly the need for investment in transport interchanges and next-generation community facilities.

“With Melbourne quickly becoming a city of many cities, we want to ensure certainty for the respective CADs,” Cr Makin said.

The alliance will be focusing on three priorities, including transport, housing and employment opportunity for the Central Activities Districts and will be advocating for a shared vision between State and Federal Governments for funding to support the implementation of these urban centres. The alliance will continue to meet throughout 2011 and a meeting will be held on the 20th of December to officially hand over the group to the newly elected Mayors of each Council.

Celebrating Community Safety Month through Community Art at Bayswater North

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Community Safety Month, an initiative of Victoria Police is held every October with the aim of encouraging safer communities. One of the major focal points of Bayswater North Community Renewal is safety and this has led to the formation of the Paths and Parking Action Group.

The Paths & Parking Action Group is a working group of Community Renewal consisting of three members who have worked for almost three years to improve safety, particularly in regard to pedestrians and accessibility.

The Action Group advocated for an accessible bus stop to be located on Colchester Road, opposite the Canterbury Gardens Shopping Centre. This bus stop has been decorated with mosaic tiles created by students from grades 3 and 4 at Bayswater North Primary with the theme of community.

This morning I officially launched the new bus stop and congratulated the three founding members of the Paths & Parking Action Group, all of whom are mothers with children at Bayswater North Primary. These three members not only advocated for safety improvements but also encouraged community participation through their links to the Bayswater North Primary.

The accessible bus stop and community art project demonstrates the positive improvements that can be undertaken in partnership with the community and Council. I congratulate the three members of the Paths and Parking Working Group for their dedication and community service.

Media Release: Ringwood Station funding pledge

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“On behalf of the Maroondah community I would like to congratulate the Liberal Party for listening to the community’s concerns and pledging $60million to upgrade Ringwood Station,” Maroondah City Council Mayor Councillor Alex Makin said.

“I thank our local members of parliament Ryan Smith and Heidi Victoria for advocating strongly on behalf of the Maroondah community and securing not only the funding, but a commitment to start the project within the next term of Parliament,” Cr Makin said.

“The Liberal Party’s commitment follows last week’s announcement by the Greens who pledged their support to transform Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated public transport hub,” Cr Makin said.

“We have now secured a promise from two of the major political parties to upgrade Ringwood Station. I now call on the Labor Party to join with their colleagues and commit to an upgrade of Ringwood Station to improve the future prosperity of Ringwood and Melbourne’s eastern region”, Cr Makin said.

“A safe, vibrant and integrated Ringwood Station is the missing piece of the State Government’s own Ringwood Activities District and to date Council has collected more than 2000 signatures on a petition calling on all major parties to commit to funding an upgrade to Ringwood Station within the term of the next government,” Cr Makin said.

“During the course of Council’s campaign calling for the Ringwood Station upgrade we have received support from many members of the community including several disability advocates. A video was produced and uploaded to YouTube which highlighted the concerns people with a disability have about accessing Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

“This video was an important part of the campaign and I thank those people who were willing to share their personal stories as a way of highlighting the inadequacies of the current station layout,” Cr Makin said.

“The community support has been critical in demonstrating the need for improvements to Ringwood Station. I congratulate people for standing up for what they believe in and making the political parties realise that they can no longer ignore the needs of the Maroondah community,” Cr Makin said.

– ENDS –

Maroondah Leader: Mayor wants the missing piece

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Last week I, along with accessibility advocate, Margaret Stevens, launched Council’s Missing Piece Campaign seeking to secure a commitment for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station and to provide the missing piece of the Ringwood Central Activities District.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on the launch on the call for a safe, integrated and accessible transport interchange for Ringwood:

“The community clearly sees Ringwood Station as a priority with over 2000 signatures calling for the upgrade and over 500 visitations on Council’s social media campaign,” Cr Makin said.

“It is time for each state political party to commit to delivering the mission piece and to fund an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange.”

The Maroondah community is clearly demanding the need for an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange for Ringwood Station. While the State Government has committed funds to redevelop the bus interchange and station forecourt, it is imperative that these works are extended to incorporate the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

The overwhelming positive response to Council’s advocacy demonstrates that a commitment to the redevelopment of Ringwood Station is essential for the Maroondah community and Melbourne’s eastern region.

Delegates’ Report: Regional Partnerships, Celebrating Diversity, Ringwood Station Advocacy

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There are several notable items I will discuss tonight.

The first being the regional partnership signed by the Mayors of the Cities of Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges on the 22nd of September. This agreement will strengthen co-operation between the municipalities in areas such as advocacy, where each of these councils have supported calls for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange.

The Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival was held on the 9th of October, with over 5000 attendees enjoying a range of multicultural food, entertainment and performances. It is great to see the Maroondah community embracing cultural diversity and this was further evident at the New Year celebrations of Maroondah’s Chin community, an ethnic group from Burma who celebrated Fang Er at Ringwood Secondary College on the 16th of October. The afternoon provided an opportunity to learn about Fang Er, which coincides with the harvest season in Burma and to discover national dances and food.

Monkami, a not-for-profit service provider for people with intellectually disabilities, has continued to strengthen its community connections and I had the pleasure of launching Alarming Art on the 14th of October. Alarming Art is Monkami’s new public gallery located at the Croydon Fire Station in Croydon Road, the space will provide an opportunity to showcase the talents of Monkami’s clients and further strengthen connections with the community.

Lastly, Maroondah City Council launched its Missing Piece Campaign on the 13th of October, calling on all political parties to commit to the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange. The campaign, which I co-launched with accessibility advocate Margaret Stevens, reinforces the dire state of Ringwood Station and the need for a commitment. The campaign will continue until the State Election with updates being available at www.facebook.com/ringwoodstation.

I’ll table the rest of my report.

Media Release: Push for commitment to Ringwood Station upgrade continues

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The Maroondah community has overwhelmingly supported Maroondah City Council’s campaign to secure funding for an upgrade to Ringwood Station.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said to date Council had collected more than 2000 signatures on a petition calling on all major parties to commit to funding an upgrade to Ringwood Station within the term of the next government.

He said Council had been overwhelmed with the support it had received throughout the campaign.

“Maroondah residents Dawn Oliffe and Margaret Stevens have both volunteered their time to collect signatures at Ringwood Station and Eastland,” Cr Makin said.

“Dawn spent one day at Ringwood Station collecting more than 100 signatures from commuters and Margaret organised to set up a stall at Eastland for an entire week which resulted in her collecting more than 400 signatures,” Cr Makin said.

“This is a phenomenal effort from two of our community members, and their dedication to the campaign shows how strongly they feel about the need for an upgrade to Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

“Margaret also volunteered her time with a number of other disability advocates to be involved with a video filmed by Council highlighting the difficulty people with a disability, parents with prams, and people using wheelchairs and scooters have using the station ramps,” Cr Makin said.

“The video has been a successful aspect of Council’s campaign with more than 780 people having watched it via Council’s website or YouTube. A Facebook page has also generated a lot of debate and to date has 110 followers,” Cr Makin said.

Cr Makin said Council will enter the next phase of the campaign with the launch of ‘’The Missing Piece”. This will be immediately prior to the Eastern Transport Coalition Forum.

“Significant investment and development continues in Ringwood, with support from the State Government and private enterprise, and the commitment to fund the redevelopment of Ringwood Station remains the missing piece of the vision for the Ringwood Central Activities District,” Cr Makin said.

“I hope the community will join us at The Missing Piece launch and show their support for Council’s campaign to secure an upgrade to Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

The Missing Piece launch is on at 6pm, Wednesday October 13 at Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood.

Eastern Regional Mayors and CEOs Forum – discussing regional priorities

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The Eastern Regional Mayors and CEOs Forum, includes the Cities of Banyule, Boroondara, Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Nilumbik, Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges, meets on a regular basis to advance priorities on behalf of the region.

Today’s meeting was hosted at the City of Maroondah and included sessions with MPs and Candidates from the Government, Opposition and The Greens to discuss six priorities facing the region:

  • Public transport;
  • early years;
  • street lighting;
  • school crossing supervision;
  • libraries;
  • and land use planning

The sessions included detailed presentations on each of these issues with the aim of ensuring that each attendee and Party was aware of the concerns held by the Councils in the region. It was encouraging to see strong representation from each of the parties, including Minsters and Shadow Ministers.

One of the key roles of local government is to advocate on behalf of the needs of its residents and communities and as such dialogue between Councils and Members of State Parliament is a necessity. Today’s forum, which was held at the Karralyka Centre, enabled this discussion to take place so that these members would be fully aware of the priorities and concerns of local government in the eastern region.

Media Release: Council launches petition to upgrade Ringwood Station

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Maroondah City Council is calling on all state political parties to commit to delivering a safe, accessible and integrated Ringwood Station within the term of the next State Government.

On September 1, Council will launch a petition as the first stage of a community based campaign calling for the Station redevelopment.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said Council shares the community’s concern about the station.

“The Maroondah community has waited for far too long for a safe, accessible transit interchange. The current layout of the station fails disability compliance standards meaning it is difficult to access for people with a disability, the elderly and parents with prams,” Cr Makin said.

“The Disability Discrimination Act is about treating people equally and giving people the same opportunities as everyone else as to access public transport. The continued lack of commitment towards the upgrade makes a mockery of delivering sustainable and accessible transport options,” Cr Makin said.

“The Tudor-style brick building which houses the ticket office was built in 1889 and the footbridge linking the platforms was upgraded in the 1960s. Despite the substantial population growth in the region and the importance of public transport, there has been no significant upgrade to the station in more than 50 years,” Cr Makin said.

“Following years of lobbying by Council the State Government undertook initial urban design works in 2004,” Cr Makin said.

“In 2007 the State Government spent $4.5million on design works to integrate the public transport interchange with the Eastland redevelopment. In September 2008 the State Government announced $39million for the Bus Interchange and Maroondah Highway Station Plaza project. While this is a positive step, we are still waiting for a funding commitment to upgrade the most important aspect of the Central Activities District – Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

“Council will continue to work in partnership with State Government, and meet with department representatives and ministers to stress the importance of upgrading Ringwood Station to be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act and for safety reasons,” Cr Makin said.

“We will also continue to meet with local members of parliament who are supportive of Council’s campaign and are willing to advocate of our behalf for a funding commitment to this essential project,” Cr Makin said.

“The redevelopment of the Ringwood Station into an accessible, integrated and safe transit interchange is critical to the success of our transition into a sustainable and accessible Central Activities District,” Cr Makin said.

“Council has a critical role in advocating on behalf of our community. The petition is an important way for Council and the community to get that message to the State Government,” Cr Makin said.

“The best way we can do this is generating as much support as possible, so we encourage everyone to sign the petition which will be available online, at Council’s service centres and Ringwood and Croydon libraries,” Cr Makin said.

“The more community support we gain, the stronger our voice in demanding that the funding commitment is made. I urge the community to join this campaign and to get involved” Cr Makin concluded.

To sign the petition and to join the campaign you can:

Go online:
Maroondah Council website – www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
Maroondah Youth Services website www.maroondahyouthservices.com.au
Maroondah Youth Services MySpace page – www.myspace.com/maroondahyouthservices

Visit one of Council’s service centres:
City Offices Service Centre
Braeside Avenue, Ringwood

Eastland Service Centre
Level 2, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood

Croydon Service Centre
Civic Square, Croydon

Visit one of Maroondah’s libraries:

Ringwood Library
4 Ringwood Street Mall, Ringwood
(Adjacent to Eastland Shopping Centre).

Croydon Library
Civic Square, Mount Dandenong Road, Croydon.

– ENDS –

Media Release: Council congratulates MPs on their win

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Maroondah City Council congratulates the re-elected Federal Members of Parliament in the seats of Deakin, Casey and Menzies.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said Council was looking forward to working with the MPs.

“Council has already established a strong working relationship with the member for Casey Tony Smith, the member for Deakin Mike Symon and the member for Menzies Kevin Andrews over the past three years,” Cr Makin said.

“Council met with most of the candidates prior to the election to ensure they were aware of the issues and projects that were a concern to the Maroondah community,” Cr Makin said.

“With Ringwood being one of six State Government designated Central Activities Districts Maroondah is seeing some significant investment and development from both the State Government and private enterprises,” Cr Makin said.

“We will now continue to work with the Federal MPs to gain their support for some major projects in Maroondah, primarily the proposed $48 million Maroondah Aquatic and Leisure Centre,” Cr Makin said.

“The proposed project would provide enormous community benefit, ensuring significant leisure and aquatic facilities for the Maroondah and regional community for the next 50 years. There would also be a substantial economic and employment benefit to the region during construction and operation of the proposed facility,” Cr Makin said.

“Council is seeking substantial funding from the Federal Government to assist with the development of this project, particularly for the proposed diving facilities which would include a unique dry diving training facilities for the State, as well as a FINA standard 10 metre diving tower and pool,” Cr Makin said.

So far Council has received substantial letters of support for the proposed project from:

  • Diving Australia
  • Diving Victoria
  • Swimming Australia
  • Swimming Victoria
  • Ringwood Diving Club
  • Whitehorse Diving Club
  • Ringwood Swimming Club
  • Victoria Water Polo
  • Ringwood Water Polo Club
  • Ringwood Triathlon Club
  • Knox City Council
  • Eastern Independent Schools Melbourne
  • Aquinas College
  • Tintern Schools
  • Maroondah Secondary College
  • Yarra Valley Grammar
  • Ringwood Secondary College
  • Eastern Access Community Health
  • Scope
  • Ringwood Spiders Football Club
  • Heathmont Football Club
  • North Ringwood Football Club
  • Ringwood Bowls Club
  • East Ringwood Junior Football Club
  • Ringwood Football Club
  • Ringwood Croquet Club
  • Ringwood Professional Athletics Club
  • East Ringwood Tennis Club
  • Croydon Cricket Club

“We are confident that the local MPs will see the significant benefit the proposal would make to the region, and that they are willing to support the proposal and advocate for funding on behalf of their community,” Cr Makin said.

– ENDS –