Maroondah residents are being asked to sign an online petition, Give Our Streets the Green Light, to lobby the government to fund a changeover to energy-efficient street lighting.
In Maroondah the upfront costs of replacing more than 5500 mercury vapour globes currently lighting Maroondah’s streets is about $2million.
The goal is to reduce Council’s greenhouse emissions and create a sustainable and more energy-efficient future:
By changing all local road street lights from the mercury vapour 80W lamps to a more energy efficient lighting it would not only benefit the environment but it would save on electricity costs.
Council estimates that 36% of its green house gas emissions and 39% of its electricity costs are generated by street lighting,
Electricity is predominately generated by burning brown coal which results in significant greenhouse gases.
Alex launching Maroondah City Council's Give Our Streets the Green Light Campaign
The Give Our Streets the Green Light campaign aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78,000 tonnes over the life of the lights. That equates to about 31.2 billion black balloons or 341,917 cars off the road for a year.
Pledge your support by signing an online submission at www.greenlightourstreets.org.au or by sending a letter to your local Member of Parliament.
The Eastern Transport Coalition consists of Melbourne’s seven eastern councils and advocates for public transport improvements across Melbourne and the region. The monster petition was formed to demonstrate community support for public transport improvements and was held at each of the member Councils, including Maroondah, where it was featured at last year’s Maroondah Festival.
Alex with the Eastern Trasnport Coalition's Monster Petition
This afternoon I accompanied Mayors and members of the Eastern Transport Coalition to formally present the petition to Martin Pakula, the Minster for Public Transport. In addition, the petition was also accepted by Terry Mulder, the Shadow Minister for Transport, as well as Greg Barbers, the Greens spokesperson on public transport.
The petition calls for public transport improvements across Eastern Melbourne including:
A full and public feasibility study for a heavy rail line to Rowville,
A full and public feasibility study for a heavy rail line to Doncaster,
A greater commitment to the extension of the Metro rail tunnel from Domain to Caulfield,
A full and public feasibility study for an increase in capacity on the Belgrave/Lilydale and Glen Waverley lines,
Improved facilities for passengers, particularly at interchanges located in central activity districts – Ringwood, Dandenong and Box Hill,
Fully accessible public transport facilities and vehicles
Now that the petition has been presented, it is incumbent on all political parties to respond to the need for public transport improvements. Residents across Melbourne’s eastern region are clearly calling on the State Government to deliver improvements to public transport, including an accessible and integrated transport interchange at Ringwood, as well as more frequent and more reliable services.
One of the key priorities for the Maroondah City Council and our community is the complete redevelopment of Ringwood Station so that it becomes a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange. While the State Government is planning to begin works on the bus interchange and station forecourt in July, no commitment has been received for the redevelopment of the station itself.
The Maroondah Leader has reported on Ringwood Station being ignored in the State Government Budget that was unveiled last week.
Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said the council was disappointed the railway station, which does not comply with disability standards was ignored.
“The council views the redevelopment of the station as our top community advocacy priority,” Cr Makin said. “It is a central vision as part of the Ringwood central activities district, and we’ll be calling on all political parties to commit to this before the station election.”
Ringwood Station currently fails disability compliance standards with some residents resorting to the use of a bus service to Box Hill, which takes an hour to complete its journey, just to avoid the steep, dark and narrow ramps at Ringwood Station. It is clear that Ringwood Station is in need of a complete redevelopment and Council will be advocating strongly for a commitment for a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange in the lead up to the State Election.
The City of Maroondah is home to many Sudanese refugees, who settled within the municipality to start a new life within Australia. While many community organisations and facilities have welcomed the Sudanese community, they have experienced some ongoing difficulties in securing employment and housing.
This afternoon I attended a public meeting convened by the Maroondah Southern Sudanese Christian Welfare Association to discuss the ongoing difficulties faced by this community.
I was joined by the majority of my Council colleagues, as well as several State Members, so that we could hear first-hand the difficulties the Sudanese community is facing. While one of the challenges, in regard to community space, will hopefully be resolved through partnering with community houses, the challenge of affordable housing and employment, is more difficult to resolve.
All levels of government need to work together to ensure that our emerging communities are able to establish a sustainable and ongoing future within Maroondah. I will be discussing these concerns with State and Federal Members so that we can work towards some positive outcomes for the Sudanese community.
Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community based organisation that provides volunteer recruitment and transport services for the frail aged and people with disabilities.
The organisation is working in conjunction with Boroondara Volunteer Resource Centre and Monash Volunteer Resource Centre to organise a second conference on volunteering.
The conference seeks to address some of the present and future issues and challenges that the volunteer and not-for-profit sectors face for volunteering in Eastern Melbourne and beyond.
As a board member of Eastern Volunteers I have been chairing the steering committee and working group involved in the preparation of the Conference, which will be held on Tuesday the 17th of August at the Novotel in Glen Waverley.
The Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) is a Council based advocacy group seeking to improve public transport within the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Member councils include the City of Maroondah, the City of Greater Dandenong, City of Knox, City of Manningham, City of Monash, City of Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
Each year councils determine the Councillor representation on committees. While I had been Maroondah’s representative on the ETC since being elected in 2006, I felt it was now time to provide another Councillor with the opportunity to represent Maroondah on this committee to expand the knowledge and expertise on public transport issues within Council.
As a result, I’m pleased to announce that Cr. Michael Macdonald will now be Maroondah’s representative on the Eastern Transport Coalition. Michael has expressed an interest in public transport issues and it is great to see that the need for public transport improvements is recognised within Council.
I attended tonight’s meeting to assist with introducing Michael to the group and to provide some background on the priorities of the Eastern Transport Coalition. I am confident that Michael will be a great asset to the ETC and public transport advocacy.
Despite no longer being on the Eastern Transport Coalition I will continue to advocate for public transport improvements. As Mayor I have refused the mayoral car and will be continuing to use public transport to attend council and community commitments. Furthermore I will continue advocating for improvements to bus and train services as well as the much needed redevelopment of Ringwood Station.
2010 promises to be an exciting year for the Eastern Transport Coalition and I look forward to Michael’s involvement in the committee, as well as Maroondah’s continued advocacy for public transport improvements.
I would like to sincerely thank my colleagues for their support and confidence in me as we enter the 2010 Council Year and I begin my term as the Mayor of Maroondah.
The changeover of the Mayor from Cr. Peter Gurr to myself
It is indeed an honour and a privilege to be able to serve with such distinguished colleagues, all of whom have such a wide range of skills and experience. I look forward to this year as we strive to deliver the very best for the Maroondah community. We need to harness the collective experiences and skills of the people around this table and our community as we consider the decisions we will make in the oncoming year and beyond.
The challenge we need to set ourselves is to ensure that the decisions we make today are not regretted by future generations or future councils. We need to ensure that the decisions we make today are the ones that ensure the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of our community into the future. We must not leave a legacy where in people in 10 or 20 years or beyond wonder about the choices we made today.
Tomorrow is the International Day for People with Disabilities and this serves as a reminder of the need to create a society where everyone can fully participate in civic, commercial, recreational and residential opportunities.
We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to ensure that we get things right with the transformation of Ringwood into a vibrant, sustainable and accessible urban centre. I look forward to working with all levels of government to achieve this vision. Our community expects government to work in cooperation so that we can achieve the best outcomes for our municipality. It is through a collective vision that we can harness the full potential of governments working together to achieve positive outcomes for the community.
Alex delivering his acceptance speech for the 2010 Mayoral Year
I’ve lived in Ringwood since I was two years old, so my memories of growing up are centred around Ringwood and Maroondah, to be in a position where we can shape the future is one that is humbling and I want to ensure that our future generations respect the decisions that we make today.
While the transformation of Ringwood is obviously an exciting project, the City of Maroondah covers many suburbs and we need to ensure that all of our communities and their aspirations are heard and considered.
We also need to be mindful of the many community organisations that are in need of additional accommodation within Maroondah. The strength of a municipality can be measured by the vibrancy of the community organisations within it and we need to ensure that our actions take into account the need for community organisations to grow and develop so they continue to meet the needs of our municipality.
I am truly appreciative of the many community organisations that are present this evening, many of you have been with me during the highs and lows of council and I thank you for your ongoing support and for celebrating that occasion with us. Likewise, I extend my ongoing appreciation to my family who are here tonight and have stood by me during election campaigns and years of council. While the experience of being on council has been extremely positive, there have been times where it has been difficult; and it has been this support from my colleagues, family and the community that has kept me going.
Alex being inaugurated as the Mayor on the 2nd of December 2009
Approximately a fortnight ago the Ringwood Miners Cottage was tragically destroyed by vandals. We need to stop and reflect on the values of our community and work towards creating a civic pride that collectively demonstrates that such malicious destruction will not be tolerated.
We can only do this if we discuss the values that the Maroondah community holds true and I ask each of us to reflect on what it means to live within this municipality. We need to begin a narrative and a discussion about these values and ensure that we hold these principles true to ourselves and to others. I ask each of you to let me know how you would describe the values of Maroondah.
Many people know about my passion for technology. Let us embrace new technologies to lead this discussion and to encourage people to contribute to our community. Please send me your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, my website or via phone.
These values will not be defined overnight but we should start this discussion and lead in creating this narrative and ensuring we have an inclusive and welcoming society.
Alex delivering his inauguration speech as Mayor on the 2nd of December 2009
In coming weeks I will be asking my colleagues to discuss their visions for Maroondah over the next twelve months. I want to ensure that we have a council that is focused on outcomes and on the wellbeing of our community.
I look forward to achieving these outcomes with my colleagues, as well as the corporate management team and staff of this council.
In closing I would like to thank our outgoing Mayor Peter Gurr for serving the City as Mayor over the past twelve months. I look forward to the future and I look forward to working in harmony with my colleagues, staff and the community as we plan and deliver for the future.
Scoot Wheel n Move and the Maroondah Disability Action Group, are two local community groups focused on improving the accessibility of Maroondah and the outer east. Scoot Wheel n Move is particularly focused on accessibility for people with mobility aids, while the Maroondah Disability Group is concerned about advocacy and achieving systemic change.
While the two groups have a different core focus, there is much in common and combined meetings are held when there is discussion or speakers of interest to the two groups. Today’s meeting, which involved the two groups, included a visit from Bill Shorten, the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities.
Bill Shorten who was accompanied by Mike Symon, the Member for Deakin, discussed the Federal Government’s approach to disabilities including the need for streamlining information and assistance. Bill also discussed initiatives designed to encourage the employment of people with disabilities to improve equity and demonstrate capabilities.
The Maroondah Disability Action Group and Scoot Wheel n Move have both been undertaking constructive advocacy through working in partnership with other community groups and highlighting the need for greater accessibility within Maroondah and the outer east.
The ability of the Maroondah Disability Action Group to secure the attendance of the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities demonstrates the ongoing effects of the group’s advocacy and its ability to represent concerns held by people with disabilities.
The Eastern Transport Coalition represents approximately one million residents, through its seven members council and advocates for public transport improvements within Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs.
Tonight’s meeting further discussed the State Government’s lack of progress in regard to the bus service reviews, with the final recommendations for Monash, Whitehorse and Manningham’s review still being unreleased. Given that these three councils had their reviews completed prior to Maroondah, it raises concerns as to the level of commitment from the State Government towards completing and implementing the bus service reviews.
Melbourne’s bus network largely consists of infrequent services, which have limited operating spans and follow convoluted and confusing routes. The bus service reviews provide an opportunity to improve the level of confidence in Melbourne’s bus network, through services that are direct, frequent and readily available.
The State Government’s bus service reviews provide an opportunity to improve Melbourne’s bus network, which is critical in areas like Melbourne’s outer east, since many residents reside beyond walking distance to rail stations. This will only be achieved however if the State Government commits to implementing the findings of these reviews in a timely manner.
Tonight’s meeting also discussed the Eastern Transport Coalition website and the need for integration with social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. As a council-led advocacy group, the Eastern Transport Coalition should be harnessing these tools to strengthen its ability to advocate on behalf of Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs.
Local Government has typically been slow to adapt to the Internet so it encouraging that the Eastern Transport Coalition has agreed on the importance of its website and the need to use its site to further its advocacy and reach to our local communities.
The Rotary Club of Ringwood meets on a weekly basis with guest speakers who discuss community organisations and causes.
Tonight’s speaker is a member of the Oaktree Foundation, an organisation established to empower young people through providing aid and assistance to reduce poverty and improve education within developing countries.
The Oaktree Foundation was formed in 2003 and has established itself within the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. The foundation works in partnership with community organisations within six developing countries to assist in the delivery of education opportunities.
The Oaktree Foundation specifically involves younger people and encourages an interest in volunteering and a commitment to community causes.
