Six out of the eight motions tabled by Maroondah City Council were carried at the 26 May Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) State Council meeting.
The successful motions related to improving information technology for customer service, general valuations, unfunded superannuation liability, road reserves owned by VicRoads, Tax deductibility for election expenses and building and planning fees.
Councillor Alex Makin, Council’s representative on the MAV, said the State Council Meeting provided an opportunity for each member council in Victoria to submit motions which have significance on a state level for all Victorian municipalities.
“The motions presented are viewed as being of significance across the Victorian Local Government sector, including the Maroondah community,” Cr Makin said.
“Council has a proven record of leading the way in highlighting issues faced by the Victorian Local Government sector. This is reflected by the favourable response to previous motions submitted by Maroondah and passed, often with unanimous support, at the MAV State Council Meeting,” Cr Makin said.
“At its meeting of Monday 18 April, Council approved eight motions to be submitted to the MAV State Council meeting which was held on Thursday 26 May,” Cr Makin said.
“The motions were developed by Council following interaction with the community in the form of various forums, consultation and strategies,” Cr Makin said.
Of the eight motions presented by Council, six were carried.
The motions carried included:
That the MAV State Council calls of the State Government to remove the requirement for Local Government to have superannuation cash backed, given the inconsistency between the three tiers of government and given that both state and federal governments carry these amounts on their balance sheets as unfunded liabilities.
That the Municipal Association Of Victoria State Council calls on the State government to extend the frequency of general valuations from two to three years.
That the MAV State Council calls on the State Government to abolish the prescribed Statutory Annual Increments for both planning and building fees and enable Councils to set their own fees.
That the MAV State Council calls on VicRoads to review current funding allocated for the maintenance of arterial roads and associated infrastructure, roadsides and central medians, and if necessary advocate for increased levels of funding.
That the MAV convene a working party comprising of Councillors and Information Technology Officers to explore the technological opportunities to provide a one stop shop customer service approach for Local Government communities.
That the MAV State Council writes to the Australian Tax Office seeking an urgent review of the current ceiling of $1000 for election expenses that can be claimed by candidates for Council elections.
The heavy rain falls and subsequent flooding which affected parts of Victoria earlier this year highlighted the importance of being prepared for the unexpected.
Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said the annual State Emergency Services FloodSafe Week, Monday 30 May to Friday 5 June, encouraged people to get involved and learn more about protecting themselves, their homes and their businesses during floods.
“Floods cause more damage in terms of dollars and lives lost, per year, than any other natural hazard in Australia,” Cr Makin said.
“The rain fall which hit Victoria in late 2010 and February 2011, and the flooding which occurred as a result, is a prime example of the importance of ensuring your property is able to cope should we be faced with this level of rain fall again,” Cr Makin said.
“Research that was conducted following the September 2010 floods in Victoria shows that 31 per cent of people living in the affected areas did not know their homes were prone to flooding and 35 per cent said they had not prepared for floods at all,” Cr Makin said.
“However a well prepared community can reduce flood damage by up to 80 per cent, which is why Council is supporting the SES FloodSafe Week and urging residents to take appropriate steps to ensure their property is in the best condition possible to prevent, or at least minimise, the impacts of flooding,” Cr Makin said.
“Council is also doing its bit to ensure that the Municipality’s storm water drainage network is able to cope if the storms continue to worsen,” Cr Makin said.
“In the event of a flood Council’s operations team will conduct initial investigations to determine whether there is a blockage or other issues associated with Council’s stormwater pipes which may have contributed to localised flooding,” Cr Makin said.
“If no issues are found the matter is referred to Council’s engineering and infrastructure team, for further investigation, which will include assessing the capacity of the system,” Cr Makin said.
“Since the recent floods, investigations into Council’s stormwater drainage system has increased and Council is currently reviewing whether or not it needs to change the way the stormwater drainage network is designed and managed,” Cr Makin said.
“Council has a responsibility to property owners to ensure that the Council owned and operated drainage system is clear and functioning so it can capture any stormwater,” Cr Makin said.
“In times of excessive rainfall Council also needs to ensure that designated overland flow paths can handle the excess stormwater and work effectively to prevent properties from being flooded,” Cr Makin said.
“Council’s underground stormwater drainage system has historically been designed to a capacity of a one in five year magnitude storm, which is consistent with the industry standard” Cr Makin said.
“In the event of a storm of greater magnitude, the excess water is generally handled by designated overland flow paths which are created along drainage gullys, creeks or other low land points, during the initial developments stage of housing estates,” Cr Makin said.
“Council’s engineers are currently putting together a program to undertake detailed catchment analysis and flood mapping of the municipality which will help to determine appropriate solutions to stormwater management and may lead to improvements to underground pipe systems and overland flow paths to capture stormwater more effectively,” Cr Makin said.
“Investigations of the stormwater network and the associated improvement works is focussed on areas of land which were severely impacted during the recent flooding, with areas with property inundation taking precedence,” Cr Makin said.
“Council in conjunction with the SES is developing a Maroondah City Council Flood Emergency Plan which will assist in the identification of flooding risks and indicate suitable measure which can be undertaken to reduce and manage the risk of flooding,” Cr Makin said.
“Council working alongside the community to maintain Council-owned infrastructure and residential properties is the best way to ensure we are prepared in the event of heavy rainfall, and hopefully minimise the impacts of major flooding in the future,” Cr Makin said.
The best way to prepare for floods is to:
Learn the risk for your home and/or business
Prepare an emergency kit
Put together a home or business emergency plan
Keep a list of emergency numbers near your telephone
Check your insurance policy
If a flood warning is issued, listen to your emergency broadcaster for advice and check your neighbours are aware of the situation
NEVER walk, ride or drive through floodwater. Driving through floodwater is the number one cause of death during floods
NEVER allow children to play in floodwater. This is the number one cause of death during floods for children and teenagers
Throughout FloodSafe Week, SES volunteers will be running events in and around Maroondah. For more information or to learn about preparing a home emergency plan or home emergency kit, visit www.ses.vic.gov.au
Ringwood Station fails to meet disability compliance standards and is perceived to be unsafe due to the poor station design, including narrow and steep ramps. The community has continually called for the full redevelopment of Ringwood Station into a safe, accessible and integrated interchange that will meet the needs of Ringwood as a vibrant urban centre.
While public transport is a State Government responsibility, Council must advocate on behalf of its community and it is clear that Maroondah is seeking a commitment for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.
Council has been circulating a petition for the past month which has now attracted over 2000 signatures with approximately 1000 visitations through social media tools, including Facebook and Youtube. This evening Council officially launched the Missing Piece campaign with a direct call to action for all political parities to commit to the station upgrade.
Alex with Margaret launching Maroondah's Missing Piece campaign calling for the upgrade of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange
Ringwood Station is the Missing Piece in a vision for Ringwood, since a lack of commitment diminishes the residential, commercial and community investment that is taking place. Margaret Stevens, a renowned accessibility advocate who spent a week at Eastland collecting signatures for the petition, joined me in launching the campaign and calling on all political parties to commit to Ringwood’s future.
Council’s video highlighting the condition of Ringwood Station was displayed throughout the launch reinforcing the accessibility difficulties that exist.
The speech provided during the launch is available within this post:
In the spirit of Reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are meeting on land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.
We, Maroondah City Council, accept, respect and have shared with the Wurundjeri people in their customs of welcome.
The Wurundjeri people support the coming together of all people, respecting their individuality to focus on a unified and cohesive nation.
As you have gathered here this evening, you will have seen the video playing overhead showing the difficulty people in our community, and particularly those with a disability, have accessing Ringwood Station and the 50 year old ramps leading to the station platforms.
This video has been an important element of an advocacy campaign Council has been running over the past six weeks.
The campaign is seeking a funding commitment from all state political parties in the lead up to the State election for the upgrade of Ringwood Station within the next term of government.
The campaign has been running for six weeks with significant support and media coverage from Maroondah’s two local papers, editorial has appeared each week for the past 6 weeks.
Community support has been extremely strong, and to date we have over 2000 signatures to the petition, from individuals and community groups.
One of these individuals is here with us tonight, and I would like to acknowledge Margaret Stevens for her dedication to the cause in securing over 600 signatures from the Maroondah community and beyond during a week at Eastland. In addition, several members of the community, including Dawn Oliffe spent time at Ringwood Station securing signatures for the petition.
Margaret is one of many voices demanding action for Ringwood Station. I have spoken with many people during the course of this campaign and the message from the community is clear, Maroondah residents are tired of waiting, they want a safe, integrated, accessible and vibrant Ringwood Station, and they want it in the term of the next government.
Tonight, Council is launching “The Missing Piece – Ringwood Station” in the lead up to this evening’s Eastern Transport Coalition Forum.
Alex with Margaret launching Maroondah's Missing Piece campaign calling for the upgrade of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange.
Significant investment and development continues in Ringwood, with support from the State Government and private enterprise, however the commitment to fund the redevelopment of Ringwood Station remains the missing piece of the vision for the Ringwood Central Activities District.
As you can see within the Ringwood Central Activities District jigsaw, we have EastLink providing an important road transport corridor from Mitcham to Frankston, an area responsible for 40 percent of Victoria’s manufacturing output and over 1.3 million people living in the area and providing more than 350,000 jobs.
The sporting, recreational and leisure facilities that either currently exist (Maroondah Federation Estate/Maroondah Art Gallery, tennis, croquet, football and cricket), are under construction (Soccer), or awaiting funding (proposed Maroondah Aquatic and Leisure) in the Jubilee Park precinct are within walking distance from Ringwood Station and the Central Activities District.
New businesses and services are moving to Ringwood, bringing increased employment and spending, as evidenced by the Connect East building perched over EastLink.
Ringwood Lake Park is an icon of Ringwood, providing enormous leisure and recreational pleasure all year round for people of all ages and abilities.
The $39million bus interchange is poised to change the face of Maroondah Highway, however, it does not provide an interface with the existing Ringwood Station.
Residential housing development is showing consistent growth within the Central Activities District with private building developers showing their support for the vision of Ringwood. The new 10 story co-operative housing development will soon be home to over 100 people early next year.
Eastland and the Ringwood Market site are expected to see construction and expansion of retail, community and business floorspace, changing the face of Ringwood significantly.
The Lake to Creek project will see pedestrian and cycling links between the Mullum Mullum Creek and Ringwood Lake, adding another vital layer to the accessibility of our city.
It is time to add the missing piece to the Ringwood Central Activities District jigsaw, a new Ringwood Station.
It is time for each state political party to not only acknowledge the need for an upgrade to Ringwood Station, but to actually stand up and commit to fund this important piece of public transport infrastructure that remains the missing piece of the vision for the State Government’s own Ringwood Central Activities District.
This afternoon the Mayors of Melbourne’s six Central Activity Districts; Dandenong, Frankston, Footscray, Hume, Maroondah and Whitehorse discussed the need for increased dialogue between each Council. The Central Activities Districts are six urban centres, that have been nominated for intensification and mixed use development, providing a range of housing, employment and community opportunities.
While senior Council Officers have regular discussions across these Councils, there has been little interaction between respective Mayors despite each municipality experiencing similar challenges in regard to public transport infrastructure and long-term commitments to the Central Activities Districts.
Today’s meeting furthered these discussions, with Councils working together to secure a long-term funding commitment and implementation plan from the State Government for each Central Activities District. This will ensure that all levels of government are working towards common goals and ensuring a strategic vision for each of these urban centres.
While the existing Ringwood Aquatic Centre, located in Greenwood Avenue Ringwood, was converted to an indoor facilities in the mid 1980s, the indoor 50 metre pool and associated infrastructure is approximately 40 years of age and nearing the end of its useful life.
In addition, the Aquatic Centre, due to its age is delivering an increasing loss to Council making it a burden on ratepayers. The Centre lacks gym and fitness facilities that complement modern aquatic centres and has consequently seen declining patronage, in sharp contrast to neighbouring facilities.
Maroondah City Council included detailed design work to consider a replacement of the Ringwood Aquatic Centre, through a modern facility that would expand the unique diving and swimming elements of the facility, as well as including gym, fitness and creche components.
This afternoon Council held an information expo at Eastland to discuss the project with the wider community and to gather community feedback on the proposed designs. Over 200 people attended the session with many discussing the need for the new Centre and the possibilities it provides for Maroondah and Ringwood.
Council has a clear commitment to deliver community infrastructure and it is clear that the community appreciates the need to replace the existing facility, with one that will meet the needs of Maroondah over the next 40 years and beyond.
Council will be holding further information expos, including one at the existing Centre and at the Maroondah Festival.
This afternoon the Mayors of Melbourne’s six Central Activity Districts; Dandenong, Frankston, Footscray, Hume, Maroondah and Whitehorse discussed the need for increased dialogue between each Council. The Central Activities Districts are six urban centres, that have been nominated for intensification and mixed use development, providing a range of housing, employment and community opportunities.
While senior Council Officers have regular discussions across these Councils, there has been little interaction between respective Mayors despite each municipality experiencing similar challenges in regard to public transport infrastructure and long-term commitments to the Central Activities Districts.
Today’s meeting served as an introduction and will be followed by further discussions on how the six Councils can work cooperatively to ensure the best outcomes for each Central Activities District.
Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin is moving with the times, this week upgrading to the new myki ticketing system.
In December last year when Cr Makin was elected Mayor he decided not to drive the Mayoral vehicle, and generally relies on public transport or walking to attend Council appointments.
“Normally the Maroondah Mayor would have the use of a Mayoral car but I wanted to highlight the importance of sustainable transport within Maroondah and to demonstrate that is possible to utilise public transport to undertake commitments as Mayor,” Cr Makin said.
“While there is room for improvement, we are very fortunate in Maroondah to have good access to rail and bus transport making it a viable form of travel within the municipality,” Cr Makin said.
“As someone living in the heart of the Ringwood Central Activities District I know how important public transport is to ensuring a vibrant, accessible and sustainable municipality,” Cr Makin said.
“As a Central Activities District, Ringwood has been identified by the State Government as a vital public transport hub. While the imminent upgrade of the bus interchange at Ringwood will see improved public transport infrastructure, we urgently require a commitment to the upgrading of Ringwood Station to deliver a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange.”
“It is critical that the State Government works in partnership with Council to achieve the vision of the Ringwood Central Activities District. A commitment to the redevelopment of Ringwood Station is essential in achieving this vision,” Cr. Makin concluded.
Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Alex Makin has confirmed Council’s major project for funding at the forthcoming Federal election.
“The Federal election provides Council with a wonderful opportunity to promote the City of Maroondah to all federal candidates, both sitting and standing, and to ensure they are briefed on the issues and projects that are of concern to the Maroondah community,” said Cr Makin.
“With federal political parties forming a consensus on the need for sustainable population growth, it is timely to note that Maroondah is poised to assist with these concerns, with Ringwood being one of six State Government designated Central Activities Districts,” said Cr Makin.
“Significant investment and development has commenced in Ringwood, with support from the State Government and private enterprise – major commercial and residential growth is already underway,” said Cr Makin.
“Our priority is to ensure that all federal political parties are aware of the proposal for the Maroondah Aquatic and Leisure facility and the importance of the project for the region, both in recreational and leisure terms as well as the economic and employment benefits during construction and operation,” said Cr Makin.
“A particular aspect of Maroondah Aquatic and Leisure is that it will lead the way in terms of Environmentally Sustainable Design – an essential element in any infrastructure planning,” said Cr Makin.
“Council is seeking considerable funding to assist with the development of this project, particularly for the diving facilities which will provide unique dry driving training for the State, as well as FINA standard 10 metre diving tower and pool,” said Cr Makin.
Council has sought a grant of $10 million from the Federal Government towards this vital project.
“Both Diving Victoria and Diving Australia are strongly supporting this initiative. These bodies recognise the need for new training and competition facilities and have the results on the board in terms of past, present and future diving athletes,” said Cr Makin.
“The Delhi Commonwealth Games later this year will have a number of diving competitors who began their careers at the current Ringwood Aquatic Centre, and I’m sure the Maroondah community will watch with some anticipation to see how well they perform,” said Cr Makin.
The project has also gained support from:
Ringwood Diving Club Inc
Whitehorse Diving Club
Ringwood Triathalon Club
Ringwood Swimming Club
Victorian Water Polo
“The Maroondah Aquatic and Leisure facility will complement the developments to take place in the Ringwood Central Activities District enabling it to meet the needs of the growing and diverse regional population of more than 400,000 people,” said Cr Makin.
“I will be endeavouring to meet with all candidates over the coming weeks to ensure that they are aware of the needs of the Maroondah community, and wish them all well as they campaign on behalf of our local community,” said Cr Makin.
The Cities of Whitehorse and Frankston, like the City of Maroondah, each have an identified Central Activities District, namely Box Hill, Frankston and Ringwood respectively.
These locations, which are in close proximity to rail stations, have been identified as sites for urban revitalisation, including higher densities and mixed use development. The aim is to provide increased housing, employment and community opportunities within these localities and thus provide more facilities closer to people’s home.
While the policy direction is set by the State Government, local councils are often required to implement policies to support these aims, including structure plans and precinct plans that determine future vision for these centres. The role of the Federal Government in supporting our cities, is an area that is yet to be fully explored.
The Commonwealth Government established the Major Cities Unit to explore the role of our cities in a national context and this afternoon myself and the Mayors of Whitehorse and Frankston discussed the importance of the Central Activities Districts within this framework.
While the Major Cities Unit will be consulting local government, it is imperative that the Central Activities Districts are treated uniquely, given the additional need for infrastructure and investment within these centres.
It is encouraging that the Federal Government is exploring how it can help shape our cities to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits. It is imperative that this work continues given that Australia is among the few countries in the world that lacks a federal perspective on the role and function of our cities.
This afternoon I joined Peter Garrett, the Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts, as well as Mike Symon, the Federal Member for Deakin, in observing the new co-generation plant at Ringwood Aquatic Centre.
The co-generation plant was jointly funded through a $250,000 Federal Government grant complementing Council funding of $200,000. The plant includes two 70kW gas generators, which creates enough electricity to run the centre and to maintain heating for the pools at the Ringwood Aquatic Centre.
Alex with Peter Garrett, the Minister for Environment Protection and Mike Symon, Member for Deakin, at the opening of the Ringwood Aquatic Centre co-generation plant
The co-generation plant will be stored off-site during the construction of the proposed multi-purpose Ringwood Leisure and Aquatic Centre and will be returned to the site once the new facility is operational.
The speech I delivered during the visit is included within this post:
