Mel Yuan for Brunswick

Council Watch are a self-proclaimed public interest group and have open candidate questions for NSW and Victoria. Their main interest seems to be council rate caps. https://www.councilwatch.com.au/ I thank this group in seeking to collect and communicate on topics of interest to the community.

Here are my answers to their questions:

• I am not affiliated to any political party
• I believe councils should provide services to the community as their primary responsibility
• Councils should always be looking to reduce rates through being efficient. State government rate caps limit local government revenue collection. But Local governments should not, by default, increase their rates by any given amount per year. Like all levels of government, the “tax mix” should be based on needs and the economic cycle.
• Rate capping is a blunt instrument and while it is an attractive idea, due to its simplicity, there may be times when rates should go up or down more than the proscribed cap.
• Councils should focus on their core areas of responsibility which is the provision of an extensive range of services to the community with clear boundaries with state governments.
• Council expenditure should be disclosed with as much detail as possible. Transparency mandates are minimum requirements and at all times, councils should aim to provide clear, concise details in simple language.
• Whether living in the ward or not is an interesting question. I am against the move to single-member wards as it decreases the number of candidates for a ward and limits diversity. I live in the ward I seek to represent.
• I will not accept donations from political parties. I will not accept donations from developers. I will not accept donations from unions. Campaign finance laws exist in Victoria and all candidates must lodge returns for all campaign donations. Political parties, developers and unions all have the right to participate in the political process in a democratic, pluralistic society.
• Councillors are neither better nor worse in being members of political parties or seeking to join or resign from a political party. It is a sad reality that the change to single-member wards hands local government to the political parties and makes it significantly harder for independent candidates – who are often elected lower down the order from political party candidates in proportional representation. We cannot afford for a reduction in talent, or a reduction in diversity, in our political institutions.
• It is reasonable that CEOs and executives in local government have higher levels of public accountability than executives in listed companies.
• Councillors should make decisions in the best interests of their community according to their personal views. Decisions need a range of factors and inputs including expert opinion, the views of various groups, and personal opinion.
• Australia Day has typically been the province of local government to help citizens celebrate their citizenship and run local commemorations that suit their local communities. Australia Day in Merri-bek is a highly divisive commemoration. Merri-bek should provide suitable recognition for local citizens when they become citizens at convenient times and locations. Merri-bek should have an events program that recognises important local cultural and civic milestones. What is important in our culture changes over time and is not absolute.
• I have:
  • volunteered in local charity or community organisations
  • sat on the board of a not-for-profit organisation
  • run Brunswick Communities for Nature which takes action in support of climate change mitigation
  • been a Scout leader and parent
  • volunteered at local schools
• Climate change is an existential threat to the planet and councils should take action in rational and practical ways
• My top 5 community priorities (from the given list) are:
  • open space planning
  • improving the efficiency, equity, transparency and outcomes of the planning process
  • roads, footpaths, drains including supporting urban greening, water-sensitive urban design, climate change mitigation, social inclusion, walking & public safety, economic development in commercial & service precincts
  • supporting local businesses which provide employment, amenity and culture in the community including unlocking tourism potential, supporting our vibrant performance venues, promoting our cultural diversity and providing strong local employment
  • aged, youth and maternal health social services including culturally and linguistically diverse and Indigenous peoples
• My campaign is funded by me
• If elected, I will
  • Focus on local issues
  • Make customer satisfaction data transparent and develop action plans
  • Advocate for service delivery standards in strategic planning
  • Advocate for transparency in Council spending including travel
  • Advocate for quarterly expense reporting
  • Advocate to analyse and optimise all service delivery including staffing
  • Advocate for a voting register
  • Remain professional in my public dealings
  • Respond to residents who contact me