Mel Yuan for Brunswick

Matt asked me an important question after the Brunswick Residents Network candidates meeting, “what are your objectives and reasons for running for council?”. This made me stop and reflect – how have my reasons for running and goals changed over the 3 times I have run? As a resident for 20 years, these are my observations.

I first ran for council in 2016 when my children were 7 and 4. I was a stay-at-home parent from 2012-2015 and had just returned to part-time work in 2016. I was motivated by the poor state of footpaths, playgrounds, library and the Maternal Health Centre which all compared poorly to the neighbouring cities of Melbourne, Yarra, Darebin and Moonee Valley. I was already working on Brunswick Commmunities for Nature and meeting the community during the election was extremely helpful in advancing the cause of urban greening. That election was an “in-person” election and I was very proud that friends, who had never handed out how-to-vote cards, handed out for me at booths.

The second time I ran was during Covid (2024) and the elections were held by postal vote. Both Labor and Greens previously resisted running postal votes (as done elsewhere) as in-person voting advantaged them both. This time I got my money back!^ Having keenly observed for the previous five years, the way the council addressed the massive planning challenges still seemed woefully inadequate. I was disappointed with how available and effective elected councillors were. Looking back this was a high-water mark for local democracy because there were a wide range of viable candidates and the former proportional representation voting scheme for all of Brunswick.

I wasn’t going to run for a 3rd time but in choosing to, my motivations now are different. I think Brunswick and perhaps the whole Inner North is sleep-walking into a future over which it has no influence over its government services. I spoke about addressing these challenges at length at the BRN Candidates Forum. The challenges I see include:

• Moving to single-member wards will drastically reduce the diversity of parties on council. We may lose Sue Bolton in the NW and Lambros Tapinos in South Ward, simply due to the electoral changes. With them go two members who have been good representatives for Brunswick. Mark Riley is not re-standing and instead, we will get 3 first-term Greens with little experience.
• Merri-bek is already vulnerable to a high turn-over of inexperienced candidates with no long-term Mayor. One of my core messages is strengthening residents’ influence. Councillors have let the bureaucracy take control and delegated too many decisions.
• It is likely that north of Moreland Road will result in Labor Party gains. This will leave Labour in the north and Greens in the south. This north-south and Labor-Greens divide risks Brunswick’s infrastructure and severely curtails the Greens’ influence across Merri-bek. The Labor Party’s introduction of single-member wards was designed to reduce the influence of minor parties and independents in local government, and it will succeed.
• The recent state government Planning Scheme changes will prioritise housing supply above other policy objectives. Merri-bek has been at the pointy-end of those housing supply objectives for the last 20 years, resulting in the density increase all around us. Our local services and infrastructure have not kept pace. Soon the rest of Victoria will experience these same pressures – I hope they are better prepared than we have been.
• 2016 was also the year that Labour lost the state seat and it went to the Greens. Since 2016 we see an increasing frequency where Brunswick is ignored or neglected – most recently in the decision to drop the number of train stations from 3 to 2 as part of Brunswick Level Crossing Removals. Brunswick’s schools, health and transport will now be at the bottom of the state government’s agenda. Families in the area lobbying for school or sporting fields upgrades can vouch for how hard this is.

Labour and Liberal both have shocking records of pork-barrelling marginal seats and ensuring their policies serve the communities they represent – in an electoral sense. Now it suits neither party’s agenda to serve the needs of the inner north – except for marginal Labor Northcote which has High Street tram stop upgrades and local schools funding. Safe seats result in complacency. Our Federal Labour member was dropped-in to Wills as part of a factional deal. Fiona Patten and Reason Party being defeated in the final spot by Adem Somyurek (ALP) was another loss for the inner north. Reason Party fielded high-quality candidates in the last council cycle.

At the BRN forum, I was asked about my preferences. Ultimately, my stated preferences have not made any difference to the outcome, for any of the times I have run. The first time I ran, I preferenced a first-time candidate who, in my opinion, was clearly the most capable with great policy depth. He was a member of the Labor Party. The second time I ran I preferenced all women candidates in despair at the number of women running and the fact that both Greens and Labor had men top of their respective tickets (for the Greens both their successful South Ward candidates were men). Women candidates were put forward by Socialist Alliance, Labor (2nd on ticket), Victorian Socialists and Reason Party. This time I am not directing preferences.

I want to see people stand for local council that have an actual track record in their community. I would ask all voters to find out what political party candidates have already done to serve their neighbours. Political party membership is no substitute for sausage sizzles, working bees, fundraising, volunteering, or local organising.

^ If you get more than 4% of the vote you get your nomination fee ($250) returned.