Author: melformerribek
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One of my key goals in running this election is to support the participation of women in public life. There are 5 women candidates running and am pleased to offer my support to them all. Pauline Galvin is running with Sue Bolton Socialist Alliance. Sue has a proven track record on Council in advocating for…
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The BHC contacted me as their facilities are bursting at the seams and they need new facilities. https://www.facebook.com/brunswickhockeyclub/
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Fair Parking Moreland have been active in ensuring that residents voices are heard and residential amenity protected in the Planning Scheme. Here are the questions they are asking candidates, and my responses. Moreland proposed a planning law amendment, C183, however a State-appointed independent planning panel determined council had not adequately conducted surveys and parking plans…
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Covid19 means the next term of Council will be like no other, and these economic realities need to guide a new set of priorities to help South Ward recover from restrictions. Small businesses need rate and fee relief, fast-tracking of approvals to re-start and adapt their businesses, and a coherent Council plan to support economic…
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LGBTIQA+ Priorities for the 2020 Victorian Local Council Elections I’ve taken the pledge to support the Victorian Pride Lobby’s campaign goals. Visit their website to find a candidate in your area and assess their support for these goals. I am interested to know: – do you think Moreland should have a LGBTIQA+ strategy or policy?…
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I was delighted to be contacted by The Coburg Meddler, a blog investigating issues impacting Coburg residents. They are doing a Council election run-down, so subscribe. These are the questions they asked me, and my replies. If successful in the upcoming election, what would be your specific goals for Moreland? My specific goals relate to…
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Moreland Council needs a long-term Mayor, elected by Council, to represent ratepayers and residents for a full term of Council. Continuity, relationships, and a deep understanding of processes are needed to ensure management accountability. Councillors are to be congratulated for the mature way in which they have “shared” the Mayoralty, and avoided some of the…
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Council needs better mechanisms to track delivery and outcomes of Council strategies. Council must hold itself and management accountable for delivering on its encyclopaedic amount of paperwork. Moreland Council’s Policies & Strategies list is extensive. So extensive in fact, that I gave up counting when I hit 25 while still in the “Cs”. All this policy…
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Moreland’s Nature Plan is great steps forward in improving amenity for residents and increasing the planting of indigenous grasses, ground covers, shrubs, and trees. As one of the three coordinators of Brunswick Communities for Nature, we aim to make it easier for residents to turn their nature strip into an indigenous garden. On behalf of…
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BESS is the Sustainable Design Scorecard for Moreland. While a greater emphasis on sustainable building design is a Good Thing, the BESS should be better. The BESS is a scorecard that is completed during the planning application stage. However, building plans are submitted to Planning at a very late stage in their development. By the…
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I am what’s called a “serial candidate”. Which is a nice way of saying “serial loser”. I ran for Council in 2016 after the frustrating experience of being a stay-at-home parent and substantial user of Council services. Playgrounds were boring, booking a Council venue was hard, walking down street, after street, with a pram was…
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There is no doubt that “A park close to home” represents the current term of Council’s most important and long-term policy achievement. Significant gaps were identified in the Moreland Open Space Strategy (MOSS), developers contributed to a Fund for open space, and Council has subsequently acquired land for new parks. However, this is necessarily a…
Mel Yuan for Brunswick 