Bay Street is my local shopping strip, as I live just around the corner in Nott Street and am the only candidate in Montague that lives within the ward.

It is clear that Bay Street needs attention from Council and there are practical steps that can be taken:

• Lighting improvements which will make people feel safer, particularly in the evenings.
• Beautification works that will uplift the street and improve amenity
• Permanent CCTV security cameras, which successfully reduced crime when they were introduced into Ringwood and Croydon during my time on Maroondah Council.
• Advocacy to the Victorian State Government for a permanent Police presence in Port Melbourne and Fishermans Bend.
• Working cooperatively with traders and community to so Council programs like the rates scheme for Bay Street deliver outcomes that improve trading conditions.
• Formation of an ongoing committee that brings together council, police, health services, housing providers and welfare services to link services and people together. This model would replicate the Maroondah Partners in Health Safety and Wellbeing Committee which successfully worked with our community to integrate services and secure additional resourcing.

The ongoing decline of Bay Street is exacerbated by current Councillors who do not live near Bay Street and hence do not have firsthand experience of the challenges this once vibrant shopping precinct now faces.

As a local resident I am committed to a Better Bay Street and have the experience Making it Happen.