On Thursday the 14 November 2024 I was confirmed as the Councillor for Montague Ward commencing a four year term until the end of October 2028. Thank you to the many members of the Montague community who supported my campaign and commitment to Montague Ward and the City of Port Phillip.
I am committed to delivering an accountable, transparent Council that works in partnership with the community to improve Montague Ward and the City of Port Phillip more broadly. I will address community safety, progress Fishermans Bend and improve local amenity such as our dog parks.
Top row: (Left to Right): Cr and Mayor Louise Crawford (Elwood), Deputy Mayor Bryan Mears (Lakeside), Cr Beti Jay (South Melbourne)
Middle row: Cr Justin Haliday (Alma), Cr Heather Cunsolo (Port Melbourne), Cr Serge Thomann (St Kilda)
First row: Cr Libby Buckingham (Balaclava), Cr Alex Makin (Montague Ward), Cr Rod Hardy (Albert Park)
I have lived in Montague Ward and Port Melbourne for over 10 years. I was drawn to the area due to its proximity to beaches, markets, the arts and the CBD.
Port Phillip was the ideal spot to live and run my consulting business, which I founded in 2012 and grew, while also representing the business community to improve our local amenity.
Like many of us, my plans changed in 2020 due to COVID-19, and I swapped owning a business for a career within businesses, and then the charity sector, where I worked in strategy, healthcare advocacy, and now youth services in a strategic management role.
In 2020 (just before COVID-19) my wife Natalia and I introduced Lady (our Cavoodle) to our home and two years later she was joined by Duchess.
Dogs led us to be part of Port Melbourne’s dog community, where we worked together to reverse Council’s planned changes that would restrict the amount of dog off-leash spaces across Port Phillip.
Numerous meetings with Council and a petition of over 2,500 signatures, led to Council backing down. While this was a great accomplishment, it’s a battle that would have never occurred had Council genuinely listened to the community.
Before living in Port Phillip, I was one of Victoria’s youngest politically independent Mayors – where I transformed Ringwood into a vibrant urban centre.
During my time on Maroondah City Council, I maintained a blog which is still available here.
Click to expand: more information from my time on Maroondah City Council (2005-2012)
I grew up in Ringwood in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, after commuting to Monash University via public transport I became heavily involved in the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) successfully achieving service improvements across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
This campaign spurred the upgrades of Ringwood, Frankston and Dandenong Stations to accommodate new housing.
My community advocacy seeking better planning outcomes for Ringwood led to me standing for Maroondah City Council in 2005, where I was elected representing Loughnan’s Hill Ward.
As a 25-year-old it was a challenge entering local government, but despite entrenched behaviours, I was able to secure Maroondah’s first commitments towards environmental sustainability, reducing water and energy usage, as well as establishing a footpath network throughout Ringwood. I was re-elected in 2008 and was appointed Mayor in 2010.
As Mayor, I restored financial stability to Council, which enabled us to reinvest in new community facilities, including upgraded sports facilities, a new aquatic centre and a new building for North Ringwood Community House.
I also secured funding commitments to rebuild Ringwood Station into a safe and modern transport interchange. I achieved this by working in partnership with several councils, forcing the State Government to fulfil the commitments it promised to our communities across Melbourne.
The redevelopment of Ringwood spurred new housing and business precincts and enabled Council to create new civic and art spaces in the centre of Ringwood.
