Tag: advocacy
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Delegates' report: Water conservation and community advocacy
A pressing theme that has emerged over the events I attended in the previous month has been that of the environment and in particular the need for water conservation. On the 23rd of March I attended the SaveWater Awards, convened by the SaveWater alliance, a non-profit association which includes membership from our water authorities and…
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Delegates' report: Student aspirations and future sustainability
On the 8th of March I attended the launch of a Swinburne University of Technology commissioned report entitled ‘are we fostering enterprising young people?’, which benchmarked student aspirations within the outer east. Innovation and enterprise are the key drivers are key economic drivers for economic prosperity and it is therefore imperative that these skills are…
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2006 in review: some highlights from my first twelve months on council
The end of 2006 has marked my first year on Maroondah City Council. Over this time I have helped achieve a number of results for both the people of Loughnan’s Hill Ward but and the whole of Maroondah. Some of these achievements include: Refining and passing Maroondah’s Integrated Transport Strategy to provide a whole of…
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Eastern Transport Coalition: Planning the agenda for 2007
A strategic planning session to manage next year’s activities was conducted for tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting, which marked the final meeting for 2006. The Eastern Transport Coalition has had considerable success this year, with the council advocacy body being able to secure the abolition of zone three and improvements to bus services. These successes…
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Outer East Citizens Advocacy (OECA) End of Year Function for 2006
The Outer East Citizens Advocacy (OECA) provides support and referral services for people with disabilities and the elderly. Based in Greenwood Avenue, OECA held its end of year celebrations with a barbeque. The strength and vitality of a community is only as strong as its volunteers and OECA in roles such as supporting the Maroondah…
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Mayoral Election and Committees for 2007
Tonight Maroondah Council held its statutory meeting for the election of the mayor and council representatives on committees. To increase the level of transparency an open election was held and Councillor Maureen Naylor lost the bid for mayor against Councillor Peter Gurr, with three votes versus four. While I did vote for Councillor Naylor due…
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National General Assembly of Local Government
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is the national body that represents the 673 councils within Australia. ALGA was formed as a federation of state and territory associations such as the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and other state or territory local council organisations. As a national body, ALGA is suitably poised to advocate on…
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Delegates' Report: Community Partnerships in Removing Zone Three
Tonight I will be reporting on the Eastern Transport Coalition meeting held on the 19th of October and the outcome of our ‘fair fares’ campaign. The Eastern Transport Coalition’s campaign in seeking the abolition of zone three was obviously a success with both major parties; first the Victorian Liberal Party and then copied by the…
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Victory: Zone Three to be abolished
This morning the Baillieu Liberal Opposition pledged to remove zone three public transport fares if elected into government. Four hours later Steve Bracks copied this announcement and said it too would scrap zone three. As reported in The Age: Public Transport Users Association vice-president Alex Makin welcomed the latest announcement, saying he believed it would…
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Delegates' Report: Outer East Citizen's Advocacy and Safety at Stations
On the 21st of September I was invited to a meeting of the Outer East Citizen’s Advocacy situated in Greenwood Avenue. The Outer East Citizen’s Advocacy provides tireless work in advancing the rights of people with disabilities and aims to allow these people to fully participate within society. In providing this service the Outer East…