The following is a report of the September 2007 Yarra Council meeting by Socialist Party Councillor Stephen Jolly. For more information about the Socialist Party’s work in the City of Yarra visit our SP Yarra Council webpage click here

Peel Hotel controversy

Last nights Yarra Council meeting at Fitzroy Town Hall was attended by a small number of publicans, led by the owner of the Peel Hotel in Collingwood. He also brought along some of his staff in Peel Hotel t-shirts - hopefully they all received penalty rates for their lobbying efforts.

The Peel Hotel has a 24-hour licence and is an iconic Gay pub in Melbourne. However, for some time now, it has registered noise levels between 3-5 db over the legal limit of SeppN 2. This has caused great stress on an ongoing basis to many local residents.

Normally a combination of discussion between residents, the hotel, and Council officers would sort the problem. If they failed, Council should use its by-laws to fine the Hotel to force it into line. This common sense approach is not an option that is open to Yarra Council. That’s because last year publicans successfully lobbied a majority of Councillors to reject a new local law that stated: “The owner or occupier of a liquor license premise must not cause or allow to be emitted from the premise unreasonable noise.” And in relation to patrons: “The owner or occupier of a liquor license premise must not cause or allow patrons to emit unreasonable noise while at, entering or exiting the liquor license premises.” If pubs broke this by-law they would receive small to medium fines.

As a consequence of this bylaw being rejected, Council now has only one (nuclear) option to deal with recalcitrant venues – Section 90 of the Liquor Control Reform Act, which allows for the amending or cancelling of a venue’s liquor licence, essentially a death sentence for the venue. The Peel Hotel, therefore, is a victim of the success of hotel owners over the by-law.

Residents who move into Yarra near a pub which is operating legally and is on or under the noise limits have no sympathy from the Socialist Party if they start complaining. However on occasions some publicans have used this potential scenario to discredit anyone who complains about the minority of pubs who abuse their neighbourhood through over-the-top noise way over the legal limit (eg Spanish Club last year and – at times – the Peel Hotel).

The residents who attended last night to give their side of the story were not anti-gay or moaning Melbas – but people who are at their very limit of nervous tension. If the Peel makes the changes they promise and the noise levels fall to legal maximums (ie if they ‘stick to the law’ as businesses constantly tell Kooris on Smith St to do!) this problem will be resolved.

The linked issue is the terrible rubbish that collects in Cambridge St and southern Smith St every Saturday and Sunday mornings after the night before. This is simply another example of the failings of privatisation – with a rubbish collection brought back in house we can step up collections at key times. This will continue to be fought for by SP in the period ahead.

Green Waste

I successfully moved a motion for Council to explain how we can introduce Green Waste at Yarra. It is an absolute disgrace that with two Green Mayors this decade and 3 Green Councillors right now we don’t have Green Waste (or business recycling) in this municipality. It shows up the difference between the words and actions of the Green Party.

I reported that in Darebin (where every Councillor is a member of the right-wing faction of the ALP!), residents pay on average half the rates, yet they get fortnightly Green Waste deliveries for the minimal one-off cost of $33 for a 120 litre bin or $58 for a 240 litre bin. In Stonnington residents pay a one-off $22 fee, then $62 for a 120 litre bin or $85 for a $240 litre bin. Other Councils have similar schemes. In Banyule it’s totally free!

I was heckled by some Councillors who said we in fact DO have Green Waste at Yarra – the twice a year hard rubbish collection! The difference between the two should be obvious to Councillors. Hard rubbish is mainly for the likes of your old fridge, old toys etc – Green Waste is for grass, branch cuttings etc. The latter can be recycled and is a potential source of energy. In an era of climate change, Green Party and (Socialist Left faction) ALP needed to get with the programme. Once again SP is leading the way on the environment.

Posties dispute

Joan Doyle, State Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (posties union) attended last night to take up the lies in a letter Councillors had received from Australia Post management. The bosses were angry at Council supporting the 17 fulltime posties who are due to be replaced with 24 casuals on four hour shifts. They also didn’t like the banners supporting the posties placed outside Collingwood and Fitzroy Town Halls as a result of a SP motion at last months Council meeting.

Joan also reminded Council of the posties public meeting on Thursday 27th September at Fitzroy Town Hall, where Federal election candidates will be quizzed on their attitude to this dispute and the ALP will be pressed to promise to reverse the decision if they win the election.

Question without Notice

I asked the CEO if Yarra Council could copy the recent initiative of Darebin Council and introduce an eForum on its web site. Many young people in particular would find this a useful way to engage with Council on the issues of the day.

Council meetings need drastic change

When State and Federal parliaments sit until late at night, the (fulltime) MPs and Senators complain loudly that their capacity to make good decisions is negatively effected. Yet at Yarra Council the part-time Councillors have to do this every month. Last nights meeting went till near 11pm – which is very late when you consider that most Councillors have been working in a real job all day.

We need to change the system of meetings. I believe the Committees are a waste of time and that we should have fortnightly Council meetings will less on each agenda and, of course, much stricter chairing of the meetings. The current and last Mayor don’t chair meetings well, which allows the likes of Paul D’Agastino to play up and waste time.

The other change is the layout of the room. We have 9 elected Councillors – yet at the front of the Council and Committee meetings, interspersed with Councillors, sit a mini-army of unelected suits eg Directors, the CEO, Governance people and the like.

It brings to mind the end lines of George Orwell’s Animal Farm when the pigs, now walking on two legs, have moved in with the humans. The other animals gaze through the windows at their masters: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig…but already it was too late to say which was which.” Or as the Who put it, even more succinctly, “Meet the new boss/Same as the old boss.”

Some of these unelected bureaucrats push the envelope and try to draft and suggest amendments. The Socialist Party is opposed to council officers having so much power at the meetings. We agree that senior Council officers should be allowed to attend Council meetings, but should they should sit on the side of the room and only contribute when asked to do so by the elected councillors.

Beijing Olympics

I successfully seconded a motion, moved by Green Cllr Gurm Sekron, to support the Human Rights Torch relay which aims to highlight the human rights abuses of the Chinese regime in the lead-up to next years Beijing Olympic Games.

Finally

If you can help our Federal election campaign for the seat of Melbourne (we are standing local resident and President of the Unite union, Kylie McGregor) please phone us on (03) 96399111. We need help with letterboxing, handing out on election day and financial donations.