SP Newsletter No.384

Last night Yarra Council, in inner-city Melbourne, held a special ‘ceremonial’ Council meeting to elect the 2012 Mayor. The meeting’s proceedings put a spotlight on the true nature of the Greens. Despite having more Councillors than any other party on Council, the Greens refused to accept the Mayoral position and instead voted for the most right-wing ALP Councillor, Geoff Barbour.

The current make up of the Council is 3 Greens, 2 Socialists, 2 ALP and 2 right-wing Independents. Alison Clarke from the Greens had the Mayor’s position this year and the Socialist Party encouraged them on several occasions to retake the position in 2012. The combined votes of the Greens and Socialist Party could have easily made this happen.

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SP Newsletter No.336

Over 100 residents attended a Socialist Party public meeting in Richmond last month to discuss a proposed development at the Channel 9 site. People were clearly angry at the fact that big developers seem to have free rein to build what they like in inner city Melbourne.

The developers have the full backing of the ALP State government who are encouraging apartment construction as part of their plan to squeeze more people into the inner suburbs.

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Visit yarrasocialists.net for all the latest news from the Socialist Party in Yarra.

The City of Yarra, located in inner city Melbourne, includes the historic suburbs of Abbotsford, Burnley, Clifton Hill, Collingwood, Cremorne, Fitzroy, Fitzroy North, Princes Hill, Richmond and parts of Alphington, Fairfield and Carlton North.

It has been home to many famous struggles and is now one of the only places in Australia to be represented by a socialist Councillor. The Socialist Party has been active in the area for more almost 20 years and we are planning to step up our work in this part of Australia.

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SP Newsletter No.320

The Socialist Party has been hosting a large number of public meetings throughout the municipality of Yarra in Melbourne over the past few months. The aim is to mobilise people to win reforms on concrete issues of concern to them and in the process win greater support for socialist ideas and methods.

Yarra has two quite distinct parts of its population. One part is made up of about 20% of residents who live in public housing estates. They have very specific and sometimes very extreme problems related to the dire poverty that exists on these estates.

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Regular column of Socialist Party Councillor in Yarra, Stephen Jolly

Originally published in the June edition of ‘The Socialist’

Last month the draft Yarra Council budget was released. It was supported by the ALP, Greens and two right-wing Independents on Council. The Socialist Party will oppose this budget as we have done against all the Green/ALP-supported budgets over the past years.

The budget increases rates by an average of 4.5% with even higher increases later this year when the bi-annual rate revaluation kicks in. Inflation is currently about 3% and therefore the rate rises eat into the income of ordinary residents.

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Planning will be a major political issue in the upcoming Victorian State election, especially in inner city Melbourne.

The State Government wants to house an extra one million people in Melbourne by 2030. The current population is 4 million. However unlike the early days of capitalism, where there was some state controlled planning, today it is a free market free-for-all.

By Stephen Jolly, Socialist Party Councillor (Yarra)

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There is growing disappointment with the policies of the Labor Party (ALP) from ordinary people. This has led to a growth in electoral support for the Green Party, especially in inner city suburbs in Australia.

The Greens are perceived by many to be to the Left of the ALP and indeed are on some policy issues such as industrial relations and the environment. However while the Greens have certain policies that socialists can support, they have no clear principles or vision of an alternative society, let alone a socialist society.

By Stephen Jolly, Socialist Party

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SP Newsletter No.297

Just before Christmas there were important developments on the Atherton Gardens public housing estate in Fitzroy (Melbourne). The estate is made up of four 20-storey towers and several two storey ‘walk-up’ blocks. Officially there are 2500 residents, but the true figure is probably closer to 4000.

Residents have been complaining for years about inferior refurbishments, poor maintenance, cockroaches, a lack of air conditioning and shoddy plumbing. It is estimated that recent work at the estate has cost the State government $74 million but most of the buildings are still falling apart.

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For more than 25 years the Tote Hotel in Collingwood has been at the centre of Melbourne’s live music scene. The venue has helped launch some of Australia’s best known bands and played host to a long list of international acts. The pictures and posters that adorn the walls of the bar and band room give only a taste of the musical greats that have played at the venue.

When the current licensee, Bruce Milne, announced that the venue would be closing down last week there was a mass outpouring of anger. Punters set up Facebook pages which attracted thousands of people in a matter of hours. Talk back radio lines ran hot and a protest was called to coincide with ‘last drinks’.

By SP reporters Melbourne

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SP Newsletter No.288
The October Yarra Council meeting was the best attended and most dramatic for years. The vast bulk of the residents who turned up were there to discuss the proposed local law to ban public drinking in Yarra.

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