October Yarra Council report by SP Cllr Stephen Jolly

Introduction

Last night was the second last Council meeting of the year.



No-one really yet knows if how the ALP and Greens are going to preference SP.



It would be totally unprincipled for the Greens to put the ALP – the party of private roads, under funded public transport and privatisation – ahead of SP, the most progressive party in the area. The Greens have big decisions to make in the coming days.



What this shows is that we have been doing a good job and in the process exposing the weaknesses of the ALP and Greens on Council. No matter how the preferences fall we need all of our supporters in the community to assist us to increase my vote. We also need to mobilise for a good vote for our other candidates – Denise Dudley in Melba and Anthony Main in Nicholls.



Last night’s vote on Edinburgh Gardens

About 50 residents attended the Council meeting at Richmond Town Hall last night.

The Council voted 5-4 in favour of putting out an “option” (read preferred option) for a new North Fitzroy library on the grounds of Edinburgh Gardens.



I voted with the Greens but we lost to the ALP and the two independents. I argued that the easy bit was mobilising against a library on the park. However, we do need a new library in this area.



The Greens and ALP have done nothing to find a decent site for this library and now, in desperation, a minority of locals have backed the cynical ALP campaign to wedge the SP and Greens by fighting for a library in the park.



It is quite clear from the two opposing petitions tabled last night that the anti-‘library in the park’ position is the dominant view amongst residents. However we need to find a venue somewhere else otherwise this push will keep coming back – each time with more support.



I suggested the Greens support a pledge to buy or lease a suitable site in next year’s budget. They fudged around on this one and therefore it will become an election issue and be revisited by the new Council.



The Greens must walk the walk, as well as talk the talk on this. The reason some people support a library in the park is out of desperation – and this desperation is being cynically exploited by the ALP.



The Greens effectively ran the Council from 2002 to 2004 and didn’t get a new site. Since 2004 the ALP and Greens have see-sawed in their control of Council and, again, there was no site found or even looked for.



SP is pushing hard to finish off this debate, by finding – in next years budget – a good site.



Hard Rubbish

Council rejected a residents’ push to bring back the six-monthly hard rubbish collection. Council voted 8-1 (I was the one) against bringing back the six-monthly hard rubbish collection, thus ignoring hundreds of signatures on our petition.



This outrageous and haughty decision will come to haunt the Greens and ALP in this election. SP pledges to keep fighting to get our hard rubbish collection returned. We pay close to the highest rates in Victoria and Council cannot see its way to give residents a six-monthly collection. The fight will continue.



Victoria Park – progress at last

In 2005 Abbotsford residents and Council agreed on a plan for the future of Victoria Park, Collingwood Football Club’s old ground, which in a nutshell would open up grounds to the public by way of taking down some of walls. Objections from some non-Yarra residents were made to Heritage Victoria who have leisurely sat on the issue for the past three years.



Last night I successfully moved a compromise position that will probably get Heritage Victoria’s approval. Hopefully this means we can start opening up this historic site to the public very soon.



State government’s anti-democratic move slammed

Council voted unanimously against the attempts by the Brumby government (and introduced directly by local member and Minister of Local Government, Richard Wynne) to stop Councillors talking or voting on an item they previously lobbied Council.



For example a Green Councillor could not talk about the environment, an ALP Councillor could not talk about a property issue, or a SP Councillor could not talk about anything.



Council election soon

Voting starts next week at the pre polling booth at Fitzroy Town Hall. Please let us know if you can door knock your area, put a poster on your window, letterbox, help on a pre-polling booth or on election day, Saturday November29.



Ring me directly on 0433113421 if you can help or email us now.