Don't give up little tram!

Today, I was officially informed that Cr. Gough met with the Mayor to express outrage at my tram article below. Cr Gough has stated he is seeking legal advice and has plans to sue me!

Such an approach is most disappointing. I believe that differences between people make the world a richer place, and strive to ensure freedom from discrimination, harassment and bullying. My blog is a means to share facts and opinions in our free society. If there is anything factually incorrect, I am always approachable and willing to resolve matters.

However, let me be perfectly clear:

1. I have stated that Cr. Gough and Cr. La Vella effectively voted against the tram, using the word “effectively” most deliberately, since this conveys my personal opinion of the effect that a vote against the motion would have had on the tram. Whether they are supportive of the tram and the degree or manner in which they choose to suport/oppose it, is for ratepayers to judge themselves, based on their actions and recorded speeches in the council chamber.

2. I do not resile from anything in my article; all quotes below are transcribed directly from an audio recording of the public meeting and can be verified once council publishes the audio.

Like the "little train that could", I will continue to “draw upon bravery and determination” to represent my fellow residents by being transparent and true. I am tolerant of constructive, robust debate and encourage all would-be politicians to do the same. Wish me luck!

The Little Tram that Could

The debate on the feasibility of a tram up to Doncaster Hill (and possibly beyond) lasted a surprising 49 minutes, with numerous interruptions of my speech by those who feared pushing for a tram would jeopardise funding for the buses.

At the heart of the debate was the decision whether to accept a GHD Consultants’ report on the tram which, in the opinion of both myself and the Public Transport Users’ Association (www.ptua.org.au) is flawed and misleading. Had we accepted the report’s findings and the initial council motion, we would effectively have consigned the tram to the back-burner and could look forward to another 35 years of fruitless lobbying.

In arguing for an alternative motion that would give us better quality facts, I drew on a famous tale I recently told my young son, “The Little Train that Could” (the particular relevance of the bold sections will become quickly apparent):

“…the train asked another engine, and another, only to hear excuses and be refused. In desperation, the train asked the little switch-engine to draw it up the hill. "I think I can," puffed the little locomotive, and put itself in front of the great heavy train. As it neared the top of the grade, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." It reached the top by drawing on bravery and determination and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could."

Here are some interesting facts:

Doncaster Hill is less steep than certain stretches of Burwood Highway, which was one of three routes to be recently extended by the State Government. Down goes that argument against the tram. “I think I can, I think I can…”

The Burwood extension went ahead despite the fact that it’s a very long way from there to the city. This shows the “extended travel time” argument raised by certain councillors to be disingenuous and irrelevant. “I think I can, I think I can…”

Kerbside trams are very successful in many European cities, and this makes disability-compliant tram stops far easier to build. Another hurdle proposed by the GHD report shot down. “I think I can, I think I can…”

As a representative of the people, I am quickly learning bravery and determination – just like that little train that could. Earlier this year, when I successfully fought for rate rebates for low-income ratepayers, a report claimed that it would cost over $50,000 to administer the scheme. It’s a good thing I did challenge that report, because we have now found it will cost less than $5,000! “I thought I could, I thought I could”

Rather than consign the prospect of light rail for Doncaster to the back burner; rather than choose not to invest in tools to help us lobby the State for rail to Manningham (as some long-standing councillors advocate); rather than take off the pressure and cower in fear that bus grants may be taken off us … I want the public transport that Manningham deserves and I’m prepared to fight for it!

In my closing summary, I stated:

“It would shock most of the residents of this municipality at the level of what some might call filibustering that’s been going on here, in regards to what is a very basic request – that: We want a tram up the hill; We think we can do it; let’s just get it done and commission a report. I think it is very telling listening to some of the comments from the floor this evening, talking about how it’s not our responsibility to produce reports and lobby the government and that we should just leave it ..”

Here, Cr. La Vella interrupted with a Point of Order, where she said “It wasn’t stated that we didn’t say it was our job to lobby the state government.” (huh?)

My comments were based on Cr. Gough having earlier stated (transcribed verbatim from the audio recording):

“We’re spending money on things that really aren’t up to us to do. The responsibility of providing these services rests fairly and squarely on the State Government. The State Government will do their own feasibility studies if ever they’re going to do it. So what are we doing it for? A few bits of paper so we can go and lobby. That’s what we’re doing it for.”

As my trusted colleague Cr. Pick later so aptly pointed out, in Whittlesea it was precisely the reports and lobbying by the council & community groups that eventually got the government to deliver the South Morang rail extension! They invested in the community’s future, they didn’t give up and nor should we!

Finally permitted to continue, I concluded:

“Really if we took the approach of not spending money on a report, and not pushing as hard as we can to get a tram for residents, then it’s no surprise that it’s been … 30, 40 years we’ve been trying to get a train to our municipality and failed. … It’s an investment for our community and it’s long overdue.”

Cr. Reid summarised, “We need a bus, we need a tram, we need a train! Let’s back the tram that could and pass this (my) motion and stop filibustering”.
My motion (actual words from audio recording):

A. That council note the completion of Council Plan item 2.5.3; and

B. Council considers that this matter warrants further investigation and that it commissions a feasibility study on the provision of light rail in the municipality with a specific focus on extending the Route 48 tram from North Balwyn to initially, Doncaster Hill; and

C. The council commissions a second expert opinion from a suitably credentialed public transport expert to review the findings of the GHD Consultants’ pre-feasibility report and conduct a further independent pre-feasibility report.

D. We approach the Boroondara City Council and request that they pay half of the feasibility of the 4km (sic), which is 2km in their municipality.

(NB. Item D was an amendment requested by Cr. La Vella).

This motion was eventually passed 7-2, with a “division” recording that Cr. Gough and Cr. LaVella had effectively voted against the tram for Doncaster Hill.

“I thought I could, I thought I could” puffed the little train ….. Watch this space.

Budget considerations

We've been very busy of late, culminating with an intensive full weekend of planning last weekend. From Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, we ensconced ourselves at the Pines U3A centre to discuss this year's budget.

A central issue was what to do with rates - freeze them or allow a modest increase over last year. We are all mindful of the likely impacts of the Global Economic Crisis (GEC) and are exploring ways to stimulate the local economy and help those who need it most. All of us wish to help those in need with targeted assistance - the challenge we face is how to direct the funds. I and several of my fellow councillors support modest rebates to Health Card holders, whilst other councillors prefer not to use this indicator of need, but distribute financial relief through organisations such as Doncare instead. My position? I would like to provide targeted relief through BOTH channels, i.e. to Health Card holders and additionally, through case-by-case assistance facilitated by organisations such as Doncare.

When considering how much rates may have to increase by, factors that have weighed heavily in my personal deliberations include:
- our rates have increased 78% over the last 10 years on a compounding basis. (suggesting we should minimise rate increases now). This compares with the compounded consumer price index (CPI) increase of only 36% for the same period. In summary, our rates have increased at a rate over twice that of inflation! See footnote A below for data sources.

- the need to have sufficient capital to fund essential asset maintenance - we have an increasing cost associated with maintaining buildings we errected in the late 60's. My strong position on this is that all future capital works being considered by council MUST reflect TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP over the life of the asset, or at least 5-10 years out. Whilst Manningham is a leader in good asset management, we have yet to develop this level of "true cost" analysis. Having this information would allow us to make more informed decisions in a time when we have to balance the desire to build new facilities against the need to keep our costs (and hence the rates demand) down. All of this does unfortunately speak, in my mind, against a 0% rate rise.

- the benefit to the local economy of a strong capital works program. Spending on infrastructure is known to have positive flow-on effects across the wider community. To me, this makes a modest rate increase less unpalatable.

So, as you can see, there are many issues to consider and I'm certain that we will not be able to please everyone with our budget. Fortunately, there will be plenty of community consultation before anything is finalised, so look out for the notices and have your say! Be assured however that I will do my best to represent the balanced interests of our community, with an emphasis on financial sustainability and fairness.

All this should make for some interesting debates at the next public council meeting March 31st. As always, let me know what you think. Hope to see you there!

Footnote A: Data sources: Council-supplied data shows rates increased by the following percentages each year since 1999/2000 as follows: 2.5%, 6.7%, 4.5%, 7%, 9%, 8%, 5.5%, 6%, 5.5%, 4.8%; This compares unfavourably against the Consumer Price Index data from www.rba.gov.au which shows CPI year-ending June percentage changes (all groups) of 1.1%, 3.2%, 6.0%, 2.8%, 2.7%, 2.5%, 2.5%, 4.0%, 2.1%, 4.5% for the same periods.

Strategic Briefing Sessions

On Tuesday, all councillors and several council officers had a "Strategic Briefing Session" (SBS), which ran from 5pm to 12am - that's seven hours of discussions and presentations on 27 agenda items. These SBSs are closed sessions where briefings are provided on a variety of issues, and healthy debate between councillors is encouraged. These sessions are for discussion only, and official policy decisions can only be made at the monthly ordinary (public) council meetings, which I encourage all residents to attend at least once.

I found our session to be very informative (thank you to the council officers for their excellent presentations) and the discussions highly valuable. Topics we discussed ranged from planning issues to financial performance and almost everything in-between, including details of the impending official launch of council's revamped website and a great new exhibition at the Manningham Art Gallery - see council's website for more details!

Together with recent briefings on Doncaster Hill and a tour of relevant facilities, I believe we are rapidly getting "up-to-speed" on a variety of important issues.

Town Planning

Recently, I've been getting numerous calls from residents concerned about proposed building developments. Unlike some other councils, Manningham had the foresight to intorduce (about 2 years ago), explicit planning overlays for all areas of Manningham, which makes it easier to enforce sensible controls on proposed developments outside designated high activity centres. Unfortunately, there will always still be developments which just don't seem to fit into the neighbourhood. Rescode explicitly refers to "existing neighbourhood character" as one of the parameters that need to be satisfied by a planning application. There may also be instances where overshadowing of north-facing windows/living areas is excessive. When this happens, residents can lodge objections, which are considered by council officers when planning applications are assessed. Objections should be lodged within 14 days of the development notice being errected. Petitions are less effective than individual objections. An excellent overview of the planning/objection process is provided by the national group "Save our Suburbs" (www.sos.org.au). Here is the link to the guide, which is a few years old, so do your own research as well.

What can councillors do? Well, individually, councillors have little power, but where there is enough concern from residents, a planning application can be referred to a full council meeting for a decision. Regardless of the outcome at council, an application can still be appealed at VCAT, so it can be a long process. My advice is:
1. do your own research into Rescode and SOS
2. speak with all councillors in your Ward
3. speak with the council planning officer responsible for reviewing the planning application, and ensure you familiarise yourself with the details of the plans
4. work with your neighbours
5. seek discussions with the developer
6. lodge any objections factually and promptly

At the end of the day, Manningham needs continuous development to meet the demands of a growing population. The vast majority of developments are worthy additions to our evolving cityscape. Where a development appears to be unsuitable, there are clear processes which seek to ensure a win-win outcome for all. Take the time to do your research and we can all work together for a better Manningham!

Congratulations Mr. President!

Although I am politically neutral, I can't help but feel excited and happy that the United States have elected Barack Obama as their 44th President. Let's hope and pray that he has the wisdom and gets the support needed to turn around the economic and foreign policy challenges that lie ahead.



One video clip that I found amusing plays on Barack's ethnic heritage, in particular the notion that African-Americans are particularly "groovy" - some US musicians have "pimped" his new ride, Air Force One. Check out the reactions of the "redneck Texans" !


By the way, did you know, President Obama is only 8 years older than me? bwahaha!

Community Organisation Umbrella Group

Individuals and pockets of residents can be very passionate about their topical issues. In the course of campaigning for what they believe and seeking productive outcomes, these individuals learn valuable lessons. Lessons in how to lobby effectively, whom to approach for fastest results, good communication strategies etc.. Unfortunately, once the issue(s) is addressed, these noble citizens often revert to their daily lives, taking all that useful experience with them. The next group or individual that comes along with an important issue, has to go through the whole process again.

Recognising the huge amount of experience, wisdom and passion that is spread across our community, I would like to help harness this potential for the collective good!

I've today asked council to help me gather details of all known resident action groups, and I will seek to solicit input from others, so that we can together form an "umbrella organisation" to bring these diverse groups of residents together. The goals of this umbrella group would include:
1. sharing knowledge, tips etc... useful to all lobby groups
2. provide a focal point for potentially supporting one another in different campaigns (e.g. some groups are very small and could benefit from advice or practical assistance such as volunteer petitioners, letter drops etc..)
3. community networking - one group might find another group, previously unknown to them, exists with very similar goals. Why not collaborate?

I recognise that this will be quite a challenge, given the diversity of issues, personalities etc... However I firmly believe that there is great skill, wisdom and support within the community that can be harnessed to make things happen more efficiently and effectively through community cooperation. This cannot be done by one individual, so your help is needed!

Please contact me through any of the channels below if you would like to help or have suggestions:
Councillor Ivan Reid
e-mail: ivan.reid AT manningham.vic.gov.au (note replace 'AT' with '@' This is to foil spammers)
phone: 0408 one four seven 628
fax: 9840 two zero four seven

My initial goal is to facilitate and help kickoff a meeting of like-minded Manningham residents to discuss and agree terms of reference for this umbrella group.

Photo credit: thanks to justfor_donATyahoo.com.hk!

New year, parking and savings

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a peaceful and joyous start to the new year. My family and I welcomed in the new year at a friend's house and we're all filled with optimism for a great year ahead (well, we have to start somewhere to defeat all the gloom and doom being reported in the news!).

It's early days yet, but as councillors, we've already started sinking our teeth into complex and unusual matters, with a regular council meeting and two special (closed) meetings since our inauguration already...


PARKING
In the week before Christmas, I responded to frustrated traders opposite Shoppingtown, whose business and very livelihood was being adversely affected by a lack of parking spots for their own legitimate customers. I understand that some people are parking outside Autobarn, Officeworks and Clarke Rubber without the intention of shopping there, but to avoid parking at Shoppingtown instead. This practice prevents legitimate shoppers from accessing these shops. I also received calls from residents in residential streets adjoining Shoppingtown on the same issue of overflow parking.

Working with the traders, I escalated the issue to our CEO Lydia Wilson and Director of Planning, Paul Molan, who were able to improve the situation somewhat, with new signs enforcing 1 hour parking limits and increased enforcement patrols. However these measures are only a partial solution and clearly this will be an ongoing challenge that the community, Westfield, traders and council will have to explore in earnest.

NOT IN AUSTRALIA I'M AFRAID!
On a lighter note, I had an amusing call from a resident recently. It started with congratulations at my election to Councillor, but then just hung there ... I could tell there was more to the call, and when asked what was on his mind, the caller suddenly wailed, "I got a parking ticket today! Can you do anything about it?" After clarifying the circumstances were legitimate, I had to break the news that there are strict laws against inappropriate influence by councillors that might benefit an individual or organisation more than the wider community. In other words, whilst such "favours" might be suspected in other countries, generally this doesn't happen here, and certainly not on my watch! Sigh. "If only" eh?


SAVINGS
As part of my election platform, I undertook to try and get more tangible benefits for residents out of future budgets. As a group, this term's councillors are definitely a financially responsible bunch. We've already "saved" money by having a much more modest Inauguration reception this year, and our new Mayor has been very sensible and modest in his choice of car. I've suggested that we start tracking such "relative savings" and ensure that the money that would previously have been budgeted for these items, be visibly re-allocated to tangible benefits for the community e.g. if we spent $5000 less this year than budgeted for civic receptions, there should be $5000 directly attributable to something else of tangible benefit to the community, e.g. increased budget for community grants. By tracking and linking savings in this way, we will all become more aware of unnecessary excesses and most importantly, demonstrate improved outcomes to the community in a tangible way.
I've already discussed this with our Mayor, who is very receptive to the suggestion, so watch this space.

Happy New Year!

Wishing all the residents of Manningham and beyond, a Happy and successful New Year 2009!
Enjoy this video of the fireworks from Hong Kong, my favorite from this year's crop. For science-fiction fans like myself, this clip has an "insider" reference to the TV series Stargate Atlantis (smile)