The Greens and Moreland City Council 2008-2012

An overview of Greens policies for Moreland Council

Care for Earth

The Greens on Council will:

• Revise the current Climate Action Plan to ensure:
• Council is carbon neutral by 2012; and
• Moreland is carbon neutral by 2020.
• Support the development of a peak oil strategy aimed at addressing the implications of peak oil for Council operations.
• Revise and update the Moreland Bicycle Strategy to include:
  • continuation of the creation of safe bicycle lanes on roads including the realignment and separation of lanes where applicable; and
  • enlarging the bicycle network, including the provision of more east west links in both the north and south of the municipality.
• Develop and implement a Moreland Pedestrian Strategy to include:
• walking as a viable option across the city, with priority to improving footpaths to key activity places.
• Oppose any plans for new freeways including the east west tunnel.
• Support home delivery services, including assisting trader associations to establish retail centre based schemes that will enable more people to not require a car for shopping trips.
• Abolish the Mayoral car.
• Advocate for a safe, fast, frequent (24/7) and well connected public transport system, with major investment in the next 2-5 years.
• Advocate for improved public transport services, and service levels in the north of the city.
• Undertake a staged conversion of Council’s fleet to low pollution/no pollution technology and fuel types.
• Provide support to community based sustainable transport advocacy groups.
• Revise the current Council water conservation policy to:
  • include the whole water cycle, including stormwater management;
  • complete the conversion of all sports fields to warm seasons grasses by 2012; and
  • include installation of 2 wetlands as natural filtration systems by 2012.
• Revise the current Street Landscaping Policy to ensure indigenous plants, not native or exotic species, are used in all new plantings.
• Trial a community development approach to flood management in a sub catchment area.
• Continue to support the purchase of 100% Greenpower for all Council operations.
• Establish deposit points for household hazardous wastes (i.e. batteries paints etc).
• Construct one new litter trap per year.
• Continue to actively support the Coburg Initiative.
• Develop an implementation plan for the Glenroy Structure Plan, giving priority to under grounding the rail line.
• Undertake a study into the development of the airspace in car parks within Brunswick, including developing a priority list for development and a commitment to maximizing public and affordable housing outcomes, by June 2009.
• Maintain the existing open space and support the purchase of additional areas for open space when opportunities arise.
• Promote training that will ensure all parks staff are skilled in indigenous plant identification, care and maintenance.
• Ensure greener and more permeable streetscapes, including reducing road pavements and planting trees within the roadway in streets with narrow footpaths.
• Advocate for the all the Edgars Creek parkland to be gifted to the Council.
• Increase the annual investment in open space maintenance and capital works.

Care for People

The Greens on Council will:

• Acknowledge traditional owners at all public gatherings.
• Continue to support practices and polices that seek to maintain a cohesive, respectful and accepting community.
• Continue to support the dissemination of information on Council services in various languages.
• Work to remove barriers that restrict access to affordable childcare services.
• Work to secure sites for childcare facilities.
• Encourage nurses into maternal health to address staff shortages for example by offering cadetships.
• Establish a Youth Council, made up of members between 12 and 18, to lead the review of the Youth Strategy.
• Continue Council’s membership of Apprenticeship Plus.
• Continue and expand Councils employment of apprentices across the organisation.
• Advocate for 100% state and federal funding of HAAC services (such as meals-on- wheels and home care) including a change to the funding formula to ensure the ‘very old’ (over 85yo) services receive funding that is appropriate to their increasing needs.
• Advocate to ensure a range of affordable and secure accommodation options for older people, including public housing, are available.
• Improve and extend access to the Community Transport Services including access for resident shopping.
• Continue to support and implement the Family Violence Prevention Policy.
• Support initiatives aimed at gender equity in political representation, employment and management within local government.
• Promote recreational activities, both active and passive, to all sections of the community.
• Continue to support shared funding and responsibility for sporting facilities based within school grounds, and available for community use outside school hours.
• Provide improved facilities for women involved in community-based sports clubs.
• Continue to actively support the implementation of the Moreland Aquatics Strategy to ensure it is completed as planned by 2017.
• Provide a second skate park by 2012.
• Provide learn to cycle classes for all.
• Provide learn to swim classes for disadvantaged groups.
• Negotiate our Primary Care Partnership to reflect strategies that address social inequities, family violence, climate change, food security and mobility.
• Continue to seek the reduction of electronic gaming machines.
• Continue to support the Liquor Licensing Accord between local venues and Victoria Police to control noise and patron behaviour.
• Support and where possible implement universal disability access provisions in the public and private realm.
• Not support Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) use by:
  • having Councils purchasing policy exclude GMO food and products;
  • advocating for clear labeling to enable consumer choice; and
  • declaring Moreland GMO free.
• Advocate for the provision of more diverse housing stock to cater for the growing number of smaller households and non-traditional households.
• Advocate for affordable housing across the municipality.
• Advocate for increased public and social housing stock.
• Develop a strategy to increase the ability of all residents to access IT and internet services including:
  • Expanding internet facilities within Council libraries and neighbourhood houses.
• Continue to support the Reconciliation Policy.
• Continue to support the Moreland Arts Board, including expanding the program of community festivals.
• Encourage buskers and performers in the major activity centres.
• Celebrate the City’s streets and public spaces as galleries of art.
• Recognise "graffiti art" as a cultural form not subject to local laws.
• Commit to library book purchasing keeping pace with CPI as a minimum.

Democracy

The Greens on Council will:

• Advocate the enfranchisement non-citizens such as permanent residents and Temporary Protection Visa holders to enable them to vote in Council elections.
• Advocate for amendments to the Local Government Act that:
  • will remove the right of the State to dismiss a Council, and
  • provide for all Councillors to be paid a living wage to enable greater representation and accountability.
• Restructure existing community committees to allow more direct decision making.
• Continue to support the policy of providing childcare for all council meetings and major functions, and to the provision of translators on request.
• Introduce a new system for the selection of the Mayor and Portfolio Councillors to ensure those appointments are based on merit, including holding a public forum where all aspirants will be required to detail what they will be seeking to achieve in the role within the coming 12 months.

Economics

The Greens on Councils will:

• Advocate for the current Federal Government taxation review includes a guaranteed significantly greater share of taxation revenue is directed to local government.
• Continue to support borrowing as an equitable method of financing major assets and infrastructure renewal.
• Develop a new five-year financial plan, to commence in July 2010, based on extensive consultation with residents on expenditure priorities for the next twenty years.
• Continue support for the public consultation process on the annual budget, with the addition of public information sessions to enable residents to better understand the decision making behind the proposed budget.
• Introduce triple bottom line reporting.
• Seek to make Moreland Council an employer or choice.
• Promote ethical investment superannuation schemes to staff.
• Implement the Climate Refugee Migration Plan.
• Capitalise on Moreland’s proximity to the central business district and major transport services.
• Preserve existing commercial and industrial planning zoned areas to ensure adequate employment opportunities into the future.
• Continue to support Councils involvement in regional economic development initiatives such as Northlink/Neitel.
• Continue active support for the Brunswick Business Incubator including the expansion of those services to the north of the city.

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