Comrades

This March Council meeting discussed the crisis in Child Care, with over 500 families on the waiting list for a place in Yarra. The local community is beginning to organise a campaign to get more child care places in Yarra and SP has been part of this process, and I will fight on the inside for big improvements to child care in this years budget.

The next organising meeting will be on Sunday 20th March, 3pm, Holden St Neighbourhood House, Holden St, North Fitzroy. There will be a rally in the area with the aim being to force the State Government and Yarra Council to spend money to increase the number of places in the area. Similar protests in Port Phillip led to the local Council increase their child care budget by $3.5 million!

On transport, SP and the Greens announced that a public meeting is to be held in the area with environmental groups, Greens and SP and everyone else concerned with the fighting the road lobby. Neither myself or Green Cllr Kathleen Maltzhan will take our place on the new 'official' advisory committee established by the ALP and right wing Cllr Jackie Fristaky on this issue.

I made a statement at the Council meeting on the outrageous front page article in the Yarra Leader - see previous email.

SP is getting ready for the Council public meeting (Wednesday 23rd March, 7pm, Collingwood Town Hall) on the Banco development in Smith St where planning department officiers will present their alternative for the area. This meeting came about because of SP pressure. We intend to work with the local community, in particular the Collingwood Action Group, to ensure Council's alternative plan has strict legally enforcable limits on heights etc and strong guidelines in favour of low cost housing and big developer contributions to social services in the area.

Much of my time is taken up with bread and butter issues of planning, parking, noise and traffic issues. By being responsive on these issues, I can build up the credibility for socialism and our way of operating. However I also get calls on issues as diverse as apprentices, Aboriginal rights, and even a call on what Yarra Council intended to do to stop China invading Taiwan! Our weekly stall outside Safeways in Smith St, Collingwood - every Saturday at 12 noon - is getting a better response everyweek.