This is the motion overwhelmingly passed last Wednesday at the public meeting at Collingwood Town Hall. It was amended by the 3068 group to add a few other groups to the new committee including themselves, CARA and the National Trust.







MOTION



CITY OF YARRA

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK

PUBLIC MEETING

WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH 2005 at 7 pm

Collingwood Town Hall, 140 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford



On behalf of the Collingwood Action Group I move a motion that:



a) the City of Yarra’s Draft Smith Street Mixed Use Precinct Urban Design Framework (February 2005) content and the process that produced it are severely flawed, should be acknowledged as such and be rejected.



b) real community consultation take place and the process be started again with the formation of a Steering Committee to lead this, composed of five members as follows:

Councillors Jenny Farrar and Stephen Jolly

A member of Council Staff

A nominated representative of CAG

A relevant expert agreed by the above members.



c) progress on the Steering Committee’s formation be an agenda item of Council’s Planning & Community Development Committee (PCDC) on Tuesday 5th April 2005 and that the PCDC monitor the Steering Committee’s progress and support its work.



Moved: Cliodhna Rae, Collingwood Action Group

Seconded: Sivy Orr, Collingwood Action Group



BACKGROUND TO THE CAG MOTION

State Government

October 2002, Melbourne 2030, the State Government’s planning policy, was released, designating Smith Street a ‘Major Activity Centre.’

December 2003, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) released guidelines for preparing Structure Plans for Activity Centres and invited Councils to apply for funding to work on Structure Plans. It appears Yarra did nothing.

September 2004, the then Minister for Planning, Mary Delahunty, announced that Councils could introduce interim planning controls over Activity Centres if they had got started on Structure Plans.



The process for structure planning

DSE guidelines say that structure planning should follow this logical sequence:

1. Get started by identifying the stakeholders and agreeing with the stakeholders on how the process will proceed from here on.

2. Prepare an analysis of the Activity Centre.

3. Agree with stakeholders on the objectives for the centre which are to guide the structure plan.

4. Develop options for achieving the objectives, and evaluate them.

5. Agree with stakeholders on the preferred option.

6. Implement the preferred option, including any necessary amendments to the planning scheme.



What Yarra Council has done

Late 2004, after 2 years’ inaction, Yarra appointed its ‘principal urban designer’ and a firm of architects to prepare an ‘urban design framework’, not a structure plan. They prepared the draft framework in-house, apparently without either consulting anyone or following the steps set out in the DSE guidelines.

The community has not been given a say about either the process being followed, or the objectives for the centre, in direct contravention of DSE guidelines. Instead, the community is being asked to respond to an incomprehensible document prepared by architects and setting out their own views about how Smith Street should develop.

Yarra says it has started at ‘step two’, but its analysis is based on dated material.



The solution?

What is needed is something that enables the community and councillors have a say in the process, while having access to relevant expertise as needed, in areas such as heritage, planning, and process. We propose the formation of a Steering Committee, possibly modelled on the one that ran the process over the Abbotsford Convent site. It needs to be small to help efficient decision-making, and to represent the public, councillors and staff. The Steering Committee’s:

· Role will be to develop and run an appropriate consultation process and ensure it is done properly.

· Membership is not meant to be representative of stakeholders – it can form sub-groups of specialists in areas as needed.

· Reporting line is Council’s Planning and Development Committee so it is accountable to Council.

Last night's Council's-run public meeting on the Banco development was a great success for the community. 200+ locals piled into Collingwood Town Hall past an excellent Socialist Party stall and banner, and reading the SP leaflet on the issue at hand.



In our leaflet we supported the community push that led to Council knocking back the Banco development, and we also supported the community having much more input, involvement and control of the process to develop an alternative development plan for the area. We encouraged attendees to support the Collingwood Action Group's (CAG) resolution calling for a 5 person committee to oversee the alternative plan (SP Councillor Stephen Jolly, Green Councillor Jenny Farrar, a CAG rep, a rep from Yarra's Planning Dept, and an expert agreed by all sides).



The meeting started in a very tense fashion with a paid facilitator outlining an agenda that many felt left little time for community input. Cllr Farrar made it clear to CAG and me that she did not support the CAG resolution, despite CAG believing they had reached an agreement with her the previous night.



After a couple of 'official' speakers from the platform, who all faced hard questions and even heckling from the crowd, CAG in effect moved a suspension of standing orders about 45 minutes into the meeting to hear their resolution and debate and vote on it. This was passed overwhelmingly and a debate opened up over the need for a bottom up, not top down approach plus some debate on where Council's draft plan could be improved.



The 3068 community group moved an amendment to add a rep from themselves, the National Trust and a few other community groups on the committee. This was agreed to by CAG.



I spoke last outlining the weaknesses in Council's alternative plan. It is a list of guidelines not binding limits and is therefore next to useless in VCAT. I also argued that the 'guidelines' even if turned into strict controls would need strengthen eg in relation to height limits, developer contributions to social services, setbacks on Little Oxford St, funding for conservation works and more. I argued that the new committee will make the process more democratic and the result better.

Ironically after arguing that the Fitzroy Residents Association (FRA) should be on the new Group, FRA leader and ALP identity Geoff Barbour then voted against the motion!

Unfortunately for the ALP, the amended resolution was passed unanimously leading to great celebrations by CAG, 3068 and many more.



SP raised $28.50 in fighting fund on the night. The meeting was covered by the Melbourne Times, Yarra Leader and Channel 31.

A meeting of child care users and advocates met today, Sunday 20th March, in North Fitzroy to discuss the crisis. There are 500 families without places in Yarra at the moment and we want Council to work hard to fix the problem, which can't get around the question of spending money on the issue. A second organising meeting is to be held next week, with a Picnic Rally in May. Watch this space.

Just Fix it! Meeting to discuss and act on the child care crisis in Yarra

This Sunday 20th March, 3pm, Holden St Neighbourhood House, Holden St, North Fitzroy



Say no to Banco! Say yes to a community-based alternative plan for the Smith St area. Yes to low cost housing, child care and neighbourhood houses, open space and strict height limits. Mass meeting called by Yarra Council, Wednesday 23rd March, 7pm, Collingwood Town Hall, Hoddle St, Collingwood



Transport: Time to take on the Car Lobby! Public meeting with SP, Greens, PTUA, CBC Melbourne and more on Thursday 7th April, 7.30pm, Bowling Club, Edinburgh Gardens, St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy

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.

Question: Hi and Congratulations on being elected and for your great work that i have been following to date.



The Question I have is a general broad one. Apprenticeships and lack of them.



This is a large unnoticed problems in our community, It is fact that we are not producing enough tradesmen to replace those that are retiring or leaving thier profession. The current Government says thier are so many shortages and promotes trades more and more.



However the apprenticeships are JUST NOT THERE



The companies are not employing them as it hurts there bottom line. small business dont have enough incentives and dont want the hassle.



I myself and looking for an apprenticeship in Electrical . I have been looking and trying for over a year... Every time i attend interviews information sessions the story is the same, they have 500-600 even more applicants for 1 job. It is clear there is a huge problem here the government is promoting but is not providing and it is our future as a country that is suffering for it. I have been following the socialist party for some time now and feel this is an issue that is understated and needs to be brought up to the table



My Question is: What would/could a socialist government/party do to address this incresing problem?



Answer from Stephen Jolly:

Dear Clinton,

Thanks for your question.



We, as a party, stand for a massive boost in expenditure to education to the degree that it becomes free and accessible for all, not just the rich. On the basis of a socialist government taking into public ownership under workers control and management, the top 150 companies, we can undertake an economic plan that would shift resources to infrastructure, education, health, housing etc at the expense of defence, advertising, speculation and so on.



We think it the current 'skills shortage' was an inevitable result of user pays, HECS, underfunding of Tafe, and greedy bosses refusing to train young workers.



On Council, I chair the new Youth Advisory Committee and one change we are going to propose to the full Council meeting in April is that we user our leverage with contractors and only give tenders to firms who take on apprentices and to developers who stick to the union push for 1 apprentice for every 5 tradespersons.



Keep in touch and let us know your views on all this.



Regards

Stephen Jolly

Dear Mayor Kay Meadows,

Writing on behalf of the residents who live along Chandler Hwy and Rex Avenue, Alpington, I would like to personally thank the Yarra City Council, and Stephen Jolly for his recent reaction to an email I addressed to him.



Over the past 5 months I have 'pestered' several representatives of the council, many of whom worked for the Open Space program, in the hope that the council would install a light over a reserve used for parking on the corner of Chandler Hwy and Rex Avenue.



For the most part, I felt ignored. Rarely did I receive a response to the countless emails I wrote, or phone messages I left on office answering machines. When I did speak to someone, despite having spoken to them about this issue in the past, I was forced to 'refresh their memory', which led me to believe few of them, if any, took the issue seriously.



At the end of my patience, I desperately attached email addresses of council officials, including that of Stephen Jolly, and asked for some feedback, even if it was to say 'no, this won't be happening'.



Mr. Jolly far exceeded my expectations. On receiving the email, he instantly called me, and asked if I had any more concerns or information. He made it clear the obstacles I would be facing, but also assured me there were many routes 'we' could take.



Mr. Jolly showed genuine concern for myself, and the other residents who are constantly victim to what I believe could be an avoidable crime (the vandalism of their cars and theft of their belongings from the carpark).



Regardless of whether or not Mr. Jolly had agreed with me, I would still like to thank him for merely treating my concerns as a serious concern despite my informal approach, and not merely an annoyance, or inconvenience at best.



Instead he was polite, efficient and extremely considerate. He is a credit to the council, and I can not tell you what a refreshing change it was to deal with someone in a government position who made the people a priority, and not the red tape.



For your own information, the light has now been installed and, to my knowledge, there has so far been no example of criminal behaviour at that location.



Thank you very much.



Tom

Today's Yarra Leader (7th March 2005) has a front page article entitled "City to clear drunks" that says: "Cr Jolly said Stanley St residents were also angry about litter being dumped by people gathering at the corner of Smith and Stanley streets."



These comments were supposedly taken from statements made by Cllr Jolly at last weeks Planning and Community Development meeting.



This slanderous comment is 100% the opposite of the both the views of Stephen Jolly and the Socialist Party and also what was actually said by him at that meeting (or any other time).



Stephen was the only Yarra Councillor invited to speak at the recent Aboriginal rally in Melbourne's CBD on the anniversary of the death of a young man in Redfern one year ago. He and SP have a close relationship with all those who drink and meet on Smith St, not least due to the fact that there are weekly stalls at 12 noon on Saturdays. Over the 22 years of his life in apartheid South Africa, at Woomera in 2001, during the battle to save Northland Secondary College, organising the anti-Hanson rallies in the 1990s and more, Stephen has a been a clear and active anti-racist and socialist.



What actually was happened at the meeting was that Stephen made the point that the lack of recycling facilities made available to Smith St traders led to greater litter than normal blowing down the steep Stanley St, with residents then probably blaming the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people who meet in the area.



Yarra Leader journalist Steve Pogonowski has apologised to Stephen Jolly and has confirmed his notes are totally different to what ended up in the article. His editor David Bruce has blamed sub-editors and has confirmed there will be a clear apology in next weeks edition.



At tomorrow night's full Council meeting, Stephen will be taking advantage of his rights under Section 86 of the Yarra City Council Meeting Procedures Local Law (Personal Reflections):

"86. A Councillor or member of Council staff may, at any Council meeting at a time decided by the Chairperson, make a personal explanation for a period not exceeding two minutes on any statement made affecting that Councillor or member of Council staff."



The Governence department of Yarra Council has released an audio tape of Stephen's comments at the Planning and Community Development meeting which are available to anyone who wants to listen. They clearly show that the Yarra Leader misquoted Stephen today.



On the basis of clear assurances from the Yarra Leader as to what they will print next week, Stephen has reserved his right to undertake legal action to defend his good name. However if anyone else attempts to exploit this (at best) error in the Murdoch-owned Yarra Leader, they will face legal action.