The annual Altona Beach Festival will take place on Saturday 23rd March 2013.  Put it in your diary and bring your family and friends.  It’s sure to be a great day with lots of free activities, live music, fireworks, the street parade, and lots more!

Council meetings returned to the Council Chambers in Altona this week.  Here is an update on the main topics discussed:

Councillor Question Time
I asked a number of questions regarding the new seaweed collection process, the Special Planning Committee meeting to consider the application for a 4 storey residential development on the corner of Merton and Queen Streets, Altona Meadows, and power outages in Altona North.

6.1.2  Senate Air Quality Inquiry
Air quality is a significant health and amenity issue for parts of Hobsons Bay, particularly with odours, dust and noise from industrial areas in Brooklyn and Altona North.  At my request, the council administration put together a draft submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs for their Inquiry into the impacts on health of air quality in Australia.  Refer – http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/air_quality/index.htm

I moved the draft report be accepted and submitted to the Senate Committee, and am pleased the motion was unanimously supported by my councillor colleagues.  The council administration also undertook to present to the Senate Committee if they have public hearings in Melbourne.

Note:  The Maribyrnong City Council and Brimbank City Council also lodged submissions to the Senate Committee, and I lodged one as a councillor for Altona and Brooklyn.
6.1.3  Request for Street Name Change – Altona Meadows
The council was asked via a petition to change the name of a street in Altona Meadows that was unfortunately named after a local priest by the former City of Werribee.  The priest, as it turns out, was later charged with two counts of indecent assault on two brothers, for which he pleaded guilty.   He was to stand trial for other abuse allegations but died before the committal hearing.

The council administration “consulted” with the local residents about a possible change to the street name, but of the 30 responses, 21 (70%) opposed a change, and only 9 (30%) supported it.  I think if the council called a local meeting and engaged properly with the local residents about the issue and suitable alternatives (including alternate street names and assistance with the burden of changing documentation etc), I think the outcome would have been different.

That said, I had to make a difficult decision – agree with the majority of residents in the street and vote against a name change, or make a principled decision about the suitability of a street being named in honour of a criminal.  I voted for a change to the street name.  I hope the residents in the street understand why I voted this way and am very happy to meet with any of them if they want to talk about it.

6.4.2  Proposed Increase to VCAT fees
The State Government proposed some obscene increases to VCAT fees recently, including fees for hearings involving objectors increasing from the current fee of $38 to over $1,000 by 2015. I requested that the council lodge a submission to the Department of Justice to oppose the fee hike, and am pleased the council unanimously endorsed the submission at the council meeting on Tuesday night.

It’s obvious these increases will make objecting to inappropriate developments out of reach for many residents, hence limiting and people’s access to the justice system.

6.4.3  Burns Road Industrial Estate
The Hobsons Bay Industrial Land Management Strategy 2008 identified the Burns Road Industrial Estate as a core industrial area, and included an objective to facilitate the restructure of the Estate subdivision so that it supports further industrial growth.  It’s pleasing the council is finally taking the first steps to see this realised, but it’s going to be a long process.

The council will now take a number of steps and will write to all the landholders to advise them what we’re going to be doing.  I am also pleased the council will be considering using all or part of the rates obtained from the Burns Road Estate to fund the necessary planning work that needs to be done for this area.

The Australian Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee released its report following considerable consultation about the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012 and I am very pleased with the recommendations regarding intersex people.  I just hope the Parliament passes this Bill before the election and not deliberately make it a point of debate in the election – especially as the Bill has in principle support from all parties.

Here are the key recommendations regarding intersex:

Intersex status
7.16 The committee received considerable evidence regarding the coverage of intersex status in the Draft Bill. The committee recognises that intersex individuals are often the subject of discrimination in public life, and that as such there is a need for protection on the basis of intersex status in Commonwealth anti-discrimination law.

7.17 The committee agrees with the evidence presented by Organisation Intersex International Australia, and other submitters, that intersex status is a matter of biology rather than gender identity, and as such should not be covered within the definition of gender identity in the Draft Bill. Further, the committee considers that the current requirement in the Draft Bill that intersex individuals identify as either male or female is misguided, and is unhelpful for intersex individuals whose biological characteristics do not necessarily accord with a male or female identification.

7.18 The committee considers, therefore, that intersex status should be listed as a separate protected attribute under the Draft Bill. The committee notes comprehensive evidence from witnesses that the definition of ‘intersex’ found in the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Amendment Bill 2012 most accurately provides coverage for intersex individuals. The committee supports this definition as the preferred option for inclusion in the final form of the Commonwealth legislation.

7.19 As a concluding point, the committee is of the view that since intersex status is a condition related to the innate biological characteristics of an individual, it should not be an attribute to which any religious exceptions apply.

Recommendation 2
7.21 The committee recommends that subclause 17(1) of the Draft Bill be amended to include ‘intersex status’ as a protected attribute. ‘Intersex’ should be defined in clause 6 of the Draft Bill as follows:
intersex means the status of having physical, hormonal or genetic features that are:
(a) neither wholly female nor wholly male; or 
(b) a combination of female and male; or
(c) neither female nor male.

The report is available for upload via the following link:  http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=legcon_ctte/anti_discrimination_2012/report/index.htm

I would like to acknowledge and thank the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, the LGBTI Health Alliance, Organisation Intersex International and the AIS Support Group Australia for their work on this Bill.

I am pleased to announce I proposed to my girlfriend, Manja Sommeling, on Valentine’s Day 2013 and she accepted. We’re looking forward to moving into our new home in Hobsons Bay this May and building a life together with our family and friends.

On behalf of Manja and I, I thank the hundreds of people that have congratulated us and sent us their kind wishes. It’s nice being able to celebrate this special occasion with so many people, and we’re thrilled so many people are happy for us.

It comes as a surprise to many people that Manja and I are unable to legally marry in Australia because marriage in this country is only for people who are exclusively male or female and in heterosexual relationships. This means we won’t be able to have a wedding with our family and friends around us which I find extremely disappointing.

There are countries that do have marriage equality (including countries in the Commonwealth) so we are likely to get married in one of them despite Australian law not recognising them yet. We hope marriage equality is a reality in Australia in the near future, but we’re not putting our lives on hold until then.

Movies by the Bay is on again this year – see the poster below for more information!

I am very humbled to have been re-elected so convincingly by the people of Altona, Altona Meadows, Altona North, Brooklyn and Seaholme.  I never expected to gain the highest percentage primary vote of any councillor in the western suburbs of Melbourne and am extremely grateful.  Despite the ongoing attacks over the last few years by certain councillors and constant negative reporting by a local newspaper, the community clearly supports me and gave me a mandate to continue the work I have done over the last 4 years.  I thank them for that support and promise I will not take their trust for granted.

In addition to the community at large, I would like to publicly thank my partner and family for their love and patience.  Being a Mayor and a councillor is a huge commitment and I appreciate all they have done to assist and support me.

I am also grateful to the Hobsons Bay Residents Association and many local residents who have given me much support and assistance over the last four years.  I promise I will remain as passionate and committed to serving the local community as I have in the last 10 years, and look forward to our ongoing friendship.

I also want to acknowledge all the candidates that stood in the election.  It’s not easy putting your name on a ballot form and exposing yourself to public scrutiny.  I know many of them would have served the community well and I would like to encourage them to remain involved in civic life, whether that be with the residents association, a service club or a local friends group.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank my friends former Mayors Bill Tehan and Michael Raffoul, and former Deputy Mayor John Hogg.  All three were excellent councillors and over the course of the last term we became good friends.  It was a privilege and an honour to serve on the council with such passionate and committed people.

Now that the election is over I am keen to look ahead, whilst also being respectful and honest about the past.  I intend to work as I always have – openly and with respect for all my fellow councillors and the council administration.  That said, I am not into re-writing history so working with councillors who have relentlessly attacked me over the last few years is going to be difficult.  This is a challenge I am nonetheless willing to face in the interests of getting the best outcomes for our community, but it is with regret that these councillors refuse to acknowledge their behaviour and make amends.

As I pledged after the last election, I promise to always work with honesty and integrity, and to put the Hobsons Bay community first.

Sincerely,

Tony

The council’s website normally includes details of some of my activities, but due to the elections these details have been removed.   I thought I would publish them here on my website so that residents are aware of some of the meetings and events I’ve attended this year.

Regards,

Tony

Mayoral activities

August 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations and individuals including:

• Newport Senior Citizens Group
• Altona Gate Shopping Centre Management
• Brooklyn Resident Action Group
• Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed
• Noordenne Residents Group
• Italian Social Club, Altona North
• Zoe Belle Gender Centre
• Delegation of traders from Hudsons Road, Spotswood
• Joseph’s Corner
• Individual residents on a range of issues such as upgrades to local reserves
• Mayor of Cairns and visited Cairns Regional Council
• Victoria Police, Youth Services and Hobsons Bay Blue Light Disco
• Hobsons Bay Residents Association

The Mayor attended a number of events including:

• Westbourne Grammar’s Annual Concert
• Altona Historical Homestead open day
• Powercor Buloke Business Excellence Awards Gala Presentation
• GLBTIQ Advisory Committee Meeting
• Mobile Customer Service Program, Pier Street Altona
• Williamstown High School Centenary Theatre Fund
• Dinner with the Altona Fishing and Angling Club
• Launch of the “Say ‘No’ to Homophobia” campaign at Parliament House

The Mayor also:

• Unveiled the new mosaic artwork at Somers Parade Kindergarten
• Spoke at Hobsons Bay Youth Forum 2012
• Held Environment Day as part of Mayoral Program

July 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations and individuals including:

• Bendigo Bank
• Altona City Theatre
• Jill Hennessy MP
• Seaholme Primary School
• Youth Services regarding possible Blue Light Disco in Altona
• Hobsons Bay Maltese Association
• Spotswood Traders
• Mancini Real Estate
• Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed

The Mayor attended a number of events including:

• Welcome Ceremony for 2012 Anjo Students at Bayside P-12
• Department of Education and Early Childhood Development DVD Launch
• Joseph’s Corner Thank You Luncheon
• All Aboard Club’s 75^th Celebration
• Arabic Women’s Pre Ramadan Conference
• Association of Bayside of Municipalities Annual Dinner
• Customer Service Mobile Program in Williamstown
• Complete Family Care Re-Opening
• Youth Leadership Graduation Ceremony
• Mobile Customer Service Program, Altona Gate
• National Tree Day (Altona North and Altona Meadows)
• Celebrations Altona

The Mayor also:

• Spoke at NAIDOC Week Raising of the Flag Ceremony
• Spoke at the Victorian Multi Cultural Conference
• Spoke at the Anjo, Japan Student Welcome Reception
• Spoke at the Laverton Time Capsule Event
• Spoke at the Hobsons Bay Early Years Conference
• Visited Yarrabah Council, Cairns
• Chaired the Citizenship Ceremony

June 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations and individuals including:

• Altona City Soccer Club
• Williamstown Chamber of Commerce Member
• Hobsons Bay Maltese Association
• Supt Peter Bull from the North Western Metro Region
• Men’s Shed
• Youth Citizen of the Year

The Mayor attended a number of events including:

• Men’s Shed Open Day
• TS Voyager Annual Unit Assessment (Williamstown)
• GLBTIQ Advisory Committee Meeting
• ALGA Conference in Canberra
• Crashendo group rehearsal at Laverton P-12 College
• Hobsons Bay interagency networking meeting
• Lions Club of Altona Changeover dinner

The Mayor also:

• Spoke at the Brooklyn Federation Trail Celebration
• Spoke at Refugee Week Celebrations
• Spoke at the Crashendo Concert at Laverton P-12 College
• Presented awards at the Hobsons Bay Meals on Wheels Celebration
• Chaired Junior School Council
• Visited Cooraminta Kindergarten, Laverton

May 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations and individuals including:

• Newport Islamic Group
• BRAG
• Lois Joel Arts Centre
• Point Cook Action Group
• Maltese Bocci Club
• Melbourne Queer Film Festival
• Williamstown Visitor Information Centre
• South Kingsville Community Centre – Cooking with all Abilities
• St Martin de Porres Primary School in Laverton

The Mayor attended a number of events including:

• Parents of Children with a Disability
• Maltese Association of Hobsons Bay Mother’s Day Lunch
• Finnish Friendly Visiting Service 15 Year Anniversary Celebration
• Tour of the Sea Shepherd in Williamstown
• Mobile Customer Service Program in Spotswood
• Official Opening of the Williamstown Cricket Ground
• Yooralla UCAN Event as part of Governor General’s visit
• BCRG Meeting
• City of Brimbank’s IDAHO Flag Raising
• Altona Loop Action Group Meeting
• Street SmART Art Auction in Laverton

The Mayor also:

• Spoke at the Pixel 8 Awards
• Spoke at the Art in Public Places Wrap Up/Awards Night
• Spoke at the Altona North Children’s Centre 20^th Birthday Celebration
• Spoke at the International Day Against Homophobia (City of Port Phillip)
• Raised HBCC’s Rainbow Flag for IDAHO
• Chaired Junior School Council
• LGMA National Congress in Perth

April 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations and individuals including:

• Altona Hockey Club
• Mobil CEO
• Toyota CEO
• Evolve re: Port Phillip Woollen Mills
• Williamstown Chamber of Commerce
• Inside Edge regarding Altona Facilities Feasibility
• Otway Partners regarding Precinct 15
• Jill Hennessy, MLA for Altona
• Members of the Hobsons Bay Community Fund
• Residents to discuss 99 Queen Street

The Mayor also attended a number of events including:

• Mobile Customer Service Program – Aviation Road, Laverton
• Altona Lions Market
• Hobsons Bay Community Fund Meeting
• Fell Reserve Consultation meeting
• Meeting regarding Spotswood Pub
• Official Re-Opening of The Rex Theatre, Charlton
• Woods Street Art Space
• Community Grants Committee meeting
• MAV Councillor Development Weekend

The Mayor also:

• Presented and spoke at the Hobsons Bay Young Citizen of the Year Awards
• Participated in the Rainbow Family Forum Session (Joy FM radio)
• Participated in the ‘Meet Your GLBTIQ Neighbours’ session in Wyndham
• Visited Altona Meadows Primary School
• Visited the Williamstown Cricket Ground and Williamstown Library
• Visited the Williamstown Senior Citizens Club
• Judged Art in Public Places
• Joy FM Radio Spot

March 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations including:

• Hobsons Bay Libraries;
• Ron Walker (Evolve) re: Port Phillip Woollen Mills;
• Friends of Williamstown & Newport Libraries Summer Writing Awards Night;
• Signcraft CEO;
• The Project (Ch 10);
• Burbank Homes CEO;
• Newport Traders Association;
• Hobsons Bay Community Bank Defibrillator for Life Project Launch;
• Hobsons Bay Maltese Association;
• Sisters of Saint Joseph;
• Buloke Shire Visit;
• Andrew Elsbury;
• Hobsons Bay Altona Garden Club;
• Newport Mosque with Victoria Police;
• Mayor of Wyndham, Cr Kim McAliney;
• Westgate Entertainment Centre;
• Australian Paralympics Olympic Committee Member; and
• Joy FM Radio Interview.

The Mayor also attended a number of events including:

• Relay for Life in Altona;
• Australian Coastal Councils Conference (Hobart);
• Men’s Shed Meeting;
• Disability Committee Forum as part of Mayoral Program;
• Western Suburbs Disability Advisory Forum;
• Official opening of Seabrook Community Centre & Kindergarten;
• Francis Sullivan Kindergarten Fundraising Event;
• Williamstown Rotary Club Meeting;
• VECCI’s Business Leaders information session;
• Japanese Consulate General’s memorial ceremony for the anniversary of Japanese Earthquake victims;
• Altona Beach Festival; and
• Melbourne Queer Film Festival Opening Night.

The Mayor also:

• Chaired Junior School Council;
• Inspected the Williamstown Town Hall works;
• Presented Food Safety Awards;
• Launched Art in Public Places;
• Judged the Mayor’s Choice Award (part of Altona Beach Festival) at Louis Joel Arts Centre; and
• Media Launch at Logan’s Reserve for WiFi as part of Mayoral Program.

February 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations in February 2012, including:

• Lead West;
• Mancini Real Estate;
• Qenos;
• Moonee Valley Traffic School;
• Migrant Resource Centre;
• Compustore;
• “Every Australian Counts”;
• Evolve;
• Able Engineering;
• Arabic Women’s Group;
• Scienceworks;
• Salvation Army;
• Altona Little Athletics;
• SKM Recycling;
• PAZ Group;
• St John’s Ambulance;
• Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy MP; and
• BAE Systems.

The Mayor also attended a number of events in February 2012, including:

• Go West event “Another Walk on the Wes Side”;
• GLOBE 20th Anniversary Dinner;
• Pride March;
• Visit of various community programs such as the emergency relief and food security project at St Stephens, Williamstown;
• Commemorative Service in honour of the Darwin Bombing Victims;
• Altona Cricket Club’s 50th Anniversary Dinner;
• Launch of the National Year of Reading;
• Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week event by the Lions Club of Altona and the Police Community Consultative Committee;
• Official reopening of the Williamstown Uniting Church; and
• Lions Club of Altona 1000th Meeting.

January 2012

The Mayor met with various organisations including:

• Wyndham City Council Mayor;
• Disability Advisory Committee;
• Williamstown Chamber of Commerce and the manager of Arts, Events and Tourism;
• Residents from the Noordenne Estate, Seaholme and representatives from the Altona City Soccer Club;
• Save Williamstown Group and senior Planning Department personnel; and
• Herald Sun.

The Mayor also attended a number of events including:

• Movies by the Bay;
• Dog’s Breakfast;
• Summer Sounds concert;
• Mobile Customer Service Program;
• Australia Day Breakfast and Citizenship Ceremony;
• Australia Day celebration;

Go West events:

• Spoil Yourself Wellbeing Workshop;
• Lesbian Crime and Romance;
• Sailing Day;
• Croquet;
• Stories from the city, stories from the sea;

Midsumma events:

• Life Stories: Memoir, Autobiography and Other Unreliable Truths; and
• Art and Stories exhibition.

Come along and celebrate our wonderful Altona community!

Logan Reserve & Altona Beach precinct – 
10.00am to 8.30pm

FREE EVENT!

Music and theatre

Craft and children’s activities

Activities for teenagers

Street Market

Double decker bus tours

RAAF Museum flyover

Street Parade along The Esplanade at 5.30pm

Special performance by the Black Sorrows at Logan Reserve at 7.15pm.

Men’s Shed – Classic Car Display at Apex Park from 10.00am to 4.00pm.

Fireworks launched from the Altona beach at 8.30pm.

As part of my Mayoral Program, the Hobsons Bay City Council is holding a forum to discuss the aspirations of people with a disability. Outcomes of this forum will inform a future Disability Strategy for the Council.

Panel guests include Tracy Bartram, Keran Howe and Sam Bramham, and there will be a special performance by Emmanuel Kelly. We’ll also have other entertainment on the night will from Rollercoaster and BJ Dance School.

When: Wednesday, 28th March 2012
Time: 5.30pm to 10.00pm
Where: Grand Star Receptions Corner of Grieve Parade and Dohertys Road, Altona
Cost: $5.00 Includes a 2 course meal and unlimited soft drink

Bookings are essential and please ensure you RSVP by Wednesday, 14th March 2012.