Are you a member of a political party, political group, or community advocacy group? (eg; Labor, Liberal, Greens, Socialist, My Place, Angry Victorians, Better West, environment groups, etc)
Victorian Socialists.
What is the most important issue facing your electorate?
Cost of living is affecting the majority of Bluestone residents, from increased utilities, rents and mortgages to groceries and rates.
Should/how can Council support local businesses?
Councils talk about supporting small, local businesses, but too often spending goes to infrastructure projects and property developers that favour big business projects. Council can better support local businesses by improving access and transport to local hubs (e.g., Barkley Square, Central West), and promoting local shopping alternatives (e.g., public green grocer) rather than supporting the growth of large shopping precincts such as Highpoint.
Should/how can Council support local creatives and industries?
One of the biggest barriers for local creatives is having regular access to affordable spaces. Council can support local creatives and community groups by allowing them access to use empty commercial spaces as shared creative studios at the expense of commercial landlords.
Should/how can Council help alleviate the impact of climate extremes on local communities and ecosystems?
Council has an obligation to alleviate the devastating effects of climate change. In order to mitigate the risks, council needs to pressure State and Federal governments for better public transport, reverse privatisation of green and public spaces, greater tree planting and more public green spaces to mitigate heat islands, retrofitting homes and building codes to ensure housing is energy efficient and liveable, stopping toxic storage in industrial facilities and toxic air pollution from truck traffic, among many other initiatives.
Should/how can Council help alleviate cost of living and homelessness?
Council should pressure the State government to stop the selloff of public housing, while demanding large property developers dedicate a portion of all new builds for social and/or public housing. Councils should also audit unused, abandoned, under-utilised properties to expand affordable housing while increasing access to food relief and social services across the council.
What should Council stop spending money on?
Council should stop spending money on projects that disproportionately favour large, private businesses over the needs of local communities. Councils are generally underfunded and many public services, such as childcare, have been privatised over the years, forcing residents to spend more on private services. Councils should also stop spending on consultants and outsourcing as these are public funds being unnecessarily spent on expensive private services.
Should the public be allowed to ask live, unscripted questions of councillors during council meetings?
Yes. Councils need to be transparent and councillors need to be accountable. Open questions during council meetings allows locals to demand accountability and transparency from local government.
Can you please provide a short personal statement detailing what your priorities are if elected, and what your vision for your electorate looks like.
Councils are a direct representation of politics at the local level. I’m running with the Victorian Socialists because councils can do so much more than narrowly focus on rates, rubbish and roads or serve as a stepping stone for career politicians out for themselves. If elected, my priorities are local responses to big political issues including the devastating effects of climate change, social justice issues (Palestine, First Nations, migraine rights), and both the cost of living and housing crisis.
