Make Melbourne Green

The Greens today unveiled their transport plans for the City.

Click the above link for The Greens’ complete transport vision for Melbourne City Council.

As Bianca Hall reports in today’s Melbourne Times,

A GREENS lord mayor would lobby for public transport to run 24 hours a day and would curb the role cars play in the CBD.

Lord mayor candidate Adam Bandt said his party’s inner-city transport platform … would transform the CBD into a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly zone.

Key to The Greens’ transport vision for the City are:

• Making the tourist bus cost-neutral;
• Introducing a 30km/h throughout Council-controlled CBD roads, and on VicRoads-controlled roads after 8pm;
• Relocating tourist buses from Swanston St to Federation Square;
• Funding safe, well-lit taxi ranks in the city;
• Creating a pedestrian mall on Elizabeth St between Flinders Lane and Flinders Street;
• Removing the unacceptably dangerous Craigieburn line / Macauley Rd level crossing;
• Reinstating Swanston Walk;
• Abolishing the mayoral car and reducing the fuel consumption of the council car fleet;
• Reinstating the Westgate Bike Punt;
• Fast-tracking key commuter bicycle paths, and creating safer bicycle lanes;
• Opposing further reduction of CBD tram stops;
• Increasing the frequency of NightRider services to every 20 minutes; and
• Finally building the bus terminal on Lonsdale St, between King and Spencer Streets.

For the full Transport Policy, click here for the html format or here for the pdf format.

Greens Deputy Lord Mayor Candidate Cr Kathleen Maltzahn writes:

Over five years ago, I stumbled across slavery in Brunswick St Fitzroy. It was shocking, but not surprising. It wasn’t the first time I’d found out about slavery in Melbourne’s inner city. It wouldn’t be the last.

What was shocking was how long it took for the federal government to respond. It took from the raid of the brothel in mid-2003 to a High Court decision that was handed down on August 28 this year for this case to be resolved.

In between, the five victims endured a committal hearing, two trials, an appeal to the Court of Appeals and the High Court case. Finally though, they have been told that yes, what they experienced was slavery, a crime against humanity.

So what does that have to do with local government?

Swanston Street is an inconsistent mess. When it comes to traffic in Melbourne CBD, we need to move people without petrol. The time has come to actively prioritise bike, public transport and foot traffic. And that means limiting car and tourist bus access.

If elected in November, The Greens will do three things:

In an era of drought and water scarcity, Melbourne has to start securing its own water supply.

While John Brumby pursues polluting projects like a desalination plant, the real solutions are much simpler. We need to begin looking at all our local spaces - roofs, parks, streets - as potential water catchments. We must advance and fund new projects, like The Greens’ proposal to remove the depot from the Fitzroy Gardens and replace it with a wetland, using otherwise lost water to irrigate the gardens.

A special guest post about the current state of play in transport from Greg Barber, Greens MLC for Northern Metropolitan.

Above: protesters outside the State Government’s Transport Summit on Friday.

John Brumby is promising us a ‘30 year vision’ for transport for Victoria, due before the end of the year. It sounds like he is softening us up for the bad news: that some communities will have to wait 30 years for the public transport improvements they are crying out for right now, while a privatised road tunnel gets built in the meantime.

What we need is a much quicker, say ten year, plan that deliver on the promise his government made six years ago; a doubling of the proportion of trips (to 20% by 2020) that are taken on public transport. It requires a dramatic upgrade to the frequency and extent of trams, trains and buses.

Click ‘read more’ for the complete post.

Above: coloured cardboard and butchers paper aplenty at Bronwyn Pike’s electorate office, 27/8/08.

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What you didn’t know about the State Government’s Victorian Transport Plan:

- ‘Public’ consultation has already closed!
- $10bn East-West Road Tunnel to be automatically adopted by the plan.

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Melburnians woke yesterday morning to a curious piece in The Age, Tunnel critics shunned by Pike transport forum, by Clay Lucas.

CRITICS of a $9 billion road tunnel plan have been barred from a Government forum this afternoon to discuss transport plans for Melbourne …

Opponents of the proposed 18-kilometre tollway, which would run from Footscray to Clifton Hill, have been told they cannot attend today’s forum, being staged by the Education Minister and MP for Melbourne, Bronwyn Pike.

That the government might be fed up with anti-tunnel protests is not surprising. What was surprising was that a transport forum for the state seat of Melbourne was being held at all: transport experts and activists alike knew nothing of the meeting until Residents’ Groups received their invitations a week earlier.

What was even more surprising was the forum itself. A mere 20 people gathered at the invitation-only event, and quickly discovered that they were taking part in what would be the first and only consultation session for the whole of the Melbourne electorate for the development of the state government’s Victorian Transport Plan.

The two farcical hours that ensued could have been lifted straight from a script of The Hollowmen.

Click ‘read more’ for an insight into the meeting from one of the attendees, and discover why the $10bn East-West Road Tunnel will be automatically adopted by the Victorian Transport Plan, as well as the unique definition of ‘community consultation’, according to the State Government…

Cr Kathleen Maltzahn, Greens Deputy Lord Mayor candidate for Melbourne, current Yarra City Councillor and founder of Project Respect, released her new book Trafficked last month. . The book comes after years of tireless work: Kathleen’s dedication to assisting trafficked women and exposing the hidden workings of the prostitution industry has helped to put trafficking on the national agenda. . Trafficked tells the story of a rare human rights campaign that succeeded in changing government policy to protect women smuggled into Australia each year to work in the sex trade. . In 2003, the Coronial Inquiry into Puongtong Simaplee’s 2001 death at the Villawood Detention Centre put the issue of trafficking for prostitution in Australia on the national agenda for the first time. . Trafficked contains first-person accounts of women like Puongtang, stories that inspired women’s groups to make sure trafficked women could no longer be ignored. You can order a copy of the book here. .

Helping to elect Australia’s first Green Lord Mayor just got a whole lot more fun:

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(Please click the flyer for a full-sized version)

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Bookings

You can book through the mail or by phone.

To book by mail, please download this form and return it by the morning of August 21st.

To book by phone, please call Rohan on 0421 578 918 with your credit card details.

Purchase your tickets soon - limited seats!

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Full line-up announced!

Claire Hooper

Rod Quantock

Matt Kenneally

Nicky Talacko

Michael Williams

Oliver Clark

Hannah Gadsby

Rosalie Delaney

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The Melbourne City Greens held a successful fund-raiser on Wednesday night, hosted by former Lord Mayor (1988-89) Winsome McCaughey, the city’s second female Lord Mayor and one of the first dedicated conservationists to chair council.

Four eco-friendly wineries, including McCaughey’s own Baddaginnie Run, set up at Acquum in North Melbourne to provide attendees, including all Greens Melbourne City Council candidates, and councillors and MLCs from across the city, with a wonderful selection of wines to taste and buy.

Ms McCaughey addressed the crowd, speaking about the need for all levels of government to start seriously tackling climate change, and threw her support behind Greens lead Councillor candidate and long-time friend Cathy Oke.

Ms McCaughey’s comments came just hours after the federal government released its Emissions Trading Green Paper, a document fraught with problems and mixed-messages. She, like the Greens Council Candidates, expressed concern that the proposed Emissions Trading Scheme simply won’t send a signal for change.

Finishing with cause for hope, Greens Lord Mayor Candidate Adam Bandt outlined measures that all levels of government should be taking to provide Australians with practical ways to fight climate change. He hinted at what a council with more elected Greens could do with the tens of millions of council dollars currently being funneled into State Government projects… The Greens’ Solar Panel Initiative will be announced in the coming months!

The Melbourne City Greens hosted a public forum on Thursday called “Beyond The Lockout“, as reported on Channel 9’s live cross on the 6 o’clock news. (right: Greens Lord Mayor Candidate Adam Bandt)

Attended by Licensees, consumers, members of Victoria Police, members of various drug and alcohol organisations, staffers for State Parliamentarians and a current Melbourne City Councillor, the meeting heard from four speakers before an extensive question and answer session and discussion.

As Peter Hitchener of Channel 9 reported, the meeting was called to look at alternatives to the 2am lockout, which had “descended into farce”.

Many ideas were raised, including ID scanners and breathalysers inside venues, by audience members*. But the most common response from attendees was that existing laws needed to be properly policed. Many also questioned the extent of the problem, with Adam Bandt citing the tabloid nature of the recent interest in the issue and likening the ill-conceived lockout regulations to “cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer”. That is not to say that there isn’t a problem: no meeting attendee was willing to deny that more should be done to ensure that the inner city is safer after dark.

The Greens, through consultation and a measured approach that hasn’t pandered to media frenzy, have prepared their Night-time Safety in the CBD policy, which was released on the weekend. It is the first of many policy statements that will be released in the lead-up to November’s council elections.

You can find the newly released policy here.

*Not Greens endorsed. For the official Greens response, read the policy above.

Above: Hundreds of protesters spell the words “CLIMATE EMERGENCY” in Alexandra Gardens, and Greens Lead Councillor Candidate Dr Cathy Oke with Senator Bob Brown.

Climate Emergency Rally and the Draft Garnaut Report

On Saturday afternoon the Green Melbourne City Council Candidates attended the Climate Emergency Rally organised by a coalition of 60 community groups, including the Greens, that are frustrated with State and Federal government inaction on climate change.

A great turnout sent a clear message that we all want positive action immediately to address the Climate Emergency facing us all. Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown was one of the guest speakers, urging greater Government action NOW!

The rally came a day after Professor Ross Garnaut’s draft report on Climate Change was released - ironic timing given that a day earlier, Premier John Brumby announced another greenhouse gas intensive coal fired power plant for Victoria.

Dear The Hon Bronwyn Pike MLA,

(click to zoom)

Yours sincerely,

The People of Kensington

The Greens are holding a wine tasting night to help raise funds for our campaign to elect Australia’s first Green Lord Mayor. It’s on Wednesday July 16th 2008 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, upstairs at Acquum, 364 Victoria Street, North Melbourne. Entry is $20, which includes wine-tasting from four eco-friendly Victorian wineries as well as nibbles. Please RSVP to events@makemelbournegreen.com. Read on for details of the four wineries follows:

Public Forum

6pm Thursday July 10th, Welsh Church Hall, 320 LaTrobe Street Melbourne.

Please come along! Click “read more” for more details and the flyer…

As late as Monday, Lord Mayor John So was telling reporters that he supported an East-West freeway.

Twenty-four hours later, with the four members of his team all indicating on the floor of the council chambers that they would uphold the sentiment of the original Planning Committee motion moved by Greens Cr Fraser Brindley to abandon Council’s support for any East-West road tunnel, the Lord Mayor decided to save face.

The public galleries were filled beyond capacity with concerned residents, mostly from North Melbourne and Kensington, all waiting to see which way the Lord Mayor, and their Council, would vote.

The Lord Mayor offered no contribution until the very end of the lengthy debate. With a few quick words about the need to satisfy public demands for sustainable transport options, he voted with 8 of the 9 Councillors to support Cr Brindley’s amended motion.

Only Cr Shanahan, the sole ALP member on council, voted against, arguing that council needed to go further and state that they were “horrified” and “terrified” at the prospect of any East-West tunnel engulfing public spaces. As it was an argument over language, rather than of support for a tunnel, the State Government must now come to terms with the fact that 9 out of 9 Melbourne City Councillors have voted to strongly oppose any East-West road tunnel.

A firm political obstacle now stands in the way of the pro-tunnel State Labor Government…

Wednesday July 16th 2008 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, upstairs at Acquum, 364 Victoria Street, North Melbourne (Restaurant is just up from Queen Victoria Market). $20 Entry: includes wine-tasting from 4 eco-friendly Victorian wineries and nibbles - please RSVP to events@makemelbournegreen.com.

As rising fuel costs squeeze more and more people onto Melbourne’s existing public transport system, commuters boarding at South Kensington station are hit hardest. The last station for city-bound trains coming from the Werribee and Williamstown lines before the two northern lines are added at North Melbourne station, commuters are all too often stranded on platforms as trains are too full to take on any more passengers.

Monday the 16th of June was such a day: commuters stood on the platforms at South Kensington station for forty minutes before a train arrived that could just squeeze some more passengers in.

Melbourne City Council candidate and Kensington local Donna Lancaster, who frequently uses South Kensington station, explains that some city-bound commuters find that it’s more time-efficient to take trains or buses back to Footscray to board trains coming from the Sydenham line (which has not stopped at South Kensington station for years to relieve pressure on the system!) than it is to wait on the platform.

“It’s not an option to go to Kensington Station as the Craigieburn line trains are full as well, and for some people, that’s a 25 minute walk” says Donna.

“The biggest insult to locals using South Kensington station is that they walk across JJ Holland Park to get there; the park that the Eddington Report recommends digging up to facilitate the building of the $10 billion East-West tunnel.”

For Kensington residents, the choice is clear: Public Transport, not roads!

To continue reading, click “read more”…

The Melbourne Times today suggests that some councillors may be second-guessing their own support for the Planning Committee’s decision on June 3rd (see the prior post).

Bianca Hall reports on Page 3 that despite the Planning Committee’s unanimous decision to overturn council’s original support for the East-West Tunnel, “the council’s political resolve shows early signs of wavering. Several councillors were later oscillating about how they intended to vote when the matter goes before the full council.”

Of particular concern is Deputy Lord Mayor Gary Singer who, it seems, had no qualms in telling Ms Hall that: “I haven’t made up my mind… I can see the arguments on both sides… I’ll be making up my mind closer to the date.” Might his vote on June 3rd end up being totally meaningless? And which other councillors might yet let the residents of the City of Melbourne down?

Click “read more” to see where the councillors stand and find out what you can do to ensure that council upholds its opposition to the tunnel.

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The Greens’ Lord Mayor candidate for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, addressed a crowd of over 5,000 on the steps of Parliament House on Friday evening.

Protesters from across the city attended to voice their dismay at Premier Brumby’s bandaid ‘2am lockout’ solution to the problems of alcohol fueled violence around Melbourne’s late-operating bars and clubs.

Bandt pointed to the failure of the Brisbane lockouts to curb violence in that city, and defended Melbourne’s special position as the cultural capital of Australia.

“I don’t want to be Lord Mayor of Brisbane,” he said. “I want to be the Lord Mayor of a vibrant, safe, thriving Melbourne that is known for its vibrant nightlife”.

Mr Bandt told the crowd what effective measures Brumby could be taking if he was serious about nighttime safety on Melbourne’s streets. Watch the speech here; click “read more” for some photos.