Greens Councillor, City of Maribyrnong
I was elected to Maribyrnong Council in March 2003 and re-elected in November 2005. I was then elected Mayor for a one year term. My Mayoral speech given on the night of my election is here.
During my time on Council I have been particularly focused on promoting and working towards sustainable transport, revitalisation of the Footscray shopping centre, tackling heavy truck traffic through Maribyrnong and community involvement in Council's decision making. A summary of the achievements of my mayoral year is here.
I was awarded the Municipal Association of Victoria - McArthur Fellowship in late 2005. This award is given each year to one Victorian Councillor to allow them to undertake research of relevance to local government. My award funded an inspirational trip in mid 2006 to North America and Northern Europe researching sustainable transport and planning and the role of community planning.
In 2006 I was awarded the Cycling Promotion Fund's National Bicycling Achievement Award for contribution towards cycling by a politician. My successful nomination for the award can be found here
I was instrumental in setting up the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group two years ago. MTAG has a great website which includes a live webcam of huge trucks hurtling down Francis St Yarraville. The presentation (with live audio) that I gave at MTAG's Community Health forum in October 2006 ‘Spring St we have a problem’ is also on the site. This talk outlines the freight problem facing Melbourne and Maribyrnong and presents my four step way of solving it.
I was also a founding member of the Maribyrnong Bicycle User Group eighteen months ago.
In addition to my Councillor roles in Maribyrnong I am active at a statewide level. I have been Chair of the Metropolitan Transport Forum since October 2004, a body which brings 16 Melbourne municipalities together to network, promote and advocate for sustainable transport.
The presentation I gave at the Melbourne Town Hall in July 2006 at the MTF forum 'Just the Ticket! Destination- Sustainable Melbourne' is on the MTF website.
The MTF produced a key report in late 2005: ‘Most Liveable and Best Connected? The economic benefits of investing in public transport in Melbourne’ which is also available from their website. MTF and this report had significant influence on state government transport policy released in 2006.
I am a member of the Board of the Victorian Local Governance Association and have been a Vice-President of VLGA for the last year. I am also a member of the MAV - VicRoads Liaison Committee and the MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Committee.
I was a keynote speaker at a conference on Transit Oriented Development 'Making It Happen' in Perth in July 2005. My presentation on community attitudes to TOD is here.