Author: Stuart James
VCAT sides with a Developer – AGAIN
A planning application was submitted to redevelop the Beacon Lighting site on the corner of Dandenong and Warrigal Roads for 18 stories, which Council rejected, and the decision was appealed at VCAT. An amended application was submitted to VCAT for a 10 story development on the same site. At a […]
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Response to recent Media Coverage of Monash Council
Personal Statement There has been some intense discussion in the media, particularly the Herald-Sun on 14/06, referencing Monash Council dealing with the possibility of recognising a conflict between the Armenian / Greeks and the Turkish in the times of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. There have also been articles […]
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DRAFT Council Plan & 2017/18 Budget
At Wednesday night’s April Council meeting, Councillors voted unanimously to pass the DRAFT Council Plan and 2017/2018 Budget. There are a swag of exciting new initiatives that are included as part of the budget for the next twelve months. Of particular note were the inclusion of two initiatives that I […]
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C125 Planning Amendments Passed
At the last Council meeting, after years of hard work and community consultation, I was pleased to be part of a Council that voted 9-2 in favour of adopting the new planning regulations to help protect our garden city from over development. One of the main reasons that I decided […]
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Live Streaming Begins
I am absolutely stoked to advise that following support from the majority of Councillors at the January Council meeting for my amendment to introduce live streaming of our meetings, the technology was installed and made available earlier than initially planned. This is a fantastic step forward in opening up Council […]
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Marriage Equality
I have struggled for almost six weeks with this motion since Cr. Fergeus first flagged it on Twitter. I have lost quite a bit of sleep over the motion as it originally forced me choose between two things that I hold very dear; my values and my principles. I am […]
Read MoreImportant motions for the Jan 31st, 2017 Council Meeting
At our first Council meeting for 2017, two motions will go before Council that I believe are very important, the introduction of live streaming and the hanging of historic flags. Live streaming of Council meetings is something that I committed to during my election campaign and I am confident that […]
Read MoreMerry Christmas to everyone, but remember….
If this video doesn’t touch you, nothing will. Remember that while we celebrate in a country that allows us to be free, many will spend this Christmas in pain because of decisions in which they played no part. It’s amazing to think Lennon’s vision is now 44 years old – […]
Read MoreState Government leaves Council’s hamstrung
Despite advice to the contrary from all and sundry, the State Government has announced today that Council rates will be capped at 2%. At the same time, the State Government has raised their own property taxes by 5.2%. This is a terrible decision that will do nothing but hurt the […]
Read MoreWaverley Gymnastics – Federal Government comes to the party
I am absolutely delighted to announce that Julia Banks has announced that the Federal Government will complete the final piece of the pie and honour their election commitment of $2.1 million dollars towards the Waverley Gymnastics project. This is absolutely fantastic news and very exciting. We now finally have all […]
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