GOVERNMENT NEWS - NOT JUNK MAIL
KINGSTON Your City MAY 2022
kingston.vic.gov.au
N
LECTIO
LE FEDERA
Specciaalc y a d v iot i o n ed
PAGE 9
Making a splash for a new aquatic centre PAGE 6 & 7
Let’s make some noise in the South
CONTACT US kingston.vic.gov.au cityofkingston
ADVOCACY ASKS
Successful partnerships
kingstoncc kingstoncouncil kingstoncitycouncil info@kingston.vic.gov.au
Kingston has a strong track record of working together with the Victorian and Australian governments to deliver high-quality facilities and services for our community including:
PO Box 1000, Mentone, 3194 Bunurong Country CUSTOMER CARE 1300 653 356 ABOUT Our federal election bonus edition of KYC is being created to highlight the issues we want the Australian Government, federal members, opposition and candidates to make pledges to for Kingston. From funding asks, to policy changes, we hope that you share our passion for all of these issues that the federal government can pledge to support, in our own backyard. KINGSTON YOUR CITY EDITOR comms@kingston.vic.gov.au Kingston encourages you to reprint articles and photographs from this publication but permission must first be sought from the Editor. Acknowledgement of the source must be provided. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The City of Kingston proudly acknowledges the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land, and we pay our respect to their Elders, past and present and emerging. COVER PHOTO Contributions towards a new district-level aquatic centre is just one of our major funding requests for Kingston.
PATROL
Expanding and improving local kindergartens to give our kids a great start to learning
Upgrading Life Saving Clubs to help keep our community safe on the Bay
Investing many millions in modern, accessible sporting facilities
Important local projects needing federal support: Funding contribution towards our new district level Aquatic and Leisure Centre
In the lead-up to the federal election, we’re calling on candidates from all parties to make a pledge to Kingston!
At the time of printing the following candidates were confirmed for the electorates covering Kingston: Isaacs: Mark Dreyfus, (ALP) Robbie Beaton (LIB) Alex Breskin (GREENS)
$5 million+ for the Kingston Performing Arts Centre
Scott McCamish (UAP) Alix Livingstone (AJP) Sarah O’Donnell (LDP) Hotham:
Climate action that encourages better building design, active transport, promotes cleaner energy and reduces waste
Clare O’Neil, (ALP) Louisa Willoughby, (GREENS) Bruce Ridgway, (UAP) Edward Sok (LDP)
Latest commitments $4 million for Recycled Water Project
Help to protect aviation at Moorabbin Airport
We’re keeping track of any funding commitments for local projects made by candidates. Follow our socials to stay up to date about commitments pledged to Kingston: cityofkingston cityofkingston kingstoncouncil
Speaking up for our community Welcome to our bonus advocacy edition of Kingston Your City in the lead-up to the federal election. We’re recapping local projects with potential for federal funding and support before we head to the polls. I hope while you enjoy an election day snag, this bonus edition will help you to unpack key advocacy issues we have been focused on. What matters to Kingston matters to your Council. We have been working hard to raise awareness of key local projects and seek support from all levels of government and all sides of politics. We are keen to partner with both the Australian and Victorian Governments to deliver fantastic facilities and services to serve our community for years to come. I hope you find the short summaries of each topic useful and you’re proud of the effort we have made to keep them on the federal agenda.
If these issues move you, please get involved. You can help bring these projects to life by adding your voice to our local campaigns. Your vote matters and you can make a difference. Let our local candidates know the projects that matter to you it could be as simple as sending an email, adding your name to a petition, posting to social media or stopping by your local MP’s office. We can all play a part. Find out how you can help by scanning the QR code below. Steve Staikos Mayor of Kingston
AVIATION ADVOCACY
A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR
MOORABBIN AIRPORT
"Moorabbin Airport is a vital piece of aviation infrastructure, in 2019 27% of the Commercial Pilots Licences issued in Australia came from pilots trained at Moorabbin.” The team at Tristar Aviation onsite at Moorabbin Airport.
For more than a year and a half, we’ve been advocating for better controls to stop over development creating safety risks at Moorabbin Airport.
• reduced land for aviation purposes compromising the medium to longer term intent of the land for aviation
In March, following strong representations from Council, the draft Moorabbin Airport Masterplan was refused by the Australian Government under the Commonwealth Airports Act.
Some of the advocacy work we have undertaken to escalate this issue included presenting to the ‘Inquiry into the Current State of Australia’s General Aviation
• the inability to provide surety of tenure for aviation businesses whose survival is reliant on existing on the airport site.
- Adrianne Fleming, Tristar Aviation
Industry’, chaired by Senator Susan McDonald. We also met with Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce in February and requested that the government refuse the development plan under the Airports Act 1996. Find out more Find out more about the work we have done to protect Moorabbin Airport via the QR code below.
Council welcomes the Australian Government’s refusal of the proposed masterplan and believes it sends a clear signal in support of the local aviation industry. The draft plan included a number of provisions that concerned Council, including: • significant safety risks posed by commercial buildings being built close to airport runways • allowing large-scale factories to be built metres from adjoining established homes Page 4 | Kingston Your City - May 2022
You can also watch our Moorabbin Airport advocacy video when you scan the above QR code.
WATER FOR THE GREEN WEDGE
Recycled water project You wouldn’t wash your car with store-bought bottled water, so why would we water the vast golf courses, sporting reserves and market gardens in our green wedge with drinking water? That’s why Council, together with South East Water, is proposing a new pipeline that will provide reliable access to recycled water and save thousands of litres of valuable drinking water. Growers and businesses in the area currently use a mix of drinking water and storm water, but it’s not reliable in a changing climate. More efficient alternative water sources are needed to ensure the
sustainability of our local food production, sporting reserves and world-class golfing facilities. What are we asking? Councils, businesses and sporting groups want to see a recycled water pipeline built to pump Class A water (reclaimed and treated water safe for irrigation of edible crops) from the nearby Eastern Treatment Plant in Carrum to deliver it to the Green Wedge and other key locations.
Why is it called a purple pipeline? All underground services - such as water, electricity etc - have a designated colour so that it is easily recognised. Pipes containing recycled water use a purple pipe.
Stage One preliminary costs are $4 million, which would deliver water to Bonbeach Sports Reserve and the Bicentennial Park cluster of reserves. Kingston Council has committed $1 million to the project and is seeking a further $4 million in support for the project south of the Mordialloc Creek.
What’s next? Support our recycled Water Project by contacting the relevant MPs using the QR code below.
Page 6 | Kingston Your City - May 2022
THE ARTS
Creating a new Kingston Performing Arts Centre We want to transform the Kingston City Hall into a flexible, large-scale cultural centre for the south. The $15 million project would deliver the new Kingston Performing Arts Centre to serve our entire region. There’s a great big hole in the map if you’re looking for a large-scale venue for performing arts between Melbourne’s CBD and Frankston. We want to change that. The Kingston Performing Arts Centre would provide a major hub destination for large-scale live music, theatre, opera, community events and functions. A jewel in the crown for the south.
It’s time to
#MakeSomeNoiseInTheSouth
Improvements will include balcony seating, new flexible seating arrangements, advanced theatre facilities and more, to greatly increase capacity and allow the centre to meet a host of arts’ needs. The economic flow-on from the development and the use of the centre will also help to kickstart economic recovery for local traders, hospitality businesses and the construction industry. The project has received strong support from community groups, the arts community and neighbouring Glen Eira and Bayside councils.
What are we asking?
What’s next?
We’re calling on the federal government to match our $5 million commitment so we can deliver a venue unlike any other in our region.
Find out more via the QR code and show your support by tagging #MakeSomeNoiseInTheSouth on social media.
kingston.vic.gov.au | Page 7
CLIMATE CHANGE
Our climate advocacy agenda Our climate is changing and we need to rapidly lower our emissions to prevent major impacts on local beaches, biodiversity, infrastructure, residents and businesses. Council is committed to advocating for improvements to the way we build, work, travel and live in our communities that will help us reduce our climate impact. That’s why we have formed a strategy to address climate change in the immediate, medium and longer term. Some specific steps include supporting active transport like cycling, creating greener buildings and encouraging business to transition away from gas as an energy source to move towards renewable electricity. We know we can’t do this alone, so we are also advocating at a regional level to move governments towards taking larger steps to reduce our climate impact.
What are we asking? Kingston is taking two major steps to reduce climate impact. We have our own Net Zero 2030 campaign that demonstrates how Council and our community can lower their emissions. It is based on our Climate and Ecological Emergency Response Plan which maps a pathway for Council and Kingston residents to rapidly reduce their emissions. We are also engaged with other councils through the South East Councils Climate Change Alliance to combat the specific impacts of climate change in the South East. The Alliance has called on the Australian Government to take specific steps such as changing building laws that will help support climate action.
We’ve installed public electric vehicle chargers in Chelsea, with more to come soon.
You can help to make a difference through simple actions, such as properly separating out your green waste and recycling.
What’s next? Find out more and make your own climate pledge at yourkingstonyoursay.com.au or scan the code below:
Getting involved in a tree planting day - or local environmental workshop - is a great way to make a difference. Sign up for the Our Place Community e-News to find out how to get involved at kingston.vic.gov.au/ourplace.
Page 8 | Kingston Your City - May 2022
NEW POOL FUNDING
Our new Aquatic Centre We’re seeking funding support from both the Australian and Victorian governments to deliver a new aquatic & leisure centre for our community. We’re excited to be planning a new, accessible facility to help support the health and wellbeing of our community. We are calling for joint government investment to bring to life a sustainable, accessible centre The facility will be multi-generational, providing a wide range of services including learn-to-swim classes, rehabilitation, gym and recreational swimming. Council has shortlisted potential sites for the new centre, with the highest ranked site identified on Wells/Governor Road in Mordialloc. The development is a major investment for Kingston and apart from great health and wellbeing outcomes, it will help generate construction jobs and future opportunities for facility staff and providers.
WHAT ARE WE ASKING? Significant contribution towards the project will make a splash, so we can deliver a new, accessible district-level Aquatic & Leisure Centre.
With large costs involved in the project, Council would welcome significant commitments of funding from candidates in the upcoming federal election and the Victorian election later this year.
WHAT’S NEXT? Find out more about the project at yourkingstonyour say.com.au or scan the code below:
kingston.vic.gov.au | Page 9
BACK YOUR NEIGHBOUR
Back Your
r u o b h g i Ne
Australia has been enriched by diverse migration throughout its history, but our system to process people’s refugee status has stalled in recent years. This has left around 100,000 people living in the community with a very uncertain future. People who have fled enormous hardship, war and even famine for a safer life in Australia find themselves without government support until their refugee status can be confirmed. This is now taking almost a decade. That’s why Kingston has joined forces with local governments across Australia to call on our federal leaders to use their power to complete five key actions to fix the broken processing system through the Back Your Neighbour Campaign: • Replace Temporary Protection Visas with a permanent humanitarian visa
Page 10 | Kingston Your City - May 2022
• Replace the current ‘Fast Track’ system with one Refugee Status Determination process with independent, timely and fair reviews • Increase funding to clear the backlog of applications and appeals • Provide access to Medicare, income support, employment, mental health and other vital services to people seeking refugee status • Provide funding to local services supporting individuals and families seeking asylum.
Mayor Steve Staikos is our representative for Back Your Neighbour. He was recently invited to join a delegation in Canberra to lobby for greater federal support for people in our community who don’t yet have a vote. Join in the conversation here:
GREATER SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE
GSEM regional priorities Kingston has joined forces with a number of other local councils to call for great outcomes for Melbourne’s south-east region. Kingston is a member of Greater South East Melbourne (GSEM) which advocates for jobs, infrastructure, investment, sustainability and wellbeing for the entire region.
Economic sustainability, Stronger families and communities, Environmental sustainability and Transport and connectivity. What are we asking? Key projects which directly impact upon our local community include:
It also includes the cities of Casey, Frankston, Greater Dandenong, Knox and Monash along with the shires of Cardinia and Mornington Peninsula.
• The South East Food Bowl, for its support of recycled water access in our Green Wedge and creating a fertile environment for our growers
Kingston is proud to have a seat at the table when discussing a vision for the entire region that will keep its communities working, moving and thriving.
• The Westall Road Extension, for helping to connect industry to a more efficient road network and improving traffic flow by moving trucks and cars off Blackburn, Springvale and Clayton Roads
GSEM have a whopping forty-six projects on the agenda, which fall under four core principles:
• The 20-Minute Neighbourhood, for encouraging the investment and planning we need to create liveable and sustainable cities where communities can work, grow and thrive without travelling elsewhere • Greening the South East, for creating greener spaces, increasing habitat and reducing the urban heat island effect to support reduced emissions.
What’s next? View all of GSEM’s priority projects here: gsem.org.au/ regional-projects
LEGEND 1 Kingston 2 Mornington Peninsula 3 Casey 4 Frankston 5 Greater Dandenong 6 Cardinia 7 Knox 8 Monash 7
8
1 5 6 3 4
2
kingston.vic.gov.au | Page 11
+ Kingston City Hall
+ Galleries
+ Community Halls
+ Kingston Arts Centre
+ Public art and murals
+ Theatre
+ Shirley Burke Theatre
+ Workshops and events
+ Live Music
kingstonarts.com.au