Advocacy on Local Issues

Young people reading

Council is a strong advocate for its community, directly lobbying decision makers, making effective representation to State or Federal government, and consulting with our community to create a place where people want to live now and in the future.

Read more: Monash Council Advocacy Projects(PDF, 2MB)

Suburban Rail Loop – Victorian Government project

Find out about plans for the Suburban Rail Loop in Monash, the stations at Glen Waverley, Clayton and Monash University and Council’s position on what is proposed.

Read more: Suburban Rail Loop in Monash

Current campaigns

  • Gambling -  Monash continues to advocate for gambling reform recognising that the harms associated with gambling continue to be a major public health and economic issue both within the City of Monash and more broadly across Australia.

  • Protect our Trees - Asking the Victorian Government to enact planning controls to protect and improve the landscape and tree canopy in Monash. Despite multiple applications to the government to give us greater tree protections, we are still waiting.

  • Homelessness - Homelessness and Social Housing Group Charter. 13 councils representing 2 million residents in Melbourne’s east and southeast have joined in a unified voice calling for urgent action for more social housing to end homelessness.

  • Mental Health - Council provided a submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System. Council undertook extensive internal and external consultation to inform the submission, to represent and respect the needs and human rights of the Monash Community, including our determination to reduce stigma and discrimination for those experiencing a mental health condition

  • Social Housing -  Monash Social Housing Framework 2020-2025. A shortfall in social housing is a growing issue for the Eastern Metro Region. We are seeking support for Council's goal to implement the Monash Social Housing Framework 2020-2025 and seeking investment from all levels of government to increase social housing and address housing insecurity and homelessness. 
  • Supporting female participation in sport by upgrades to a number of pavilions and facilities in Monash including Gladeswood Reserve Mulgrave, Gardiners Reserve Pavilion, and Waverley Women's Sports Centre.

  • Back Your Neighbour is a campaign run by the Local Government Mayoral Taskforce supporting people seeking Asylum. The taskforce, made up of a group of councils, is coordinating joint state-wide advocacy to the issues caused by Federal policies, which are impacting residents seeking asylum.
  • Promoting the best start in life - Kinder gives children the best start at a critical time in their development. We are seeking full Victorian infrastructure funding to support the increase of four-year-old kindergarten (pre-prep) from 15-30 hours a week by 2036.
  • Maternal and Child Health - our ask is for a commitment to sharing the cost of the universal MCH service 50/50. We also want improvements to the service software to enable customers to make online bookings, to make it more user friendly to our parents and carers.
  • Encouraging active lifestyles with upgrades to the Djerring Trail for cyclists and pedestrians, widening the Scotchmans Creek Trail, constructing two new parks for Clayton to create more open space in this area, and establishing a second hockey pitch for the Waverley Hockey Club and broader community, including upgrading the Victorian Sikh Association pavilion.
  • Strengthening community services by investing in our library service to boost critical funding to support lifelong learning opportunities. Funding for the redevelopment of an integrated cultural precinct at the Museum of Australian Photography (MaPh).
  • Taking Action on Climate Change by reducing our community centre carbon footprint with government funding to assist in retrofitting existing community facilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and running costs, support for the funding of solar panels on community buildings, including at nine kindergartens.

  • Connecting our City - Advocating for State Government funding to further improve the Oakleigh Station Precinct and seeking an extension of Westall Road as a new transport link connecting Princes Highway, Clayton to the Monash Freeway. We're also seeking safer cycling conditions in Oakleigh with a connection between Scotchmans Creek Trail and Djerring Trail.
  • Improvements to Glen Waverley with an upgrade of the Kingsway shopping precinct, revitalising this major shopping and dining destination by removing some kerbside carparking and widening footpaths for pedestrian and outdoor trading. Adding to the reinvigoration of the Glen Waverley Activity Centre is the proposed redevelopment of a civic space including a new library, community meeting spaces and office accommodation.
  • Funding to extend the Free From Violence Local Government Program for an additional three years to stop family violence, violence against women and gender-based violence before it occurs.
  • Cladding rectification works for all extreme and high risk buildings due to flammable cladding issues with the Victorian Building Authority responsible for the rectification of these buildings.
  • Advocating for a reliable, long-term and sustainable solution for soft plastics recycling in Australia, from all levels of government as well as companies that produce soft plastics, following the collapse of the RedCycle program.

 

Successful campaigns

  • Advocating for Federal Government funding for a headspace centre in Monash and incorporating the Raise Your Hand for Monash Youth campaign with Monash youth speaking out about the future young people could have if they receive the mental health support they need, and how the issues young people face impacts on them every day. Result: A commitment by both parties in the lead up to the 2019 Federal election to fund a headspace in Monash

  • Consulting with the LGBTIQ community to determine the priorities, programs and/or activities that Council could progress - Connecting with LGBTIQ community.

Recent campaigns

  • Seeking to work with City of Melbourne to address an increase in homeless people in Monash

  • Advocating for the best possible outcomes for the local community in relation to the State Government's $1.6 billion elevated rail project

  • Calling for a statewide ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas. About 75% of surveyed Monash residents support this ban. Council is pleased that the Victorian Government has announced a ban will be introduced

  • Supporting Waverley Park residents against developer Mirvac's push to keep high voltage powerlines overhead

  • Joining residents in arguing against overdevelopment at two former school sites in Oakleigh South

  • Supporting the Waverley Gymnastics Club in securing funding for a redevelopment of their facility, as part of an expansion of the Oakleigh Recreation Centre

  • Lobbying alongside Monash University for an upgrade at Huntingdale train station

  • Joining with other councils and welfare organisations to advocate for reforms to regulations concerning poker machines. Council is concerned about the impact gambling has on the most vulnerable members of our community

  • Opposing the Australian Government's proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act. The changes would have removed provisions that make it unlawful to publicly "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" a person because of their race, colour or national or ethnic origin. In 2014, the government withdrew the proposed changes due to community opposition.

 

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