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Act Locally

At the last election I said that you wouldn’t like my policies (and neither do I).  
A few might need some refining, but hey, at least I’ve got some, and in some detail.

PRESTON MARKET POLICIES

  1. Begin moves to compulsory acquire Preston Market so as to be prepared to buy it from Salta Properties upon their bankruptcy (using funds from the sale of the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre).
  2. Take Melbourne Water to VCAT over their refusal to recognise the flooding risk to the Preston Market site (which exposes the Council to future litigation).
  3. When giving planning ok’s to Darebin Council, require Melbourne Water to comply with Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2010.
  4. Like they do with Walmart carparks in USA, organise Preston Market’s carparks to be a safe place at night for the vehicle-dwelling housing dispossessed.

ELECTRICITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES

  1. Stop the Council from promoting renewable energy as a solution to climate change. Predicaments don’t have technological solutions to maintain our energy profligate lifestyle; regardless of the tripe put out by Beyond Zero Emissions.
  2. Sell the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre before the cost of electricity overwhelms the Councils’ capacity to pay.
  3. No artificial heating of swimming pools unless it is only by direct solar thermal.
  4. When giving planning ok’s to Darebin Council, require Melbourne Water to comply with Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2010.
  5. Understand what is the integrity of our poles and wires e.g. get an analysis of power pole condition reports and substations (including availability of spare transformers and switchgear).
  6. Prepare designated buildings with stand-by generation to provide public air conditioning in heat wave and grid down emergencies.
  7. No floodlighting of sports fields.
  8. Discourage business use of cryptocurrencies in Darebin.
  9. No advertising signs to be lit at night.
  10. Close Darebin’s ice rink.

HOUSING AND OPEN SPACE POLICIES

  1. Spend the Open Space Levy in the areas that are being robbed of Open Space, instead of shovelling the money into paying for the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
  2. Require the Planning Dept to in person consult with all local residents near developments.
  3. Require the Planning Dept to act in the “present and long-term needs of all Victorians” (Planning and Environment Act 1987) not just the needs of developers cheered on by Labor, Liberals and the Greens as they push for a Big Australia.
  4. Do not give planning consent to residential buildings that are uninhabitable without a functioning lift.
  5. Make issuing of building permits solely a Council function.
  6. Council to coordinate locals to work on Darebin’s existing housing stock to improve its energy and water resilience.  Priority is teach the willing skills, how to work with hands and each other.  Do quality work (without haste) e.g. audit every dwelling in Darebin and quantify the 20% of things to be done to get 80% of the energy/liveability benefit

LIQUID FUELS AND GAS POLICIES

  1. Council work with a service stations in Darebin to ensure that in the event of a prolonged electricity outage, they will be able to be pump fuel to the vehicles used to provide emergency and municipal services.
  2. Council run an electric vehicle fleet so that in the event of a liquid fuel crisis, there will be vehicles available to provide limited municipal services.
  3. Ensure that emergency planning has defined how fuel rationing will happen and the security measures to be put in place.
  4. Challenge the liquid fuel companies to prove that in the absence of the internet (including phones), they have a practiced and prioritised emergency plan which will see Darebin supplied with petrol, LPG and diesel.
  5. Understand what the integrity of our gas pipes is e.g. get an analysis of Australian Gas Networks gas leak detection results for Darebin.  And by the way, with Melbourne about to have a 40% deficit in natural gas in 4 years, no wonder the State govt is frantic to get you off gas (aided and abetted by Green energy fools).

FOOD POLICIES

  1. Ensure that the Preston Market retains its open air car park as it will be a valuable resource to facilitate the ration distribution of food.
  2. Identify local spaces, sports parks and golf course land, which could be easily adapted to grow food on a large scale.
  3. Do not collect rates from owners of vacant blocks who let neighbours garden them.
  4. Change planning by-laws to require every residence to have sufficient space and light to grow a vegetable garden.
  5. Promote the conversion of swimming pools into aquaculture farms.
  6. Council coordinate trap evaluation and control of Queensland fruit fly.
  7. Do not transport compostable food from Darebin, establish local community compost bins by locale.
  8. Establish and coordinate bulk farm-to-Darebin residents’ plates to ensure food sufficiency as well as help underwrite farmers’ crops.
  9. Let beer makers participate in the Darebin Food and Wine Festival (given it started as the Wine and Beer Festival).
  10. Have a category in the Darebin Food and Wine Festival to recognise the production of beer, wine or spirits from produce entirely grown in Darebin.

WASTE POLICIES

  1. Do an energy/mass balance of waste to identify the most energy efficient manner to dispose of ‘recycling’ waste.
  2. Require houses that are to be demolished to be moved or dismantled (not smashed up).
  3. Better publicise Councils waste pick-up service (to discourage illegal dumping).
  4. Reduce fees at the tip for cars/utes/vans and two wheeled trailers.
  5. Provide Freecycle with funding to promote and administer it in Darebin.
  6. Resource Hard Rubbish Heroes/ Good Karma Network to expand beyond Facebook.

WATER AND SEWAGE POLICIES

  1. Require Melbourne Water to prove that the water supply and sewer lines can function in the absence of the internet (including phones).
  2. Provide a report detailing state of repair of water and sewers and the rate of maintenance needed for them to last another 100 years.
  3. Ensure that emergency response planning addresses how Darebin would cope with a collapse of the sewer system.
  4. Council to inspect rain water tanks for adequacy of mosquito exclusion (especially important as the climate warms).

FINANCE POLICIES

  1. Council establish the means to be able to lend cash to people and businesses to ensure that in the event of a prolonged internet or electricity outage, basic supplies can be paid for.
  2. Sell the ridiculously complex behemoth known as the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre before the cost of maintenance overwhelms the Council’s budget.
  3. Halve the remuneration of the Council’s CEO so we don’t get fat monkeys gorging on peanuts (instead we get people who actually want to contribute and serve our area).
  4. Ban pokies in Darebin (to stop money laundering and wealth leaving the community).
  5. Provide Community Exchange Network with funding to promote and administer the exchange goods and services in Darebin.
  6. Council to buy independent polling to accurately gauge current and future mortgage and rental stress facing Darebin residents (Martin North does it).
  7. Council to employ staff for a maximum 4 days a week (more people get to work).
  8. Council contracts biased to favour labour-intensive services with low energy throughput, not just $ cost of service.
  9. Discourage payment by cryptocurrencies in Darebin.

RESOURCE POLICIES

  1. Council to oppose selling what remains of the copper telephone network (so at least there is a basis to reconstruct local communication networks in the future).
  2. Plan for 40% tree canopy across our suburbs by 2030
  3. Council reports to be judged by digestibleness, not by the amount of words.
  4. Buy the Strathallen Golf Course course for a habitat link.

COMMUNITY BUILDING POLICIES

  1. Re-institute a Sustainability Street type programme to bring together residents who want to meet neighbours in order to build a connected and resilient community. Will be of little cost.
  2. Prepare for the disruption to food and energy supplies (and to combat the forced eviction of mortgagees) by facilitating local community access to meeting spaces (schools, empty shops, churches). Here it will be possible to meet to share food, ideas, skills, security and to organise.
  3. Council fund polling to accurately gauge amount of physical community connectedness.

ANIMAL RIGHTS POLICIES

  1. As economic collapse forces the abandonment of pets, plan for how they can be humanely killed and composted.
  2. Pigeons were the third domesticated animal. Psychologically prepare the community for the notion that people are prepared to kill and eat them.
  3. Permit only one meat eating pet per household (but chooks? mmm, they love meat).
  4. Introduce a by-law that households owning dog breeds that require exercise must ensure that this is done once a day.
  5. Have a Council Officer always on stand-by to validate/investigate constantly barking, aggressive and non-exercised dogs.
  6. Eradicate Indian Mynas (and Capeweed?).