We’ve received another email from the Elsternwick residents. We concur completely with their, and other comments regarding the release of information to the public. It simply is not good enough that residents will only get to see the structure planning proposals anytime past 12 pm on Friday and councillors are to vote on the recommendations the following Tuesday night!
What this means is:
- residents will have limited time to digest the documents
- residents will have limited time to lobby their representatives
Please remember that in a recent ombudsman’s report there was the recommendation that councils publish their agendas at least 5 working days prior to any council meeting. Plenty of other councils such as Bayside, Stonnington, etc. seem able to do this, but not Glen Eira!
Here’s the email –
Dear residents,
We have been advised that Glen Eira Council has now developed and completed a third plan (Option 3) for the Urban Renewal Zone – but are not releasing it to residents until the papers are issued for next Tuesday 27 February council vote.
It is completely unacceptable not to socialise this new proposal with residents and it certainly makes us wonder what they are trying to hide.
FOR URGENT ACTION:
Please URGENTLY email the following list of councillors and key council staff to demand Option 3 be released immediately for residents to review. We need as many people as possible to do this in the next 24 hours or so.
Please make it clear in your emails that the complete lack of transparency throughout this entire consultation process with people in and around the Urban Renewal Zone boarders on deceptive behaviour and will not be tolerated by our community.
List of council email addresses are below:
MDelahunty@gleneira.vic.gov.au; JSilver@gleneira.vic.gov.au; DSztrajt@gleneira.vic.gov.au; NTaylor@gleneira.vic.gov.au; JMagee@gleneira.vic.gov.au; JHyams@gleneira.vic.gov.au; TAthanasopoulos@gleneira.vic.gov.au; MEsakoff@gleneira.vic.gov.au; CDavey@gleneira.vic.gov.au; RMcKenzie@gleneira.vic.gov.au; cityfutures@gleneira.vic.gov.au; RTorres@gleneira.vic.gov.au
Thank you in advance for your help and support.
Glen Eira Debates 
February 19, 2018 at 11:21 PM
The whole system is a joke. A different option is going out and no one gets the chance to have a say before its voted on. Consultation? Like hell! And Carnegie. Do these residents get another option or does this council believe that because there hasn’t been good organised opposition that they are home
and hosed.
February 20, 2018 at 6:15 AM
Certainly not to much to asked, considering the importance of the issues involved.
February 20, 2018 at 12:02 PM
What needs to happen is the release of all documentation and voting be deferred until residents get a decent chance to put in their views.
February 21, 2018 at 11:43 AM
Yes, no vote on Tuesday. Whatever option 3 is people should have the chance to have their say and not have it voted in like will probably happen.
February 20, 2018 at 2:38 PM
What does it take? Do GE residents need to apply to MAV / State Governemnt to request a rezoning to Stonnington or Kingston in order to enjoy representative governance? Perhaps a rezoning to another municipal entity is the way to go- thousands upon thousands of rate payers would jump at such an opportunity!
February 20, 2018 at 6:26 PM
Would love to be rezoned to Kingston as was the case with the former Moorabbin council. Once we became Glen Eira rates went up and up and service down and down and residents were ignored on everything. That is still the case today.
February 21, 2018 at 1:59 PM
Agree. Perhaps we should start to petition in this direction now. There are enough examples of Council’s failings with governance, integrity, heritage destruction and greed. Let’s see what happens when they lose their “cash cows” – the parts of the municipality they have sacrificed to high density and lifestyle degradation. Time for a revolution!
February 22, 2018 at 10:33 AM
Marianne – Fuming on this blog will not achieve any results as such. The examples of your findings on failure with governance, integrity, heritage destruction and greed clearly matures the need to initiate a petition to the labor government and all other authorities that have the power to investigate. This is a serious concern that is very long overdue. People Power can bring results.
February 20, 2018 at 9:08 PM
The new council promised to be more transparent from the start suggesting a new agenda; we were to get live streaming etc. more accountability, but it appears that staying in power is more important than taking a stand (you need guts for that!) such a same, I have asked Nina for a response but yet to receive one….same old same old. Ratepayers expect councillors to be “a political”; l but no even gardens and parks are subject to political interference.
February 22, 2018 at 6:43 PM
Council has released several hours early the draft structure plans and “rationale”. As expected it rejects most community input; contradicts established Council policies and past practices; is inconsistent and blatantly unfair; endorses the general idea of Amendments being made by Ministerial fiat without public input; reinforces the notion that developers can buy waivers from compliance with amenity standards; talks about 2031 as if there won’t be Federal, State and local elections between now and then. They’re probably right: Council can get away with it…unless sufficient people say it’s not good enough.