I always do my research. Here’s an overview of the community issues I’ve identified so far, or you can skip ahead to my policy priorities.

Transparency: Decisions made behind closed doors have eroded public confidence and trust in Whitehorse City Council. This includes a lack of transparency around the recent exit from in-home aged care services and potential outsourcing of Aqualink facilities to an external contract management model. Council aims for 5% or less of council decisions to be made at meetings closed to the public; however, it applies the minimum standard of transparency in such instances. Council has also recently created a policy to guide councillor interactions with developers and lobbyists, which includes maintaining a public register of such interactions; however, it’s unnecessarily difficult to locate this and similar transparency registers on the Council website.

Suburban Rail Loop: Box Hill has historically been a place of innovation in public transport and this continues with the development of Suburban Rail Loop East. However, there are valid concerns about the project’s local impact, particularly on Zetland Road and Churchill Street in Mont Albert, including proposed height limits and densification, neighbourhood character and heritage.

Housing: The Victorian Government has drafted new housing targets to keep up with the demands of the growing population and create more housing choices in areas with existing and planned public transport, jobs and services. These targets will significantly impact Whitehorse, with an additional 79,000 dwellings proposed in our municipality by 2051. There are also concerns around the Vicinity Centres Box Hill Central project, including height limits, open space, wind tunnelling, overshadowing and transport impacts.

Open space: Future access to public open space is an issue, with Kingsley forecast to experience an increase in population over the next 15 years, particularly in Mont Albert (17%). While the local streetscapes provide good connectivity between open spaces and have avenue planting, overall there is a low amount of public open space per resident in Mont Albert (7m2) and Surrey Hills (5m2) compared to Whitehorse (36m2) (City of Whitehorse Open Space Strategy 2024). More broadly, between the Suburban Rail Loop and North East Link statewide infrastructure projects, Whitehorse is set to lose the equivalent of 15 MCGs of open space and residents would like to see the disused Box Hill Brickworks site converted to open space.

Crime: Residents are concerned about the rate of local crime, with Whitehorse recording a 21.7% increase in the year ending March 2024 (compared to the previous year). Thefts from motor vehicles lead the increases in recorded offences in Kingsley and across Whitehorse. The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) notes this rapid increase in property crimes may be related to cost of living pressures.

Health and Wellbeing: Whitehorse residents generally enjoy good health and wellbeing due to our municipality's liveability and the relative advantage of most people. However, the most significant preventable contributors to our poor health and wellbeing are social inequality, overweight or obesity, lack of physical activity and poor eating, and poor mental health. Social isolation and family violence contribute significantly to poor mental health. Emerging threats to our public health include the impacts of social media and e-cigarettes on young people, as well as the broader consequences of climate change. Suburban Rail Loop East and North East Link infrastructure projects will also significantly impact the health and wellbeing of Whitehorse residents, both during and after the construction phase (Interim City of Whitehorse Health and Wellbeing Profile 2024).

Community issues.

As an Independent Councillor, my decision-making will always be informed by broad consultation, data and evidence.

My vision for Whitehorse is an inclusive, connected, active community that fosters residents' values and improves their quality of life.

My focus is on identifying how Council can use policy and planning tools to improve liveability, health and sustainability. Here’s an overview of my policy priorities which I’ve closely aligned to Whitehorse’s Community Vision. I’ll be fine-tuning my platform in consultation with you, so if there’s an issue that’s important to you, I want to hear about it. Please contact me directly here.

Policy Priorities.

  • Transparency must be a cornerstone of local government practice.

    As part of my commitment to openness, accountability and honesty:

    • I'll be fully transparent about my voting record, including if a meeting is closed to the public.

    I'll advocate for Council to:

    • Clearly communicate how and why decisions are made. This includes promptly creating media releases for Council's website and social media that summarise key decisions and provide links to relevant records.

    • Implement an open dialogue and expand the Your Say Whitehorse portal for residents to ask questions or give feedback, with monthly updates provided on Council's responses, decisions, budgets and progress reports where possible.

    • Make data and information more available to the public by establishing a transparency hub and a pilot open data program. For more information on these initiatives, please refer to the Frankston City Transparency Hub and the Australian open data portal.

  • Victoria's population growth means Council will need to consider more innovative approaches to sustaining and improving Whitehorse's liveability over the long term.

    As part of my commitment to be an effective, accessible and responsive Councillor, I’ll:

    • Host monthly coffee table meetings and listening tours to understand residents' diverse perspectives and needs.

    • Thoroughly research the issues and be open to all perspectives.

    • Build equitable and transparent relationships with representatives at all government levels focused on delivering good strategic outcomes for Whitehorse.

    I'll advocate for Council to:

    • Create new public open spaces.

    • Generate more value from the accessible open space which is already in service.

    • Enhance current public infrastructure spaces to maximise the benefits of social connection activities within our community.

    • Balance protecting heritage and delivering more well-designed, sustainable housing that fits our neighbourhoods' local character.

    • Prioritise investment in transport options that enable more people to use shared and active transport more often (such as Easy Ride Routes).

    • Improve inclusion strategies for youth and older age groups and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

    • Develop crime prevention initiatives aimed at community building, including closer collaboration with Victoria Police and Neighbourhood Watch Whitehorse.

  • As the level of government closest to the community, Council has a central role in improving the health and wellbeing of people in Whitehorse.

    I'll advocate for Council to:

    • Better tailoring community engagement strategies to reach residents at all stages of life and improve access to information on local services.

    • Integrate the 5 Ways to Wellbeing framework by linking to existing local services, raising the profile of wellbeing, and supporting and motivating residents to take individual action.

  • Council is legally responsible for overseeing Whitehorse's economic, social and environmental sustainability (Local Government Act 2020).

    As part of my commitment to social sustainability, I'll advocate for:

    • Quality public open spaces, facilities and programs that allow residents to build strong social networks and foster a sense of belonging, particularly as more people live in high-density dwellings. This includes third places, which are communal spaces outside of a person’s home (first place) or their work (second place) and bumping places (streets, squares, parks, play areas, village halls, community hubs, etc.) that offer the possibility for incidental interactions.

    • Access to quality and affordable housing that meets the needs of residents at all stages of life.

    • Engagement activities, events and programs that are inclusive and affordable so all residents can participate and reap the benefits.

    • Ensuring all residents and communities can be involved in decision-making on issues that affect them.

    • Creating opportunities for residents to learn, grow and thrive through all phases of their lives.

    • Recognising and embracing cultural diversity as Whitehorse’s strength. This includes progressing Council’s recent commitment to the Welcoming Cities initiative by taking action to become a more connected and cohesive community.

    As part of my commitment to environmental sustainability, I'll advocate for:

    • Making it easier and faster to assess permits for residential development that meet good design code.

    • Updating regulations to improve the design quality of apartments, including consideration for climate-resilient design.

    • Maintaining and improving access to quality open space and urban tree canopy to build climate and community resilience.

    The demands on local government are increasing. As part of my commitment to economic sustainability, I'll advocate for:

    • Rigorous review of Council’s rating system to find ways to ease financial pressure on residents. This includes appropriately considering the principles of stability, equity, efficiency and transparency in rating decisions.

    • Responsible spending that balances capital works and the delivery of core essential services valued by our community.

    • Closer collaboration with local businesses, not-for-profit organisations and neighbouring councils to achieve cost savings through shared procurement projects and service initiatives.

    • Supporting the Small Business Friendly Charter to create a fair and competitive trading environment for small businesses. This Charter includes commitments for Council to pay small business supplier invoices within 14 days, support local businesses in managing the disruption caused by infrastructure projects, streamline approval processes for people looking to start a business in the area and help set up and support local business networks.