Mayor’s Column – May 31, 2018

AS OUR council group reachesthe seven-month mark in office, we’re pleased to be able toconnect with residents in the Bellarine and Armstrong Creek areas through a fortnightly column.

A lot has been happening since last November, with much work as a Council group to deliver the proposed Council Plan 2018-2022 and the proposed Budget 2018- 19. We believe these documents are a strong vreflection of community priorities with the inclusion of initiatives such as the hard waste trial a demonstration that councillors are listening to what the community wants and delivering.

The hard waste trial will commence in April 2019 with a booked at-call service subject to approval of funding in the proposed 2018-19 Budget. The trial will allow residents one hard rubbish collection each year with the waste
being collected from property boundaries or kerbside. There is potential through this initiative to produce real environmental benefits by diverting waste that might otherwise be dumped or sent to landfill.

That said, the City and this council group are also committed to reducing our environmental footprint and we’ll be working on other projects to educate the community on waste reduction as we take on the ambitious aim of achieving zero waste to landfill through a new

Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2018 2023. As one of just three Councils in Australia to achieve One Planet certification, it is critical we show leadership in this area.

Waste will also be top of mind as I head to Europe next week to represent Geelong at the UNESCO Creative Cities Annual General Meeting in Krakow Katowice, Poland. Participation in this event is a requirement as part of Geelong’s designation as a City of Design, as we join 31 other cities from around the world to learn how we can leverage this designation to advance Geelong’s standing both nationally and internationally. I will also be examining fellow Cities of Design, Turin and Dundee’s waste to energy operations so we can collaborate with other councils and state government on a solution to the current waste and energy challenges we face.

As well as a focus on the environment, the council plan and budget has a strong focus on community infrastructure, with a provision in the budget for $78 million on community facilities and infrastructure.

Some of the highlights include:

• Completion of the new Early Learning Centre in Highton
• Commencement of the new Drysdale Child and Family Centre
• Completion of a new Community Complex in Armstrong Creek East including a Neighbourhood Activity Centre and a community pavilion
• Completion of land acquisition for new Sparrovale Wetlands in Armstrong Creek
• Completion of Stage 2 of the Leopold Community Hub
• Completion of a new waste disposal cell at Drysdale landfill
• A master plan of Greater Geelong and Bellarine shared trails
• An upgrade of the Kingston Park playground in Ocean Grove
• Completion of an underwater sculpture park in Clifton Springs.

We’ve also allocated an additional $1million for core infrastructure renewal projects including road rehabilitation, kerb and channel renewal and the drainage program.

While Council is still heavily focused on rates, roads and rubbish, there is also significant work being done in conjunction with these core community priorities to keep building on Geelong’s existing momentum. We’re at a tipping point on our journey towards a clever and creative city-region with the UNESCO City of Design designation and there was genuine excitement at the recent launch on the many opportunities that will come our way through the UNESCO connection. City Deal announcements for the Convention Centre are still expected to come, we’re continuing our work to a bring Comcare to Geelong, joining Worksafe, TAC and NDIS, and cementing Geelong’s reputation as a social insurance hub. Air Asia’s international terminal at Avalon Airport is underway and it seems on a weekly basis we are reading about new potential ventures, business opportunities or manufacturing breakthroughs that are based here in Geelong.

It’s a great time to live in Geelong, and the population is only continuing to increase, so we are planning for the future with Settlement Strategy and the Northern and Western Growth areas, which are set to house 110,000 people beyond 2050, equivalent to the current population of Ballarat.

It’s also a great time to be representing the community on Council as we work to ensure Geelong keeps growing stronger.