Michael Organ for Wollongong Lord Mayor 2011

community, confidence, integrity

PLATFORM FOR CHANGE 2011

The Lord Mayor and popularly elected members of Wollongong City Council should consider implemention of the following actions and strategies:

A public commitment to serve the people of the City of Wollongong, and not cater to vested interests.
A public proclamation of real commitment to community involvement in Council planning, decision making and setting of strategic direction
Reinstatement of Neighbourhood / Precinct Committees, with power to make recommendations to Council
Development of informal Neighbourhood Forums to facilitate open discussion on specific issues of local concern as they arise
A public commitment to open and accountable government
Creation of a Public Information Office to facilitate access to, and promotion of, information and documents pertaining to development proposals submitted to Council, and also pertaining to projects to be undertaken by Council and other arms of government (e.g. State and Federal government projects within the City of Wollongong)
Creation of a Ward Liaison Office to facilitate community engagement, with a dedicated Ward Liaison Office for each Ward
Creation of community-based committees with power to make recommendations to Council:

Aboriginal Heritage Committee
Arts Committee
Environmental Committee
Heritage Committee
Planning Committee
Traffic Committee
Youth Council
Seniors Forum
other committees, both standing and/or project based, as necessary e.g. Employment Taskforce

Removal of all parking meters from the City of Wollongong
Holding of a city transport summit to discuss long-term public transport solutions for the City of Wollongong
Implementation of a strong heritage protection regime with support for protection, preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of the City of Wollongong
Development and implementation of an environmental protection regime, embedding within the planning process
Completion of a Coastal Management Plan to determine future use and protection of the coastal zone
Development of an Escarpment protection and development regime, with inclusion of visual impact controls on future development
Review of planning policies and procedures to ensure appropriate community engagement, and adherence to said policies and procedures both within and outside of Council
Removal of bureaucratic waste within the operations of Council
Development of an inter-governmental liaison committee , to work with state and federal governments on issues pertaining to the development of the City of Wollongong and the quality of life of its residents
Review of Council's budget with a view to reprioritising commitments based on input from the incoming Council and the local community
Adoption of principle of equitable spending of Council budget across wards
Review of Council strategic planning documents, with a view to reprioritisation and reconsideration based on input from the incoming Council and the local community
Holding of a Northern Suburbs Traffic Summit to discuss a long-term solution to traffic gridlock in the Northern Suburbs
Development of an Arts Precinct / Arts Trails in the city centre, with connections to satellite locations throughout the City of Wollongong
Development of a City of Festivals - there's always something going on! profile utilising the resources of Tourism Illawarra and present community networks
Adoption of a "Come, and stay!" tourism promotion, rather than the present focus on the City as the "Gateway to the South Coast"
Restatement of support for multiculturalism and celebration of the rich multicultural heritage of the City of Wollongong
Expansion of the number of full-time professional lifeguards employed by Council, including expansion of their public education role, plus installation of lifeguard services at Puckey's Beach
Investigation of a process for the inclusion of Indigenous / Aboriginal / Koori representation on Wollongong City Council
Geographical devolution of Council business and community engagement across wards, so that residents are not required to make frequent trips to the city centre in order to engage with Council and participate in democratic processes. Council offices at: Dapto, Warrawong, Wollongong, Bulli and Helensburgh
Introduction of place-based planning , as opposed to generic City-wide controls, thereby ensuring due consideration of local context, constraints and opportunities
Web-cast and podcast of Council meetings
Use of modern social media technologies (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, internet) to communicate with the broader community on a range of Council services, development proposals and projects
Adherence to legislated and in-house Codes of Conduct
Prioritisation of maintenance of basic services and infrastructure such as roads, guttering and garbage collection
City-circle tram system to connect Crown st - Burrelli st - Wollongong Entertainment Centre - Wollongong Harbour and facilitate movement of locals and tourists
Adoption of the Melbourne Principles for Sustainable Cities - also known as the United Nations Environement Program UNEP - principles to achieve sustainability e.g. Penrith City Council sustainability indicators
Promotion of the City of Wollongong as a Nuclear Free Zone
Progress of Dapto road bridge over the railway line to improve western access
Consideration of improvements to the bottom of Bulli Pass to lessen the present danger to cars turning up the Pass and cars coming down the Pass and hitting the concrete wall
Development of alternative northern access point to Thirroul from Bulli
Expansion of Bellambi Point open space nature reserve
Reconsideration of Wollongong Mall redevelopment
Development of a Positive Aging Strategy and associated Action Plan for seniors in the community
Committment to prioritisation of permanent employment for WCC workforce, with minimal use of casualisation and short-term contracts.

Michael Organ 6 August 2011.

Michael Organ - email: snappa22@gmail.com | mobile: 0468 548 709.

Page last updated: 6 August 2011.