Cr Geoff Lake - Glen Waverley Ward

Geoff Lake has been a councillor at the City of Monash since 2000.

Since that time he has worked hard to improve services and facilities in Glen Waverley and the wider City of Monash while keeping Monash rates as low as possible.

Geoff is a lawyer at a national commercial law firm and serves on a number of boards and committees including as a Trustee Director of a major industry superannuation fund.

During his time on Council, Geoff has played a prominent role at the local, state and national levels - including as a Board member of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and President of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV). As part of his role as ALGA President, Geoff was a full member of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and represented Australian local government there alongside the Prime Minister and state and territory leaders.

In 2002 and at the age of 22, Geoff became the youngest person ever to be a Mayor in Victoria when he was elected Mayor of the City of Monash.

As Mayor, Geoff exposed councillors at the South East Regional Waste Management Group who were travelling for no purpose and at ratepayer expense to extravagant places all over the world. Despite criticism and push back from the establishment, he took on these vested interests on behalf of all ratepayers and put a stop to these junkets and the wastage of public money. He also abolished the mayoral robes and use of the 'Your Worship' title, got rid of the personalised number plates for the Mayoral vehicle and slashed the Council's spending on hospitality and lavish functions.

Right through his time as a councillor, Geoff has pushed hard to limit annual rate increases. Monash now has the lowest council rates in Victoria - an outcome he has worked tirelessly to secure.

While promoting fiscal restraint and accountability, Geoff has also been a key driver of major projects in the local area such as the Monash Aquatic and Recreation Centre (MARC), the Wheelers Hill Library, the Monash Gallery of Art, the Clayton Community Centre and the multi-deck car parking at Euneva Avenue and Bogong Avenue in Kingsway.

He has also championed initiatives to strengthen services for disadvantaged people in Monash and has played a major role in the exciting transformation and reinvigoration of the Glen Waverley Activity Centre into the bustling restaurant, hotel, office, retail and entertainment hub it is today.

1. keep Monash rates as low as possible;
2. fix the unfair and onerous Vegetative Protection Overlay (VPO) which 85% of Monash residents want addressed and which continues to unreasonably regulate what residents can do in their own gardens;
3. establish a new world-class library in the centre of Glen Waverley;
4. introduce a rate discount for pensioners;
5. minimise the intrusion of council into the lives of residents wherever possible;
6. further enhance and develop the Glen Waverley Activity Centre; and
7. smarter, higher quality and more efficient council services which are closely aligned to changing community needs.

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Last updated: 14 November 2012

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