Page 1 Monash Bulletin March 2023 Live at Warrawee is back! Warrawee Park, Oakleigh, Saturday 18 March, 3pm-9pm Bring your friends and family down to Oakleigh for an afternoon of great live music with some of Victoria most popular musicians. Live at Warrawee is a free outdoor event that will showcase live music by Pierce Brothers, D Arcy Spiller, Thndo, Pirritu, Women of Soul and Busted Chops. Nestled within the beautiful grounds at Warrawee Park, music lovers can gather on the grass to appreciate a spectacular line-up of melodic tunes, DJ and roving entertainers. As the sun sets over the park, delight in a range of food trucks, a pop-up bar and the amazing local cuisine nearby within Oakleigh Eaton Mall precinct. As part of the lead up to Live at Warrawee, a series of industry workshops will also be presented in partnership with Music Victoria and our artists. Local musicians can learn more about how to get into the industry, how to connect to markets and experience song writing and performance workshops with Thndo and Pirritu. Come and see live music in the suburbs! Live at Warrawee is presented by Monash Council and On The Road Again, a Victorian Government initiative to bring live music back across the state. More info visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/festivals #Liveatwarrawee #ontheroadagainvic Page 2 Monash Contact details Monash Civic Centre, 293 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley 8.30am-5pm, Monday to Friday Oakleigh Service Centre, 3 Atherton Road, Oakleigh 8.30am-5pm, Monday to Friday Call 9518 3555, Email mail@monash.vic.gov.au, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au National Relay Service (for the hearing and speech impaired) 1800 555 660 We welcome your feedback at media@monash.vic.gov.au Snap Send Solve is a great app to report through to us what needs fixing visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/snap-send-solve Copyright © 2023 Monash City Council. All Rights Reserved; reproduction in any form will require Council written approval. Monash Council acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land that makes up Monash, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong People, and recognises their continuing connection to the land and waterways. we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Information in the March Bulletin is current at the time of going to print on 3 February 2023. We speak your language Did you know that more than half of Monash households speak another language other than English? Monash is a diverse municipality, and for Council, being able to communicate with our residents is critical. We all depend on a council service at some point - whether it is knowing when bins are collected or communicating an issue to be resolved. Language does not need to be a barrier to understanding and getting the message across. Council recently introduced a new interpreter service to better communicate with our residents, and with a new supplier comes a new phone line. Previous numbers will be redirected for a time; however, we encourage residents who prefer to speak with us in their language to call the new Monash Interpreter Service. NEW POLICY committed to reducing gambling harm After extensive consultation, we have strengthened our commitment to reducing the harm caused by gambling, endorsing a new Public Health Approach to Gambling Harm Policy.  The Policy recognises that the harms associated with gambling continue to be a major public health and economic issue in Monash.  Monash is ranked among the top 10 local government areas in Victoria for Electronic Gambling Machines (EGM) losses. In 2021/22, a COVID-19 affected year, $84.9 million was lost on EGMs in Monash, despite venues being closed for 89 days. Monash Council has proudly been a voice against the impacts of gambling, and this Policy ensures we will continue to be. The updated Policy incorporates the latest data and was shaped by extensive consultation with key stakeholders and the Monash community. Some of the key actions are: * Opposing applications for new EGMs, as well as the increase or transfer of EGMs when we believe this will cause a social or economic detriment to the local area * Gambling activity or the promotion or advertising of gambling on Council owned or managed land is not supported. This includes local sporting clubs and is an important measure to minimise the normalisation of gambling for our youngest residents. We will continue to advocate for gambling reform, including: * Permanent reduction of gambling room operating hours, to be closed between midnight and 10am * The reduction of EGMs maximum bets to $1 a spin. Council will also not hold events or activities at venues with EGMs. To learn more about the Policy and how we will work towards reducing the social and financial harm that gambling causes visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/Gambling Page 3 MESSAGE FROM Mayor Cr Tina Samardzija Congratulations Monash! I am delighted to report that our initiative to set up a soft plastics collection service for Monash has been highly successful. I am proud of our quick response to the soft plastics issue after the collapse of the RedCycle service late last year. Council quickly found a company, APR Plastics, that could recycle soft plastics into oil, and we set up a collection point on 19 December at the Monash Recycling and Waste Centre. Since then, more than 159 bins, 1100 litres in size - full of soft plastics - have been sent for recycling rather than being buried in landfill. Thank you to everyone who continues to collect soft plastics and take them to our centre. Your dedication to keeping soft plastics out of landfill is commendable. I recently visited the APR facility and saw for myself how the soft plastics are turned into oil. View the video at www.monash.vic.gov.au/soft-plastics Like many of you, I can not stand ugly graffiti sprayed across buildings and fences in Monash. When we know it is there, we work quickly to remove it from our properties. If it is on State Government land, a utility company property, or private property we work with the owners to remove it. When our crews are out and about and spot graffiti, we action it. But we also rely on you to let us know what you see, and what needs to be done. Snap Send Solve is a great app to report through to us what needs fixing, or you can call our friendly Customer Experience team, email us or report through our website or social media. Page 2 has all the ways you can reach us, so please let us know. After much consultation, Council is pleased to be providing Monash dog owners with more space to run their pets off-leash, with 14 new sites across the city to become leash-free from 1 July, increasing these areas from 31 to 45. Like other councils, Monash is experiencing population growth and pressure on our public open spaces. With a continued increase in the number of registered dogs in Monash, planning and managing off-leash areas for people to walk and exercise their dogs is important whilst also balancing the need to protect critical conservation areas in Monash. You can read more about what we are doing below. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this discussion. Please contact me anytime if you have any queries or feedback on 0435 011 927 or email tina.samardzija@monash.vic.gov.au They are off! More space for dogs to run free   Monash dog owners will have more space to run their pets off-leash, with 14 new sites across the municipality to become leash-free from 1 July. The Monash Dog Off-Leash Policy, endorsed in November 2022, will see the total number of off-leash areas increase from 31 to 45. Four existing sites will also have expanded leash-free space. The policy was formed after extensive consultation over several months, including hundreds of pieces of feedback received via our Shape Monash online consultation hub. Council has made no changes to off-leash areas at Jack Edwards Reserve. Four areas will have off-leash areas reduced, including Damper Creek Conservation Reserve. Council was careful and thorough in considering all views, feedback and advice before adjusting what we proposed for Damper Creek by retaining two pockets of this conservation reserve for dog off-leash activity. There is also an existing dog off-leash area nearby at Federal Reserve and a new off-leash area to be provided at Bowman Street Reserve. Council intends to take an educative approach during the initial stages of implementation and following that a person may be issued with a fine. More info visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/dogs-off-leash-areas Page 4 ALL-ABILITIES Small Group training program Active Monash is excited to introduce a new all-abilities, small group training program. The circuit style classes, held in our low-sensory studio at the Oakleigh Recreation Centre, are designed to be enjoyed by anyone aged 16 and older living with a disability. These classes offer numerous benefits with a focus on cardio, strength and balance training. The program was launched with an open day recently, where participants experienced the new space and tried out the equipment and activities. Classes will start on Tuesday 21 February and run every Tuesday (10.30am) and Thursday (11.35am). Support workers and carers are welcome to attend to provide additional support. More info visit www.activemonash.vic.gov.au/News/Active-Abilities-Small-Group-Training  KEEP BUSY with some great PALS PALS is a Positive Ageing Lifestyle program aimed at promoting healthy, active ageing and social inclusion for older adults who live, work or visit Monash. The program offers our community information on social activities and healthy living through four editions - Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. Our Spring edition will also include the annual Seniors Festival program. Activities are free or low-cost. For information about the current program, and to subscribe to receive the PALS program, please visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/PALS to register your details. If you can not access the internet, our Customer Experience team can help with registration on your behalf 9518 3555. Clean Up Australia Day Put some gloves on and join others in Monash to help Clean Up Australia on Sunday 5 March. To find a site in Monash, or register your community group, school, family, or business, visit the Clean Up Australia website for more information. If you are keen to make a difference to the environment, you can register to create your own event for any day of the year. More info visit www.cleanup.org.au or call 9518 3774 Page 5 The Road to Zero Net Carbon   In August 2020, Monash Council set the ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. We will achieve this through the delivery of several initiatives outlined in our Zero Net Carbon Action Plan, which identifies Council top five sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and recommended actions to reduce or avoid these.  We are sourcing 100% renewable electricity   Our intermediate target was to reduce GHG emissions by at least 60 per cent in the first two years. By July 2022, Council reported a 78 per cent reduction, exceeding targets, and slashing energy costs. A key action to achieving this reduction was the commitment to purchasing 100% renewable electricity in partnership with 51 other Victorian councils under the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO).   Collectively the partnership has avoided the generation of GHG emissions by 172,000 tonnes, which is the equivalent taking 66,000 cars off the road, or equal to the generation of emissions from 35,000 homes.  Council has saved $611,000 in the first year of the contract. We are upgrading our streetlighting to use LED  We are replacing nearly 500 standard major and minor road mercury vapour streetlights with LEDs that are up to 82% more energy efficient and will help us avoid the generation of greenhouse gas emissions. We will also be upgrading the rest of our lighting in major roads, reserves, and car parks with more efficient lighting. The new lights increase lighting quality and improve safety for drivers and pedestrians. Better-directed lighting also minimises light spill into our bushland reserves, impacting less on our birds and wildlife.  New EV charging bays Charging up Monash  To help reduce costs and GHG emissions for the public, we are now home to four new public electric vehicle charging bays that are powered by 100% renewable energy.  Residents can access up to one hour free charging per day in Glen Waverley and up to two hours charging in Mount Waverley. A total of 287 vehicle charges have been recorded since the stations were installed at Mount Waverley Library/Mount Waverley Community Centre, Euneva Car Park and Glen Waverley Library.  The initiative is supported by a $25,000 Destination Charging Victoria Grant from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).  Sustainable Design for Council infrastructure  We have developed a new Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) Policy that will see passive design principles like external shading, orientation, cross ventilation, reducing gas use, good thermal mass and better insulation incorporated into all new Council buildings and infrastructure. This new policy aligns with the requirement to incorporate ESD into new developments under the Monash Planning Scheme.   Read our Zero Net Action Plan and more about these initiatives at www.monash.vic.gov.au/zero-net-carbon Page 6 COUNCILLOR NEWS Cr Geoff Lake Stopping pokies venues from playing our kids and sports clubs If you do not like the fact there are poker machines throughout our suburbs and wall to wall sportsbetting advertisements on TV, then you are not alone. Most Monash residents share your view. You can still enjoy a bet on the Melbourne Cup but believe that there is something very wrong about Australia addiction to gambling – the world biggest per capita spend on gambling by some margin. To put that into context, Australia betting losses per adult are roughly 40% higher than Singapore – the country with the next highest per capita spend. It is hard to fathom. Australia was the first country to deregulate gambling and it shows. Nowhere else on earth are there poker machines next to schools and churches in every community. Community feedback has consistently said these are important issues for Council to address. You may have seen some media recently about Council new gambling policy. We are now confronting the predatory conduct of pokies venues targeting kids and community sports through sponsorship and advertising. They are like the cigarette companies of the 1970s and 1980s – seeking to normalise their harmful product amongst grassroots community sport. Our new policy ensures that Council sporting facilities and the clubs that use them will no longer promote pokies venues. This is to stop operators like the Mulgrave Country Club using their generous tax concessions to force clubs to promote it and hold club events alongside the jingles of its machines. The Mulgrave Country Club makes more money from the pokies and causes more harm than any other venue in Monash. It is required by law to give away some of these proceeds to community groups in exchange for its extra tax concessions. But it shamelessly uses such grants to leverage more exposure to kids in our community. Its response to Council new policy? Right out of the big tobacco play book. Its mediocre and unrepresentative board is pulling all - donations - from groups in Monash. If there is no longer a promotional benefit, it will send its modest grants elsewhere. Yes, they run a legal business. But just like the cigarette companies, that does not give them a right to target kids and community sports with their carefully calibrated sponsorship deals designed to promote their dangerous product to the next generation. Feel free to contact me at 0411 645 281 or email Geoff.Lake@monash.vic.gov.au YOUR Councillors You can contact Councillors via phone or email. Letters can be mailed to: PO Box 1, Glen Waverley 3150 Glen Waverley Ward Cr Geoff Lake, call 0411 645 281, Email Geoff.Lake@monash.vic.gov.au Cr Nicky Luo, call 0451 560 398, Email Nicky.Luo@monash.vic.gov.au Mount Waverley Ward Cr Anjalee de Silva, call 0424 679 096, email Anjalee.deSilva@monash.vic.gov.au Cr Brian Little, Mayor, Call 9518 3524 or 0407 878 033, Email Brian.Little@monash.vic.gov.au Cr Rebecca Paterson, Call 0437 959 163, Email Rebecca.Paterson@monash.vic.gov.au Mulgrave Ward Cr Paul Klisaris, Call 0412 516 026, Email Paul.Klisaris@monash.vic.gov.au Cr Shane McCluskey, Deputy Mayor, Call 0466 345 406, Email Shane.McCluskey@monash.vic.gov.au Cr Tina Samardzija, Call 0435 011 927, Email Tina.Samardzija@monash.vic.gov.au Oakleigh Ward Cr Josh Fergeus, Call 0466 465 421, Email Josh.Fergeus@monash.vic.gov.au Cr Stuart James, Call 0413 184 250, Email Stuart.James@monash.vic.gov.au Cr Theo Zographos, Call 0430 316 911, Email Theo.Zographos@monash.vic.gov.au NEXT COUNCIL Meeting Tuesday 28 March, 7pm Monash Civic Centre, 293 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley Attend the meeting in-person or watch it live on webcast.monash.vic.gov.au Meeting agenda and most up-to-date info visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/meetings Page 7 NEW PARKLETS come alive over summer    As the days lengthened and the temperatures warmed over summer, the community flocked to several new parklets we have created across Monash. The parklets support traders by providing opportunities for the community to sit down and have a meal or a coffee from one of the local establishments while meeting with family and friends. Funded through the State Government Safe Outdoor Activation Fund, we installed an initial parklet at Kerrie Road Reserve in Glen Waverley. More community spaces were then created at the corner of Lum Road and Brandon Park Drive in Mulgrave, on Poath Road in Hughesdale and at the St Clair Crescent Reserve Playground in Syndal. A new space at Winbourne Road in Mount Waverley replaced the popular temporary parklet at the same site. Learn more about our parklets at visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/parklets Shaping our Monash Boulevards We have endorsed changes to the draft Monash Boulevards Urban Design Framework (BUDF) after listening to your feedback. The updated BUDF was adopted at the December 2022 Council meeting. As part of our strategy to provide for increased and diverse housing, the BUDF will guide future decision-making on the built form and potential building heights of residential developments and streetscape improvements along the boulevards of Dandenong Road (Princes Highway) and Springvale Road. The BUDF lays out a vision for enhancing the area as a great place to live, with guidelines for high-quality buildings, sustainable design outcomes, landscaping and more walking and cycling opportunities to improve community health and well-being. Further opportunities for community engagement will be available during the planning scheme amendment stage, as well as for any significant changes to public spaces such as service lanes, cycling routes or public landscaping. More info visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/monash-boulevards IMMUNISATION booking  Monash City Council Immunisation service provides free Government-funded vaccines, as part of the National Immunisation Program, for all people from six weeks of age through to adults. We also provide, at an additional cost, Meningococcal B, Chickenpox and Flu vaccines. To book an appointment at one of our immunisation clinics please visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/Immunisation-bookings  Page 8 Clayton Festival Sunday 26 Feruary 2023 11am-3pm For more info call 9518 3636 or visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/festivals #ClaytonFestival2023 #ThisisMonash Active Pride Event   FREE Event Sat 25 March, 3pm-6pm We are excited to launch our new LGBTIQA+ Action Plan at our third annual Active Pride event. To celebrate, Active Monash will be opening its doors to everyone, with a focus on encouraging the LGBTIQA+ community to experience our facilities in a friendly and inclusive environment. * Live music * Zumba master class * Come and try group exercise * Pool access * Gym access & tutorials * LGBTIQA+ friendly boosting bike confidence session. Oakleigh Recreation Centre, 2A Park Road More info visit www.activemonash.vic.gov.au Giving Voice to Menopause  Menopause is experienced by half the population, yet little is understood and spoken of this profound stage in a woman life when significant physical, psychological and spiritual change occurs. The more we share, talk, and listen to menopausal experiences the more we breakdown the taboo. On demand film screening: Fri 3 March – Fri 10 March We invite you to listen to women as they share their menopausal experiences and journey. Zoom Q&A: Wed 8 March, 7pm – 8pm Join the makers of the film to open up conversations that encourage people to reflect on their menopause journey and the stories and experiences of others. More info call Susan 9518 3970 or visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/givingvoicetomenopause Rang Barse Festival of Colours Sun 12 March, 11am – 6pm This event is colourful in both name and nature! Come together to celebrate Holi with an enjoyable day full of cultural performances, music and dance, children rides, camel rides and delicious food from across the globe. Monash University, Northern Plaza Clayton campus Call Sunila: 0427 274 462 or Visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/rang-barse This event is held in partnership with Monash Council. Monash Women Business Network    Achieving sales and profitability goals Wed 8 March, 11.30am-12pm Networking, 12pm-2pm Lunch Tammy Barton, founder and director of MyBudget, knows what it takes to run a business, starting from the ground up, with all its challenges and triumphs. Join us at this International Women Day lunch to hear Tammy, one of Australia most influential businesswomen and female entrepreneurs, as she shares practical advice and top tips on setting and achieving your business goals. Location PARKROYAL Monash Melbourne, 872 Blackburn Rd, Clayton Cost $60 per person for a three-course lunch  To book visit www.trybooking.com/CFLBW RSVP Monday 27 February