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Monash Bulletin | December 2014
Thank you
for sharing your views
During 2014, Monash residents have shared their views with Council on local issues that matter to
them. This feedback from our community has helped us make decisions in the best interests of our community.
In many cases, community views have resulted in Council introducing new initiatives or in Council making a different
decision than it had been expected to make. Here are some examples from this year:
Family Day Care Service continued
Council had been considering closing its Family Day Care
service after the Federal Government withdrew a $255,000
annual subsidy. Parents who use the service said it was
important to them that Council continue the service. Council
decided to continue the service (with some fee increases).
Campaign on overhanging vegetation
In early 2014, we consulted with older residents about how
Monash could be made more aged-friendly. One of their
concerns is that it is sometimes difficult to travel down local
footpaths due to overhanging vegetation. In September,
Council staff began a program of visiting every local street
in Monash and, where they see overhanging vegetation,
leaving a notice asking the property’s occupant to remove
this vegetation. So far, about 50% of Monash has been
visited, with 3,146 notices delivered to property occupants.
Animal registration fees frozen
In April, several residents contacted Council to express
disappointment that animal registration fees had
been increased substantially. In response, Council
froze the fees in its 2014/2015 budget. Next April,
people will pay the same fee as they paid this year.
Increase in funding for bike paths
Cyclists said there was a need for Council to invest more in
bike paths. In this year's budget, Council increased funding
for bike paths by 40%, taking total spending to $517,000.
Out and about in community more
People have told us that they would like to see Councillors
and staff out in shopping centres and other public areas,
talking with the community about local issues. Since July,
Councillors and staff have visited 14 local neighbourhoods
on weekends or during the week. These visits will continue
in 2015 as they really help us understand what Council is
doing well and what we need to improve.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/listening-toour-community or call 9518 3678.
Council services over Christmas
Waste and recycling
Monash Civic Centre
293 Springvale Road
Glen Waverley, 3150
Hours: 8.30am to 5pm
Monday to Friday
Oakleigh Service Centre
3 Atherton Road
Oakleigh, 3166
Hours: 8.45am to 5pm
Monday to Friday
Telephone Facsimile
9518 3555 9518 3444
National Relay Service
1800 555 660
mail@monash.vic.gov.au
www.monash.vic.gov.au
Language Assist
Directory
Rubbish and recycling will
be collected as normal
throughout the Christmas
and New Year period.
The Waste Transfer Station
will be:
ͫͫ Closing early (at midday) on
Fri 19 Dec and (at 2pm) on
Christmas Eve (24 Dec) and
New Year’s Eve (31 Dec).
ͫͫ Closed on the public
holidays: Christmas Day
(Thur 25 Dec), Boxing
Day (Fri 26 Dec) and New
Year’s Day (Thur 1 Jan).
Council offices
The Monash Civic Centre (Glen
Waverley) and the Oakleigh
Service Centre will be:
ͫͫ Closing early (at 4pm)
on Fri 19 Dec for a staff
Christmas party
ͫͫ Open as normal from
Mon 22 - Wed 24 Dec
ͫͫ Closed on Christmas Day,
Boxing Day and New
Year’s Day
ͫͫ Open as normal from
Mon 29 Dec - Wed 31
Dec and on Fri 2 Jan.
Monash Libraries
Monash’s five local library
branches will be:
ͫͫ Closed on Christmas Day,
Boxing Day and New
Year’s Day
ͫͫ Open from 10am-3pm on
Christmas Eve (24 Dec)
and New Year’s Eve (31
Dec)
ͫͫ Open from 9am-4pm on
Sat 27 Dec, 2pm-5pm
on Sun 28 Dec (Glen
Waverley and Clayton
only), and from 10am-
Christmas
window competition
Time is running out to vote for your favourite
Christmas-decorated shop window in Monash.
Other
languages
We welcome feedback
about the Monash Bulletin.
Please give us your
comments on 9518 3678 or at
ainslieg@monash.vic.gov.au
Businesses in Clayton,
Glen Waverley (Kingsway),
Mount Waverley
(Pinewood) and Oakleigh
are spreading Christmas
cheer by decorating their
shop fronts.
People can vote for their
favourite shop window up
until 5pm on Thursday 18
December. People who
vote will go in the draw
to win a hamper of goods
from local shops.
To vote for the best
shop window, visit
www.monash.vic.gov.
au/christmas-windowscompetition or call
9518 3577.
6pm on Mon 29 and
Tue 30 Dec. Normal
hours resume from Fri 2
January.
The Mulgrave
Neighbourhood Library will
close on 20 Dec (at midday)
and re-open on Tue 13 Jan.
Aquatic and Recreation
Centres
The Clayton Aquatics and
Health Club, Monash
Aquatic and Recreation
Centre (MARC) and Oakleigh
Recreation Centre will be
closed on Christmas Day but
open all other days, with
some reduced hours.
For more info, visit
www.monash.vic.gov.au/
services-over-christmas
or call 9518 3555.
Next Council
meeting
Council will hold its next
meeting on Tuesday 27
January 2015, from 7.30pm.
The meeting will be held
in the Council Chamber of
the Monash Civic Centre
(293 Springvale Road, Glen
Waverley).
Community members are
welcome to attend and
can submit questions in
advance for consideration at
the meeting. The meeting’s
agenda will be published
on Council’s website on
Thursday 22 January.
For more info, visit
www.monash.vic.gov.au/
meetings or call
9518 3555.
Message from Mayor Paul Klisaris
From my family to yours, Merry Christmas (or season’s greetings) to everyone. I hope you all enjoy this
festive time with your families and loved ones. My son Tari was overseas playing soccer for much of this
year, so I’m really going to savour the time we have together as a family over Christmas.
I’m keen to get out amongst our
community and find out what I can
do to help make our area even better.
Monash is a sought after place to
live, with beautiful parks, wonderful
schools, great sporting facilities, fantastic
community welfare services, and terrific
cafe precincts. However, there are
always things we can improve. With a
population that is increasing by about
1.4% per year (or 2,500 people), we
need to make sure our infrastructure
and services keep pace. Council will
need to keep investing in infrastructure
upgrades while also continuing
to advocate to State and Federal
Governments for funding assistance.
We are pleased to have the honour of
having new Victorian Premier Daniel
Andrews as a Monash resident. We
look forward to working with his
government on improvements for
Monash. First off, the government
has promised $5
million to upgrade the
transport interchange at
Huntingdale station. We
will also keep pushing for
the awful level crossing
at Clayton to be removed
sooner rather than later.
My biggest priority over
the next 12 months is
eradicating domestic
violence. Domestic
violence is a scourge
on our society. This violence against
women and children has tremendous
costs to communities, nations and
societies....for public well being and
safety, for school achievements,
productivity, law enforcement and
budgets. I operated a child care centre
for 20 years and prior to that, I was a
high school teacher. I have witnessed
first-hand the effects that domestic
violence has on children and the way it
shapes their behaviour.
I want to do all I can to teach boys at a
young age that violence against women
is unacceptable. To do this I will call on
our community and our sporting clubs
and codes to help me advocate on
behalf of the vulnerable, the ones that
live in fear, the ones that have no voice
and are impacted on a daily basis.
If you’d ever like to have a chat about
a local issue, please contact me on
9518 3509 or at paul.klisaris@monash.
vic.gov.au
Action on nature strips
From 1 February 2015, Council will have the authority to issue fines
to property owners who refuse to maintain the nature strip at the
front of their property.
The nature strip measure is included
in a new Local Law which covers many
matters to do with improving and
protecting the appearance and safety
of local neighbourhoods.
Several residents have encouraged
Council to introduce the fine system
as they feel that overgrown nature
strips spoil the appearance of
local streets. About 67% of the
approx 300 Monash residents
who participated in a recent
survey (or gave feedback via
letters, email or phone calls)
supported the introduction
of the $200 fine.
Fines will only be used as a last
resort, when the grass is higher than
30cm and the property owners have
ignored two previous Council requests
to mow the strip. People who are
not physically and financially able
to maintain the nature strip won’t
be fined and will instead receive
assistance to maintain the nature strip.
Several other local law changes will
come into effect from 1 February.
Supermarkets and other retailers with
more than 25 trolleys will be required
to put in place proactive measures
to reduce the number of abandoned
trolleys in local streets. Many residents
have told Council that something needs
to be done about the eyesore created
by abandoned trolleys. Retailers will
now be required to have one of two
systems: a coin deposit mechanism
or a perimeter constraint system that
prevents trolleys from being taken large
distances. Some Monash retailers don’t
currently have either of these systems.
Fines of $200 can also be issued for any
person who dumps a shopping trolley
in the street.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.
gov.au/local-laws or call 9518 3696.
monash bulletin
page 3
Monash wins award
Council has won a prestigious crime prevention
award for our Milk Bar Network Exchange program.
In late November, Monash Mayor Paul Klisaris was
presented with the award by the Australian Institute of
Criminology at a ceremony in Canberra.
The aim of the six-month project was to improve the
wellbeing of local milk bar operators. Milk bar operators
sometimes feel unsafe, whether it is because they have
experienced crime in the past or because they are the
only business in their area open at night. Many milk bar
operators in Monash are Chinese migrants with limited
English language skills.
As part of Council’s project, more than 30 local milk bar
operators attended meetings where they received tips
on crime prevention and other safety information from
Victoria Police, Council and community services.
Thanks to the project, milk bar operators have established
a stronger relationship with Victoria Police. They now
have the confidence to report crime and many have
introduced security measures in their businesses to
prevent being targeted.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/milk-barprogram or call 9518 3574.
New Councillor to
be elected
A new Councillor is to be elected
in Oakleigh Ward, filling the
vacancy created by Stephen
Dimopoulos’ election to State
Parliament.
Mr Dimopoulos (pictured) had served as a Monash
Councillor for more than a decade before being elected
as the Oakleigh State MP at the November state election.
In his resignation letter to Council, he said “serving on
Monash Council for almost 12 years has been one of the
best experiences of my life”.
The Councillor vacancy will be filled by holding a
countback of the 2012 Council election results. The
Victorian Electoral Commission is expected to hold this
countback on Monday 22 December. As the ballot papers
from the previous election are used, voters will not need
to vote again.
In a countback, votes for the vacating Councillor from the
last election are redistributed to unsuccessful candidates
according to the voters' preferences. A candidate who
receives more than 50% of the vote is elected.
For updates, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/councillors
or call Jarrod Doake, Executive Manager - Corporate
Administration and Customer Service, on 9518 3521.
We’re listening
Council wants to make sure we are providing our
residents with the services and support you need.
Vacancies at Brine Street
Child Care Centre
Parents of three year olds might be interested to know
that there are several vacancies for 2015 at Council’s
Brine Street Child Care Centre and Kindergarten.
The vacancies are for part-time care. This high quality
children’s service is in Hughesdale and is open
between the hours of 7am and 6pm.
If you are interested in discussing your child’s
child care needs, please call the centre on
9579 0903 (7am-6pm, Monday-Friday).
We are visiting local neighbourhoods on weekends, and
during the week, to make it easier for you to raise any local
issues with us. Please come along to any of these Council
“listening posts” and tell us how we can serve you better.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay
or call 9518 3678.
Reg Harris Reserve, Oakleigh East*
Saturday 17 January, 10.30am-12.30pm
Wheelers Hill Shopping Centre, Jells Road
Thursday 22 January, 3.30pm-6pm
Gardiners Reserve, Burwood*
Saturday 31 January, 10.30am-12.30pm
* FREE community BBQs will be held at these events.
15-storey development approved
How Do I...?
Council has approved a 15-storey development in the centre of Glen Waverley
on a site which had been identified for higher intensity residential development.
The $36 million development on the
Village Walk site (fronting O’Sullivan
Rd) will provide 267 apartments,
shops and restaurants. It will be about
nine metres higher than the centre’s
tallest building: the 10-storey Ikon
development.
Council recently adopted a structure
plan for the centre which identifies
several sites – including this one – that
are suitable for developments of 10
storeys or more. This is in keeping with
Glen Waverley’s status as a regionally
significant centre.
properties. It is also well located, close to
public transport and services.
Council determined that local streets
had capacity to meet the expected
traffic volumes generated by the
development. Given the development
is near a train station and has on-site
bike storage facilities, it is hoped that
many residents will live there ‘car free’.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.
gov.au/15-storey-development
or contact James Heitmann,
Principal Planner, on 9518 3628.
Providing additional housing
in activity centres reduces the
pressure for intensive development
in local suburban streets.
There were 23 objections to
the 15-storey development,
with people citing concerns
about building height, visual
bulk and traffic management.
However, Council believes it is a
suitable location for high density
development, as the subject site
is surrounded by commercial
properties and will result in no
direct overlooking into residential
...request parking
inspectors visit my street?
In the first few months of 2015, Council will consult widely with the
Oakleigh community about whether it should proceed with a land sale.
The Oakleigh Rotary Club holds a
popular Sunday market on the site.
There are some things you can do to
look after yourself and others during
a heatwave. The most important
things to remember are: keep cool,
drink plenty of water, stay out of
the sun, and look after yourself and
others. Never leave children or pets
in cars. Hot weather particularly
affects the elderly, the very young,
pregnant women and people with
a medical condition or disability. If
you think your neighbour might be
struggling, knock on their door or
give them a call to check they’re ok.
For more info, visit www.health.
vic.gov.au/heatwaves or call
9518 3555.
Watch this space
Council is yet to decide whether it
will go ahead with selling the land,
which is on the corner of Hanover St
and Atherton Rd. The proposal is that
developer Hanover Street Project Pty
Ltd purchase the site for $5.05 million,
and build a seven storey apartment
building with retail premises on the
ground floor.
...care for myself and others
during a heatwave?
The community has told us in recent
months how important the market is
to the culture and welfare of Oakleigh.
Council will continue to discuss
possible alternative arrangements
with the Rotary Club. Council intends
to make sure the market continues to
operate in Oakleigh even if the land
sale goes ahead.
For more info, visit www.monash.
vic.gov.au/proposed-land-sale
or call 9518 3419.
Many streets in Monash have
parking restrictions. These
restrictions were introduced
because there are strong
demands for parking, often
because there is a school,
hospital or train station nearby.
The restrictions help ensure
that residents with permits have
reasonable access to on-street
parking near their homes. Some
restrictions - such as ‘No Standing’
signs - exist to protect the safety
of the community. If people are
regularly disobeying parking signs
in your area, please let Council
know. We can organise patrols if
you call us on 9518 3555.
monash bulletin
page 5
Councillor News – Cr Brian Little
I get a lot of correspondence from
frustrated residents lamenting the
lack of power that Council seems able
to exercise to limit what they regard
as the excesses of developers. Too
many units, moon-scaped properties,
and little or no respect for the
neighbourhood seem to me to be all
too common cries. As an article in last
month’s Bulletin indicated, Monash is
currently undertaking strategic work
to identify which areas are suitable for
high growth and those which deserve
greater protection. This may lead to
stronger rules concerning development
in areas classified as low growth.
building height to two storeys.
Currently the vast majority of
Monash is designated as GRZ this was an interim step because
Council did not believe sufficient
strategic work had been done to
rezone all of Monash effectively.
areas to, for example, manage water
run-off. Monash is enormously
privileged to have not one, but three
very accessible areas of natural bush
running through its heartland.
Council is doing the investigative work
to take the housing strategy to the
next stage which will include revised
zoning and has committed to releasing
a revised plan for areas of greater
significance, such as the creek areas,
early in 2015.
P.S. If you haven’t visited Damper
Creek or Valley Reserve, go do it, you
will be amazed!
Mount Waverley Ward
Mount Waverley
Ward
North Road
Cr Katrina Nolan
Deputy Mayor
0406 274 126
Katrina.Nolan@
monash.vic.gov.au
Cr Brian Little
0407 878 033
Brian.Little@
monash.vic.gov.au
Mulgrave Ward
Cr Robert Davies
0416 000 777
Robert.Davies@
monash.vic.gov.au
Cr Micaela Drieberg
9570 4602
Micaela.Drieberg@
monash.vic.gov.au
Cr Jieh-Yung Lo
0400 235 363
Jieh-Yung.Lo@
monash.vic.gov.au
Cr Rebecca Paterson
0437 959 163
Rebecca.Paterson@
monash.vic.gov.au
Springvale Road
Oakleigh
Ward
Centre Road
Cr Geoff Lake
0411 645 281
Geoff.Lake@
monash.vic.gov.au
Highbury Road
Glen Waverley
Ward
Wa verley Road
Poa th Road
Glen Waverley Ward
Warrigal Road
Your Councillors
Blackburn Road
Councils are able to propose areas for
three residential zones: Neighbourhood
Residential (colloquially ‘no go’), General
Residential (‘slow go’) and Residential
Growth (‘go go’). NRZ is designed to
respect neighbourhood character
and typically allows councils to limit
subdivision to two units per block and
In last month’s Bulletin it was
mentioned that Council had added a
new Creek Environs category into the
Housing Strategy. Council received a
number of strong submissions to its
draft housing strategy earlier in the year,
but few compared with the submission
from the Friends of Damper Creek
and the Friends of Scotchmans Creek
and Valley Reserve (with whom I am
pictured). Their joint submission was
a comprehensive study of the creek
environs, with detailed maps that
illustrated the creek flows and argued
the importance of both protecting these
unique habitats and providing limitations
on the development of surrounding
Prin
ces
Hw
y
Mulgrave
Ward
M Wellington Road
on
as
hF
re
ew
ay
Police Rd
PLEASE ADDRESS ALL
CORRESPONDENCE TO
PO Box 1,
Glen Waverley 3150
Councillors’ faxes:
9518 3444
Oakleigh Ward
Cr Paul Klisaris
Mayor
9518 3509
Paul.Klisaris@
monash.vic.gov.au
Cr Bill Pontikis
0418 355 166
Bill.Pontikis@
monash.vic.gov.au
Cr Theo Zographos
9530 9793 or
0430 316 911
Theo.Zographos@
monash.vic.gov.au
Former Councillor
Stephen Dimopoulos
was elected to State
Parliament in late
Nov 2014, creating
a Councillor vacancy
in the Oakleigh
Ward. For more
info, see page 4.
Leaders in sustainability
Teaching people about the joys and satisfaction of
growing their own food is the philosophy behind
Monash Permaculture.
The student-run community group is based at Monash
University, with the permaculture garden and its 25
raised garden beds located on the Clayton campus and
the community farm on five acres near the university.
Volunteers (such as those pictured at right with chickpeas)
can harvest and take home fresh, healthy and locally grown
food. They can also attend sustainability workshops and
learn about garden waste and recycling.
Earlier this year, the group won the Sustainability Leader
category of the Sir John Monash Awards. Convenor James
Brooks credits the win with attracting more people to join
the sustainability program.
“The award was terrific for our group. It gave recognition to
the many people, all volunteers, who have worked hard to
get this project up and running and it also got the
word out about our group to the broader
community,” James said.
The Essex Heights Juniors Early Learning and Child Care
Centre and Mariette Toohey (founder of the Ashwood
College Permaculture Food Garden) were highly
commended in the same category of the awards. The
annual awards are organised by Council to recognise local
people and organisations who are making a difference in
our community.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/awards
or call 9518 3619.
Playspace upgrades
Preventing disease
New playspaces will be created at six parks in the first
half of 2015, with the community having been involved
in deciding what will be included.
Children can receive FREE vaccinations
at immunisation sessions run by
Council’s nurses.
The largest consultation
concerned Valley Reserve in
Mount Waverley, with more than
500 people sharing their ideas and
concerns through community gettogethers and an online forum.
The feedback from the
community regarding Valley
Reserve was that they wanted
Council: to protect and enhance
the bush, create an exciting active
play area, and improve social
opportunities for everyone.
Taking this feedback onboard, we
will focus the new play and social
areas within the existing BBQ
area and adjacent lawn clearing.
The design will provide naturebased activities; adventure
play and fitness opportunities
for people of all ages; bush
education opportunities; and
social spaces and improved
accessibility and amenity.
Playgrounds in Beverley Grove
(Mount Waverley), Brandon
Park Reserve, Jordan Reserve
(Chadstone), Marykirk Drive
(Wheelers Hill) and Wellington
Reserve (Mulgrave) will also receive
upgrades in coming months.
For more info, visit www.monash.
vic.gov.au/playspaces or contact
Council’s Recreation team on
9518 3559 or at recreation@
monash.vic.gov.au
FREE vaccinations are available for children who
have an Australian Medicare card (or are eligible
for one). The aim is to prevent diseases such as
measles, mumps, rubella and whooping cough.
Eligible adults are also able to access some FREE
vaccines. Bookings are required for evening
sessions but not for morning sessions.
To book or for more info, visit
www.monash.vic.gov.au/immunisation
Enquiries: 9518 3534.
January Session Times
Tue 6, 5.30pm-8pm Oakleigh Seminar and
(Bookings required) Training Centre
Mon 12, 10ammidday
Ashwood Hall
Monash Aquatic and
Thur 22, 5pm7.30pm
Recreation Centre
(Bookings required) (Glen Waverley)
Fri 30, 10ammidday
Oakleigh Seminar and
Training Centre
monash bulletin
page 7
WHAT’S ON
….at Monash Gallery of Art
Photography talks to painting
Runs until
1 March 2015
Australia Day
In this exhibition,
the MGA’s collection
of photographs
will “converse
with” the Wilbow
Group’s collection of
Emmanuel
Australian paintings. Jack CATO
Untitled
c.
1930
PHILLIPS FOX
The exhibition will
gelatin silver print
On the balcony
showcase artists such
c. 1912
as Margaret Preston,
Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin, Olive Cotton, John
Kauffmann and Harold Cazneaux. Don’t forget it is FREE to
visit the MGA (860 Ferntree Gully Rd, Wheelers Hill).
For more info, visit www.mga.org.au or call 8544 0500.
....at Monash libraries
Summer activities for children
Bring your kids or grandkids along to some FREE
storytime sessions including:
Summer storytime fun
Glen Waverley Library (112 Kingsway)
Saturday 10 January, from 11am. No bookings required.
Midsummer night storytime
Mulgrave Neighbourhood Library (36 Mackie Rd)
Wednesday 14 and Wednesday 21 January, from 7pm (both
days). Kids are encouraged to wear their PJs and bring their
cuddly toys. No bookings required; just turn up.
Other activities on offer as part of the
libraries’ school holiday program include:
a drama workshop with a circus theme
(ages 5-12, $3 per child), a graphic
novel workshop (ages 12-18, $3), and a
magician show (ages 5-12, $3). Bookings
are essential for these activities.
For more info, visit www.monlib.
vic.gov.au or call 9560 1655.
Celebrations
Monday 26 January, 10am-2pm
Celebrate all that is great about Australia at this
FREE event, which will include multicultural music
performances and a community BBQ. Held at the Monash
Civic Centre (293 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley), the event
will begin with a citizenship ceremony in the atrium. It will
then spill out onto the library forecourt where families can
enjoy an afternoon of interactive fun and entertainment.
Local community groups are also hosting FREE activities
across Monash for the community to enjoy over the
Australia Day long weekend.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/events
or call 9518 3636.
SAVE THE DATE....
Clayton Street
Festival
Sunday 15 February,
Midday-6pm (Main
Festival) and 5pm-9pm
(Hawkers Night Market)
More than 20,000 people
are expected to flock to
Clayton Rd for the 13th annual Clayton Street Festival.
During the day, festival goers will be able to enjoy food
and market stalls, roving entertainment and displays by
local traders and community groups. People can take
in live performances across three stages, and free kids
rides. At 4pm, there will be a street parade featuring local
school students, sports clubs and community groups.
Then from 5pm the Hawkers Night Market will open in
Haughton Rd East, featuring international foods, art &
craft stalls, and a unique program of entertainment.
For more info, visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/events
or call 9518 3636.