melvilleclimateemergency-blog

[melvilleclimateemergency-blog]

Full responses of Melville Candidates

I asked candidates for Melville Mayor and Councilor the following 2 questions:

1) Do you accept that human-induced climate change is a major threat to the world's ecosystems and to human society?

2) Do you support the declaration of a climate emergency by the City of Melville?

When sufficient contact details were provided I attempted to contact candidates by email (at least twice), by SMS, phone call and phone message over 1 week.

Their full responses are below. Responses are listed in the order that I received them. I am publishing these based on the assumption that candidates would want their full responses made public - so that any subtleties to their response are not glossed over. However, if any candidates want their responses removed from this page, they should contact me and I will do so immediately.

In the case of Patricia Phelan, her rating is based on her lack of response as well as several public comments and statements she has made - particularly on Facebook.

SEAN AYRES:

“ Dear Andrew Thank you for your email and I appreciate your passion for the environment. I've done research on our current position and I think Melville already has a very clear policy of acknowledging climate change and reducing its own impact (www.melvillecity.com.au/waste-and-environment/environmental-sustainability/climate-change). The City is signed up to the Planet Footprint Environmental Scorekeeping Service to track greenhouse emissions. We are also one of only 4 local governments in WA signed up to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (https://www.melvillecity.com.au/waste-and-environment/environmental-sustainability/melville-s-emissions). The City is gradually reducing its footprint through renewable energy installations and reducing power use. Advice to Melville residents to reduce their impact is also easily available. The City of Melville is also leading the way in sustainability, with the Urban Forest strategy, a responsible system of waste management after recently changing to FOGO bins, and runs many environmental restoration programs. With such a strong existing plan, I'm satisfied with the City's approach and its efforts to make real change. Kind regards Sean Ayres

I acknowledge that climate change is a real threat and believe that the City of Melville has a role to play in the effort of reducing emissions globally. I disagree that a declaration of a climate emergency is necessarily the best way to act on this issue. I'm keen to hear proposals that will improve Melville moving forward and hope you stay in touch with council in the future. Kind regards Sean Ayres ”

GAVIN WAUGH:

“Hi Andrew

Thank You for taking the time to contact me

Yes and yes

f I get elected I will be expecting you to be knocking on my door with practical ideas capable of being implemented by Local Government.I do have my own environmental improvement ideas but there is always room for improvement so trading ideas may help us both.I look forward to meeting you after the election.Best wishes in your quest.

Gavin WaughBull Creek  Leeming WardCity of Melville”

KATY MAIR:

“ Hi Andrew My reply is yes to both questions? Best wishes “

GEORGE GEAR:

“ Hi Andrew, This is an easy one - yes and yes. Regards, George “

ADAM HEWBER:

“Dear AndrewI believe that a good councillor and a good council, will put the community first in all its deliberation. The three R’s ( Rates, Roads, and Rubbish) , are important, and community and road safety must be high on the agenda, but nothing is as important as embracing the challenges of dealing with a rapidly changing environment that can be expected to increase the occurrence and severity of weather events.The Melville City is relatively fortunate to be far enough away from the coast, and yet close enough to have the benefit of a sea breeze in the summer heat. Previous Melville City councils have done a reasonable job in the past to protect our foreshores, open spaces and parklands for the future.  This must continue, and where possible new and innovative ideas must now be employed to replace some of the trees that are removed when infill projects are planned. The time has come where innovative ideas could produce roof top gardens, urban forest and wildlife corridors. If the best currently available science is used, our city could continue to be recognised as one of the most progressive cities in Australia, as has occurred in the past.Now in answer to your question.1) Do you accept that human-induced climate change is a major threat to the world's ecosystems and to human society?Answer: Yes, I do. There needs to be a real effort to reduce burning coal and gas for energy consumption. The transition to Solar power is a slow process, however I believe clean energy is the future.  2) Do you support the declaration of a climate emergency by the City of Melville?Answer: Yes, I do. I believe that the city should not only declare a climate emergency, but also plan how the city can achieve a mission neutral state by 2025.I hope you will agree with some of my statements. If you can assist in promoting these ideas and help in any way, I would greatly appreciate it.Kind regards“

TOMAS FITZGERALD

“ Hi Andrew, Thanks for this message, and the opportunity to respond. 1) Do you accept that human-induced climate change is a major threat to the world's ecosystems and to human society? Yes, I accept the consistent and rigorous scientific evidence that human activity is changing the climate, rapidly, in a way that represents a clear threat to a sustainable environment. 2) Do you support the declaration of a climate emergency by the City of Melville? I would support such a declaration if it came with real, concrete action to reduce carbon emissions in the city. I would not support such a declaration if it was merely a rhetorical device that papers over the status quo. To be clear, we are facing a climate emergency. We need to elect councillors who accept the facts on this, and who will act accordingly. I will be focused on taking action. Thank you for getting in contact, and in particular thanks for the link to www.caceonline.org, which sets out what steps councils can take to reduce their carbon emissions after making such a declaration. I will read that with great interest. Yours sincerely, Tomas Fitzgerald “

JILLIAN HORTON

“ Hi Andrew, Thank you for your email. I am running for the ward of Bateman,  Kardinya and Murdoch in the soon Council elections. I do believe the science is clear, that we are in human made climate change which is threatening plants, animals and humans, plus the ecosystems we all live in. If I  am elected I want to bring a strong focus to council on ways the city of Melville can reduce emissions and help the environment.  I would support a declaration of a climate emergency and actions to help mitigate it. Kind regards, Dr. Jillian Horton Candidate for Bateman, Kardinya and Murdoch. “

GARY CRAWFORD

"Good morning Andrew,

While I freely acknowledge the importance of the environmental issue  I have had considerable experience of the operation of the Melville council over the past 6/ 8 years and in particular how Silcox ( together with the substantial support of the vast majority of his management team ) and the Aubrey cabal created an illusion of being a responsible local govt authority while running their own agenda  -  this City has suffered from being run in a feudal manner by a punitive duopoly.This council over the past 2 years has had the most complaints to the Local Govt standards panel  -  the over whelming majority of those complaints directed against our independent councillors.Is the metro council with the most complaints in a 3 year period registered with the Dept of Local Govt   -  and had over 900 service complaints ( from residents / ratepayers ) registered thru its own system.I suspect you are too young to have much knowledge of WA Inc  -  I was one of the players that helped reveal to the WA community what had been going on.Be it on a somewhat smaller scale we have a repeat here in Melville  -  hence my dubbing our situation as Melville Inc.So Andrew, I can to report that our Melville council is a very long way from being honest, open and transparent but they have shown themselves to be very capable of strong punitive action against ratepayers who have dared speak out.For the last 4 years I have been campaigning for an open public inquiry into Melville  -  it is now history that we got nothing of the sort  -  we got a sham of  Department  ‘ authorised ‘ inquiry  -  I came away from my April 2018 meeting with the 2 authorised inquiry officers with a longer list of what they were NOT going to investigate than what they were.Thank you for responding and in turn later today I will look at your petition.

Kind regards,Gary Crawford  “

DANTE GIACOMIN

“ Hi Andrew Thank you for your e-mail. I can tell you are very passionate about the topic. With regards to question 1 I believe natural climate change is also at play. I don't believe anything we do will stop that so we are going to have to find ways to adapt to minimise the effects. I don't support the Council declaring a climate emergency.  Australians have already done a lot of heavy lifting and incurred extra expense in the process. When I moved to Perth thirty years ago petrol contained lead and Western Australia had the oldest vehicle fleet in the country.  When I wiped the inside of my car window at the end of the week there was a black film and I had been breathing in that pollution all week. There was no recycling bins and everything went to the tip. WA now has a very new fuel efficient fleet. My 4 year old car is very efficient and when I wipe the inside of my window it is clean. Very little goes into my general rubbish bin and I have a full recycling bin each week. Those are just two things that have changed in my micro climate. The world's biggest polluter, the USA, has withdrawn from the Paris treaty and the five countries responsible for most of the plastic going into the oceans are all north of Australia. We should be putting pressure on those countries to adopt measures to cut down on pollution. It is the turn of the populations of those countries to make serious changes. I support any measure to make that happen. Kind regards Dante Giacomin RN CMHNCandidate for Bull Creek Leeming ward “

MARGARET SANDFORD

“ Yes and Yes.What concrete actions do you expect City of Melville to take? Regards,                                                                          Margaret Sandford “

GLYNIS BARBER

“ Hi Andrew,It is without doubt that human-induced climate change is a threat to our Earth. I advocate to be a good role model concerning reducing waste, reducing or eliminating plastic and reducing my carbon footprint. As a teacher - I know the threat of climate change is at the forefront of my students thoughts. And we owe it to the next generation to be actively involved in reducing climate change and protecting our precious ecosystems. If elected by the residents of Bicton, Attadale & Alfred Cove, I will support our Melville Council in their efforts to  educate the community on the effects of climate change. I will actively promote this. Kind regardsGlynis Barber “

JAMES BYRNES

“Hi Andrew,As discussed suggest also organise to meet with candidates Gary Crawford and Margaret Sandford.I am still waiting for Marie Curtis contact details, she is local to you in leeming and will forward once I have them.Looking again at fremantle as an example, they formed a Fremantle Youth Network  - a group of 15 or so and a petition was not required.Kind regardsJames“

PETER BEST

“Yes And Yes“

MATTHEW WOODALL

“ Hi Andrew, Apologies I thought I had responded to this but perhaps my answer was a little unclear. 1. Yes, I accept that human-induced climate change is a major threat to the world's ecosystems and to human society. 2. At this stage I do not support the declaration of a 'climate emergency' by the City of Melville, however I will continue to push for the City of Melville, and its residents and ratepayers, to take practical and effective steps to reduce our impact on the environment. Kind regards, Matt Woodall “

TIM BARLING

“ Hi Corey,Thanks for following up. Been following the science, the political debate 😑and a climate change activist since before the Montreal Protocol so yes to both!Warm Regards,Tim”

TONY STOKES

“ Hi Andrew, I honestly missed your email. Absolutely YES to both questions. Quite a lot that Melville Council has done already is conducive to your beliefs, I would imagine. Roll-ON Renewables. Kind Regards, Tony Stokes (BKM Ward). “

JOHN WATTERS

“ Thanks for the email Andrew. The delayed response has been due to me needing to find out more on Question 2, particularly from speaking with one of the Councils who have done so. In regards to the responses to your questions; 1. I do accept. 2. I can apply a level of 'in principle' support, but can't fully commit at this stage. I need to be more informed on the actions required around this. I appreciated the link, but it did not complete my understanding. I would be interested to know the views of the 6 Councillors who are currently not up for election from 2017 (4 year terms) given their more privileged access to the inner workings of council which is not readily available to candidates.   I trust this assists. Regards John “

JENNIFER SPANBROEK

“Good Morning Andrew

I apologise profusely for emailing you so very late.Bull Creek and Leeming have been under-represented for a number of years now and this lack of representation is what incited me to run for council.The many residents I have spoken to have a number of concerns and my priority, if I am successful, is to give them a voice and assist as much as possible.The most pressing concerns are closer to home with regard to many local issues that are affecting them now eg traffic on Farrington Road, construction of Roe 8/9, safer and secure neighbourhoods, urban infilling, protection of open spaces, no urban development of Melville Glades Golf Club.I have also been actively involved in Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) for City of Melville as a committee member and event co-ordinator for nearly 5 years. In this capacity there are also many concerns that are put forward to me and I would like to do a lot more for the community in this regard.I am also very strong on the need to assist our seniors with improved connections and social groups. The better we are all connected the more quickly we become aware of everyone and everything around us.  I am co-ordinating two events for NHW next week, details as follows:Wednesday 2 October, 2019Bull Creek Shopping CentreNHW Information Session10am – 1pmSunday 6 October, 2019Farrington Fayre Shopping CentreNHW Information Session (Bob Taddeo will be helping)10am – 2pmPlease come down and see us. I would like to meet you and any of your supporters. We will have quite a bit of information that you may also be interested in.Bull Creek Community Centre (back of the Bull Creek Library) are holding a coffee, chat morning for anyone wishing to attend on Friday 4 October, 2019 from 9:30am. This is a part of the Chorus Community and I will be there as well to enjoy a cuppa with anyone in attendance. Let’s get connected. Hope you can make it.Thank you for your interest in emailing me and hope to see you soon.

Kind RegardsJennifer Spanbroek”

NICK PAZOLLI

“ Dear Mr Carruthers, As agreed in our phone conversation, I provide the following responses to your questions on the basis that all my comments are published in any communications with your petitioners. I take as given that your claims in your email as to your intent and petition numbers are true and not false statements. Also you have committed to providing me with access &/or a copy of all correspondence / comments you may release to your petitioners as a result of your questions. Question 1: My personal belief is that, on the balance of probabilities, the current science supports the view that human-induced climate change is a threat to human society. I am not in a position to state with any certainty as to whether the extent of that threat is properly classified as “major” and what is defined by your statement of “world’s ecosystems”. Question 2: No Councillor or Councillor candidate can give unequivocal support for the declaration of a climate emergency in the City of Melville or any other issue for that matter. To do so ahead of the presentation of a report and motions to the Council would require such a Councillor to declare a conflict of interest under the Local Government Act and possibly having to abstain from debating and voting on such motions on the basis that the Councillor has a pre-determined, publicly declared, position or bias on the issue. If I am elected and a report / motion comes before Council on the declaration of a climate emergency, then I will give such a report / motion the proper consideration at that time, without any pre-determined position or bias. In addition to the above responses, I must also express my disappointment in your expressed disinterest in any of the many major issues that have impacted the citizens of the City of Melville over the past decade including: - Building of a wave park (now cancelled) that would have resulted in an environmentally damaging, semi-industrial installation on our precious foreshore.- Excessive building heights and dwelling densities for developments in Canning Bridge resulting in significant traffic congestion & environmental impacts.- City of Melville land speculation activities putting ratepayers’ funds at risk.- Lack of effective community consultation on major projects and community issues.- The need for stronger political leadership on Council. You and your petitioners as citizens of the City have a responsibility to take a broad citizens’ view of the issues that impact our community and to exercise their democratic rights to make an informed vote. Regards Nick Pazolli “

RUSSELL AUBREY

“Andrew,

Thank you for your email which I have just received because it was sent to my private email. In such matters, when requested to respond to petitions, I cannot respond as MAyor of the City of Melville without the endorsement of the council.

As a resident of the city you may choose to put your petition to the city for endorsement using the appropriate format.

If you wish to seek assistance in doing this please feel free to make an appointment for me to assist you to start the process.

Best wishes

Russell”

ANN ROBERTS

“Hi Andrew

It is great that you are so passionate and active regarding campaigning for climate change awareness. In the meantime we can keep greening the suburbs, increasing the urban canopy, provide bike-friendly lanes, provide local area transport using electric vehicles and encourage recycling etc. What actions would you consider to be of benefit in tackling climate change at a local government level?

Hi again. I will get to petition today after work as haven’t had access to pc and email. I was thinking too about City of Melville installing more pv solar panels too although WA news is reporting our electricity grid soon will be unable to support increasing generation of electricity from solar panels. My home has both solar pv panels and solar hot water (my husband was an engineer with a solar hot water company.

Cheers

Ann”