Unveiling its advocacy priorities for the upcoming Victorian state election, Council has vowed to ensure residents’ voices are heard by the candidates for Bentleigh, Caulfield and Oakleigh and key frontbenchers, in the lead up to election day on 26 November.

Featuring in its asks for local candidates of all political parties are priorities that seek to improve community assets and infrastructure, develop new open space, support urgent and tangible climate action, and improve the transport network.

Glen Eira Mayor Cr Jim Magee said Council has a strong understanding of the needs and interests of the Glen Eira community.

“At the state election, Glen Eira residents have the opportunity to make their voices heard and ensure their priorities are taken into account by the next Victorian Government,” Cr Magee said.

“The priorities we’re advocating for are the projects that residents have told us are important to them, and the policies that they want to see changed.

“They’re projects that we’re ready to deliver, but we need to partner with the Victorian Government to fund.”

As well as a raft of evidence-based policy proposals, Council has called for action to get shovel-ready local projects moving, including:

• $10 million to help get the redevelopment of Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool — a community icon — underway;
• $1.75 million to improve pedestrian access, traffic management, parking and pedestrian crossings around Caulfield Station; and
• $4 million to improve road safety around Coatesville Primary School.

With the least open space per person of any municipality in Melbourne — just 1.3 hectares per 1,000 residents — open space features heavily in Glen Eira’s election asks, including calls for:

• a reliable funding stream to create new open space at Caulfield Racecourse Reserve under the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Land Management Plan; and
• a total of $7.2 million to create new open space in Bentleigh East and Carnegie and break ground on an upgrade of the Boyd Park playground in Murrumbeena.

The municipality in Melbourne’s inner south has a track record of successfully advocating for the community, having secured $17 million of commitments from the new Federal Labor Government in May this year.

With just over three months until residents go to the polls, Glen Eira will soon be launching a major campaign to get the community involved in its election advocacy.

For more information on specific community priorities, visit: gleneira.vic.gov.au/state-election