James Conlan | Politician
James Conlan
Phone: +61 409 279 335
Reviews
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25.01.2022 OMG provisional results suggest I've been elected to South Ward!!! I'm so excited, amazed, surprised and cannot wait to be part of council. Official results will be confirmed around 2pm xxxx
25.01.2022 How disgusting - the state government brutally cut down a 350 year old sacred tree near the Djab Wurrung embassy. Police have been trying to clear out protesters at the camp who have bravely occupied the site for over a year. This is the government that wants a Treaty with First Nations people but this is how it treats them and Country. Shame.
24.01.2022 It's no surprise that Victoria's planning system is broken, as it's written by the major parties who take huge donations from developers. Only the Greens have the independence and courage to overhaul the planning system. If elected, I'll work with Samantha Ratnam - Leader of the Victorian Greens to put power back into the hands of locals, not big developers. At this council election, vote for the Moreland Greens for planning reform.
19.01.2022 This is a year old but still relevant https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=469931150221024
18.01.2022 Here's an article in The Age covering Council's decision to refuse demolition of 65 The Grove Coburg. It comes as the State Govt introduced legislation to parliament this week strengthening the state's heritage laws. Council's decision was carried by the four Greens, Cr Bolton (Socialist Alliance), and Cr Davidson (Indep). "Moreland Council has refused a succession of applications to demolish the derelict house over 20 years, arguing the protected property in Coburg should b...e restored because it contributes to a local heritage precinct. Cr Conlan described the case as demolition by neglect and said councillors did not want to encourage allowing heritage to fall into disrepair. We were very, very conscious of not wanting to create a precedent in Moreland, Cr Conlan said. https://www.theage.com.au//council-refuses-demolition-of-d
17.01.2022 Great news! Good to see this awful practice where it belongs - the dustbin of history.
16.01.2022 Please spare 30 seconds to call Dan Andrews office and voice your concerns about police arresting peaceful protesters at the Djab Wurrung Embassy call Andrews' office: (03) 9651 5000 - email relevant ministers: melbournefoe.org.au/stop_work_now... - donate to the camp's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-towards-djap-wurrung-emb
16.01.2022 This morning I was interviewed on ABC News Radio by Sammy J about Council's decision to refuse demolition of 65 The Grove, Coburg. Here's a snippet of the recording. If I had more time I would've mentioned that the reason councils find themselves in these difficult situations is because you can drive trucks through the loopholes in our heritage laws which reward demolition by neglect. Planning Minister Richard Wynne MP had the opportunity to tighten the state's heritage law...s through new legislation last week. This includes a ban on developers from building on their site for 10 years if they illegally demolish. Does this go far enough? We know developers are more than happy to wait out those time frames. I'd like to see severe financial penalties and clear disincentives for doing the wrong thing, like bans on building one storey above the original height, the requirement to create a public park, or total reconstruction (where appropriate). Our city should not be a developer's playground. We need robust planning and heritage laws to ensure the places we love are not willfully destroyed.
08.01.2022 Incredible news! Minister Wynne has just blocked AGL's attempt to build a gas import terminal at Westernport Bay, right in the middle of an internationally significant Ramsar wetland. This is the result of an incredible community campaign which successfully pressured the Minister to make the right call. Well done to everyone involved in the campaign https://www.theage.com.au//victorian-government-blocks-agl
06.01.2022 Please sign the petition urging state MPs to vote to end gay conversion therapy. This awful and damaging practice needs to be put into the dustbin of history, where it belongs. https://equalityaustralia.org.au/upperhousevic/
06.01.2022 How do we solve the climate and equity crises? Simple. Tax the hell out of the super rich. https://www.theage.com.au//greens-target-super-rich-with-4
04.01.2022 Report back from last week's Council meeting. The good - Council will soon begin consultation to transform Carlisle Street, Coburg into a tree-lined, pedestrian and cycling corridor (image below shows what it could look like, drawn by locals who pushed for this) ... - First Nations justice - Council committed to hosting a regular survival day ceremony on 26 Jan each year, as well as flying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at half mast on this painful day. Work continues to build the case for an Indigenous Community Hub at Ballerrt Mooroop - a dangerous intersection at Newlands and McMahons Rd Coburg will be removed and replaced with traffic lights, thanks to a Commonwealth grant - Council agreed to advocate for the construction of noise walls for Fawkner residents whose rights to privacy and sleep have been ignored by the state government's M80 freeway upgrade project. The bad - Officers proposed a 'corporate sponsorship' policy that would expand and codify officers' ability to seek money from private companies in exchange for Council promoting those companies at events/festivals. We had major concerns about this policy, especially it's potential to create unhealthy relationships between government officials and corporations. At the state and federal level, the Greens are fighting the corrupting influence of vested interests and donations on the political process and parties. I'm very concerned about a policy which explicitly encourages these relationships at the local level, as we've seen the disastrous influence that developers have had over councils like Casey. The policy was passed by all councillors except the Greens and Cr Bolton.
04.01.2022 Today is Trans Day of Visibility, where we show solidarity with the trans and gender diverse community, recognising their struggle is ongoing. We have lots of work to do to reverse the oppression, discrimination and violence experienced by our trans commrades. In solidarity.
03.01.2022 Snap anti-racism rally today to stand against racism in Moreland. Last week a neo-Nazi group painted a huge 'Hitler' sign on the Upfield Shared Path - right in the middle of tolerant, diverse Brunswick. Let's send a message to neo-Nazis that Moreland has no room for racism and hatred. Meet at 3:30pm at Bulleke-Bek Park, Brunswick.
03.01.2022 Have you noticed the 100s of kilometres of separated bike lanes that City of Melbourne has built over the last few months? Would you like some of this in Moreland? These bike lanes have been delivered through a formal partnership between City of Melbourne and the state government, allowing council to fast-track approvals and just get things done. The Moreland Greens have got two bike-related motions for tomorrow night's council meeting. One calls for a formal partnership to... be established between Moreland's Mayor and State Transport Minister Ben Carroll MP, replicating the successful Melbourne Council-state government relationship. The second motion calls on Moreland Council to start feasibility work for separated bike lanes on Glenlyon Rd/Dawson Street (Brunswick Secondary College to Nicholson Street), and along Harding/Munro Street, Coburg. These routes would create much-needed, safe east-west routes for people who ride. But they'll need state government funding. Getting them shovel ready will drastically improve their chances of securing funding. Ultimately, building new bike lanes is going to cost money from the state government. The best way to increase our chances of receiving funding is to have as many 'shovel-ready' projects in the pipeline early. Did you know that, despite the huge numbers of people who ride bikes in Moreland, the municipality has only one on-road protected bike lane (O'Hea St Pascoe Vale)? Let's fix this by getting to work now.
