it's a very fair comment.. because that's exactly what will happen!!!

not to mention the violence and chaos among themselves!

that's also a fair comment!!

This thread started over a year ago to let us know what the RSL committee was planning. The proposal was for 30 units for sale in the open market - not targeted in any way. My how things have changed.

We've gone from stealing parkland for private gain, albeit to be reinvested into the RSL buildings, to a social housing proposal. Why? Because there's a government handout to be had for the building process and someone can reap a much bigger profit.

The issue about welfare dependent single mums is relevant in todays society where relationships are formed and lost in the blink of an eye. You only need to have to talk to some of the (female) drug addicts around Dickson/Clark St to realise there could be problem. Or, read that article in the press about the high level of domestic abuse in Brimbank (see police resourcing threads).

A while back, a lot of social housing opportunities were created in the Latrobe valley. Lots of single mums - as families with children get priority for housing over single men - found themselves far away from family support and in a community struggling with its own problems in the wake of job losses from privatising the SEC. The community struggled to cope with such a concentration of high needs people. The outcome has not been ideal for the mothers, the children or the community at large.

For me, the big issue is concentration of high needs, and Sunshine has so much that it teeters around breaking point all the time.

http://www.vic.liberal.org.au/People/StateLiberalMPs/WendyLovell/tabid/81/Default.aspx


that's who i'll be emailing all this juicy gossip to, hopefully she will take it up


Wendy Lovell MLC This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Wendy Lovell MLC
T: 03 5821 0055
F: 03 5831 1062
(Bendigo Ph:
03 5410 0006)
Email Wendy

Write to
138 Welsford Street
Shepparton
VIC 3630

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
(Legislative Council)
Shadow Minister for Country Victoria
Shadow Minister for Housing
Shadow Minister for Children & Early Childhood Development
Manager of Opposition Business
(Legislative Council)

Wendy Lovell was elected to the Legislative Council as a Member for North East Province in 2002. Following the reform of the upper house and the creation of new seats, she contested and won the seat of Northern Victoria Region in November 2006.

one year on wrote:
This thread started over a year ago to let us know what the RSL committee was planning. The proposal was for 30 units for sale in the open market - not targeted in any way. My how things have changed.

We've gone from stealing parkland for private gain, albeit to be reinvested into the RSL buildings, to a social housing proposal. Why? Because there's a government handout to be had for the building process and someone can reap a much bigger profit.

The issue about welfare dependent single mums is relevant in todays society where relationships are formed and lost in the blink of an eye. You only need to have to talk to some of the (female) drug addicts around Dickson/Clark St to realise there could be problem. Or, read that article in the press about the high level of domestic abuse in Brimbank (see police resourcing threads).

A while back, a lot of social housing opportunities were created in the Latrobe valley. Lots of single mums - as families with children get priority for housing over single men - found themselves far away from family support and in a community struggling with its own problems in the wake of job losses from privatising the SEC. The community struggled to cope with such a concentration of high needs people. The outcome has not been ideal for the mothers, the children or the community at large.

For me, the big issue is concentration of high needs, and Sunshine has so much that it teeters around breaking point all the time.

Council at its consultations over the past years has been expressing concerns about the very high proportions of single mums and health care card holders in the Sunshine Albion area and the rising trend lines. Its own data wass being used to show the problem.

Why is the Council not having conversations with the community about these important social issues as they have a major bearing on how we plan to develop our community?

And why is Brimbank Council sitting on its hands on the social housing issues and rolling with the policy directions?? Surely they can see the longer term issues they and our community are going to face as larger and larger numbers of high needs families are dumped in our suburbs?

Where is the advocacy from Brimbank Council to the state and federal governments saying we want to break the cycles of disadvantage not worsen them?


The Local Government Act requires that of Brimbank Council - to represent its community in the hard times as well as the good times. Why do we pay them when we dont get the advocacy we need?

'Why is the Council not having conversations with the community' hahaha

it's been their agenda to push someone else agenda.. obviously not the communities..
we pay our taxes and rates regardless, right?

council??? you mean the unelected administrators hmmm.
we'll see next week what they think!

it could be seen as convenient for labor to get through some mass social housing before the elections??

For what it's worth emailed as follows.



from Bingo Mion < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it >
to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
date Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 10:20 AM
subject Sunshine RSL housing proposal
mailed-by gmail.com


Dear Ms Wendy Lovell MLC.

My name is Bingo Mion, I live in Albion (very close to Sunshine and St Albans).
I would like to express my concerns to you over the proposed RLS housing proposal in the hope that you can debate the issue with the planning minister.

I'd like to raise the following points:

Putting 30, 2 bedroom, social housing units onto the same site as a bar and gaming machines,
with less car parking when there is already insufficient , I see as a social disaster.

The occupants will be high needs, single women (Corrections Housing) and women with children.
And the thought of the venerable women on a site with alcohol and gambling would be a bad start for anyone, let alone the increased risk of assault from intoxicated patrons.

This situation is neither pleasant nor a safe 'working, living and recreational environment' as detailed by the Planning and Environment Act 1987 - SECT 4 1 Objectives.

I see the effects of social housing units on Ridley St units in Albion which made the front page of local papers recently. http://www.the-advocate.com.au/news/local/news/general/brimbanks-worst-albions-ridley-street/1585315.aspx


I understand the need for social housing and grateful for it, as I have been the recipient of this service.
However I don't understand the mentality of creating mass density of 'high needs' dwellings?

Also, I've noticed that Sunshine appears to be heavily invested into providing new, high density, social housing.
I would like to know how proportional is our current and projected social housing compared to other areas in Melbourne?

I get the feeling that sunshine is currently over burdened with 'high needs' groups and is lacking the proper social infrastructure (eg medicare) and is worsening by suggestions of removing open space ( errington & sunvale) .

Here are media links in case your not familiar with this issue: http://brimbank-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/state-sunshine-estate-row-starts/ http://www.the-advocate.com.au/news/local/news/general/houses-pokies-dont-fit/1678916.aspx http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/82433

I look forward to your reply.

Kind Regards
BM

In Mallacoota the residents groups have taken Madden to the Supreme court on his over ruling on the Bastion Point planning disaster. http://savebastionpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/final-bastion-point-legal-action-mr-friends-of-mallacoota.pdf

One of the strong points in the case is that Madden has ignored reports and recommendations from not only outside expert groups but his own internal panel of experts.

Madden is out of control people. He must have rabies or something to be ripping Victoria to shreds like he is, either that or someone has something over him.

If he approves this RSL disaster waiting to happen we have to take it the supreme court. Start thinking of fund raising ideas.

I would like to know who the Director of the Department of Housing is. Wynne's boy.

He is obviously a fool.

Does anybody know what his name is, this fool?

I would like to write him and tell him that he's a fool.

An unreconstructed fool.

Not only but also wrote:
I would like to know who the Director of the Department of Housing is. Wynne's boy.

He is obviously a fool.

Does anybody know what his name is, this fool?

I would like to write him and tell him that he's a fool.

An unreconstructed fool.

I agree. A 100%, A-grade, rolled gold fool.

Seeing as the Maribyrnong Council is against building new yet previously discredited social housing enclaves and the Sunshine community thinks likewise why not form an Anti Enclaves Alliance.

I wouldnt mind betting that Frankston and Dandenong and many other social dumping grounds would soon join up too.

where do i sign up?

Brimbank Council Website has a VERY nifty little statistical tool which may answer some of our questions. At least to the extent that the Australian Bureau of Statistics collects data with the census - latest data available is 2006 census year.

I've pulled a report on income and housing stats which includes rents paid to government, presumably, government housing or defence forces housing. This does not disclose who OWNS the premises because the government or housing trust may be renting and then reletting to their tenants.

The tool lets you select comparison areas of western region or melbourne district for big picture comparison. I daresay each council will have data specific to their LGA.

The ABS site has a recent publication on incomes with, if memory serves, 53% of single parent families are living in poverty.

This information has been there for officers to present to political decision makers for yonks, and I bet, the decision makers have consistently ignored the facts for their political comfort.

How does an alliance between Maribyrnong Council and the Sunshine community sound?

What is the common ground??

No social housing enclaves! More integrated small scale social housing if it is needed. Show us the evidence that it is needed.

No more of the failed 60,s public housing experiments. No more of the towers like those in Ballarat Rd, South Rd and Churchill Ave that were all been torn down because of the extent of the social issues within them and in the surrounding neighbourhood.

Western Alliance wrote:
How does an alliance between Maribyrnong Council and the Sunshine community sound?


It sounds like pie in the sky thinking. Maribyrnong Council is ALP. They aren't going to join forces with us.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/20/2749303.htm

In Victoria, a total fire ban is in place as State Emergency Service (SES) crews prepare to work well into the night to clean up damage caused by wild winds this afternoon.

Eltham, Healesville, Broadmeadows, Sunshine, Croydon and Nunawading have been the worst hit.

Jeff Cartwright from the SES says a building in Sunshine North has been badly damaged.

"There has been one significant building damaged at Brimbank where a premises had its roof removed and has been condemned by council which will require some assistance from DHS with the occupants there," he said.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/letters/needle-exchange-critical-to-safety-20091119-iot8.html

Lessons not learnt

THE RSL has applied to build a 30-unit social housing development on its Sunshine site. This is in addition to a 170-unit high-rise development nearby. There has been no community consultation, no council input, no opportunity to appeal to VCAT, and virtually no notification of what is being proposed.

We are all in favour of social housing, but to revert to this type of development is to repeat the mistakes made when high-rises were built in Flemington, Kensington and Collingwood. It just breeds more social problems that Sunshine isn't equipped to handle.

Worse still is that the RSL site is proposed to be for women recently released from prison and at-risk women and children, among others. Who would propose a development for women who have been exposed to violent relationships, often alcohol-fuelled or as the result of gambling, next to a licensed poker machine venue?

Planning Minister Justin Madden can stop this project. Unfortunately, his record in handling any issue in Brimbank to the benefit of the community has been pathetic.

Mark Carroll, Sunshine

http://www.theage.com.au/national/letters/are-melburnians-getting-ripped-off-20091120-iqse.html

Long-term housing

IN RESPONSE to Mark Carroll (Letters, 20/11), the Women's Housing Limited has applied to build a 30-unit housing development on land presently owned by the RSL in Sunshine. The accommodation will be for couples, families and women with children who already live in the Sunshine area. It will be for long-term residents and not used for transitional or crisis accommodation. The RSL prides itself in being involved with the community. Local residents have nothing to fear.

David McLachlan, state president, RSL Victorian branch, Melbourne

More front than a barn door wrote:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/letters/are-melburnians-getting-ripped-off-20091120-iqse.html

The RSL prides itself in being involved with the community. Local residents have nothing to fear.

David McLachlan, state president, RSL Victorian branch, Melbourne


Why not pull the other, Jock?
It whistles Dixie 'round the clock.
You're the one that's in the dock -
it's your head for the chopping block.

http://respectthewest.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/unfair-victoria-disadvantaged-communities-join-forces-and-fight-back/

The Labor Governments have decided to flood disadvantaged communities with social housing, all to be built in medium to high density enclaves.

Residents from the North, Outer East, South East, South West and Western Suburbs are all fighting to stop their already disadvantaged suburbs being flooded with transitional social housing that will guarantee a future of inter-generational disadvantage.

Unfair Victoria: A Community Fighting Back

Date: Sunday, February 14, 2010
Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Location: Footscray Gardens

http://www.unfairvictoria.com (coming soon)