By Allon Leeand Ruza Zivkusic
A NEW crosscommunity group aims to sweep out a majority of Brimbank councillors at next month’s local government elections.
On Sunday night about 60 people launched the “Rescue Brimbank Together” campaign at a fundraiser in Deer Park.
The group has developed policies, will recruit election candidates and plans to hold rallies to raise its profile.
“We are a bunch of different groups who have come together because we don’t like the way Brimbank is being governed and we have to do something about it,” spokesperson Irene Shand told Star.
Members from the St Albans Traders Association, the Sunshine Residents and Ratepayers Association and the Cairnlea Residents Association were at the launch.
A former City of Sunshine councillor, Ms Shand said the current council has been an “unmitigated disaster”.
Brimbank’s malaise stems from councillors willingly abrogating their authority and responsibility to the council officers, she said.
“Councillors are elected to mitigate between what the legislative framework says and what the community can accept or will accept.
“But we have councillors who either don’t know the issues or who try to intimidate the residents by baffling them with bull…. and legislation,” Ms Shand said.
Rescue Brimbank has developed a series of policies and vision statements for the benefit of the community.
“If you have a graffiti management policy, what are your associated policies on leisure and economic development? How do you bring together educational establishments and other communitybuilding activities?
“At the moment this council’s policies do not interlock, so almost every event is a separate event and none of them are connected,” Ms Shand said.
Councillors’ poor decision making included the Sunshine Pool redevelopment, the ban on shopping bags on community buses, exorbitant fees for inferior services compared to the rest of Melbourne, and the Matthews Hill drainage scheme, she said.
Ms Shand said Rescue Brimbank is looking for “good quality, communityminded people who will join the group and be part of the rescue attempt”.
Candidate selection for the 26 November election is in a couple of weeks.
Sunshine Residents and Ratepayers Association (SunRRA) president John Girardi said he supported the campaign but SunRRA was not formally involved.
“Rescue Brimbank candidates must understand the importance of being independent,” Mr Girardi said.
“Part of this council’s problem is that it is all Labor and sometimes there are issues a council must fight for that will bring it into conflict with the state government.”
Save Community Pool Action Group spokesperson John Hedditch said Rescue Brimbank will “hopefully offer a banner for groups of all persuasions, including Greens, Labor or Liberals who are significantly concerned at the way this city is heading”.
Group member Robert Mammarella said the group would support candidates who have integrity, who are honest and who are committed to Brimbank.
“We will not be supporting people who are supporting political MPs,” Mr Mammarella said.
“The reality is that this is a local government election – the state MPs should worry about their own election in the State Government.”
St Albans Business Group president Sebastian Agricola said residents are entitled to transparency.
“This council with their leadership team has been totally oblique,” Mr Agricola said.
“We don’t know what decisions are made, we just know what’s coming out at the other end and it’s inconsistent.
“Mayor, your time is up, simple. It’s time to go, you’ve had your shot, it’s been a disaster, it’s the worst mayoralty that I can even remember.”
Ms Shand said if Rescue Brimbank Together does not succeed, she might move.
“I really don’t think I will want to continue to live in this city. Being here for close to 30 years, it’s a grim realisation that the state nation is bad,” she said.
Brimbank mayor Natalie Suleyman said she had not heard of Rescue Brimbank Together but was not surprised by the group’s existence.
“It’s democracy and everybody can run,” Cr Suleyman said.
“I think on 26 November the people of Brimbank will decide. Five or six weeks to council election to come up with their policies I think is pretty immature, especially the record of these political groups.
“You can call yourself whatever you want. At the end of the day there will be a surprise because the people of Brimbank care, they understand the system, they understand the issues.”
Rescue Brimbank Together will hold its first public rally today outside the Brimbank Council building in Sunshine.
The candidate information session will be held at Brimbank City Council offices in Sunshine on 19 October.
