Family Fun Day

Come and join the Ardeer and Sunshine West Community and show your support for putting the powerlines underground. Sunday 7th November 1pm, Ardeer Community Park, Forrest St. Click here for more information.

3.11.10

Sunshine Kealba Quarry - Barro Group plans for a tip

While Brimbank Council have rejected Barro’s application to turn a large section of the quarry into a tip for building waste, Barro have now appealed this decision to VCAT (the Victorian appeals tribunal).
Barro want a tip that will take up to 80 years to fill and there is no guarantee that it won’t be used to dispose of contaminated materials such as batteries, or asbestos, because the EPA can’t and won’t monitor the tipping often enough.
There is no guarantee that contaminants will not leach into the river valley, or that further erosion of the escarpment won’t occur.
The concrete batching plant will continue. This means 24 hour truck access, more noise, and more dust.
The Barro Group needs to relocate the whole operation to a site that is more appropriate and well distanced from existing and future residential sub-divisions.
The remediation of the site should begin as soon as possible to create a green area in keeping with appropriate activity on the river valley. This tip can be stopped, but only if community members take action and tell Barro they don’t want it.

Residents met last Monday to plan for their legal fight at VCAT. In addittion, the community has deicided to organise a community protest for the 20th November.

What can you do?
The only way we have a chance of stopping this tip and getting rid of the batching plant is for our community to take action –NOW!
• Talk to your neighbours
• Turn up to VCAT to support the campaign
• Write to the local papers

Media contacts - Send a letter!
Star newspaper
Email star@starnewsgroup.com.au
17 Assembly Drive, Tullamarine 3043
Brimbank leader
brimbank@leadernewspapers.com.au
The Editor, Brimbank Leader P O Box 2155, Spotswood 3015
The Brimbank Weekly
fcnvicwestletters@fairfax.com.au
Airport West12 Howes St Airport West VIC, 3042 ph: 8318 5777
WestLink Rally


Rally to say NO new road tunnel NO new freeway

When: Saturday 13th November

Time: 12-1:30pm

Where: Hampshire Rd, opposite the Sunshine library

Speakers:
Dr Paul Mees (Senior Lecturer Transport Planning RMIT)
Colleen Hartland (Greens MLC, Western Metropolitan)
BTAG - Brimbank Transport Action Group
No Freeways 4 West Footscray
PTUA -Public Transport Users Association
Janet Rice (Greens Candidate for Footscray)
Geraldine Brooks (Greens candidate for Derrimut)



In July the state government announced 3 route options for Westlink. Their idea of consultation was to make the community choose which homes and schools should have more pollution and freeway noise.

We want the $5.3 billion dollars projected cost of Westlink which is taxpayers’ money spent on 5-10 minute train and bus services from 6am to midnight.

Westlink will not solve the problem. Freeways only ever lead to more car dependence and more traffic congestion. Most of the traffic on the Westgate is heading in to the city and it is this traffic that would use public transport if it worked. This would free up the Westgate for those cars and trucks that need it

1.11.10

The Ardeer-Sunshine West Powerlines Residents Group presents

We Want
PARKS
NOT POWERPOLES
ARDEER COMMUNITY PARK
FAMILY FUN DAY
Awesome live music line up, BYO picnic, sausage sizzle and more.
Come along and show your support for the ‘parks not power poles’ campaign.
Bring a picnic and blanket and join the fun.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7
1-3pm @ARDEER COMMUNITY PARK
Forrest St Ardeer
Ring John for information or updates on 93631090

30.10.10

A six point plan for better Public Transport
Geraldine Brooks- Lower house candidate for Derrimut
30 October 2010

“People in Melbourne's West are sick and tired of a failing public transport system, this issue comes up time and time again out on the campaign trail, “said Geraldine Brooks, Greens candidate for Derrimut at the launch of the Greens Six Point Plan to Fix Public Transport.

“It is the Greens who are strongly committed to fast, frequent, well connected, safe and accessible public transport for Victoria. A key step in achieving that is the establishment of an independent and accountable Public Transport Authority,” Geraldine said.

“There’s a myriad of agencies connected to the provision of public transport, The Greens would abolish these bureaucracies and transfer their powers and funding, but not necessarily their staff, to the new Public Transport Authority.”

Under the Greens plan urgent problems needing immediate action would be tackled, buses, rail, myki and a future growth taskforce all in the mix.

V/Line was taken back into public hands in 2003. Until recently, it operated in limbo, as the Bracks and Brumby governments tried to devise a way to reprivatise it. As a result, there has been little long-term planning. It needs reform, rather than wholesale replacement.

“There needs to be a concerted effort to integrate our regional transport and devise an integrated rail-bus network connecting regional Victorians to local, inter-regional and Melbourne destinations. This includes a staged program for track duplications, electrification and standardisation to allow for additional services across regional Victoria,” Geraldine concluded.

The Greens Six Point Plan to Fix Public Transport:
1. End the failed privatisation experiment
2. Establish a powerful, accountable public transport authority
3. Fixing urgent problems
4. Make public transport safe
5. Extend rail and tram systems
6. Integrated public transport for regional Victoria

For the detailed plan click here.

13.10.10

Overhead powerlines for Ardeer/Sunshine West - No way!

Our community today held a protest in Ridgeway Pde West Sunshine. Local residents tied black ribbons around the new 15m poles which Powercor wants to hold high voltage powerlines.

The ribbons symbolise the illness and death associated with the exposure to high levels of electromagnetic radiation that will come from the high voltage powerlines proposed by Powercor to run through our neighbourhood.

Prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields greater than 0.3-0.4uT is associated with childhood leukaemia (World Health Organisation), and Powercor’s own study indicates children playing at the Ridgeway Parade kindergarten will be exposed to electromagnetic fields of this magnitude at the front fence, where they play.

These electromagnetic fields will put our children’s health at risk. Our children currently attend the kindergarten for up to 10 hours a week; by 2013 this will be 15 hours a week. Some children are also living in houses (while others are cared for by grandparents for long periods of time) along the route of the new powerlines.

When is Powercor going to start acting as the member of our community it insists it is? And when is this community member going to ensure this project is delivered ina a manner that looks after our best interests rather than the interests of its shareholders?

want to know more...click here for more information from the Ardeer West Sunshine Powerlines Action Group.

Powercor need to realise this overhead line will not be built and it is up to them how that happens.

Sunshine Kindergarten Trivia Night
Come along for a great night of entertainment and local fun and support our local kindergarten.

3.10.10

Rod Quantock Comedy Night Pardon my Carbon - Friday 5 November
**Special offer for all Greens branches and election campaign teams: book a group of ten or more, and get tickets to this once-off show for just $15 each - so, give your members a cheap deal OR ask them to pay normal price and keep the proceeds towards your campaign!** A State Election Fundraiser for the Darebin Greens and the Northern Metro Region Campaign. Friday 5 November 2010, snacks and drinks (at bar prices) in the bar at 7.00pm. Show at 7.30pm. New Council Chambers @ Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St (Cnr Lygon St) Carlton. A special Greens evening of laughs with our favourite political satirist Rod Quantock. 'For sheer cheek and inventiveness, the amazing Rod Quantock must take the honours. Bizarre, fresh, theatrically dangerous, unpredictable' The Guardian, London.
'Wit, warmth and aplomb... wise, scary, funny' The Age, Melbourne. Mr McLelland's "Finishing School" in the bar afterwards (classic indie, modern indie, 60s rock, 60's soul and eclectic pop) - only $5 with your ticket or free before 9:30. Cost: $20 Conc / $30 workers / $40 keen and green ? GROUP OFFER: buy 10 or more for $15 each - branches welcome to book a group as a fundraiser for their campaigns (please let Sarah know when you book who will be paying for and collecting tickets (highly preferred) and/or forward a list of attendees). RSVP to Sarah - darebinbranch@vic.greens.org.au 0405 547 542. *please let Sarah know if you need wheelchair access*