Geraldine Brooks, Greens Candidate for Derrimut: October 2009

26.10.09

Community Meeting

About 50 people attended a fantastic community meeting in Sunshine Uniting Church Conference Centre

Cr. Rose Iser, President of the Victorian Local Governance Association spoke articulately about the suspension of Council and ways in which the VLGA could offer support to our community.

Bill Scales answered a huge number of very important questions that residents had and there was a critical discussion about how Brimbank has ended up in this situation and the reasons why residents have not got leaders that have the capacity for leadership and governance that we require and are demanding of our respresentatives.

Colleen Hartland MLC chaired this meeting and facilitated a high level of discussion and debate that clearly showed the need for Council to support opportunities for community members to develop leadership and governance skills through community controlled committees of management at local sporting clubs, neighbourhood houses, kindergartens and the like

The community also expressed the need for councils administrators and executive to genuinely consult and engage withour community

About Geraldine

Geraldine Brooks moved to Melbourne’s western suburbs in 1996 to work as a podiatrist. She has been an active community member ever since; contributing energy, skills and time to improving her community, including: • Being board member of Community West; • President of Sunshine Kindergarten; • President and secretary of the Ardeer Community Playground; • a member of Sunshine Primary School Council; • a member of the Friends of Kororoit Creek. • Group leader and voluntary breastfeeding counsellor with the Australian Breastfeeding Association Brimbank group. • instigator behind the establishment of the Ardeer Community Park, a formerly abandoned grassy space that housed a lead factory. She organised a group of parents to form a committee. Together they lobbied the Victorian and Federal Governments for money to redevelop the area, and applied for grants to help establish Ardeer’s only park. In November 2008 Geraldine was elected as the Greens councillor for the Harvester Ward on Brimbank City Council. The council was sacked by the Victorian Labor Government on August 2009, following an investigation by Ombudsman Victoria that found Labor councillors were involved in corrupt activities and several Victorian Labor MPs interfering in the business of council. Geraldine was active in calling for a new council election to replace the corrupt Councillors with genuine community representatives. Geraldine is the Greens candidate for the seat of Derrimut in the upcoming state election, to be held later this year. She believes people in the west deserve an advocate that will genuinely represent them in Parliament, to help them get a better on public transport, parks, health and education.

Family Fun Day

26.10.09