Community questionnaire
Preferred contact details: Steph.Amir@vic.greens.org.au
Are you a member of a political party? If so, which one? Yes, Australia Greens Victoria
Are you nominated, supported, or backed in any way by a political party in this election? If so, which one? Yes, I am an endorsed Greens Candidate.
BACKGROUND
1. Why are you standing for (re)election to council? (Maximum of 100 words)
I am passionate about social justice, environmental sustainability, and creating vibrant communities – and my motivation to stand for council stems from those passions.
I want to make a positive difference by protecting Darebin’s green spaces, fostering and celebrating diversity and inclusion, tackling climate change, reducing disadvantage, supporting arts and culture, and fighting for a high school for Preston and protections for Preston Market.
Women and LGBTIQ people are also underrepresented on councils, including in Darebin, so as a young gay woman I want to reduce that imbalance to create a more representative council and set an example for younger women.
- I was previously Program Manager of Safe Schools Coalition Australia, which assists schools to support the inclusion of same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students across the country.
- I worked as an advisor (in government and for a private consultancy) across diverse sectors, including public health, education, youth justice and community arts. Most recently I have focussed on energy and climate change campaigns.
- I was selected as an inaugural fellow for the University of Melbourne’s Pathway to Politics program, a non-partisan program modelled on the Harvard Kennedy School program ‘From Harvard Square to the Oval Office.’
3. If (re)elected, what action would you take to reduce Darebin’s greenhouse gas emissions and support the roll-out of renewable energy?
If elected I would push for a rapid reduction of Darebin’s emissions. Together with other Darebin Greens council candidates I have been advocating for:
- The establishment of the Darebin Energy Foundation to accelerate sustained and meaningful action with residents and businesses to reduce Darebin’s carbon emissions, including the facilitation of community-owned renewable energy projects.
- Divestment from fossil fuels by Darebin Council.
- Improved cycling and walking infrastructure to encourage active transport and reduce use of cars for travelling around Darebin.
- An expansion of the current Solar Savers program to increase local renewable energy generation and retrofit households and businesses to increase their energy efficiency.
DEMOCRACY
4. If (re)elected, what action would you take to improve the accountability and transparency of council and facilitate constructive decision-making?
If elected, my Greens council colleagues and I will advocate for:
- The reinstatement of ward meetings, with the locations rotated to different neighbourhoods in each ward.
- A “community planning forum” to be held monthly or bi-monthly basis, enabling all Darebin residents and ratepayers to be able to contribute to Council’s policies, plans and priorities.
- More effective use of the Hearing of Submissions Committee process to enable regular contributions from community members to Council’s policies, plans and priorities.
- Reviews the speaking time limits and other arrangements for applicants and objectors at the Planning Committee to ensure that objectors to major developments are not disadvantaged by the number and complexity of objections.
- Improvement of Question Time in Council meetings, including looking at the Melbourne City Council model that allows for questions to asked and answered and issues to be raised prior to the hearing of specific Council agenda items.
- Real-time disclosure of donations, gifts and hospitality to the value of $150 or more by Councillors and Council senior management.
- Governance training and competency testing for all councillors.
- Constructive consensus-building around Council decisions, while always allowing for open and respectful debate and disagreement in line with the Local Government Act 1989.
- Improved use of social media, website and other communication tools to enable more regular and direct dialogue between Councillors and the community, including exploration of successful methods used by councils, non-profits and other organisations.
- Deliberative democracy (eg. citizens’ juries) and participatory budgeting to ensure a broader range of perspectives are considered in Council decisions, from future community planning and CEO appointments through to capital works expenditure and rate rises.
a. not to accept campaign donations from property developers, directly or via intermediaries, in this council election campaign?
b. not to accept campaign donations from gambling interests, directly or via intermediaries, in this council election campaign? Yes.
c. to support the introduction of a requirement that all gifts or donations larger than $150 are declared in real time (similar to the measures recently adopted by the Melbourne City Council). Yes.
6. Bloc voting.
a. If (re)elected, would you be free to vote on each issue on its merits or would you be bound to vote as part of a bloc?
Yes, I am free to vote on every issue on its merits.
b. If you would be part of a voting bloc, which party or other candidates are involved?
I would not be part of a voting bloc.
Climate questionnaire
1. Climate science. Do you accept the views of climate scientists that:
a.the earth is already too hot? Yes.
b. we face a climate emergency? Yes.
c. greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to zero within years, not decades, and we must safely draw down the excess carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere? Yes.
Comment: For the last ten years I have been involved in climate change advocacy, most recently including the campaigns to replace Hazelwood power station with renewable energy, ban onshore gas, and improve the feed-in tariffs for rooftop solar panels.
2. Climate action. If elected will you:
a. educate Darebin residents and stakeholders about the climate emergency and put pressure on other levels of government to act? Yes.
Comment: It has been very frustrating for me to see politics get in the way of climate action at a state and federal level, and for successive governments to not only fail to take action but to make statements about climate change that actively encourage apathy and inaction.
I also have a science degree (majoring in zoology and ecology) and started my career as a scientist so feel very strongly about evidence-based approaches to tackling climate change and tackling misinformation about climate change. I have previously worked in science communication and this continues to be a passion of mine.
We need climate action at all levels of government, but if elected I will of course be focussing on Darebin first and foremost. There is much we can do to educate Darebin residents and stakeholders, but information is not enough – the education must also include helping people and organisations to understand that they have the power to make a real difference through the decisions they make for their household or business.
Darebin council has implemented successful climate initiatives and should be proud of the changes created in this space, but the climate emergency message needs to be elevated and consistently to the community. This includes working with DCAN to support and promote the message of what is happening to our climate and what people can do – both in the decisions they make for themselves and also through advocacy for systems change.
Our current Greens Councillor Trent McCarthy has been a strong climate advocate through his work on the Northern Alliance for Greenhouse Action, championing the Solar Savers program, fighting for divestment from fossil fuels, and other initiatives. However, further progress has been prevented as other councillors have not shared his passion for tackling climate change. With more Greens on council, we can take stronger action on climate change.
b. initiate and support Council measures to rapidly reduce Darebin’s emissions towards net zero and draw down carbon dioxide? Yes.
Comment: As a councillor I will push for a rapid reduction of Darebin’s emissions. Together with other Darebin Greens council candidates I have been advocating for:
- The establishment of the Darebin Energy Foundation
- Divestment from fossil fuels by Darebin Council
- Improved cycling and walking infrastructure to encourage active transport and reduce use of cars for travelling around Darebin
- An expansion of the current Solar Savers program to increase eligibility
Comment: Greens Councillor Trent McCarthy has already begun work on Heat Wave Action Plans for the whole community, and vulnerable residents in particular. If elected I would work with Cr McCarthy to build on this work, including the roll-out of retrofitting programs to improve energy efficiency and keep people sufficiently cool during heatwaves. We will also work to establish “cool centres” and community-based transport to those centres, to provide relief to residents who either cannot or do not want to stay home during a heatwave.
We will also continue to push for the establishment of a Darebin Nature Trust to protect and enhance our natural places and open spaces, such as bushland, parks and creeks, as well as providing support for the plants and animals that live there. The Darebin Nature Trust will have specific responsibility for the rapid expansion of Darebin’s Urban Forest, providing tree canopy cover to reduce the risk of heat island effect on Darebin residents and our local ecosystems. This will not only have positive impacts for the community but may also reduce energy consumption by cooling Darebin during the Summer, hence reducing the use of air conditioners.
