Yarra For All: Bring Council Back to the Community

Please help us fund great local people to run as Independent Candidates for the Yarra Council elections this year.

Anything you can generously donate will be used to support the management of the campaign and production of materials and content to build awareness through flyers, posters, social media and events.

Anything left over after the election will be donated to charity.

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Yarra Council has been beset by problems during this Council’s term.

Money is a problem for this Council.

The Victorian Government was worried enough that they appointed Mr Yehudi Blacher between Dec 2021 to Sep 2022 to monitor and report on Yarra Council.

Mr Blacher recommended that the Government Auditor General conduct both an annual audit and review of Council’s financial sustainability.

Since that time, Council has raised a new Waste Services Levy (Jun 2023) and begun a review of the services that they provide to Yarra Residents (Dec 2023).

Public accountability is a problem for this Council.

Council has also restricted the ability of Yarra Residents to ask questions in Council meetings (Dec 2022), halved their public meetings to once a month (Dec 2022) and increased the hurdle for residents to object to awful developments in their street (Mar 2022).

Housing is a problem for this Council.

They stopped more affordable housing around the Collingwood Town Hall (Mar 2021).

Sports are a problem for this Council.

Council backed down from massively increasing fees for Yarra’s sports clubs to use their own home grounds (Mar 2021), and haven’t even got a final design for mixed gender change rooms at Brunswick Street Oval to support women’s and girl’s footy (Feb 2024).

The list of problems and failures goes on and on.

We’re tired of complaining.

We want to see a return of dedicated Independent Councillors to Yarra Council in the elections this year.

Yarra For All Inc (No. A0119906F) is an incorporated association formed in 2023 “to fund the election campaigns of selected Independent Candidates for the 2024 Council Elections for the City of Yarra in Victoria, Australia.”

When the election is over “all remaining funds are to be charitably donated to the Brotherhood of St Laurence or other Australian Charity as agreed unanimously.”

There are already great local candidates putting their hands up. They won’t be getting any help from the established Political Parties so Yarra For All Inc will help with associated campaign costs.

These candidates will be good people. They will come from diverse backgrounds and political beliefs, but they will be committed to prioritising the interests of our community rather than advancing their own political ambitions.

They will be committed to these key values.

1. Yarra is for everyone, not just those who can afford it. Our community is very diverse and we want to ensure that this does not change. This includes supporting the continuation of public housing and building social housing on the Council-owned land around the Collingwood Town Hall.

2. Action on climate change, not just words. We want Yarra Council to do more to reduce climate emissions and support our local biodiversity.

3. An open and democratic Council. We want to transform Yarra from the most secretive council into being the most open and transparent council in Victoria. This will involve reversing the anti-democratic changes implemented by the current Council and improve CoY’s approach to community engagement, transparency and accountability.

4. Total restructure of Council finances to better support the community. Compared to other councils, Yarra Council spends significantly more on staff (including executive staff). We will challenge the Council to find savings and improve efficiencies so that its budget can be reprioritized to support community needs.

Thank you for your help.

Authorised by Michael Glynatsis, 133 Sackville St, Collingwood VIC 3066