Cr Tony Briffa JP Deputy Mayor, City of Hobsons Bay

Local Fundraiser for Royal Children’s Hospital

Sat, 1 Oct 2011 21:41:48 +1000

Please support Pat Byrne who is running the 250 km from Echuca to Altona from 1-16 October to raise money for the Neurology Department of the Royal Children's Hospital. The fundraiser is in memory of her grandson Luke who suffered a brain tumour resulting his death at only 20 months old.   I encourage everyone to donate to this worthy cause - I have! For more info - http://rchfoundation.com.au/lukesrun  
Donations over $2 are tax deductible.

I will be welcoming Pat back to Hobsons Bay at the Bayfit Leisure Centre at 10am on Sunday 16th October. Please feel free to join me!

Please visit this link to read Pat’s story - http://www.hobsonsbayweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/gran-takes-life-lesson-and-runs-with-it/2291815.aspx

Altona Life Saving Club Sign-up Day

Sat, 1 Oct 2011 21:35:57 +1000

The Altona Life Saving Club (ALSC) is holding their annual sign up day on Sunday 16th October 2011 from 10am -12noon at their club rooms (127 The Esplanade Altona). 
The ALSC is a volunteer run organisation that offers the community a patrolled beach every weekend from November to April. ALSC also provides a chance for all members to be involved in the Nipper/Cadet programme, Surf Boat training and a variety of courses including the Bronze medallion. By becoming a member you not only have the chance to be involved in the many activities that the club offers but also become involved in a club that endeavours to bring its members and families together in a healthy happy environment. 
Details on how to join can be found www.altonalsc.com. 
For any further information please contact the Club via email or on 0423 644 248. 
Hope to see you there for a sausage sizzle!

Mobil Shut Down for Maintenance

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:30:58 +1000

Mobil’s Altona Refinery will be temporarily shut down from October to November 2011 to allow the plant to undergo maintenance including inspections and some equipment upgrades. The maintenance work is likely to produce increased flaring, noise, odours and steam. Let’s hope the EPA will monitor the process carefully to ensure the local environment and community aren’t adversely affected.

The council has also been advised that residents are likely to notice an increase in vehicle and pedestrian traffic around the site during the works.

The Mobil Hotline on 1800 659 527 can provide further details if required.

If you want to report any issues about the environmental or amenity impacts of these works, please contact the EPA’s Pollution Watch Line on 1300 372 842. See http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/reporting/polwatch.asp for more information about the EPA’s Pollution Watch Line.

More information about the recent problems associated with Mobil’s Altona Refinery can be accessed here.

Call for Improved Hospital Services in Melbourne’s West

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +1000

At the council meeting on 17 May 2011 I successfully raised a motion seeking the details of annual state government funding for the Williamstown Hospital. The report was presented at tonight’s council meeting, and shows the following funding for infrastructure for Western Health (Footscray, Sunshine, Sunbury and Williamstown campuses) since 2007:

Sunshine - $233.6 million
Footscray - $24.8 million
Sunbury - $21.6 million
Williamstown - $4 million

There was also an additional amount of $5 million for Emergency Department short stays and Critical Care across the four campuses.

The appendix from tonight’s meeting reveals further details about the funding breakdown for the Sunshine Campus.

The report from Western Health shows it is essentially one hospital with four campuses, each providing different medical services as follows:

Sunshine - Tertiary, emergency, maternity and paediatric
Footscray - Elective role in specific streams, emergency, critical care
Sunbury - Low complexity surgery, dialysis and clinics
Williamstown - Elective surgery, dialysis and rehabilitation.

Some patients require treatment in multiple hospitals because - unlike in the eastern suburbs - there is no longer a "general hospital" in the western suburbs.

Interestingly, and of concern, the Emergency Department at Williamstown Hospital was not mentioned in the information provided by Western Health. This raises questions about its long term future.

I also raised the issue of the disparity of hospital services between the east and western suburbs. The following map provides a graphic view of the location of public hospitals across Melbourne. One can see where the funding is going and the disparity of services, despite the Western Suburbs containing the largest population growth area in Victoria and a higher prevalence of chronic disease compared to the rest of the state.

I am pleased to have raised this issue and will continue to lobby for improved health services in Melbourne’s west.

Regards,

Cr Tony Briffa JP

Minister still not listening - refuses to meet residents

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 23:50:33 +1000

I have continued to lobby the state government for improvements to the train services to and from the Altona, Seaholme and Westona Train Stations, but they are continuing to deny a problem exists following their reduction of services since May this year.

For further information on what I have done to advocate for residents, click here.

The Minister’s latest letter to the council is provided below.

Regards,

Tony

Seniors Week Community Forum and Expo

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:45:33 +1000

Seniors Week Community Forum and Expo
Last year I successfully raised a motion in the chambers for the council to run a series of community forums. The first of three will be held on Thursday 13th October at the Substation in Newport and is specifically for baby boomers! The information expo and entertainment will start at 6pm, and the forum will start at 7pm and conclude at around 8.30pm. Refreshments will also be provided. This is a FREE EVENT.

Jane Clifton will MC the night where I will also speak. Panels guests and speakers include AFL Legend Tommy Hafey, Health guru Dr Sally Cockburn, Actor Betty Bobbitt and 3AW Finance Expert Dominic Alafaci.

Bookings are essential for this forum - RSVP by 29 September by calling 1300 462 542 or visit http://reinvent-or-retire.eventbrite.com

Come along and also receive a FREE 7 day gym trial for Bayfit Leisure Centre and go in the draw to win a Kindle E-Reader.

New Toilet at Frazer Reserve

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:38:39 +1000

Shortly after being elected in 2008 I was approached by a number of residents who complained the council had removed the public toilet on Frazer Reserve (the corner of Millers Road and The Esplanade) in 2007. I have been lobbying to have the toilet rebuilt and am pleased to announce the new toilet will be constructed in the next few months and will be operational for summer.

Flaring at Qenos due to compressor failure

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 03:20:19 +1000

Qenos (corner of Maidstone St and Kororoit Creek Road) experienced a compressor failure at 3pm on 30 July and, as a standard safety mechanism (like a pressure relief valve) the plant started to flare. I visited the plant and was advised the flaring would continue throughout the night until the operations at the plant returned to normal.

The flaring tonight was significant and could be seen for kilometres away. I drove from Sunshine on the Ring Road and could see the flares from Brooklyn and Laverton North.

I encourage residents to contact the EPA Pollution Watch line to report a complaint about the flaring on 9695 2777.

For more information about the EPA’s Pollution Watch hotline, visit:
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/reporting/polwatch.asp

For more information about Qenos, visit:
http://www.qenos.com/internet/home.nsf/index.html?ReadForm

Community Information/Feedback Session

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:32:46 +1000

The council is genuinely interested in hearing from residents about the DRAFT Altona Sports Precinct Master Plan which includes Fell Reserve in Seaholme. In response to the wishes of the community during the community consultation phase, the council has arranged a community information/feedback session at Fell Reserve for 10am, Saturday 13 August.

The community submission period has also been extended to 26 August.

I look forward to continued feedback about the draft masterplan, and to seeing residents at the community information/feedback session. It’s important residents understand what is actually being considered so that they can provide accurate feedback. Sadly, the residents that have arranged the petition and gone to the media about concerns about the draft plans have not bothered to contact me and are distributing less than accurate information.

I will not support the use of Fell Reserve if residents remain opposed to it after learning what it is being proposed. If residents and the Noordenne Estate Action Group don’t consult with the soccer club during this time, I will have to weigh their submissions accordingly as they are not made from an informed position. I want people to at least give others a fair go and hear what is being proposed. We need to encourage kids to play sports and they need training grounds, just as other residents need parks. If, after giving the club a fair hearing, the Noordenne Estate Action Group continues to oppose the use of Fell Reserve for junior soccer training, then I will oppose it.

For a copy of the fact sheet sent to residents, click here.

Please visit the council’s website here for more information.

For a copy of the feedback sheet, click here.

Please understand we are genuinely seeking community feedback and the plans are still very much in draft. For more information or to provide feedback, please contact the council's recreation department at recadmin@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Sincerely,

Cr Tony Briffa JP

Queen St Bridge Works (Laverton Creek)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:23:35 +1000

You may have noticed the road works happening at the Laverton Creek Bridge on Queen Street, Altona. These works are being conducted by VicRoads (they own the bridge and are responsible for Queen St) and they are liaising with Melbourne Water regarding any impacts on the creek (Melbourne Water are responsible for the creek and ensuring VicRoads comply with the environmental plan put in place to manage this project). The council is not a party to these works.

The works are to repair the bridge’s piers/culverts which have been affected by severe corrosion and degradation. If you would like further information about these works please contact Hai Luong, Senior Bridge Operations Engineer, on 9313 1184 (during business hours) or email hai.luong@roads.vic.gov.au.

Regards,

Tony

Works to improve Noordenne Ave/Millers Road Intersection

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:28:12 +1000

Despite Millers Road being an arterial road and therefore the responsibility of the State Government, the council has allocated $30,000 to construct a splitter island in Noordenne Ave and a small island in the turn lane to slow vehicles doing a right turn into Noordenne Ave. We also intend on creating a gap in the median to facilitate u-turns to the south away from the main part of the intersection because many u-turners did not give way to vehicles turning left out of Noordenne Ave. These works are intended to increase the safety around the intersection and reduce hooning in the area.

The costs associated with these works are greater than expected because of the significant cost of traffic management during construction.

I understand there are some residents that would like VicRoads to provide traffic lights at this intersection. At the council’s request, VicRoads investigated the need for a roundabout and/or traffic signals, but they deemed that there was no justification for either and have not ranked it as a “blackspot”. The change to the speed limit on Millers Road (at council’s request) has further reduced the number of minor crashes at this intersection and therefore reduced the likelihood that this intersection will be identified as a traffic “blackspot”.

I am advised the traffic counts for a possible pedestrian crossing at this intersection have not been met (ie are too low) - so VicRoads will not fund this either.

As Millers Road is a state government responsibility, I encourage residents to contact the following Members of Parliament regarding this intersection:

Wade Noonan MLA
Member for Williamstown District (which includes Seaholme)
Address: 101 Douglas Parade, Williamstown VIC 3016
Phone: (03) 9399 9022
Fax: (03) 9397 7227
Email: wade.noonan@parliament.vic.gov.au

Bernie Finn MLC Member of Western Metropolitan Region Address: 277 Hampshire Road, Sunshine 3020 Phone: (03) 9312 1212 Fax: (03) 9312 4598 Email: bernie.finn@parliament.vic.gov.au

Andrew Elsbury MLC Member of Western Metropolitan Region Address: Shop 1, 662 Old Calder Highway, Keilor 3036 Phone: (03) 9331 7644 Fax: (03) 9331 7430 Email: andrew.elsbury@parliament.vic.gov.au 

Hon Terry Mulder MP
Minister for Roads and Public Transport
Phone: 9095 4330
Email: terence.mulder@parliament.vic.gov.au

New Footpaths in Altona Meadows

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:51:53 +1000

Cr John Hogg is on a roll! On top of successfully working with traders to retain Aircraft Station, the works to improve the Laverton Shops and the redevelopment of the Laverton Hub, he’s now secured more funds to construct the following footpaths in Altona Meadows over the 2011/2012 financial year:

• Jamison St South, Altona Meadows – Central to Cameron Ave
• Newland St, Altona Meadows – Kiora to Linden Streets, & Linden to Merton Streets
• Linden St, Altona Meadows – North to Railway Avenue & Central to North Avenue
• Ascot St, Laverton – Full Length
• Ailsa St, Laverton – Alma to Princes Fwy

The two reserves on the southern side of Central Avenue will also have footpaths constructed.

From the moment John Hogg was elected to the council he has lobbied for the council to construct footpaths on at least one side of each street in Altona Meadows, Laverton and Seabrook. This year’s program will continue the work done last year in constructing new footpaths and is expected to continue for some years yet!