Council Minutes - Section C: Notice of Motion - 30 July 2019
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Notices of Motion tabled at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 30 July 2019 which was held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre in City Hall, 57 Little Malop Street, Geelong.
The electoral system of four multi-member wards within the City of Greater Geelong of three wards with three elected representatives, and one ward with two elected representatives can be challenged as not meeting the principle of an equal number of representatives per ward.
Currently, if you are entitled to vote in the northern ward of Windermere your vote only elects two Councillors, but if you live outside the northern ward in Geelong Council your vote elects three Councillors.
Windermere is the largest geographically land mass of all wards in Geelong and is approximately double the size of the next largest ward – the Bellarine ward.
Reports have confirmed that parts of the Windermere ward now experience some of the highest levels of disadvantage and concentration of unemployed people in one statistical area in Australia.
The northern area of Geelong deserves equal representation and equal number of voices at the Geelong Council table.
Council acknowledges that the current Local Government Minister has proposed to address this issue with the re-introduction of individual wards within Local Government in Victoria. However, it is believed these reforms will not be introduced until the 2024 General Election in Geelong.
The ward is named after a property and current road “Windermere” which crossed the middle of the ward. This word is of Anglo Saxon origin taken from Lake Windermere in the United Kingdom. Councillor Grzybek and Councillor Aitken has canvassed many members of our community in the north since their election in October 2017, and found no connection of the community with the Windermere naming.
A name the community identifies with would improve community engagement and understanding of the local government system operating within this ward and we would like to propose the most significant geographical landmark be used to name this ward, the “You Yangs ward”.
The word You Yangs is derived from the indigenous names given to the area Wurdi Youang or Ude Youang and it is believed they have a number of meanings from “big mountain in the middle of a plain”, “big or large hill”, or “bald”.
Councillor Aitken moved, Councillor Grzybek seconded -
That Council, by letter from the Mayor, write to:
The Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Adem Somyurek, seeking:
that the Minister uses current legislation and regulation governing the City of Greater Geelong to support the introduction of a system to enable an equal number of Councillors be elected across all four wards within Geelong, (that is: 4 wards with 3 elected Councillors each ward) for the 2020 General Election; and
that the Minister using current legislation and regulation governing the City of Greater Geelong to support changing the name of Windermere ward to You Yangs ward; and
All Victorian State parliamentary elected officials in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council whose electorates are covered by the City of Greater Geelong, seeking their support for the two proposals.
Carried.
As per Council Meeting Procedures Local Law 2017 (3.31.2), a meeting may not continue after 10pm unless a majority of members present vote in favour of its continuance.
Councillor Grzybek moved, Councillor Mason seconded –
That the meeting continue to proceed as per Council Meeting Procedures Local Law 2017 (3.31.2).
Carried.
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