Our plan for Carlton

As we emerge from COVID-19, we can’t continue with the broken politics that rewards pollution and favours donors at the expense of the genuine public good. We need a Council that puts the people of Melbourne first, and we need Councillors who will work with and fight for the people who live here.

Our plan for Carlton in 2020-24

Since the City of Melbourne Act was introduced in 2001, The Greens have been the only councillors who publish policies and keep them published throughout the term of Council. We are serious about transparency and accountability.

Our policies are for a more sustainable, affordable, healthy and prosperous Carlton:

  • We will halve rates on Lygon Street’s and Carlton’s cafes, restaurants, bars and cultural venues (those places people gather that have been hit hardest by COVID-19) and provide rate relief to residents. We will pay for this by changing our rating system from NAV to CIV which allows for flexible differential rates to be applied, and doubling the rates on gambling premises for 5 years to help the city as a whole get through the recession. (See our Fair Rates For Everyone policy initiative for details.)
  • We will crack down on illegal late night construction by seeking major reforms to the way construction noise is regulated. (See our Good Night’s Sleep For Everyone policy initiative for details.)
  • We will fast-track organics, recycling and waste options without a new waste charge. The City of Melbourne’s waste rates are far too high; we have a plan to support communities to greatly reduce waste and to recycle what we can. We will partner with local networks that are already working hard on composting and resource recovery. (See our Recycling For Everyone policy initiative for details.)
  • Our municipality-wide inclusionary zoning policy will deliver hundreds of new affordable homes in new medium and large developments concentrated in urban renewal areas, some in City North. (See our Homes For Everyone policy initiative for details.)
  • We will complete the new open space projects in Carlton and ensure that public open space is protected from overdevelopment by seeing through the Greens-initiated Sunlight To Parks rules. (See our Parks For Everyone initiative for details.)
  • We will progress the new Greens-initiated sustainable building design controls to ensure that every new building in Melbourne adds to the quality of our city and provides quality homes.
  • We will build crisis accommodation and maintain record spending on homelessness services. We will seek a ‘housing first’ approach to homelessness and renew the Council’s homelessness policy within the first year of the term.
  • We will complete new Student Housing planning provisions in partnership with the State Government to ensure that new student housing is high quality, COVID-safe and supports healthy interaction and community.
  • We will work hard to keep Council honest and ethical on all planning and development issues. We never take donations from developers or gambling interests and we will fight for transparency and accountability in the policies and decisions of Council.
  • We will complete the Carlton Heritage Review that the Greens commissioned.

Our achievements in Carlton

In and around Carlton, The Greens have:

  • Secured Council support to proceed with a Sunlight To Parks planning scheme amendment to improve protection to our public open space from overshadowing.
  • Supported La Mama to rebuild after its main venue burnt down.
  • Proposed and secured a review of the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens World Heritage Management Plan and component documents, including for Carlton Gardens management. This is underway.
  • Secured the acceleration of the Transport Strategy 2030, delivering 10 years of bicycle lanes in 4, through Cr Cathy Oke’s Climate Emergency Declaration response. This brought forward Swanston Street North, Drummond Street, Faraday Street and Rathdowne Street works.
  • Proposed and secured a Carlton Heritage Review to upgrade 35 years out-of-date heritage controls. This is underway.
  • Proposed and secured new heritage policies to make it harder to demolish the front part of ‘contributory’ graded heritage buildings, while making it easier to ensure that energy-saving infrastructure like solar panels can be built on lower graded buildings.
  • Ensured that the Queen Victoria Market renewal plans respect the heritage and fresh fruit and veg functions of the market. (The Greens established the $20m Trader Support Fund, secured the ‘no development zone’ around the Aboriginal cemetery and changed the renewal plans to ensure that H and I sheds are retained for fruit and veg sales (see pages 13 to 15), and proposed the Market Square Charter.)
  • Proposed reinstatement of third party rights in City North and, when that was voted down, ensured that Carlton residents have access to a more transparent, accessible and accountable register of planning applications.
  • Proposed and achieved the first monument to the frontier wars in any Australian Capital City: Standing by Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner.
  • With other councillors strongly supported Carlton community infrastructure renovation and expansion: Kathleen Syme Community Centre; Carlton Baths; Neill Street public space and Carlton Early Learning and Family Services Centre.

Vote for a Carlton resident

All eight Greens candidates live in the City of Melbourne. We are the only major team that can say that. The City of Melbourne routinely produces a majority of councillors who do not live in the municipality – the only Council in Australia that does this. Council is too far removed from the communities it seeks to represent. To overcome this, vote for local residents with a plan.

Our second and third Councillor candidates, Dr Olivia Ball and Emily Corcoran, both live in Carlton.

You can read more about Olivia, Emily and our local candidates here.

Read more

You can see all of our policies in detail here.