City of Melton March meeting: Coffee cup recycling, Aboriginal community hub, gambling reform, roads
Melton council will begin a coffee cup recycling bin trial, pursue private land for a link road and delay joining a gambling reform group. Here’s everything that happened at the Monday meeting.
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Melton will trial diverting coffee cups from landfill with specialised bins and seek further details on establishing an Aboriginal community hub but won’t yet join a gambling reform group following the March council meeting.
We sifted through the Agenda and watched Monday’s City of Melton Council meeting to highlight some of the important community issues under scrutiny.
Here’s the important takeaways from the meeting.
COFFEE CUP RECYCLING TRIAL
Coffee cup recycling bins will be placed at multiple locations across Melton as part of a trial to prevent single-use cups ending up in landfill.
A coffee cup recycling program has been referred to this year’s budget for consideration as a report was recommended for endorsement by councillors.
If collected and processed appropriately, cups and lids can be converted into road base or asphalt, reusable coffee cups, and lightweight concrete slabs.
Following a meeting in July last year, officers were tasked with preparing a report on opportunities, including placement of coffee cup bins at key locations, to help reduce the number of single use coffee cups being sent to landfill.
The trial sites will be Melton Library, Caroline Springs Library, Cobblebank Stadium Melton Civic Centre, McKenzie Street (civic office), Melton Operations Depot before being implemented near businesses and cafes across the region if successful.
The estimated cost of the trial is $13,100.
Over one billion single use coffee cups, weighing approximately 22,500 tonnes, end up in Australian landfill each year.
While coffee cups are made of recyclable materials, due to the component materials they cannot be recycled via kerbside and public place processes, and as such are classified as a contaminant.
There is an existing partnership which has seen Simply Cups recycling stations installed at 7-Eleven convenience stores across Melbourne, including at Melton.
COUNCIL WON’T YET JOIN GAMBLING REFORM GROUP
Council will not yet join a gambling reform group but will undertake a review to ensure its policies and practices align with principles responsible gambling.
A report prepared by Council Officers recommended councillors not join the Alliance for Gambling Reform.
At Monday’s meeting, Cr Steve Abboushi moved a third point that a further report is tabled on findings at a future meeting on recommendations of joining the Alliance.
Cr Bob Turner said the future report should aim to show the benefits of joining the Alliance as it currently was not clear.
In August last year, a motion was supported that Council become a member of the Alliance, but the cost of membership at this time was unknown.
Annual membership of $25,000 would have required to be included in future budgets, with additional costs expected.
Had Council joined the Alliance, membership would require it to review and improve policy positions that relate to gambling harm minimisation, such as sponsorship, advertising, and promotion, and use of Council property.
In the report’s risk analysis, it said joining the Alliance without conducting a thorough review would present a reputational and operational risk to Council due to the potential scope of changes.
Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO, Carol Bennett said the organisation currently counts 24 Victorian Councils as members.
“We look forward to working with Melton … and providing them with the latest research to assist them when they review their … Policy later in 2023,” Ms Bennett said.
In November 2019, Melton City Council adopted its Gambling Harm Prevention and Reduction Policy, which is available on its website.
Melton City Council is currently represented on the following Victorian gambling related networks: MAV Local Government Gambling, Alcohol and Other Drugs Issues Forum and VLGA Local Government Working Group on Gambling.
ABORIGINAL-CONTROLLED COMMUNITY HUB PROPOSAL
Council has acknowledged a report exploring the need, benefit and opportunity of an Aboriginal-controlled community centre in Melton.
Further, it will now host further discussions at a councillor briefing with all relevant information, including costings.
Cr Abboushi said it was a very important initiative for the community and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities deserved a safe place and a hub that meets their needs.
He said at this time, Council needed all the information to make an informed decision to what the hub would like look.
In December 2021, Council supported a motion for a Scoping Report to be prepared which would consider the impact of such a community hub.
The Report was finalised and presented to Council.
According to the report, officers engaged with the Aboriginal community supported by specialist Aboriginal Engagement Consultants and Council’s Reconciliation Advisory Committee to support collation and analysis of the required information to respond to all elements of the Notice of Motion.
The Report suggests there is strong support and evidence to partner with an ACCO as lead, to deliver the planning phase of a potential hub and that partnership would ensure both technical and cultural expertise is captured in the process.
Council also notes the reputational risk with community stakeholders should it not note the findings of the Scoping report.
The Scoping report is available in the meeting agenda on Council’s website.
COUNCIL TO CONTINUE PURSUING COBBLEBANK ROAD EXTENSION
One Councillor referred to the “absolute nightmare” for Melton road users as Council voted to continue its pursuit of private land to enable a link between Shogaki Dr and Mount Cottrell Rd.
Officers will now continue land acquisition discussions with Japanese food supplier, Saizeriya Australia, that owns the land at factory at 2-82 Shogaki Dr.
At a Council meeting on 18 July 2022, a public petition was tabled calling on Melton City Council and VicRoads to build the road, which was signed by 517 people, many of whom are Thornhill Park residents.
Further, an additional motion was passed that Council keep affected and/or interested residents updated with any developments on the project.
Conversations with Saizeriya have commenced.
Pending successful negotiations, a contract of sale would need to be prepared, and the land subdivided which would take about six to 12 months.
If Saizeriya is not willing to sell, Council can initiate a planning scheme amendment to apply a Public Acquisition Overlay to the land.
Notice would be provided to the landowner, and they would have an opportunity to object to the Public Acquisition Overlay.
Cr Abboushi said the situation was an “absolute nightmare”.
“These poor residents, right up to Thornhill Park it’s an absolute nightmare, it’s time we did everything we can to support them,” Mr Abboushi said.
If there’s another issue you think deserved coverage, contact us.
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