MINUTES
of the SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING of the STONNINGTON
CITY COUNCIL held in the COUNCIL CHAMBER
STONNINGTON CITY CENTRE
(CORNER GLENFERRIE ROAD & HIGH STREET MALVERN)
on
12 November 2014
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a)
b)
c)
Reading of the Reconciliation Statement and Prayer
Apologies
1
Disclosure by Councillors of any conflicts of interest in accordance with
Section 79 of the Act
GENERAL BUSINESS
1.
MAYORAL AND COUNCILLOR ALLOWANCE: FIXING OF ALLOWANCES
2.
COUNCIL TO SET TERM OF THE MAYOR
3.
ELECTION OF MAYOR
4.
MAYORAL ADDRESS
1
Note that section 79(1)(a) of the Act requires Councillors to disclose the nature of aconflict of interest
immediately before the relevant consideration or discussion
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
12 NOVEMBER 2014
___________________________________________________________________________
PRESENT:
CR ERIN DAVIE
CR JOHN MCMORROW
CR ADRIAN STUBBS
CR JOHN CHANDLER
CR JAMI KLISARIS
CR MATTHEW KOCE
CR MELINA SEHR
CR CLAUDE ULLIN
COUNCIL OFFICERS PRESENT:
WARREN ROBERTS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CHAIRPERSON
FABIENNE THEWLIS, MANAGER GOVERNANCE & CORPORATE SUPPORT
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
12 NOVEMBER 2014
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Fabienne Thewlis, Manager read the Reconciliation Statement and the Prayer
We acknowledge that we are meeting on the traditional land of the Boonwurrung and
Wurundjeri people and offer our respects to the elders past and present. We recognise and
respect the cultural heritage of this land.
a.
Reading of the Prayer
The meeting began with a prayer at 6.31pm.
b.
Apologies
The Chief Executive Officer Warren Roberts noted the apology from Cr Sam Hibbins for which
leave has already been granted.
c.
Disclosure by Councillors of any conflicts of interest in accordance with
Section 79 of the Act
Nil
1.
MAYORAL AND COUNCILLOR ALLOWANCE: FIXING OF ALLOWANCES
MOTION
MOVED CR ULLIN
SECONDED CR DAVIE
That the report on the Mayoral and Councillor allowances be received and noted.
Carried
2.
COUNCIL TO SET TERM OF THE MAYOR
MOTION
MOVED CR KLISARIS
SECONDED CR SEHR
That the Mayoral term be set as one year.
Carried
3.
ELECTION OF MAYOR
The Chief Executive Officer Warren Roberts called for nominations for Mayor 2014/15.
Nominations were received as follows:
NOMINATION
MOVED CR STUBBS
SECONDED CR CHANDLER
That Cr Sehr be nominated for the position of Mayor for 2014/15.
As there were no other nominations, the Chief Executive Officer Warren Roberts declared
Cr Sehr elected as Mayor for 2014/15. A round of acclamation was given.
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
12 NOVEMBER 2014
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Cr Sehr moved forward and donned the Mayoral robes and assumed the Chair.
The Mayor, Cr Sehr presented a floral tribute to the outgoing Mayoress Carole Stubbs.
4.
MAYORAL ADDRESS
“Thank you to my fellow Councillors for their support and faith in electing me as their Mayor for
the next twelve months. I am very honoured and humbled to be the Mayor of Stonnington
again particularly given the high calibre of Councillors around this table that also deserve the
opportunity to lead our fantastic City. I hope to extend the same support to you one day.
To my many close friends and family that have joined me here tonight to celebrate:
 My parents, Hermann and Toula for their unwavering support and encouragement
in all of my life’s endeavours; This is certainly a dream come true for them.

Frank, James, Luke and Mark for their patience whilst I perform my civic duties at
all hours of the day and night, seven days a week encroaching on our family time;

My many close friends here tonight close friends, Sally Davis and Sarah Davies,
both former Mayors of the City of Stonnington, Roz Wilson and Steve
Stefanopoulos, both former Councillors of the City of Stonnington, Barbara, Boris,
Ellia, Marg, Parthena and to Rod, Julie and Noel from the Prahran RSL, Tony and
Phyllis; and

Our fabulous staff (who I also consider as friends) who are here to celebrate with
me, particularly our CEO, Warren Roberts whose spending his birthday with us
here tonight.
To our outgoing Mayor, Cr Adrian Stubbs, congratulations on the achievements of your
Mayoral term. You have certainly done a fabulous job and left some big shoes to fill. You
undertook the Mayoral role with the utmost integrity, humility, and blatant honesty, boldly
stating and defending the views of this Council and upsetting a few State Ministers along the
way - for good reason!
You attended every function possible (453 in total) received 7,932 emails and sent 3,047. Not
to mention the huge volume of calls you also received. But there is one achievement that you
should be most proud of; one that impressed us all - setting a new record for the quickest ever
Council meeting beating Cr Koce’s record by one minute! Thank you also to Carole, your
lovely wife, who performed the Mayoral Consort role flawlessly and with great enthusiasm.
Once again I congratulate you on the achievements of your Mayoral term and wish Carole and
yourself a well deserved break in Thailand next week.
And now for the year ahead…
Planning will still continue to be a major focus of this Council in the year ahead, even with the
new residential zones in place, which we may even see reversed if there is a change in
Government.
This Council will have to consider an application on the Capitol Bakery site for what could
potentially be the tallest building ever in Stonnington. Another critical planning issue Council
faces in the next 12 months is the pursuit of an increase in the public open space levy from
5% to 8% - the result of which will fundamentally impact the amount of funds available to
procure more open space for our residents in the future.
We have structure plans underway for both Hawksburn Village and High Street/Glenferrie
Road which will define the future use and development of land in these areas whilst aiming to
protect and enhance what we love about these areas and guide opportunities for
enhancement and change to meet the anticipated needs of a growing population.
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
12 NOVEMBER 2014
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There are also a number of major projects underway that will commence or continue in the
next 12 months.
The Chapel Street Masterplan, a much needed revitalisation of Chapel Street will continue to
be delivered with improvement works including:
 Community squares at strategic points, with trees, creative street furniture and lighting
– the first being Windsor Plaza just recently completed;

Better pedestrian safety, with proposed multi-directional crossings at busy
intersections;

New rest stops for shoppers;

More street art and sculptures;

Additional street planting, improved footpaths and a defined look for the whole of
Chapel Street; and

Increased bicycle parking.
There is also the proposed undergrounding of the Cato Street car park. With the second
lowest rate of public open space per capita of metropolitan Melbourne municipalities, the
opportunity to underground car parks across the City of Stonnington is one of the many
potential strategies identified by Council to create more open space.
During the 2013–14 financial year, Council undertook a feasibility study into the potential
undergrounding of the Cato Street car park in Prahran, which could make way for an
additional 9,000 square metres of open space for a city square and/or parkland, while also
increasing car parking capacity with development of a two or three level underground car park.
Council will continue assessment of the feasibility study and consult widely with the community
over the next year to progress this opportunity during 2014–15.
We will also see the redevelopment of the Dunlop Reserve Pavilion thanks to Council
receiving funding of $580K from the Victorian State Government towards the redevelopment of
the Pavilion and another $100K for the Basil Reserve Lights. This improvement to
infrastructure will enable the City of Stonnington to accommodate for the continued growth of
tenant sport clubs and better cater for a diverse range of users, including women and girls,
casual park users and, people with a disability, and allow Council to meet the current and
future needs of the local community.
The pursuit of more Public Open Space and the delivery of the Recreation Strategy are also
key focus areas for this Council over the next 12 months. Council will continue to pursue the
purchase of more sites to increase the amount of public open spaces in the City.
While we may not all agree on which sites to purchase, we are all unified in our goal to create
more useable public open space in the City. The draft Recreation Strategy developed in 2013–
14, after extensive consultation with the community and sporting clubs, will further guide the
development of inclusive and sustainable sport and recreation opportunities and facilities for
our community over the next 10 years.
The strategy sets a vision for Stonnington to become the healthiest and most active
community in Victoria, with key areas of focus including finding a solution for more indoor
netball, basketball and soccer courts, upgrading tennis facilities, redeveloping reserves such
as Toorak Park, Victory Square and Orrong Romanis to provide greater opportunities for junior
and female sport, and increasing opportunities for sport in reserves where infrastructure is
lacking such as Thomas Oval, Central Park and Menzies Reserve.
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
12 NOVEMBER 2014
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Other specific items within the Recreation Strategy will see a focus on netball and identifying
ways to expand the capacity of netball courts and redeveloping the Prahran Aquatic Centre to
provide a recreation hub in the western end of the municipality.
One key event I am very much looking forward to over the next 12 months is the celebration of
the Anzac Centenary 2014-2018. August 2014 marked 100 years since the commencement
of the First World War.
Across the globe, the Anzac Centenary will be marked by millions of people, in places of
special importance and in ways personally meaningful to them. Here in Stonnington, Council,
in partnership with the Federal Member for Higgins Kelly O'Dwyer MP and the Higgins
Centenary of Anzac Committee, will be holding an Anzac Centenary March followed by an
ecumenical service to bring together the community to commemorate and honour the Anzac
spirit. The march will be held at 11am on Sunday 19 April 2015, commencing at Malvern
Gardens and proceeding along High Street to conclude at the Malvern Cricket Ground.
Descendents of WWI service men and women, current and past service men and women and
the broader community are invited to participate in the march and official proceedings that will
follow. Community groups, RSLs and schools are also being directly invited to participate and
involved in the coordination of this important event.
Furthermore something that is close to my heart and my professional background is the use
social media to better engage with our community. There is great potential for the City of
Stonnington to more effectively use social media as a powerful tool for engagement – as with
every organization, its increased use will challenge the way we have traditionally seen
communication and community interactions.
To promote higher levels of community engagement via social media new and creative
approaches that have a basis in informality will need to be employed, allowing for higher levels
of interactivity and collaboration. So, as the use of social media by our community continues to
evolve and grow, we will need to think creatively and continue to look for innovative and
engaging ways to interact with the community.
And finally, as Mayor I look very much forward to continuing the inclusive nature of this
Council. One of my key personal focus areas will be ensuring that all Councillors have more
opportunities to engage with our communities so our residents and traders get to see the great
leaders they have representing them and we can hear directly from our Community. I will also
continue to hold morning teas for each of the business units within Council, something I
commenced in my last Mayoral term to acknowledge and thank our fabulous staff for the great
work they do.
That concludes the formal part of the evening. Please join me, and my fellow Councillors, for
some celebration drinks and food out in the foyer area. And most importantly, please make
sure you wish Warren Roberts, our CEO a very Happy Birthday.
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
12 NOVEMBER 2014
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Councillors Reply
Cr Koce then presented to Cr Stubbs as outgoing Mayor a bound copy of the minutes of the
Special Meeting held on 14 November 2013 where Cr Stubbs was elected Mayor.
Councillors then responded with various comments including acknowledgment and support
and thanked the out-going Mayor Cr Stubbs and Mayoress Carole Stubbs for their work and
commitment over the past year.
There Being No Further Business the Mayor Cr Sehr thanked everyone in the gallery for their
attendance and invited them to join the Councillors in refreshments.
The Meeting Closed at 7.12pm
Confirmed 15 December 2014
……………………………………..
CR SEHR
MAYOR
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