A new year brings reflection on where we’ve been and a great sense of hope for the year ahead.
Having been elected mayor in November, I’m looking forward to working with our community in 2024 to continue to find ways to make Hobsons Bay a better place to live and visit.
There are a few initiatives that will come to life as part of my mayoral program, which is made up of specific priorities I’d like to shine a light on.
One of the initiatives you’ll see is the first Hobsons Bay Youth Employment and Engagement Fair.
I hear from young people that to get a start, you need a start. However, too often, there are inequities in terms of who gets access to opportunities that can set young people up to flourish. We’ve got to do what we can to level the playing field. This fair will do just that. It will bring together schools, businesses, community organisations, employment specialists and Council so we can help young people across Hobsons Bay find decent and rewarding work.
I also want to see us continue to make Hobsons Bay a cleaner and greener place. You might have recently seen the news about a factory fire in Laverton North. Unfortunately, this type of blaze happens far too often and contributes to the air pollution issue that is already of significant
concern for our residents in the inner west.
The EPA has a vital job to do improving the practices of companies who are at fault, and we are keen to continue working with them to make sure we are improving the air we all breathe.
There has been progress recently in terms of the size of EPA punishments to offending companies, and it’s important this type of progress continues.
Another area of my mayoral program is promoting Hobsons Bay as a tourist destination. This winter, you’ll see a program that will bring visitors and locals to our key entertainment precincts, so we can boost our local economy through the colder months.
Finally, I want to mention the new community relationship management system, My Hobsons Bay Hub, which will be launching soon. It’ll help make it easier for you to connect with Council and our services. Keep an eye out for more details.
There’s much more to my mayoral program, so if you’d like to find out more, visit hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/mayoralprogram.
