NORTH CENTRAL WARD

Candidate responses

Julie Williams: Independent

Independent!! Labor does not align with my morals and values any more.

1. To date, what actions have you taken to support the saving of the Preston Market? Please list your actions.

As the mayor in 2022-23 I went to parliament steps to hand over a petition of over 20,000 signatures to keep the market, social media post, attended events, met with Save the Preston Market group, the traders, and chatted with shoppers regularly.

As a councillor l have personally moved or second NOM’s in the chamber for the last 8 years, including supporting the heritage overlay and a number of other NOM’s that have come to council. 

The Preston Market is an iconic landmark that we all love. It is the heart beat of Preston, it is the peoples market, it is worth protecting and fighting for. 

2. Public acquisition of Preston Market will ensure the improvement, greening & community management of Preston Market. Do you support the public acquisition of Preston Market?  

Yes if the state government can afford it, because council can’t. 

3. The Victorian Planning Authority acknowledges that the planned Preston High Street Activity Centre will create up to 15,300 new dwellings & put more pressure on already lacking public open space in Preston. Do you agree that public acquisition of Preston Market is crucial to addressing this problem?

The City of Darebin is grappling with several key issues: housing, open space, parking, and retaining the Preston Market. Each of these factors is interconnected, and the absence of any one in the activity centre will affect the other.

Building over 13,000 new dwellings can take years, it is crucial that the Preston Market's parking area doesn't turn into a construction zone during this time. Such a disruption could have a devastating impact on the market throughout the construction process.

4. If you are elected, will you move a motion within the first 6 months to support & advocate for the public acquisition of the Preston Market?

I have no doubt Gaetano Greco will move this motion, more than happy to second the motion. 

Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins: Independent

1. To date, what actions have you taken to support the saving of the Preston Market? Please list your actions.

I wrote an article on the Preston Market and plans of the owners for the Rezzadent, Reservoirs’ local newspaper. Reposted regular updates on the ‘Preston/Reservoir Community Voice’ page that I administrate.

2. Public acquisition of Preston Market will ensure the improvement, greening & community management of Preston Market. Do you support the public acquisition of Preston Market?

I definitely support the public acquisition of the Preston Market, with caveats that is cannot be sold again to the Private sector, upgrades that include better disability access and access from Preston station, more bike parking, better toilets and bathroom facilities and much better facilities and stalls for traders.

3. The Victorian Planning Authority acknowledges that the planned Preston High Street Activity Centre will create up to 15,300 new dwellings & put more pressure on already lacking public open space in Preston. Do you agree that public acquisition of Preston Market is crucial to addressing this problem?

This seems a very simplistic response to a very complex and multilayered issue. We need more housing in Preston, we also need much more canopy and green spaces AND the land around the market is very poorly allocated. My concern would be that council and state government would do the same thing to the market once it was publicly acquired. Public acquisition with a community board made up of community, traders and council would be a more desirable outcome.

4. If you are elected, will you move a motion within the first 6 months to support & advocate for the public acquisition of the Preston Market?

If that is the community’s priority at that time, absolutely. I love the market and have been a regular there for nearly 25 years. I know many of the traders, often meet people there at Rhubarb, and in a cost-of-living crisis the market is an important place for people to shop. I believe that a strong unified community has a better chance of surviving problems. I would also like to see the same care and interest placed in business trading on Broadway and Edwardes Street in Reservoir, we have many similar unique and low-cost shopping options, and wonderful community connections. I support this asset coming back into community hands and would love to see it as a place community can come together. Imagine having Bridge Darebin, or DIVRS running events and programming community activities hand in hand with local commerce!

Darebin Labor

1. To date, what actions have you taken to support the saving of the Preston Market? Please list your actions.

  • Darebin Labor Crs supported Cr Gaetano Greco’s motions on council to save the Preston Market and preserve its footprint. 

  • We want to ensure the continued thriving of businesses. Cr Dimitriadis has lobbied state and federal members of parliament to support the Preston Market.

  • Darebin Labor candidates attended the Save the Preston Market meeting online.

  • Darebin Labor candidates regularly shop and attend the market – it is a very important cultural and retail hub.

2. Public acquisition of Preston Market will ensure the improvement, greening & community management of Preston Market. Do you support the public acquisition of Preston Market? 

  • Darebin Labor will support a council endeavour to investigate the feasibility of acquisition options.

  • Council can contribute to the acquisition of the Preston Market, and we must ensure that costs are not being brought to the traders and the community. This is how we support and enact public acquisition. 

3. The Victorian Planning Authority acknowledges that the planned Preston High Street Activity Centre will create up to 15,300 new dwellings & put more pressure on already lacking public open space in Preston. Do you agree that public acquisition of Preston Market is crucial to addressing this problem?

  • Darebin Labor will support a council endeavour to investigate the feasibility of acquisition options. Darebin Labor believes in supporting the fantastic traders at the Preston market and ensuring they are able to have stability for their businesses for the long term.

  • We need there to be appropriate infrastructure and spaces for the Preston High Street Activity centre. Preston Market should form a part of this and be included in the Master plan.

4. If you are elected, will you move a motion within the first 6 months to support & advocate for the public acquisition of the Preston Market?

  • Darebin Labor will support a council endeavour to investigate the feasibility of acquisition options and will wait until said report is received by council to make a final decision on what should be the next steps

Darebin Greens  

1. To date, what actions have you taken to support the saving of the Preston Market? Please list your actions.

Darebin Greens Mayors and Councillors have consistently supported saving Preston Market. 

Darebin Greens Mayors and Councillors’ actions include: 

  • Making protecting Preston Market Darebin Council’s top advocacy priority. In our current Council Plan, one of our top 10 actions includes: “protect all that we love about Darebin by pursuing protections for Preston Market”. The action around this was: “Protect Preston Market, including advocating Council’s position to the State Government during its planning consultation process, and working with our community to advocate for the strongest possible planning controls and protections”.

  • Practically, this meant the Protect Preston Market was possibly Darebin Council’s largest ever advocacy campaign with significant Council resources put behind it. Working with community members and groups such as Save the Preston Market, 16,425 people signed a petition to the Minister for Planning to protect the market. The campaign included billboards, advertising on buses, free signs for residents and businesses, comprehensive planning submissions, legal representation in hearings, dedicated staffing, an ongoing social media campaign and community events bringing people together to support the market, which Greens Mayors and Councillors attended and supported. Not a Green’s led action

  • Meeting often with traders to hear their concerns and stay informed on developments about the site. 

  • We have supported the Heart of Preston vision, which includes keeping the market’s heritage significance and mix of stalls; supporting traders to keep trading through any redevelopment, keeping the market accessible, affordable and multicultural; sustainability measures including at least 10% public open space on site and 6-star green star communities; and 20% affordable housing on site. Before current term of council

Darebin Greens candidates actions include: 

  • Shopping, eating at and visiting the market with friends and family!! 

  • Meeting with traders to discuss current situation and receive updates  

  • Conducting listening posts at the Preston Market to find out what customers think of the market now and what they want for its future.  

2. Public acquisition of Preston Market will ensure the improvement, greening & community management of Preston Market. Do you support the public acquisition of Preston Market? 

We are in support of the public acquisition of the Preston Market, and we call on the Victorian Government to make this happen.  

5 apparently a major policy position which is not reflected anywhere else on greens policy

3. The Victorian Planning Authority acknowledges that the planned Preston High Street Activity Centre will create up to 15,300 new dwellings & put more pressure on already lacking public open space in Preston. Do you agree that public acquisition of Preston Market is crucial to addressing this problem?

Yes, we agree. We know through Darebin Council’s open space strategy Breathing Space that central Preston already lacks open space. There are some parts of central Preston that do not have a park within 500m of home. State Government plans to have 6,000 more apartments in Central Preston as one of 10 activity centres will mean current and future residents will need a commensurate amount of new and enhanced open space. This is why the Heart of Preston calls for “at least 10% public open space on site” and “an additional financial contribution of up to 8.2% to enhance existing open space within the central Preston area.” 7

4. If you are elected, will you move a motion within the first 6 months to support & advocate for the public acquisition of the Preston Market?

Yes, happy to do this.