Your Council

Cr Wayne Phillips - Beale Ward

Cr Wayne Phillips - Beale Ward

Mayor 2012-2013

PO Box 134, Greensborough 3088
Mobile: 0408 999 189
Email: wayne.phillips@banyule.vic.gov.au

Banyule Mayor Cr Wayne Phillips is looking forward to a challenging four-year term, with constant changes to the Local Government Act meaning councillors have to be more business-like in providing a wide range of services with substantially reduced funding opportunities.

Wayne believes his local knowledge and the experience he has gained from 22 years in local Government and 10 years in State Government, combined with his enjoyment at working with the community, will continue to be a great asset to the Banyule community.

"I have lived and worked locally - as a self-employed small business owner - for 40 years and I am committed to working towards Banyule being one of the best liveable cities and one with affordable rates," Wayne said.

His priorities include protecting Banyule's neighbourhood character, ensuring Council works in the best interests of the majority, and protecting the area's abundant natural environment.

Wayne represents Council on the following Banyule Advisory Committees:

  • Asset Management Steering Committee
  • Greensborough Principal Activity Centre Community Consultative Committee
  • Neighbourhood Character Focus Group
  • Strategic Property Group

 

Cr Craig Langdon - Olympia Ward

Cr Craig Langdon - Olympia Ward

Deputy Mayor 2012-2013 

PO Box 51, Ivanhoe 3079
Phone: 9497 3087 (9.00 am - 9.00 pm)
Mobile: 0401 097 032
Email: craig.langdon@banyule.vic.gov.au

 Returning Councillor and Deputy Mayor, Craig Langdon, wants Banyule to become a leading sustainable city - a city that is environmentally friendly and known for assisting and supporting its community, arts and clubs.

As a long term champion of Olympia Ward, Craig is also eager to encourage greater civic pride in West Heidelberg, while addressing ageing infrastructure within his Ward in particular, but also more generally across the City of Banyule.

"I will be working to make sure Olympia Ward gets the services and resources it needs to meet community needs and aspirations," Craig said.

Craig's other priorities include keeping rates as low as possible while providing services meeting community need despite a challenging fiscal environment and ageing infrastructure.

Craig has over 20 years' service to the community as a councillor, Member of Parliament and community worker. He is a parent and grandparent.

Cr Mark Di Pasquale - Bakewell Ward

Cr Mark Di Pasquale - Bakewell Ward

PO Box 51, Ivanhoe 3079  
Phone: 0481 002 299
Email: mark.dipasquale@banyule.vic.gov.au

As a new Councillor, Mark Di Pasquale is eager to apply his professional and personal experience in continuing to ensure that Banyule is ‘the place to be', a vibrant and dynamic city attracting and retaining residents and business.

While Mark sees his biggest challenge as ‘getting up to speed' with Council and the myriad of projects already underway, he is confident that as a quick learner he will be contributing immediately to projects bringing community benefit.

"My motivation for running for Council was the enjoyment that my family gets out of living in Banyule and my desire to get more involved in order to guarantee the further progression of our community as a place for work and recreation," he said.

Mark brings much skill and experience to Council: as a primary health care practitioner he guides people on the path to better health and a more abundant life; as a small business owner he brings skills of budgeting and ensuring that ‘the books' balance; and as a husband and father of two young daughters he understands what families need to be happy and healthy in the Banyule community.

"I am looking forward to continuing the work of Council and maintaining the stability that benefits all residents when decisions are made for the betterment of the community," Mark said.

Cr Jenny Mulholland - Griffin Ward

Cr Jenny Mulholland - Griffin Ward

PO Box 51, Ivanhoe 3079
Phone/Fax: 9458 1391
Mobile: 0413 986 912
Email: jenny.mulholland@banyule.vic.gov.au

Cr Jenny Mulholland has represented the Banyule community since 2000, making her the longest serving of the current councillors. Jenny will continue to focus on family values, preserving neighbourhood character by opposing inappropriate development, promoting facility development and improving services for older people.

"I will provide stability and experience for Council as it works for all of our community to build an even better place to live," she said. Jenny, who has lived in Griffin Ward (Ivanhoe) for the past 30 years, is an active participant in a range of community groups and contributes to committees spanning libraries, arts and culture, disabilities, women's issues and the environment.  Jenny is also Council's representative on the Municipal Association of Victoria and Yarra Plenty Regional Library Board.

Jenny has been Banyule's only female Mayor, elected in 2003/2004 and again in 2004. Jenny was Deputy Mayor in 2005 and 2010.

Jenny is a member of Australian Local Government Women's Association and for seven years has been on the Municipal Association of Victoria's Environment Policy Committee.

In this term, Jenny is looking forward to overseeing sustainable rates to restore aging infrastructure, with emphasis on a few major projects within Griffin Ward, including the Ivanhoe Structure Plan which includes the Civic Precinct and Ivanhoe Library redevelopment, the Ivanhoe Aquatic Centre redevelopment, and the extension of the Ivanhoe Junior Football Club rooms.

 

Cr Rick Garotti - Grimshaw Ward

Cr Rick Garotti - Grimshaw Ward

PO Box 51, Ivanhoe 3079  
Phone: 0402 846 845
Email: rick.garotti@banyule.vic.gov.au

As a newly elected Councillor, Rick Garotti's vision for Banyule is that it becomes one of the best places in Victoria to live, work, invest and raise a family.

"This will involve sound financial management to ensure Banyule retains the lowest average rates of any Council in our region, planning and development arrangements preserving our unique neighbourhood character and a long-term, strategic approach to transport that tackles increasing traffic congestion," Rick said.

Rick, a long-term resident, ran for Council because of his passion for the area and belief that his knowledge and experience would make him an effective representative for local citizens. As a management consultant in an international accounting firm, he brings a range of financial, economic and strategic policy experience, with formal qualifications in accounting, finance and economics. He also understands government through previous work with the Victorian and Federal Governments.

Rick's first priority is improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Council so that it can continue to provide quality services and infrastructure while minimising rate increases. Other priorities include new project investment in Grimshaw Ward and completion of a bike path between Plenty Road and Watsonia Station.

He sees the key challenge for Council as maintaining and expanding services and new infrastructure within a tough fiscal climate marked by cost shifting of services from other levels of government, renewal and maintenance of ageing infrastructure, and funding Council's defined benefit scheme superannuation liabilities.

Cr Steven Briffa - Hawdon Ward

Cr Steve Briffa - Hawdon Ward

PO Box 51, Ivanhoe 3079
Mobile 0429 807 052
Email:  steven.briffa@banyule.vic.gov.au

In his second term as a Councillor, Steven Briffa's priorities are managing Council's finances, keeping rates affordable, opposing inappropriate development and supporting local sporting and service clubs.

Steven's enthusiasm for Council was born out of his role as a former President of the Greensborough Chamber of Commerce where he identified the need for better working relationships between traders, residents and Council. As a 16-year business owner within Banyule, a father of three girls and long associations with many local sporting clubs, Steven said he spends the majority of his time networking with local businesses and resident groups.

Key challenges for his second term as a Councillor include better communication between Council and residents, completing the new home of the Montmorency Junior Football Club in Simms Road and completing the Price Park Master Plan. Steven's five-year vision for the Council is one that involves a strong financial position, with improved services and facilities, including roads and bike paths.

Steven believes his negotiating skills and ability to follow up on residents' requests have already helped deliver good community outcomes. "I am willing to meet with residents anytime and my business allows me the time to contribute to the decision-making process of Council - decisions about where we all live. I am not politically aligned, which also means my decisions are primarily made in the best interest of community outcomes," he said.

Cr Tom Melican - Ibbott Ward

Cr Tom Melican - Ibbott Ward

Phone: 9459 8026
Fax: 9459 8162
Mobile: 0413 043 015
Email: tom.melican@banyule.vic.gov.au

Tom is married and has lived in Banyule for 31 years, raising four children in East Rosanna and being involved as a player, coach, volunteer and committee member in several sporting and community groups - all factors giving him an understanding of what makes a good representative and what is important to residents.

"I like meeting and working with people and Council has a direct and important influence on the lives of local people," he said.

Tom is committed to a financially secure Council, with strategies driving long term efficiencies to give residents the best value services for the lowest possible rates.

He also wants to work with other levels of Government to ensure Banyule receives its share of State and Federal Grants. Also high on his agenda is pressuring the State Government and VicRoads to develop solutions to the "nightmare on our main roads" to protect resident safety and amenity.

In line with relieving transport congestion, Tom is advocating improvements to public transport including completion of the area's network of on and off-road bike paths.  

"The very important and sometimes difficult planning decisions and striking the right balance between preserving neighbourhood character and meeting current and future needs, is vital for future prosperity," he said. Tom also believes that preserving the historic Banyule Homestead should be a priority.

"It is critical that we establish an independent, united and hard-working Council, which is a forum for open, constructive debate. Being politically independent allows me to solely focus on how every decision will affect residents and that is always my only consideration," Tom said.

The Role of Councillors

The primary role of a Councillor is to determine policy, set objectives and strategic directions, ensure that the provision of services meets community need, together with monitoring the performance of the Council organisation. A Councillor consults with the community and acts as an advocate for the whole community. A Councillor must also become familiar with large budgets, a complex organisation and a diverse range of social, environmental, management and development issues.

Councillor Code of Conduct

Amendments to the Local Government Act 1989 that came into effect on 31 July 2004 require that all Victorian Councils adopt a Code of Conduct. The Code must also be reviewed within six months after each Council election.

The Code was reviewed in October 2009 and is incorporated in Local Law 2 (2005) - Conduct of Meetings Local Law. The Code provides a framework for ethical and professional behaviour of Councillors in the range of interactions between Councillors, Council staff and the public. It covers various areas of professional conduct and details the standards of behaviour expected of Councillors.

A copy of the Code can be downloaded by clicking on the link below, or can be inspected at one of Council's 3 service centres in Ivanhoe, Rosanna or Greensborough during office hours.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF documents. Click here to download the reader.

Information about Wards

A ward is the electorate that a Councillor represents. It is broadly equivalent to a 'seat' in State and Federal elections. Each Ward is represented by a single Councillor.

Wards are devised on the basis of communities of interests - similar areas: a statutory requirement for each ward not to vary from other wards in number of voters by more than plus or minus 10%

Banyule is divided into seven wards. These are Bakewell, Beale, Griffin, Grimshaw, Hawdon, Ibbot and Olympia.

Bakewell - brothers who established the Plenty Station (having bought the land from Dr Martin).
Beale - Major Edward Beale amongst other contributors, founded St Katherines church after the church on the Island of Helena.
Griffin - Walter Burley Griffin, the architect of Canberra, planned estates in the area.
Grimshaw - an identity of the area, Grimshaw contributed to public life and is honoured by the naming of the major east west linking.
Hawdon - Joseph Hawdon an identity of Warringal Township built the Banyule Homestead, and with others, sought the government grant of crown land for Warringal Cemetery.
Ibbott - Nellie Ibbott was the first woman Mayor of the City of Heidelberg and in Victoria.
Olympia - covers the area which hosted Melbourne's Olympic Games in 1956.

Ward Map