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Our vision

A Future We Can Be Proud Of

Our children deserve a healthier, fairer, more sustainable and more hopeful Footscray than the one we inherited.

We have a proud industrial past. The West built this city.

Now we need a long-term vision for the future of the Inner West, beyond electoral cycles.

I will fight for:

• ▸Cleaner air and neighbourhoods.
• ▸Cleaning up legacy industrial pollution.
• ▸Climate action that delivers local benefits.
• ▸Coherent and long-term policy and planning that reflects community needs and protects what makes Footscray special.
• ▸Better community support and health outcomes.
• ▸Stronger local businesses, and a thriving, accessible and safe CBD.
• ▸Protection and expansion of green spaces.
• ▸Flood resilience and healthy waterways.
• ▸Expanded and improved public education options.
• ▸Strengthened government integrity and oversight.
• ▸Protection of our inclusive and diverse community, rejecting the politics of division.

My commitment

I will always listen first.

I will make decisions based on evidence and consultation.

I will work constructively with whoever forms government.

And I will always put the people of Footscray ahead of political convenience and vested interests.

1. Clean Air, Healthy Communities

Everyone deserves clean air, no matter which side of the Westgate Bridge they live on.

For decades, Melbourne's west has carried a disproportionate pollution burden. Our kids are being hospitalised for asthma at some of the highest rates in the State.

Clean air is not a luxury. It is a public health issue.

I will fight to:

• ▸Filter the West Gate Tunnel ventilation stacks.
• ▸Get trucks off residential streets while ensuring pollution and risk is not simply shifted into neighbouring communities.
• ▸Accelerate the transition to cleaner freight, including electric trucks and more freight moved by rail.
• ▸Expand tree canopy and urban greening to reduce pollution and urban heat.
• ▸Hold the government accountable for protecting the health of children and families in the west.

2. Planning That Puts Communities First

Development should happen with our community, not to it.

Our community feels that planning decisions happen to them rather than with them, and often government decisions are predetermined before consultation even begins. We have major projects imposed on our neighbourhoods without genuine partnership with local residents.

Growth is inevitable. Poor planning is not.

I will fight for:

• ▸Genuine community consultation before major developments are approved.
• ▸Level crossing removal projects that meet the community's needs (ramps not lifts).
• ▸Smarter transport and infrastructure planning that keeps pace with population growth.
• ▸Greater clarity around planning decisions and government accountability, including in relation to the Joseph Road Precinct.
• ▸Development that balances housing, jobs, green space and liveability.

3. People Before Data Centres

The rapid expansion of data centres in residential areas has become one of the clearest examples of planning decisions being made without genuine community consultation.

Technology should serve our community, not come at its expense.

The question is not whether Victoria should have data centres. The question is whether the people who live next door deserve to have a genuine say before these decisions are made.

I will fight for:

• ▸A moratorium on new approvals in residential areas until cumulative health and environmental impacts have been independently assessed.
• ▸Genuine community consultation before major industrial developments are approved.
• ▸Independent assessment of air quality, diesel emissions, noise, heat, traffic, water use and public health impacts.
• ▸Stronger planning protections for homes, schools, childcare centres and parks.
• ▸Requirements for operators to power new facilities with additional renewable energy, rather than increasing pressure on Victoria's electricity grid.
• ▸Community benefit agreements so that large corporations contribute to local infrastructure, green space and neighbourhood improvements.
• ▸Greater transparency around planning decisions and ministerial approvals. Scrutiny and winding back of fast-track approval processes.

4. A Safer, More Vibrant Footscray

A thriving Footscray requires both compassion and accountability.

Everyone deserves to feel safe, and people doing it tough deserve dignity and support.

I will work to:

• ▸Increase visible, evidence-based and human-rights informed community safety measures in the Footscray CBD and around transport hubs.
• ▸Improve lighting, maintenance and activation of public spaces.
• ▸Address neglected and vacant land and infrastructure, and explore new approaches to revitalising the district.
• ▸Expand mental health, alcohol and drug and homelessness support services.
• ▸Prevent the closure of Foley House.
• ▸Bring together police, service providers, traders and community organisations to deliver practical long-term solutions.
• ▸Support local traders and small businesses to ensure a thriving local economy.

5. Meaningful Cost of Living Solutions

The best cost of living relief tackles the root causes, not just the symptoms.

Families deserve practical support that reduces everyday expenses.

I will advocate for:

• ▸Measures that support the energy transition in Victoria, and lower household energy bills through electrification and energy efficiency.
• ▸Better public transport.
• ▸More affordable childcare.
• ▸More affordable, well planned housing, including public and community housing.
• ▸Affordability, access and protections for renters.
• ▸Policies that strengthen local jobs and support small businesses.

6. Protect, Restore and Expand Our Green Spaces

As our population grows and our suburbs heat, our limited green spaces and urban canopy become even more vital.

Parks, trees, and local biodiversity are vital to community health and wellbeing.

I will fight to:

• ▸Deliver a community-led vision for the Old Footscray Hospital site.
• ▸Preserve as much of the Maribyrnong Defence Site as possible for public use.
• ▸Support the community to protect McIvor Reserve and identify appropriate brownfields sites for new sporting infrastructure.
• ▸Clean up legacy industrial pollution.
• ▸Expand tree canopy across the electorate.
• ▸Regenerate and rewild places like Stony Creek, the Maribyrnong River corridor and former industrial land, restoring native vegetation, improving habitat for wildlife and making nature more accessible for local families.
• ▸Invest in improved and climate-resilient parks, playgrounds and public open spaces.

7. Healthy Rivers and Flood Resilience

Our river should be something we celebrate, not fear.

Climate change means we need to prepare now.

I will advocate for:

• ▸Better flood mitigation for the Maribyrnong River (including advocating for the Arundel Retarding Basin) and emergency preparedness.
• ▸Faster investment in flood resilience infrastructure.
• ▸Cleaner waterways and stronger action to reduce pollution.
• ▸A healthier Maribyrnong River that is safe for recreation and wildlife.
• ▸Long term planning that protects homes, businesses and future generations.

8. Great Public Education Close to Home

Families should not have to leave the western suburbs for a great education.

Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive.

I will fight for:

• ▸Better funding for local public schools.
• ▸Improved access to childcare and early learning, and stronger support for early childhood education.
• ▸More investment in secondary schools as our population grows.
• ▸Better bilingual education opportunities that reflect our diverse community.

9. Lifting Government Integrity

Politics should work for people, not vested interests.

After years of scandals and declining public trust, Victoria needs higher standards and accountability.

I will fight for:

• ▸Greater transparency in political donations and lobbying.
• ▸Stronger integrity and accountability measures to uncover, investigate and prevent corruption.
• ▸Genuine community consultation before major decisions are made.
• ▸Regular public reporting on my work as your representative, and ongoing community listening.
• ▸Transparent and evidence-based decisions.

10. Celebrating Our Diverse Community

Our diversity is our greatest strength.

Footscray's multicultural identity is something to protect and celebrate.

I will work to:

• ▸Support multicultural organisations and community leaders.
• ▸Promote bilingual communication where appropriate.
• ▸Celebrate the languages, cultures and stories that make our community unique.
• ▸Ensure every part of our community has a genuine voice in government.
• ▸Protect social cohesion by standing firmly against racism and division.