WANT TO BECOME A MEMBER OF BRAG?

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE ANDREW'S GOVERNMENT'S PLANS TO INTENSIFY DEVELOPMENT IN BOROONDARA?

OR MAYBE YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LOSS OF OUR BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE HOMES OR THE PROLIFERATION OF MCMANSIONS OR THE EVER INCREASING RATE OF OUR POPULATION GROWTH?

BRAG CAN HELP BUT WE NEED YOU.

JOIN TODAY BY DOWNLOADING THE APPLICATION FORM AND HELP US TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR CONCERNS.

ARE OUR GOVERNMENTS REALLY IN CHARGE?

I came across this item from some years ago. It is from Kelvin Thomson's Blog when he was an MP in the labor party. It is just as relevant today as it was when written. The full article is attached above.........

"Do our governments really govern us? Or do they respond more to big business which in reality controls wealth creation, job creation and growth?" The attached blog from Kelvin Thomson MP makes the point that in a deregulated economy politicians haven't controlled interest rates, the exchange rates, wages or prices for decades. The power base has shifted to trans-national corporations which operate oblivious of national borders (and many don't pay their fair share of tax). These large corporations are dis-empowering governments and Kevin says we should not go further down this path........he also raises the concurrent issue of infrastructure provision for rapidly growing populations (upon which these corporations rely) and states that no council, State or Federal authorities are able to keep up. 

Please read the full article (attached above).

GST V GST"PER CAPITA" & POPULATION GROWTH

For some time we have been banging on about our population growth while our politicians keep telling us that population growth is essential for our economic growth. But do we really understand what is actually growing?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports our economic growth using the increase in GDP (Growth Domestic Product) but what is not usually understood is that there is a disconnect between GST and our living standards. Actually while GST has been continually growing, the ABS has confirmed that our living standards have been shrinking. While GST has had uninterupted growth for many years, annual growth in real GDP per capita has been 1 to 2 percentage points lower.The reality is that our individual prosperity depends upon economic growth exceeding population growth so while we are experiencing population growth, largely through migration growing faster than our economy, we are essentailly going backwards.

Because it does not serve the interests of our politicians due to large political donations by  the business lobby groups (who repesent big business which relies upon the influx of new customers largely through migration) the government continues to report GDP growth rather than GDP per capita. The governments of both major parties have been using smoke and mirrors to deliberately mislead us. 

BRAG raised this issue with Josh Frydenberg (our local federal member) but we don't expect to see any real change. It will need the force of numbers to push this issue so what about telling your local politicians that you want our economic reports based upon 

Real GDP per capita not the misleading GDP

"RESIDENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS" (RBR)

Are you concerned with the governments' determination to force more residential development into your local neighbourhood?

The latest revision of Plan Melbourne dictates that 70% of all new housing will be crammed into our established suburbs. It also has changed what in many areas is a restriction of no more than two dwellings per block. In future developers can build more than two dwellings and the heights have been lifted to three stories.

When questioned, the Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, indicated that maybe this could mean up to 10 dwellings on a suburban block.  You could have a three storey block of flats built next door with no right of appeal.

BRAG has published a Residents' Bill of Rights (RBR) which was developed in conjunction with residents' groups right across Melbourne who are all facing many different planning issues

 The RBR was devised  as a response to the lack of any real consultation by successive state governments, while our residential areas are continually being plundered by developers only intent on exploiting every construction opportunity , regardless of the impact upon our residential areas.

The RBR is an initiative to give residents a real voice in how their local residential areas are developed.

WE URGE EVERYONE TO INDICATE THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE RBR BY WRITING TO THEIR REPRESENTATIVE POLITICIANS AND COUNCILLORS TO SUPPORT THE INTRODUCTION OF OUR RESIDENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

A copy of the RBR is attached (see the link above).

See the full story in post below.....

HIGH IMMIGRATION MASKS AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC DECLINE

FOR YEARS WE HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT OUR RECORD IMIGRATION INTAKE HAS NOT RESULTED IN OUR EXISTING CITIZENS BEING BETTER OFF AS ALL THE BENIFITS FROM THE RESULTANT ECONOMIC GROWTH GOES MAINLY TO THE NEW ARRIVALS.

DATA FROM THE AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS CONFIRMS THAT OUR PER CAPITA INCOME HAS BEEN GOING BACKWARDS. OUR POLITICIANS HAVE BEEN TELLING US THAT OUR POULATION GROWTH FUELED BY IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN DRIVING OUR ECONOMIC GROWTH, KEEPING US OUT OF RECESSION.  BUT IT HAS MASKED THE FACT THAT EXISTING CITIZENS HAVE NOT FELT THE BENEFIT. OUR POLITICIANS HAVE BEEN MISLEADING US.

AS WE HAVE SAID MANY TIMES OVER RECENT YEARS, ALL THIS SO CALLED "GROWTH" HAS DONE IS CREATE AN ILLUSION BECAUSE OUR PER CAPITA INCOME HAS BEEN GOING BACKWARDS. THE ONLY ONES TO BENEFIT ARE THE NEW ARRIVALS THEMSELVES.

THE ATTACHED ARTICLE (SEE ABOVE) CONFIRMS OUR POULATION ESTIMATES AND OUR RATE OF GROWTH FIGURE WHICH AVERAGES AT 1.7% BUT HAS REACHED AS HIGH AS 2.2% - WAY AHEAD OF COMPARABLE COUNTRIES SUCH AS THE UK AT  0.6% AND THE US AT 0.7% WITH THE WORLD'S  AT 1.1%.

AS THE NEW RESERVE BANK GOVENOR, PHILIP LOWE, SAYS "GOOD ECONOMIC POLICY SHOULD BE TO RAISE THE LIVING STANDARDS - NOT JUST MAKE THE POPULATION AND THERFORE  THE ECONOMY BIGGER."

WE SAY THat OUR CURRENT IMMIGRATION AND BORDER FORCE DO NOT CONTROL WHO OR HOW MANY COME INTO THIS COUNTRY AND IT IS TIME TO INTRODUCE A PROPER POPULATION POLICY THAT ENSURES SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE POPULATION GROWTH ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITIZENS.

THE ARTICLE ABOVE IS WORTH READING.

PROTEST RALLY AGAINST PLAN MELBOURNE 2017-2050

RESTORE RESIDENTS' RIGHTS RALLY.

The latest changes to 'Plan Melbourne' will further remove resident rights.

The protection provided by the neighbourhood residential zones has been dramatically reduced and 70% of all new development will be forced into our established suburbs. Also multi-storey blocks of apartments will be encouraged in these suburbs so get ready to have multi-storey blocks of flats overlooking and overpowering your home, without the right to object.

A Protest Rally on the steps of Parliament has been arranged for Thursday 8th June, 1 pm. to demand that residents rights are restored and Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 is amended accordingly.

Professor Michael Buxton from RMIT will be our main presenter along with other prominent speakers, so come along and help us to get your rights restored and changes made to protect our homes from over-development. 

Residents' Bill of Rights

You can download a copy  copy of our Residents' Bill of Rights; see attached above - RBR (final )docx;  which has been sent to all parliamentary members of  the state government and to all councils with a request they take action to imliment the RBR.

The RBR has been developed after consulting with resident groups from right across Melbourne. You can see the full story on how the bill came about in the post below dated 5thJuly 2016.

PLAN MELBOURNE 2017 - 2050

The state Labor Governmnent's recent introduction of the new Plan for Melbourne includes changes to the residential zones which will result in more density in our residential suburbs. 

It is the result of recommendations from a comittee made up of academics and representatives of the development industry without any resident representation. So what's different? This has always been the case with the planners saying they know what's best for us.

The current requirement of a maximum of two dwellings on one block has been scarapped so there will now be no limit. And folllowing the Minister for Planning's outburst in parliament criricizing Glen Eira and Boroondara' s residential zones he has made sure that the established suburbs will in future be forced to accept 70% of all new development and has relaxed the protection previously provided.

A copy of our email to residents right across Melbourne is attached above.

We expect that the residents will react vigorously against this latest plan for Melbourne which will very quickly change the way we live.

*Watch this space re the residents' of Melbourne response.

*See details for rally on the steps of parliament in the post above.