Happy New Year, Docklanders!

By Adam Bandt - Federal MP for Melbourne

As your local MP, I am thrilled to be able to contribute to Hyperlocal News. 

The pandemic has impacted us all, and fundamentally changed our city, but it doesn’t all have to be for the worse. 

It is great to see local projects that improve climate resilience in our community, like the Urban Forest Project which is creating new green space at Victoria Point. 

The project, which is being led by Docklands locals, will create a refuge from the heat, for workers, residents and visitors with canopy trees and native indigenous plantings. We have nominated this project for funding for new timber benches, which will be a lovely addition and a place to stop for a chat.

As we rebuild our community, not just our economy, we have the opportunity to tackle the long-term problems our country faces. 

I want to protect what we love about Melbourne. That’s why the Greens have a plan to revitalise our city, with rent reductions for innovative and creative businesses and steps to protect liveability. 

Ensuring we keep Melbourne liveable is just one of the challenges we face as a community. 

I write this as school is about to go back, and there’s still no national plan to keep kids safe at school. Teachers are buying air purifiers and ventilators. 

The Morrison government has messed this up. They have abandoned the people of Melbourne.  

This election, we are going to kick Scott Morrison out, and the Greens are on track to hold the balance of power. 

When I was first elected in Melbourne, we made history by putting the Greens in the balance of power, securing world-leading legislation to tackle climate change, getting dental into Medicare for 3.4 million kids and securing massive investments in the Melbourne community. 

This time, we’ll push for billionaires and big corporations to pay their fair share of tax, so we can invest in the things that ensure everyone can live a good life. 

We’ll tackle the housing unaffordability crisis, by building and offering renters, first home buyers and people locked out of the housing market new, good quality homes, in the areas they want to live in, for $300,000. This is part of our plan to build a million new public housing homes over 20 years to end homelessness, while also strengthening renters’ rights. 

We’ll finish what we started and push to get dental and mental health into Medicare for everyone. And we’ll create thousands of jobs rolling out renewables to fight the climate crisis and end coal and gas.

Melbourne’s values of compassion and equality have helped lead the country before, and this election they’re set to do it again.

Please stay safe, look after each other and, if you need any assistance, please contact me •

Contact Adam Bandt

 [email protected] or phone 9417 0772