Dear Friends and Owners of Unley,

Please enjoy the Autumn News, having survived last week’s 41°C you may like to see the link on my new Mayoral Unley Facebook page the link to the article, ‘We’re doomed’: Expert loses it over the jaw-dropping image. https://www.facebook.com/MayorMichaelHewitsonAM

This new page seeks to build our community with accurate information about things Unley. You are welcome to join in to provide links to your story and events. Please ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the page to show your support.

On Monday night our Council unanimously resolved to approve the submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry to the Urban Forest: Parliamentary Urban Forest inquiry Unley Council Submission.   The link to my complementary submission is, Why we lose our trees, $552,857.07 submission to Parliament Mayor.

This newsletter contains the following stories

ROLE OF Council?  Australians want more from Councils or do we?

Unley loses $552,857 

Unley Road Plans

Free Fringe events

Citizen of the year

Two more schools safe to cycle to.

LeCornu park needed.

Reformed smoker?

At the Council Meeting on Monday; with the Council vote I expect to result in spending the estimated $190,000 of Australian carbon credit shortfall to be Carbon neutral within Unley. This will actively reduce our Carbon emissions within Unley, but we would not be Carbon neutral until 2030. I hope we can achieve Carbon Zero by then! I have attached the motion and voting for this and the Tour Down Under motion and voting as a late press release. Go to the Mayor’s Facebook page where I will discuss the meeting and the 2023-4 budget.

With my best wishes,

                          Michael

Mayor Michael Hewitson AM

Council’s submission to the parliamentary inquiry into trees canopy can be found and to Council Planning Rules submission to Ministerial review here.

• Every Year we lose another 2 Unley ovals of trees and we have less than 200 across the whole city,
• A once-off offset payment is a license to never plant trees.
• In four years of accelerated planting Unley will run out of Council land, we need to increase from 22% to 27% canopy on private property.

I have made a complementary submission as Mayor to highlight the lack of power the Council has to enforce even the weak current rules. and what we need to do, Mayor Planning Rules submission on trees to Ministerial review

 2023 Summer news

Dear Friends and Owners of Unley,

                                We have a new Council. Thank you for returning me as your Mayor. We have four years to deliver the reality of a future Unley that is liveable.

Please let either Justine or I know if you do not wish to receive the four times a year emails with the quarterly newsletters attached.

Planning     Council Assessment Panel (CAP)   Vote 6/5

On 12^th of December Council voted not to have any Councillor on the Council Assessment Panel. (CAP) Unley Council has no power over planning matters. The six members who voted not to elect a Councillor to CAP, did so to underline the reality that Council has no say. Our planning rules have largely been taken over by the State Government. The Unley CAP is made up of professionals who have to apply the State Planning Rules. We are trying to have the State Planning Minister give us the power to have a ‘tree offset fund’ so we can deal with a well-known local tree canopy problem. Our problem is not shared by so many Councils in outer areas like Playford with large tracks of open space. Council does however have the right to select the membership of the CAP. We will be looking for people with an understanding and empathy for our City. Five members opposed the motion because they believed that CAP would be improved with a member who understands the political will of the local people. Please open the link to the Council agenda and Minutes for December to see who voted each way. Cr Don Palmer moved the motion and Cr Michael Rabbitt seconded it.

Tree canopy and our future 50°C hot summer days? Vote 9/2

One of my key election commitments was to voice the reality of life in Unley with a loss of tree canopy. I was extremely relieved at the strong commitment of the new Council to continue to tackle head on the known loss of tree canopy in half of the new developments that increase the built form. Council voted 9/2 in favour of the motion for Unley Council to be able to have an offset fund.

After everyone else has had the opportunity to speak, I was able to address the concerns of the two members opposing the motion.  I argued that our motion did not let the State Government off the hook. Whole of SA planning rules do not address the particular need of the inner City Council with the least amount of open Space in SA. Should the State Minister give us some power to deal with our local issue, the State Government is addressing one real problem with the working of the code… the loss of trees on private property in an inner city suburb. No amount of public consultation and new ideas can address a problem over which we have no power to act. Please open the link to the Council agenda and Minutes for December if you wish to see who voted each way. Cr Jack Gaffey moved the motion and Cr Don Palmer seconded it.

Wishing you and all those you love a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous 2023.

I hope you enjoy the attached newsletter,

With my thanks and best wishes,

Mayor Michael Hewitson

2022 Election Results

 Thank you to all who encouraged, helped and voted. I so often heard the comment, "I'm very happy with Unley Council, You are a shoo-in, so I didn't need to vote." With a very slow voter response I was concerned. Those who were unhappy with something they believe Council is responsible for, they are likely voters. Fortunately 9,133 took the trouble to vote. An absolute majority supported my return as Mayor, so no preferences were distributed. Thank you. Below are the provisional results from the ECSA electoral site.

Mayor			Goodwood
Candidates	First		Election quota
Election quota	Preference		496
4,567	Votes		Candidates	First
SCHNELL, Bob	2,391			Preference
HEWITSON, Michael	4,807			Votes
CENTRELLA, Dario	436		TIPPER, Denise	209
MACFARLANE, Marijana	1,499		HART, Georgie	345
Total	9,133		CRABBE, Chris	305
			TIPPER, Jake	40
Unley			McPHEE, Scott	223
Election quota	543		MACFARLANE, Chris	197
FINOS, Stephen	565		SMOLUCHA, Luke	166
RUSSO, Jane	597
DEWING, Sue	466
			Clarence Park
Parkside			Election quota
Election quota	458		475
Candidates	First		Candidates	First
	Preference			Preference
	Votes			Votes
BLYTH, Leah	193		PALMER, Don	694
ANASTASSIADIS, Kay	236		ROGERS, Rebekah	472
BONHAM, Jennifer	414		SQUIRE, Jayden	256
DOYLE, Luke	529			1422
Fullarton			Unley Park
Election quota	523		Election quota
Candidates	First		486
	Preference		Candidates	First
	Votes			Preference
HAVORD, Peter	121			Votes
GAFFEY, Jack	556		BRONIECKI, Monica	557
CAULFIELD, Finn	128		RABBITT, Michael James	484
BRAENDLER, Josh	91		CHATAWAY, Roslyn Marie	235
HUGHES, Peter	670		PRIOR, Paul Thomas	179

 

Dear Friends and owners of Unley, 

This election is about building a thriving and sharing community. It is about ensuring Unley is a great place to live. See and explore https://www.michaelhewitsonmayor.org/

I will continue with a plan to make Unley connected, green, and affordable. My work with you over the past four years has supported our council to:

·        keep rates well below CPI

·        increase avenues for how our community connects, interacts and to support your voice to be heard

·        present a plan through a ‘tree offset fund’ to protect and promote tree cover to safeguard our council area in a changing climate. No owner of an existing property will ever pay a higher rate because they lack trees.

Spread the word with your friends and encourage them to vote.  It would be great to have a high turnout and to elect a council that will support our great Unley region to be valued and enjoyed for generations to come.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions about who I am and what I stand for.  I would greatly appreciate your support to re-elect me for a second term as Mayor. 

 

Dear Friends and owners of Unley,

I have served you as your Mayor since 2018. We have achieved so much together with more to do to make Unley liveable and more accountable. When I started, I was told it would take two terms to affect the agenda I took to the last election. We have made Australia wide award-winning progress.

We have achieved so much and here are just two

1.     Rates with the lowest base rate in greater Adelaide, with a rate reduction of 4% below CPI we are building an inclusive mixed Unley.

2.     We have a cohesive working Council that can disagree yet unanimously vote in

a.     a budget that reduces debt and delivers our programs.

b.     our climate change policy and energy plan to be carbon neutral  Carbon neutral Unley

c.      walking and cycling safety  Walking and cycling Plan 2022 -2027

d.     delivers accelerated tree planting 

We have laid the foundation to deliver real community participation in policy decision making. (shaping Unley) but we are still losing 4 Ha of trees each year from our <400 Ha citywide total. Without completion of our current work our children will cook!

You can go to my website to see the breadth of policy and achievements of our Council in this term. Home | michaelhewitsonmayor 

“Need help to stay at home?” is an important story that did not fit into the newsletter.  The four videos below talk about the services available to support people living independently in their own homes through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and other local programs.

Unley people share their experience accessing services,  Need Help at home? 

 

Dear Friends and Owners of Unley,

Together, we have achieved so much during this term on Council. Thank you for your continuing help.

In addition to the topics in my newsletter I wish to draw your attention to the following….

Our Community is concerned with overdevelopment, the destruction of heritage and the ongoing loss of our cooling tree canopy.

As you are aware from my previous communications to you, we were successful with the previous government in avoiding the overbearing developments the new PDC could have created. We have protected our heritage areas, which is 80% of our City. We also succeeded in securing the 30° rule for building over 3 storeys.

We have yet to win however our battle to protect our tree canopy loss resulting from over development.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

We are now seeking permission from the current Minister for Planning to go to public consultation for a tree offset fund for FUTURE new developments that increase the built form. If we don’t succeed in establishing such a fund, we are heading to 13% tree canopy cover and very hot summers.

Council elections are coming up at the end of this year. I am being encouraged to run again to ensure issues of governance, climate policy implementation, better waste management, and ensuring new developments contribute to mitigating rising temperatures across Australia over the past 100 years are progressed.

Should I decide to run again I will need your help to succeed.

You are welcome to contact me over any issue of concern or interest,

With my best wishes,

                          Michael