The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

[westdog54]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Better news.....

Libs won't hurt Dogs
Brad Ryan | October 28, 2008 05:25pm

THE Greens plan to block approval of a Whitten Oval university campus now appears destined to fail. The State Opposition says it will side with the Government when a rare disallowance motion is moved by Western Metropolitan state Greens MP Colleen Hartland in Parliament tomorrow.

if successful, the motion would hand planning control back to Maribyrnong Council, the Hobsons Bay Leader reports.

Earlier today, Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon said that could send the club broke because funding was dependent on the approval.

He said the club could not afford any further project delays.

The club would probably not survive, given the financial repercussions, if the motion was passed,’’ Mr Smorgon said.

Planning Minister Justin Madden seized control from the council in July, saying the club’s future was at stake.

He today labelled the Greens “nuts” for trying to block the project.

If Ms Hartland insists on pushing through with this comical dissalowance motion it will be nothing more than a political stunt.

At least now she'll have Ian Collins handing out how to vote cards for her for the rest of her life.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Good example of why you would never vote Greens or indepepndents.......selfish, ignorant pr*cks

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Ignorant b@stards, lost any chance of a future vote for me.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

This women is from your electorate Andrew (Sheoak ward-Yarraville/Footscray) in Maribynong.
So her only reason she is doing this is so the council (where her mates are at) get it back.

[Missing Dog]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Oh well it seems to me that the Greens will go the way of the Democrats.The need for an independant watchdog is now about grandstanding.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

And if you base your vote for state or federal government on how the party treats your football club you deserve the government you get. And you do.

If people didn't base their vote on single issues the Greens wouldn't get any votes at all.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

just another case of the greens screaming for attention....when i was a kid and i played up for attention dad gave me a whack over the ears.....two years time there will be one coming the greens way!!

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Well, the Libs shot that one down in flames.

You've had your 15 minutes Ms. Hartland, now **** off.

[hujsh]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Does anyone know why the Greens wants to block the planning approval. What is the reason?
Why does it have to go to parliment.
I will never vote for Green party again.
WHY?????????????

You have before?

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Well, the Libs shot that one down in flames.

You've had your 15 minutes Ms. Hartland, now **** off.

YEP, thank god for your Libs Sockeye.....funny how yesterday they were all over the greens. Anyone would think they are playing "policy on the run".

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

My email to the Green's and there response.

Hello Ms Hartland,

It is with great fear and trepidation that I read the newspaper article stating that you had persuaded the Libs to side with you over returning planning control of Whitten Oval back to the Maribyrnong Council.

I am concerned that a planning dispute has now become a political football, and that one of the few icons of the Western suburbs that gives people pride is now under threat, especially as it was the will of the people of the Western Suburbs that the Footscray (Western Bulldogs) Football Club survives, in one of the most memorable community actions I have ever witnessed in 1989 through "Fightback'.

I can understand that I am possibly biased in favoured of the Bulldogs with regards to the planning issue. However, as someone who has worked for Local Government in the past two years, I came away very cynical of those who managed to get elected and the promise of representing the people is soon lost once elected. This would appear to be a win at any cost approach by councillors who have had their power checked by the State Government.

It is my understanding that the pokies licence that the Bulldogs hold, has been a contentious issue even though the Bulldogs want to move the pokies to another site with a reduction in EGM machines and a greater SEIFA rating. The hold up with the Whittan Oval is part of the Council's agenda to get back at the club for taking the matter to VCAT. This is all going on while down the road in Port Cook, two of the big corporations football clubs (Collingwood and Hawthorn) have opened up pokies venues without fear or protest to subsidies their northern and eastern clubs with money extracted from the Western suburbs. Surely the Greens party would have bigger fish to fry taking on the City of Hobson Bay over this.

I support most of the Green's policies, and demonstrate this at the ballot box, but it will be a miscarriage of justice if you continue to threaten the very existence of the Western Bulldogs Football Club, a Western icon that myself and my family hold very dear to us.

Dear,

Thanks for your email - and particularly for the considered and thoughtful comments. Colleen's in parliament so I am answering on her behalf.

Firstly, please be assured that nothing Colleen is doing will delay the project - at least not any more than the Minister has delayed it.

Her aim is to draw attention to issues such as the local footy leagues, and the promises that the Bulldogs had made to Council that they would give good space to the western region footy league and the women's footy league, a child care centre etc in the new development, in return for funding and other support

When the Minster took over the project, we lost all those written guarantees. So Colleen's going to seek an assurance about them in Parliament tomorrow - on the record.

The Liberals will vote with the Government (as usual) so Colleen's motion will be history after tomorrow, but hopefully what the Minister says on the record will be honoured. (You read in the papers about the Minister saying this was all a deal with the Libs and the Greens - nothing could be further from the truth!)

The only other impact on the project would be fast-tracking the process a little. If Colleen's motion was not debated, it would still be on the notice paper until December. This way, the club will have certainty as at tomorrow. (If it had stayed with City of Maribyrnong, they would have deliberated on 16 September.)

The other important issue you mention is the pokies. Colleen has gone in swinging on the issue of Collingwood and Hawthorn setting up pokies in the western suburbs. Particularly the new development for Hawthorn in Caroline Springs - it was outrageous that the shire approved it, and took money for it. Colleen has been publicly scathing about it and has weathered the storm of complaint about her stance, as she should. Anyhow if you want more info, there's some on our website and I could send you still more.

But I must say I wasn't aware of this happening in Point Cooke. Point Cook was on our radar as a possible site they might move in to, but I wasn't aware it had happened - or that there was any imminent danger of it.

I'd love to get more information on this - we would campaign against it, strongly, if there is anything we can do.

We've been watching closely the problems the Bulldogs are having with their pokies at Whitten, which is exactly as you describe. Colleen is considering referring to the pokies in her speech tomorrow, as one of the things she wants an assurance about - that if VU puts a campus at Vic Uni, there shouldn't be pokies. I know that the community has said the same thing about the child care centre.

Regards,

Liz Ingham
(Office of Colleen Hartland MLC)

Western Metropolitan Region



E: colleen.hartland@parliament.vic.gov.au

P: 9689 6373

W: www.electedgreensvictoria.org.au

I’m now on Facebook – click here.

[Missing Dog]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Funny I was sure the bulldogs wanted to move the pokies to the Bulldog Hilton but Ms Hartland oppossed that move.Sounds very much like having 2 bob each way to me.

[GVGjr]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

Thanks for the update DAB. Much appreciated

[Raw Toast]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

My email to the Green's and there response.

Thanks for posting this, it's good to hear the Greens side of the story.

As a passionate member of both organisations (and employee of one of the third parties involved) I find this issue to be particularly unfortunate, and agree with GvGjr that the mess can't be just blamed on one group (and a lot of people want to make mileage out of it as well).

As a general rule we don't tend to spend time denigrating political parties on the footy boards of this site, and I'd appreciate it if we kept to those standards.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: The Greens Aim to close down WBFC!

As a general rule we don't tend to spend time denigrating political parties on the footy boards of this site, and I'd appreciate it if we kept to those standards.

I don't usually disagree with you RT, but if a political party has the capacity to bring the footy club I support into extinction, then I'll denigrate them on here till I'm blue in the face.