Every quarter City of Prospect publishes the Prospect Magazine. Elected Members are asked to write a piece for each issue.
These are my contributions so far.
Autumn 2015
hitting the airwaves
Way back in 1982 I became involved in community radio through a fledgling Salisbury-based radio station called 5PBAFM. It was a brilliant concept. Give a voice to anyone in the community for a few dollars a week.
It meant that with a bit of training, a modicum of talent and need to express their views, anyone from religious groups to gardening clubs could find an audience through this pioneering broadcaster. To be honest, the majority of the audience were probably family and friends, and they often found better things to do after the third broadcast, but that wasn’t the point.
Out of this humble broadcaster were born some truly notable careers. Without naming names, the alumni of PBA are truly astonishing. They populate our radio stations nationally, both on-air and behind the scenes. They run the network production and technical departments. They have gone on to become newsreaders, sound-recordists, musicians and copywriters, and most have been honoured with awards for their efforts. And they were all the product of a single local community radio station.
As City of Prospect Councillors we have been asked to come up with ways to fully exploit the potential of the NBN. Given that we already have the wonderful Digital Hub I believe it’s time for a 21st century digital rebirth of the community radio station.
My idea is simple.
Let’s bring community groups together from across our City into a single podcast channel. We can call it something like Radio 5082. If you have something to say on a regular basis, we can give you a voice.
So, if you’re part of a gardening club, a church, a car club, a mum’s group, a school, or even a bunch of kids who simply like Doctor Who, I would like to hear from you. The facility is here. The network is here. The technology is here. With a just little enthusiasm from you, Prospect has the opportunity to produce the next generation of media professionals.
Winter 2015
Feel Safer
I watched a fantastic interview with motor racing legend, Stirling Moss, the other day. He made an interesting statement; “Safety breeds a contempt of danger”. He was referring to how the changes in racing safety regulations during the 1960s actually served to make drivers go faster, because they felt “safer”. The result was bigger crashes at faster speeds.
This made me wonder whether this is happening within our society right now? Are we breeding road users that no longer fear consequences?
Are all the safety measures being put in place by car makers and legislators actually creating less vigilant drivers and riders? Do drivers care less because the airbag will save them? Do they concentrate less because the legislators have told them a particular speed is safe? Do “virtual” safety measures like bike lanes give riders a false sense of security? Are we breeding a contempt of danger?
To an extent, I believe so. As the car makers and legislators promote “safety”, they neatly gloss over the fact that the dangers of road use are never really eliminated. And in this promotion there seems to be an unwritten assumption that the more they do to keep us safe, the less we need to contribute. And this presents a notion that somehow the balance of responsibility shifts with each new measure. But of course it doesn’t. Safety will always remain the sole responsibility of the driver or rider.
Your safety is always up to you.
Edward de Bono apparently once stated that the simplest way to reduce car accidents would be to replace the airbag with a spike. Dramatic, but you get the idea. As a Council, we are constantly in the process of making our local roads “safer”. We’re currently creating a bike boulevard along Braund Road. Will it make it safer? Future statistics will probably say yes. As legislators, we do our bit by providing an environment that is conducive to safe use.
But ultimately, your safety will always be in your hands; behind the wheel, behind the handlebars. Don’t let the perception of safety make you less mindful of the dangers.
Drive safe, ride safe
Spring 2015
The Three R's
As I approach my first year as an Elected Member, the scope of the job finally starts to become clear. And it’s not at all what I thought it was. And that’s largely a good thing.
As much as we are elected on a platform of community promises and personal goals, most of what we actually do involves the day-to-day business of running a Council. The mundane behind the scenes stuff that I’d always assumed just magically happened. By magical council elves. And by this I mean the three R’s – Rates, Rubbish and Roads. As
I write this much of the City looks like the face of the moon with large dirt holes the size of buffalo in many of the roads. Much of this is because of the undergrounding of electricity, which is a fabulous project, but way too much of it is because of third-party stuff, such as to repair burst water mains.
It seems that the mob that fixes these water pipes have a somewhat imbalanced skill set. They’re absolutely brilliant at rapidly digging dirty great holes and wrestling the escaping water back into the pipes, but not so flash at repairing the road again. The result is an ever-increasing set of dirt patches in our streets.
The problem for us then becomes convincing these utilities to pick up the pace and patch the road again. But that’s trickier than you would imagine. If there’s no water and rocks spouting up 20 feet, then there’s no real urgency in their view.
So what to do?
Well, that’s where we are now. As a Council we’re working through a policy to reduce the time between the digging and the patching. It’s grass-roots strategy stuff but it’s what needs to be done to keep everything running smoothly.
So, if you do see one of these buffalo-sized holes in your street, and it’s been there for far too long, and you’re sick of driving through it every day and rattling your teeth, please rest assured we are actually working on making
Summer 2015
Talking Rubbish
In what will come as no surprise to many people, I’m about to talk rubbish. Or more specifically, rubbish bins.
Let’s face it, the ‘One Solution Fits All’ model doesn’t work that well. It’s because my needs are different to my neighbour’s, and even mine change throughout the year. Over Christmas I need another three recycling bins and I rarely put out the green bin. Families have different needs to singles or the aged, and so on.
So why do we have this waste model if it’s so rubbish? Mostly cost, but partly because the waste contractors set up the models to suit their own practicalities and not ours. We’re then locked into an inflexible solution for years and wonder why people complain.
The solution is fantastically simple.
You decide which bins you put out each week. Your choice. One, none or all. Green, yellow, red, whatever. No schedule. We would set you up an overall ‘bin budget’ of say 104 pickups a year (two bins a week), but then it’s up to you. No more one size fits all.
I would expect a decrease in waste to landfill as people learn to manage their waste in their own way. For example, I personally would use the yellow bin weekly. And if the current model does already work well for you, good news, continue doing that. Simple.
If we’re clever, we may not need to increase the weekly ‘truck runs’. How about a single truck that can accept both the green and yellow bin on the same run? Let’s see some imagination from the contractors.
When our current contract is up next year, I want to see offerings that are flexible enough to suit every resident, not a compromise. Let’s be leaders. Let’s innovate. Until then, have a lovely Christmas time and all the best to you and yours from the entire Standen family. Cheers.
winter 2016
It's all gone cold
In another life, I used to write brochures for a major electricity provider on ways to save energy in the home. So I’m all too aware of the challenge at this time of year when it comes to efficiently heating your home.
Most new homes these days must reach a certain energy rating of 6 stars, but most of us in the Prospect area don’t live in new homes, with many now pushing a hundred years old. These lovely old character homes were built to meet the needs of another time. Gas powered lights called for ventilation in the walls, and those lovely tall ceilings had a bad habit of keeping all the heat up high.
So I thought I’d share a few heating and energy-saving tips that cost little or no money but should help to maximise your existing heating efforts and maybe even save you a few bob.
Firstly, just because you’re in a room doesn’t mean you have to heat it all. Many times you just need to heat you. Pop on a jumper and save some money. Gaps around external doors and windows, and of course those wall vents, are all letting heat (and money) escape. Look at blocking off those character vents the next time you paint. And a simple ‘door snake’ will keep all the heat inside where it belongs.
Our wonderful high ceilings trap heat up above where it’s no use. Most modern ceiling fans have a reverse function. Set the fan on low and push the warm air back down to where it’s needed. And finally, carpets and curtains may be old school, but they are fantastic insulators.
If you have hard floors, maybe consider popping down a rug during the winter months.
I hope these tips have been helpful. Stay warm and remember every little saving is also good for our planet.
Spring 2016
FADtasic
I love a good fad. You might say I’m a ‘fadnatic’. Or you might not.
I can remember as a kid jumping on board every fad as it came along. The yoyo, the dingbat, marbles and even the pet rock. Then later in life I was an early adopter of the pager, the mobile phone and the internet. But the thing about a fad is you never know how long it will last. Granted, the mobile and internet seem to have made themselves very much at home.
The latest fad (which may actually be gone by the time you read this) is Pokemon GO. Curiously the technology of ‘augmented reality’ has been around for about 10 years, but it never really took off. It needed what they call a ‘killer app’; an application that popularises the tech. And Pokemon GO has certainly done that. Suddenly hundreds of thousands of people are doing the unthinkable: rising up from their chairs, leaving their houses and actually going outside! And of course this is a fabulous thing.
At Council we spend an inordinate amount of time and money trying to ‘activate’ our spaces. Or in normal speak, trying to get people to visit them. When apparently all we really needed was for a rare Dratini to appear in the area and it’s job done.
Whilst Pokemon GO is certainly the most popular, it isn’t the only virtual ‘app-traction’ alive and well in our city space. There are already hundreds of Munzees inhabiting our buildings, parks and streets waiting silently for us to seek them out. What’s a Munzee?
Head to the web, download the app and you’ll discover a whole new world of virtual treasure-hunting hiding right there under your nose.
The best part is that all of this tech gets us up and out of the house, wonderfully ‘activating’ spaces as we go. Which is absolutely Fadtastic!
Summer 2016
Dear Santa...
It’s that time of year when we all ask the Chubby Chap for what we’d like to wake to on Christmas morning.
To be honest I don’t really have anything pencilled in on my personal wish list, but I do have some things that I’d like for our fair city.
Top of the list would be the choice of a fair and central location for our new library. I think that’s absolutely achievable. Trusting you on this one, Big Guy. I’d also like a bike route that takes residents in Medindie Gardens, Nailsworth and Collinswood safely into the city. This is a little trickier, but I’m sure the Christmas Elves are working on that as we speak.
I’d also like some sanity to finally prevail with regard to bikes and pedestrians sharing the same footpath. I also think that’s totally achievable. It’s actually a simple formula, pedestrians need to look up from their phones and watch out for bikes, and cyclists need to ride no faster than it takes them to stop if a phone-watching pedestrian wanders into their path.
I also have faith that the Jolly Fat Fella will deliver some long-needed upgrades to my local park. And I have faith that he’ll have whispered in the ear of the state government and let us have some popup bars.
Hoping for a Christmas Miracle. And that’s about it. From my family to yours, we wish you a wonderful Christmastime and hope the Bearded Wonder brings you everything you asked for.
Autumn 2017
Think Small
One of the things we do well as a council is to promote ourselves as a place to do business.
It brings investment, employment and prosperity into your area and everyone benefits. But we also have to play the cards we’re dealt and we need to be realistic about what can be achieved. Ideally a council would like a large marquee employer like a factory or a callcentre, but in Prospect there are limited physical opportunities for those types of businesses to set up.
So I believe it’s time we targeted the opposite end of the market.
Let’s think small. I was a sole trader working from home for over 20 years. And while the benefits of working from home are numerous there’s also an overwhelming sense of isolation. Lead generation, networking and skills development are incredibly hard when there’s just you and the dog.
I propose that City of Prospect actively seek out these businesses to become the micro-business capital of Australia. Somewhere that if you set up a home-business, not only will you be working in one of the best parts of the world, but you’ll have unprecedented support from your Council, with access to casual co-working and conferencing spaces, regular networking events to build your business, plus workshops and seminars to keep you ahead of your competitors.
We may not have the facility to host large scale manufacturing in Prospect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have large scale ambition. We can lead the world from a single computer in a second bedroom in a leafy street.
Spring 2017
The eye of the beholder
Every so often I’ll knowingly place my head directly into the lion’s mouth, whether I need to or not. This may be one of those times.
I’m going to talk about public art. And more specifically, the new art installation on Galway Avenue, Broadview.
The colourful artwork entitled “The Disorder of Things” has created more interest along Galway since Burke and Wills detoured through Broadview on their way to The North in 1860!
The piece has certainly polarized opinion, with some residents saying it has given new and colourful life to the area - and others wanting to throw an army blanket over it. This is exactly what art should do. Create interest, generate debate. Any piece that shrinks into the shadows is not worth having. Great art won’t be ignored and, by definition, public art should be bold and expressive; otherwise there’s no point to it.
Here in City of Prospect we set a yearly budget especially for public art. It’s a standard part of our yearly expenses. And, to be perfectly frank, I’m not sure I’d like to live in a community that didn’t spend at least something on art; public or otherwise.
Art is the colour and life in our world and it balances out all the mandatory spending we have to shell out on potholes and bins. Investing in the arts is what makes us a civilised and enlightened community.
I boldly defend the spending of ratepayers’ money on public art. I believe if we stopped doing so it would make us culturally void.
And as for this specific piece of art? My personal opinion is that it brightens up what was a very utilitarian roundabout. It adds colour to a dreary winter’s day and adds a landmark to an area that had none. Enjoy!
Autumn 2018
Back on yer bike
I find it interesting that as any debate progresses, the more polarising the opinions become. At some point there seems to be a need to take a side, to join a tribe.
Then it’s one side or the other - until death!
This seems to be the case with the ongoing cycling debate. When I was a lad, there was no such thing as ‘cycling’. People rode pushies dressed in shorts and T-shirts, without helmets, looked both ways at intersections, and that was pretty much it. Basic physics and common sense made up the rules.
But then ‘cycling’ found a voice, and all of a sudden we needed to have an opinion on that. To join a tribe. These days it seems you’re either seen as for cycling or against it, and there’s no middle ground allowed. And somehow you can’t have a valid opinion unless you’ve ‘ridden lately’. You get asked “When was the last time you were on a bike? You wouldn’t have a clue.”
Subsequently the ‘tribes’ are growing farther apart. And we’ve somehow forgotten that there’s a vast spectrum of personal transport between Cannondale and Commodore. Skateboards, balance bikes, pavement bikes, BMXs, mountain bikes, fixies, cruisers, hybrids, electric scooters, small petrol scooters, large scooters, motorbikes and cars.
These are all valid modes of transport in our community.
I’m mostly a scooter and car guy. I ride a pushie when I can. I don’t ever ‘cycle’. A recent study showed that bike riding in SA has dropped 20% over the last few years. I firmly believe that tribalism is a contributor.
I believe people simply don’t want to be associated with the more ‘radical’ tribes. When I’m asked whether I support cycling I won’t be forced to commit to a tribe. I think we need to support more of the middle spectrum of users, not just specific groups. And then maybe we can get that lost twenty per cent back riding again.
Winter 2018
Send it back
Lately there’s been a lot of talk about the cost of recycling our household waste.
Until recently this all happened magically and seamlessly behind the scenes, then China decided they were full and without warning pushed themselves back from the table. This left Council with a waste dilemma, as the cost of recycling suddenly became a lot more expensive.
So what can we do?
At a global level probably not much, but at a kerbside level quite a lot. The waste that we’re paying to get rid of comprises 100% of rubbish that you and I deliberately buy and bring home. We’re the ones who fill the bins and we alone decide what goes into them. We have the power. Reduce our waste and we reduce the cost. It really is as simple as that.
Many of you are already saying “Yes, but everything is so over-packaged, we just bring home what they give us.” I agree. But here’s the thing.
You can actually say no.
You don’t need to bring home all the packaging. Buying a new TV or microwave? Take a blanket to wrap it in and leave the box and foam at the store.
There’s a movement in the UK where shoppers leave all their soft plastic wrapping at the checkout and insist the supermarket deal with it. And it makes sense.
Do six tomatoes really need their own foam tray and plastic wrap? Of course not. Remember, you’re only buying the goods, not the packaging. The more that people refuse and return the packaging at the point of purchase, the more stores and vendors will need to rethink the way they deliver products. This is how we eventually reduce our waste problem.
The next time you’re shopping, seriously look at what you can leave behind. Because the solution really can begin with you.