Hi, I’M STEPH
I’m an environmental lawyer and live in Elwood with my partner Ogy and son Otis. I am running for Parliament for the Greens because I believe that as a community we need a strong, independent voice representing us in Parliament.
Macnamara is a diverse and vibrant place to live, but the past two and a half years have tested our community like never before. House prices continue to skyrocket, cost of living is affecting families, and inequality is growing, while the old parties continue on with business as usual.
On top of tackling the big issues, we also need to invest in the things that make our community happy and healthy: green space, the arts and creative industries, community sports, clean waterways and local re-vegetation.
I am proud to share our fully costed election commitments which will make our home better than ever.
Our plan for Macnamara will:
- Restore South Melbourne Town Hall
- Upgrade Albert Park sporting facilities
- Build an elevated park for Southbank
- Kick-Start the Green Line Walking Trail
- Save the bees with the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor
- Revitalise Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve
- Save local childcare centres
Photo: Steph Hodgins-May
Restore South Melbourne Town Hall and give a new home to the Australian National Academy for Music
The Greens have committed to restoring the South Melbourne Town Hall to its former glory. The Town Hall will be transformed into a world-class creative and cultural destination, and will be home to the country’s leading music training and performance company, the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM).
The Greens have committed $12.5 million in federal funding to ensure the success of this project.
The funding will be spent on:
- A full restoration of the town hall and creation of new open spaces;
- State-of-the-art performance, studio and rehearsal facilities;
- Office accommodation for creative industries organisations;
- A public café.
Art and culture are fundamental to the wellbeing of all Australians and should be valued as an integral part of Australia’s cultural heritage. The plan to restore the South Melbourne Town Hall and secure its future as an accessible community-serving arts venue is long overdue.
If elected, the Greens, in collaboration with ANAM and the City of Port Phillip, will help revitalise an integral historic building and provide a wealth of culture and art to the Port Phillip community and beyond.
Photo: A crowd watches on as two musicians play
Upgrade Albert Park Sporting Facilities
Albert Park is more than just a venue for the Grand Prix ground – it is the home to over 30 community sports clubs, contains 22 sports fields and the lake is used for water sports like sailing and rowing. In short it is a vital community asset.
The Greens have committed $5 million to ensure Albert Park remains a home for community sport, recreation and family leisure time available to all surrounding residents.
The funding will be spent on:
- Installing/upgrade lights on most ovals & fields
- Rebuilding overused and worn out sports grounds
- Creating new/replacement pavilions
- Completing the rebuilding of Lake Walls
While the maintenance of Albert Park remains a State Government responsibility, if elected the Greens commitment will help kick-start the upgrading of facilities and ensure the park remains accessible.
The Greens are committed to building and protecting Green space in Macnamara.
Photo: Steph Hodgins-May poses with a football and two others
Build an elevated park for Southbank
Did you know that the World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 9 sqm of green open space per person? Currently Southbank sits at a low 0.62 sqm per person.
The Greens have committed commonwealth funding of $30 million for a new, elevated park for Southbank. Our proposed park – at 2.5 hectares, or 1.6% of the total area of Southbank, will require decking over the CityLink freeway abutting Power Street. It also means that the offramp from CityLink Westbound join the intersection of Miles and Moore Street, rather than Power Street.
It’s time to take the proposal seriously and create more green open space for Southbank. There is no other area in Southbank for new public open space at this scale.
With the Greens funding commitment, we will:
- Partner with the State Government and commence construction of a new large community park, decking over CityLink to connect the two halves of Southbank;
- Create dedicated walking trails linking up with Balston Street, Sturt Street, Miles Street and Power/Kavanagh Streets will facilitate a high quality, convenient network of pedestrian connections;
- Propose a triangular parcel of land between Power Street and Sturt Street that may also be decked in future to allow for mixed and community uses for the Southbank community.
Green space helps keep our cities cooler – fighting the effects of climate change. The Greens know that without more trees in our suburbs, we will simply roast.
Since the Greens were first elected to Melbourne City Council in 1999 they have led the charge in protecting existing parks, gardens and green spaces, and also in the creation of new parks.
While the major parties are still taking money from coal and gas companies, The Green’s Green Australia plan thoroughly details their investment in making Australia’s cities greener – vital to our community’s health and wellbeing.
This proposal requires multi-level governmental input, and if elected the Greens commitment will help kick-start the project and create more green space where it is needed most.
Photo: People relaxing and enjoying conversation outside
Kick-Start the Green Line Walking Trail
The Green Line is an exciting proposal that plans to create and enhance a linear green space and pedestrian route that follows the Sandringham rail corridor from South Yarra Station to Gardenvale Station.
The plan will use existing public open space and walking paths, and expand these by connecting, linking and rehabilitating, increasing habitat for biodiversity and tree canopy cover.
The Greens are committed to kickstarting this innovative project to improve green space in Macnamara, encourage active transport and to re-plant native species.
The proposal will mean:
- Improved public accessibility along the green line route;
- Walking, cycling and recreational connection from Alma Park to Elsternwick Nature Reserve, Rippon Lea Gardens, and the Elwood Canal precinct linking to the foreshore and beyond;
- Increase tree canopy cover;
- Increase biodiversity support through indigenous (and suitable) planting, and a dedicated corridor for wildlife along the rail line route;
- Improve permeability of water by replacing on-street parking with planting reserves and permeable paving.
The proposal will also make the area safer by installing more pedestrian crossings, widening pedestrian thorough-fares and nature strips, removing pedestrian obstacles and improving traffic flow.
Planting of indigenous species from the ground cover species to tree canopies will help revitalise some poorly maintained sections of the Green Line. The Greens know that without more trees in our suburbs, we will simply roast. That’s why they are committed to the Green Line and other local parks.
The Greens are committed to The Green Line and the significant public and environmental benefits of this project to our area. Find out more about the proposal here.
This commitment is a fully costed part of the Greens platform as part of our commitment to protect the environment, the full plan is here.
Photo: A sign showing a map of the Green Line
Build the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor: save the bees and re-plant natives
The Melbourne Pollinator Corridor (MPC) will be an 8km community-led and -maintained wildlife corridor linking Westgate Park to the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne turning barren nature strips and other pieces of public land into joyful diverse gardens. It is the current main focus of The Heart Gardening Project.
The Greens will support the MPC with funding of $550,000 over 3 years to enable the community to strengthen both native bee populations and local ecosystems.
The MPC will create over 200 gardens and plant 18,000 new plants over 4 suburbs. Over twenty specialists and scientists have been consulted on this project and the connection between science and community is to be celebrated through citizen science.
The Greens funding will go towards:
- 200 street gardens and public plantings;
- 18,000 indigenous plants designed for native bees and other pollinating insects;
- The creation of joyful and positive outside spaces that will benefit community and nature;
- Sustainable long-lasting healthy gardens;
- A citizen science program that will bring focus to our precious ecosystems in our urban areas;
- Enabling local schools and childcares/kinders within the MPC zone be a part of this ecosystem restoration
The Heart Gardening Project (THGP) is a community initiative based in South Melbourne that connects humans to humans, humans to nature and nature to nature through street gardening and public plantings.
Unlike the major parties who take massive handouts from property developers and big corporations, the Greens understand the need for more green open spaces in our cities to keep our air clean, and cities liveable.
The last time the Greens were in balance of power, we secured $1000 million dollars in funding for our environment – imagine what we could do with more Greens in parliament.
More information available here.
This commitment is a fully costed part of the Greens platform as part of our commitment to protect the environment, the full plan is here.
Photo: Steph and others check out a garden
Revitalise Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve
The Greens have announced a commitment of $12.1 million for the revitalisation of Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve and Elster Creek.
Elsternwick Park, a former golf course, is a home to native wildlife, birds and fauna, and is uniquely situated in the inner city, just 10km from Melbourne CBD. It is currently open parkland, used for passive recreation and much loved by residents in the area.
This fully costed funding commitment from the Greens will assist Local and State Government to deliver the Masterplan, with a focus on providing habitat for threatened native animals that reside in the park, including the eastern great egret and the grey headed flying fox.
Elster Creek
This funding commitment will also support the rehabilitation of Elster Creek, which runs through the reserve, by expanding wetlands to harvest and filter storm water, improving the water quality of the Port Phillip Bay. The proposed wetlands cover 5.5 hectares, and it is estimated that constructing the wetlands will remove 1,620 kg of total Nitrogen per year from entering the Port Phillip Bay. Water treated through the wetland system will be harvested as recycled water and an alternative to potable water for use in public parks and gardens.
Flood Mitigation
Elwood is a low-lying suburb at the bottom of a water catchment area, which means regular flooding occurs. Flooding results in loss of public amenity, safety hazards, damage to houses and high levels of pollutants flowing into the Bay, harmful to biodiversity, habitat, residents and swimmers. This flood is largely determined by ‘up-stream’ management of the catchment area.
The $12.1 million commitment will include supporting the cities of Bayside, Glen Eira, Kingston and Port Phillip to deliver the Elster Creek Catchment Flood Management Plan through the construction of 660 metres of new underground drain from Elsternwick Park to the Bay, pending further analysis from Melbourne Water and community consultation.
Greening Australia
Rehabilitating Elsternwick Park and Elster Creek are part of the Green’s national plan to restore wildlife habitat by investing $2b each year to plant 2 billion trees by 2030 to reestablish green space in our cities, regions and suburbs.
Photo: Elsternwick Park Golf Club by user Donaldytong on Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0. Mild adjustments to colour.
Photo: Elsternwick Park
Save Local Childcare
Many families in Port Phillip value the smaller scale and local nature of our community-run childcare. These centres foster community connection and provide high quality education and care.
But, in December, the City of Port Phillip voted to sell-off three community early childhood centres. The Council argues that it does not have the funds to ensure these three buildings are accessible and safe. This puts The Elwood Children’s Centre, The Avenue Children’s Centre and Kindergarten and Eildon Road Childcare and Kindergarten at-risk of being closed and sold-off.
The Greens have made a commitment of $5 million for renovation or relocation to ensure these centres have a home for the long term. We’re calling on the Labor and Liberal parties to match this commitment. These centres must remain in public hands, run by the community. Without a funding commitment, they are just passing the buck.
If this sell-off goes ahead it will mean the loss of 120+ community-run childcare places across our area. It’s simply not good enough to ask these families to relocate their children to a yet to be built mega-centre in another suburb, or to scatter to an assortment of private facilities. And it’s unacceptable to abandon staff and families who have put so much into making these centres what they are.
This can all be avoided if federal and/or state funding is committed now. What matters most isn’t how these centres are saved. It just matters that they stay open. And if a funding commitment is given, Council will have no cause to proceed with the sale.
The Greens support free, publicly owned childcare. Find out more here.
Photo: Steph and Otis rally with others to save local childcare centres
Together, we can do this!
You want to kick Scott Morrison out. So do we.
If you care about climate change, cost of living, and equality, voting 1 for Steph Hodgins-May not only helps kick Scott Morrison out of government, it will make sure that the next government is forced to do better.
The Greens will never support the Liberals. So you can still vote for strong climate action and get rid of Scott Morrison.
More Greens in Parliament working alongside a Labor government means better outcomes for all of us. So not only does a vote for Steph mean the Liberals can’t win this seat, it means that the next Labor government will have to step up and do better.
That’s because policies and legislation need a majority of MPs to support it to pass. The Liberals and Labor are both heavily influenced by their donors, so having more independent voices means the policies that do pass are better for all of us.
The Greens are people-powered, but Labor and the Liberal party still accept money from the fossil fuel industry, developers, and billionaires. So if you want a voice that really represents you and the things you care about, vote 1 for Steph Hodgins-May.
Photo: Steph Hodgins-May gives a high five to a happy toddler.