Good evening everyone to this evening’s council meeting the 30th of November 2020. 

Can you please be up standing for the reading of the prayer. I will now call upon Councillor Sinfield to read the Council prayer.

Almighty God, we humbly seek your blessings upon this Council. Direct and prosper its deliberations to the advancement of your glory and the true welfare of the people of the City of Boroondara. Amen.

I acknowledge the traditional owners as the original custodians of this land including the Wurundjeri people in the northern part of our city and I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and any Elders from other communities who may be here today.

Given the recent changes to the Covid-19 restrictions, Councillors are being able to present for the meeting this evening. 

Unlike previous years due to Covid-19, we're not being able to be joined tonight by our community. 

This meeting is being live-streamed on the council's website to enable the community to view the proceedings. 

Should technical problems be encountered this evening, the meeting will be adjourned until the problem is rectified or if needed, the meeting will be postponed.

I'd like to now introduce my fellow Councillors and Officers. Seated to the left-hand side of the horseshoe table to my left, Councillor Jim Parke, Councillor Susan Biggar, Councillor Cynthia Watson, Councillor Felicity Sinfield and on the opposite side we have Councillor Lisa Hollingsworth, Councillor Wes Gault, Councillor Di Gillies, Councillor Jane Addis and Councillor Victor Franco. 

Other Officers in attendance this evening seated to my immediate right is our Chief Executive Officer Mr Phillip Storer. Seated to his right is our Director of Customer and Transformation Mr Bruce Dobson. 

We also have Director of Urban Living Mr Shiran Wickramasinghe, Director of Places and Spaces Mr Daniel Freer, Director of Community Support Ms Carolyn McClean. 

Seated to my left Manager of Governance and Legal Mr David Thompson and seated to his left Senior Governance Officer Ms Elizabeth Manou. 

There are also a number of other staff members in attendance this evening and they'll be presenting reports as need be.

Mr Thompson, are there any apologies this evening?

Through you Mr Mayor, we have an apology from Councillor Stavrou for this evening. Thank you Mr Thompson. 

Item one on the agenda, adoption and confirmation of the minutes of the Council meeting held on the 27th of July 2020, the 24th of August 2020, the special meetings of Council held on the 14th of September 2020, the 21st of September 2020 and the 12th of October 2020. 

Councillors, I’m in search of a motion. Councillor Hollingsworth. Thank you, Mr Mayor as circulated, please.

Thank you and a seconder I believe Councillor Sinfield. Happy to second. Thanks.

Thank you. Is there any opposition to that item. I’ll put that item to the vote. All those in favour? I declare that carried unanimously. Thank you, Councillors.

We'll move on to item two, declaration of any conflict of interest of any Council or Council Officer. Are there any conflicts of interest this evening? There appears to be none. Thank you, Councillors. 

We’ll move on to item 3.1, petitions. Councillors, Mr Thompson, I believe we have.
Thank you Mr Mayor and through you. 

Councillors in your business paper tonight are four petitions noting that since the distribution of the agenda we have received one additional petition, which is set out as item four on the screen behind me. 

The council reports gives a high-level description of the matters that have been brought forward for your consideration. 

As such I commend the Officers recommendation as set out on the screen behind me acknowledging that there's a second page to the Officers recommendation. If you could just move that up a little bit, please Liz.

Thank you Mr Thompson. I recognize the last petition that came this evening is from a young resident Mr Nicholas (inaudible) has taken the initiative as a young Boroondara resident in the Solway Ward. 

Councillors, I'm in search of a motion to adopt the petitions as presented. Councillor Sinfield.

As per the officers recommendation please. Thank you, and seconded Councillor Addis.
Yes, happy to second. Thank you Councillors. 

I'll now put that item to the vote. All those in favour? I declare that carried unanimously. Thank you, Councillors.

We’ll move on to item four, assemblies of Councillors. Councillors, I'm in search of a motion. 

Councillor Watson. As printed.

Thank you. Do I have a seconder, Councillor Hollingsworth. Thank you. 

Is anyone opposed? There appears to be none. I will put that item to the vote. All those in favour? I declare that carried unanimously. Thank you, Councillors.

We'll move on to item five, public question time. Council encourages the submission of public questions prior to 12 pm on the day of the meeting. 

Questions submitted prior to 12 noon will be provided a detailed verbal response as well as a response in writing. 

Those submitted after 12 o'clock will receive verbal response if possible but otherwise, will be taken on notice for a written response to be provided in due course. 

Mr Thompson, do we have any public questions? 

Through you Mr Mayor. Two Residents have submitted five questions. Copies of the questions have been circulated to Councillors.

Thank you. The questions of each of these are being referred to the relevant Council officer to provide a written response in due course. 

We have two questions from Greg of Camberwell. Subject, the Camberwell fresh food market. 

These questions have been disallowed. The questions do not relate to a matter on the agenda for the current Council meeting and the questions have not been previously asked in writing and received a written response from a Councillor or a member of Council staff. 

As such the questions are disallowed in accordance with chapter 2 of the Governance Rules. 

Councillors have received a copy of the questions. Greg will receive a response to his questions in due course from the Director of Community Support.

We have a further question from Greg of Camberwell relating to the Camberwell fresh food market. 

Again, this question has been disallowed. The question does not relate to a matter on the agenda for the current Council meeting and the question has not been raised previously in writing and received a written response from a Councillor or a member of Council staff. 

As such the question is disallowed in accordance with chapter 2 of the Governance Rules.

Councillors have also received a copy of this question. Greg will receive a written response to this question in due course from the Director of Community Support.

We have one question from Mr Ian Hundley of Balwyn North. This question has been allowed. This is in relation to the assembly of Councillors. 

As regular reporting of assemblies of Councillors is no longer required under the Local Government Act, what if any provisions now require a public reporting of meetings of Councillors with Officers and other parties? 

The question does relate to a matter of the agenda for the current Council meeting and therefore is allowed in accordance with chapter 2 of the Governance Rules.

I call upon the Manager of Governance and Legal Mr David Thompson to respond to this question from Mr Hundley. Thank you Mr Thompson.

Thank you and through you Mr Mayor. Mr Hundley, thank you very much for the question. 

The answer to your question is specifically addressed in chapter six of the Governance Rules. A copy of the Governance Rules are available from the council website. 

Chapter six of the Governance Rules sets out the provisions now required for the public reporting of meetings of Councillors with Officers and other parties. Thank you, Mr Mayor.

Thank you Mr Thompson. Mr Hundley you will receive a written response to your question in due course.

We have a further question from Mr Hundley of Balwyn North relating to the Bulleen Park & Ride Urban Design and Landscape Plan submission. 

To allow this question I have revised it to read as follows. Will Council advocate for more bus services to enhance local residential amenity. 

The question relates to a matter on the agenda for the current Council meeting and therefore, is allowed in accordance with chapter two of the Governance Rules. 

I call upon the Director of Places and Spaces Mr Daniel Freer to respond to this question from Mr Hundley. Thank you, Mr Freer.

Thank you, Mr Mayor and thank you, Mr Hundley for the question. 

Councils’ advocacy in relation to public transport services will be guided by Councils’ integrated transport strategy and any future public transport policies, plans and strategies. 

With reference to public bus services in Boroondara, the integrated transport strategy actions include the following: improving connections, investigating current bus service provision issues, advocating for improved service frequencies, reducing route [inaudible], improving bus priority, improving bus stop facilities, investigative integration with cycling and bus travel and investigating incentives to encourage bus operators to choose more efficient alternative fuels where appropriate. Thank you.

Thank you Mr Freer and Mr Hundley you'll also receive a written response to your question in due course.

We’ll move on to item six of the agenda, notices of motion. Mr Thompson, do we have any notices of motion?

Through you Mr Mayor, there are no notices of motion for consideration this evening. Thank you Mr Thompson. 

Item seven, presentations of officers report. This first item, item 7.1 contract number 2020/95 council chambers audio-visual modernization and management services. 

This will be introduced by Mr David Thompson, Manager of Governance and Legal.

Thank you and through you Mr Mayor. Councillors, this report is seeking Council to award a contract to Insight Systems Group Proprietary Limited for audio-visual modernization for the Council chamber and adjacent meeting rooms and for associated managed services. 

Audio-visual modernization of the Council chamber and adjacent meeting rooms will assist with greater transparency in Council decision-making and community participation in meetings of the Council. 

The current audio-visual system in use in the Council chamber was introduced in 1995 and is now at its end of life. 

The current system inhibits the effective running of Council meetings and the opportunity for community members to effectively participate in our meetings. 

There are ongoing audio issues arising and limited options to display information. 

This can impact on the ability for the community attending meetings, to follow meeting proceedings and to make presentations to Council. 

The new audio-visual technology will address the issues currently arising. 

It will help increase transparency in decision-making through the ability to provide a quality live-stream of the meetings of Council. 

We will no longer need to hire equipment in as we've done so tonight and will enable the community to present more effectively to Council. 

This project will replace and/or upgrade most of the audio-visual technology used within the Council chamber and the adjoining rooms that support meetings of Council when additional seating is required.

The proposed new audio visual equipment will prevent ongoing equipment failures for example, the feedback that we've received previously through the microphones. 

Improve sound quality for attendees within the Council chamber and the adjacent Wattle and Acacia rooms. 

Provide large screen monitors and improve sound in the Wattle and Acacia rooms to enable Councillors to better engage with overflow audiences in these rooms. 

Enable capability to broadcast i.e. live-stream Council meetings via the internet. 

Improve content presented via connected vices and the document cameras, which will enhance the experiences for members of the community. 

The ability to display on the screen, who is speaking within the chamber. 

Improve control of technology capabilities within the council chamber for Councillors and Council staff. 

It will also allow remote participants to engage in meetings of Council if required.

It will also provide large screen monitors and sound in the civic foyer to better engage with overflow audiences and to avoid the need of hiring in equipment. 

I therefore commend the Officers recommendation as set out on the screen behind me to you this evening.

Thank you Mr Thompson. Councillors before I move to asking if there are any questions, if we move towards asking any questions in the confidential section of the report I'll seek to adjourn the meeting. 

Councillors, are there any questions of Mr Thompson? Councillor Watson.

Not a question but I'd be just delighted if I could move the motion at the appropriate time.

Thank you Councillor Watson duly noted. Councillor Hollingsworth.

Thank you, Mr Mayor, and apologies I'm sure it's in the document but I just haven't found it. If this is supported tonight by Council, what's the ETA of when the equipment would be installed and running?

Through you Mr Mayor. Councillor Hollingsworth, the expectation is for the first Council meeting in 2021. The chamber will be fully operational.

Councillors, any further questions of Officers on this item? Councillor Biggar.

Yes. Thank you Mr Mayor. Can I just ask about whether that would tie us into a commitment to always purchase follow-up equipment with this company? 

Does that make sense that question?

Through you Mr Mayor. No, there's no such commitment.

Thank you.

Councillors, any further questions of Officers? There appears to be none.

Through you Mayor. Sorry. Could I just clarify the answer to the question before in relation to the equipment.

It will be fully operational to allow meetings by the start of February. The LED wall, which is proposed is scheduled slightly later because of the lead time in that particular item of equipment coming so that will be slightly after but the meetings will nonetheless be able to take place from the 1st of February with the new equipment.

Thank you Mr Dobson for that clarification. Councillor Watson, you foreshadowed to move a motion.

Thank you, Mr Mayor. Having seen our community and ourselves struggle with this I am delighted to move the motion as printed.

Thank you Councillor Watson. Do I have a seconder for Councillor Watson's motion, which is the motion on the screen. Councillor Parke.

I’m happy to second that chair.

Thank you. Is there any opposition to this item. There appears to be no opposition. 

Councillors just before I move to the mover of this obviously the standing convention is on an item like this that if there's no opposition I'll put it to the vote but we're all on our training wheels in our new Council so if there are any comments that people would like to make in relation to this debate, please put your light on otherwise, I will move to the mover just to close this out.

I wonder if you just mind confirming. We had this discussion prior here too but that this is not dissimilar from that [inaudible] being installed in a number of other councils around Metropolitan Melbourne.

I'll allow that question. Councillor Gault, we're just in debate at the moment but I'll allow that question.

Through you Mayor. We had an independent organization help us with the design of this system to ensure it was appropriate for the purpose. 

They've confirmed that there are a number of other councils in Melbourne that have installed similar equipment in the last few years and others who are installing and out to market for again, very similar equipment to what's proposed here.

Thank you. I will return back to the debate and there appears to be, I will pass to you as the mover.

Thank you. If I could just ask when people are speaking to take their masks off it would be really helpful. Thank you. 

I'll keep my comments brief. I think I've already foreshadowed my feelings about this particular installation having seen the community and ourselves absolutely struggle with being able to do what are really quite basic things. 

This will put us in the 21st century and really enable us to be able to hear our community the way they want to be heard and they can hear us when in the overflow room to hear people saying we can't hear, that's completely unacceptable. 

So I really look forward to the installation of this equipment and commend this motion to my colleagues. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll now move to put this motion to the vote. All those in favour? I declare that carried unanimously. Thank you again Councillors.

We’ll move on to item 7.2 Bulleen Park and Ride Urban Design and Landscape Plan submission. 

We will just wait for our presenter this evening Ms Clare Davey, Coordinator of Transport and Management to take her seat and present our report this evening.

Thank you and through you, Mayor. Good evening Councillors and thank you for your time tonight. So this report seeks Council endorsement of a draft submission to the Minister for Planning about the proposed Bulleen Park and Ride Urban Design and Landscape Plan or the UDLP associated with the North East Link, the NEL. 

The UDLP is a requirement of the North East Link incorporated document which forms part of the Boroondara planning scheme. 

The North East Link Project or NELP, there's a lot of acronyms, released the UDLP on 2nd of November 2020. 

They invited the community and councils to participate in a consultation and engagement exercise about the plan over a five-week period ending Monday 7, December 2020. 

Council received notice on the 2nd of November about the UDLP development and the consultation period. 

To ensure we could prepare a draft submission and a report for consideration tonight that is prior to the submission deadline of 5 pm, 7 December 2020, Council Officers engaged Hansen Partnership to assist in the review of the UDLP and the preparation of the draft submission. 

The team worked over the weekend before last to help complete both documents. 

It is clear from the UDLP documentation that the design of the proposed facility is very well developed with the depth of design detail, artist impression and 3D renders indicating a dedicated team within NELP have been working on the project for some considerable time.

The proposed Park and Ride is located in Manningham just north of the border on public open space known as the Koonung Creek Reserve not to be confused with our Koonung Creek Reserve. 

According to NELP the site has been selected to avoid the need to construct a temporary Park and Ride on the Koonung Creek Reserve in Boroondara near Doncaster Road while the existing Park and Ride at Doncaster undergoes expansion and upgrade. 

It is understood the bus network in the region cannot operate or function effectively without a Park and Ride in operation. 

The original Bulleen Park and Ride location identified in the environment affects statement being the Boroondara Tennis Centre will not be available for use as a Park and Ride until the end of construction in six or seven years time. 

The alternative location proposed by NELP is available immediately and ensures a Park and Ride is operational in the region at all times and without having to build a temporary facility in Boroondara. 

This UDLP is the first time Council has seen a plan that does not result in the use of the Boroondara Tennis Centre as a Park and Ride facility. 

Through the environment affects statement exhibition process and the inquiry and advisory committee panel hearing in 2019, we expressed our concerns about losing the Tennis Centre to enable a Park and Ride to be built on the site. 

The UDLP does not provide detail about the future of the Tennis Centre site and officers have sought clarification from NELP about this matter. 

As the Tennis Centre site is within Boroondara, Council will seek to continue to be involved in the design process for the site.

The Park and Ride itself proposes to provide 80 bicycle parking spaces, 10 motorcycle parking spaces, 367 car parking spaces and 5 kiss and ride spaces over three levels. 

Provision is made for staff car parking and maintenance vehicle access as well. 

Additionally, an allowance has been made in the design for the provision of charging points for e-bikes and also up to 24 electric vehicles when demand warrants. 

Buses will use two platforms, the Southern and the northern. The southern platform caters for City bound or inbound buses and the northern platform for Doncaster bound or outbound buses. 

Passenger amenities such as an indoor heated and cooled waiting area, a drinking fountain, staff ticket office and vending machines are located on the Northern Doncaster bound platform only. 

Both platforms provide one Myki machine each as well as some seating and some bins. 

No lifts are provided and travel within the facility is reliant on a 20 metre plus long underpass between the platforms, multiple sets of stairs and two ramps of approximately 60 metres in length each. 

Pedestrian and cyclist access to the facility from the south of the Eastern freeway is limited. Boroondara residents will need to walk or cycle across the Eastern freeway of Bulleen road and then along Thompsons road to catch a bus.

The draft submission attachment one considers the UDLP and themes, issues identified under four headings being functionality, accessibility, design and landscape. 

It offers suggestions or requests as to ways to remove or reduce the issue in an effort to provide an improved passenger experience on approach to through and at the facility including locating pedestrian amenities likely to be needed at the start of the journey on the southern platform, the inbound City bound platform, and providing Melbourne appropriate shelter shade and weather protection. 

Installing a passenger lift on each platform, which services each level of the facility and an air bridge to facilitate equitable and safe access to the platforms from each level of car parking and the green roof for all users. 

Concealing more of the car park structure with landscape batters and earth mounds or creating a stepped plaza area with public art installation and increased flexibility of movement between Thompsons Road and the elevated Park area or green roof and retaining as much of the existing healthy vegetation onsite as possible including the dozen or so trees on the southern edge of Kampman street in Manningham. 

The consultation and engagement exercise is managed through Engage Victoria and submissions addressed to the Minister for Planning are required as I've said by 5:00 pm Monday 7, December 2020. 

Pending the outcome of this Council meeting, Officers will arrange to provide our submission through the Engage Victoria website by the due date. If Councillors have any questions, we would be pleased to answer them. Thank you.

Thank you Ms Davey for your report. Councillors, are there any questions for Ms Davey? Councillor Franco.

Thank you. It's a very comprehensive report. I'm delighted to see in the report that electric charging points are proposed for e-bikes but I do question whether 24 spaces for cars is adequate. 

I'm also concerned about the timing proposed for the provision of that infrastructure. It’s proposed that the infrastructure be delivered once demand exists but this is one of these chicken-and-egg situations where if we don't provide the infrastructure in a timely fashion, we won't have that service. 

So I’d like to hear your views on that and I'd foreshadow that I'd like to move an amendment to include reference to the provision of such infrastructure in our submission.

Thank you Councillor for the question and the comments as well and through you Mayor. The electric vehicle market certainly is moving rapidly I guess in Melbourne and this certainly is an opportunity to include some electric vehicle charging points for those first-movers which are you know up-taking the Teslas and things like that and for some other second movers in that space as well and so I certainly welcome the inclusion of extra or some extra comments about electric vehicle charging points in the submission.

If I could just do a follow-up to assist Councillor Franco. If the mood of the chamber is that that's incorporated, can Officers include that or do we need an alternative motion?

Through you Mayor and perhaps with assistance from yep, certainly we can include it in the submission. No worries.

Thank you. Any further questions of Officers. Councillor Addis.

Thanks very much Mayor. I have two questions. In submitting this-this doesn't in any way imply that we are actually in favour of this whole project, does it?

Thank you Councillor Addis and through you Mayor. No, I don't believe it does, what it does is provide our comments on the Bulleen Park and Ride which is a facility our community will be using, should it be built in this location and it in my mind does nothing more than provide our comments and suggested improvements to that.

Okay. Thank you. And my other question, should the freeway go ahead in a different way because what I'm seeing here is that things are changing as we go along. 

Is this facility still potentially useful to our residents as a sort of a standalone thing?

Again, thank you and through you Mayor. Our advocacy in terms of public transport access for the northern part of our community has always been quite strong and I do believe that should the Eastern freeway not be widened as it is planned to be under the reference design for the North East Link and this Park and Ride facility is constructed, it still would be very useful to our community. 

It would essentially double the car parking capacity at the Park and Ride facilities in the area, so we would include a second one to complement the Doncaster Park and Ride and it would essentially increase the catchment area for the bus services into the City. 

So I do believe it would still benefit our community even if the freeway is not expanded as it is currently planned to.

Thanks very much. That's very helpful Ms Davey.

Thank you Councillor Addis. Councillor Watson.

Thank you Mayor. My question is a little tangential but it has to do with our residents being able to access bus services. 

Noting that the Doncaster Park and Ride is going to be upgraded and I’m sure that Councillor Parke would agree that we've dodged this significant bullet by not having to have that layover space in the location that they originally proposed but do we have a greater understanding of what they're going to do at Doncaster and what the timing of that is because there's a significant difference in location between the Doncaster Park and Ride and the Bulleen and I don't think that they're necessarily interchangeable.

Thank you Councillor Watson and through you Mayor. We don't have a handle on their plans for the Doncaster Park and Ride at the moment. 

If they have any, they're not sharing them with us. We don't know the construction timelines or any detail like that. As soon as we do we'll discuss with Councillors.

Yeah. Thank you. Mr Mayor, one follow-up that's alright. My question or request is similar to Councillor Franco. Could we note that this is information that's important to us and ask that it is forthcoming?

Thank you Councillor Watson and again through you Mayor, certainly we can and will do.

Thank you.

Thank you Councillors. Any further questions of Officers? Councillor Parke.

It doesn't appear to be and if that's the case I'm happy to move the motion.

Yep and I believe Councillor Franco foreshadowed either moving an amendment or noting that the Officers can take on board those comments that you mentioned.

If the report is to be amended to the satisfaction of the Mayor to incorporate those comments in relation to electric charging points, I'm satisfied or alternatively I'm happy to move a motion, whatever you consider more appropriate.

Thank you. I might defer. Thank you Councillor Franco. I might defer to you Councillor Parke as the ward Councillor then.

I'm happy to move the Officers recommendation and I think it’s understood and accepted that the issues that Councillors Franco and Watson raised will be taken on board by the Officers. 

So I don't think there's a need to incorporate specific reference in the motion but I did want to add to the list by the addition of F2F to include the state members of parliament who represent the City of Boroondara. 

I just think it's probably appropriate to keep them in the loop.

Thank you Councillor Parke. What we'll do is we'll just wait for Officers to bring that up on the screen. 

Councillor Parke, this doesn't specifically name those members of parliament but does that satisfy you?

It does. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you. Can I have a seconder for Councillor Parke? I think Councillor Biggar you were just in before Councillor Watson.

I'll second that, thank you.

Thank you very much. To assist Councillor Parke is there any opposition on this item this evening. There appears to be no opposition. 

However, I will defer to you Councillor Parke if you’ve got any closing comments on this one.

Look I'll be very brief. I think the report was very comprehensive and compelling and the motion makes good sense. So, I would urge Councillors to support it.

Thank you Councillor Parke. I'll now put this motion that you can see on the screen to the vote. All those in favour. I think I saw everyone's hands. Just show again. Thank you. I declare that carried unanimously. Thank you again Councillors.

We'll move on to item 7.3 Councillor assignments for 2020-2021. This will be introduced by Ms Celia Robinson Coordinator of Governance.

Thank you Mr Mayor. Councillors, to coincide with the mayoral year Council has traditionally appointed Councillors on an annual basis to a range of internal and external advisory committees, external management committees and boards and partnership groups. 

Nominations are invited for the various Councillor assignments for 2020-2021. Thank you, Mr Mayor.

Councillors, are there any questions of the Officers. Councillor Parke.

Not a question chair just foreshadowing a motion.

Thank you. If there are no further questions Councillor Parke I’ll move to you as the mover of the motion.

Thank you chair. The motion that I propose to move is just being put up on the screen and I think that incorporates the email request by Councillor Biggar earlier in the day. It does. So that's my motion Mayor.

Thank you Councillors. And our governance team, we are just going through the last list of Councillor assignments. Did everyone see the first page? If we can just start with the first page again. Sorry, governance team.

Item one, performance review, delegate committee. Item two, management performance review committee, noted. Okay. We'll just pause on this. 

Does that look all correct to Councillors? So if we can move to item seven to nine. 

Does that look correct Councillors? Item 10. Correct thank you. 

If we can move to the next page, item 11 through to 15. That appears to be correct. 

External advisory committees, item one through to eight. That appears to be no concerns from Councillors and I think that concludes those items. 

Oh no sorry items nine and ten on external committees, external management committees and boards, items one, two and three representative of group partnership groups. I think that looks to be correct. 

Councillor Parke, you've moved that as the motion. I'm in search of a seconder. Councillor, sorry, Councillor Sinfield has had her red light on.

I second.

Thank you. Is there any opposition to that. There appears to be none. I'll put that motion to the vote unless you seek to speak to it Councillor.

I think it is worthy of a few brief words and I was going to suggest that it was to me you might consider allowing comment if Councillors do wish to even in the absence of opposition but just to briefly summarize Council has had a number of internal advisory committees, external advisory committees and has also traditionally made appointments to external management committees and some partnership groups. 

In many ways this is simply a procedural motion appointing Councillors to those various committees but I think what is worthy of note and of course those appointments come following discussion and expressions of interest amongst all Councillors as to how they would like to serve on the various committees.

But I think what's noteworthy is the fact that there are a couple of new internal advisory committees. There's the climate action plan advisory committee and there's the cycling advisory committee and I won't speak about them in particular but I think that there might be some of our colleagues who might wish the opportunity. 

So I just put that forward for your consideration.

Thank you Councillor Parke and you're absolutely correct with acknowledgement that there are new committees for this new Council. Open it up to any Councillors who would like to speak to this motion. Councillor Franco.

Thank you. I'd like to ask about the process in relation to the cycling advisory committee and the climate advisory committee. They're both committees that I very keenly support and advocate but in appointing Councillors to them we don't have terms of reference created as such. 

So could we get some advice in relation to the process of appointing Councillors prior to the [inaudible].

For the purpose of clarity Councillors I will allow Councillor Franco's question through to the CEO.

Thank you, Mr Mayor. I'd like to confirm that the terms of reference will be developed for consideration by each of the groups. 

So the Councillor membership will look at those terms and give advice as to how they would like to see them structured. 

It is important to note that most of these groups are internal advisory groups. 

So they will have no external membership on them, that doesn't preclude those groups from seeking external input and hearing from others who are not on the group but the membership is primarily in fact, solely internally focused unless it's an external appointment in itself. 

So the terms of reference will come to each group for consideration and ultimate approval.

Any other Councillors seeking to speak to this item noting we are in debate moving a motion. Councillor Gault.

I would just like to extend it to point out that one of the other committees has expanded, which is really the Glenferrie placemaking group, which has been combined with the Glenferrie Oval and Tuck Stand and we'll also look at Grace Park and relationships with Swinburne. 

I think this is very important because it'll probably combine a lot of the thinking on all of those areas and I am very pleased to see that committee set up.

Thank you Councillor Gault. Any other Councillors. Councillor Hollingsworth.

Thank you Mr Mayor. I would also like to make note that the heritage advisory committee is also a new committee this Council term and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to further work on consideration to heritage in Boroondara which clearly is very important to our residents and to Council and it’s a good opportunity to explore our Heritage action plan even further. Thank you.

Thank you Councillor Hollingsworth. Are there any further speakers on this item. I'd also like to just reiterate that with our fresh new Council for our four-year term these new Councillor assignments reflect the will of our new Council as well as the community in general. 

So I'll move to you as the mover Councillor Parke.

No reply chair but thank you for your indulgence.

Thank you. I'll now put that motion to the vote. All those in favour. I declare that carried unanimously. Thank you again Councillors.

Move on to item eight, general business. Are there any items of general business this evening. There appears to be none. 

Item nine, urgent business. Councillors, are there any items of urgent business. There appears to be none. 

Confidential business, I believe there are no items of confidential business.

Well, thank you again. This brings us to the end of our Council business for this evening the very first Council meeting of this new Council term. 

Before I close the meeting I'd like to thank all of you who've joined online this evening and wish you and your family good health. I declare the Council meeting closed at 20 past 7. 

Thank you.