My name is Bret Busby, and I have lived in at my current address in the ward, for 22 years (as at September 2015).
I live in the Gwynne Park/Brookdale part of the ward. We have not had a councillor who lives in this area, representing this area, for several years. If I am elected as a councillor for this ward, I will be the first councillor living in this area, representing this area, as a councillor for the ward to which the area belongs, in the city council, for quite a while.
The picture above, of me, is slightly different from the picture that the Electoral Commission has, for my nomination. The picture above, shows how I have sometimes looked, when I have been out and about, walking. You might be more likely to recognize me from the above picture, than from the picture that the Electoral Commission has, for my nomination.
The picture that the Electoral Commission has, for my nomination, is below. I am not pretty, but, I do try to make things better for everyone.
My Candidate Profile Statement, as submitted to the Electoral Commission, and, which is on display at the Armadale City Council web site (linked from http://www.armadale.wa.gov.au/candidate-profiles ) and in the Armadale City Council offices, is:
"
I have lived at my address in the ward, for about 22 years, and, I walk in the area.
I have tried to get Armadale to be a nicer, safer, and, healthier place for its residents.
I have tried to get adequate footpaths alongside all roads, and, council trees and verges and reserves,
properly maintained, to protect public safety, the e;lctricity supply, and property, and,
to help residents make the most possible use of solar energy.
I have tried to increase public participation in council decision making,
including planning of developments and facilities, and,
I have tried to improve the provision of council services to residents.
I have tried to get elected to the council, to improve representation on the council, for residents,
and I am trying yet again, to get me elected, to improve representatiuon for residents, on the council,
and to make Armadale a better place.
"
If you wonder why I am so concerned with trying to get adequate footpaths on all of the streets that lack them, apart from making safer, travelling the streets by mothers pushing prams and pushchairs, people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters ("gophers"), and people who need to use walking frames, and children walking to and from school, so that they do not have to walk on the roads, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkability , and, especially, look at the part with the heading "Benefits".
Walking is good for public health, and, for knowing who are our neighbours, amongst other benefits, and it is a relatively inexpensive and easy form of exercise, that can be done by most people, and, having adequate footpaths, could encourage people who are not so mobile, to get out and about more, and thus help improve their lives. So, having adequate footpaths on all roads, can benefit everyone.
I believe that it is part of the obligations of a local government, to make sure that all of its streets have adequate and clear and safe footpaths, and that the Armadale City Council has badly failed its residents, regarding this.
So, I believe that much more money needs to be spent on footpaths, to provide the most benefit, to the most people.
And, we have a drastic lack of footpaths, in the area of Brookdale, Wungong, and Gwynne Park, and so, I continue trying to get the Armadale City Council to provide adequate and safe footpaths for its residents. Mothers pushing pushchairs and prams, school children walking to and from school, or otherwise in the area, and elderly people using walking frames, and, other people who need to use walking aids, and, people travelling in wheelchairs, should not be made to compete with motor vehicles, on the road, to get where they are going.
And, that is not all that I am about.
Residents in the Gwyyne Park and Brookdale area, may remember when, a few years ago, the child died at the neglected and unsafe playground equipment in what was then. named the Selby Street Reserve, that the Armadale City Council has since, renamed the Pelham Reserve, and how, via the local newspapers, I exposed the degree of neglect and danger of the playground equipment, and the need for it and the reserve, to be maintained and made safe. Unfortunately, the Armadale City Council instead, after denying that the site was unsafe and neglected, despite photographic evidence, removed the playground equipment from the reserve, in a campaign of the council, to reduce the provision of facilities to residents, and the council also removed the rubbish bins from the reserve, and elsewhere in the area, in its reduction of services and show of disregard for local residents.
The playground equipment that has been removed from the local reserves, needs to be replaced, with safe and properly maintained equipment, in the same reserves, and, the rubbish bins that the council has removed from the area, need to be replaced in the area, to make the area safer and more healhy, and, more family-friendly
Also, in the area, in walking the streets, the lack of maintenance of council verge trees and trees in council reserves, can be seen, with trees growing onto the roads, endangering traffic, and trees in reserves, in addition to the verge trees, threatening the electricity supply lines, and, threatening houses, and breaking up driveways. And, council verge trees, being neglected by the council, or, otherwise so designed, hide traffic control signs, including speed limit signs and other traffic control signs. And, the vegetation that the council grows in the middle of the roads, apart from on the verges, appears designed to be traffic hazards and cause traffic collisions.
So, we need for the council vegetation on the verges, in the reserves, and, that the council has planted in the middle of the roads, to be made safe, and, to also be properly maintained.
Walking the short distance along Farmer Road, in Brookdale, in mid-afternoon, on a sunny day, allows a person to see examples of council verge trees obstructing the use of rooftop photovoltaic systems, or, "solar panels", and, walking along the streets, also allows a person to see other examples of council verge trees, obstructing the use of solar energy, through such things as solar water heaters, which can also be shaded by council verge trees.
Therefore, we need councillors who actually get out in the area, and, see the condiditons in the area, on a regular basis, instead of neglecting the area and the residents.
The city council needs to eliminate road hazards, and not increase them, and needs to make clear, road signs, and not hide them. Road safety is important, and the city council needs to start taking road safety, seriously.
Many problems exist, where the city council is not fulfilling its basic obligations, and the city council should be concentrating on fulfilling its basic obligations.
And, as a believer in accountability and democracy, I believe in Participatory Budgeting in local government (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_budgeting ), and Participatory Democracy in local government (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_democracy ) , so that, for example, decisions such as seizing control of an adjacent local government, or, more properly, mergers and amalgamations, are decided by the people, with open discussions, and, not by a select few behind closed doors.
I have made a submission, in 2015, to the Australian Electoral Commission review of electoral boundaries, in Western Australia, regarding the proposal to split the Armadale City Council area between the current Canning electorate, and the proposed new Burt electorate; my submission objected to the proposal, arguing that the whole of the area covered by the Armadale City Council, should be in a single federal lower house electorate, and that I believe, equally, that the whole of the Area covered by the Armadale City Council, should be in a single state lower house electorate.
I have previously been involved in other actions at a local level, including having been involved in the calling of a public meeting of electors of the Armadale City Council, some years ago, to try to sane Minnawarra House, when it was part of the Minnawarra Park.
In 2009, I attended a forum in Perth, regarding the issue of the lack of Human Rights in Australia, and whether Australia should have binding Human Rights legislation, and, I made a submission, arguing that Australia should have binding Human Rights Legislation. If you go to the home page on this wen site, you can find a link to my Human Rights web page, to find more information about that.
Some years ago, when Geoff Gallop was the Western Australian state premier, and Alannah MacTiernan was the member of the lower house of the WA state parliament, for Armadale, I attended a forum in Armadale, regarding the state parliament induced water shortage in Western Australia, and I and others present, argued for the construction of the Ord river pipeline, to supply water to southwestern Western Australia. That proposal was treated with contempt by that state government, and, each state government, since, and so, south western Western Australia has since had, and, will continue to have, water shortages.
So, I have been active, locally, over the years, trying to better the lives of the people of Armadale.
And, in previous council elections, I have suggested to the WA Electoral Commission, which has been running the Armadale City Council elections, for a number of elections now, two changes to the nomination forms, that would improve the conduct of the local government elections in WA, with one of those changes, being the inclusion in the candidate profile, a web site address for the candidate, if the candidate has a web site of which the candidate wants the voters to be informed. The information of the web site address for a candidate's web site, as you may be aware, in the Canning by-election information about the candidates, is included at the federal level, at least, on the ABC online web site about the by-election, and this can help voters to find more information about the candidates, and what they are about. I believe, and, I have suggested to the WA Electoral Commission, that including in the candidate profile, in the local government elections, provision for a candidate's web site address, could improve the election process, and, help the voters to be more informed about their candidates.
I note that, in the interests of fairness and providing equal opportunity to all candidates, I am willing to host on my web site, a web page such as this one, for similar candidate statements for any candidate in the Armadale City Council by-election, who does not already have their own candidacy web site, who makes a request of me to provide such hosting, subject to the following conditions:
1. The material to be so published by me, must meet with my approval - it must not contain any offensive material, which includes personal attacks on any candidate or existing individual councillor.
2. The material must be approved by the Returning Officer (in that, I would put it up, and send the link to the Returning Officer, for him to view the material, and the material would stay during the campaign, unless he tells me it is unacceptable).
Whether you vote for me, or against me, PLEASE VOTE.
We do not have enough say in what goes on, but, we can decide
who gets elected to the council, so we should at least use that,
to try to ensure that we are represented on the city council.
This web page is authorised and printed by Bret Busby, 2 Pelham Street Armadale.
(Whilst the web page may be printed by someone else, I am advised that the wording in the above sentence, is required by the legislation governing the election.)
This web page was last updated on 24 September 2015