John Cooper for Ravenswood (Bendigo)

This is something like what you will see on your ballot paper in a few weeks, except with more detail & in colour.

My candidate statement, expanded:

I pledge to represent the interests of the people of Bendigo, especially Ravenswood ward, to the best of my ability.

Better bus stops. All should have shelters.
Modern roads (gutters, footpaths, floodwaters go under the road, not over it)
More free and low cost recreational options for kids and adults alike.

My main goal is to help the people of Bendigo prosper, especially Ravenswood ward.

We need a greater diversity of temples, catering to the growing diversity of the people in our amazing city in the forest. We need to protect that forest by helping as many native trees older than 50 years prosper, rather than bulldoze them all for new developments.

Public transport needs improving with footpaths connecting all stops, which should provide well lit & safe, shelter for all, including those with mobility issues. We need a devoted train network, no longer hitching a ride on V/line.

Pet de-sexing must be compulsory & low cost, with incentives to keep pets inside. This is especially important since the introduction of a 24/7 cat & dog curfew across all of the City of Greater Bendigo.

Bicycle routes must be safe, connected & paired with walking routes.

Red tape must be reduced to facilitate growth. It should be clear who is responsible for what infrastructure, not hand balled from one agency to another endlessly.

All the land damaged by mining must be utilised rather than abandoned in an unsafe manner, as is too often the case now. We have vacant land throughout the developed parts of Bendigo. Much of it is unsafe to walk or play on, yet people are. It's only a matter of time until lives are lost due to old, forgotten mines. We MUST make the damaged land safe. Commercial & industrial development can mitigate many of threats posed by damaged lands without increasing risks to neighbours.

Homelessness CAN be tackled by council. Council has to deal with homelessness. Why not address the problem instead of shoving it onto the next council over? We can address the housing crisis by entering into commercial partnerships to house the homeless & protect the vulnerable. We need to stop trying to just move people on. It's time to be part of the solution rather than exacerbate the problem

We must infill Bendigo to grow it, doing all we can to reduce urban sprawl, with appropriate infrastructure to support the infilling, like excellent drainage suitable for high rainfall events & modern 9m (at least) wide roads

Authorised by Lord John Drake Cooper,
PO Box 1418, Kangaroo Flat, Victoria, 3555
SMS: 0488 JOHN 40 (0488564640)
Email: JohnDrakeCooper@Gmail.com

This page used to be for property design & maintenance business GoGro. I no longer offer these services on a professional basis, but you can still find GoGro on facebook where I am happy to offer advice on an ad hoc basis.