From the Mayor - 28 June 2023
I recently attended the 2023 Australian local government’s annual National General Assembly in Canberra with Cr Pip Friedrich and our General Manager, Dominic Johnson. Given the extraordinary events in Russia over the past few days it was eerily prescient that the Ukrainian Ambassador, His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko, updated attendees on the war efforts in his homeland. As the world watches and waits, we dare to hope that the next critical phases of reaction and action, will bring the prospect of a ceasefire in Ukraine closer to a reality.
A topic of much discussion at the National Assembly was housing and rental affordability and availability and I fully expect the housing debate to continue when both national and state governments return from their annual winter breaks. What communities need is sensible long term planning solutions, not short-term quick fixes in what is a complex and multi-layered whole of government challenge. Next week local government leaders will gather at a Mayoral Roundtable to strongly advocate for affordable housing to be managed by respected, long standing community housing providers, not developers or private rental businesses, and the proposed rental period for tenants to be in perpetuity, not time restricted.
As our children and families commence their winter school holiday, I joined Queenwood staff and students to honour and farewell their principal of the past nine years, Dr Elizabeth Stone, as she departs Australia to take up her role as principal at Winchester College, in the United Kingdom. Mosman High School’s principal, Ms Susan Wyatt, has successfully overseen the completion of Phase 1 of the school’s upgrade and will be overjoyed to have students and teaching staff return from holidays keen to experience the innovative new school buildings and first-class facilities.
In recognition of our colonial history, Mosman’s Scottish clansmen and women proudly displayed their tartans at the annual Rawson Park Inspection of the Cairn earlier this week and our patriotic Irish community will be in strong voice when their team take on the Matildas in the opening match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup on 20 July.
In closing, it is most reassuring and welcome news that our civic square will be ready to again host the Mosman Market on the first Saturday in August.