

NCA Snapshot
Edition 5: April 2024
From the NCA Chair
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From the NCA Chair – Cr Tom Melican, Mayor of Banyule City Council
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​Welcome to the first edition of NCA Snapshot for 2024.
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The NCA Mayors and CEOs met in March, and like always, we enjoyed
a productive and fruitful discussion.
The NCA Strategic Plan 2022-2026 and Advocacy Priorities 2023-2024
are two key documents that will guide our work this year.
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Connectivity continues to be our number one priority and our
particular focus at the moment is strong advocacy for investment in
bus services across our region. We urgently need more frequent
bus services, efficient connectivity between buses and other
transport services, and better access so that our community can easily get to jobs, health and education facilities.
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Advocacy and engagement in support of major infrastructure is also a key priority. Planning for rail
upgrades, such as the duplication and extension of the Upfield Line, continues to be a core advocacy priority for the NCA.
Along with the other NCA Mayors, I was pleased to part of a Channel 7 news telecast highlighting major issues for our region such as connectivity and the need for more health services, including the need for an entirely new medical precinct and hospital to support our community.
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We also discussed the congestion that expected population growth of over 700,000 will bring to our current road network and highlighted our concerns about lagging infrastructure for our outer growth Councils. You can see the footage here.
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Climate change is a challenge for all of us and with that in mind, we are commencing work on a new project, entitled A Greener North. Through this project we will define ways that we can mitigate the effects of
climate change and improve canopy cover and green spaces across Melbourne’s north.
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Our Community Electric Vehicle Transition Plan has been well received by both state and federal governments, and I’m pleased to say is attracting broader attention globally through the Local Government Information Unit. (You can see more about that organisation later in this newsletter.)
It’s now time for us to begin implementation of the plan. Significant work will be undertaken over the
coming months to bring our plan for transitioning to electric vehicles into fruition.
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I look forward to working with my colleagues to
continue the great work of the NCA in 2024.
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Cr Tom Melican
Mayor, Banyule City Council
Chair, Northern Councils Alliance
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L-R : Cr. Tom Melican, Chair of the NCA and Mayor of Banyule City Council; Lydia Wilson, Chair Administrator, City of Whittlesea; Cr. Karen Sherry, Deputy Mayor of Hume City Council; Cr. Susanne Newton, Mayor of Darebin City Council; Cr Adam Pulford, Mayor of Merri-bek City Council; and Cr. Louise Bannister, Mayor of Mitchell Shire Council. (Absent with apologies: Cr Naim Kurt, Mayor of Hume City Council and Cr Ben Ramcharan, Mayor of Nillumbik Shire Council.)
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