The Fifth Estate: Good Lord
What does it mean to be Lord Mayor of one of the world’s most liveable cities? And how can we keep that ‘liveable’ status – and the relaxed lifestyle we enjoy – in the face of pressures like a booming population, an upwards-shooting skyline, traffic congestion and crime? As 2012’s Melbourne City Council elections approach, Sally Warhaft hosts eight of nine mayoral candidates – incumbent Robert Doyle, Liberal candidates Gary Morgan and Gary Singer, plus Keith Rankin, Alison Parkes, David Nolte, Joseph Toscano and Brian Shanahan.
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Short introductions by each candidate:
- Robert Doyle
- Gary Morgan
- David Nolte
- Alison Parkes
- Keith Rankin
- Brian Shanahan
- Gary Singer
- Joseph Toscano
Plus:
- Since the Council’s last elections, which campaign issues are similar or different? Are parks and bicycles on the agenda?
- Is population growth inevitable?
- What are candidates views on the proposed East-West Link freeway/tunnel project?
- How about their ideas on carbon emissions and climate change?
- Questions of campaign transparency
- Cultural, age and gender diversity of candidates
- The merits of different democratic systems of representation
Who?
Brian Shanahan
Brian Shanahan was elected to Melbourne City Council in 2004 and 2008. He has been chair of the Melbourne City Council Finance and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee since 2004. Before that, he was a councillor and mayor of the City of Essendon.
David Nolte
David Nolte was is a former Melbourne City Councillor (1988-93) and Chair of City Finance (1991-93). He has owned and operated his own pharmacy in Carlton North for 35 years, and is standing for Lord Mayor in Melbourne’s 2012 council elections.
Robert Doyle
Robert Doyle was elected in 2008 and is the serving Lord Mayor of Melbourne. He is a principal at The Nous Group, a management consultancy business based in Melbourne and, since 2007, has been chairman of Melbourne Health (The Royal Melbourne Hospital).
Alison Parkes
Dr Alison Parkes has over 30 years experience in financial management and is an internationally recognised consultant, author, educator and researcher based at the University of Melbourne. She lives with her husband and two children in North Melbourne. She is standing as Greens candidate for Lord Mayor in Melbourne’s 2012 council elections.
Gary Morgan
Gary Morgan and his family are long-term East Melbourne residents. He has lived and worked in Melbourne for over 50 years. He is executive chairman of Roy Morgan Research and the proprietor of well-known Collins Street restaurant Morgans at 401.
Sally Warhaft
Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer and the host of the Wheeler Centre’s live journalism series, the Fifth Estate, now in its sixth year. She is a former editor of the Monthly magazine and the author of the bestselling book Well May We Say: The Speeches that Made Australia.
Gary Singer
Previously deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne (2004–2008) with former Lord Mayor John So, Gary Singer is currently director and chief executive officer of Sotheby’s Australia.
Joseph Toscano
Joseph Toscano has been a medical practitioner for 37 years, with a special interest in spinal cord paralysis. He is a broadcaster on community radio and a spokesperson for the Anarchist Media Institute.
Berhan Ahmed
Dr Ahmed is a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne and chief editor of focus e-magazine. He is a board member of the international research group on wood protection, and AMES, and chairperson of the African Think Tank. He is well known in Melbourne through his commitment to numerous community and business issues and was the Victorian Australian of the Year 2009.
