Michael Nugent, Bunurong Ward Where do you live?
Cape Paterson
How long have you lived in Bass Coast?
My grandparents met and married in newly-founded Wonthaggi during the 1910s. My father grew up here. I was born in Geelong but moved back to Bass Coast, to Cape Paterson, over 3 years ago.
What is your previous community involvement (voluntary work or membership), either in Bass Coast or another area?
When the children were young I was, e.g., treasurer of their scout group, on the school planning group, and a committee member of the preventative drug education program Life Ed.
In my professional life I have volunteered as member or chair of many committees, mostly for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and CPA Australia, but also Standards Australia, the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. I was also vice chair of the Global Sustainability Standards Board, and a member of Monash University’s Accounting Advisory Committee.
Cape Paterson
How long have you lived in Bass Coast?
My grandparents met and married in newly-founded Wonthaggi during the 1910s. My father grew up here. I was born in Geelong but moved back to Bass Coast, to Cape Paterson, over 3 years ago.
What is your previous community involvement (voluntary work or membership), either in Bass Coast or another area?
When the children were young I was, e.g., treasurer of their scout group, on the school planning group, and a committee member of the preventative drug education program Life Ed.
In my professional life I have volunteered as member or chair of many committees, mostly for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and CPA Australia, but also Standards Australia, the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. I was also vice chair of the Global Sustainability Standards Board, and a member of Monash University’s Accounting Advisory Committee.
I have been appointed by Council to advisory groups on: Community Planning (Bayside Council), the Elster Creek Catchment (Bayside, Port Phillip, Glen Eira and Kingston Councils), and the 2020-2030 Climate Plan (Bass Coast Council).
I co-founded the Wonthaggi Food Collective, the Bass Coast CAN (Climate Action Network), the Australian Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability, the Dendy Park Association, and the Elsternwick Park Association.
I am currently a committee member of the Cape Paterson Residents and Ratepayers Association and Save the Holden Bushlands, and until recently was a director of Grow Lightly.
I am an active participant in and/or member of, e.g., the Wonthaggi library’s ethics discussion group, both community gardens in Wonthaggi, U3A Wonthaggi, Friends of Inverloch Library, South Gippsland Rural Australians for Refugees, Mitchell House Neighbourhood Centre and the South Gippsland Conservation Society.
Have you stood for election before in local, state or federal government?
No
Do you belong to a political party?
I’m a member of the Greens and state this on my leaflets etc., not only when asked. I was advised by quite a few locals that my chances of being elected would be improved if I resigned from the Greens and stood as an independent. I did not do that because it would, I believe, have been hypocritical and lacking in transparency. I make the following points:
Name the five local issues that you consider most important and explain how you think the council should tackle them.
Issue 1: Regional living – population growth
Bass Coast has the very best of regional living that we must preserve and enhance for ourselves and for future generations. As well as the climate crisis (see separate issue below), population growth threatens our regional lifestyle.
Authorities expect Bass Coast’s population to grow by more than 30% in the next 16 years. Cardinia and Casey will grow even faster and increase the pressure on our towns, our coastline and our farms. We must plan carefully for this and not allow population pressures to result in inappropriate suburbanization, such as the proposed Cape Paterson northern development.
Issue 2: Balance: community, economy and nature
As we build community connections and strengthen our economic prospects, we must also respect the environment in this beautiful part of the world. So, when making any significant decision, Council must give equal weight to the consequences of its actions (and in some cases, lack of action) on:
Issue 3: COVID Recovery
Clearly, we need to support those most affected by COVID, in particular small businesses, youth, and vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Council has made a start, but more will be needed as the effects of this pandemic continue to unfold, e.g., helping to increase the resilience of the tourism sector while at the same time helping to increase the diversity of business activity within the Shire so we are not over-reliant on tourism, and bringing forward capital works to provide local jobs and an economic boost.
Issue 4: Listen and lead
Council must proactively seek out and respect the wisdom and diversity of its community by really listening to and involving all residents and ratepayers in significant decisions, for example, how to best make the McBride campus a thriving, multipurpose community hub.
I am totally committed to improving transparency, accountability and community engagement, e.g., if elected I will hold regular (at least monthly) community listening sessions providing a forum for all residents and ratepayers to directly raise issues with me one-on-one.
A major initiative I am committed to is establishing a Youth Congress to ensure Council actions align with our youth’s needs and aspirations. See more details here https://tinyurl.com/Bass-CoastYouth
Issue 5 Climate
I co-founded the Bass Coast CAN (Climate Action Network) and penned the petition that got over 1,000 signatures to help secure the climate emergency declaration last year.
Council has since co-developed, with the community, an excellent 2020-2030 climate action plan. I was appointed to the Council Community Reference Panel that helped draft that Plan. Council must now make every effort to implement the Plan, to reduce emissions and to help the community adapt to unavoidable climate impacts, such as the coastal erosion we are already seeing.
I co-founded the Wonthaggi Food Collective, the Bass Coast CAN (Climate Action Network), the Australian Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability, the Dendy Park Association, and the Elsternwick Park Association.
I am currently a committee member of the Cape Paterson Residents and Ratepayers Association and Save the Holden Bushlands, and until recently was a director of Grow Lightly.
I am an active participant in and/or member of, e.g., the Wonthaggi library’s ethics discussion group, both community gardens in Wonthaggi, U3A Wonthaggi, Friends of Inverloch Library, South Gippsland Rural Australians for Refugees, Mitchell House Neighbourhood Centre and the South Gippsland Conservation Society.
Have you stood for election before in local, state or federal government?
No
Do you belong to a political party?
I’m a member of the Greens and state this on my leaflets etc., not only when asked. I was advised by quite a few locals that my chances of being elected would be improved if I resigned from the Greens and stood as an independent. I did not do that because it would, I believe, have been hypocritical and lacking in transparency. I make the following points:
- Greens policies are for state and federal parliament. There are no Greens policies that would interfere with or override local decision-making. So, if elected I would NOT be a political puppet unable to make up my own mind, which I think some people fear when parties endorse Council candidates. I am independent in that sense.
- the only important thing Greens endorsement says about me in a local context is that I honestly stand by their four key principles: ecological sustainability, participatory democracy, social justice, and peace and non-violence.
- my candidacy is genuinely about Council, it’s about our local community; it is NOT a step toward a state or federal parliamentary career, which is something else people seem to worry about (at 63 yo, being a Councillor would entirely suffice).
Name the five local issues that you consider most important and explain how you think the council should tackle them.
Issue 1: Regional living – population growth
Bass Coast has the very best of regional living that we must preserve and enhance for ourselves and for future generations. As well as the climate crisis (see separate issue below), population growth threatens our regional lifestyle.
Authorities expect Bass Coast’s population to grow by more than 30% in the next 16 years. Cardinia and Casey will grow even faster and increase the pressure on our towns, our coastline and our farms. We must plan carefully for this and not allow population pressures to result in inappropriate suburbanization, such as the proposed Cape Paterson northern development.
Issue 2: Balance: community, economy and nature
As we build community connections and strengthen our economic prospects, we must also respect the environment in this beautiful part of the world. So, when making any significant decision, Council must give equal weight to the consequences of its actions (and in some cases, lack of action) on:
- the community,
- the economy, and
- nature.
Issue 3: COVID Recovery
Clearly, we need to support those most affected by COVID, in particular small businesses, youth, and vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Council has made a start, but more will be needed as the effects of this pandemic continue to unfold, e.g., helping to increase the resilience of the tourism sector while at the same time helping to increase the diversity of business activity within the Shire so we are not over-reliant on tourism, and bringing forward capital works to provide local jobs and an economic boost.
Issue 4: Listen and lead
Council must proactively seek out and respect the wisdom and diversity of its community by really listening to and involving all residents and ratepayers in significant decisions, for example, how to best make the McBride campus a thriving, multipurpose community hub.
I am totally committed to improving transparency, accountability and community engagement, e.g., if elected I will hold regular (at least monthly) community listening sessions providing a forum for all residents and ratepayers to directly raise issues with me one-on-one.
A major initiative I am committed to is establishing a Youth Congress to ensure Council actions align with our youth’s needs and aspirations. See more details here https://tinyurl.com/Bass-CoastYouth
Issue 5 Climate
I co-founded the Bass Coast CAN (Climate Action Network) and penned the petition that got over 1,000 signatures to help secure the climate emergency declaration last year.
Council has since co-developed, with the community, an excellent 2020-2030 climate action plan. I was appointed to the Council Community Reference Panel that helped draft that Plan. Council must now make every effort to implement the Plan, to reduce emissions and to help the community adapt to unavoidable climate impacts, such as the coastal erosion we are already seeing.