What is a Real Deal for Geelong?
Read our Report, “A Real Deal for Geelong” here
“A Real Deal for Geelong” began in mid 2021. Organisations from the Union movement, faith communities and community groups are working together to come together for the common good to create a fairer future for our community as we move through the climate transition.
Who is participating in a Real Deal for Geelong?
Cloverdale Community Centre, Norlane Community Centre, the Australian Conservation Foundation Community Geelong, Victorian and Geelong Trades Hall, Geelong Sustainability, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Australians for Mental Health and St Bernard’s Church (Belmont) have established a team to establish the project in Geelong. We understand that this is the first time such a diverse group of organisations have worked together in Geelong to build power from the ground up. Other civil society organisations are welcome to join.
What has been happening ?
We completed a Listening process early in 2023 across our community to share stories about the transitions which have occurred in the past, current challenges and our hopes for the economic and energy challenge ahead of us as we respond to climate change and other issues within our community. These were documented in our Community Listening Report for Climate Transition. We held a sell-out Community Forum at Cloverdale Community Centre in May 2023.
Our Mayor and State MPs all committed to helping us to win a Real Deal for Geelong which will address the priority Issues of :
Secure Housing
Meaningful Work and the Cost of Living
Care and Connection.
Since then, community volunteers have been trained in Community Organising methods and participated in a Research-Action process to interview experts and understand the policy solutions to the Issues raised in our Listening process.
We held our second Forum in December 2023 where we presented and endorsed our policy solutions as member organisations which were uncovered during our Research-Action phase.
We developed policy ideas such as
Building more social and affordable housing at the Commonwealth Games village site and across Geelong
Public Transport to Avalon and Lara for local workers
Establishing a worker-owned Cooperative to make our homes more energy efficient
Creating climate safe places for vulnerable community members to go in extreme weather
We committed to jointly bring over 250 people to our next Forum. We sought support from our MPs and Council to action these and heard from our Deputy Mayor about how we can work collaboratively to achieve our policy solutions.
What next ?
Community Action Forum about Housing ; Thursday March 14, 2024
We have invited the Minister for Development Victoria, our state Members of Parliament, Community Housing providers and Smart Building Solutions and community members who are experiencing the reality of our housing situation to address a Community Action Forum at Geelong West Town Hall, 7pm on March 14, 2024 to share and discuss our Housing policy solutions.
You can register for the event here.
Want to know more ?
New organisations who share our policy interests are welcome to join us, please be in contact with our Project Officer, Sally Fisher.
For further details : Contact Sally Fisher on sally.fisher@sydney.edu.au or 0410 473 167.
We acknowledge that this work takes place on the lands of the Wadawurrung People and that sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.
