I grew up in Brimbank and have lived here my entire life. My parents were local businesspeople who worked hard to provide for my brother and me. I’ve enjoyed watching our community evolve over the years and I love being part of Brimbank’s story.
Our greatest strength is our cultural diversity. With almost half of Brimbank’s residents born outside of Australia, we are among the most diverse municipalities in the country. Our community identity is enriched by so many backgrounds and influences, resulting in our own unique, evolving culture.
I am very passionate about investing in young people and have the utmost faith in our young people. I want to do what I can to help make their future in Brimbank a bright one.
Back in June, I joined fellow Councillors in attending the 27th National General Assembly in Canberra. It was wonderful to meet so many young people ready to make a positive change in their communities.
When it comes to environmental sustainability, I believe in helping businesses and our community to innovate while also supporting them to achieve a strong COVID-19 recovery.
One of my greatest concerns is that we only have 6.2% tree canopy coverage in Brimbank, which makes it among the lowest in Greater Melbourne.
Under the Urban Forest Strategy (2016) our aim is to increase canopy cover from 6.2 per cent (in 2016) to 30 per cent across Brimbank by 2046. The two new policies Council adopted in August – the new Brimbank Tree Policy and the Significant Tree Policy will play a key role in helping Council meet its goals under the Urban Forest Strategy and Brimbank Climate Emergency Plan.
We want to build a cleaner, greener Brimbank as we move into the future and Council is taking strong steps to achieve this.
We are also one of the most rapidly growing municipalities, which is why planning how to meet the future needs of our community is so important for Council.
Right now, the ongoing pandemic has made us change the way we live and work, but please continue to take care of yourself and follow the advice of the health authorities.
I’m always happy to hear from community members if you want to discuss your ideas for Brimbank.
Cr Jae Papalia
You can contact Cr Papalia on CrPapalia@brimbank.vic.gov.au or 0437 8838 710.
