Image above (L-R): Cr Rosemary West OAM, Cr Ron Brownless OAM, Cr Geoff Gledhill, Cr Steve Staikos, Mayor Cr Paul Peulich (front), Cr John Ronke, Cr Tamsin Bearsley, Cr David Eden and Cr Tamara Barth.

Kingston is home to a number of vibrant communities across all ages and backgrounds.

Living in Kingston is unique. Every suburb offers something different from diverse businesses, housing, shops and restaurants; to beaches, bush land, parks and playgrounds. Not only is our landscape diverse, so is our community; people from over 150 countries of origin who speak over 120 languages choose Kingston as their home.

One of my goals as Mayor has been to promote the benefits of diversity and encourage people from all backgrounds and ages to participate to help strengthen community, celebrate diversity and protect and enhance our quality of life.

The City of Kingston has grown and changed throughout history and will continue to do so for many years.

From the 1840s the region grew with various land uses including farming, fishing, market gardens, quarrying and manufacturing. Kingston continues to develop and grow into the future as a prosperous area with opportunities offered to all.

It is Kingston City Council’s vision that we invest strongly, in a well-considered manner, for the benefit of current and future generations and do so in a justified and reasonable way which maintains public confidence. Whilst our city is already one to be proud of, our vision is to ensure that future generations will also enjoy a well-designed city with an attractive environment, both built and natural, distinctive neighbourhoods and suburbs, and active communities made up of individuals who are engaged and contribute positively to society.

Kingston City Council works to achieve this vision by delivering quality and well managed infrastructure and services through open and transparent decision making and strives to be a leader across the Victorian local government sector.

Our goal is to protect and enhance the Kingston foreshore, landscape and sporting facilities for present and future generations to enjoy and be inspired by.

The Kingston Foreshore stretches for over 13km and for the majority of its length it is an unbroken, sandy beach. Our foreshore supports many recreational activities attracting thousands of visitors every year; which is why we recently refurbished the popular Carrum Surf Life Saving Club and will soon be renovating the Mordialloc Surf Life Saving Club.

Council has set a direction on the future of the Green Wedge that will help facilitate the transformation of largely privately owned areas toward environmental improvements and a more sustainable economic future for the area. This is a major step toward bringing Council’s vision for the Green Wedge to life, however achieving the full vision will not happen quickly, it is a long-term strategic investment that will take decades to realise in entirety.

Kingston Council has prepared plans for a number of its sporting reserves with the ultimate goal of achieving a space which meets the sporting needs of tenants and takes into account the recreational interests of the surrounding community.

Council has already confirmed the redevelopment of Moorabbin Reserve with proposed improvement including new car parking, a new footpath network and a regional level play space. The Edithvale Recreation Reserve now has a new pavilion which took 12 months to complete, now the community can enjoy a newly landscaped reserve and better parking facilities.

It is an honor to serve such a prosperous and dynamic City.

I am proud to say that Kingston is one of the State’s main employment centres, having one of the largest and most concentrated industrial sectors in Victoria. There are approximately 15,500 businesses with over 70,000 people employed throughout the City of Kingston.

We continue to support a strong local economy to encourage the availability of local jobs, and ensure that resources, industry knowledge and skills can be utilised for the benefit of the community.

Council is working on a Moorabbin Junction Urban Renewal Strategy to revive Moorabbin. Prime sites in Moorabbin have the potential to transform the centre into a more vibrant, functional place that has greater employment opportunities and retail options for the community. Life will return to the streets of Moorabbin Junction through inviting new shops, cafes, restaurants, and art and entertainment making the City of Kingston an even more dynamic and vibrant place to be.

The City of Kingston embraces community inspired leadership.

One of the best parts of my experience as Mayor is working in an organisation that is well informed, accountable and draws inspiration from the community. We are engaging with the community to encourage and support its development, which is why I recently led two roundtable discussions with local automotive component manufacturers to discuss Ford and Holden’s decisions to cease Australian manufacturing in 2016 and 2017.

Kingston is home to a diverse range of manufacturers across the automotive industry supply chain and wishes to support our manufacturers where we can during this challenging time.

Images below:

Mayor Councillor Paul Peulich
Braeside Park
H.D. Bert Thomas Pavillon
Fat Bobs in Moorabbin Junction
Mordialloc Pier