AGM

2025 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
SUNDAY October 26th 5.30 pm
At IRENE MITCHELL STUDIO, St Martins Youth Arts Centre
28 St Martins Lane, South Yarra

MSYRG AGM MINUTES

Welcome by James Syme (President) who introduced himself and JAC and Janique Lambert and he spoke of her recently coming onto the Committee. He also introduced all Committee members – Jan Armstrong-Conn (Secretary – JAC), David Parker (DP), Gayle Gledhill (GG), Pam Dethbridge (PD) and Janique Lambert (JL). There was an acknowledgment of Country.

The number of members present is 32 and by proxy 0 = 32. Therefore, there is a quorum for the meeting.

1. Apologies: Committee Members Michael Butcher (MB), Phil Lukies (PL), Andrew Bennett (AB) and MSYRG members Angela Berry, Sandra and Andrew Ross, Robin Clements, Donald MacLaren and Georgina and Paul McSweeney

2. Minutes of the AGM of 20th October 2024 were tabled having previously been emailed to members and copies present

The MOTION is: The AGM Minutes of 2024 be accepted: Proposed: JAC, Seconded: DP, CARRIED.

3. James Syme read the Annual Report of the Committee on the activities of the Committee on behalf of MSYRG. (See Appendix 1 for his report)

MOTION that the Annual Report of the Committee on the activities of MSYRG be accepted. Proposed: JS, Seconded: GG, CARRIED.

4. Financial Report

The MSYRG Statement of Income & Expenditure for the year ended 30 June 20245 and the MSYRG Statement by members of the Committee were tabled having previously been emailed to members and copies present.

The MOTION is: the MSYRG Statement of Income and Expenditure for the year ended 30 June 2025 and the MSYRG Statement by members of the committee, be accepted: Proposed: JAC, Seconded: JS, CARRIED.

5. Election of Office Bearers and Committee. All Committee positions including those of Office bearers were declared vacant. There were no nominations from the floor.

6. Position of President: the Secretary Jan Armstrong-Conn ran the Election of President and as there was only one nomination for President, James Syme, he was declared President without a Motion.

7. Remaining Office Bearers

a. As there is one nomination for Vice-President, Phil Lukies, he was declared Vice-President without a Motion. He was an apology today.

b. As there is only one nomination each for Treasurer, Pam Dethridge, & Secretary, Jan Armstrong-Conn they were declared Treasurer and Secretary without a Motion.

8. Committee

MOTION: As per Rule 55 of our Rules we fix the committee numbers (including the Office Bearers) to ten until the AGM of 2026: Proposed: JS, Seconded: JAC, CARRIED.

c. For the Committee: Nominations were received from Michael Butcher, David Parker, Andrew Bennett, Gayle Gledhill and Janique Lambert. The 5 nominees were declared Committee members without a Motion, and they are Michael Butcher, Phil Lukies, David Parker, Andrew Bennett and Janique Lambert.

9. MOTION: That the annual subscription rate until the 2026 AGM be set at $40 per individual or household and there shall be no joining fee. Proposed: JS, Seconded: JAC, CARRIED

10. OTHER BUSINESS- There was no other business tabled.

11. Guest Speaker: Ms Rachel Westaway, our Member for Prahran in the State Legislature. (See Appendix 2 for a copy of her presentation). Rachel is our member for Prahran; after winning the by-election on Saturday 8th February 2025 and her office is located at 183 High St. Prahan (near the corner of High and Chapel St.) She urged members to avail themselves of the services of her and her staff at the office or through her website – Rachel Westaway. Previously Rachel had a distinguished career within corporate, industry, and public service roles. This included as a senior Commonwealth Tribunal member in migration, child support and social security matters and as Victorian Assistant Commissioner for Freedom of Information.

There were also three questions/comments from the floor:

1) With the demolition of houses, who counts how many cars are now coming in and out of the apartments that replaced those houses? Rachel advised that this relates to the congestion and traffic management overall of the suburb which needs to be improved.

2) Living in Leopold St and working as a volunteer at the Botanical Gardens – a resident voiced their support for the return of the #8 tram along Domain Rd. and the return of the 605 buses along Birdwood Ave.

3) Bill Wood – supported increased policing and a recognition of the number of high-speed vehicles that are causing safety concerns on the streets. He would love to see speed limits being actively policed and supports the efforts being vocalised in this area.

13. JS thanked Ms Westaway for attending the MSYRG AGM and sharing her knowledge and insights into the CoM

14. Meeting closed at 1658. Attendees were then invited to join a Meet and Greet in the Foyer

Appendix 1: President’s Report:

MELBOURNE SOUTH YARRA RESIDENTS GROUP INC

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PRESIDENTS REPORT 2025

26/10/2025

Welcome to our Members and Guests to our Annual General Meeting for 2025.

This Report gives a very quick run-down on the major issues since the last AGM and addresses our

activities under 4 pillars:

• Heritage

• Planning

• Engagement and

• Membership

However, before I do that, can I publicly welcome Janique Lambert to our Committee. Janique

responded to a request in our Bulletin for Members to volunteer to join our committee. In the short

time she has been on the Committee, Janique has provided major assistance to our hard-working

Secretary Jan Armstrong Conn in such matters as meetings agendas and minutes including the

significant workload involved in putting on this AGM. So welcome and thank you Janique.

Turning to the 4 pillars:

Heritage: This has been possibly the major activity of your Association since I joined the Committee

in 2021. It was triggered by the announcement by the Melbourne City Council of a Heritage Review

of that part of South Yarra forming part of the City of Melbourne. That is, the part of South Yarra to

the West of Punt Rd. The CoM appointed GML Heritage Pty Ltd to conduct the review which

culminated in 2023 in a 4-volume report totalling some 2000 pages. Your Association was an active

participant in the work of GML, and we appointed well known Heritage Architect Nigel Lewis to

assist. Following the delivery of the Report to the Council, the recommendations were reviewed and

adopted largely unchanged by the Council in June 2024 and submitted to the Minister for final

approval. We became increasingly concerned with the delays in obtaining this final approval and

were mightily relieved when this final approval was granted in the last month. The approval provides

ongoing enhanced protection for the many heritage properties in our area which are so important in

maintaining the liveability of South Yarra and also Melbourne as a whole. As I have said, the GML

Report was prepared with our support and there is a great deal of work and expertise invested in it.

We are keen that this not be lost and are taking steps to ensure firstly, the Report and supporting

volumes remain available for public scrutiny. Secondly, we are negotiating with GML and other

relevant stakeholders to publish a history of South Yarra based on the Report which we will make

available to our members for purchase at cost. We anticipate a quality production of some 250 to

300 pages including illustrations for a cost around $80. We hope it will be on sale during 2026 and

that there will also be a digital version available online. We shall keep you updated as to progress

through our regular Bulletins .

PLANNING:

This will always be a key area of focus for your Association. Since the Poolman House – Solo Club

successful permit challenge, I am pleased there has been a welcome absence of inappropriate

development proposals. However, we try and keep a close watch on all planning applications and

regularly report on these through our Bulletin. Our limited resources mean we will generally not be

the lead objector against any proposal but will assist objectors in mounting opposition to

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inappropriate development throughout our suburb. Further information as to how we may be able

to assist is on our website and Members are encouraged to contact the Committee to discuss any

proposed development they are concerned about.

ENGAGEMENT:

In representing the interests of Residents, it is important we have strong relations with the various

levels of Government. Chief amongst these is local government with the City of Melbourne. Also

significant is the State Government where we form part of the seat of Prahran in the Legislative

Assembly and I welcome the State Liberal Member for Prahran, Rachel Westaway. Rachel has kindly

agreed to be our guest speaker today and I will introduce her later in the meeting. Following a

restructure under the Bracks Government in 2003 we also form part of the South Metropolitan

Region in the Legislative Council where we are represented by 5 Upper House parliamentary

members

In day-to-day terms, our principal interaction is with the City of Melbourne. They profess a desire to

communicate with residents, and the Lord Mayor seems keen to foster this. We regularly attend

meetings with City of Melbourne staff and probably the main meeting is with what is known as the

Presidents of Residents Committee which meets every few months and is usually attended by the

Lord Mayor and numbers of Council members and staff. Let me just say that I don’t think open and

clear interaction with residents comes easily to Council staff and there is a degree of frustration

shared by most if not all the Presidents of the various resident groups as to the quality of the

communication. A recent example is with the works carried out at the corner of Domain Rd and

Park St over the last few months. A letterbox drop was made by the Council advising that they were

doing a “signalised intersection upgrade, reconstructing pram crossings and associated civil works”

Residents were invited to contact named people for further information. I have contacted the

people whose names were provided on 3 occasions now and none of them really had much idea of

what was being done or why. My last phone call was about 2 weeks ago and was quite inconclusive.

I was told there are further minor works to be carried out such as moving the pedestrian light

control for crossing Park St closer to the actual crossing and a further letter drop is being planned.

Personal observation as to what has been done is that the pedestrian crossing has been moved

closer to the corner, bright yellow gravel has been laid on the pedestrian crossing area in Park St and

access for wheelchairs and other wheeled vehicles has been improved. However, the current

appearance of this important site for our area has suffered considerably in the process and we hope

to persuade the CoM to improve this area.

The Council has also appointed a neighbourhood partner for each of the resident groups within the

City of Melbourne and our relationship partner is Kimberley Pierzchalski, She organises regular

meetings with residents and some of you have probably attended sessions she runs at the South

Yarra Senior Citizens building in Fawkner Park on a regular basis or attended a coffee event at one of

our excellent cafes which Kimberley organises and I recommend you contact her if you have any

queries about the activities of Council. Whilst we can’t say we are satisfied with the present level of

communication we have with the Council, we think it important to work on the relationship in

conjunction with other residents’ associations to try and get some good outcomes for the area.

During the year under review, the Council conducted a neighbourhood survey as to the needs and

desires of our residents. Some of you no doubt took part in this survey. The top 3 priorities from the

survey for South Yarra were found to be.

1. Affordable housing and homelessness support

2. Better roads. parks, public transport and parking.

3. Creative and cultural events to connect community.

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Respondents were asked to indicate the local activities they may be interested in being part of and

the most popular were attending a local event, joining a local group and volunteering. In any event,

there is a wealth of information on the Council website, and I recommend you review the content of

the site to ascertain areas which may be of interest to you. As I have said Kimberley is also a useful

resource for you to contact to find out anything you wish to know about South Yarra.

Our engagement with the State Government is secondary to the City of Melbourne. Many of you will

have attended last year’s AGM when the guest speaker was Alison Leighton, the CEO of the

Melbourne City Council. Following a resolution that the meeting wanted tram travel along Park St

and Domain Rd restored, Alison intervened on our behalf to facilitate a meeting with senior offices

of the Department of Transport. This meeting was attended by me, Michael Butcher and Andy

Grainge resident. The upshot is that the Government will survey traffic usage after the new

underground becomes fully operational and make decisions as to the routing of the tram after that.

Until then, no decisions will be made as to the routing to be adopted and they assured us that, until

then, all options are on the table. We shall continue to monitor the situation, but it is clear that

nothing is going to be decided for some little time.

One other engagement I shall mention is with St Martins Theatre where we became a sponsor

during the year and plan to make annual donations of $1000 for 5 years to support the excellent

work they do. St Martins is a well-run local institution and has a great history in the area.

MEMBERSHIP

I am delighted to report that, at the Committee meeting held in September, we resolved to make

our Secretary Jan Armstrong Conn an honorary life member of the Association. This honour is open

to a person who the Committee believes has made an outstanding contribution to the Association

and Jan certainly is well qualified for the honour.

She has been the Secretary since 2010 and continues to provide high quality work in this demanding

role with our Association. Well done Jan.

Our membership is of the order of 170 out of an overall population of about 9000 and we are a

comparative minnow of the suburbs making up the municipality of the City of Melbourne. By way of

comparison, the CBD has a residential population of the order of 55,000. Even Docklands boasts a

residential population of the order of 17,000.

Membership numbers have been fairly static over recent years. It is worth noting that the more

members we have, the greater our ability to provide meaningful service to our membership. So, if

you know of any resident in the area who is not a member, please encourage them to join. We are

always open to suggestions as the worthwhile activities we can carry out so, please don’t hesitate to

contact us if you have any questions or would like to make a comment or suggestion on any issue

you think may be relevant to our activities. If you have a keen interest in South Yarra, I also

encourage you to join the Committee. Contact me or one of the existing Committee Members if you

think this may be of interest to you or would like further information.

One membership issue we will take up in the current year is a revision of our Rules. Over the years, it

has become apparent that there are areas where some of the existing Rules are in conflict with each

other or can be simplified to make for easier administration. It had been my hope to propose a

number of changes to you at this meeting, but we ran out of time. Our current thinking is to have a

special general meeting early in 2026 to update the rules.

James Syme

President MSYRG Inc

Appendix 2: Ms. Rachel Westaway’s speech:

Melbourne South Yarra Residents Group AGM Speaking points

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Date: Sunday 26 October 2025, 5:30pm

Venue: St Martins Theatre, 28 St Martins Lane, St South Yarra

Contact: MSYRG AGM – Jan Armstrong -Conn – MSYRG

MSYRG President James Syme will introduce you.

10 Minute Speech followed by Questions

Good evening, everyone.

Thank you, James, for that introduction, and thank you to Jan and the entire MSYRG committee for

inviting me here tonight. I know how much work goes into organising an AGM, and I’m genuinely

honoured to be part of it.

I want to start by acknowledging what MSYRG represents. You’ve been active since the 1960s—

that’s more than six decades of residents standing up for South Yarra. That’s not just impressive, it’s

essential. Because this is what representative democracy looks like. Not politicians talking at

communities, but communities holding politicians accountable. And that’s exactly what I’m here for

tonight—to listen, to be held accountable, and to tell you what I’m doing to represent your concerns

at the State level.

South Yarra is one of Melbourne’s most unique communities. You have incredible heritage, diversity,

and a strong sense of place. But you also face unique pressures. And your concerns—about

transport, about planning, about safety, about basic maintenance—they matter. They matter to me,

and they should matter to every level of government.

So tonight, I want to address the issues you’ve raised. I want to tell you what I’m doing about them.

And I want to be honest with you about what I can deliver, what I’m fighting for, and where the

challenges lie.

Let me start with some context about Prahran itself.

Prahran is the smallest electorate in Victoria. The smallest. And the most densely populated

electorate. Now, I’m not opposed to density—cities need to grow, and housing is a critical issue. But

here’s what that means: every planning decision matters more in Prahran. Every transport

connection is more critical. Every piece of infrastructure, every park, every school—it all matters

more because we don’t have the luxury of space that other electorates have.

When politicians in outer suburbs talk about managing density, we’re already living it. And that

context matters for everything I’m about to discuss.

So, let’s talk about transport. Specifically, the Route 8 tram.

Route 8 stopped in April 2017. That’s eight years ago. It stopped for the Metro Tunnel construction

and the work on Anzac Station. And residents were told—traders were told—it was temporary. Just

wait for the construction to finish, and the tram will come back.

Well, here we are in 2025. The Metro Tunnel is complete. Anzac Station is apparently complete—

though when it will actually be operational, who knows. The infrastructure is ready—the tracks are

there; the overhead wires are there. Everything is in place. And yet Route 8 is still missing.

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This isn’t just an inconvenience. For residents along Park Street and Domain Road, this is your main

connection to the city via St Kilda Road. It’s how you get to the schools, the village shops, the Arts

Centre. The current Route 58 forces you to change trams at Anzac Station just to get into the main

city area. The 605 buses don’t deliver the same connection. And for traders on Domain Road, they’re

missing the foot traffic and vibrancy that the tram brought.

So, what have I done about it?

I’ve written to the Minister for Transport. And last sitting week—just days ago—I stood up in

Parliament and asked a formal Parliamentary Constituency Question. I demanded that the Minister

confirm when Route 8 will be reinstated. Under parliamentary rules, the Minister now has 30 days to

respond. I’ll be sharing the link to that question with all of you, and the moment I have an answer,

you’ll know about it.

I’m going to keep applying pressure because this community deserves a timeline, not excuses. The

infrastructure is ready. There’s no good reason for this delay. And I won’t stop pushing until we get

Route 8 back on its original route.

Now, let me turn to planning and density—because this affects every resident in this room.

Labor’s Activity Centres policy allows for up to 20-storey towers within 800 metres of train stations.

Let me spell out what that means for Prahran. We have five train stations in our electorate: Prahran,

South Yarra, Windsor, Hawksburn, and Toorak. Five stations. Five 800-metre radiuses. That’s massive

potential for towers across our community.

And remember what I said at the start—we’re already highest density of housing in the smallest

electorate in Victoria. We’re not talking about bringing density to underdeveloped suburbs. We’re

talking about adding up to 20-storey towers to areas that are already dense.

Here’s my concern: Where’s the analysis showing our infrastructure can handle more density?

Where are the additional schools for the families moving in? Where’s the healthcare capacity?

Where’s the open space? Where’s the upgraded public transport?

Because right now, the approach is: density first, infrastructure maybe later. And that’s backwards.

The Coalition’s approach is clear: infrastructure first, then density. Not the other way around. We

need to ensure that when we add housing, we’re also adding the schools, the parks, the transport,

the services that make communities liveable.

I also want to talk about community voice in planning. C426 has been gazetted, which is important

heritage protection. But I know many of you are concerned about broader state planning reforms—

the centralisation that risks removing community input from permit processes.

Let me be blunt: I’m opposed to any reforms that strip away community voice. You should have a say

in your community’s future. That’s not anti-development—that’s democratic. And when planning

decisions come up that affect South Yarra, I’m making sure your concerns are on the record in

Parliament.

The Coalition has also committed to ending the Public Acquisition Overlay along the east ern side of

Punt Road. If you don’t know what that is, it’s essentially government land-banking that freezes

properties and communities in limbo. It’s unfair to property owners, and it stalls communities. We

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are committed to removing that overlay and give certainty to those who live and own properties in

that area.

Let me shift to crime and safety—because I know this is weighing on residents.

The issue of hooning and high-speed vehicles on Domain Road, Park Street, and Anderson Street has

come through loud and clear. Drivers of high-performance cars visiting the restaurants, then

showing off in the surrounding streets. Pedestrians feeling vulnerable. The noise at night—it’s not

just annoying, it’s frightening.

Now, the Police Commissioner has announced they’re diverting police resources to the frontline for

security and safety. My question—and your question—is this: Will any of those resources be

directed to traffic enforcement and preventative policing in our area?

Because we don’t just need reactive policing. We need police who are visible, who are preventing

these incidents, who are taking community concerns about hooning seriously.

I’m advocating for exactly that. I want those new frontline resources to include dedicated attention

to South Yarra. And I want to work with you to document these incidents—times, locations,

patterns—because that data helps police allocate resources effectively.

Here’s what I’ll commit to: I’ll arrange a meeting between MSYRG and local police so you can raise

these specific concerns directly. And I’ll continue pushing for the resources and responsiveness this

community deserves.

Now, let me address South Yarra Square, because I know this is a terrible situation for the residents

affected.

The building on the corner of Commercial Road and Punt Road has serious defects. There are

complex questions about who’s responsible for repairs—the state government, the City of

Melbourne as the issuer of the occupancy certificate or both. It’s messy, it’s frustrating, and

residents are caught in the middle.

Here’s what I’ve done so far: I’ve worked with the owners corp and residents to raise this issue in

Parliament. I’ve met with the Lord Mayor. And I organised for the Shadow Minister for Planning,

Richard Riordan, to visit the building and see the problems firsthand. Because when you see it in

person, you understand the urgency.

I’m continuing to work with the residents to find a way forward, and I’m applying pressure on

Council to clarify what they are going to do to help them. I can’t promise you an overnight solution

because this is legally complex. But I can promise you this: it won’t be forgotten. I’ll keep advocating,

and I’ll keep you updated.

Before I wrap up, I want to quickly touch on liveability and maintenance—because these City of

Melbourne issues matter to your daily life.

The Domain Road retail strip has seen massive growth over the last five years. More patrons, more

activity. And yet the maintenance has gone backwards. Footpaths, rubbish bins, shop interfaces,

signage—it’s in an appalling state. And I know MSYRG has raised this repeatedly with Council, with

promises of more frequent cleaning that never materialise.

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And then there’s the 605 bus stops on Domain Road—route changed without proper consultation,

parking spaces taken, no shelters, no seating. The excuses were frankly insulting: “Shelter would

obstruct a property view.” “Tree roots make the surface uneven.” Well, then why put the stops there

in the first place?

These are City of Melbourne responsibilities, yes. But I can apply pressure. And I will. I’ll be writing

formally to the Lord Mayor, copying MSYRG, laying out these concerns and demanding a proper

maintenance plan—not vague promises, but measurable commitments.

So let me bring this home.

I’m here to represent all of Prahran. When good policy comes from any side of politics, I’ll support it.

When policy harms this community, I’ll fight it—regardless of who proposes it.

I won’t always have the power to deliver everything you want. I’m in opposition, not government.

But what I can promise is this: you’ll have a voice in Parliament. I’ll show up. I’ll fight for this

community. And I’ll be honest with you about what I can and can’t achieve.

Groups like MSYRG are essential to democracy. You hold politicians like me accountable. You

advocate when others might stay silent. And you remind us all that communities—real people, real

lives—must come first.

So, thank you for inviting me tonight. Thank you for the work you do. And thank you for giving me

the opportunity to represent you.

I’m looking forward to your questions.

Thank you.