Latest articles by Tony Penna
When promises meet politics: the Lord Mayor’s conflict of interest
During his election campaign, the Lord Mayor Nick Reece, made one promise that resonated deeply with voters – that he would not accept donations from property developers.
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OC Act, rubbish and graffiti
Last month the state government opened a review into the Owners’ Corporation Act for public comment. As would have been expected, Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) made a submission to this.
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Our action-packed AGM
Well, we have just finished our annual general meeting (AGM) where we heard from Dr Yazid Ninsalam, Associate Dean, Landscape Architecture from the School of Architecture and Urban Design at RMIT University.
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BE ENGAGED: a wake-up call
During this past month I experienced something that I never thought I would experience, but moreover, that I’m always warning other owners, buildings, and committees to try to avoid through owner engagement.
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New library at Boyd
It is comforting to know we will soon have a new library in the almost completed built-to-rent development alongside our Boyd Community Hub.
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Council shame on City Road Master Plan
At the last Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting on June 3, Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) made a submission questioning council process and authority.
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Council continues to labour on Southbank Promenade
It is disappointing that once again the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) needs to be reminding the City of Melbourne of past promises.
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New future beckons for Queensbridge St
Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) was delighted to receive a sneak-peek into what is proposed for the recently purchased One Queensbridge site by PDG, formerly owned by Crown.
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An opportunity for a park?
The announcement last week that Beulah International has put the project manager of its STH BNK project at the old BMW site on the City Rd into administration was a massive surprise.
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A new council, but will there be any changes?
Firstly, welcome to 2025. I trust the holiday season was a time for our community to relax and reflect on the year gone and the year ahead.
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Another year has passed …
It has been a big year for Southbank, with much development and in some aspects progress.
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So, the council election is now over and we are waiting for the dust to settle to learn of the winner
As we have for the past 25 years, Southbank Residents Association (SRA) held a “Meet the Candidates” event for our community to ask their questions. This was once again a full house affair, not only for attendees but for a Melbourne Cup field of mayoral candidates too, in fact a record number for the 10 years I have been president.
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Council elections: who are you voting for?
Yet again, council elections are upon us. It seems like only yesterday our Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) committee was planning its last “Meet the Candidates” event giving the community the opportunity to ask their questions and hear directly from the candidates.
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Dismay over council’s e-scooter backflip
Last month council made the surprise decision to cancel the contracts of the two e-scooter operators, Neuron and Lime.
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E-scooters, E-bikes a burning issue for all of us. Are they a ticking time-bomb?
With the increasing use of lithium-ion batteries within our homes, whether for an e-scooter, bike, power tools or even our mobile phones, we need to ensure we are aware of their risks.
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Southbank receives more lip service from the council
Well, here we are at the end of the financial year and the City of Melbourne has handed down its budget for 2024/25. And, once again, it’s somewhat underwhelming from a Southbank perspective.
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City of Melbourne councillor: “Don’t poke the Penna bear!”
This was the response from Cr Rohan Leppert at the City of Melbourne’s Future Melbourne Committee meeting last month to discuss items in Southbank. I didn’t hold back in that meeting, and I make no apologies for calling them out.
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Open space
We note some exciting, but interesting, items on the council Future Melbourne Committee agenda for May 7.
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Power St safety woes continue
Sadly, once again a truck has taken out the newly installed fencing on the corner of Power St and City Rd. The incident happened on Monday March 25 about 8pm. Luckily, no one was injured.
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Too much mess on the streets of Southbank
Why are we receiving lip service about the cleaning of our streets? It has really started to irritate me of late.
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