I am writing to you as candidates in the upcoming Macedon Ranges Shire Council Elections and in my role as Convenor of the Kyneton Transition Hub.

As you will appreciate, the long term sustainability of our region and of the whole earth are of key concern to most of your constituents and will affect all of them.

Taking into account both peak oil and climate change, the most appropriate response is to transition to a lower energy future. This is the approach of the Transition Movement that started in the UK and has expanded worldwide. It is also the approach of many of our community groups and local businesses who are moving to a more localised future.

Even if you still wish to debate climate change and peak oil rather than accept the majority views of the scientific community, the Transition movement and similar organisations aim to build community and localise business. These directions take us toward a more sustainable future and one that enhances health and happiness for the community as a whole.

We have been disappointed in some of the current council staff who have shown little interest in peak oil and the appropriate responses to this. There was no Council representative at the Municipal Association of Victoria “Councils and Communities in Transition” Conference in November 2011. I attended this conference and was impressed by the attitudes and involvement of many other Victorian Councils. We believe that the Macedon Ranges Council have a great potential to step up and become a leader in relocalisation and transition.

As a representative of the Kyneton Transition Hub I would like to draw your attention to these issues and ask you to please address sustainability in your forthcoming campaign. We would love to have an ongoing dialogue with you to assist our mutual understanding of the environmental issues and appropriate responses by our council representatives.

There are several ways you may learn more about these issues. Firstly, you may wish to look at our website (https://kynetontransitionhub.com/) or the website for the Transition Network (http://www.transitionnetwork.org/).

I am also attaching a submission our group made regarding the Kyneton Town Plan, which covers a lot of the more general issues around Transition and how it relates to many decisions made by Councils.

We are holding Training for Transition in Kyneton on the weekend of 20 – 21 October. I know this is not ideal timing with the Council election dates, but if you are interested in our community’s future I think you will find it valuable to register and attend.

We are also at the Kyneton Farmers Market as we run the Community Swap Table, and would be happy to talk to you there.

Finally, I am happy to meet with you to discuss any of these issues.

Best wishes

Julie McLaren

 Convenor

Kyneton Transition Hub