PUTTiNG PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS
Councillor Phoebe Corke
Hi, thanks for visiting my page. My name is Phoebe Corke and I’m running for Mayor because we need a strong voice to advocate for the best interests of our City – for our people and our place.I have great respect for our current Mayor but 17 years in the role is a long time. These are challenging times, with the cost of living crisis, rising homelessness, rising crime, invasive species such as the polyphagous shothole borer threatening our remaining canopy, coastal erosion and increasingly severe weather events. There is also the threat of increased pressure on housing, healthcare, childcare, education and roads from the influx of workers for AUKUS.To ensure the best outcomes for our existing residents, we need responsible leadership based on experience, knowledge, integrity, transparency and accountability. I have that experience, as well as the energy, motivation and, most of all, the courage to stand up and say what needs to be said to achieve this.It would be the greatest honour to be the first female Mayor of Cockburn.Please read on to find out more about me, why I'm asking you to vote for me, and feel free to give me a call if you’d like to know more – 0407 606696, or send me an email: [email protected].
PUTTiNG PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS
Council
& Community
Prior to my election to Council I was the Chairperson of Hamilton Hill Community Group. I resigned a few months after being elected to Council to prevent there being a conflict of interest. I still attend their meetings and also go to the meetings of all the residents’ groups – Spearwood, Coogee Beach, Port Coogee, Catherine Point, Community Collective Hami Hill, Coogee Beach Caravan Park, Hami Helps - in the West Ward. I work very closely with Community Collective Hamilton Hill, a free food distribution service. I also work closely with Coogee Beach Caravan Park, helping their residents through the anxieties and uncertainties of the park redevelopment. I am very proud that, through our work, impacted residents are to be financially compensated when they are forced to move.CURRENT COMMITTEES & REFERENCE GROUPSCouncil Committees:
Audit, Risk and Compliance (Chair)
Expenditure Review Committee (Deputy Chair)
Governance Committee
Organisational Performance Committee
Code of Conduct Complaints Committee
CEO Selection PanelReference Groups:
Aboriginal Reference Group
Sustainability and Environment Reference Group (Chair)
Multicultural Reference Group
Youth Advisory Collective
Crime Prevention Reference Group (Chair)
Sister Cities Reference GroupExternal Groups:
Neighbourhood Watch (Chair)
Perth South West Environment Forum (Deputy Chair)
Cockburn Coast Liaison Group
Cockburn Coast Steering Committee
Elected Member Sustainability Network
Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) (Dep)
WALGA South Metropolitan Zone (Dep)
Woodman Point Regional Park Community Advisory Committee (Dep)Other (non-Council):
Save Beeliar Wetlands (Co-Convenor)
Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor (Co-Convenor)
Rehabilitating Roe 8 Advisory Committee
Nuclear Free WA (Responsible person)
PUTTiNG PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS
Placemaking & Consultation
I strongly believe that to get the best outcomes for our City and people we need to work closely with our residents and involve the community at every step of the planning process. We need to listen, plan, listen, revise, listen, revise – again and again until we have the best possible result – and something that people actually want. We need to be completely open about the planning processes and be utterly transparent about all decision making.Most importantly we need to plan holistically. Rather than saying ‘we are going to do this’ and then working out how to make it happen, we need to investigate if something can be done before deciding to do it. We need to look at all the potential impacts – traffic, environment, social – first. We need to change our attitudes and think outside the box. Just because things have always been done a certain way does not mean that is how they should continue to be done. Expectations are changing, the world is changing, and we need to change with it.
PUTTiNG PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS
Environment, volunteering and activism
I’ve volunteered pretty much my whole life – my Mum was involved in lots of good causes and I helped her out from an early age. I went to my first protest – anti-nuclear - in my teens, spent a weekend at Greenham Common when I was a music college and I’ve never really looked back.Since being in Australia I’ve been involved in many campaigns – social and environmental. Some of the bigger campaigns I’ve worked on include Save Ningaloo Reef, Save James Price Point and Save Beeliar Wetlands. I ran Gimme Shelter, a series of events that raised around $200k for St Pat’s Homeless Shelter and I was employed by ActionAid Australia to work on women’s rights issues. As founder of the Wetland Watchers I gave evidence at the successful Senate inquiry into the destruction of the Roe 8 corridor. I also recently gave evidence to the House Select Committee inquiry into nuclear power generation.
Currently I am Co-convenor of both Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor and Save Beeliar Wetlands. I’m on the RehabilitatingRoe8 Advisory Committee and I’m the responsible person for Nuclear Free WA.Environmental protection, regeneration, restoration, revegetation, looking after country – sustainable practices are at the heart of everything I do. It was environmental activism that brought me to Council in the first place and I do all I can to try to protect our beautiful City from the impacts of climate change. I was instrumental in developing policy that gives increased protection to trees. I brought the Owl Friendly motion to Council; put forward the motion to form a Sustainability and Environmental Protection Group – of which I am the chair. I attend meetings and conferences to gain more knowledge and to work with others in this space. For example, I’m the Deputy Chair for the Perth South West Environment Forum and a member of the Elected Member Sustainability Network and work with neighbouring Local Governments on initiatives such as trails networks and fox control. Additionally, I help groups organise plantings and constantly advocate for our natural environment.
PUTTiNG PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS
My life - education and career
After leaving school I spent a year studying violin and singing at the Royal Academy of Music before going to Trinity College, Cambridge where I graduated with a Masters in Law. Recently, I studied at the Australian Institute of Company Directors and gained my GAICD. Since being on Council I have completed other training courses with the AICD, WALGA, IPWEA, taken classes in the Noongar language and AUSLAN and attended many conferences. You never stop learning!After leaving university I worked in marketing before getting my first job in journalism, working for Financial Weekly magazine as a reporter, learning about the markets, how to read balance sheets, make stock predictions and so on. I spent about 15 years in all in business journalism including as editor of 5 magazines, including Media Week, and winning a bunch of awards. I then ran my own publishing consulting company before migrating to Australia where music and events became my focus. I managed several bands, was the booking agent for many more, ran a couple of festivals, worked as a tour manager, an artists’ manager and publicist and put on some pretty big gigs. Most of the bands I work with I also play and record with.About 8 years ago I started tutoring at Murdoch University and then moved to Notre Dame where I’ve lectured for 7 years now. I’m national course co-ordinator for two units as well as lecturing and working as a learning advisor. I also freelance as an academic editor.