Tom, Community Advocate for Casey

02/06/2026

🎥 CRRA President Anthony Tassone interviewed by ABC News on protecting our Western Port Green Wedge

Today, CRRA President Anthony Tassone was interviewed by ABC News regarding the increasing frequency of planning applications seeking approval for infrastructure and facilities that are urban in nature within our precious Western Port Green Wedge.

The latest example is the proposal for a place of worship at 600 Cranbourne-Frankston Road, Cranbourne South, which is currently before Council for further assessment after receiving more than 170 objections from local residents and community groups.

CRRA’s position is clear: this is not about prejudice against any faith or religious group. We respect the diversity of our community and the right of all faith groups to establish places of worship in appropriate locations.

Our concern is about planning process and land-use policy. The Green Wedge has a specific purpose—to protect agricultural land, environmental values, open space and non-urban landscapes. As more applications are lodged for developments that are typically associated with urban areas, it is important that planning decisions remain consistent with the intent of Green Wedge protections.

Facilities that serve growing urban populations should be strategically planned and located within the Urban Growth Boundary, where appropriate zoning, infrastructure and services exist to support them.

CRRA will continue to advocate for sound planning outcomes, transparency in decision-making, and the long-term protection of the Western Port Green Wedge for future generations.

📺 The interview was conducted today and is expected to air on ABC News within the coming week. We will keep our members and followers updated when broadcast details become available.

30/05/2026

Please message your local councillor
Cr Michelle Crowther, Cr Shane Taylor for City of Casey - Kowan Ward and others agree that this is an issue
We need to get all councillor on board .
Call the council directly to Object
Message the Mayor
Cr Stefan Kooman. He needs to stand up for us.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, we shared the community’s frustration about the State Government’s mandated glass-only kerbside bins.

Whilst we couldn’t revoke the glass bin rollout, I was pleased that my fellow councillors supported my alternate motion, to minimise the financial impact on our community by:
📣 Advocating for council to have flexibility to choose the best glass recycling method for our community.
📣 Calling for the expansion of the Container Deposit Scheme to include wine & spirit bottles (like most other Australian states), to deliver recycling outcomes, at a fraction of the cost
📣 Consider ways to further reduce the cost to Casey households

Glass recycling matters. The question is why has the State Government chosen the most expensive method of glass collection for our community?

28/05/2026

This is what our councillors have voted for.
EV truck fires will be uncontrollable.

fire +5 Across Australia, garbage and recycling trucks catch fire an alarming 10,000 to 12,000 times every year. This equates to roughly 30 fires every single day nationally, with at least one waste truck catching fire daily in major metropolitan regions.These blazes are rarely accidents. They are predominantly caused by incorrectly disposed batteries—like lithium-ion, rechargeable, and button batteries—being thrown into standard household bins. When these batteries are crushed and compacted inside the truck, they short-circuit, explode, and ignite the surrounding paper and plastics.The immediate danger of these fires is severe, often forcing drivers to dump flaming, toxic loads of garbage onto residential streets to prevent the entire multi-hundred-thousand-dollar vehicle from going up in flames.To prevent these highly dangerous and costly incidents, never put batteries or electronics in your general waste or recycling bins. You can safely dispose of them by:Dropping them off at dedicated battery bins located at the entrance of major supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi.Using the B-cycle Drop-off Locator to find an official recycling point near you.Checking with your local council for free e-waste and battery drop-off events.Garbage trucks catching fire in the Tweed from batteries in bins7 Oct 2025 — In the last 6 weeks, 3 SOLO garbage truck loads in the Tweed have caught fire, forcing drivers to dump 'hot loads' out of their trucks to prevent more serious b...Tweed Shire Council

28/05/2026

City of Casey now deletes comments on Facebook.
Fortunately I screen saved it .
No doubt they will block me in future.
Council meetings are rigged outcomes and voting mostly pre determined, voting is only for appearances, questions rarely answered fairly.
We now have a dictatorial council run by the vic government with token councillors for appearances.

28/05/2026

City of Casey is facing questions over transparency and long-term financial risk after not publicly disclosing the value of a major recycling contract that could become more expensive if global fuel prices continue to rise. At Tuesday night’s council meeting, councillors voted in favour of extendi...

25/05/2026

A2.5 % rate rise this year will compound for the next ten years if councillors agree to this stupidity. Waste collection costs will increase for a decade as a consequence . EV trucks are not economically viable, this doesn’t appear to be of concern to this council . Being the first council to be seen to be green is more important than rational fiscal management.

24/05/2026

Residents and Rate payers want lower or fixed rates, we don’t want glass recycling bins and certainly don’t want EV trucks.
Stop these crazy rate rises.
We need a fiscally responsible council.
Councillors need to vote against this .
Thank you Cr Michelle Crowther for alerting us in this issue.

Residents and Rate payers want lower or fixed rates, we don’t want glass recycling bins and certainly don’t want EV trucks.
Stop these crazy rate rises.
We need a fiscally responsible council.
Councillors need to vote against this .
Thank you Cr Michelle Crowther for alerting us on this issue.

24/05/2026

Residents and Rate payers want lower or fixed rates, we don’t want glass recycling bins and certainly don’t want EV trucks.
Stop these crazy rate rises.
We need a fiscally responsible council.
Councillors need to vote against this .
Thank you Cr Michelle Crowther for alerting us on this issue.

22/05/2026

Cr Jennifer Dizon - City of Casey
Jennifer that’s a very poor response.
Please don’t reply as a lawyer , reply as a councillor who is concerned about rate payers and residents .
Apart from photo ops what have you actually done for residents ?
The council staff and CEO work for you and the Mayor.
It’s about time councillors took control of this council .

📣 PRE-ELECTION PROMISES VS BUDGET REALITY 📣

Before being elected to City of Casey Council, Cr Jennifer Dizon - City of Casey 2024 election campaign material for Tooradin Ward pledged to advocate for “reducing council rates” and promoted “transparency” and “trust”.

Now, with the 2026/27 Casey Council Draft Budget recently exhibited for community feedback, the responsibility shifts to councillors to decide whether to endorse it.

The draft budget includes a 2.75% increase in council rates, in line with the Victorian Government’s maximum rate cap.

Casey Residents & Ratepayers Association wrote to Cr Dizon before last year’s 2025/26 budget, and again this year, asking a simple question:

👉 How will you advocate for lowering council rates, consistent with your election commitment?

At the time of posting, we have not yet received a response.

Nor are we aware of any advocacy externally by Cr Dizon for lowering of council rates.

Elected representatives at every level of government regularly make commitments and pledges to voters during election campaigns.

Residents naturally look to elected representatives for clarity around how election commitments will be reflected in council decision-making.

If we receive a response from Cr Dizon, we will ensure our members and followers are informed.

📧 Residents of Tooradin Ward who would like to contact Cr Dizon directly can do so via:

[email protected]

18/01/2026