I am the right candidate for Glen Eira - Jasper Ward
Introducing Arabella Daniel
I live in McKinnon* with my partner, 2 teenage daughters and 2 RSPCA rescue bunnies in our 101 year old rental home which we love. I’ve raised our 2 daughters in Glen Eira from the ELC years to university and we have seen the area change dramatically in the past 2 decades.
My personal passions include gardening, cooking, cinema and air quality!
I love tending to my garden organically, hand weeding, and watching what naturally emerges from bird seed drops as well as from my compost -as well as planting annuals and herbs and vegetables.
I am a member of Bentleigh Garden Club and the Dahlia Society of Victoria after learning from my lovely late landlord the history of our 101 year old property: ‘Pop Harris’ was the brick layer of the house we started renting 14 years ago, and he was a prize-winning prolific dahlia grower… I was fascinated by the history and brought back dahlias to the garden. Since then my awareness of the importance of indigenous planting has grown and I am slowly phasing in locally indigenous plants.
My passion for heritage and cinema has seen me a member/secretary of the Friends of the Astor Association for over a decade.
But my greatest passion is clean air - you can read more about my journey in the section below.
My journey towards community air quality advocacy… and candidacy
Every step of my life’s journey has led me here.
After graduating from the University of Melbourne with an electrical/electronics engineering degree, I had a decade long career in telecommunications, with roles ranging from corporate customer project manager to internal communications consultant. My partner and I made a decision to leave our jobs and travel around Australia for 2 years with a Land Rover and a tent…that’s when I truly understood what our indigenous peoples refer to as ‘connection to country’, experiencing the startling array of Australian birdlife and extraordinary natural landscapes. Then came the greatest experience of my life - motherhood. We decided to raise our 2 girls in Glen Eira, the goldilocks municipality that had everything we needed to raise a family at our doorstep. This phase of my life is where I developed a greater connection to community contributing in my daughters’ school life - taking on varying volunteer roles, anything from working bees, PFA, school council committee, class rep, library helper, early reading helper, fete fundraising project coordinator, graduation committees, etc etc.
But it is was a traumatic series of events relating to a new neighbour’s fire pit that propelled me on an unexpected path into air quality community advocacy. You can read about my personal story here.
If you’ve ready my story you’ll now know that in spite of having a local law in Glen Eira that prohibits fire pits for heating, and certainly prohibits the use of construction/demolition waste, fencing, pallets, furniture etc as firewood, the council’s Civic Compliance Unit was completely unable to protect my family from the ongoing assault of toxic smoke pollution that invaded our property and home for 3 years.
The past 6 years I’ve channelled the negative impacts of this traumatic and life-changing event into action - community advocacy for clean air. My efforts have been recognised through a nomination for the Glen Eira Sustainability Awards.
I’ve done a deep dive into the science of air pollution, navigated through the quagmire of inadequate legislation that fails to protect community health, and uncovered layer and layers of misconceptions, myths, misunderstandings and false solutions. I created the community group Clean Air Communities and manage the air quality group My Air Quality Australia to help raise community awareness about the harms of local residential air pollution, how to protect oneself, and to advocate for policy change.
I am a member of the Clean Indoor Air Forum and admin of their LinkedIn group. I am a member of the EPA Victoria Community Consultation Group South-East Region.
I’ve made numerous submissions to government consultations on air quality including the Parliamentary Inquiry Into the Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Victoria, and have advocated for policy change at all levels of government… you can read about my advocacy efforts with Glen Eira Council in the section below.
In 2023 a fellow advocate tapped me on the shoulder to step into a local government roles and I received training with Women Leading Locally, and have had ongoing training with Women for Election - I highly recommend both these programs to all the women and in Glen Eira who work hard every day contributing to our community, to feel more confident to step into the role of councillor!
I’m ready to be your community independent councillor, and advocate for what matters to you!
Arabella Daniel
- about my vision for a healthier, more liveable community
As an independent candidate running in Jasper Ward at the October 2024 local council elections, let me share a bit about my background and vision for our community. Every step of my journey has led me here, committed to making a positive difference. I believe in transparency, integrity, ethics, inclusivity, diversity, and dedication to our neighbourhood.
Some development changes have been positive, others have been deeply impactful on the character of our city – such as the loss of beautiful period homes, historic landmarks and private green space.
I’m running for office as I am deeply committed to protecting community health, and ensuring our natural and urban environment is liveable and leads to genuine community happiness.
In 2025 the new council will need to review the Glen Eira Council Community Health and Wellbeing Plan. We need to address the current and emerging issues in our community. I will address health, environment and genuine sustainability through advocacy and decision-making on a number of areas of concern.
Our planet is facing multiple crises that need to be addressed by all levels of government including local government. For safer, healthier and sustainable communities we need more comprehensive action on climate, green spaces and biodiversity, pollution including that of air, chemical, plastic, waste - and light pollution – all of which are addressed insufficiently, or not at all, in the council plan.
I am the right candidate for Jasper as I have a proven record of community advocacy for clean air, and with a background in electrical/electronic engineering have demonstrated that I can take on new and complex information, apply critical thinking, and use this to solve problems for the betterment of our community.
Your support means the world to me. Together, we can create a brighter future for Glen Eira and Jasper Ward residents.
Join me in this journey towards a healthier, more liveable community.
* I’ve received many queries online and through emails, messages etc about whether I live in the ward I’m running in.
My answer has been: I live on the boundary line of Wattle Grove and Jasper (technically I live in Wattle Grove).
Before we moved into this home we lived in Bent St in Jasper Ward but were forced to move out due to redevelopment of the property.
I chose to run in Jasper because it's our home - it's where our family spends our time and shops locally in Centre Rd.
We've lived in Glen Eira for 16 years, raised our girls from toddlers to university here.
NB: A candidate can run in any ward - and if elected we will be representing the needs of ALL Glen Eira residents.
My track record in community advocacy on local air pollution in Glen Eira
I have always been passionate about clean air. As a child growing up in the 70s I was exposed to terrible smoke pollution from backyard incinerators and the ubiquitous presence of tobacco smoke. While improved regulations have addressed these sources As a community advocate for clean air, I have demonstrated that I can inspire change at council level through evidence-based data and engagement. During the 2019 Local Law Review I was deeply engaged in the consultation process. My advocacy ensured the largest number of submissions were made on the Open Fires Law in the review process,. By speaking in the council chambers alongside an air quality expert and a respiratory physician I inspired council to not only retain the important local law on Open Fires but a nuisance provision was also added to protect neighbours from local smoke pollution. I was deeply grateful to witness firsthand that council can act to protect community health based on evidence.
My continuing community advocacy with a local councillor also resulted in the commissioning of the Glen Eira Woodfire Heating Report with important actions and recommendations. Action on this paper has stalled without a champion, since the sad passing of the local councillor – I will be that champion for change and protection of community health.
Council projects need to genuinely consider their impacts on climate and the environment:
I would like to see all council projects consider their impact on our climate and environment – we need to ask: does a project contribute to local air, chemical, plastic and light pollution? What can be done to mitigate or avoid these forms of pollution?
How can we work together to keep our communities clean, healthy, safe and liveable?
I would like to see more community education on the impacts that our own activities have on our property and that of our neighbourhoods.
I want to see safe, clean attractive neighbourhoods with high quality biodiverse gardens. I would like to see council strive for Zero Emissions Neighbourhoods, where we attempt to electrify everything and make the decision to stop burning things inside and outside our homes for health, climate and more liveable communities.
The other pollution crises in our community need to be addressed through raising awareness and action to reduce chemical, plastic and light pollution.
