Dear <<First Name>>,
This has been an incredibly difficult year, and despite the challenges we have faced I am continually heartened by the kindness and generosity of those in this community.
From the Sacred Heart Missionand the Father Bob Foundation - and many other charitable organisations, to neighbours supporting neighbours - there have been so people doing so much to care for each other.
We are also home to St Kilda resident Dr Catherine Barrett, who set up the Kindness Pandemic on Facebook on 14 March. Within weeks it became one of the fastest growing Facebook groups in the world, with over half a million members around the globe. Dr Barrett started the group because many people wanted to hear stories of kindness. It encourages locals to look out for people who are experiencing hardships because of coronavirus. Thank you to Catherine and the entire team.
While we are all looking forward to spending much needed time with family and friends, there are many people doing it tough. If you are alone over the festive season, there are many organisations you can go to for support or to be with others. More information below. You could also volunteer with one of the amazing charitable organisations in our area.
At this time as always, donations to help those in need are welcome and my office is a drop off point for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
I wish you a restful and safe festive season. I take great pride in our community as we head into a new year with renewed sense of hope. Martin
To keep up-to-date on our COVIDSafe summer please click here.
Christmas decorations
Decorations above spotted in Port Melbourne.
Decorations that can be safely and sensibly positioned so that they are not frequently touched would pose a low risk for COVID-19 transmission.
For the ultimate guide to Melbourne’s Christmas decorations please click here.
‘Click for Vic’ was established to help Victorians experience some of our state’s best produce and products – right from the comfort of their own home. Victoria is home to some of the best fresh food, wine, galleries and homewares in the world – but the coronavirus pandemic hit many small producers hard. To support them please click here.
The Port Melbourne Artisan Christmas Market is being held on Saturday 12 December. Over 150 vendors will be selling handmade and locally produced art, design, jewellery, homewares and more. Location: Holy Trinity Anglican Church at 162 Bay Street, Port Melbourne along Bay Street and connecting to Liardet Square. For information on other Melbourne markets click here.
The first of 120,000 $200 travel vouchers are now available - helping people get out to regional Victoria for the summer and kickstarting the tourism recovery. This also supports regional communities hard hit by bushfires and the pandemic. The scheme is open to Victorian residents aged 18 years or over when they spend a minimum $400 on accommodation, experiences or tours in regional Victoria in specified periods. The vouchers will rollout out in tranches, with the first 40,000 redeemable for travel between 12 December and 22 January. Vouchers will be limited to one per household and at least two nights in paid accommodation in regional Victoria is required to qualify. To apply, click here from 10am on 11 December. Vouchers will be allocated on a first-come-first served basis.
The external structure of the Pride Centre in St Kilda is now complete and the building contractors are working day and night to get the fit out completed ready for the resident organisations to start their move in the new year. Progress has seen the ground floor concrete floors polished and the emu egg inspired atrium with spiral staircase and skylight completed. For more information or to give a Gift of Pride click here.
Image credit: Luke David and Anne Papadakis
Expressions of Interest have opened for Renew Fitzroy Street, a retail pilot program aimed at revitalising St Kilda’s Fitzroy Street by filling commercial vacancies. The initiative encourages makers, creators, artists and social enterprises to apply for vacant retail space where they can bring their creative ideas to life. Successful applicants are offered a rent-free 30-day rolling licence, negotiated by Renew Australia with property owners and agents. Applications can be made here.
The one-off $250 Power Saving Bonus will be available from 1 February 2021 to all Victorian households with at least one JobSeeker, youth allowance recipient or pensioner. This is to help reduce bill stress after a long winter indoors next to the heater. The $250 is additional to the existing support payments that are available such as the $1950 Utility Relief Grants and the 17.5 per cent energy concession. Click here Victorian Energy Compareto apply for the $250 payment.
Albert Park Art Walk: 19-21 March 2021
The Albert Park Art Walk will feature the work of local artists installed in participating store windows, vacant premises, on temporary property boards and in open spaces. The event will be accompanied with a program of activities. This is a grassroots project run by local residents. More information here.
My electorate office is a donation point for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. We’ve had a great number of donations so far, and would love to see more members of the community to get involved. Click hereto see how you can help make a difference.
L-R: Martin with Nina Taylor MP, MLA Southern Metro Region and Kon Karapanagiotidis, CEO Asylum Seeker Resource Centre - photo taken pre-coronavirus pandemic.
Follow me on social media to keep up with my work in Albert Park and the Victorian Parliament
You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @MartinFoleyMP
My office is located at:
46 Rouse Street, Port Melbourne 3207 You can email me at:
martin.foley@parliament.vic.gov.au My electorate office phone number is:
(03) 9646 7173
