What is a Real Deal for Geelong?
Read our Report, “A Real Deal for Geelong” here
“A Real Deal for Geelong” began in mid 2021. Organisations from the Union movement, faith communities and community groups are working together to come together for the common good to create a fairer future for our community as we move through the climate transition.
Who is participating in a Real Deal for Geelong?
Cloverdale Community Centre, Norlane Community Centre, the Australian Conservation Foundation Community Geelong, Victorian and Geelong Trades Hall, Geelong Sustainability, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Australians for Mental Health and Uniting Church Wesley have established a team to establish the project in Geelong. Together we represent the interests of over 46 000 Geelong residents. We understand that this is the first time such a diverse group of organisations have worked together in Geelong to build power from the ground up. Other civil society organisations are welcome to join.
What has been happening ?
We completed a Listening process early in 2023 across our community to share stories about the transitions which have occurred in the past, current challenges and our hopes for the economic and energy challenge ahead of us as we respond to climate change and other issues within our community. These were documented in our Community Listening Report for Climate Transition. We held a sell-out Community Forum at Cloverdale Community Centre in May 2023.
Our Mayor and State MPs all committed to helping us to win a Real Deal for Geelong which will address the priority Issues of :
Secure Housing
Meaningful Work and the Cost of Living
Care and Connection.
Since then, community volunteers have been trained in Community Organising methods and participated in a Research-Action process to interview experts and understand the policy solutions to the Issues raised in our Listening process.
We held our second Forum in December 2023 where we presented and endorsed our policy solutions as member organisations which were uncovered during our Research-Action phase.
We developed policy ideas such as
Building more social and affordable housing at the Waurn Ponds Commonwealth Games village site and across Geelong
Seeking Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning in new developments to ensure enough social housing is built throughout Geelong to meet the needs of residents.
Public Transport to Avalon and Lara for local workers
Establishing a worker-owned Cooperative to make our homes more energy efficient
What have we been doing in 2024 ?
Community Action Forum about Housing
We held a very successful Community Housing Action Forum in March 2024 where 200 community members gathered to share their experiences of housing insecurity, hear about strategies which can address this and to seek action by our State MPs to implement our housing policy solutions.
Foundations of Community Organising training
In May, Assoc Prof Amanda Tattersall (Real Deal Geelong research lead) joined us as we trained 38 community members from across our existing member organisations and interested organisations to learn the techniques of community organising and how to build stronger civil society organisations and form relationships across our Alliance.
We continue to meet with decision-makers who can implement the policy solutions we are seeking. We have held constructive meetings with the Minister for Housing, Harriet Shing, the Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny and the Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Corio, Richard Marles.
We have been very fortunate to receive a grant from Geelong Community Foundation of $47 000 (2024-25) and $30 000 (2025-26) to continue our important work in Geelong as we grow and develop our Alliance. Thank you to the Geelong Community Foundation for their support !
Want to know more ?
New organisations who share our policy interests are welcome to join us, please be in contact with our Project Officer, Sally Fisher.
For further details : Contact Sally Fisher on sally.fisher@sydney.edu.au.
We acknowledge that this work takes place on the lands of the Wadawurrung People and that sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.
