By Cr Tina Liu, Mayor City Of Whitehorse
The City of Whitehorse is located 15 kilometres east of the Melbourne city centre. Our suburbs include Blackburn, Blackburn North, Blackburn South, Box Hill, Box Hill North, Box Hill South, Burwood, Burwood East, Forest Hill, Mitcham, Mont Albert, Mont Albert North, Nunawading, Surrey Hills, Vermont and Vermont South.
I’ve spent most of my life in Box Hill, having grown up in the area. I’m proud to live in one of the most culturally diverse municipalities in Melbourne. With almost four in ten of our residents born overseas we are enriched by the cultural diversity of Whitehorse. Our neighbourhoods reflect a wave of European post-war migration, followed by more recent migration from Vietnam, India and China. We love to celebrate our vibrant diversity through annual events including our Global Fiesta in March and the Lunar New Year Festival. We also have a long-standing commitment to reconciliation and encouraging respectful relationships between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians and have a number of events coming up at the end of May for National Reconciliation Week.
I was first elected as a councillor in 2016. I decided to run for council so I could advocate for the needs of the community and make a positive impact on the lives of locals. I currently run my own event management business in Box Hill and in my spare time I enjoy nature, cooking, writing, history, the arts and exercising – including hiking with my dog.
Whitehorse is unique in that it is made up of suburbs but is also home to a bustling micro city that is Box Hill. Box Hill is one of nine current designated Metropolitan Activity Centres, recognised by the Victorian Government as an area that will play a major role in providing jobs, activities and housing close to public transport. Our plans to support growth and infrastructure while increasing amenity in Box Hill are well established. Being the main economic centre within Whitehorse, Box Hill hosted around a quarter of all the jobs in our municipality at the last census in 2016. Health is a key industry in Box Hill, the area is home to Box Hill Hospital and Epworth Eastern. Whitehorse is also home to two tertiary institutions; Box Hill Institute and Deakin University in Burwood and has a large student population. In 2016, almost a third (27.8 per cent) of people in Whitehorse were attending an education institution.
Like every municipality, we have been hit hard by the pandemic and lockdowns.
It’s been wonderful to see our community band together to support each other through these times. We have seen various community groups, including those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and a number of faith-based organisations, provide additional support services to the community. This includes material support like providing meals, and social, health and well-being support including transportation, communication of key health information and COVID-updates. Our Sikh Gurdwara and churches of many denominations provided food and comfort, not confined to their own congregations.
We are working hard on supporting our city through its post-pandemic recovery. We recently endorsed our Proposed Budget for 2022/2023 which strikes a good balance between ensuring Council continues to provide services and support to the community, and capital spending to support job growth, business and suppliers to help our local economy recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
Whitehorse is a great place to live, work and play. It is diverse and vibrant, there is something for everyone to enjoy, learn and discover.
