Frank McGuire
Name: Frank McGuire
Party: Australian Labor Party
Occupation: Businessman, social innovator and dual Walkley award winning journalist.
Suburb you live in: Fitzroy, but my family’s home in Broadmeadows for the past 50 years will be my base.
Why do you feel you are qualified to represent Broadmeadows at a State level?
Broadmeadows is my heartland. I grew up here, I’ve lived here for a quarter of a century and twelve years ago I answered the call from the Hume Council to help.
I pioneered in Broadmeadows the Global Learning Village (GLV) model to build smarter, healthier, better connected communities. This coordinated strategy and partnership has delivered:
– the first public library in Broadmeadows as part of the Hume Global Learning Centre for lifelong learning,
– the Visy Cares maternal and childcare centre in Meadow Heights, and
– the new town centre with a GLV Hub as its iconic feature in Craigieburn.
It also brought world leaders in communications technology, Microsoft, Intel and Cisco into a partnership at the Ideas Lab, for teaching and learning through technology. The Victorian Government has nominated my work in developing the GLV for this year’s Metropolis Award, where it will be showcased to 130 different cities around the world.
How have you served the Broadmeadows community in the past ?
In 1999 the Hume Council asked me to be the founding chairman of their Safe City Taskforce. It was from this position that I took the lead in establishing the partnerships to turn the GLV vision into a reality. This was acheived by coordinating the three tiers of government, business, the community and philanthropic sector, and tertiary institutions to maximise results. I have also been a board member of the Hume GLV since its inception and chaired the community consultation for the Victorian Government’s $100 million housing project in Westmeadows.
What are the three main issues you are concerned about in Hume?
– Unemployment is currently 15%, three times the state average and highlights the need for an innovative response particularly to the loss of manufacturing jobs overseas.
– Social inclusion and lifelong education.
– Crime and domestic violence.
What will be your first order of business in Hume if you are elected?
Bring together the key institutions and networks that have been established through the GLV and Hume Council and business partnerships, to build on the collaborative and coordinated response to critical issues.
How will you supply the necessary infrastructure to cater for the rapid growth in the Hume area?
This is one of the most critical causes that I have championed for the past 12 years. It was through partnerships with Labor Premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby that essential infrastructure that had been neglected in the past was delivered. From schools regeneration, housing, libraries and maternal and childcare centres. Labor has, and will stick up for Broadmeadows, that’s why it needs a strong voice in Parliament.