13 March 2022

The Numbers are in!

What a week it’s been! Our latest poll results just landed at Mon HQ with the numbers confirming what we have suspected for a while: Monique is a genuine prospect to win Kooyong.

Even the Murdoch press has noted this week that: ‘The seat of Menzies and Peacock is no longer safe Liberal territory, a shift that has significant implications for the aspirations of the Treasurer and his party’ (‘Kooyong Isn’t Safe Anymore, Herald Sun, 9 March 2021).

And we know why – people are fed up with the status quo and for the first time ever, Kooyong voters have the prospect of real change.

Every single day new people walk in the door of HQ and tell us the same thing, ‘I’ve never been involved in politics before, but I want to help Monique’.

Our factoids tell the same story. Since Monique’s campaign launch three months ago:

1000 people have bought teal t-shirts (leading to a national shortage!)
875 households have put up corflutes in their yards
1367 volunteers have signed up to help
1551 individual donations have been made
75,000 fliers have been distributed

And in the past two weeks:

5 cars have been wrapped
90 big signs (real estate size) have gone up
300+ phone calls have been made to voters
2000+ doors have been knocked

And…action!

We were absolutely elated on Sunday when the Mon squad turned up at our Glenferrie Road HQ to support Mon’s new campaign video.

More than 250 volunteers and supporters rocked up on filming day. A crowd so big that it spilled out onto the street in a wonderful sea of smiling faces and campaign T-shirts.

The place was abuzz: people meeting, talking, sharing the electric thrill of what a turnout like this means for our independent campaign.

It’s a huge boost! Especially knowing that so many Team Mon supporters have never been a part of any campaign before.

People have turned up to support Monique because they want more from their politicians, and are no longer buying into the ‘us and them’ narratives that stop us from making positive change.

People like Gina, who has found herself totally out of her comfort zone – out knocking on doors in all kinds of weather, because she wants to be a part of the change.

This isn’t a check-a-box election. It’s a real movement away from the state of play.

We’ve all been drawn to Mon for her strong, real-world focus on problem solving, integrity, and tackling our changing climate.

So let’s keep growing and make our choices – and voices – count.

Want to throw your weight behind Team Mon? Donate now!

Get in our lane!

Last week Josh Frydenberg abandoned his 2019 election promise to spend $65m on car parks that the Kooyong community didn’t want.

This week, Mon has called on the Federal Government to use that $65 million ‘Urban Congestion Fund’ to expand the strategic bicycle and walking path network.

How? By building the Box Hill to Hawthorn cycling and walking shared trail.

The Box Hill to Hawthorn Trail is a vital link in the local transport network, which would create safer and easier ways for cyclists and pedestrians to get to the train stations, and would provide a safe cycling link through the heart of Kooyong.

It has been years in the planning, with extensive community consultation and feasibility studies. The only thing stopping it is a lack of funding.

As Mon puts it: “We need transport options which consider the future of work, the importance of local shopping precincts, safe spaces for pedestrians and cyclists, and which make our local communities beautiful places to live.”

Many Kooyong residents already use our local paths and trails – whether it’s to walk the dog, go for a run, make their regular bike commute, or take a leisurely weekend ride with the kids.

Off-road walking and cycling is an important part of a vibrant community – not to mention a transport hub that reduces our carbon footprint.

But our local paths and trails need to be expanded to make them really work for active transport. It’s time for this important project to be properly funded – and we know that the federal government has the funds to do it. So what’s stopping you Josh?

A Note from Mon

Dear all,

This has been a busy and happy week at Mon HQ. We hosted functions for International Women’s Day and I have been out in the community visiting schools, a neighbourhood centre and an inspiring social enterprise. It’s been great seeing Kooyong getting back to normal, as best we can, despite the ongoing challenges associated with the COVID pandemic.

Further from home we’ve all been saddened by the severe damage caused by the floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales. The devastation has been extreme. It’s been very disappointing to see the Morrison government acknowledge that this disaster is related to climate change but deny its own role in that process - in repealing carbon pricing, attacking renewable energy targets, failing to engage with efficiency measures and renewable technologies, and waging a war of misinformation and misapprehension on our country. This is not a ‘war on the weekend’- it’s a war on our futures in a week in which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s found that climate change caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is driving widespread damage to nature and people. In the words of the IPCC report: it is now unequivocal that ‘climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health.’ We will have a chance to take action on this threat in May. Together we’ll secure a better future for Australia.

And finally, please hold the afternoon of Sunday 10 April for our official campaign launch – it’s going to be a really big party at the Hawthorn Arts Centre. More details to come.

Mon

Early money is like yeast

We’ve raised more than $360,000 from over 1500 individual donations to Mon’s campaign in the past 90 days. Considering most of our donations come from the pockets of individuals in our growing community of supporters, it’s a clear sign we have a massive grassroots support base – and it’s getting bigger.

But we need your help. If you have already donated, thank you very much.

If you haven’t, please don’t wait for the election to be called before making a donation.

If every person who receives this newsletter donated $100, Monique would not need to spend one minute more on fundraising. Instead she could concentrate all her time and energy on winning votes.

Here’s a snapshot of how we put your donation dollars to work:

$250 = a T-Shirt, 3 regular signs (corflutes), and 1500 flyers for one of our amazing volunteers
$1000 = a week of ads at the Lido, Rivoli and Balwyn Cinemas
$2500 = reach 10,000 locals with our digital advertising campaign
$6000 = motor scooters towing Mon digital signs for a week
$8000 = our HQ rent for a month
$13,000 = mail out to the entire electorate

We have less than 70 days to share Mon’s message with 110,000+ Kooyong voters. You can help our volunteers achieve that goal by making a donation.

Please help Monique compete against the big money candidates by donating now!