The federal government is “getting on” with implementing its response to the recommendations in Dr Kerry Schott AO’s report, The Delivery of Inland Rail: An Independent Review the federal transport minister Catherine King MP says.

In a recent media release the Member for Ballarat, whose full portfolio is Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, said: “We are delivering on our commitment to set Inland Rail up for success by separating its governance and delivery arrangements from the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s (ARTC’s) day to day operations”.

Ms King’s statement issued this month also states: On 23 June 2023, the Government issued a new interim Statement of Expectations (SoE -attached) to ARTC. In it, the Government has reaffirmed its objectives and expectations for ARTC and the future delivery of Inland Rail.

In line with the Government’s response to Dr Schott’s review, ARTC is establishing a new subsidiary – Inland Rail Pty Ltd, which will govern the delivery of the Inland Rail.

The Australian Government is committed to ensuring Inland Rail Pty Ltd has the necessary expertise and independent oversight required to deliver on the Government’s objectives for Inland Rail.

Inland Rail Pty Ltd will have its own dedicated board of directors appointed by the ARTC. The six-member board, includes the Chair of ARTC as a non-executive director. The members of the new board have been chosen for their skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience, including in the delivery of nationally significant freight infrastructure projects. 

The board of Inland Rail Pty Ltd will be chaired by Mr Robert Rust, with Ms Louise Thurgood as the Deputy Chair

The three other board members are

• Ms Erin Flaherty
• Mr James Cain
• Ms Vivienne King

Inland Rail is an important project to meet Australia’s growing freight requirements and will improve road safety and help to decarbonise the economy.

The Government is delivering on its commitment to get on with building Inland Rail, with a focus on completing the sections between Beveridge in Victoria and Parkes in NSW by 2027. When complete, the southern section of Inland Rail will increase resilience and improve supply chain productivity between Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, the Illawarra and Adelaide.

The Australian Government also wishes to thank Mr Mark Campbell for his leadership of ARTC over the last 3 years, following the announcement that he will be stepping down from his roles as Managing Director and CEO of ARTC at the end of July. Dr Kerry Schott AO, as Acting Chair of ARTC, has thanked Mr Campbell for his contribution to the company through a number of difficult years. We wish him well with his future endeavours.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King: “We are making good on our commitment to act on the recommendations of the Independent Review of Inland Rail.

“The establishment of Inland Rail Pty Ltd and the updated Statement of Expectations, are examples of this Government getting on with the job to refresh the approach to delivering Inland Rail ensure it is adequately funded and resourced.

“I am confident in the direction provided by the Statement of Expectations and in the chosen Inland Rail Pty Ltd board members, who will bring valuable industry insights and expertise to ensure the Albanese Government delivers on its commitments to Inland Rail.”  

Federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher: “The Government has established a dedicated subsidiary company with an experienced and skilled board of directors to ensure Inland Rail is appropriately managed.

The Government’s updated Statement of Expectations brings ARTC and Inland Rail in line with highest standards of governance, transparency and accountability for corporate and government-owned entities”.     

Nestled between Euroa and Murchison in central Victoria, you’ll find Molka – a small community made up of sprawling farmland and just over 30 residents.

For these people, helping their neighbours is a by-product of living in a small, tight-knit farming community like Molka, and the local CFA brigade represents just that.

Molka Fire Brigade was formed and registered in 1937 and currently has 16 members, nine of which are operational firefighters and seven have taken up support roles.

The brigade underwent a change in leadership 12 months ago, with long-serving Captain Neil Seach stepping aside to allow new Captain Bruce Rennie to take the reins and steer the brigade into the future.

Neil grew up local to the area and joined the brigade back in 1981 when he purchased property nearby.

“I was Captain for around 12 years before I decided to step aside last year,” Neil said.

“Bruce and his son Thomas [Rennie] have been very supportive of the brigade, so it was only right that they get the chance to step up into leadership positions.”

Bruce said he is embracing the challenge in his new role.

“After 30 years in the brigade and spending most of it as brigade Secretary, it’s been great to try this out – it’s better than I thought it’d be,” he said.

He said the brigade’s relatively solid membership numbers when compared to the township’s total population is a result of strong community values and generational farmers following family tradition.

“A lot of our members are generational farmers, taking on the family responsibility of working on the farm and therefore the neighbourly responsibility of protecting their community,” he said.

Bruce’s 26-year-old son Thomas is the perfect example of generational brigade membership, having joined the brigade a decade ago now and rising the ranks to now lead the brigade as a 2^nd Lieutenant.

“I’ve lived local to the area all my life, growing up on the farm and been around since I was a young bloke,” he said.

“We all help one another out – it’s how it’s always been.”

Neil said the community understands the value in having a local brigade and has embraced it for many decades.

“We’re a small town and a small brigade so I think it’s understood by all residents that we have to keep the brigade operating for our own benefit,” he said.

“It’s a great asset to have an active fire brigade in your local area.”

The brigade recently unveiled its upgraded station with two engine bays, a dedicated turn out room, toilet, kitchenette facilities and perhaps more importantly, electricity and running water.

“The new space and improved amenities will help get people in our area to congregate at the station and use it as a shared venue,” Neil said.

“We’ve always made a habit of inviting any new residents to come along to the station for one of our biannual barbecues to meet everyone.

“This way they can meet their neighbours and understand how the brigade operates which is a way to get them interested in helping us out.”

Neil said his time with CFA has been valued and encourages others to consider giving some of their time to help their community as well.

“I’ve certainly grown with the brigade since I joined four decades ago,” he said.

“I’ve learned a lot in my time with Molka brigade that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Lakes Entrance Fire Brigade is a multiskilled urban brigade that responds to a vast range of incidents, from high-angle rescue with VICSES and marine response with Coast Guard, to road crash rescue and hazmat response.

When it comes to major events like the Black Summer fires, the brigade has another aspect that makes it stand out from other brigades. 

Brigade stalwart and former Captain Bob Richardson has for many years played an important support role for the large brigade, coordinating members deployed at extended fire events from the station’s radio room, handling logistics, and looking after members and their families. Bob arranges crews so they are appropriately balanced in roles and experience, rests them, and arranges meals and the right gear for them. 

“I keep tabs on where everyone is and keep their families up to date throughout the day. It’s amazing how much effort it takes to do that,” says Bob. “Members who go out in the morning and who are expected back at 6pm might end up coming home the next day. Their families wonder what’s happened to them and hear all sorts of tales and stories.” 

Nance Weidemann, whose husband Steve is in the brigade, says: “A phone call from Bob has always been reassuring and informative. You know what’s going on.” 

Bob, a volunteer firefighter for 56 years, created this support role when he joined ‘Lakes’ more than 40 years ago. Captain for over 20 years, he has always ensured that somebody else did the job if he was on the fireground. (He is still operational for turnouts but at 80 years of age no longer fights bushfires.) “Bob is unique,” says current brigade Captain Phil Loukes. “We made him brigade Chairperson, he’s held in such high regard.” 

During the Black Summer fires, the station quickly became a focal point in Lakes Entrance, with crews coming in and out, catching up on meals and getting gear, as well as members of the public visiting to get updates. Some community members brought gifts to show their appreciation for the firefighters’ efforts. Local children made a lolly board, while a café owner sent in scones and coffees. After the fires, donated funds poured in, enough to buy a specialised high-angle rescue support vehicle. “The public support was terrific,” says Bob. 

During the fires, Bob was joined in his support role by 20-year-old firefighter Ryan Fordham, who provided logistical support during the busier times. Ryan initially responded to the fires in an operational capacity, joining Lakes Entrance brigade on their first call-out on 21 November 2019, when lightning strikes started fires across the region. 

“That first night was when the fire took its first major run and jumped the Great Alpine Road,” explains Ryan. “A lot of the fire behaviour didn’t make sense. That major run was in the middle of the night, which is almost unheard of. That’s when the temperature is typically down, the humidity up and the winds are not usually strong. But it was 38 degrees and the winds were gale-force. The fuel load was so high. There was a point where it didn’t matter where the wind was coming from or the speed it was going – the fire was uncontrollable.” Ryan adds: “It was unreal. For me that was the real stand-out for those fires.” 

Bob agrees: “It was quite frightening because it wasn’t just a little fire. The whole horizon had a bright orange glow. That affected the public a lot too.” 

Ryan joined a local strike team deployed to assist DELWP with containment operations, before turning out to Tambo Crossing and Ensay. Unfortunately, he became ill just after New Year’s Eve and had to return to non-operational duties. It was then that he took on a support role for the brigade working with Bob, delivering gear to members, for example, and acting as a community liaison. 

“During the worst part, after Mallacoota,” says Ryan, “a lot of holidaymakers asked, ‘What should we do?’ There’s one road in, one road out. There were fires to the north-west and to the north-east. The message to them was the official warning: ‘If you don’t live here or don’t need to be here, leave now because there’s a potential impact to Lakes Entrance’.” 

Fire edged to within 5–10 kilometres of the coastal town. “The peak day happened when all the fires merged into one a couple of days before New Year,” says Ryan. “It spotted into Colquhoun State Forest, which sits north of the whole township of Lakes Entrance. Thankfully, the aircraft were able to knock it on its head.” 

Ryan also took on a support role in helping other brigades directly affected by the fires. He pitched in with Johnsonville brigade when their crew needed a break. Lakes Entrance also sent a crew to the badly affected township of Wairewa to help with fencing. “It was good to see some of the younger, inexperienced members step up to the plate when the experienced ones were out,” says Ryan. 

Ryan was voted in as Fifth Lieutenant at Lakes Entrance after the fires, with a new role created for him covering emergency equipment for the brigade. 

Brigade members involved: 18 

Range of experience: from 20 to 76 years 

Supporting roles: running meals to the fireground; ferrying critical/specialist equipment; supply runs to Buchan immediately after the fire; members assisting with liaison/property inspection after impact, including searching for unaccounted people, and assisting at Divisional Command in Johnsonville 

Areas: Sarsfield, Bruthen, Nowa Nowa, Mallacoota, Orbost, Wairewa, beyond Gelantipy; supported NSW teams 

Campaign duration: October 2019 to March 2020 

Bob’s story is one of many of the 2019-20 fires profiled in the new book, Our Black Summer. The entire book can be read online on the CFA website. 

Over the past five years, Greening Australia has partnered with the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action to revegetate and enhance priority habitat corridors for Malleefowl in the Victorian Mallee.

Once widespread across the region, Malleefowl numbers have greatly declined due to habitat loss and fragmentation.

Populations of these beautiful birds can be found in several small to medium-sized areas of remnant vegetation adjacent to the bigger population strongholds in the national parks.

Unfortunately, these smaller populations are isolated and unable to move between suitable habitat patches.

Revegetation at Baring Gypsum Wildlife Corridor reconnecting Malleefowl habitat. Photo: DEECA.

This project worked to establish habitat corridors to reconnect isolated remnants with larger reserves. This will allow Malleefowl to roam more freely, increasing the genetic diversity and resilience of populations in the region.

Biodiverse plantings have been undertaken to restore 406 hectares of native ecosystems, with over 75,000 seedlings planted and 264 kg of native seeds sown.

Revegetation works were completed in five priority locations: Berrook, Wathe, Yaapeet and Bronzewing State Forests and a private, covenanted block adjoining Hattah-Kulkyne National Park.

Planting for Malleefowl at Wathe State Forest. Photo: Greening Australia.

The locations were carefully chosen to have the most benefit to small and isolated populations of Malleefowl, based on a study commissioned by the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group and in consultation with a range of stakeholders.

It is encouraging to see the plantings beginning to establish with good direct seeding germination, survival of seedlings and significant growth under the favourable environmental conditions of 2022-23.

Revegetation in the hot and dry conditions of the Mallee is a challenging task and ongoing maintenance of the sites has been undertaken to optimise success. Seedlings received follow-up watering and all sites were managed to reduce threats from herbivores.

With time these plantings will ensure Malleefowl are freer to roam!

 
This article is adapted from one shared via the Mallee CMA’s June 2023 newsletter. This project is supported by the Mallee CMA, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Over the past five years, Greening Australia has partnered with ACT Natural Resource Management to improve, restore and connect critically endangered Box-Gum Grassy Woodlands in the capital region.

Funded by the Australian Government’s Regional Land Partnerships Program (a core component of the National Landcare Program), we worked with 21 private landholders and on public lands to plant diverse trees and shrubs, exclude livestock, and control environmental weeds. Together, these activities totalled over 900 hectares of targeted action.

The 900 hectares included 425 hectares of revegetation designed to restore and connect remnants of this important ecosystem. When it came to planting those hectares, we had help from many people in the community – First Nations groups, schools, community and corporate groups, public servants – who got their hands dirty at almost 40 different events!

This includes the particularly amazing support of Greening Australia’s Green Team volunteers, who planted over 15,000 diverse trees and shrubs in the ACT for the project over the past five years.

More than 50 of Greening Australia’s nursery volunteers also helped to grow, thin, weed, transplant and pack all the seedlings used in these plantings each year.

Engaging all these people in the project is a great result, since raising awareness about Box-Gum Grassy Woodlands and alerting Canberrans to this treasure in the capital region has been a key objective of the project.

Lowland woodlands have been extensively cleared across eastern Australia with less than five percent of the original extent remaining. The ACT has managed to buck this trend, retaining over a third of its original extent of lowland woodlands, much of which is the Box-Gum Grassy Woodland vegetation community.

While this vegetation community is threatened both in the ACT and nationally, the ACT has some of the best quality patches of this habitat type in Australia.

As well as providing habitat for native species, these woodlands play an important role in maintaining the productivity of agricultural land, providing shelter from wind, heat and cold for pastures, crops and livestock.

The impact is already being seen, with bird surveys recording many threatened birds at our revegetation sites, including the Scarlet Robin, Gang-gang Cockatoo, White-winged Triller and Southern Whiteface.

After extensive international touring, the award-winning sister duo Charm of Finches plays an intimate show at the Palais Hepburn, Saturday, August 12, with new songs and many stories to tell.

Melbourne sister duo Charm of Finches deliver intricate folk-pop that is simultaneously graceful and darkly bewitching. Their seamless blood harmonies traverse melancholy and wonder in equal measure.

The sisters, Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes, released their third full length album Wonderful Oblivion in 2021 through New York-based label AntiFragile Music to critical acclaim. They have since toured the UK and Europe in Spring/Summer 2022 and returned to the UK in January 2023.

Winners of the Australian Folk Music Awards Best Folk Album (2022) and Music Victoria Best Folk Act (2021), their music has been nominated twice for the prestigious Australian Music Prize.

Their 2019 sophomore album Your Company won the 2020 Independent Music Awards’ Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album – the same award won by Martha Wainwright the previous year.

“Wonderful Oblivion is a triumphant indie folk effort – nostalgic yet fresh, haunting, but at the same time serene. ” – We Found New Music

“Melbourne sister duo Charm of Finches are perched for stardom. For lovers of tight sibling harmonies, chamber folk, and those who long to be carried-away by a lullaby…” – Ariana Morgenstern KCRW Today’s Top Tune

From its humble beginnings, where firefighters responded to fires on foot with leather buckets to the current brigade, Buninyong-Mount Helen Fire Brigade has played an important part in protecting the community for the past 150 years.

Brigade life member Stephen Warren has been working closely with fellow brigade member Ron Gilchrist and the local historical society to document the brigade’s rich history.

“Newspapers reported a public meeting held in July 1873, where the local borough council called for members to form a fire brigade,” Stephen said.

“The closest fire station was in Ballarat East, which meant firefighters had to travel quite a distance by horse and cart to attend to fires.

“Given the impost on its firefighters, Ballarat East Fire Brigade requested compensation from the borough council to continue to respond to fire calls in the Buninyong area.

“The shire wanted to avoid these costs and essentially, this was the catalyst for the formation of the Buninyong Fire Brigade.”

The brigade purchased an apparatus cart in 1873 and after disastrous fires destroyed half the town in 1876, the brigade purchased a Merryweather horse drawn manual pump from England in 1882.

The Merryweather was designed to be operated by 26 men and with only 12 brigade members at the time, firefighters often relied on assistance of bystanders to assist pumping.

The brigade was originally housed in a shire-built station on Learmonth St, which was destroyed by fire in 1898. The stations fire bell mysteriously disappeared soon after and was presumed stolen.

A neighbouring church bell was used to alert the community to fires and town emergencies, until a replacement station was erected on the same Learmonth St site in 1899, complete with a new bell and belltower.

The alleged missing bell was allegedly found in 2015, when a bell with the inscription Buninyong 1883 was discovered in a metal processing plant. The bell was presented to the brigade and displayed in its rightful home at the Buninyong Fire Station.

However, further research revealed the original owner was likely a passenger ship also dubbed Buninyong that travelled between Sydney and Melbourne from 1883 to 1924. Leaving the whereabouts of the original bell a mystery to this day.

Current Captain Gareth Smith said memorabilia like the bell and Merryweather, as well as the stories linked to them, are important when it comes to preserving the history of the brigade. 

“The first two decades of the brigade’s history was ironically lost during the fire in 1898,” Gareth said.

“Thankfully we have some historians in the brigade and with the support of the community and historical society, we’re slowly piecing it together.

“As the current custodians of the brigade, we have a duty to future brigade members to capture important events and significant milestones like this 150-year anniversary.”

An event was held over the weekend at the Buninyong Town Hall, which saw CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan join current and former brigade members, as they came together to celebrate the significant milestone.

To mark the anniversary, Chief Officer Heffernan presented the brigade with a 150-year anniversary plaque, another important piece of memorabilia to be proudly displayed at the station.

Praised by participants as a training day to remember, the Women of Wellington Practical Development Day saw 17 women from CFA’s South East gather to hone their operational skills.

Members from Avon Group, Willung South and Sale Fire Brigades supported each other through various hands-on activities on Sunday, 25 June at CFA’s VEMTC West Sale facility.

The feedback received by participants positively reinforced the benefits of getting involved in unified training days, with the women inspired to work in teams, network, and build confidence.

From hose handling to rescues, patient care and situational awareness drills, the women were put to the ultimate test alongside experienced Pad Operators and instructors.

Fresh off a transfer from Echuca to Sale Fire Brigade, five-year CFA member Maddy Zlateff jumped straight at the opportunity to partake in her first collaborative training day.

“It was great to be a part of and meet so many new people. We split into different groups and got to really co-mingle with the women there,” Maddy said.

“For me, I was on a truck full of strangers, but we went straight into simulating a turnout to a car accident and doing all the roles that came with that.

“I was put into a crew leader position which was rotated around. It gave me opportunities that I don’t really get on the fireground because that’s not part of my current skillset just yet.”

Maddy spoke fondly of the volume of experiences on offer, with the members working through six different tasks across the day. Between bin fires, pole fires, gas leaks, car accidents and shed fires, the eager firefighters got a breadth of experience in different scenarios and roles.

Golden Beach Captain and 36-year CFA member, Paula Grosveld could not be prouder of the can-do attitude of the women involved and the energy that was displayed throughout the day. 

“I stood back alongside the other two Captains who were there, and we just let the participants step forward and shine on their own,” Paula said.

“We put people in roles as incident controllers, or crew leaders and some of them had not had that opportunity before, so it was just amazing, and fantastic to see everyone doing so well.

“They all gave it a shot and weren’t worried if mistakes were made because they knew the instructors were there to assist.”

Paula said the final exercise was the most rewarding, which saw the entire group come together to navigate a car on fire with gas cylinders causing trouble.

“They worked through several problems together and figured it out by themselves. Everyone had great communication, they talked, they smiled, and they constructively yelled!”

A shelf full of albums by James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jason Isbell and Dawes has given Grand Baxter a distinct sound.

Considered songwriting, bitter-sweet lyrics and a sprinkling of country-folk influence are all clearly audible in his music. Songs dance between the dark, the delicate, and the cautiously optimistic, with beautiful acoustic guitars anddelicate melodies.

Grand Baxter delivers his heart on a silver plate, best described as ‘a bold hamper of honesty, musicality and folk charm.’

He’s set to play The Palais, Hepburn on Friday evening, August 11.

For Andrew Wilson, donating blood is akin to volunteering with CFA – just another way to help others.

The Aireys Inlet firefighter undertook his first-ever blood donation last month as part of the 2023 Red Cross Lifeblood Emergency Services Blood Drive.

“I was inspired by my wife, who is a regular blood donor,” he said. “I’ve wanted to do it for a long time, so I thought it was time to step up and do it myself and take part in the drive.”

Andrew said the whole process was a lot quicker than he expected.

“Aside from the interview beforehand to determine your suitability, the actual blood draw took him less than 15 minutes,” he said.

“Plus, you get all the treats at the end.”

Likening the process to his experience as a volunteer firefighter, Andrew said it’s a great way to give back.

“It’s another way to give back and another way to help people,” he said.

“It’s an extension of what we do at CFA, while it might not be in our direct community, it’s still helping others.”

“It’s pretty neat, you get a text message a few days after your donation, and it tells you where your blood has gone – mine was sent to the Mornington Peninsula.”

He encouraged those who may be thinking about getting involved to do so.

“It’s easy – just do it!”

“You get a milkshake at the end, which is something to look forward to, but it’s super easy and probably sounds a lot scarier than it actually is, so pull together and join in the cause.”

The Red Cross Emergency Services Blood Drive runs from 1 June – 31 August. You can find out more at www.lifeblood.com.au.

More than 4,500 support payments have been processed to farmers impacted by the 2022/23 floods and storms, providing relief to primary producers across Victoria.

Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney has in recent days announced that $130 million in Primary Producer Flood Recovery and Rural Landholder grants had been claimed, with the initiative part of the broader Primary Producer Flood Recovery Package announced last October.

The grants have provided vital support for clean-up, relief and recovery costs for primary producers who suffered direct loss or damage as a result of the floods and storms.

Sheep producers Greg and Jo Bear received grants to combat weeds and build new fences after their pastures were severely impacted and five kilometres of fencing was lost or damaged.

Through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, the Australian and Victorian Governments were also able to provide mental health and wellbeing support to the National Centre for Farmer Health and the Rural Financial Counselling Service in the north east and north west of Victoria.

Financial support from the Primary Producer Flood Recovery Package will remain open until 4 pm on Thursday 13 July.

More information is available on the Rural Finance website or by calling 1800 260 465.

For assistance in applying or understanding your eligibility, contact the Rural Financial Counselling Service on 1300 771 741.

Agriculture Victoria continues to provide technical advice and decision-making support to flood and storm affected farmers.

More information is available on the Agriculture Victoria website or by calling the Agriculture Recovery Team on 0427 694 185.

CMAA Golden Guitar winner Angus Gill is joining forces with Oz rock legend Billy Miller (The Ferrets) for one night only – Saturday, August 5, at the Palais in Hepburn Springs, with special guest Australian fiddle playing icon Pixie Jenkins.

Angus Gill is one of the most exciting and prodigious acts on the scene, delighting audiences over the last 18 years with his distinctive voice, carefully crafted songs, well honed showmanship and comic timing. He has an ARIA awards nomination, four critically acclaimed ARIA chart topping studio albums and eight #1 radio chart hits to his name. He has supported Kris Kristofferson, collaborated with international music legends such as Steve Earle, Jim Lauderdale & Charles Esten and is the youngest Australian male artist to have performed on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Billy Miller is best known as the singer of The Ferrets (Don’t Fall in Love). He has been performing, composing and producing for 50 years, starting with acoustic spots at The Green Man and The Steak Cave in 1969, then 3 years in the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar (1972-75), where he met bass player Ken Firth and soon after they formed The Ferrets (1976-79). Most recently, Billy won (with co-writer Paul Kelly) the coveted APRA Song of the Year Award for the song Firewood & Candles, from Kelly’s Life is Fine record.

Pixie’s fiddle playing is uniquely Australian, and with his amazing energy, story telling and humour, he has become one of the most recognisable artists in the industry. He’s also one of Australia’s most eclectic and talented entertainers, playing roots, bluegrass and Irish folk styles with an incredible dexterity and finesse. Pixie has been a support artist and toured and recorded for some of the biggest names in the world, Bob Dylan to Cher; Jimmy Barnes to John Williamson and has been a studio musician on the recordings of 100s of other artists.

Agriculture Victoria is urging anyone who spots an eastern corn snake to report it immediately.

The eastern corn snake is not native to Australia and if given the opportunity could populate a wide range of landscapes within Victoria, impacting native species through predation and the introduction of new animal diseases, the Department says.

Think you’ve seen one – contact Agriculture Victoria to make an online report via the Department’s website.

Up to $8 million in grant funding is now available for projects that reduce the risk and impact of natural disasters on Victorian communities and economies as part of the state’s latest Risk and Resilience Grants Program.

Floodplain management authorities, municipal councils, volunteer groups, state government departments, other non-government emergency management organisations, small businesses and research institutions will be able to apply for grants of up to $250,000 as part of the program.

Projects must focus on one of three key themes: Climate change – supporting adaptation, risk reduction and mitigation initiatives that reduce disaster risk; Designing for risk and resilience – supporting initiatives that strengthen the resilience of Victorian infrastructure including government and community infrastructure; Managing local and regional risks and building resilience – supporting initiatives that improve understanding of local or regional disaster risks, strengthen accountability for and governance of regional risks, and support initiatives that are seeking to directly reduce disaster risk at a local or regional level.

Applications close on 10 August.

Those who believe they may have an eligible project can Find out more here.

Booking a council-managed venue to hold an event within the in Hepburn shire has become easier to do following this month’s launch of a new booking system, the council says.

Hepburn Shire Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that the new online system will make booking a council venue for an event “much simpler and easier”.

“Community groups and individuals wanting to make a venue booking will have the benefit of seeing images of the venue before booking, along with available dates and costs.  This will eliminate the disappointment that may come with accidental double bookings,” he said.

Some of the venues that will be available to book online are:

• Clunes community Centre
• Creswick Hub Meeting room
• Clunes Town Hall
• Clunes Warehouse (Esmond Gallery)
• Clunes Warehouse (Ulumbarra Room)
• Creswick Town Hall
• Doug Lindsay Reserve Pavilion
• Daylesford Town Hall
• Daylesford Senior Citizens
• Hepburn Spring Mineral Spring Reserve
• Lake Daylesford
• Victoria Park Daylesford
• Wombat Hill Gardens

As of 1 July, bookings for the Doug Lindsay Recreation Reserve can also be arranged through council.

“Other venues will be added to the new booking system in the future.  For venues not currently listed in the booking system, the community can continue to call our customer service staff for assistance,” said Cr Hood.