The City of Ballarat is partnering with several local organisations, schools and sporting clubs to implement a program designed to empower young people to say ‘no’ to vaping.

Funded by health promotion foundation VicHealth, the Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project is designed to prevent the uptake of vaping among young people aged 10-25 in the region.  

The program will target several key groups, encouraging authentic, peer-to-peer conversations and the development of youth-led initiatives.  

Schools 
The Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project will engage 22 schools across the municipalities of the City of Ballarat, Hepburn Shire Council and Moorabool Shire Council. Schools will receive support from local health organisations to implement Quit Victoria’s Seeing Through the Haze curriculum resources. Participating schools will also receive funding to action the innovative and exciting anti-vaping campaigns designed by students as part of the curriculum. These student-led campaigns could feature videos, podcasts, posters or social media content.   

Sports clubs  
The Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project will engage about 10 local sports clubs with the participating municipalities. Club members will be supported to develop a youth-led anti-vaping campaign, for distribution around their club. Sports clubs will also be supported to develop a ‘no-vape’ policy, or come up with other policies relating to vaping, should they choose to do so.   

Universities 
The Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project will work with several university students to develop student-led anti-vaping projects, to be implemented on their university campuses.  

Stockland Wendouree 
The Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project will engage young people from the local community at Stockland Wendouree to inform and develop anti-vaping prevention projects.

Health practitioners and General Practitioners (GPs) 
The Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project will support local GPs and health practitioners to have conversations with their young patients about the health impacts of vaping.  
 

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson said the Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project was a fantastic display of collaboration between local organisations to reduce the impact of vaping on the community.  

“We know that a lot of young people are heavily influenced by their peers at school or their coaches at their sports club,” he said.  

“This initiative is about tapping into these networks and giving young people the tools to warn each other about vaping through real, authentic stories.” 

The City of Ballarat will deliver the Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project in partnership with the following organisations:  

• Ballarat Community Health (BCH)
• Grampians Public Health Unit (GPHU)
• Moorabool Shire Council (MSC)
• Hepburn Shire Council (HSC)
• Western Health (WH)
• Central Highlands Rural Health (CHRH)
• Federation University (Fed Uni)
• Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN)
• Sports Central (SC)

The Central Highlands Vaping Prevention Project is part of the broader Vape-Free Victoria project, which involves 29 local councils, five universities, five sporting bodies and teams, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Quit Victoria and the Victorian Government.

VicHealth, Quit Victoria and the Department of Health will provide guidance and support to these organisations throughout the life of the project.  

The City of Ballarat has launched a Ballarat Waste app to put local waste and recycling information right at residents’ fingertips.

Available free from iPhone and Android app stores, the app empowers the regional city’s residents to access information about their waste and recycling services from the convenience of their smart phone.

With the Ballarat Waste app locals can:

• Access kerbside collection schedules and set bin night reminders
• Receive notifications of any changes to bin collections, including public holiday services
• Download a printable PDF of the annual collection calendar for your own address
• See what can and cannot be placed into recycling, green waste and your general household waste bin
• Log a missed or damaged bin
• Access Ballarat Transfer Station’s opening hours, fees and a list of what can be taken to the Transfer Station for free

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson tested the app before its launch and was impressed at how easy it was to navigate and access essential waste and recycling information.

“The City of Ballarat’s new Waste app provides all the information you need about waste and recycling in the palm of your hand,” he said.

“The app will be updated with relevant information as waste and recycling services continue to evolve.

“It will be a reliable resource for residents with the introduction of the new weekly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside collection in 2025 – helping residents learn what they can and cannot place in their FOGO service.”

Under the introduction of FOGO, household waste collection will change from weekly to fortnightly. Mixed recyclables will continue to be collected fortnightly.

Residents will be able to add food organics – which includes fruit and vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat and bones, citrus, leftovers, seafood, shellfish shells and eggshells – to their FOGO (green waste) bin. Food organics will then be recycled and turned into new products, like compost.

The Ballarat Waste app will help the City of Ballarat reduce its environmental footprint by transitioning away from resource-intensive printing, posting and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the bulk mail out of the annual waste and recycling collection calendar.  

Limited numbers of printed calendars will continue to be available from Customer Service for residents that want to receive a hard copy of the waste and recycling collection calendar.

Those interested can download the app via the App Store or on Google Play. 

A significant project that’s expected to enhance the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s ability to attract the best exhibitions and loans from around the world has started.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat Interior Upgrades project is in its early stages, with the major component to be the installation of a new Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.

The $5.5 million project, funded by the City of Ballarat, will replace and upgrade the existing HVAC system at the gallery which is at end of life. This will ensure the facility meets required international museum standards to exhibit and store art.

Included in the project is an upgrade to interior walls, enabling artworks to be fixed directly to the wall and allowing more works from the nationally significant collection to be displayed. Refurbishment of both lifts on site will also occur, including accessibility compliance upgrades to the passenger lift.

Funded separately by the State Government’s Regional Collections Access Program, a $536,707 upgrade of the building’s skylights to energy efficient LED panels will take place at the same time.

This investment comes on the back of the recent announcement of State Government funding of $388,850 to complete a Master Plan for the Gallery to guide its future development as a key visitor economy attraction for Victoria and one of the preeminent galleries in Australia.

A lead architect has now been appointed to design and coordinate the works, with a further construction tender process expected late in 2024.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat boasts the largest and most significant collection of artworks in regional Australia.

The upgrade is essential to ensure the gallery can continue to attract the best exhibitions from around the world and adequately maintain and protect the collection of over 11,500 artworks owned by the gallery.

A closure will be required for a period of time commencing in the first quarter of 2025. Offsite events and public programming is planned during the upgrade period to ensure Ballarat remains a true arts destination and continues to provide an attractive cultural program for locals and tourists alike.

City of Ballarat Councillor and Art Gallery of Ballarat Board representative Mark Harris said the works were necessary and would ultimately boost the gallery’s reputation in the future.

“The upgraded HVAC system will greatly enhance the gallery’s ability to attract major loans and exhibitions as well as maintain its own collection, with the additional upgrades of the project further enhancing the visitor experience at the Art Gallery of Ballarat,” Cr Harris said.

“Once complete, it will ensure continuity for us to deliver international shows and access significant loans from other major institutions.

“We expect that by the end of the current financial year we will see nearly 140,000 people through the doors of the gallery, a number that will only increase once this project is complete.”

Founded in 1884, the Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest and largest regional gallery in Australia. The Gallery is housed in a heritage-listed purpose-built gallery building, opened in 1890 by Alfred Deakin after three years of construction. 

Daylesford has scooped silver in the nation’s Small Tourism Town Awards announced today.

The Hepburn Shire Council says it’s “honoured and exceptionally pleased” to have received Silver in the Small Tourism Town Award category for Daylesford at the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards this morning at Parliament House in Canberra.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that to have Daylesford recognised on a national level is a monumental achievement.

“Here in the shire, we know that Daylesford is an exceptional place to visit, now the rest of Australia will know just how vibrant our small town is,” Cr Hood said.

“The Silver award is shared with local businesses, community members and of course the Daylesford Macedon Tourism team who continue to advocate for this beautiful pocket of the world.”  

After being named the best Small Tourism Town in the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town awards earlier this year, coming runner up in the national awards is an incredible achievement.  
 
“We are exceptionally pleased to see beautiful Daylesford recognised among a competitive cohort of other small tourism towns with Exmouth, Western Australia, winning Gold and Richmond, Tasmania, coming in third,” said Cr Hood.  

The recognition is a credit to staff at Daylesford Macedon Tourism team for their considerable amount of work producing a comprehensive submission which was developed in collaboration with Council’s Economic Development and Visitor team.  

Importantly, the achievement recognises our Daylesford businesses and communities which continue to offer exemplary visitor experiences.  

“Thank you to our community and the visitors who voted for Daylesford, and we look forward to taking advantage of the award for the benefit of the community,” Cr Hood said. 

Exmouth in WA won the gold in the Small Tourism Town category, with Huskisson in New South Wales taking home gold in the Tiny Tourism Town category.

Devonport in Tasmania has been crowned Australia’s Top Tourism Town for 2024, winning gold in the titular award category, during a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.

Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards celebrate the regional towns that help shape the landscape of Aussie tourism, with national finalists determined from the gold winners from each state and territory.

The vandalism of a bike repair station at Creswick’s Djuwang Baring in Creswick has prompted a public statement from the council, urging anyone with information about the thoughtless act to contact police.

The Hepburn Shire council reported on its Facebook account in recent days: “Unfortunately, the bike repair station at Djuwang Baring (Creswick Trails) has been vandalised and some tools were stolen.

“We’re working on replacing them, but it might take a few weeks.

“If you have any info about the vandalism, please reach out to the Creswick Police.”

The Hepburn Springs EV charger is so far proving to be the most popular charger in the Hepburn shire, at least for the last financial year.

The Hepburn Shire Council, quoting a post from Hepburn Energy, in recent days reported that people are charging their cars at Hepburn Springs for longer.

The council reported that: “Out of all of our EV Chargers across the Hepburn Shire in FY24, the Hepburn Springs charger had the highest number of uses and MWh consumed. This abated a total of 32.88 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions”.

“In particular, people charge their cars for longer sessions here, for both locals and visitors alike.”

The data findings prompted council staff to wonder whether the local attractions may have been a factor, “Positioned at the bathhouse who wouldn’t want to stay a little longer?” they pondered.

The council has also reported recently that the Creswick EV charge station is now back on line after it had been off line due to a technical issue.

This story based on a public social media post issued by Hepburn shire Council.

Planning towards expanding existing kinder facilities in Daylesford has gained some extra momentum in recent days.

Mary-Anne Thomas, Member for Macedon has announced the Hepburn Shire will receive a $150,000 state government grant towards the project.

The Hepburn shire is one of ten local councils and kindergarten service providers sharing in $1.3 million for planning new kindergarten building projects.

The state’s Building Blocks Planning grants help councils and kindergarten providers plan the projects needed to meet future demand for three and four-year-old kindergarten in their local area.

Funding can support project management and pre-construction work, such as architecture and design planning, soil testing and geo-technical services.

Other activities can include construction costing works, environmental sustainability assessments and feasibility studies.

Hepburn Shire Council will receive $150,000 for planning activities to scope, develop and design an expansion project to the existing Daylesford Community Child Care Centre.

Mary-Anne Thomas, Member for Macedon: “This grant means that Hepburn Shire can plan for more kindergarten places and more modern facilities close to home, setting our youngest learners up for the best start to life.”

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and Murdoch University have launched The Bioplastics Innovation Hub, an $8 million collaboration that will work with industry partners to develop a new generation of 100 per cent compostable plastic.  

The Bioplastics Innovation Hub aims to revolutionise plastic packaging by developing biologically derived plastic that can break down in compost, land, or water. 

Dr Andy Whiteley, CSIRO Research Program Director, said the Hub aims to bring together experts in microbiology, molecular genetics, synthetic biology, biochemical engineering, advanced manufacturing and circular economy by translating advancements in bioplastics research to real-world applications. 

“Our primary focus is the development of 100 per cent compostable, bio-derived packaging for use as sprays, films, bottles, caps and wrappers which are engineered to fully break down in compost, land and in aquatic environments,” said Dr Whiteley.  

With global concerns over plastic pollution and fossil fuel depletion driving an increased demand for compostable bioplastics, the Hub will equip the plastics industry with the tools and expertise required to manufacture materials and continue to drive a plastic waste green economy. 

The first key focus area will be a co-investment with WA-based biotechnology company Ecopha Biotech Pty Ltd, to develop a new process for water bottle production using compostable bioplastics derived from waste products from the food industry. 

Murdoch University Deputy Vice Chancellor Research & Innovation Professor Peter Eastwood said managing the growing plastic waste crisis required innovative technological solutions, including bioplastics. 

“Together with CSIRO, Murdoch University will fast-track the production of novel compostable bioplastic and introduce a green plastic to the market which will significantly minimise the requirement for non-sustainable plastic production,” Professor Eastwood said. 

“We also aim to assist industry in establishing an advanced biomanufacturing sector, to commercialise compostable bioplastics that meet the manufacturing design needs and certification standards for 100 per cent biodegradation. 

“The outcomes of this project will boost the capability of Australia for commercial production of compostable bioplastics. In particular, the Hub meets to the sector priority of increasing technical leadership of Australian manufacturing.” 

The Bioplastics Innovation Hub is based at Murdoch University’s main campus in Perth, Western Australia, and an important outcome will be the training of the next generation workforce in advanced biomanufacturing.  

The Bioplastics Innovation Hub aligns to CSIRO’s aim of reducing plastic waste entering the Australian environment by 80 per cent by 2030. This initiative supports Australia’s commitment to the United Nations Global Treaty on plastic pollution and the Australian government’s National Plastics Plan. 

Words & Image: CSIRO

CFA members from across the state have saved around 3,000 lives by making more than 1,000 donations during this year’s Emergency Services Blood Drive.

Team CFA’s overall contributions included more than 635 plasma, 396 whole blood and 28 platelet donations between 1 June and 31 August 2024.

CFA proudly achieved third place overall in this year’s drive, behind NSW and Victoria Police.

On the final day of the blood drive, CFA’s Western Port Group of brigades in the state’s southeast banded together to create one of the largest group donations.

Hastings Fire Brigade volunteer Jonathan Rendell rallied 30 CFA members to roll up their sleeves on Saturday 31 August. His wife who has cancer the driving force behind his dedication to this life-saving cause.

“I’ve seen how important blood products are from both my time in the military, and with CFA. Now my wife is undergoing chemotherapy, so I am even more driven to encourage people to donate,” Jonathan said.

“This is another way we can give back to the community, giving those we help the best possible chance. I’m proud of all the CFA members who joined me in being a part of saving up to 100 lives.”

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood said one in five donors had to cancel or reschedule appointments this winter due to flu symptoms.

“This is why the Emergency Services Blood Drive helps boost blood stocks at a time when it’s really needed over winter,” Jonathan said.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan, who also donates blood, thanked CFA’s 1,000 members who have made a significant impact to saving lives.

“Our volunteers selflessly give up their time every day to help others so it’s great to see our members continuing to get behind this vital initiative,” Jason said.

“I encourage our members and the broader community to continue to give blood all year round when they can.”

Emergency services across Australia donated 13,900 times during last year’s blood drive, 31 per cent of those came from Victoria.

For more information about the Emergency Services Blood Challenge and how to make a blood donation yourself, visit the Lifeblood website at www.lifeblood.com.au or call 13 14 95.

Words: CFA

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is calling on Australians to record koala sightings in the Koala Spotter app, to help build the most accurate national population count to date.  

Populations of the iconic marsupial were officially listed as endangered across New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland in February 2022.

Although numbers in South Australia and Victoria appear healthier, there are concerns for local populations amid the ongoing threats of habitat loss, car strikes, and disease.  

During National Science Week 2024, themed Species Survival – More Than Just Sustainability, CSIRO is encouraging families across the country to actively take part in koala conservation.   

CSIRO leads and coordinates the National Koala Monitoring Program (NKMP), a $10 million project funded by the Australian Government’s Saving Koalas Fund. The collaborative program aims to build and deliver a robust estimate of koala numbers, which will aid ongoing recovery and management efforts.  

CSIRO Quantitative Biologist, Dr Andrew Hoskins, said a range of technologies and methods are needed to count koalas accurately. 

“Koalas can be difficult to spot from the ground, and as they are most active at night, they often rest high in trees during the day,” Dr Hoskins said.

“To count the species, scientists have been using thermal drones to spot koalas from above, deploying acoustic recorders in the field and detection dogs, conducting scat analysis, while also carrying out systematic visual surveys and data integration from previous and historic sources.

“We need as many different eyes as possible to help paint the most accurate picture of koala numbers and distribution across the country.

“Citizen science apps are playing an increasingly important role, as they allow anybody to come out and record their sightings.”

The latest koala national population estimate according to NKMP is between 224,000 and 524,000. The next estimate is due in March 2025.

The Koala Spotter app has played a key part in the NKMP’s population count, with 730 records contributed by citizen scientists to date.

“Most of the data we’ve gotten from the app so far has come from families and children,” Dr Hoskins said.

“It’s very easy to use, and the data provided is fed straight into the National Koala Monitoring Program.

“If you spot a koala simply record its location in the app, try and snap a photo if possible, and press ‘done’.”

To record sightings, download Koala Spotter from the App Store (Apple) or the Google Play Store (Android).

Words & Image: CSIRO

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has launched a new tool designed to help Australians break free from unhealthy eating habits and make it easier to succeed at weight management.  

The free, online Healthy Habits Quiz is based on psychology and behavioural science. It assesses participants’ habit strength, moods and tempting foods, providing tailored, science-backed guidance to make and break habits for a healthier lifestyle.  

A recent CSIRO analysis of nearly 2,000 Australians revealed mood significantly influences eating behaviours, with three-quarters eating more when bored and over half eating more when feeling depressed.  

Positive emotions had the opposite effect, with nearly half of participants eating less when feeling happy. Females were more prone to emotional eating than males, with 24 per cent eating to lift their mood compared to 16 per cent of males.  

The analysis also revealed important differences between participants who were successfully managing their weight versus those in earlier stages of the weight loss journey.  

Successful dieters were far less likely to use eating as a way of coping with negative emotions, were more aware of their habits, and were more likely to notice when their eating behaviours were getting off track.

Conversely, those in the earlier stages of weight loss had stronger eating habits, making them harder to break. 

CSIRO Research Scientist Dr Naomi Kakoschke, who led the analysis, said the insights highlight the “chicken and egg” nature of eating behaviours and weight management.  

“We know that healthy habits support healthy weight loss, and unhealthy habits typically lead to weight gain,” Dr Kakoschke said.   

“By becoming more aware of their habits through the Healthy Habits Quiz, Australians can kickstart a positive change to their habits and their health”. 

Almost all participants indicated they were tempted by foods that can be a challenge for weight management if consumed too frequently or in large amounts, while over a third agreed or strongly agreed that eating tempting foods was something they did automatically.

Chocolate was revealed as the top tempting food at 72 per cent, closely followed by cheese at 61 per cent, and bread rolls at 52 per cent.

Males were more likely to be tempted by beer and processed meats, while females reported a higher temptation for savoury crackers, cakes and muffins.

The survey participants also shared their top three strategies for making healthy habits stick:

• tracking and monitoring their food intake
• building and seeking support and accountability from social networks
• monitoring their progress

Additionally, positive self-talk and affirmations, and reward and recognition were identified by survey participants as key drivers of healthier habits.

“The data highlights that building healthy habits requires more than just good intentions; it requires support to make small, incremental changes that can be sustained over the longer-term”, Dr Kakoschke said.

“By leveraging a science-backed and structured program like the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, which offers tools such as meal plans, food trackers, and a community network, Australians can practise healthy habits that lead to a steady progression toward better health.”

Victoria Police is urging young people to be considerate about sharing intimate images of themselves online and to make a report if it happens without their consent.

It is illegal to share an explicit image or video of someone without their consent in Victoria – yet police are still seeing it occur, particularly among those under the age of 18.

Figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show intimate image-based offences involving victims under the age of 18 has increased by 24 per cent in the year to March 2024.

There were 310 intimate image-based offences involving victims under the age of 18 during this period, compared to 251 the year prior.

Detectives from the Sexual Offence and Child Abuse Investigation Teams (SOCIT) and Victorian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET), which is comprised of both Victoria Police and AFP investigators, have been working tirelessly to investigate reports of the crime and support victims.

In concerning trends identified by investigators, explicit photos and videos of underage students, shared with consent at the time, are later being further circulated online via social media to other students, this time without the person’s permission.

Other cases can include young couples, who, after ending a relationship, might then intentionally share intimate images of the other party for revenge or other reasons, without that person’s consent.

Victoria Police wants to make it clear that sharing an explicit image of someone without their consent is never acceptable, it is against the law and those who choose to engage in this kind of reprehensible behaviour will be caught and held accountable for their actions.

Both SOCIT and JACET detectives are regularly visiting schools across the state to ensure students, teachers, parents and school staff know how and where to seek help.

The visits include presentations on what the crime involves and advice to students, teachers, parents and school staff about what to do if a young person is subject to any type of this concerning behaviour or discloses information about a situation of this kind that has made them feel uncomfortable.

If you, the young person in your life, or anyone you know has had their intimate images shared without their consent, speak to police, or if you would prefer, use online forums such as ReportCyber and the ESafety Commissioner which will assess the report and provide them to police.

Even if you do not wish to make a formal report, police can still assist you in seeking further support.

Victoria Police is committed to reducing the harms associated with the non-consensual sharing or distribution of intimate images and continues to work collaboratively with national and interstate partners to address this type of criminal activity.

Anyone who contacts police will be supported and treated with respect, courtesy and dignity.

If you receive someone’s intimate images, please contact police. Do not share the images further.

Social media sites are best placed to remove illegal and harmful online content on their platforms.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner can also assist with removal of illegal and harmful online content. Report image-based abuse | eSafety Commissioner

When social media sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, detect images of a child under 18 they are mandated to make a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

In an emergency call Triple Zero (000). If you can’t get to a phone, ask someone else to do it for you.

Police have arrested a man after an alleged attempted ramming of a police vehicle and subsequent pursuit in the Ballarat suburb of Sebastopol last week.

Officers caught sight of an allegedly stolen silver Toyota Hilux on Raglan Street, about 1.45am last Tuesday morning.

The Toyota allegedly attempted to ram a police vehicle.

The driver allegedly failed to pull over and a pursuit was initiated.

The Toyota allegedly continued travelling at a fast rate of speed, and at times on the wrong side of the road, along Pleasant and Rippon streets.

The Toyota allegedly rammed a set of metal gates at a property on Grant Street before the vehicle rolled on Jenkins Drive.

Officers moved in swiftly and arrested a man.

No one was injured.

A 28-year-old Delacombe man was being held in police custody and was to be interviewed.

Police allege that the Toyota Hilux was stolen from a Haddon address overnight, some time over last Monday night-early hours of last Tuesday morning.

Detectives from the Cybercrime Squad are urging Victorians to be vigilant of scammers targeting myGov sign in details to commit tax fraud.

Scammers are attempting to fraudulently access linked government services during the annual rush to complete tax returns, before either generating fraudulent payments in the victim’s name, or redirecting tax refunds to be paid into their own accounts.

Since 30 June of this year, Victoria Police has received over 300 reports, with a total reported loss of at least $2M so far.

Scammers use a variety of methods to compromise their victims’ identities, including sending phishing email and SMS scams to impersonate government agencies.

These scams can contain links to fake myGov websites. Victims will be prompted to enter their details, unknowingly giving criminals access to their genuine myGov accounts linked to their ATO accounts. Once they have access, scammers are able to pose as the victim in order to commit fraud.

Scammers will use the cover of events such as annual tax time to lure potential victims. Common phrases currently being used by scammers include:

• ‘You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund’
• ‘You have a new message in your myGov inbox – click here to view’
• ‘You need to update your details to allow your Tax return to be processed’
• ‘We need to verify your incoming tax deposit’
• ‘ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number’
• ‘Your income statement is ready, click on the link to view’

Once the offenders have gained access to an account, they are able to pose as the victim in order to commit fraud.

Since 30 June of this year, Victoria Police has received:

• 180 reports of government payment redirection,
• 66 reports of unauthorised online account access (ATO or myGov),
• 48 reports of myGov SMS impersonation, and
• 15 reports of identity takeover (myGov account)

The 309 reports thus far equal a total reported loss of $2,056,841.

There are a number of steps users can take to protect themselves:

• Never click on a hyperlink that has been texted or emailed. The ATO and myGov won’t send you an SMS or email with a link to access online services – always access these directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser.
• Use a Digital ID, such as myGovID, to access ATO online services through myGov and set your online access strength to the highest level you can achieve
• Enable multi-factor authentication where possible.
• Consider setting up a passkey such as facial or fingerprint recognition.

If you suspect someone is using your tax information illegally or has stolen your personal identity documents, contact the ATO as soon as possible on 1800 467 033. They will explain the safeguards that need to be applied to keep your ATO account safe.

Call Services Australia’s Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk on 1800 941 126 if you’ve:

• opened a link in a suspicious text message, email or social media message that pretending to be from Services Australia or myGov.
• given someone your myGov sign in details or other personal information.
• visited a website or downloaded a fake app that that pretended to be Services Australia or myGov.

Report any suspicious contact claiming to be from the ATO to ReportScams@ato.gov.au.

There’s more information about myGov scams and what to do if you have been affected by one at myGov scams | myGov

Scams that are not impersonating the ATO, myGov or a Services Australia brand can be reported to Report a scam | Scamwatch

Detective Senior Sergeant John Cheyne, Cybercrime Squad: “We’re encouraging everyone to be hypervigilant when it comes to scams such as these. Never click on a link sent to you that is purporting to be from the Australian Taxation Office or myGov, they will never ask you to access any online services via a link.

“Make sure you access your accounts through legitimate apps or via independent searches.

“We’re also finding that victims are ignoring what are actually legitimate texts from organisations indicating their accounts have been accessed, thinking they are scams. If you receive a text like this, log in to your account via a legitimate app or an independent search and make sure everything is as it should be. Change your password and phone the ATO helpline if necessary.

“We’d also recommend you conduct a bi-yearly health check of your accounts. Check your credit score or log in to your myGov account to make sure no edits have been made throughout the year that weren’t done by you.

“Account compromises such as these are often not identified until months after they’ve occurred, when the victim next logs in to their account.

“We encourage anyone who has been subject to a scam such as this to speak to police.”

Anyone with any information on scam activity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

The local member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas has highlighted funding for two significant projects for the region, as part of the Labor Government’s Enabling Tourism Fund 2024.   

The Hepburn Shire Council has been successful with $80,000 for the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve Masterplan that will establish a guide for the future development and management of the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve.

The reserve is home to several important and  popular Mineral Springs, the commercial facility Hepburn Bathhouse, walking tracks and picnic areas.   

And nearby, Hepburn’s Shizuka Ryokan will receive $54,000 to develop a detailed design package for the Japanese Bathhouse and Wellness Sanctuary that will complement their existing offerings.

Expected to help encourage year-round visitation to the region,  the projects are two of 29 new infrastructure projects across the state’s regional and rural areas benefiting from the Enabling Tourism Fund 2024.

Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas: “This funding is a huge win for Hepburn Shire Council and Shizuka Ryokan. Creating new and exciting tourism infrastructure projects in the Hepburn Shire will go a long way to strengthen our world-class tourism offering and ensuring a strong local economy well into the future.”

To see a complete list of the Enabling Tourism Fund projects, those keen to know more can go to tourism.vic.gov.au/grants-and-support/enabling-tourism-fund online.