Results from Hepburn Shire Council’s Community Satisfaction Survey have been released.

The state government-commissioned survey is administered by JWS Research and covers the period from June 1, 2023 to March 18, 2024 and is now conducted quarterly instead of yearly.

In the survey 72 per cent of survey respondents rated the shire’s overall performance as ‘average and above’, an increase from 70 per cent in the previous year.

Mayor Cr Brian Hood said it was pleasing to see improvements in many of the key metrics.

“We recognise council has lots more to do to improve its service delivery, but seeing this upward trend in many service areas is a further step in the right direction.

“Of the 17 service areas surveyed, council recorded improved results in 12 areas compared to the last survey and the same result in one area. There was a decline in satisfaction in four service areas.”

However, the council still finds itself below other small rural shires and state-wide results in 14 of the 17 areas surveyed.

The survey results for overall satisfaction in those 14 areas were:

Hepburn 2024 | Hepburn 2023 | Small Rural 2024 | State-wide 2024
Overall performance: 49 49 53 54
Customer service: 64 66 66 67
Appearance of public areas: 64 60 71 68
Recreational facilities: 61 57 67 68
Enforcement of local laws: 56 53 60 61
Community decisions: 46 42 50 50
Sealed local roads: 29 33 41 45
Planning & building permits: 35 39 43 45
Business & community development: 56 54 57 57
Environmental sustainability: 57 56 59 60
Value for money: 42 41 47 48
Waste management: 65 64 67 67
Recreational facilities: 61 57 67 68
Lobbying: 48 44 50 50
Community decisions: 46 42 50 50; and
Slashing & weed control: 42 39 46 45
Those closest to small rural shires and/or statewide results were:
Tourism development: 61 62 61 59; and
Overall council direction: 44 41 44 45
The best result was for Consultation & engagement: 52 46 51 51.
They survey findings said one in five residents (21%) rate the value for money
they receive from the council in infrastructure and services as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
Almost twice as many rate the council as ‘very poor’ or ‘poor’ (39%).
Link: www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/Council/Plans-and-publications/Performance

Words: Donna Kelly

Ratepayers in Hepburn Shire will have to contend with a 2.275 per cent rate rise after the council adopted its new 2024-2025 budget yesterday.

At a special meeting, councillors have chosen to increase rates at 2.75 per cent which is the maximum rate set by the state government.

They have also endorsed a reduction in operational costs by $1.5 million, a move expected to produce challenges in avoiding impacts on service delivery. 

In a media statement issued following yesterday’s special meeting the council said: “Victorian councils, and in particular Hepburn Shire, have been adversely impacted financially by a sub-CPI rate cap environment, increased costs due to inflation, natural disasters including storms and floods, increasing community and government expectations and limited alternate income streams”. 

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, says that this will be the fourth and final year budget under the council’s current Council Plan, noting that it funds important services such as roads, parks, waste and recycling and more. 

“Like many other Victorian councils, Hepburn Shire Council must make difficult financial decisions to ensure its long-term economic viability,” Cr Hood said.

“The budget has a strong focus on the completion of current works, projects and infrastructure, services and programs. 

“Councillors have chosen to increase rates at 2.75 per cent as per the maximum rate set by the State Government, which is below the current CPI rate of 3.6 per cent for the period to March 2024.

“Our shire revenue is expected to be $40.7 million, while our operating expenses are projected to be $42.8 million. The budget also includes the capital works program of $8.4 million encompassing roads, infrastructure, improvements to assets and completion or progression of community facilities.”

“While there is little room for any new projects, community consultation on the budget attracted some important community feedback that was considered by officers and councillors, and will be used to inform future financial planning. We received just over 20 submissions.

“We will continue to listen to the community’s needs and strive to deliver high quality services that align with our community’s priorities and expectations.”

The budget endorsed a reduction in operational costs by $1.5 million, while striving to minimise the consequent impact on service delivery. 

Financial pressures are mounting across government, business and communities. The Victorian local government sector faces challenges that will most likely lead to potential changes to the council’s service offering and capacity to invest in infrastructure. 

The council is committed to the delivery of a revised long-term financial plan and will engage with the community through July on a Financial Vision, with adoption to be considered in September.

The council needs to find an additional $4 million in revenue and savings in coming years to develop a financially responsible long-term financial plan that delivers on the Community Vision.

“We want to hear from the community as we plan for future financial sustainability, delivering the services they need and managing our assets responsibly,” Cr Hood said.

The consultation period on Hepburn Shire Council’s draft Township Structure Plans and Rural Hepburn strategy has been extended to June 26.

The draft documents were released on May 1 with the original consultation period ending on June 12.
Mayor Cr Brian Hood thanked everyone who had already lodged their submissions.

“We know there is a lot of detail and so we’ve decided to extend the consultation period so we can gain more insights from the community.

“Though the deadline is extended by a fortnight, it will still give us time to fully consider that feedback and work to adopt the strategy in early September.

“I encourage every resident to access the information via council’s ‘Participate Hepburn’ page. This is a
once-in-a-generation planning strategy that will guide development for many years to come.”

Cr Hood said all the submissions would be considered by councillors and he assured the community
that all feedback was being taken into account “and (we) will continue to do so before we consider possible adoption”.

A council media release said the Rural Hepburn strategy provided a comprehensive planning and action framework for the use and development of private rural land.

“It will provide a safeguard for rural land. Initial community feedback reaffirms that agricultural land is
highly valued, contributes significant economic benefits, that conservation and biodiversity are important, and that rural tourism is a significant growth contributor,” the release said.

“The strategy proposes to introduce contemporary and clearer planning provisions, so getting feedback from community on these options is important.”

CEO Bradley Thomas said community engagement had been integral in providing further local knowledge.

“The small, but highly skilled strategic planning team have gathered great insights from the community and submissions to date, which they will review and provide recommendations to councillors.”

The council has held face-to-face meetings in each of its townships, which attracted many interested
individuals. Online there have been thousands of visits to the Participate Hepburn site, and almost 500 people have completed the survey.

“We have all these farms around us, a form of food security for the town, and that should never
be taken for granted. We have really good soil, really good water, and can just throw seeds on the
ground and food will grow for us. To destroy that is ludicrous.”

These are the words of Vasko Drogriski, one of the “very active” members of grassroots community group Pastures not Pavements.

The Daylesford and Hepburn Springs group’s aims are threefold. To stop plans to rezone land in East Street from farmland to residential, to stop extensions to Daylesford’s town boundary and also stop the rezoning of another parcel of farmland to industrial.

“The hopes of the group are that the extension of the town boundary gets dropped and the council also puts aside the rezoning of farmland to residential. There is not sufficient evidence for it to be warranted and these are very big modifications to the town.

“We are just saying if there is no urgent need for it, why do it now? Why not just step back, look at it again in 10 or 15 years’ time and if there is any such need, reassess then and have another discussion with the town.”

Mr Drogriski, a builder, said councillors were listening and understood it was an important issue for
the community but “we don’t know which way they are going to vote”.

“They are certainly hearing this is a serious thing for the town and people are quite unanimous about it. That message is getting through.”

If the plans do make it through council, despite opposition, Mr Drogriski said the group would continue to fight.

“The next stage would be the planning scheme amendment and we have been collecting evidence and
if we have to, we will take that to the minister.

There is evidence of improper consultation, flaws in the plans themselves and insufficient evidence for some of the changes they are proposing.

“The community, including our group have done a lot work in terms of fleshing out and exploring options and we think we have some very good viable options we want the council to look at and consider seriously.

“We have a lot of expertise and experience and some of us have been here 20, 30 or 40 years. I am a building designer myself so I have some insight into where housing is possible and it doesn’t need to go on a farm which is sitting on top of a spring that flows into one of our main tourist attractions, the Lake.

“There is a lot of space for housing within the town boundary and there are viable alternatives which will keep the town as it is and how people and tourists like it.”

Mr Drogriski said the shire’s councillors needed to leave a legacy of “retaining the beauty and structure of this town – why any councillor would want to leave a legacy of destroying a big heritage beats me. If you want to leave a legacy, leave a good one.”

He said farmer Ned Powell, whose East Street property is in the firing line for rezoning, was “probably
partly overwhelmed but also actively engaged in the fight”.

“It is not just Ned, it is his uncles and his aunty who own the property together, who have been dragged into something they don’t want. But Ned is in there batting for his whole family because he sees his future in farming, and he wants to be that next generation with his kids who want to farm that property.

“I think he is also inspired by the support he is getting from the community. It has been a fantastic community effort, and it shows me for the first time in the 20 years I have been here how supportive the community is of our farmers and the farmland around own town.

“I have seen how much people value the farmland, the open spaces, the rural edge. And that has been fantastic.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Wayne Hammond

The Hepburn Shire Council has extended the consultation period for its draft Township Structure Plans and Rural Hepburn strategy by two weeks, until 26th June, allowing more time for the community to submit feedback.

The construction of these plans, as part of Future Hepburn, has been a long-term project with the council keen to continue to hear from the community.

To date the council has also held face-to-face meetings in each of its townships, attracting many interested individuals. Online there have been thousands of visits to the Participate Hepburn site, and around 500 people have completed the survey.

Councillors and planning officers have attended community sessions and spoken to many interested parties since the release of the draft documents on 1 May.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood: “Thank you to all who have already lodged their submissions. We know there is a lot of detail and so we’ve decided to extend the consultation period so we can gain more insights from the community.

“Though the deadline is extended by a fortnight, it will still give us time to fully consider that feedback and work to adopt the strategy in early September.

“I encourage every resident to access the information via Council’s ‘Participate Hepburn’ page. This is a once-in-a-generation planning strategy that will guide development for many years to come.

“The submissions will all be considered by councillors, and I can assure community members that we are taking all feedback into account and will continue to do so before we consider possible adoption.”

Hepburn Shire Council Chief Executive Officer Bradley Thomas: “Community engagement has been integral in providing further local knowledge.

“The small, but highly skilled strategic planning team have gathered great insights from the community and submissions to date, which they will review and provide recommendations to councillors.”

By Donna Kelly

OK. By now we all know the Hepburn Shire Council is in a bit of a state financially.

But how did it all go so wrong? The Rex perhaps? Nah. Couldn’t be. Hang on, I think I know what’s happened. The numbers don’t add up. I realised that after I read the following words in the draft budget: “Even after the $4.50 million borrowings and $1.5m operational savings council will still need to identify $4.00 of permanent additional revenue or expenditure reductions in 2025/2026.”

Even the embattled councillors must have got a little laugh out of that. Maybe not.

Talking of typos, I remember quite a few years back hearing of a national newspaper being produced by a laissez faire sub-editor who filled in the front page headline space with big 60 point letters.

Keep in mind the most you should ever write in a headline space is Headline Goes Here – just in case you forget to change it.

But this guy was a joker and wrote WORLD IS… and then he put an F and then a U and then a K and then a T.

You can see how I would be thinking about that as I wade through Hepburn Shire Council’s draft budget and draft town structure plans.

The really funny thing, not for the sub because he got the sack, is that a few copies managed to get printed and delivered before someone called the wonderful “Stop the presses”. I would love a copy if you happen to have one.

Anyway, things are not going well for the council and you could say the ratepayers are revolting. I am sure the council is saying that. It really does feel like a bit of a revolution and then you wonder who will be at the helm when the next elections are held in November.

Will the current mob want another four years or is it time for them to bow out?

Or is it time for the state government to step in and take over? And what does that mean for everything on the table now?

Or will the council look for a merger – but what council would want to take on a cash-strapped neighbour. Ballarat? Moorabool? Maybe more likely Melton because we are going to start looking like that once we turn our farm land into subdivisions of ticky tacky houses.

The swathes going through Middleton Field are already pretty mind blowing and then they go and cut down an historic and important cedar tree. Yes it was on private land, and yes, it made way for access to the estate, but at what cost.

That reminds me of another time when the state government worked to move the fire station at Glenlyon to the other side of Barkly Street, mostly commonly known as the avenue of honour although I have been told it is an avenue of federation.

Anyway, to create access for the fire trucks we were told they needed to remove five of the oaks and elms.

Kyle, myself and a neighbour protested. And many people told us we were against the fire station and even called us tree huggers. Gasp!

Finally, the developer agreed that the trucks could enter from the back of the block and no trees needed to be removed. Problem solved. Although we did have one more stand to make.

A Powercor bloke came to drill under the avenue to connect power. Kyle asked him to hold off while we called his manager. He told Kyle: “They’re just f…king trees, mate.”

I then called the manager who assured me all their staff were highly trained professionals and I had to beg to differ.

Long story a little shorter, they put the power in from the back of the block and the trees are there to continue their journeys today.

I dunno, it’s all a bit crazy right now, and the public consultations for both the budget and the town structure plans are coming quickly. If you have something to say, now is the time.

And for the councillors, I don’t envy your jobs but as I have said before please concentrate on getting it right, rather than just getting it done.

The future looks a little bleak and we really are in your hands. Just sayin’..

One of the protected and historic cedar trees along Malmsbury Road has been felled to make way for
road access for the Middleton Field housing estate.

The tree was behind temporary fencing with black plastic over the top, dotted with signs saying “TREE
PROTECTION ZONES – KEEP OUT”.

Hepburn Shire Councillor Jen Bray said on social media it was “very sad to see this majestic tree coming down”.

“Council did manage to save the other tree which was proposed to be cut down by putting the condition that only one, not two trees, be allowed to be removed for the road access.

“The final decision to grant the permit for this development was made by the Minister for Planning last
year. The rest of the trees are to be protected in a public reserve managed by council.”

Daylesford resident Debora Mermadeit, who has long advocated for the trees’ protection, said the “whole process was a travesty…including councillors not getting to the bottom of exactly why even a single tree was slated to go”.

“Bureaucratic bungling and lack of rigour by all levels of council/executive branch and councillors alike led to this. It could have been avoided.

“While it is great the developers and council were finally convinced to place the remainder of the trees in a reserve it was a hard slog and had the trees’ significance been acknowledged by all from day one, including all levels of council, the removal of even one tree could have been avoided.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Main image: Kevin Childs | Inset: Kyle Barnes

More than 150 people attended a community consultation at the Daylesford Town Hall last Saturday, June 1, over the proposed Hepburn Shire Town Structure Plans.

Among them was farmer Ned Powell, pictured above talking with Hepburn Shire Council Development executive director Ron Torres, who is concerned about the potential rezoning of his East Street, Daylesford farm land to residential.

Mr Powell said it was a shock for his family to discover the move on the draft plan for Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. Mr Powell said his family bought the farm in 1921 and had continuously farmed the property. And he says, despite the potential for profit, they were completely opposed to the idea of rezoning.

Mr Powell is concerned his rates could go up if the land was rezoned and it could also be subject to the state government’s windfall gains tax, introduced last year.

Many people have raised other concerns with The Local including that the plans are rushed, with a deadline of June 12 for community input.

Mayor Cr Brian Hood has said “getting it right is more important than timing”. However the proposed plans are pencilled in to be passed at the August council meeting.

The plans are part of Future Hepburn, which since its start four years ago has cost about $1.3 million. Community sessions on the town structure plans have been held throughout the shire.

Meanwhile, a community-led grass roots movement, Pastures NOT Pavements, has formed with farmers, residents, business owners and “the wider community of people that are concerned about the Daylesford and Hepburn Springs Draft Structure Plan”.

The group says it wants “to preserve active farmland that is essential to maintaining the rural character of our townships and not succumb to unnecessary ‘greenfield development’, because once it’s gone, it’s gone”.

The group wants to stop the rezoning of the East Street farmland, preserve productive agricultural land, protect the Smith’s Creek and farmland water catchment, remove Central Springs Road as a freight spine, support incremental and distributed housing growth within the town boundaries and prevent the business centre and traffic being drawn eastwards.

Link: www.participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/future-hepburn

Words & image: Donna Kelly

Hepburn Shire Council is in such dire financial straits that Mayor Cr Brian Hood and two other councillors voted to defer the release of its draft budget until September.

At a special meeting of council on May 28, Cr Lesley Hewitt moved a motion which acknowledged the challenging financial environment that is confronting councils across Victoria and requested the CEO and Mayor write to the Local Government Minister to seek an extension of time to the September 2024 council meeting to adopt the budget, to allow the council to undertake further work including extensive community consultation.

The motion also requested that the CEO work with councillors to undertake additional councillor workshops, engage with the community during July and prepare an updated Financial Plan (10 years) for consideration at the September 2024 council meeting that addresses the long-term financial sustainability of the council.

It was voted for by Cr Hewitt, Cr Don Henderson and Cr Hood. Those against were Cr Jen Bray, Cr Juliet Simpson, Cr Tessa Halliday and Cr Tim Drylie. After alternative motions, the draft budget was moved to be released for public discussion.

Cr Hood, speaking on why the draft budget release should be delayed said it was “absolutely unacceptable and unsustainable to budget for deficits”.

“The draft budget does not meet the requirements of the overarching governance principles set out which relate to ensuring the ongoing financial viability of council.

“(It) does not prudently manage financial risk (and) in its current form it also does not meet the requirement to provide stability and predictability for the community. The limited mention of rates does just the opposite – it creates uncertainty.”

Cr Hood said in its current form the draft budget posed unacceptable risks and was outside the council’s stipulated risk appetite and policy in that it “recklessly projects a scenario of having no unrestricted cash available to buffer against unforeseen emergencies (such as the storm and flood events experienced in recent years).”

Cr Hood said the draft budget disclosed unfunded cash shortfalls in the order of $4m in each of years 2, 3 and 4 – a gap equivalent to 20 per cent of the council’s rates base or 12.5 per cent of its cash operating expenses.

“In reality the budget quantifies massive problems to the community with no solutions. It is simply unfair and unrealistic to present a budget with massive deficits and cash shortfalls for a review by the community in less than three weeks. Nothing constructive could be achieved in that period.

“While there has been limited discussion/debate today on the budget’s contents there has been absolutely no discussion on what the next three weeks’ consultation looks like.

“When informing the community of further deficits, no cash buffer, no major capex projects, possible service cuts and rate hikes what do we expect them to do with that info in three weeks and what do we expect their reaction to be?”

In a media briefing the day before the draft budget was released, Cr Hood, speaking on behalf of the council as mayor, said financial issues had arisen from the cumulative effect of sub-CPI rate capping ($5.8m over the past three years), high inflation in construction and other costs, cost-shifting from other levels of government, mostly state, and waste charge changes effective from 25/26.

Cr Hood also said Hepburn Shire had a small population, a low rate base and an overly ambitious service offering from the council.

The council is looking at asking the state government for a rates variation from the current government cap, cuts of operating costs of $1.5 million, new borrowings of $5.5 million for capital expenditure and the Daylesford Town Hall, the completion of only ongoing and renewal works, and slashing full-time staff from 190 to 174.

Public consultation is open until June 13, with its adoption set for June 25. Link: www.participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/draft-budget

Words: Donna Kelly

The Hepburn Shire Council has appointed seven community members to its new Daylesford Community Facilities Project Advisory Group to consult with the council and community on potential redevelopment of Daylesford Town Hall into a community facilities hub.

Appointment of the new Project Advisory Group (PAG) members follows a public Expression of Interest stage with an eighth position to be filled by a youth representative.

The group consists of Adam Fawcett, Joanne Tsakoumagos, John King, Louise Johnson, Sarah Bibby, Sarah Lang and Matt Johnson.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said the appointees cover a broad cross-section of the community including gender diversity, LGBTQI+ people, people living with a disability, young families, community groups, seniors groups, arts, library, tourism, and events interests, and those with broader community connections. 

“The PAG membership also encompasses individuals with a diverse array of skills, such as project management, community engagement, marketing and communication, local government, technology and innovation.  We appreciate the time, effort and expertise these members will be putting towards this important project,” said Cr Hood. 

The council has also appointed a lead architect for the Daylesford Community Facilities Project, k20 Architecture, to examine the design and development of a multi-function assembly hall and contemporary library at the Daylesford Town Hall site which includes the Town Hall, office accommodation and Senior Citizens’ room. 

“The architectural and design elements of the multi-phase project will begin with a feasibility and schematic design study. Depending on the outcome of that study and availability of future funding, detailed design and construction will follow,” said Cr Hood. 

Of the eighteen high-quality submissions, the tender has been awarded to k20 Architecture, and the delivery of future stages are subject to outcomes of the feasibility study and future funding. 

The first stage of contracted services covers extensive community and stakeholder engagement, and close liaison with the PAG.

The council is inviting individuals under the age of 25 years, or people with youth engagement experience, to apply for a position on the PAG. EOIs are open until 5pm Wednesday 5 June 2024.   

The Hepburn Shire Council says its Sustainable Hepburn Strategy (2022-2026) is making encouraging progress.

The strategy adopted in 2022, considers matters such as the natural environment and biodiversity, beyond zero emissions, climate resilience and the target of becoming a low waste shire.

At the mid-point of the strategy a high number of the planned actions are either completed or on track for completion, the council says in a prepared media statement.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood says that in the past year, Hepburn Shire has run a successful sustainability expo with approximately 700 attendees.

“The Shire has moved to 100% renewable electricity; launched the Circular Hepburn – Business Toolkit; offered a weekly food and garden organics kerbside collection service; conducted wildlife corridor mapping to support Township Structure Planning and … endorsed the next annual Solar Savers program,” he said.

The new Sustainable Hepburn Community Advisory Committee has met twice since November last year.   

 A progress report indicates the priorities for the next six months. These include conducting an assessment of the council’s climate emergency readiness across the organisation and reviewing its ecologically sustainable design principles in the Planning Scheme.

The council also plans to continue improving the shire’s transfer stations with several initiatives being investigated to avoid valuable resources going into landfill and strengthening local circular economy aspirations.

Sprawl: a serious threat to food security

While the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance applauds Hepburn’s efforts in the Rural Hepburn Strategy to protect agricultural land from further inappropriate development for so-called lifestyle blocks we assert that the town structure plans as drafted will thwart this intent to the detriment of both valuable farmland and the character and liveability of our shire’s towns.

First, rezoning agricultural land to expand the Daylesford town boundary will merely open it up for inappropriate development wildly out of character with its historical development. Making the 14 hectares at East Street available to development is not ‘planning for predicted growth’, it is pre-empting growth – making it almost a certainty that the town will grow quickly and uniformly for the profit of some distant development company.

It will not benefit locals by delivering more affordable housing stock, including rental houses, and the developments are nearly guaranteed to be a mundane monoculture of drab and unsustainable design.

In the interest of brevity, we make a final point, looking to the loss of peri-urban agricultural land around Melbourne, such as at Koo Wee Rup and Werribee, and say that while it may be ‘only’ 14 hectares this year, how many next time, and the next?

Drawing a line to protect farmland to feed our communities must be a priority in all rural strategies. There is plenty of space within the town boundary as outlined by council itself, if subdivision permissions are eased and the 380 vacant lots developed instead of farmland.

A policy to discourage or even prohibit the proliferation of short-term accommodation that leaves up to 40 per cent of houses vacant on any given night would genuinely address the housing crisis, whereas cheap, ugly peri-urban development will not.

We recommend reading the Foodprint Melbourne reports to better grasp the long-term implications of allowing towns to sprawl, which presents a serious threat to food security and the well being of local communities.

From Tammi Jonas, president, Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance Co-custodian, Jonai Farms & Meatsmiths, Eganstown

Is the Hepburn Shire Council doing the bidding of the state government in a sort of puppet master – puppet relationship?

I never thought I’d become a conspiracy theorist, but it’s not much of a stretch to go from an inquisitive mind who sees beyond the rhetoric and probably pays too much attention to a full-blown, capsicum spray recipient who marches to the beat of everyone else’s drum.

And although I am firmly not an anti-vaxxer, and certainly believe in what happened in terms of death and destruction during the pandemic, it is not such a long bow to draw for me to say that someone could have possibly been behind the whole disaster. After all, it’s just letting a couple of new bugs out of a bottle and the rest is history.

You must ask yourself who gained from the whole thing? The short answer is that the world was cruising along nicely in 2019. We were in a good space with technology, some of us used it, but most of us could take it or leave it.

And housing prices were not too bad by today’s standards. Fast forward to 2024, most families will be yoked to the banks for the rest of their natural lives, paying out overblown mortgages and we all are well familiar with technology and most of us rely on it for our daily lives.

When you figure out the answers as to what changed, then who benefited is not too much of a stretch. Banks and technology companies who now account for the top one per cent of the hugely wealthy. But that is just a little too deep for me, so getting back to the puppet master, the state government of Victoria.

It is no secret the whole show is almost broke. Probably because of the pandemic as well as organising huge infrastructure contractors, cancelling them and paying them out large sums of money for not lifting a finger. A classic misuse of the public purse.

So how does a government get out of a red hot financial mess – and with a housing crisis happening and being predicted to be a sort of a tsunami on the economic horizon?

You would have to bring in some smart cookies to figure this mess out. Some special bureaucrats from the “men in black branch” of the government who sit around in think tanks and plot sneaky shit all day long.

Please remember this is just my theory and don’t take it to the bank, but it does seem to stack up when I passed it by the mayor the other day during an interview.

The first move: On July 1 last year the “windfall gains tax” got passed into state legislation. This tax applies to land which is subject to government rezoning resulting in a taxable value uplift to the land of more than $100,000.

In short, if you were a local farmer tending your land and the local council came along and rezoned it, normally you would be up for a huge pay day. But the state government has ensured that the poor farmer, if they sell or leave the land vacant, gets the absolute shit taxed out of him which returns to the state.

The second move: Slip the puppet onto the master’s hand (local councils). In November last year the local government areas were asked to start compiling some land to chop up for future development, this is currently what you see in the form of “Future Hepburn”.

This will ultimately result in windfall gains tax, forcing the farmers to sell to developers and line the pockets of the government. The timing is too slick to be coincidental and I don’t believe for one moment it is in the best interests of our community.

But it is not our local council’s fault. They are simply doing the government’s bidding and I believe this particular issue goes way, way up the food chain and is well beyond our control locally.

My two cents worth, rant over…

Reconsider the East Street rezoning plan

The HSC proposal for potential rezoning of prime agricultural land along East Street must be reconsidered and removed from the Draft Structure Plan.

On page 10 of the draft plan under the heading 3.3 Strategic and Statutory Context – State Policy, Plan Melbourne states that “development in peri-urban areas must be in keeping with local character, attractiveness and amenity.

Growth boundaries should be established for each town to avoid urban sprawl and protect agricultural land and environmental assets”.

In the draft plan there is no mention or mapping of the natural spring that starts on that farm and becomes Smith Creek, which runs through the old trout hatchery and eventually into Lake Daylesford.

It’s like the councillors and planners haven’t even read their own document.

It should also be noted that the current owners of ‘Mayfield’, the farmland intended for rezoning, were not consulted and have no intention of selling, but may be forced to if this current proposal is adopted. We must not let that happen. Pastures not pavements!

From: Martin Hinck, David Triscott, Daylesford

In October last year The Local received a leaked document, via a USB drive, regarding the report by the Local Government Inspectorate into Hepburn Shire Council and dealings with The Rex. And a few other things.

The document arrived a week after The Local had emailed the Inspectorate to ask why the report had not been released and received an email back saying the Inspectorate was unable to share any information at that time.

The Local also contacted Hepburn Shire Council at the time with CEO Bradley Thomas saying the council had been in regular contact with the Local Government Inspectorate regarding the release of the report and “we have been calling for the release for some time – we can’t speculate on the reasons for the delay, but encourage you to contact the LGI directly”.

After a column by Donna Kelly on the receipt of the leaked document, The Local was asked to deliver the drive and any associated paperwork to the Inspectorate.

Last Wednesday, May 1, after receiving a media release … stating the state government has introduced new legislation to improve council governance and integrity standards, The Local wrote again to the Local Government Inspectorate asking when the report would be released.

It also wrote the same day to the media advisor of Local Government Department Minister Melissa Horne, who sent out the release, asking how the new legislation would help the people of Hepburn Shire uncover what had happened with their ratepayer dollars.

No reply was received from either department before press time.

The Local Government Inspectorate’s charter is “Encouraging higher standards of integrity, accountability and transparency in local government”.

And the state government continues to release media releases about legislation which will “elevate governance and integrity standards in Victoria’s 79 councils” and that “since the last council elections in 2020, 56 councillors have resigned and 11 councils have had municipal monitors appointed as a result of governance issues”.

That is all fine and dandy for those councils, but every Hepburn Shire ratepayer has the right to know what happened to their rates – and how long it will impact the delivery of services to the region. Until then, where is the integrity? And most of all, where did our rates go?

Words: Donna Kelly

Your thoughts? Email news@tlnews.com.au

The Hepburn Shire Council has endorsed the release of draft Township Structure Plans (for Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, Glenlyon and Trentham) and Rural Hepburn: Agricultural Land & Rural Settlement Strategy to be open for feedback throughout a six-week community and stakeholder engagement period.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that the Future Hepburn project was the most important project the council would deliver for many years.

“Future Hepburn is a major, once-in-a- generation project. We’ve already heard from the community that they want council to protect and enhance the character of our townships and rural settlements.

The strategic planning controls proposed in these key documents will help us appropriately manage future growth and development,” he said.

“We have already undertaken extensive community consultation to reach this phase of the project, but it’s important that we hear from the community now that we have draft documents.

The draft Township Structure Plans and Rural Hepburn strategy have come about after feedback from community and stakeholder groups throughout 2023, along with specialist technical advice from consultants and council officers with expertise in planning, ecology, infrastructure, transport, recreation and economic development.

“Input from the community will help inform the final drafts of the five Township Structure Plans and Rural Strategy to be considered for adoption in the coming months.”

Community information sessions will be held at:

Creswick: Friday, May 17, from 5pm to 8pm at the Creswick RSL. The introduction presentation will start at 7pm.

Trentham: Friday, May 24, from 5pm to 8pm at the Trentham Neighbourhood Centre. The introduction presentation will start at 7pm.

Hepburn Springs: Saturday, May 25, from 9am to 12pm at the Bendigo Community Bank building, Hepburn Springs. The introduction presentation will start at 11am.

Glenlyon: Saturday, May 25 from 2pm to 5pm at the Glenlyon Shire Hall. The introduction presentation will start at 4pm.

Clunes: Saturday, June 1, from 9am to 12pm at the Clunes Town Hall. The introduction presentation will start at 11am.

Daylesford: Saturday, June 1, from 2pm to 5pm at the Daylesford Town Hall. The introduction presentation will start at 4pm.

The council’s Community Panels will also come together again to review the drafts and provide feedback. “Our community panels played an important role in providing direction and focus on the vision and objectives which, in turn, guided the development of the strategies and actions,” Cr Hood said.

“We look forward to working with these passionate community members again during this important phase of the project.”

The Local last week received an anonymous email regarding Future Hepburn.

“Please please investigate this. It has not been done with community consultation. What has been drafted is not a reflection of those ‘community engagement panels’ and it is not appropriate that council is using that process as a rationale for its outcome that’s been drafted. Please follow this through.”

Link: www.participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/future-hepburn

What are your thoughts? Email news@tlnews.com.au

Words: Donna Kelly