Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

Keep an eye out and you may just spot him hiking along the chilly, muddy Hepburn Shire roads this week.
While many of us stay rugged up indoors, much loved Ballarat-based Tamil refugee, Neil Para, 44, is this week walking through Hepburn Shire as part of his far bigger 1000 km trek all the way from Ballarat to Sydney.
Neil (pictured above) who with his family arrived by boat in Australian waters in August 2012, has set himself a target of covering 30 kilometres a day as he highlights the plight of refugees who have been left in limbo after their bridging visas were removed with no assurance of residential permanency anywhere sight.
Starting at 8am from federal minister Catherine King’s office in Ballarat this Tuesday, August 1, Neil aims to reach Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office in Sydney within a month.
There, he will intend to present a petition bearing 11,000 signatures and calling for “fairness for refugees who’ve lived here in Australia for more than a decade”.
Supporting him logistically will be groups like Ballarat Rural Australians for Refugees and others in the network.
Neil says the idea for the long walk came to him as he reflected on the response to a four-day sit-in protest that took place at Parliament House in Canberra in March.
“I feel we were seen, but we were not heard,” says Neil who lives with his wife, Sugaa, and their three young daughters in Ballarat.
“Every single politician – they were passing by – but they didn’t come and talk to us.”
Neil says that reaction has prompted him to launch the Union of Australian Refugees group and to tackle the walking challenge to draw attention to the plight of his family and those on bridging visas.
Before settling in Ballarat in September 2013, the Para family had spent months in offshore and onshore detention facilities, including in Darwin and Dandenong.
Neil says the move to Ballarat was part of what immigration officials told him was a program to “fast-track” visas for refugees and asylum seekers moving to regional Australia.
But he says the promise of a visa was later reneged on, and the family’s bridging visas were removed, leaving Neil and Sugaa in a situation where they struggle to survive without the ability to work.
Neil volunteers with the State Emergency Service in the evenings, while Sugaa, also volunteers in aged care and for a local community centre.
Refugee advocates say there are as many as 12,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Australia who were excluded from the federal government’s announcement in February on a pathway to a permanent visa.
Those eligible included 19,000 people – from the Legacy Caseload – who had been living in Australia on temporary protection visas (TPV) or safe haven enterprise visas (SHEV).
Neil and his family are now understood to be among the up to 12,000 people who missed out. Meanwhile, data released by the Department on July 13 shows it has approved 2740 applications from asylum seekers and refugees who pursued the permanent pathway option announced in February, while 15,676 claims are still being processed.
Of the 32,045 individuals in the Legacy Caseload group, 7725 are reported to have had their cases closed either through refusal, cancellation or expiration.
After leaving Ballarat this Tuesday, Neil plans to head on to Newlyn, and then to continue on Wednesday from Newlyn through Daylesford and on to Malmsbury.
Former members of the now disbanded Rural Australian for Refugees Daylesford are supporting him during the Daylesford section of his walk and locals are being encouraged to get out, welcome him and cheer him on.

The Hepburn Shire Council is looking for community members to join its Heather Mutimer International Women’s Day Advisory Committee.

The aim of the committee is to provide the council with advice on the Heather Mutimer International Women’s Day Honour Roll.

The council is now calling on applications from suitably qualified and experienced community members. 

Applications are now open and will close on Monday 21 August 2023 at 5.00pm.

Those interested in applying are also being encouraged to read the Heather Mutimer International Women’s Day Advisory Committee – Terms of Reference

Hepburn Shire Council says it’s continuing to invest in roads across the shire with a $500,000 road patching contract awarded at its Ordinary Meeting last week.

The council has also recently entered into a partnership with five other Councils to deliver a regional approach to bituminous resealing. 

Council has allocated $2.73 million in the 2023/24 budget for reconstruction, resealing and gravel re-sheeting of roads across the Shire, in addition to around $3 million of operational expenditure for other repair works. 

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood said investment in roads is a justifiable concern for our community and a major priority for Council. 

“Successive years of wet weather have seriously deteriorated road conditions and led to potholes and other road defects. This is an ongoing challenge that all road authorities are facing,” said Cr Hood. 

“Major patching can drastically improve the condition of roads. The contract for sealed road patching will see improvements to Council-managed roads around the Shire,” he said. 

To optimise effectiveness patching works will begin in autumn once weather conditions improve. The program of works will be based on an audit of road pavement defects that Council carried out earlier this year, thereby ensuring works are prioritised in an evidence-based manner. Council awarded the contract to Civil By Parker Pty Ltd. 

Hepburn Shire is partnering with neighbouring Councils Ararat Rural City, Pyrenees Shire, the City of Ballarat, Moorabool Shire and Golden Plains Shire, in a regional bituminous resealing program with Victorian-based contractor, VSA Roads Pty Ltd. 

“Joining together with neighbouring Councils to improve our roads makes good sense, both from a safety and financial perspective,” said Cr Hood. 

Bituminous resealing gives the road a fresh coat of protection and grip to ensure continued usability and durability.  

“Bituminous resealing will start in our Shire early next year. It’s a key tool in improving and maintaining our road network,” said Cr Hood. 

Council has also awarded a contract to improve kerb, channel and carparks in the vicinity of High Street in Trentham. The $227,992 (ext. GST) contract was awarded to Fulton Hogan Industries. 

The project includes separate packages of work, including construction of kerb outstands to improve pedestrian safety and access and reduce speed at the intersection of Quarry and High streets. A section of bluestone will be re-laid, with new asphalt on High Street.  

Two car parks will be formalised and asphalted – the car park on Quarry Street at the Quarry Street Reserve and the car park at the corner of Cosmo Road. The formalised carpark adds to the facility upgrades that Council recently completed at the Quarry Street Reserve. 

Works in Trentham are expected to begin in the coming months. Every effort will be taken to minimise disruption to the community and local businesses.  

Similar traffic, drainage and road improvement works have been undertaken in Clunes and Creswick in previous years. 

Cr Hood said that Council has received a lot of feedback on roads over the last few months.  

“We appreciate the feedback from the community on roads. We encourage people to continue to contact Council to raise a service request via our website or by phone,” said Cr Hood. 

“Many of the reports relate to roads which are under the management of Regional Roads Victoria and we’re not able to do any work on them, but be assured we share feedback with RRV managers,” he said. 

Roads not managed by Council include major arterial roads including Midland Highway, Daylesford Trentham Road, Daylesford Malmsbury Road, Ballan Daylesford Road, Creswick Newstead Road, Clunes Creswick Road, Main Road Hepburn Springs and more. The full list is available at www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/roads. 

To report an issue on these roads visit www.vicroads.vic.gov.au or phone 13 11 71. To report an issue with a Council-managed road visit www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/request or call Council on (03) 5348 2306.

Words: Donna Kelly

COMPLAINTS about in-home aged care provider, Benetas, continue to rise with concerns the organisation is sending out bills even when a service is not provided.
The Local first raised the issue in the June 19 edition after a woman called to say the cost had risen by 130 per cent and there was a lack of support workers.
Since then many people have contacted The Local to say they are not happy with the service. Benetas took over the Commonwealth Home Support Programme from the Hepburn Shire Council 12 months ago.
A number of people said, especially in relation to cleaning services, Benetas staff often failed to turn up for an allocated time – and the next service would be a fortnight away. Bills for the “non” services were still received in some cases.
A Trentham woman last week said Benetas had “pushed for direct debit” but she had refused. “I noticed on the previous bill that I was charged for three days when no one turned up. I then deducted those and paid what was due. However another bill has turned up for even more, and does not include the payment I have made.”
Another woman, from Daylesford, said her 87-year-old mother’s doctor had recommended a package for her. “Benetas assigned a cleaner for Mum but in the past eight weeks, Mum has had one visit from a different cleaner. Mum only has been assigned 45 minutes every fortnight, no-one has turned up in those times and calling Benetas is a waste of time, they either don’t answer or don’t call you back.
“If you miss your turn that’s it, you might or might not get someone else in the next fortnight. I have asked Benetas repeatedly to call me so that I know if someone is coming but they say they will and don’t do that either. There is the potential there for it to be a good service but at the moment it is a shambles unfortunately.”
The woman also said her mother had received an account saying she had domestic assistance on June 19, which was not true, and no-one had come since that date.
Another woman, also from Trentham, said she believed there were not enough staff. “We didn’t get cleaning done for about six weeks, and I am only getting an hour and a half each fortnight, but I wasn’t contacted to say they didn’t have someone to send. So you just sit around waiting and when no-one turns up it is up to me to call them. The contract says if I don’t call them to say we won’t be home, and someone turned up, I have to pay for that, but if they don’t let me know no-one is coming then that is just too bad for me.”
Ballarat MP Catherine King said she was concerned to hear that there continued to be dissatisfaction with Benetas. “I have contacted the Minister for Aged Care’s office and I have been advised that there have been some disruptions to services due to workforce issues, however Benetas advises they have accessed staff from surrounding areas to support service delivery.
“The Commonwealth Department was advised that clients have not been invoiced for services they have not received. All CHSP providers, including Benetas have access to additional CHSP funding to address issues relating to barriers for accessing services in aged care planning areas.
“If existing Benetas clients are not satisfied with their current services, they are encouraged to raise their concerns with Benetas directly to seek a resolution. My office is also happy to hear from anyone with concerns. If issues are unable to be resolved then the next step is to raise any service delivery concerns with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
“The Commission can be contacted on 1800 951 822 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday or at www.agedcarequality.gov.au Alternatively, Benetas clients can seek an alternative provider in their local area and My Aged Care can provide support. My Aged Care can be contacted on 1800 200 422 (free call) between 8am and 8pm weekdays and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.
“The Older Persons Advocacy Network is also a good source and provides advocacy services. OPAN can be contacted on 1800 700 600 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays.”
A Benetas spokesperson said: “We acknowledge that there have been service challenges in the Hepburn (Shire) area due to resourcing and recruitment of carers. To address these challenges, we have conducted a local recruitment drive to attract new carers as well as brought in new carers from other regions to provide interim support. We have increased resourcing in the scheduling department to help relieve those pressures and provide additional support for the team to work through any system and process issues being experienced by clients.
“We would like the opportunity to support our clients and we encourage them to contact us directly on 1300 23 63 82 so we can resolve any concerns they have.”
A Hepburn Shire Council spokesperson said the council had an ongoing role in supporting older people in the shire and clients could contact its Positive Ageing Officer on 03 5348 2306 for a confidential chat.
Comments: donna@tlnews.com.au

Hepburn Shire Council will host an expo for members of the community aged 55+ to create connections and expand their knowledge of positive ageing.  

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said the expo will be a great way for people over 55, community groups and service providers to connect with each other. 

“The theme of the expo is ‘Getting to know each other’.  Along with building connections, attendees will learn about positive ageing through engaging guest speakers, information displays, networking and demonstrations,” said Cr Hood. 

“We know that building networks is important at every age, but particularly as we get older. At the expo there will be presentations on available health and support services, dementia and even Tai Chi,” he said. 

“I encourage you to reach out to your friends and carpool with a group to attend this informative and fun event.”  

The first 50 people to register will enter a draw to win prizes, including a helicopter tour, llama trek and a Daylesford PickNick Box. 

Event details 

What: Positive Ageing Expo 
When: Thursday 27 July from 12pm to 3pm 
Where: Trentham Sportsground Reserve Pavilion, 25 Falls Road, Trentham 
Cost: Free. Lunch is provided.  
Register: www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/ageing-expo or phone Council on (03) 5348 2306. 

There are more than 7,500 people living in Hepburn Shire aged over 55, which is 46 percent of our population. This is well above the state population average of 28 percent.  

Council will sign the Age-friendly Declaration at the expo, demonstrating its commitment to building the age-friendly capacity of Hepburn Shire in partnership with the Victorian Government and the Municipal Association of Victoria. 

The expo aligns with the Council Plan commitments of a healthy, supported and empowered community, along with the objectives of the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan and the No Barrier Positive Ageing Strategy. Council intends to hold positive ageing expos on a regular basis. 

Cat owners in Hepburn Shire must keep their cats securely confined within their property between sunset and sunrise from 1 July 2023.

The cat curfew is a key action in the council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP), which aims to reduce the chance of cats breeding, fighting, becoming injured or killing wildlife.

“When we asked our community about the priorities for the DAMP, 90 percent of survey respondents supported the introduction of a cat curfew,” said Cr Hood, Mayor of Hepburn Shire Council.

“We know our community loves and cares for their pets. The curfew will help to reduce the risks associated with allowing cats to roam outdoors at night,” he said.

The RSPCA and Cat Protection Society of Victoria are both supportive of curfews. Many Victorian councils have already introduced cat curfews.

To report a breach of the cat curfew, shire residents can call the council on (03) 5348 2306 or report it via the council’s website with a description of the cat and any information on the pet’s known address. A Community Safety Officer will investigate and communicate with the cat owner.

“Our focus is on education for cat owners and of course, where appropriate, staff will take further action consistent with our Cat Management Policy, which may include issuing an Official Warning, a Notice of Objection or a Notice to Comply. Where pet owners repeatedly do not comply with the curfew, it may be appropriate to escalate to an Infringement Notice,” said Cr Hood.

“We also strongly encourage cat owners to make sure their pets are registered with Council.”

All cats over three months of age must be microchipped and registered. The first period of registration is free for microchipped and desexed pets in Hepburn Shire. Registration is due for renewal in April each year.

“Registering your pet is part of being a responsible pet owner. It will help you be reunited with your furry friend should it go missing,” said Cr Hood.

“Ensuring cats are registered and contained within an owner’s property at all times is also a requirement under the Domestic Animal Act.

The Hepburn Shire Council has released its draft Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan which aims to help address the many challenges of meeting housing needs in the shire. 

Development of the draft strategy and action plan was informed by community input over the last eight months via surveys, submissions, webinars, community pop-up sessions and a solutions forum.  

“While most factors that drive housing affordability are outside the direct control of local government, we have identified 25 actions that may help to create the right conditions for more affordable housing in the Shire,” said Mayor Brian Hood. 

“We’re inviting the community to review the draft strategy and action plan, tell us what they like and what else we should consider,” said Cr Hood.  

Each action falls within one of four themes:  

• Community and partnerships 
• Advocacy 

• Land use planning and regulation 
• Incentives and investment. 

The actions related to community and partnerships include establishing a Housing Working Group to guide implementation of the strategy and action plan, encouraging property owners to provide long-term affordable rental accommodation, investigating co-operatives to build and manage housing, and looking into options for affordable retirement living options or public private partnerships. 

Cr Hood said advocating to state and federal governments will be key for improving housing affordability in the Shire.  

“We will be advocating for more social housing and emergency accommodation, encouraging regulatory changes to promote long-term rentals over short-term accommodation, and also campaigning for updates to the Victorian planning scheme to include mandatory affordable housing contributions,” said Cr Hood. 

Key actions relating to land use planning and regulation include updating planning processes to reduce timeframes and improve customer experience, investigating amendments to the planning scheme to facilitate secondary dwellings and relocatable dwellings, and encouraging housing diversity including smaller, less costly dwellings. 

“In terms of incentives and investment Council will be investigating which sites would be suitable for alternative forms of housing such as moveable dwellings, communal housing and tiny houses. We’ll also investigate financial incentives to encourage increased provision of affordable housing, such as reduced rates for affordable housing providers and/or privately owned long-term affordable rental properties, within the constraints of Council’s financial resources,” said Cr Hood. 

“A lack of affordable housing is affecting people on lower incomes but also people in key jobs that we need to support our services and local businesses like hospitality, tourism, farm workers, nurses and other carers,” said Cr Hood. 

“I encourage the community to review our draft strategy and action plan and let us know what they think,” he said. 

Those keen to have some input are being encouraged to complete the survey at https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/affordable-housing by midnight on Sunday 9 July 2023.

A survey of the local business community in Hepburn Shire suggests a high readiness to implement circular economy strategies, the local council says.

The survey was part of the Hepburn Circular Economy Activation project and results are now available for download on Participate Hepburn.

The work was co-funded by Council and Hepburn Energy and identifies areas of strength and areas where there are gaps in supporting the activation of a circular economy in the Hepburn Shire.

The council recently employed a circular economy officer, Jodi Newcombe, who is an economist and strategist with 25 years’ experience in the sustainability sector. She has previously worked as Climate Change Coordinator for the neighbouring Mount Alexander Shire. 

Ms Newcombe is keen to learn what local businesses and organisations hope to see as part of the council’s circular economy programming, with locals invited to contribute their thoughts in this three-minute survey.  

 

The Hepburn Shire Council says it’s making solar power more accessible to low-income households through the Solar Savers program.

The program was first delivered in Hepburn in 2018, and this year marks the fifth year it has been offered to residents, reaching the milestone of 100 Solar Savers households. 

The council’s new electronic newsletter focussed on sustainability issues states that the effect of installing a solar household system is a total greenhouse gas savings of approximately 730 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions during the life of the new assets (over 20 years) – “equivalent to taking 170 cars off the road for one-year, as well as energy bill savings and improvements to residents’ comfort and health”.  

The council is now inviting Hepburn Shire locals to visit the Solar Savers website for more information. and to check online here for frequently asked questions on Hepburn’s Special Charge Scheme.  

The Hepburn Shire Council will continue to ‘advocate strongly’ for an alternative to the route currently preferred for the Victoria New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project, mayor Cr Brian Hood says.

This comes after details of the preferred option for the Victoria New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project were outlined by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Transgrid just over a week ago.

Hepburn Shire Council issued a media release stating that it was pleased the terminal station is no longer proposed for Mount Prospect but still has serious concerns about the increase in size of transmission line towers and the abject lack of genuine consideration for undergrounding lines. 

“The community and Council have campaigned strongly against the location of the terminal station in our Shire, consequently we are very pleased to see it is no longer the preferred option,” said Mayor of Hepburn Shire, Cr Brian Hood. 

“At the same time, we feel for the communities who are now facing the unwelcome prospect of a terminal station and towers in their region. We sincerely hope AEMO and Transgrid will engage more closely with the community as the projects continue,” he said. 

Cr Hood said the biggest concerns for Hepburn Shire Council now are the significant towers and easements planned as part of the proposed Western Renewables Link (WRL) corridor, which forms part of VNI West. 

“This is a beautiful part of the world. There is strong visitation and economic activity through tourism and it is also some of the best agricultural land in Victoria. It is incredibly disappointing that undergrounding transmission lines has not been genuinely considered in either project given these towers will be up to 80 metres high and easements up to 100 metres wide,” said Cr Hood. 

“Farmers will face the unwelcome prospect of massive easements around transmission infrastructure on their property, thereby restricting agricultural activities in this incredibly productive land,” he said. 

“Given these challenges we question the rationale of maintaining the currently proposed alignment of WRL through Hepburn Shire now that the terminal station will be relocated. On that basis we will be continuing to advocate strongly for a change to the proposed route.” 

A Ministerial Order has been implemented to progress the preferred option, which connects VNI West from Dinawan Energy Hub in NSW, via a new terminal station near Kerang directly to the WRL at a new terminal station near Bulgana in Northern Grampians Shire (rather than at Mount Prospect in Hepburn Shire). 

“While Council is highly supportive of renewable energy there has been a missed opportunity for genuine consideration for placing powerlines underground in some of the more sensitive areas. The refusal to consider that option represents inappropriately short-term thinking,” said Cr Hood. 

“We encourage the community to continue to make their voices heard throughout this process, including the upcoming Environmental Impact Assessment process,” he said. 

Those seeking further information may visit https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/VNI-West. 

The Hepburn Shire Council has reported that works are being carried out to improve the road pavement and drainage along the West Berry Road in Creswick North.

The road will be closed during the day to facilitate the works and detours will be in place.

Works are expected to be completed in early June.

The contractor will then move to Daylesford-Clunes Road, Lawrence for similar repairs.

Time is running out to apply for a grant through the Hepburn Shire Council to help conserve biodiversity in the shire.

The council says its “got great news for community groups out there who want to make a real difference in biodiversity”.

It is currently offering grants of up to $5000 for projects focused on conserving, protecting, and enhancing biodiversity in the shire. 

Community groups, including environmental groups, schools and other incorporated or auspiced groups, are being encouraged to apply.
More information on the guidelines and application process is available on the council’s website and applications close at 5pm on Monday 5 June.

The Hepburn Shire Council is inviting the community to provide feedback and ideas on the future of townships around the shire as it develops township structure plans for Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, Glenlyon and Trentham.

These plans will look at future options for each town in terms of housing, business and economic development, transport (including walking and cycling), protecting the environment and cultural heritage, neighbourhood character and urban design.

“This is your opportunity to influence what type of development is allowed in your town and what changes and improvements are needed to ensure the Shire continues to be a great place to live,” said Mayor, Cr Brian Hood.

“A structure plan provides more certainty about how development occurs in the future. Residents rightly feel a sense of ownership of a town so it’s critical that our community provides input into what they want to see protected and what opportunities there may be,” he said.

“Council is co-designing these township structure plans with the community and the first step is for residents to complete an online survey on our Participate Hepburn website or your local library or Council hub.

“We want to work closely with the community on this project as we plan for a prosperous future together.”

Those interested can complete a survey via https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/future-hepburn before 11pm on Sunday 18 June 2023.

Hepburn Shire Council is bringing in a dusk to dawn cat curfew enforceable from 1 July 2023. From that date cats must be securely confined to the owner’s property between sunset and sunrise.

The fine for a first infringement will be $184.92 with that amount tripled for subsequent offences. If a cat is found wandering during curfew hours and it is not registered, owners will be required to register it before it is released.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said a cat curfew is a key action in Council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan, which was informed by community feedback. Cr Hood said community consultation had shown strong support for the curfew.
“Throughout the community consultation there was strong support for a cat curfew, with 90% of
the 450 respondents in support of a curfew,” said Cr Hood.
“We know our community loves their pets. The curfew will help to reduce the risks associated
with allowing cats to roam outdoors between dusk and dawn. Keeping cats indoors at night will
reduce the chance of them breeding, fighting, becoming injured or killing wildlife.”
“Organisations including the RSPCA and the Cat Protection Society of Victoria are supportive of
curfews and many Victorian councils have already introduced these types of curfew measures,”
he said.
From 1 July 2023 enforcement activities will commence, in line with the process already applied
to wandering dogs. This will include: Education for cat owners of their responsible pet ownership requirements, Issuing Warnings and Notices to Comply where appropriate, Issuing Infringement Notices to offenders where appropriate. The infringement amount will be 1 Penalty Unit for first offence and 3 Penalty Units for second or subsequent offences. A penalty unit is currently $184.92.

“Ensuring cats are registered with Council and contained within an owner’s property at all times
is not just responsible, but a requirement under the Domestic Animal Act,” Cr Hood said.

“The dusk until dawn curfew is a good further step as we move towards the 24-hour containment of cats by 2025.

The Hepburn Shire Council has released its $59.10 million draft budget for 2023-24, which is now open for community feedback.

Any member of the community can now view the draft budget and budget summary online at https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/draft-budget and make a submission by 5pm on Thursday 8 June. Council will consider the budget at a Special Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday 27 June. Council meetings are livestreamed via Facebook.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that the draft budget includes a record $19.56 million investment in capital works projects, which are predominately funded by Council.

“The budget has been prepared in one of the toughest financial environments in recent history. Our Shire has been significantly impacted by the COVID pandemic, multiple extreme natural disasters, rising inflation and interest rates, sector-wide shortages of construction contractors and extraordinary increases to material and construction costs,” said Cr Hood.

“We have sought to deliver a fiscally responsible budget that aims to achieve actions in our Council Plan, whilst balancing available resources and community expectations. We are in a delicate and challenging financial position which we will continue to manage prudently,” he said.

“While we have aimed to deliver a financially responsible budget, we are continuing to invest in projects that are important to our community and that align with priorities in our four-year Council Plan and the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.

“There is a lot of work to be done as part of our recently adopted strategies, such as the Early and Middle Years, Youth and Positive Ageing strategies, Disability Action and Inclusion Plan and Gender Equality Action Plan,” he said.

The budget also continues the implementation of the Sustainable Hepburn strategy, including initiatives relating to circular economy, reducing emissions, protecting the natural environment and biodiversity, low waste initiatives and climate and water resilience.

Capital works highlights

· Major investment in roads of $2.73 million, made up of $1.28 million for pavement rehabilitation, $950,000 for road renewal, and $500,000 for gravel road re-sheeting.

· Construction of the Creswick Trails ($5.9 million).

· Renewal of the historic Wheelers Bridge ($3.2 million, supported by $2.8 million from the Federal Government).

· Renewal works to protect and improve the historic Daylesford Town Hall ($1.0 million).

· Completion of the Trentham Community Hub ($2.02 million), which will deliver a library, Council hub and community facilities.

· Detailed planning for Glenlyon Recreation Reserve Pavilion redevelopment ($150,000).

· Repairs to Trentham and Drummond tennis courts ($140,000).

· Detailed designs for the Clunes Recreation Reserve Masterplan ($100,000).

· Cyber security initiatives for data protection ($130,000).

· Review options for increased regulation of short-term accommodation properties ($30,000).

The budget proposes $5.9 million of new borrowings to support the delivery of key infrastructure assets, including $1 million for stage one of critical remedial works for the Daylesford Town Hall to ensure the long-term structural integrity of the building, and $4.9 million to be allocated to the construction of the 60-kilometre Creswick Trails.

The total cost of the Creswick Trails project, which started in 2017 and is under construction, is expected to total $9.4 million. Council has secured government funding

of $2.57 million towards this project and is continuing to lobby government for additional financial support.

“Along with hosting Commonwealth Games competition in 2026, the Creswick Trails network will be one of Australia’s key mountain biking destinations,” said Cr Hood.

The budget continues the important delivery of more than 100 services to the community, including road maintenance and repair, library services, early years, youth and positive ageing programs, emergency management response, major projects, tourism, grants and more.

Hepburn Shire was severely impacted by storm events in June 2021 (east of Shire), in January 2022 (west of Shire), and in October 2022 (Shire-wide). Forecast expenditure on storm events is $20.8 million by June 2024, with a net cost to Council (after government grants) close to $2.5 million, equivalent to 12.4% of Council’s annual general rates revenue.

“Planning for our future is an important component of our draft budget, with $2 million allocated to further enhance and support both our statutory and strategic planning activities. This includes development of critically important town structure plans as part of our Future Hepburn project,” said Cr Hood.

“We will also invest $130,000 in cyber security initiatives to ensure protection of data and will review possibilities of increased regulation of short-term accommodation properties ($30,000).”

Rates and charges

Rates and charges make up over half of Council’s annual budgeted revenue and are vital to provide the services and facilities that our community needs. Rate increases have been capped at 3.5% in line with the Victorian Government’s Fair Go Rates System.

“There has been a 7% CPI increase in the past year (to March) and we know that households are struggling with the increase in living expenses,” said Cr Hood.

Properties are revalued each year by the State Government and rates are based on the value of a property.

“There can be a misconception that Council receives additional revenue when the property market increases. This is not the case. The rate revenue for 2023/24 can only increase by 3.5% over the amount of rates collected in the 2022/23 (current) financial year,” said Cr Hood.

Consequently, based on property value, some residents will incur a rate increase of more than 3.5%, while others will incur an increase of less than 3.5% and some will see a decrease in rates.

Pensioners who qualify under the State Government’s Pensioner Rebate Remission scheme will be entitled to a Council-funded rebate of $21.

Under the draft budget the annual waste charges will increase approximately 6.2% on average to meet the increased costs of the service. The standard annual fee for a residential property (weekly garbage collection and fortnightly recycling) will be $570 (or $10.96 per week).