Our People, Our Processes - Reports
Ordinary Meeting - 04 September 2012
Paul Weller MLA, Member for Rodney Kaye Darveniza MP, Member for Northern Victoria Candy Broad MLC, Member for Northern Victorian Region Maree Edwards MP Member for Bendigo West
There is clearly a lack of response from some of our political representatives. Further efforts will be undertaken to ensure that this matter is high on their agenda. 2. The Mayor was nominated to the MAV Taskforce and has since been appointed. 3. Funding options are outlined later in this in the report. 4. Vision Super was requested to not back date any interest on COGB's share of the shortfall. The response from Vision Super indicates that it “does not characterise any part of the amount due as ‘interest’ and the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office agrees with this assessment. A lesser amount is payable if payment is made prior to 1 July 2013”. 5. The MAV has not yet responded to the requests contained in item 5. 6. A media campaign continues to raise awareness of this issue. The media campaign has included sending media releases to local and metropolitan media outlets including the Bendigo Advertiser, Bendigo Weekly, The Age, Herald-Sun and Weekly Times. As a result, articles have been published in all the abovementioned newspapers as well as suburban papers and surrounding regional papers. In addition, the Mayor has been interviewed on local radio and WIN Television. Radio news reports have gone to air locally and on state wide ABC Radio. An information pack including media releases and additional background has been provided to ABC Television's 7.30 Victoria Program. A Fact Sheet has been published in COGB's regular Advertiser page and an article has been drafted for our next edition of the Greater Bendigo News which will be mailed to every household in the municipality. A page on COGB's website is dedicated to the issue and is being regularly updated. It is important to note that it is too early to determine whether or not the campaign will be successful. Most campaigns of this type last longer than four weeks and it is critical to the success of the campaign that we continue to generate new information and actions to keep it going. Funding Proposal Council requested a report on proposed funding models following formal notification from Vision Super. COGB has now received formal notification from Vision Super regarding the amount payable related to the current shortfall of $10,311,974. Vision Super has advised that the unfunded liability may either be paid: by equal instalments over a 15 year period from 1 July 2013 ( at an interest rate of 7.5%), as a lump sum on or by 1 July 2013, or PAGE 166