www.LocalPaper.com.au
Ticks & Crosses
● Cr Rick Garotti Public opinion is largely that Banyule Mayor Cr Rick Garotti needs to stand down permanently as a Councillor after his bombshell evidence at the Independent Broad-based Abti-Corruption Commission. He admitted to playing a central role in branch stacking within the Labor Partyin Victoria. Mr Garotti was questioned over two days in public anti-corruption commission hearings as part of an investigation into the misuse of taxpayer funds and staff for factional activities.
✖
✖
Cr Garotti has informed Banyule Council that he has taken a leave of absence from his role as councillor for personal reasons. He stepped down as Mayor. The Council issued a media statement: “Banyule CEO, Allison Beckwith said, “a number of concerning reports have emerged from the IBAC hearings, which was addressed by Cr Garotti in recent days. I can appreciate this is a challenging time for Cr Garotti and I respect his decision to step down.” Deputy Mayor, Cr Tom Melican, acknowledged that while the hearings relate to Cr Garotti’s role as a member of the Labor Party, the matters dealt with have raised concerns in the local community. Cr Melican said, “We have received a number of enquiries from residents. While Cr Garotti has decided to vacate his post for the time being, this will allow the remaining eight councillors to keep focused on the important work we do in supporting the community.” Cr Melican has assumed the Mayoral role.
✔
● Cr Tom Melican
An eight-week food and garden waste service trial is underway with 500 households across Banyule municipality. More than half of the waste that goes to landfill in Banyule can be composted. That means that food scraps, garden waste and organic matter that could be turned into sustainable compost for gardens and farms are currently going to waste. Banyule hopes to reduce landfill waste by up to 12,000 tonnes annually.
● Whittlesea Council has installed an electric vehicle charging station outside the Court House. Source: Whittlesea Township Communuity Page
The Local Paper - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - Page 3
Local News
Kinglake power angst
■ Kinglake and other parts of the Murrindindi Shire were again thrown into darkness after wild winds and storms hit the region hard. Eildon MLA Cindy McLeish says the Andrews Labor Government failed thousands of Victorians who remained without power, hot water and other basic essentials for days. “Almost a week after damaging winds across Victoria approximately 6000 Victorian households were still in the dark and fending for themselves,” Ms McLeish said. “The Andrews Government must ensure all families in the dark are reconnected urgently.” Locally, hundreds of Murrindindi and Yarra Ranges Shire households and businesses were in and out of blackouts for a number of days. The Kinglake region was hit particularly hard, with power out for close to a week. The damage was visible by the fallen debris and cut up branches lining the roads throughout Kinglake, which the SES Unit worked tirelessly to clear from the roads. “Our local SES services, emergency services and AusNet were working hard to get people’s power back on and clear fallen trees off roads. They were inundated with calls and worked hard to help everyone they could,” Ms McLeish said.
● Cindy McLeish, Eildon MLA
● Ashley Geelan Geelan created many hundreds of online and social media posts attacking his targets. Police were told that Geelan made written threats against the personal safety and well-being of a number of people including then-Cr Dunscombe, Mr Beacham, Mr Allen and Mr Long. Geelan wrote to one victim that he had met with ‘enforc-
ers’: “I met some of these men at around 3am this morning. I gave them, your, Leigh Dunscombe’s, Ash Long’s and Blake Allen’s home address. “What they – whomever they are – do with it ain’t up to me … I advise you as a friend to walk from the lot real f—ing fast. That is if you’d like to have a home to return to!” The Court was told that Geelan repeatedly breached Personal Safety Intervention Orders taken out against him. Magistrate Jennifer Tregent, sitting at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court, imposed a 12 month term of imprisonment with a non-parole period of six months. Geelan was told that he will find it extremely difficult to be granted parole given the circumstances of his offending and the current attitude of the Adult Parole Board.
122-kmh at S. Morang
■ Officers from Greensborough Highway Patrol were left shaking their heads after they detected a number of speeders on the Melbourne Cup long weekend. A 19-year-old Doreen man was detected driving his vehicle at an alleged 122kmh in a 60kmh section of Plenty Rd in South Morang. His VW Golf was impounded with towing costs of $896.10 and the probationary driver is expected to be charged on summons for numerous traffic offences. Just before this intercept officers had been dealing with a 42-year-old Glenroy woman. It is alleged she was driving her Holden Commodore at 83kmh in a 40kmh roadworks zone on Plenty Rd, South Morang. She received a fine for $772 for speeding and has had her licence suspended for 6 months. Minutes before that intercept officers had been dealing with an 18-year-old woman from Mickleham. It is alleged her Mazda CX9 was detected at 95kmh in a 60kmh zone, again on Plenty Rd in South Morang. She received a $591 fine and will lose her licence for three months.
■ Mernda Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team detectives have arrested a man after he allegedly performed an explicit sexual act towards two women in Montmorency last month. It is alleged a man was following a woman on Glengarriff Crescent performing the sexually explicit act, on Monday, October 4. Investigators arrested the 21-year-old Montmorency man. He was released and is expected to be charged on summons with sexual activity directed at another, to appear at a Magistrates’ Court at a later date.
Vax session
Reservoir man jailed
■ Ashley Geelan, 43-year-old university student, of Winter Cres., Reservoir, formerly of Kinglake, has been jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to charges associated with stalking, breach of Court orders, and breaches of bail. Over a four-year period, Geelan created havoc with an ongoing online campaign against identities particularly those in the Kinglake area and wider Murrindindi region. People harassed included former Murrindindi Shire Mayor Leigh Dunscombe, police hero Cameron Caine, businessman Mark Beacham, locals Blake Allen and Lee Lawrence, and Local Paper Editor Ash Long. Geelan’s targets included a former Kinglake publican, local business people, even a Kinglake volunteer historian aged in her eighties.
Local Briefs Sexual act arrest
■ The City of Whittlesea is hosting a multilingual Vax Chat Q&A online session at 6pm tonight (Wed., Nov. 10).. Questions about COVID-19 vaccines will be answered by Dr Thomas Schulz, Senior Medical Advisor COVID-19 Vaccination program at Department of Health; Associate Professor Craig Aboltins, Head of Infectious Diseases at Northern Health; Dr Thuy Vu, Endocrinology Doctor at Northern Health; and Mona Abbouchi, Registered Nurse at the City of Whittlesea. This session covers the most popular topics for COVID-19 vaccination including ■ Second doses ■ Boosters ■ Vaccines for children and ■ Vaccination in pregnancy. There will be Macedonian, Vietnamese and Arabic interpreters available in the session to help answer your questions in language specific zoom breakout rooms. Register: online and receive a zoom link to attend.
Splash turned on
■ The water play splash pad at theAll Abilities Play Space at Mill Park was turned on from last Friday(Nov. 5). The water play area includes accessible water play tables, shooting water jets, misting rings and manual water pumps, providing hours of fun for all ages. The splash pad will operate daily from 8am to 8pm. The All Abilities Play Space is located at Mill Park Recreation Reserve on Morang Drive, Mill Park. All park-goers are asked to park in bays only or in nearby off-street parking when visiting the All Abilities Play Space.
Dogs captured
■ Whittlesea Council says that it wishes to thank the community for providing information following the dog attacks on Darebin Creek Trail in Epping. “Thanks to the efforts of our community, two dogs have been surrendered and their owners are cooperating with Council,” a City representative said. “This matter is still under investigation so we are not able to provide any further information at this stage. “Council officers will continue to patrol the Darebin Creek Trail area to ensure ongoing safety,” a City statement said.
Yea Races this Sat.
● Impound at South Morang. The intercepts were part of Operation Compass, a state-wide road policing operation that coincided with Melbourne Cup weekend and the easing of travel restrictions. Police were targeting speed, distraction, fatigue and impaired driving in high-risk areas throughout metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. Part of the high visibility of Police over the long weekend saw checkpoints with breath tests and licence checks conducted at locations including Yan Yean and Yarra Glen. - with Victoria Police
■ All spectators aged 16 and over have to be double vaccinated to attend this Saturday’s Yea Races. Attendances are capped at 1000 people, with several groups already taking up shaded site and umbrella options to accommodate their friends. Bookmakers and the TAB van will be at the races. Attendees ith devices can turn on the Venue app for special betting options. People can bring their own picnic; there will be plenty of food and drinks available.
Digital Edition
● You can have free copies of The Local Paper delivered digitally to your home or office each week. Sign on for a ‘sub’ at www.FreePaper.com.au
