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St. Arnaud, Charlton, Wedderburn & Surrounding Districts
Est. 1864
18 Napier Street, St. Arnaud. 3478. - Advertising & Editorial Material - Ph.: (03) 5495 1055; Fax.: (03) 5495 1937. Email: ncn@iinet.net.au Published weekly.
WEDNESDAY JULY 3rd 2024.
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Circulating in:- St. Arnaud, Charlton, Donald, Rupanyup, Bealiba, Stawell, Marnoo, Navarre, Dunolly, Wycheproof, Wedderburn, Birchip, Korong Vale, Stuart Mill, Redbank, Avoca & Moonambel.
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Community gets its time to outline its case to retain Teddington Reservoir COUNCILLOR Eddy Ostarcevic spent some time in his report to Council on his activities at the last meeting of the Northern Grampians Shire Council on 1st July on the topic of an update on the issue with Teddington Reservoir. After informing the last meeting of council that there had been no luck in obtaining an appointment with the Minister for Planning, Cr Ostarcevic had much delight in informing council that the CEO Mr Brent McAlister had been in contact with Martha Haylett Member for Ripon who had informed him that she had since been advised of an appointment to meet with the
Minister Steve Dimopolous. The meeting is particularly important because as Cr. Ostarcevic said this will give the community the opportunity to stop the process of decommissioning the Teddington Reservoir that Parks Victoria put in motion without community engagement. The meeting will be held on 23rd July.
Above: A drone aerial photo from 2023 illustrating the receding body of water due to Parks Victoria action to open the valve between the two reservoirs. PHOTO: Supplied.
Council brings additional requirements as Womens Charter signatory COUNCILLOR Eddy Ostarcevic put forward a motion for the meeting of the Northern Grampians Shire Council of 1st July 2024 that brings back to council the issue of their signatory to the Women’s Charter that was defeated at the last meeting.
Above: Ripon Youth Council participants.
Ripon Youth Advisory Council launched ELEVEN students aged between 16 and 18 years attended Member for Ripon Martha Haylett’s first Ripon Youth Council meeting on Thursday 27th June. These students cover most of the electorate including Ararat, Middle Creek, Beaufort, Chute, Avoca, Maryborough, Bung Bong, Miners Rest, Wattle Flat, and St. Arnaud. Martha Haylett said that during her time as the Member for Ripon she has been struck by the passion of young people across our region to make change. “I want to give the next generation of leaders a voice on local issues and matters that impact them. “During the state election campaign in 2022, I promised to create a Ripon Youth Advisory Council if elected. “I’m very excited to have now launched this group that is
a first of its kind in our region, made up of 16–18-year-olds across Ripon. “Our first meeting was fantastic, with so many great ideas shared. In future meetings, members of the Advisor y Council will get more opportunities to develop their leadership skills and understanding of how government works” Ms Haylett concluded. The Ripon Youth Council provides the opportunity for these students to meet with local Councillors, Ministers, and notfor-profit CEOs about issues they have nominated as being of interest. It encourages them to take a leadership role in developing
their own community-based initiatives focused on key issues to young people and to participate in policy consultations on major government initiatives, as well as develop their own policy suggestions. The meeting was a huge success, with the students learning about the Federal, State and Local Government and then putting forward their ideas for the future, responding to the prompt to consider the change they want to see in the world, Australia and in their town. The Ripon Youth Council will meet four times over the next twelve months, with the last meeting being held at Parliament House in Melbourne.
Cr Ostarcevic was not on council when the issue was first bought to council but has since read, analysed, and put forward the motion to become a signatory to the Womens Charter.
Link between Gender Inequality and Family Violence “A child is present and exposed in more than a third of the cases of family violence that Victoria Police are called to, that means every 15 to 18 minutes and this is intolerable” said Cr Ostarcevic. “We must address these facts. “The community demands and expects this of us.” Such documents as the NGSC Gender Equality Action Plan and Prevention of Family Violence is evidence of the council officers’ unwavering dedication to creating a community that values equality and safety for all individuals, and there are Key Performance Indicators on the CEO and leadership team that relate to these topics. Cr. Ostarcevic noted that the best way to avoid the duplication that becoming a significant might hypothetically entail was for council to receive reports from the Advisory Group on Gender Equality and Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Advisory Group.
“We have a role to support the agencies that support family violence victims” Cr Ostarcevic said in introducing his motion. “The link between family violence and gender inequality is there. “The motion of gender equality must be embedded into everything we do as it will permeate through the organization. “The motion attempts to alleviate gender equality by ensuring that community voices and those of council officers are recognized and heard through regular reports to council thereby reducing the blight that is family violence.” Cr. Hyslop finished by saying that ‘change nothing and nothing changes’. Northern Grampians Shire Council is a member of the Communities of Respect and Equality (CoRE) Alliance, a partnership of organisations, businesses, clubs and groups who share a vision for safe, equal and respectful communities in the Grampians region. Cr. Trevor Gready, voting against the motion to become a signatory to the Women’s Charter, said that he believed this motion was a “back door for a quota system” and therefore would be voting against the motion. The motion was passed by all councillors with the exception of Cr Gready.