June 26, 2020
(Rebecca Hosking) 210217_01
Museum in full light “Future” fashions and “vegan taxidermy” will feature in the reopening of the National Wool Museum tomorrow, following a hiatus due to COVID-19. Senior curator Luke Keough was thrilled to announce the reopening, for 20 visitors at a time, along with new exhibit Designs for the Future. The exhibit features “sustainable and ethical” clothing from 21 Australian and international designers, including eight from Geelong and regional Victoria. Over-consumption of clothing caused a range of environmental and ethical problems, Luke explained. He said Australians on average threw out 28kg of clothing a year, second behind the US. “You walk into the museum and there’s a big pile of discarded clothing [from Geelong bins] symbolic of that.” The reopening also features Dr Mary-Jane Watson’s life-sized, life-like models of Geelong’s endangered birds in Now You See Us. Her exhibit features the spotted harrier, which, with a wingspan of about 1.5 metres, provides the perfect social distancing guide for patrons. ■ Read
Mary-Jane’s story in this week’s Friday Feature: Page 15
MARY-JANE WALKER
Council votes for pay rise By Luke Voogt Surf Coast Shire councillors could receive a 2.2 per cent pay rise during the COVID-19 pandemic ater approving the raise in their 2020-21 budget. Only Winchelsea ward councillor Heather Wellington opposed the budget, which also includes a two per cent rates increase. Cr Wellington said she had never voted against a budget in 12 years as a councillor, including eight at Surf Coast Shire. “But I am going to vote against it tonight,” she said at a meeting on Tuesday.
Cr Wellington cited examples of the inancial impact of the pandemic Australia-wide and of prominent public servants taking pay cuts as reasons why councillors should oppose the rise. “I don’t support budgeting for an increased allowance for councillors,” she said. “I will … donate [the increase] to the Geelong Community Foundation. “At least we can say to the community we understand the position that many of you are going to be in and we’re not going to accept any increase when it is ofered to us.” Cr Wellington also took aim at the rates increase on top of what she labelled “already
extremely high rates”. “here are going to be a lot of people in hardship,” she said. “It’s simply not fair to our community to plough ahead as if nothing is changing.” Cr Wellington began discussing the shire’s asset backlog before mayor Rose Hodge interrupted and said “you’re well over time”. Cr Hodge went on to praise council oicers for the “huge amount” of work they put into the budget in diicult circumstances. “We started this December and started many brieing sessions in January … and COVID-19 changed it all.”
Cr Hodge said the shire had allocated more than $2 million “to help our community” through the pandemic and had avoided having to borrow money, like “many other councils”. In closing, Winchelsea ward councillor James McIntyre acknowledged some members of the community were experiencing hardship. “Our COVID-19 package, I think, goes a long way in assisting to address that.” he 2020-21 drat budget had initially proposed a 2.5 per cent pay rise for councillors but it was revised to a 2.2 per cent increase. he Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal must approve all pay rises.
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