in brief
EPA ‘silent on noise’ to find no action has been taken.” The EPA included the issue in its annual compliance plan as part of three local strategic initiatives for the Barwon south-west region. “A number of industries in the north Geelong area are potential contributors to recorded exceedances of State Environment Protection Policy,” the plan said. “EPA will do further investigation of noise sources in the area to determine the relative contribution of different premises and require appropriate improvements at each site.” Mr Trezise said the EPA assured him 12 months ago the issue would be rectified. “Skip forward to today and I’m disappointed to learn the issue is still an on-going concern,” Mr Trezise said. “I met with the residents on Monday and they expressed their anger. I completely understand their anger. “I have now convened a meeting for October 29 with the EPA and residents to put in place actions to ensure this is resolved as soon as possible.” An EPA spokesperson said residents were asked to record their observations of noise to help officers in the area monitor and investigate sources.
MORE than 70 per cent of staff at Queenscliff’s Marine and Freshwater Research Institute have expressed interest in redundancy packages from next week, according to Bellarine MP Lisa Neville. She said the interest rate reflected the staff’s “loss of faith” in State Government and the institute’s management, with the redundancies to halve the number of researchers working at the facility.
Renter’s million A CORIO renter in her 50s has won $1.3 million, according to Tatts. A spokesperson said the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, planned to buy a house and “treat” herself to a new car.
Death fine THE 2011 death of a 54-year-old man in a cellar of Birregurra’s Royal Mail Hotel has cost the venue’s operator an $80,000 fine in Geelong Magistrates Court. WorkSafe said Hillcrest Private Nursing Home failed to provide a safe working environment for the victim when he died of carbon dioxide poisoning while moving empty beer kegs still connected to gas cylinders.
Red wins GEELONG Wine Show judges have awarded their top prize for the 2011 event to a red wine from the Bellarine Peninsula. They lauded Dick Simonsen as a “fantastic, creative and innovative winemaker” for his 2011 Steibel Eltron EB Shiraz. Angry: Patsy Sanaghan and Judith McGinness outside the alleged source of their noise issue. Picture: Tommy Ritchie
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Local Liberal boss calls for elections investigation BY NOEL MURPHY GEELONG’S Liberal Party boss has called on the state branch to investigate whether the party is funding candidates in the city’s mayoral and ward elections. State director Damien Mantach confirmed Pat Peel had written to him raising concerns the party’s “good name’’ was “being dragged through the mud’’ because of reported Liberal
links to Geelong Chamber of Commerce boss Bernadette Uzelac’s mayoral campaign. “The Geelong branch wishes 104/Liberal HQ to clearly and publicly dissociate itself from any support of the candidate…as at the moment it appears to the wider community that this is, at least tacitly, an endorsed Liberal party candidate,’’ Mrs Peel wrote. She also raised concerns whether
“any Liberal party funds have been allocated directly or indirectly to any participating candidates’’. Mr Mantach said he had seen the letter but it was meant to be private correspondence. “The fact that’s found its way to a journalist indicates something else entirely.” The Independent has also seen Corio Federal Electoral Conference September meeting draft
minutes referring to a “Liberal Party Local Government Taskforce’’. The taskforce would assist “various candidates in…City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Golden Plains Shire’’. Prominent Geelong Liberal Helene Bender said the taskforce only helped or encouraged people who might be interested in running for council. The assistance was “definitely not financial’’, she said.
Hospital ‘healthy’ GEELONG Hospital is “performing well” despite federal funding cuts, according to State Government. Health Minister David Davis said the hospital had handled increased admissions in the year to June while reducing its elective surgery waiting list in the first quarter of this year despite Canberra forcing Victoria to provide more funding.
Program’s award A GEELONG learner driver mentor program has won a state award for road safety, the TAC has announced. A spokesperson said the Geelong L2P program won the joint TAC and VicRoads exellence award at a Victorian Community Road Safety Partnership Program Conference in Melbourne last week.
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BY JOHN VAN KLAVEREN NORTH Geelong and Rippleside residents are frustrated at EPA inaction over their long-standing noise complaint. A neighbours group of more than 20 residents says it has been working with the agency for more than 12 months to rectify the “deafening” noise. Group spokesperson Patsy Sanaghan said the residents had turned to Geelong MP Ian Trezise for help. She said the main noise culprit appeared to be a Godfrey Hirst factory in Corio Quay Rd. “It’s a humming drone that goes on all night and sometimes it’s impossible to sleep,” Ms Sanaghan said. “Residents have driven around the area at various times of the night to trace the noise. There are other industries in the area, but nothing like the noise coming from Godfrey Hirst.” “We set up a relationship with the EPA and were assured our concerns were valid. They even set up noise loggers in resident’s homes. “But we’ve now lost confidence in the EPA to address our concerns. “This problem has been reported for many years. It’s not the first time residents have gone through this process
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The Independent, Friday October 19, 2012
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