Page 8 The Moorabool News – 15 March, 2022
News
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Rocky reception for nature strip guide By Lachlan Ellis A new nature strip guide that allows hard surface nature strips has been approved by Council, but not every Councillor was in favour. The ‘Draft Nature Strip Policy and Nature Strip Guidelines’ came before Council at the 3 March Ordinary Meeting, after a public exhibition period ran from August to September 2021. Despite over 9,000 people viewing the ‘Have Your Say’ Council webpage and over 3,700 downloading the Nature Strip Policy and Guidelines during the exhibition period, only 22 provided survey submissions. Of those 22 respondents, 10 favoured hard surface nature strips such as crushed rock and mulch, compared to 1 for grass and 1 for mulch and shrubs. The recommendation before Council was to adopt the updated Draft Nature Strip Policy and Draft Nature Strip Guidelines, allowing grass/turf, plants/shrubs with a maximum height of 500mm with wood chips/mulch, and compacted gravel to be used in nature strips in residential areas of Bacchus Marsh and Ballan. The recommendation was moved by Cr Moira Berry and seconded by Cr Rod Ward, but opposed by Cr Ally Munari, beginning a debate. Cr Berry expressed her satisfaction that the policy “addressed all concerns and reports that have come in”, while Cr Ward argued the policy “reflects residents and ratepayers’ developments over the past decade or so”. “It legalises the toppings and the gravel of nature strips that
have existed in the past, so that saves residents the cost of watering. I think it also puts very strict guidelines in place for the development of nature strips in new estates,” Cr Ward said. However, Cr Munari and Cr Paul Tatchell argued the policy would compromise safety and amenity, respectively. “I just feel, for me, safety must be
a higher priority than convenience. I feel that by supporting the addition of gravel nature strips, this will encourage residents and visitors to park their vehicles on gravel nature strips, which will in turn considerably increase the risk for pedestrians and their safety,” Cr Munari said. Cr Tatchell said he has made the point on a number of occasions that
he is happy for Bacchus Marsh to have this. “…but the issue we have in Ballan, and I’ve said this all the way through, is that we have a different street layout, the streets are much wider,” he added. “It’s a very green area, we get better rainfall up here, so our nature strips tend to be a little bit better. We’re very proud of our
greenery and our wide streets… if we start putting gravel down, I somehow think we’re going to lose the picturesque feel, it’s a bit like an oil painting in spring.” After the debate, all four East Ward Councillors, Berry, Dudzik, Edwards, and Ward voted in favour of the motion, while Crs Munari and Tatchell voted against. Therefore, the motion was carried.
Request for Tender Agent Services – Ballan
Millions in forgotten money up for grabs 0952SD_2851
The Australian Government agency Services Australia is seeking tenders from organisations to provide Agent services in Ballan. We contract Agents to deliver services and programs on our behalf. Agents help people in rural and remote Australia to access government services. Agents provide a face-to-face information service and free self-help facilities. These include an internet enabled computer, Wi-Fi, telephone and scanner/ photocopier/printer to help people do their business with us. We’ll negotiate a remuneration package with the successful applicant, based on agreed hours of service. We’ll also provide training and equipment. Go to Austender at tenders.gov.au and search for Request for Tender (RFT) identifier RFT1000864880 to view: • the selection criteria • general information on Agent services • the terms and conditions for this opportunity. Please note: • Your organisation must be registered and logged on to access these documents. • Tenders must be lodged in AusTender as specified in the RFT. For more information please contact Kim Hennessy at tender.one@servicesaustralia.gov.au The Request for Tender closes at 2 pm, Sunday 27 March 2022.
The State Revenue Office (SRO) has put out a call to Victorians, to check if part of a whopping $111 million in unclaimed money belongs to them. Over 740,000 entitlements are waiting to be claimed across the state, with individuals and businesses able to claim their unclaimed cash through a simple system, beginning with a search on the SRO’s website. There are 2,602 outstanding entitlements in Moorabool totalling $264,122, and 1,085 totalling $120,754 in Hepburn. The money includes share dividends, salaries/wages, rent and bonds, debentures and interest, proceeds from a sale, and Tatts/
Intralot/TAB winnings and prizes. Since 2017, there have been more than 60,000 successful unclaimed money claims from the SRO, worth close to $20 million. These have come from a range of sources, including utilities companies, councils, real estate agents, insurance companies and lotto tickets. The highest unclaimed gaming ticket in the state is a $2,136,327 Tatts ticket received in March 2016. It’s free to search the register and make claims. To search and apply for your unclaimed money, visit www.sro.vic.gov.au/ unclaimed-money.