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The Moorabool News – 17 May, 2022 Page 15
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Photos submitted by Ballarat Fire Brigade CFA.
Major injury avoided
By Lachlan Ellis A driver and nearby residents have been “incredibly lucky” to avoid major injury or death, following a serious truck crash in Buninyong recently. A B-double truck collided with a tree and parked vehicles at the Learmonth St (Midland Highway) and Warrenheip St roundabout near the centre of Buninyong on Friday 6 May, thankfully no-one suffered major injuries. Police, Ambulance, CFA, Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and SES all attended the scene, with police reporting only one injury. A police spokesperson told the Moorabool News it is believed a truck travelling westbound along Midland Highway collided with a car near the intersection of Warrenheip Road around 2.40pm. “The truck continued along the road and crashed into a tree and two stationary vehicles in a worksite, before coming to a rest on a nature strip,” the spokesperson said. “The truck driver, who was not seriously injured, stopped at the scene and is assisting police with their enquiries. The female driver and sole occupant of the car was taken to hospital with what are believed to be minor injuries. Nobody else was injured in the incident.” The circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be determined, and police are investigating. Buninyong-Mt Helen firefighter Matthew O’Brian said he was at work when he heard the collision, and knew straight away he’d need to help. “I heard the accident happen at work, which wasn’t far from the incident. I knew as soon as I heard something bad had happened, and saw a lot of people running towards where it
had been near the pub, I knew the best thing I could do was make my way to the fire station and crew the fire truck,” Mr O’Brian said. “Our main priority is to ensure people aren’t hurt, so when we first arrived we helped triage the area, and made sure the vehicles involved were safe – for example, if they needed their batteries isolated. We were on standby in case there was a fire involved. “It ended up being quite a big multi-agency event, we had SES, FRV, ambulance and police. FRV helped us with keeping the scene safe, and mitigating any diesel spills. It was very lucky [that there were no major injuries]. It could’ve been worse, but thankfully there were only minor injuries.” Member for Western Victoria and Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Scrutiny, Bev McArthur, said lives could easily have been lost in the accident, and a heavy vehicle bypass for Buninyong was desperately needed. “This Government is so focused on multi-billion dollar citycentric projects and their massive blowouts, that it barely has time, and certainly no care, for the country. It has come to this: will it take a death at this busy roundabout for anyone in the Victorian Government to do something?” Mrs McArthur said. The Department of Transport said it was aware of the incident, and was looking into ways to improve road safety in Buninyong. “We are currently exploring a number of options to address safety concerns around Buninyong – particularly those involving heavy vehicles. We will continue working with the City of Ballarat, Victoria Police and the Buninyong & District Community Association on a range of potential safety upgrades,” a Department of Transport spokesperson said.
Support for regional business Though JobKeeper ended in March, support still remains for eligible regional businesses, through the Regional Jobs Fund (RJF). A State Government program, the RJF provides financial support for a range of industries where regional competitive advantage exists, such as food and fibre, advanced manufacturing, and transport technology. The focus of the program is mainly to assist businesses who wish to expand and develop their operations in regional Victoria, and attract new investment and jobs. In some cases, the RJF can help businesses retain jobs in regional Victoria too. Applications will be considered from private sector businesses and business/ industry groups. Applications involving infrastructure needed to deliver
investment and jobs may be considered from utility and service providers, water corporations, Local Government Authorities, and incorporated notfor-profit organisations operating businesses. Individuals are not eligible to apply for the RJF. Projects with a grant amount of $1 million or more are required
to meet the Local Jobs First Policy requirements, which can be found at www.localjobsfirst.vic.gov.au. For more information on the RJF and how to apply, visit www.business. v ic.gov.au/g ra nt s-a nd-prog ra m s/ regional-jobs-fund. The closing date for applications this year is Thursday 30 June.
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