Is East Street’s safety part of the “betterment”?
THE Victorian Government’s plan to “unlock” land for 75 new homes on East Street, Kilmore (NCR, April 21), presents a logical contradiction that deeply concerns our local community. While Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny aims to “cut red tape” to fast-track housing, the planning process appears to be ignoring the dangerous reality of the infrastructure that must support it.
East Street is no longer a quiet residential road; it has become a high-speed thoroughfare for commuters cutting across town. This existing pressure is compounded by hoon activity, often involving patrons departing the racecourse car park. This is not a matter of theory or minor nuisance. Within the last 18 months, a vehicle lost control while doing a burnout and crashed into a tree outside my home in broad daylight. I have CCTV footage of this incident, and it serves as chilling evidence that our street is already at a breaking point.
Logic dictates that adding 75 new households — and potentially 150 extra vehicle movements per day — to a known “drag strip” without significant traffic calming is a recipe for disaster.
If the Kilmore Racing Club is truly committed to the “betterment of the community,” as CEO Ben Murphy suggests, that betterment must start with a safe road.
We cannot wait for another vehicle to end up in a resident’s yard before we act. Before any planning begins, the Department of Transport and Mitchell Shire must commit to physical traffic-calming measures, such as speed cushions and chicanes, to reclaim East Street for the families who live here.
Matthew Robinson
East Street, Kilmore
Stop graffiti attacks
I am writing about the absolutely disgraceful and disgusting tagging and graffiti, some of which involve slurs, inappropriate language and horrid symbols that are not only appearing in Wallan but throughout the entirety of Mitchell Shire.
Yes, graffiti has been a problem for a long period of time but it is unacceptable that there are now slurs, symbols, gang signs and tagging across areas of Mitchell Shire. Don’t forget that many children are exposed to this every day and this could possibly influence them into negative behaviours or go down a wrong path in life. We need to act and stop this before it’s too late.
Graffiti appears in parks, fences, buildings and other public and private properties like shops and even vehicles, which leads to parents not allowing their children to simply visit a park because of the fear of encountering slurs and inappropriate language. This is not okay and these people responsible for graffitiing our public spaces need to be punished.
Another reason is tied to economics. Many businesses are losing customers because of tagging and slurs on walls. Houses could lose market value due to graffiti and this can impact the local economy in a big way. No homeowner deserves to have to clean-up the mess of criminals like this.
A solution to this disgraceful problem is to get our government involved. They definitely have the resources to do so and this will leave our streets looking cleaner and most importantly it will make people feel safer. Even setting up cameras to catch them is simple enough and will ensure this will deter their actions in the future.
As for what I have to say to those people responsible – stop. This behaviour has to come to an end and doesn’t benefit anybody. You are badly influencing young children and people don’t feel safe at all. The residents of Mitchell Shire have had enough and we want to put a stop to this graffiti. We don’t want to see slurs and other nasty symbols on a daily basis.
Reyansh Dalal
Our Lady Of The Way PS, Wallan
Regions deserve better
THE Allan Labor Government’s State Budget is a devastating disappointment for the Euroa electorate, and another sign Victoria is heading in the wrong direction.
I had hoped to see real investment and meaningful commitments for our region. Instead, across more than 12,000 square kilometres, the only identifiable regional investment is $365,000 for the Tomorrow Today Foundation in Benalla. While this is a valued organisation doing important work, it cannot be the sum of Labor’s vision for our communities.
There are no major road upgrades, no meaningful investment in regional health services, and no serious response to the growing pressures facing country families.
At the same time, Victoria’s debt is climbing towards $200 billion, with interest repayments now costing taxpayers around $11.8 billion a year, or roughly $1.35 million every hour.
That is money not being spent on roads, hospitals, schools or frontline services.
Families across regional Victoria are already feeling the strain through rising costs, worsening infrastructure and reduced services, yet this budget offers little confidence for the future. Victoria cannot continue down a path of record debt without a plan to restore economic stability and deliver value for taxpayers.
The Nationals believe we need a long-term plan to secure Victoria’s economic future. One that restores financial discipline, invests fairly in regional communities, and focuses on essential services and productive infrastructure instead of endless bureaucracy and waste.
Regional Victoria deserves more than being treated as an afterthought. I will continue fighting to ensure our communities receive the investment, services and recognition they deserve.
Annabelle Cleeland
Member for Euroa
Contryside hit
When our councils unite and start fighting back and remind the State Government that our population is decreasing and our cities and rural areas are increasing due to mass migration, that’s unsustainable.
We’ve got the government that wants to destroy our countryside and its farmland with foreign-owned, foreign-made subsidised toxic renewables and then wants to fill our countryside with treeless housing estates, or spoil our country towns by pushing for more urban density which we don’t have the infrastructure for.
Sandra Morris
Seymour
Triple Zero urgency
The emergency number 000 that one dials in the event of a dire situation is, in my view and no doubt other people’s view, to the point of being ridiculous.
With the amount of questions one is asked by the Triple Zero operator and by the time you have answered these nonsensical questions, the situation one is in like a burglary or assault, the criminal damage has happened, and the perpetrators left the scene.
All one should do is answer police, ambulance or fire and tell them the location of the incident. Not, do you know the perpetrator? How old they are? What nationality? Is he/she coherent? What are they doing? Did you do anything to create the problem? Are they with a weapon? So, what is the weapon? Are they threatening you with the weapon?
Mick Crozier
Seymour
