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Mitchell Shire Council to investigate housing solutions

Jordyn Grubisic
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Mitchell Shire Council to investigate housing solutions

Mitchell Shire Councillor Bill Chisolm put forward a notice of motion at the June 26 council meeting for council to address housing affordability and housing stocks.

Cr Chisholm’s motion requests council officers prepare a report looking into the feasibility of expanding the draft Social Housing and Affordability Strategy to include measures designed to assist people building new homes, as well as increase housing stock generally for residents already in the Mitchell Shire.

The motion passed unanimously.

“Some of the people out there think this probably isn’t a responsibility of council to get involved in the Social Housing and Affordability Strategy, but I can assure that idea is completely wrong,” Cr Chisolm said.

“It will require all levels of government to work together to achieve housing affordability and social housing, and we’ve all got a responsibility in that space.

“The whole idea of this motion is to get our staff to look at the wider perspective and come up with innovative ideas that can increase housing stock.”

The motion noted that officers’ reports should at a minimum consider how to reduce red tape and costs throughout the planning process for both renovations and new builds; advocate to the State Government for immediate priority funding to repair damage and for the vacant social housing stock in the shire; and if possible, compile a data bank of vacant housing stock throughout the shire.

Cr Chisholm also requested councillors looked at innovative building techniques including container houses, tiny houses and portable housing.

“If we’re going to solve this [housing] problem, all levels of government need to work together to get a result. Hopefully the Mitchell Shire can come up with some innovative ways to do so,” he said.

“I’d like to see container houses really looked at. There’s a whole range of things we can do but probably the biggest thing is in the planning regulations and cutting red tape and getting the system better. That was the idea of the motion.”

Cr Louise Bannister seconded the motion.

“It shouldn’t just be the responsibility of one government. Everyone should be working together because this crisis has passed the critical point and I think we need to be looking to innovation and ways to address it sooner rather than later,” she said.

“I look forward to seeing a report on this and hopefully other possibilities Mitchell Shire can support the state and federal governments, and also not-for-profits in solving what is a terrible housing crisis at the moment.”

Mitchell Shire councillors advocate in Canberra

Jordyn Grubisic
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Mitchell Shire councillors advocate in Canberra

Mitchell Shire Council representatives attended the 2023 National General Assembly of Local Government, NGA, in Canberra last month.

Mitchell Shire Council Mayor Fiona Stevens, deputy mayor Louise Bannister, chief executive Brett Luxford, and director of advocacy and communities Mary Agostino attended the assembly for a week of events, which showcased the partnership between the federal and local governments.

The 2023 theme was ‘Our Communities, Our Future’, encouraging ideas for new federal programs and policies that would support councils to build stronger communities in the future.

Councillors attended several lectures and presentations including by Governor General David Hurley and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Catherine King.

Cr Stevens said councillors ensured they used the event to look for opportunities for the Mitchell Shire.

“Throughout the full agenda we ensured we took the opportunity to highlight and discuss Mitchell Shire’s advocacy priorities and the many challenges we face as the fastest growing municipality in Victoria,” she said.

“We discussed the pressing need for the Cameron’s Lane Interchange on the Hume Freeway at Beveridge to alleviate the ever-growing congestion, and the significant health benefits that will be provided by the proposed Seymour Community Wellbeing Hub.

“We also promoted other needed infrastructure development to cater for growth throughout Mitchell Shire. Prime examples of this are the Watson Street interchange ramps, and the ongoing and overdue Kilmore bypass.”

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Mayor Fiona Stevens with Governor general David Hurley who was one of the presenters during the 2023 NGA. ​

Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said it was great to have representatives from the Mitchell Shire attend.

“Local councils are an important delivery partner with the Federal Government to help grow our communities,” he said.

“The council utilised the time to make representation to ministers on projects that are important for all of us.”

The week ended with the 2023 Australian Council of Local Government, ACLG, at the National Convention Centre in Canberra on June 16.

“The Australian Council of Local Government offers and important and valued platform for councils to connect within the government area,” Cr Stevens said.

“It provides a unique opportunity to learn, share and discuss the topics of mutual interest and prospects and difficulties in their respective regions.

“It’s extremely beneficial to hear how other councils deal with issues that are shared within every local council. Councils can educate themselves on good work done elsewhere so we don’t have to each reinvent the wheel.”

The ACLG was first established as a formal meeting between senior leaders of local government and the Federal Government in 2008. It has been more than a decade since the last meeting.

It builds on the government’s commitment to work with local governments to build liveable and socially equitable communities.

“The participation of local councils in national-level forums such as the Australian Council of Local Government also brings greater visibility and significance to the role,” Cr Stevens said.

“These opportunities to network at this level and with such broad representations are rare.

“At the highest level it acknowledges their position as essential contributors to national governance and offers them a platform to advocate strongly for the interests and concerns of their communities on a broader scale.”

Seymour agricultural society sees change

The North Central Review
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Seymour agricultural society sees change

After eight years of leading the Seymour Agricultural and Pastoral Society, Jason Ronald has stepped down as president at its annual general meeting.

Anne Davidson, having been vice-president for three years has stepped up to the president’s role, making her the third female president of the society its 165-year existence.

Life member Vivian Beaumont accepted the nomination for vice-president, as did Cherie Matthews for the second vice-president role.

New council member Brenda Page is the new treasurer while Pam Beerens was re-appointed as secretary for another 12 months.

New life memberships were awarded to Mr Ronald and Denis Leahy.

Mr Ronald was acknowledged for his time as president and achievements associated with the role and Ms Leahy was recognised for his time with the society and in particular his work with the working sheep dog trials.

The society will host the 2023 Seymour Show on October 6 and 7, following the success of last year’s show and the challenges the floods.

For people wishing to volunteer to assist with organising the show, there are several roles, from helping set up and pack down to assisting on the day, available. People can contact secretary@seymouragshow.org.au or call Pam on 0422 058 213.

Funding for Wallan Winter Wonderland

The North Central Review
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Funding for Wallan Winter Wonderland

Member for Kalkallo Ros Spence announced on Thursday, June 22 the Wallan Winter Wonderland will receive funding as part of the State Government’s Small and Medium Event program.

Wallan Winter Wonderland will receive $25,000 in funding to deliver their event on July 15 to celebrate all things winter with food trucks, bespoke breweries, fire pits, market stalls, live music and more.

Hume Diwali Mela will also receive $25,000 to deliver their annual festival of lights on November 4, which attracted more than 10,000 attendees from across Victoria last year.

“This funding is a big win for our local community, encouraging more people to visit both Craigieburn and Wallan while also supporting our local economy,” Ms Spence said.

“I can’t wait to see both of these organisations and our local community benefit from this funding.”

The Small and Medium Events program supports a diverse range of activities including cultural, sporting and creative events, creating ongoing jobs, connecting organisers with local businesses and attracting more visitors to experience Melbourne suburbs.

New resource to help support childhood stroke survivors

The North Central Review
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New resource to help support childhood stroke survivors

A Wallan childhood stroke survivor has thrown her support behind a new resource to educate Australians on the impact of stroke in children and how to support them.

Hailey Barber was six years old and in prep when she suffered a stroke in 1999, taking her out of school for four months.

Ms Barber, now 29, said returning to school was isolating and came with huge challenges.

“It was a really frightening time especially not being able to communicate to anyone what was going on,” she said.

“It was really hard keeping up with my peers. I wanted to run around and do things but the fatigue wouldn’t let me and other pupils weren’t sure why I was doing certain things like constantly leaving lids off Textas.”

To help educate friends, families and school communities, the Stroke Foundation has launched the ‘All brains are beautiful’ fact sheet, which explains the impact of stroke in children, including how it affects their feelings, friendships and ability to learn.

Stroke Foundation StrokeConnect Information national manager Jude Czerenkowski said starting school or going back to school could be an anxious time for children after stroke.

“Some kids may not be able to do what they used to do. They may do things differently. They may need help or more time,” she said.

“The fact sheet is written for parents to read through with the pre and primary school aged children. It explains what a stroke is and how it can affect children [and] has lots of great advice on how to help.

“Having good friends, who are kind and who include them, makes a world of difference to childhood stroke survivors.”

Ms Barber said she hoped the fact sheet would help ease the transition to school for childhood stroke survivors and their families.

“It’s a good resource when you’re trying to reassimilate into school, trying to find your feet again and gives your peers an understanding of what was going on and they don’t treat it as a taboo subject,” she said.

The fact sheet can be found at store.strokefoundation.org.au/products/fact-sheet-all-brains-are-beautiful-25-pack.

Plenty Valley Christian College’s fundraising helps fight cancer

Grace Frost
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Plenty Valley Christian College’s fundraising helps fight cancer

By Grace Frost

Cancer Council Victoria chief executive Todd Harper personally thanked Plenty Valley Christian College, PVCC, in Doreen for their ‘incredible fundraising’ after the school secured more than $50,000 for the not-for-profit organisation in recent years.

PVCC primarily fundraised the money through Relay For Life, RFL, events.

“On behalf of all of us here at Cancer Council, I wanted to say a big thankyou to all of you at Plenty Valley Christian College for your incredible fundraising over the last eight years,” Mr Harper said.

“[$50,000] is an amazing achievement and makes a huge difference in supporting Cancer Council’s life saving cancer research, prevention and support programs.

“Last year, [Cancer Council] invested over $30 million into cancer research programs. This was thanks to the generosity of people like [those at PVCC], who have worked tirelessly to raise money to support the work we do and help us in our mission to reduce the impact of cancer and save lives.”

The accolades came primarily in response to PVCC’s annual RFL event, which this year raised $22,823 toward cancer research and preventative initatives.

The PVCC RFL tradition began more than five years ago when students were invited to participate in the event off-campus with the wider Doreen community.

The event’s purpose ran deep in the school community, following many past teachers and students being affected by cancer.

With that in mind, the 2018 college captains Anna Warwick and Lachie McInnes and student senate developed an RFL event specifically for the PVCC community to take place on campus after school.

The revamped RFL has since drawn crowds exceeding 1000 people, with the tradition for many teachers, students and alumni at PVCC being the event of the year.

Students show their support for the cause each year by designing banners to display around the school during the relay and dressing in casual clothes.

And each year some brave students, this year including college captain David Tregale, shave their heads in front of friends and family for the cause.

“It was an amazing feeling to see everyone standing around me when I was shaving my head, cheering and supporting,” David said.

“The [PVCC] community were together as one [at RFL]. That’s something that I love about the Plenty Valley network.

“Whether people were spectators at the dunk tank, listening to the live music or getting their heads shaved to fundraise, it was special to be supporting a mutual cause.”

Attendees this year battled cold and wet conditions in late March, while enjoying live music and activities including sumo suit wrestling, face painting and pony rides organised by the student senate.

Nearly three months later, the official tally of funds raised was announced at a school assembly as college captains Alanah McGinty and David Tregale presented Cancer Council’s Andrew Villani a huge cheque.

“It was amazing to see the planning come together after months of hard work,” Alanah said.

“[Presenting the cheque] was such a proud moment and everyone involved did an incredible job.”

Mr Harper said he looked forward to seeing PVCC students at a Relay for Life in the near future to say a personal thank you.

City of Whittlesea family violence data released

Jordyn Grubisic
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City of Whittlesea family violence data released

The latest Victoria Police crime statistics show family violence incidents in the City of Whittlesea had decreased 11.1 per cent for the year ending March 2023, when compared to the same time last year.

For the year ending March 2023, 2708 incidents were reported to police, compared to 3047 in 2022.

However a Victoria Police spokesperson said the statistics should be looked at with caution.

“While it is pleasing to see offences such as family violence related assaults decreased in Whittlesea, we are always cautious when looking at these statistics as we know this type of offending happens behind close doors and often goes unreported,” the spokesperson said.

There were 2144 females and 561 males affected family members. Those aged 25 to 34 were the most affected group with 714 persons, closely followed by people aged 35 to 44, with 713.

People aged 45 to 54 sat at 452, while there were 376 aged over 55, 283 aged 18 to 24 and 145 aged zero to 17.

“Family violence continues to be a significant source of harm to the community with police continuing to respond to a high number of family violence criminal incidents every year,” the spokesperson said.

“No one should ever be made to feel unsafe. If someone in the community feels they are at risk of being involved in a family violence incident or believe that someone you know is, seek help from police or a support service.

“Police not only provide safety for victims who make a report, they also refer them to support services, so they get the assistance they need.

“When someone is in immediate danger, always call triple zero.”

There were 209 family violence serious assault incidents and 558 family violence related common assault incidents reported.

Family violence related stalking increased from 66 to 71 and incidents of family violence harassment and private nuisance increased from 98 to 144.

There were 162 incidents of family violence related threatening behaviour, a decrease from the 183 reported last year.

There were 1445 breach of family violence orders.

“We have established an investigative approach to family violence with the establishment of Family Violence Investigation Units, which are made up of dedicated detectives and intelligence practitioners,” the spokesperson said.

“The statistics show we are continuing to apprehend offenders for breaching family violence orders and intervention orders, which is indicative of the proactive work of our detectives who are out every day, knocking on doors and ensuring known offenders are complying with their orders.

“If they are caught offending or breaching an order, police will have absolutely no hesitation in bringing them before a court.

“Victoria Police has come a long way in developing its responses to these crimes, raising community awareness and challenging attitudes supporting violence, providing safety to victim’s and referring them to support services so they get the assistance they need.”

Future plans for Whittlesea Park outlined

The North Central Review
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Future plans for Whittlesea Park outlined

The City of Whittlesea has taken on a new masterplan to guide decisions about the Whittlesea Park for the next decade.

The Whittlesea Park Masterplan, consisting of 13 recommendations, was created by the City of Whittlesea in partnership with the Whittlesea Showgrounds and Recreation Reserve’s Committee of Management.

Located on a 25-hectare reserve in the Whittlesea township, the approved masterplan highlights upgrades to the reserve’s entrances and improvements to the playground to accommodate children of all ages.

Under the plan, council will build new picnic areas with barbecue facilities and construct a three-metre-wide circuit path, including pedestrian bridge crossings and fitness stations.

Playground and skate park users will benefit from new public toilets at the Walnut Street entrance, while dog owners will enjoy the upgrades to the existing off-leash dog park, the planting of additional trees and a quiet dog zone.

Access will be improved with the installation of new pedestrian bridge crossings over Scrubby Creek and Bruce Creek, and works to be done to the Whittlesea Showground from Beech Street.

Council has recieved $500,000 from the State Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund to construct a new bridge over the Plenty River at the end of Laurel Street. 

The plan also oversees a tree strategy to be formulated, providing an audit of all existing trees, and parking arrangements along Laurel, Forest, Walnut and Beech streets to be formalised.

Council and the committee of management will work with State Government partners to enrich the quality of vegetation along the waterways and develop an interpretive signage plan to encourage the cultural history of the area.

Chair administrator Lydia Wilson said the master plan would develop the park as a significant place for all recreation activities in the Whittlesea township.

She said council would deliver the masterplan in stages, subject to future budgets and grant allocations. 

“Council is committed to ensuring our parks meet the needs of our communities and support the active, outdoor lifestyles residents enjoy so much,” she said. 

To view the master plan, visit www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/whittleseapark.

Grants boost for families in need

The North Central Review
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Grants boost for families in need

A new City of Whittlesea Community grant program will start with an urgent round for food share organisations in light of the rising cost of living.

Council endorsed a new Community Grants framework at its June 27 meeting following community consultation, with the new program to offer six grant categories – small, medium, large, individual, unincorporated groups and emergency grants.

A significant change is the introduction of year-round grants, with approval rounds conducted on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Emergency grants are also now proposed to provide immediate support to eligible applicants experiencing unforeseen financial hardship.

Chair administrator Lydia Wilson said the new program would ensure a more equitable approach to sharing funds, with the first round of grants providing food share groups a share in $100,000 for food relief.

“With rising cost of living pressure, our community groups are telling us that they’ve had an increase in people seeking food relief so we are pleased to be able to respond with this funding boost,” she said.

“We hope this will enable them to continue to provide these important services and programs to those in our community who are experiencing difficult times.”

Council has also endorsed an increase in total grants funding of 33 per cent, with much of the increase going to support seniors’ groups.

“This new grants program will enable us to better partner with our community to support the brilliant work being done by many organsiations and individuals in our community,” Ms Wilson said.

Council will host information sessions about the changes and reach out to community groups in coming weeks before the grant program is launched in August.

For more information, visit whittlesea.vic.gov.au/grants.

City of Whittlesea youth crime increases

Jordyn Grubisic
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City of Whittlesea youth crime increases

The latest Victoria Police crime statistics show the number of offences committed by young people in the City of Whittlesea has increased.

Overall crime incidents rose 3.2 per cent to 9198 in the year ending March 2023, from 8917 in 2022.

Epping, Thomastown, Mill Park, Bundoora and Lalor were the top suburbs for crime incidents.

There were 645 alleged incidents involving young people aged between 10 to 17 years as offenders, making up 13 per cent of the total alleged offender incidents in the municipality.

The youth crime figure has increased year-on-year, and when compared with pre-COVID levels, it has increased by 17 per cent.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said there had been a slight increase on overall crime year-on-year however, when compared with pre-COVID levels, overall crime in the City of Whittlesea had decreased by 22 per cent.

“We are actively focused on keeping crime down, and we have teams of officers patrolling the community every night to detect and deter crime,” the spokesperson said.

“Our focus is always ensuring we have as many resources on the road to not only detect crime but to provide a rapid response to any calls for assistance.”

Top locations for crime in the local government area, LGA, were the home, streets and footpaths, shopping complexes, service stations and carparks.

The top principal offences were theft, stealing from a motor vehicle, criminal damage, breaching family violence orders and stealing from a store.

Almost 46 per cent of offences resulted in arrests or summons, 12.7 per cent ‘other’, which could be a caution or fine, while 33.8 per cent are unsolved.

The spokesperson said the figures were relatively in proportion with the state of Victoria.

“In Whittlesea, the number of offenders we have processed for crimes including assaults, sex offences, robberies, burglaries, theft, drug and weapon offences has all increased,” they said.

“While all crimes are investigated, it is common practice across all police jurisdictions and agencies for incidents causing the most damage to be priorities. This particularly applies to offences where harm or injury is caused to an individual.”

Four homicide and related offences, 194 non-family violence related serious assault incidents and 342 non-family violence related common assault incidents were recorded in the municipality.

There were 62 incidents of assaulting police, emergency services or other authorised officers.

“While this figure has increased year-on-year, it is well below pre-COVID levels,” the Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“The vast majority of the community has the utmost respect for our officers, however there is a minority who have a blatant disregard for law enforcement and aren’t afraid to engage in violent confrontations with the potential to inflict physical or mental injuries on our members.

“This is completely unacceptable and the safety of our people and those who we deal within the community is our highest priority.”

Among the criminal incidents reported, sexual offences and false imprisonment reports decreased while abduction incidents increased.

There were 44 incidents of dangerous driving and 94 other incidents of dangerous or negligent acts endangering people.

Fifty-one incidents of causing damage by fire, one causing a bushfire, with an additional five other fire-related offences reported.

Criminal damage and graffiti incident reports decreased. Five professional malpractice and misrepresentation incidents were reported.

There were 146 drug trafficking, 27 cultivating drugs, 46 possessing drug manufacturing equipment or precursor and seven drug use incidents.

There were 658 incidents of drug possession and eight other drug offences.

Seventeen drunk and disorderly in public, 29 offensive conduct and four offensive language incidents were reported.

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