“Something has to change”: Budget criticised over missed opportunities
By Grace Frost
The 2023 Federal Budget will do minimal to address the long-term impact of housing availability and affordability, according to Garry Harvey of The Property Guy, as buyers and renters continue to struggle in the City of Whittlesea.
The Budget outlined numerous strategies to address the cost-of-living, including an increase to the rental assistance cap, a reduction on withheld tax by 15 per cent on build-to-rent projects, and changes to the Home Guarantee Scheme allowing eligible family and friends to buy together.
Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said the budget also outlined investment in social and affordable housing, including the previously announced $10 billion pledge to the Housing Australia Future Fund, which will aim to build 30,000 new social and affordable homes in five years.
But Mr Harvey, who owns 29 investment properties and educates investors through his business, said despite the strategies supplying short-term assistance and relief in the current market for low-income earners, the Budget failed to address ‘the fundamental problem’.
Renters in the City of Whittlesea have been hit hard by rent costs, with the median weekly payment increasing in all but one of the municipality’s suburbs by an average of 5.9 per cent over the past 12 months.
Mr Harvey said the increasing demand for housing and limited supply was driving up rental costs, and the budget failed to address the problem with a long-term strategy.
“The basic law of supply and demand is pretty obvious at the moment, and there’s more demand for rentals than there is available,” he said.
“Something has to change to make it more attractive for people to supply more rentals.”
Mr Harvey said the government should have incentivised the suppliers of investment properties to ‘want to play in the rental space’, which he said would work towards addressing the housing crisis by adding rental properties to the market.
“Your average investor is not a multi-millionaire, it’s a family, trying to create something for their future. If you make that process more difficult, then they will often opt out and move to a different sector [to invest],” he said.
“You’ve got to provide incentives for them to want to [rent out their property] and make it a good investment space. I think in recent times, a lot of policies are working against that.
“Land taxes for example are having the reverse effect of what [the government] are telling us they’re trying to achieve.”
Mr Mitchell said the Budget’s primary focus was on delivering help to those who needed it most, benefitting the region by putting more individuals on the payroll and giving them the ability to afford a home.
“If you’re sitting there and saying the shortage is the problem, you actually then have to admit that this budget is doing everything for that. We’ve got a whole range of things we’ve [put] into the housing industry because we know that is the problem,” Mr Mitchell said.
Mr Mitchell said the Home Guarantee Scheme would allow for single and adoptive parents, as well as those who hadn’t owned a home in the past 10 years, to secure a home.
“By expanding the Home Guarantee Scheme, so far, 835 individual applications have been received in our community,” he said.
Mr Harvey agreed with Mr Mitchell the buy-to-rent tax relief was a ‘step in the right direction’, and the Home Guarantee Scheme changes would allow more people to buy a home.
But he still worried the lack of detail on the building of social and affordable housing would see no improvements in the housing crisis.
“We hear that word ‘affordable’ thrown around a lot from the politicians, but what does that mean? I’ve never heard anyone put a dollar figure on it,” he said.
“[The Budget] didn’t do anything other than help larger developers and address short-term cost-of-living.”
Bylands plane crash, wartime history remembered
By Max Davies
A LOST piece of wartime history from the Kilmore district was recalled at a service on the weekend, as members of the Returned and Services League, RSL, family members and servicemen and women gathered to remember two men who were killed in a plane crash at Bylands 80 years ago.
On January 15, 1943, a prototype CA-4 Wackett Bomber crashed on a Bylands property owned by Tom and Ann Comans, hitting a shed and narrowly avoiding the Comans family and their house.
Squadron Leader Jim Harper, Commonwealth Air Corporation, CAC, test pilot Jim Carter and power plant engineer Lionel Dudgeon were the three men onboard the bomber on that flight, but only Mr Harper survived the crash after escaping by parachute.
June Ryan and Don Comans, two of the Comans children, were four and seven respectively at the time of the crash. They attended the service in Kilmore on Saturday and recalled their experience of the incident.
“I was seven years of age and for me it was a real event, I didn’t realise the significance of two people losing their lives, but my father did. It must’ve been very hard for him because he had to assist the local undertaker,” Mr Comans said.
“It didn’t frighten me one bit, we were only about 35 metres from [the crash]. It crashed about 70 metres from the house, but June and I were actually standing about 35 metres away from where it hit the ground.”
Both siblings were pleased to see the strong turnout for the service, especially as it had initially seemed unlikely that a service would be held before the Kilmore-Wallan RSL sub-branch became involved in hosting the event.
“I think it’s been a wonderful event, it’s great that [the pilots] were remembered,” Mr Comans said.
“I thought it wasn’t going to happen, especially when [Lionel Dudgeon’s son] Ian lived in Canberra, but it’s amazing what can be achieved with technology now,” Mrs Ryan said.
Ian Dudgeon, who was six months old at the time of the crash, said it was an opportunity to get ‘closure’ on the incident and reflect on the joint contribution of members the Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, and the CAC during the war.
“I never knew [my father] obviously, but it was an incident that was a footnote during World War Two and a very small thing compared to the size of the war,” he said.
“It was an opportunity to put closure to him, but also to recognise the service of the co-pilot and to recognise the contribution to aviation of the survivor. It’s not just one issue, it’s not just the Dudgeon family – it’s a collective recognition and a collective memorial.”
To his surprise, Mr Dudgeon was presented a certificate of gratitude by Kilmore-Wallan RSL sub-branch president Rod Dally, signed by both Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in appreciation of the direct involvement in the war industry in Australia.
“I’m still getting over it, it was a tremendous initiative on behalf of the RSL to do that. I’m very proud to get it on behalf of my father,” Mr Dudgeon said.
“In the sense of civilian participation [like Lionel Dudgeon], to me it’s appropriate that they are all recognised together with the military elements from other areas.”
The Kilmore-Wallan RSL organised and hosted the event after being approached by Mr Dudgeon, and Mr Dally said it was a strong example of what RSL was all about.
The service featured a range of speakers including Mr Dally, Ian Dudgeon, historian and granddaughter of Tim and Ann Comans Liz Pidgeon, RAAF Wing Commander Rob Gill, and Air Force Association national president Carl Schiller, while a CAC Mustang fighter plane performed a flyover.
Romsey Redbacks dominate Rams in huge win
ROMSEY continued its winning streak with a comfortable 105-point win over the Western Rams on Saturday, with the league’s leading goal kicker Jack Jedwab’s eight goals helping the side to a 20.12 (132) to 4.3 (27) victory.
Romsey started strongly, asserting its dominance over the home side in the first quarter as they kept the Rams to one point.
Closing out the quarter with 5.3, the Redbacks showed they came to play, and momentum set the pace for the rest of the match.
The Redbacks continued their onslaught, adding another six goals, while containing the Rams to only nine points for the quarter.
The third quarter did not feature many goals, with Romsey’s run slowed slightly, kicking three goals, while the Rams were contained to one goal.
But the Redbacks were unrelenting in the final quarter, snagging another six goals to give them a dominant victory over a struggling Rams’ side, who managed just four goals for the match.
Alongside Jedwab’s impressive eight for Romsey, bringing him to 20 goals for the season and sitting comfortably at the top of the scoring ladder, Gavin Cathie, Samuel Wilson, Liam Muir, Benjamin Way, and Nathan Hoy had two goals apiece.
Unfortunately, the Romsey Redback senior women’s side couldn’t achieve the same success as their men’s side, maintaining their streak of only scoring one point per game for the season.
Romsey scored their sole point in the first quarter as the Macedon side ran over the top of them, 68 points to one.
The Redbacks’ women’s team sit at the bottom of the ladder, and come up against fourth-placed Woodend-Hesket next week in a home game.
Lancefield
In other Riddell District Football Netball League senior men’s action, Lancefield came crashing back to earth after their first victory of the season last week.
Coming up against the fancied Macedon, the Tigers went down 6.3 (39) to 9.14 (68). The game was the first night game for the Tigers held under lights.
After a tight tussle in the opening quarter, Lancefield led Macedon eight to six points.
Lancefield could not hold onto that momentum and fell away in the second quarter to trail by 10 points at the main break.
The Tigers continued to play catchup footy but couldn’t claw their way in front, falling further behind Macedon in the third term, and eventually went down 39-68 points.
Netball
Romsey’s A Grade netballers drew against Western Rams with 49 a piece in the Riddell District Football Netball League’s match of the week.
Amalani Fauonuku, shooting at 76 per cent accuracy for the season, led the goal scoring for the Redbacks with 26, while fellow goaler Emma Grech shot 23.
The Redbacks’ defence had its work cut out for them against the Western Rams’ goal shooter Rebecca Hicks, who scored a game high 34 goals, missing only two for the match. Romsey face fourth placed Woodend next week.
Lancefield netballers faced Macedon at Tiger land in a twilight match where it suffered a 31-57 loss.
Scoring was distributed among the Lancefield side with Larissa Rix leading the shooting with 15 goals, while Darcee Ellard and Jordan Furness shot 11 and five goals respectively.
Lancefield, currently at the bottom of the ladder, will face third placed Wallan in a match at Greenhill Reserve on Saturday.
Diverse views on Mitchell Shire Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan
Mitchell Shire Council hosted a zero emissions public forum earlier this month, with several objectors disrupting proceedings.
More than 30 people attended the forum on May 6, as part of the council’s draft Climate Emergency Action Plan.
“A diversity of views were represented at the public forum, with some participants needing to be reminded by the facilitator to refrain from speaking over others and reminded to be respectful of the process, to enable everyone to share their points of views and ideas,” Mitchell Shire chief executive officer Brett Luxford said.
“During the interactive workshop all participants were able to provide written feedback on a range of actions that were developed through the work of the community reference group.
“Suggestions and comments put forward during the forum will be reviewed and considered during the development of the Draft Climate Emergency Action Plan.”
BEAM Mitchell Environmental Group president Peter Lockyer has been involved with the climate emergency reference group process. He and his partner Sandra Bowkett attended the forum.
“We’re still waiting on a draft climate emergency plan to come out. What happened [at the forum] was just another layer to that process,” Mr Lockyer said.
“I thought it was well organised and the response was good. There were a number of people who were making allegations, assertions, statements and the organisers said ‘well look, all those things are valid so write it down on the paper and we can do something with it’.
“Walking around there and contributing myself, a number of the post-its were, I would say, probably out of order. The organisers handled it well.
“I thought the forum was a good process. It did a lot of things and a few hiccups on the day were not a big deal.”
Facebook posts on community group pages have attracted mostly negative comments questioning the plan’s details including the cost and damage of disposal of lithium ion, the creation of a bike lane instead of fixing roads and potholes, and the littering of e-bikes across the shire.
Mr Luxford said the forum was one of the ways the community has been able to get involved in the development of the plan.
“Once finalised, the draft plan will be available for public consultation via Engaging Mitchell and our customer service centres. Community feedback on the draft document is encouraged to help us develop a plan that works for Mitchell,” he said.
Mr Lockyer said he was interested to see a draft plan that was considerable and measurable.
“What we’ve seen today is that each council that has gone down this path have all come up with different plans, because there’s different contexts and different communities. There’s a different focus,” he said.
“So the Climate Emergency Action Plan that is produced as a draft plan and may be adopted by council would need to be reviewed and updated as the years go to ensure it’s up to date.”
Community members are encouraged to keep up to date via the Engaging Mitchell website at engagingmitchellshire.com/
climate-emergency-action-plan.
Pyalong swim club celebrates first birthday
By Max Davies
The Pyalong Piranhas Swim Club last week celebrated one year of providing children an opportunity to train and develop their skills in the pool.
Started on May 8, 2022, the Pyalong Piranhas aim to provide an alternative to traditional swim squad training that often requires a commitment to multiple training sessions a week with early morning starts, making swim training unachievable for some families.
The Piranhas instead run two training sessions a week – a weekday evening and Sunday mid-morning – with members attending when available and memberships available on a term-by-term basis.
Pools in Kilmore, Seymour, Lancefield and Heathcote – as well as Bendigo for diving – are used by the club, with children from each of the different communities also included.
Club president Kelly-Anne Skewes said she was proud to be able to give the region’s children the chance to learn new skills and become competitive in the pool.
“We have not sought to target and recruit a strong swim team, rather nurture and develop the skills of the kids that have had a desire to learn and grow,” she said.
“During this process we are proud that we have been able to develop these swimmers, and now 12 months on, the results in the pool and the personal growth of each child is evident. We could not be happier.”
While members can take part in competitive events at their own discretion, the club has travelled to a range of locations including Kyabram, Essendon, Lara, Yarra Valley and Cranbourne to gain competitive experience.
The Pyalong Piranhas also hosted its own swimming competition late last year as there were no other competitive events in the Mitchell Shire.
Club members have placed highly against their metropolitan competitors, and Ms Skewes said it was impressive to see the swimmers continue to break their personal records.
“We are proud to be an inclusive club, offering our members a place to belong. This is the most important and our foremost goal,” Ms Skewes said.
“Our team love to train and are incredibly proud of their club. We approach every event and training session with passion and kindness because we are proud of the community we have created.”
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Romsey trainer snares a double at Kilmore trots
By Len Baker
Romsey trainer-driver Chris Svanosio enjoyed a happy night in cold conditions at the Kilmore harness meet last Tuesday, May 9, by providing a double win.
Very much in-form four-year-old Creatine-Aldebaran Shelly mare Lady Adelia was impressive in taking the Momentum Gaming Trotters Mobile, over 2180 metres.
Going forward from outside the front line to park outside the Bolinda mare Kyvalleyhoneybunny, Lady Adelia made an unsuccessful bid for the front in the early stages before being restrained to the back of the pacemaker.
Coming away from the inside in the final circuit, Lady Adelia raced a little roughly with Svanosio holding her together until turning as Kyvalleeyhoneybunny went for home.
Once balanced on straightening, Lady Adelia stretched out beautifully to register a 1.6-metre margin over Kyvalleyhoneybunny. Wish Upona Dream was third 13.5 metres back. The mile rate 2-04.9.
Stablemate Better Brother, a three-year-old gelded son of Pet Rock and Shes A Killer, was tough in winning the 1690-metre Jet Roofing Vicbred Pace, after racing uncovered from outside the front line when shadowing the poleline leader Emjaybee.
Surging clear on turning, Better Brother won in a breeze by 11.8 metres from Ruby Wingate along the sprint lane after trailing the pacemaker, with Misslola a head away third. The mile rate 1-57.3.
Kilmore listed trainer Ben Yole provided half of the field in the O’Brien Electrical Pace over 2180 metres and snared the trifecta with 10-year-old American Ideal-Lombo Glad Rages gelding Ideal Investment defeating Nifty Jolt and Karalta Courage in a mile rate of 2-03.
Driven by the stable’s number one reinsperson Taylor Youl, Ideal Investment was taken back to the rear from and inside second line draw as Nifty Jolt led from gate three.
Moving forward three wide in the final circuit trailing Zaras All Good from the tail, Ideal Investment four wide home turn ran on best to register a 5.5 metre victory. Karalta Courage after a one/one trip was 1.4 metres away in third place.
Ben and Taylor were also to provide a double after six-year-old Million Dollar Cam-Kyallarama mare Didnt I scored in the World’s Best Hoof Oil Pace over 2180 metres, at odds of $26.
Beginning fast to lead from gate three, Didnt I was meritorious after being tackled strongly midrace before kicking away on turning to score by 6.3 metres in 2-00.9 from Northern Terror, which was shuffled back when those ahead of him dropped out. Icanmotor was third 2.6 metres back.
Bolinda’s Glen Davies combined with James Herbertson to capture The Hip Pocket Workwear Pace over 2180 metres with Social Writer, a seven-year-old entire by Sportswriter from Blissful Lombo, who broke his maiden status at start number 26.
Enjoying a cosy trip from gate two trailing the leader Sharkbite Alto, Social Writer ran home best to gain the day by a neck from Fly Like An Angel along the sprint lane from three back, with Cee Oh Dee third 3.5 metres back. The mile rate 2-04.1.
Other winners on the night included:
Carlsruhe trainer-driver Jack Sullivan’s five-year-old gelding Major Max, who landed the $7000 Broadstead Kilmore Trotters Final over 2180 for horses that qualified in the heats on April 27.
Parwan’s Jodi Quinlan trained and reined Art Major-Somejoy filly Somejoyful won the 1690-metre Garrard’s Horse and Hound 3Y0 Pace, returning a mile rate of 2-00.9.
Rochester part-owner and trainer Neville Pangrazio was successful in the 1690-metre MC Security Pace with five-year-old Artsplace-A Few Dollars More mare Cashflow Cassie.
Poolita trainer Sebastian Steenhuis landed the Kilmore Trackside Queen Tribute Show 19th May Book Now Pace over 1690 metres with four-year-old mare Ourbeachbabe.
Lockwood part-owner and trainer Ken Taylor’s handy five-year-old gelding Jaxon Beach snared the Georgina and Co Vicbred Pace over 1690 metres, returning a mile rate of 1-59.2.
Kilmore will host its next racing meeting on Thursday.
• Len Baker is trying to contact a relative of former trots driver Dal Fitzpatrick who lived in Kilmore for many years, in particular one of his two sons Garry or David. Could any relatives of Dal contact Len on 0401 679 745.
City of Whittlesea united together for inclusivity
The City of Whittlesea will fly a rainbow flag as part of its commitment to fostering inclusivity and embracing diversity.
The council are aiming to recognise the importance of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism, and Transphobia, IDAHOBIT, on tomorrow, Wednesday.
IDAHOBIT recognises the significance of May 17, 1990, when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its Classification of Diseases.
The day serves as a reminder that discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual, LGBTQIA+, community persists, despite progress made over the years.
City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson emphasised council’s ongoing efforts to ensure inclusivity and recognition for all communities.
“We are actively working to ensure everyone in our community feels seen and included,” she said.
La Trobe University’s recent national research highlights that discrimination against members of the LGBTQIA+ community is still prevalent.
The study found that one in three adults in the LGBTQIA+ community had experienced harassment or abuse, including verbal insults and threats due to their identity.
Ms Wilson said the figures, though significant, likely underestimated the true extent of the problem.
“While this research is important, it is essential to acknowledge that the reported numbers do not capture the full extent of the issue,” she said.
“We must work together to create a world where everyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation, can live without fear of discrimination or persecution.
“Let us stand together in support of the LGBTQIA+ community and continue to fight for their rights and inclusion in all aspects of society.
“IDAHOBIT provides an opportunity for us to publicly demonstrate our support for our LGBTQIA+ community and to raise awareness about the ongoing work required to combat discrimination.
“The City of Whittlesea stands firmly against all forms of discrimination and is dedicated to creating an inclusive community that embraces individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences.”
Ms Wilson said the council would actively engage with and support community initiatives and events that raised awareness and celebrated IDAHOBIT.
Edgars Road intersection upgrade complete
The installation of a new set of traffic lights at the intersection of Edgars Road and Rockfield Street in Epping is set to improve safety for travelling motorists.
The project, led by the City of Whittlesea, began in March last year and is expected to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion at the intersection.
Edgars Road is a key road connecting residential communities in the northern part of Epping and Wollert to employment, commercial and entertainment precincts in the south.
Rockfield Street stretches from Edgars Creek to the intersection with Redding Rise before becoming Lyndarum Drive, which ultimately links to Epping Road.
City of Whittlesea administrator Peita Duncan said the installation of traffic lights would improve safety and reduce commute times.
“Road safety is vitally important and these lights will give drivers peace of mind as they negotiate that intersection,” she said.
“Not only that, this improvement to our road network will also help to reduce the amount of time residents spend in their cars commuting.”
The intersection is set to receive a further influx of traffic when the final section of the Edgars Road project, between Rockfield Street and O’Herns Road, is completed in the coming months.
The project to install traffic lights at the Edgars Road-Rockfield Street intersection was funded by a $675,000 grant from the Federal Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program.
Affordable housing on Macedon Ranges’ agenda
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has approved a draft Affordable Housing Policy for community consultation – a policy that will guide council decisions and actions relating to affordable housing in the shire.
A minimum investment of $30 million from the State Government’s Big Housing Build initiative has been allocated to the Macedon Ranges.
Following community consultation earlier this year, council endorsed a proposal for a new 12-unit development at 3-5 Noel Street in Lancefield.
Council will procced into a lease of the property with Wintringham Housing for a 20-year term, with Wintringham to be responsible for the next steps in the process including lodging a planning permit and further community consultation.
Mayor Annette Death said residents were welcome to submit feedback on the new policy.
“I encourage people to read through this important policy and have their say. The Noel Street proposal is a prime example of the positive outcomes that the policy is aiming to achieve,” she said.
Feedback is invited on the draft Affordable Housing Policy until Sunday, with more information available at .