Council take charge of Seymour preschool

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February 23, 2021

Council take charge of Seymour preschool

MITCHELL Shire Council will take charge of operating Seymour Preschool Centre after councillors voted in favour of a dissolution of trust last week.

The preschool has been operated by a committee of management under a trust deed in a council-owned building on Victoria Street since 1980.

During 2020, the committee found the COVID-19 pandemic added an overwhelming burden to the already-challenging responsibility of the administration and operation of the preschool, and requested that management of the preschool be transferred to council.

Council officers met with the committee to discuss matters relating to the transfer of the preschool management and the dissolution of the trust.

Cr Fiona Stevens said it was important for people to understand the dissolution of trust had nothing to do with mismanagement at the centre.

“Dissolution of trust can be concerning to the community because it can be misinterpreted that something that has belonged to the community or was managed by the community has been taken over by council,” she said.

“This has come about because running kindergartens is not as easy as it used to be, not that it was ever easy.

“This kinder has been in Seymour for a very long time and has a wonderful reputation.

“Both of my girls went to this kinder and I was lucky enough to be secretary one year and president the next, and know the work that goes into running these places

“I want to thank the community sincerely – the parents, the staff and everyone who has contributed to the running of this place. This is no reflection on the way you’ve done it, it’s just the time has come when the running of it has become a bit complex and council sees an opportunity to step up and assist for the benefit of the kinder into the future.

“The kinder is still going to stay, all this is doing is changing the management and giving us more of a role to play in the running of the kinder.”

Cr Louise Bannister thanked Seymour residents who had been part of the centre’s operation.

“Your contribution has not gone unnoticed and I look forward to watching that kindergarten be a key part of the community into the future,” she said.

Taungurung land agreement unresolved

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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By Colin MacGillivray

A HISTORIC Indigenous Land Use Agreement between Taungurung Land and Waters Council and the State Government is in legal limbo after the Federal Court found it was registered incorrectly.

The land use agreement was finalised in October 2018 as part of a broader settlement agreement largely under the auspices Victoria’s Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010.

The settlement agreement formally recognised the Taungurung people as the traditional owners of more than 20,000 square kilometres of land in north central Victoria from Kyneton in the west to Bright in the east, encompassing nearly all of Mitchell Shire north of Heathcote Junction.

The agreement between Taungurung and the State Government included an understanding that the Taungurung people would not exercise their rights under the federal Native Title Act 1993 in exchange for a range of economic and non-economic benefits estimated at about $34 million.

Included in the settlement was the transfer of nine national parks and reserves to be jointly-managed by the state and Taungurung Land and Waters Council, including the Buffalo and Lake Eildon national parks and areas of Alpine National Park.

When the agreement was reached in 2018, Taungurung leaders hailed it as ‘pleasing recognition’ of the group’s claim to the land after 15 years of campaigning, but several other First Nations groups raised objections.

Members of other Aboriginal groups claimed native title in areas covered by the agreement and said they had been excluded from the agreement.

Representatives of the Ngurai Illum Wurrung, Waywurru and Dhudhuroa people were among respondents who applied for a judicial review of the agreement process.

Federal Court proceedings concluded earlier this month, with Justice Debra Mortimer finding errors in the way the agreement was registered with the National Native Title Tribunal.

Justice Mortimer found a delegate of the Native Title Registrar, who was responsible for registering the agreement, made ‘significant errors of law’.

The finding has left the ILUA up in the air, with Justice Mortimer to consider submissions from all parties on the next steps to be taken.

Taungurung Land and Waters Council chief executive Matt Burns said the group was ‘extremely disappointed with the judgement’ but believed the agreement would eventually be upheld.

“We’re still very confident the outcome will be the same in the long run, it’s just additional time and additional frustration,” he said.

“The judge made it very clear that it’s not a decision on who the native title holders are or who the right traditional owner group is, it’s a decision relating to the fact that the delegate of the National Native Title Tribunal did not follow the right process.

“All the research and evidence to prove whose country it is has all been done.

“They didn’t tick the right boxes or consider the right things as part of their responsibility with the Native Title Registrar.”

Mr Burns said Taungurung was receiving legal advice on what to do next.

“We’re weighing up the decision of an appeal, which will probably take nine months before it’s heard, or just letting it go back to the registrar and asking them to reconsider with the additional considerations that the judge made clear hadn’t been considered,” he said.

“Then we can follow the process. For us, that may be the clearer path to resolving this once and for all with a positive determination.”

Mr Burns said the extension of Taungurung’s boundaries to Mount Buffalo National Park and other areas north-east of Mansfield granted in the 2018 settlement agreement with the State Government would remain in place.

“We don’t think it impairs our [other] agreements at all,” he said.

“Even if there is a temporary deregistration of our Indigenous Land Use Agreement, our agreements that are in place will continue to apply.

“By law under the Aboriginal Heritage Act, for a traditional owner group that has a Recognition and Settlement Agreement, their boundary applies to the same area as their Recognition and Settlement Agreement boundary.

“We welcome the scrutiny because we know we’re right, so this will just ensure we’ve followed all relevant steps. We’re confident in who we are and where our country is.

“It’s a bump in the road, but we’re confident of the outcome in the long run. It’s been a long journey already for us, so this is just an extension to the story.”

Comedy event for a cause

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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A WALLAN not-for-profit organisation will host Comedy for a Cause next month at Kilmore Soldiers Memorial Hall, a fundraiser that also aims to bring the community together for a laugh after lockdown.

Comedy for a Cause is an Australian organisation that books comedians for not-for-profit events, with at least one headliner from the Sydney or Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

It works as a lucky dip, with the hosts unaware of who will perform until two weeks prior to the event.

Money raised from the Kilmore event on March 13 will go to Transition Village Wallan, which, still in its development stage, aims to provide off-the-grid sustainable accommodation to homeless people or people at risk of homelessness within the Mitchell area.

Founder Judy Clarke said the pandemic delayed the planning permit process and their fundraising efforts, but that this comedy show would put them back on track to launching in early 2022.

“We absolutely scrapped last year for anything as most people [did] for fundraising. We’re now on getting our local fundraising efforts established again,” she said.

The ecovillage will accommodate up to 10 people in its trial phase, located on land 900 metres from Wallan rail station.

Powered by solar, with its own farm, composting toilets and other practices that will make the site as self-sufficient as possible,

Transition Village aims to work with registered housing authorities, such as Nexus, Salvos and Brotherhood of St Lawrence, who would refer clients for stays of up to 12 months.

It aims to provide employment support as well as education on how to live and adapt to a changing climate, from organising clean energy, to farming.

“Our job is to then make sure that they’re able to link easily with the people they need,” Ms Clarke said.

“[Some] people need professional services that we really can’t supply, so we know our limits.”

This is the second time Transition Village Wallan has hosted a Comedy for a Cause show, last time raising more than $2000. Ms Clarke hopes to raise more this time by selling all 200 tickets.

“We actually need around 70 people to break even, and then we make a profit,” she said.

Ms Clarke also hopes this event will bring members of the community together after last week’s lockdown.

“Lockdown could happen at any time now, we need to deal with it and reconnect with our friends and start to get a bit of happiness and laughter going,” she said.

“We have to overcome that reluctance to plan ahead and commit to dates, and that is a step towards [better] mental health I think. This uncertainty of, ‘what do we do? We just stay home’ is really quite damaging to communities.”

Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students with food and drinks also available for purchase.

Tickets can be purchased at comedyforacause.net/tvw, or email Judy Clarke on ceo@tvw.org.au to enquire.

Call for council to adopt bold emissions target

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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Call for council to adopt bold emissions target

BEAM Mitchell Environment Group has called for Mitchell Shire Council to adopt a ‘bold’ target of zero net carbon emissions within the next decade.

Group president Peter Lockyer and member Clare Daly presented to the council during this month’s community questions and hearings committee session, outlining a vision for a green future across the municipality.

Mr Lockyer said council should recognise climate change as a global emergency and act accordingly.

“We invite Mitchell Shire Council to take strong and urgent action on climate change by declaring a climate emergency, setting a target of net zero emissions across all council operations by 2030 and working with the community to develop a plan to reach this target. You won’t be on your own,” he said.

“In Mitchell we have … observed disadvantaged groups being impacted more by climate change, generally in areas where there is less canopy cover and poorer housing in lower socio-economic areas.

“We’ve seen food waste going into landfill, producing methane released into the atmosphere. We’ve seen heatwaves killing more people.

“We call on the council to be brave and ambitious and join the leaders.”

Ms Daly said many councils across Australia had already declared a climate emergency, and urged council to follow suit.

“The UN declared climate change as the greatest threat to public health in the 21st century,” she said.

“New Zealand has recently declared a climate emergency, and in Australia close to 100 jurisdictions representing nine million people – over a third of the population – have declared a climate emergency.

“The Mitchell Shire Council environment policy mandates that council will have zero emissions by 2050. Council’s environment policy is an excellent beginning, but it needs to embed stronger targets.

“The experts tell us the heavy lifting must be done by 2030 if we have any change of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees.”

Mr Lockyer said a range of initiatives including the installation of solar panels in council buildings and new housing developments, the adoption of electric vehicles, encouraging people to work from home or in local hubs, and planting more trees for greater canopy coverage could help council reach a zero net emissions target.

“Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre has 25 per cent of its power generated by rooftop solar, saving $32,000 a year. Why not 100 per cent?” he said.

“We could be saving $130,000 a year and pouring that back into the community. We could add a battery so that it becomes a safe refuge in times of emergency.”

Cr Rob Eldridge said he was keen for council to take action on climate change.

“One of the things I’m very keen to see is mitigation action … [which] is something the community would benefit from straight away. That is shade, it’s potentially water and reducing the heat island effect,” he said.

“There will be about 160,000 people coming into the shire in the next 40-odd years, so there’s a great opportunity to influence the way they build and live.

“At the moment we’re going through structure plans and development plans, which is going to embed energy efficiency – or not – into many houses. We talk about having an impact – that’s a huge impact.”

Sale of Hanging Rock East Paddock remains under a cloud

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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Sale of Hanging Rock East Paddock remains under a cloud

THE future of Hanging Rock East Paddock is at a standstill after the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and Macedon Ranges Shire Council were unable to reach an agreement on the monetary value of the site.

The paddock is currently owned by Macedon Ranges Shire Council after it was purchased from its previous owners in 1990.

The land has become established as a regular concert venue for international artists, including the most recent by Elton John over the Australia Day weekend last year.

In the past four years, council has undertaken several improvements to the site, including but not limited to; north and south pavilions incorporating barbecues, toilets and undercover shelters; gravel roads; and 26 light towers and lamps.

An independent valuer concluded the site was valued at more than $3 million in October 2019.

In 2018 the Hanging Rock Strategic Plan was prepared, and a document developed by DELWP and council.

The future ownership of the East Paddock was an issue raised, as the State Government pledged to purchase the land from council to ‘provide greater protection to the precinct’.

Multiple discussions and meetings subsequently took place between DELWP and council, however no agreement was reached on the valuation of the site.

At its ordinary meeting in May last year, it was recommended council reject an offer made by DELWP to purchase the land, and a report was provided detailing the valuation of the land and reasons behind their unanimous decision.

A valuation conference attended by both council and a Valuer-General Victoria valuer, appointed by DELWP, several valuation differences arose – the most evident being site improvements.

Site improvements to the East Paddock proposed by council included internal roads, street lighting, perimeter fencing, and several underground services, including electricity, data and reticulation of non-potable water.

The Valuer-General valuation did not compensate for the improvements with its valuation amount, and council’s valuer argued the assets were beneficial for the recreational use of the site – including as a concert venue and location for public events.

In disagreement, the VGV valuer suggested the improvements were insignificant and maintained they would not include the assets in the valuation – DELWP requested its final valuation of the East Paddock remain confidential.

Council’s valuer did not accept the monetary value made by DELWP as it ‘[did] not adequately reflect the value of the site improvements or the investment council [had] made in the site for future public events’.

The council valuer concluded the value proposed by DELWP was ‘significantly below’ council’s valuation.

At its December meeting last year, council officers provided an update of the sale proceedings and concluded they would continue working with DELWP to ‘negotiate a satisfactory outcome to the proposed transfer of the East Paddock’.

“The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, DELWP, is continuing to work with Macedon Ranges Shire Council in regard to the East Paddock with the aim of protecting the Hanging Rock precinct for current and future generations,” a DELWP spokesperson said.

“The Hanging Rock Strategic Plan guides future use of the Rock and its immediate surrounds for the long term.

“The plan was developed in consultation with the community and stakeholders, including extensive consultation with traditional owner groups Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and the Wurundjeri.”

Gisborne gardens to grow

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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GISBORNE Botanic Gardens has received $130,000 as part of the State Government’s Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens grants program.

A total of 26 gardens across the state will share in $2.42 million in the latest round of grants.

Gisborne Botanic Gardens will use the $130,000 to deliver several improvements to expand the garden’s living plant collection, and for the installation of an automatic recycled water irrigation system.

Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas said Malmsbury Botanic Gardens would also receive a $50,000 grant to upgrade the current manual irrigation system to an automatic system.

The upgrade will maintain and improve plant health, ensure efficient delivery of water to trees at a more desirable time, and improve visitor experience of the gardens during summer months.

Ms Thomas said the grants were part of a $4 million, two-year program to upgrade the state’s botanic gardens.

The first round of grant funding invested $1.48 million in projects at 17 of Victoria’s botanic gardens in 2019.

Most of the gardens to receive funding in the grants program’s second round are located in regional Victoria where they make a significant contribution to the tourism industry.

Round two of the Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens grant recipients will use the funding to deliver a range of upgrades that will improve water supply, address climate change, encourage education and community collaboration and improvement management.

Ms Thomas said Victoria’s botanic gardens provided beautiful places for people to visit and relax, as well as protecting plants and ecosystems and offering valuable scientific and educational opportunities.

“The Gisborne and Malmsbury Botanic Gardens are well loved by Macedon Ranges locals and visitors alike and this funding will help to make it an even better experience for everyone,” she said.

“This government’s investment in Victoria’s botanic gardens supports our wide-ranging efforts to conserve our precious native plants and animals.

“Last year has reminded many Victorians of just how important nature is for our health and wellbeing.

“Our continuing investment in botanic gardens across the state supports that.”

Feeding into city’s plans

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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By Aleksandra Bliszczyk

BETTER lighting on roads and paths, separate bike lanes, more education and employment opportunities for young people, and introduction of a cat curfew to protect native fauna were among key issues raised at a City of Whittlesea community meeting last week.

Other issues raised included a lack of adequate public toilets, rubbishing dumping, and the building delays on the proposed aquatic and sporting facility in Mernda.

City of Whittlesea residents attended a virtual question and answers meeting with council administrators and chief executive Craig Lloyd on Thursday evening, as the first step towards writing the 2021-25 council plan.

Mr Lloyd also addressed community feedback of poor council customer service, citing the results of a survey of more than 2000 residents.

“It’s very clear to me that our customer service isn’t good enough,” he said.

“The service [residents] receive along the way, the updates they receive and the way we go about providing those is less than perfect. So we’re investing in retraining of our staff, looking at new IT systems, looking at our processes as well and moving a lot of things online.”

More than 100 joined the Zoom meeting to provide feedback on what was most important to residents within their municipality.

Council also received more than 200 questions in the lead-up to the meeting, every one of which it committed to answering in the coming weeks.

“Tonight is just the start of a conversation about our next council plan … and we’re just so excited to hear from you about your priorities for the next four years,” City of Whittlesea administrator chair Lydia Wilson said.

Administrators and Mr Lloyd hoped the meeting would kick-off a productive term, after the city’s elected councillors were dismissed by the State Government in March 2020 for serious breaches of governance and procedure.

Government-appointed administrators will run the city until the next local election in 2025, and administrator Peita Duncan insisted they would be effective.

“We are not here just to warm a seat, so to speak, we do have big plans for the municipality,” she said.

Mr Lloyd and Ms Wilson said the overarching question of the meeting was about where council should focus its efforts during the next four years to support the community, especially as it reels from the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, residents were invited to write their thoughts on a shared brainstorm webpage under four headings covering health and safety, liveability, local economy, and the environment and climate change.

Members were able to vote up or like ideas that they wanted to see more of within the community.

Many participants also spoke about what they loved most about their community, mentioning green spaces and parklands, diversity and inclusivity.

During the public discussion at the end of the meeting, one resident who had been in the area for five years, said he had never experienced a community that was so connected, adding it was the first urban area he had lived where he knew the names of all of his neighbours and their children.

New space and renewed energy for Probus club

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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New space and renewed energy for Probus club

By Aleksandra Bliszczyk

MEMBERS of the Combined Probus Club of Whittlesea Inc met in person earlier this month for the first time in almost a year, after lockdown halted its regular agenda in March 2020.

As an added cause for celebration, the meeting was held in the new function room at the newly-refurbished Whittlesea Bowls Club.

The club’s publicity officer Mary Wood said the first meeting was ‘terrific’, and the new space offered a lot of potential.

“They used COVID last year to rebuild and put an addition on, and the club’s fantastic now. With all the mod cons of equipment and tech gear they’ve got, I don’t have to take a projector or laptop or anything,” she said.

“All the IT equipment is new, they’ve got TV screens around the walls plus the pulldown screen … nice big tables, new chairs, it’s just a beautiful venue really.”

Meeting in a renovated space is a dramatic change from lockdown, during which all of the club’s events, including interstate trips, were cancelled or postponed.

To stay connected, Ms Wood continued the club’s monthly newsletters, although in a condensed format, and started a phone tree for members to stay in touch.

“It was good, but it’s nothing like meeting together,” she said.

Whittlesea Probus Club’s guest speaker officer Teresa Carlin, right, and speakers David Ovenden and Tanya Gook at the club’s first meeting since March 2020.

Probus is a global organisation in 23 countries, with 125,000 active members in Australia and New Zealand. Founded in the UK in the 1960s, groups offer retired members of their communities events, trips and other opportunities to meet for social and outdoor activities.

“We have a meeting on the first Monday of each month, luncheons on the third Friday of every month, card games every Wednesday, a gardening club … a walking group,” Ms Wood said.

The Whittlesea branch, which welcomes members from across the municipality as well as Upper Plenty and Kinglake, will celebrate its 20th birthday in May.

Though the members were thrilled to resume their meetings, Ms Wood said ageing in the community and the health risks of COVID-19 had taken a toll on memberships.

“Age, attrition et cetera has diminished our club from 120 back in the early days down to 68,” she said.

“And they’re still struggling – some of the older members and those that are not too outgoing are hesitant about coming out again.

“It’ll take probably a fair whack of time to gain their confidence again, to venture into groups and to put themselves out there.”

With eased restrictions, Ms Wood said the club was looking forward to many upcoming events, including a high tea on March 4, and a week-long trip to the Snowy Mountains on March 20.

The club’s annual general meeting is also coming up on March 1, which Ms Wood said was a good time to join as it was when existing annual memberships would renew.

To enquire about joining the Combined Probus Club of Whittlesea Inc, call membership officer Andrew McCormick on 9716 2429.

Whittlesea students support bread tag blitz

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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Whittlesea students support bread tag blitz

By Colin MacGillivray

THE Whittlesea township has embraced the power of recycling to help make a difference to the lives of people with disabilities.

Students and families from Whittlesea Primary School, St Mary’s Parish Primary School and Diamond Valley Special Developmental School have begun collecting bread tags in support of charity Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs.

The bread tags are donated to the charity through a national collection network, which sells the tags onto South Australian recycler Transmutation.

The proceeds from Transmutation are then used to fund wheelchairs for disabled people in South Africa.

The Whittlesea community became involved with the program after Whittlesea Primary School volunteer Annette Carle stumbled across the initiative.

“I think I got the idea from when [the kids] were doing remote learning and someone was using bread tags as counters,” she said.

“I wondered if people recycled bread tags, and I found the Bread Tags for Wheelchairs initiative.

“We’ve got an environmental subcommittee at Whittlesea Primary School, so we thought it would be a good community initiative to get everybody involved and stop all these things going to landfill.”

The idea quickly gained momentum, with other schools and the wider township backing the campaign.

“There’s a drop box at the community centre. It’s the schools in the Whittlesea township, some of the cafes have them down the street, and then we have a small bin for them at the IGA as well,” she said.

“I’ve got a box outside and the kids wrote letters and we just delivered them to everybody in our estate, so we often find a random bag in there with bread tags. It’s great that the neighbours are getting on board as well.

“It’s a real community effort. I think it needs to be, because it’s a pretty significant number of bread tags that are needed to fund a wheelchair.”

Whittlesea’s Deli Café owner David Cordell said he was happy to back an initiative that promoted recycling and supported people in need at the same time.

“We like to do anything we can around recycling and trying to help the community,” he said.

“We give our coffee grind after it’s been used to a gentleman who picks it up and puts it on his garden. The community garden up the street also uses it – they get a big bucket and put it on the garden. It’s all about recycling.

“We recycle our paper, and I’ve got a friend who picks up all our leftover food and bread and takes it for her goat. Nothing goes to waste.

“It’s better than having it go into landfill. It’s all about looking after the environment and looking after each other.”

Ms Carle said the biggest supporters of the effort were the town’s children.

“All the students are loving it, and even some of the kids who have different activities during the day have been sorting them into colours,” she said.

“We just had a lot come in from St Mary’s Primary School – 3.4 kilos that they’ve collected for us.

“It’s raising awareness. It’s something so small and insignificant that can easily be thrown out, but it instead becomes part of a school initiative that kids get excited about.”

Farm zone land dispute

The North Central Review

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February 23, 2021

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By Aleksandra Bliszczyk

A BOLD new planning proposal aimed at preserving agricultural land on Melbourne’s fringes has been met with criticism from some Victorian farmers.

In a move to manage subdivision, overdevelopment and land speculation, the Department of Environment, Land and Water Protection, DELWP, has proposed the removal of the current right to build dwellings, without a planning permit, on properties more than 40 hectares in the Farming Zone within 100 kilometres from Melbourne.

The State Government has been investigating since 2017 how to provide for a growing population and ensure the state’s six million residents, five million of which live in urban or peri-urban areas, will have access to locally-grown food and carbon-reducing green space for generations to come.

A government spokesperson said no decision had been made since the consultation period ended earlier this month, and all 850 submissions to the 120-page discussion paper were currently under review.

But Monegeetta farmer and real estate lawyer Randall Gerkens has voiced his objections.

“Supposedly the object of the exercise is to protect farms, but if the value of your farmland has been cut in half or more, your capacity to use it for normal borrowings and financing for farm improvements is basically destroyed,” he said.

“In my case, it’s not that I want to build houses … the point is the value of your land has been cut, and that has an impact on farming.”

Farmers could need to borrow against their land to buy stock and equipment and install upgrades like building new fences and sheds.

“Seasonal weather conditions and market conditions, changing prices for cattle and sheep and grain and the like, mean that you have to be able to get access to borrowing when required, and if you can’t do that then the business is no longer viable,” Mr Gerkens said.

“If you go to the bank and you’ve found the value of your land cut in half, your chances of getting a loan go down by the same rate.”

The rate of devaluation the proposal could inflict is unclear, and will vary, but Mr Gerkens believes it could be as high as 50 per cent.

The Planning for Melbourne’s Green Wedges and Agricultural Land consultation paper also makes no mention of compensation.

Mr Gerkens said compensation would not make up for land devaluation, but it should have been considered. DELWP did not respond to the Review’s request for comment on compensation.

He also said it did not address the costs associated with planning permits.

Application fees in the Macedon Ranges Shire, where Mr Gerkens’ Black Angus cattle farm sits, can cost thousands of dollars.

DELWP hosted two sets of 10-week consultations, the first last year for stakeholders and the second, for the wider community, closed on February 5, as well as sending emails and letters to affected landholders within the irrigation district.

However Mr Gerkens said he first heard about the proposal after noticing the advertising campaign, on social and local media.

He said many of the farmers he spoke to late last year hadn’t heard of the proposal, detailed on page 40 of the paper.

While the proposal aims to control overdevelopment, Mr Gerkens said it would be farmers immediately impacted if it was approved.

“[It] will actually undermine those people who are genuine farmers and not buying land for speculative purposes,” he said.

“What they should be doing is looking at other ways of encouraging farmers to stay on their farms and run viable farming businesses.”

For more information, visit www.planning.vic.gov.au/policy-and-strategy/green-wedges-and-agricultural-land.