BendigoWeekly Bendigo www.bendigoweekly.com.au
ISSUE 741 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011
Bendigo
Hospital
Christmas Appeal www.bhfoundation.org.au
SPECIAL TIME: Summer Walz and Bendigo Health Mascot Hellie. Photo: ANDREW PERRYMAN. More photos at www.bendigophotos.com
Christmas has appeal THE Bendigo Health Foundation officially launched its annual Christmas Appeal this week. Proceeds for this year’s appeal will go to Bendigo Health paediatric rehabilitation. Story page 8
YOUR CALL
By ANTHONY RADFORD and ROSEMARY SORENSEN
THE State Government was ready to go ahead with the Fortuna Villa redevelopment, before the Federal Government stopped the process. In an exclusive interview with the Bendigo Weekly, Deputy Premier Peter Ryan revealed the Baillieu Government would have been bound by the former government’s proposal, if the Federal Government had agreed to it. “The fundamental point is that the Federal Government owns the property and knocked back the proposition,” Mr Ryan said. “It is entirely on their heads how
Ryan says Feds failed Fortuna
they deal with the project. If they want to come back to us with another proposition, we would consider it.” Mr Ryan’s comments came in the wake of a call from Labor Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan to the State Government to “cease its dithering on the future of Fortuna Villa. “Does it intend to either accept or reject an offer from the Commonwealth Government that is currently sitting on the table to have what is known as a first right of refusal?” Ms
Allan said in parliament this week. A letter from the Special Minister of State responsible for the sale of assets, Gary Gray, on August 20 to Mr Ryan states there is , in fact, no offer. Mr Gray’s letter responds to a letter Mr Ryan sent in May requesting “further discussion on the Fortuna Villa site”. It refers to the proposal made public before the November state election for the sale of Fortuna at a concessional priority rate (effectively no cost), and a Commonwealth
contribution of $10 million. “Under budget rules,” Mr Gray wrote, “the cost would need to be offset within the Department of Defence budget or the broader Budget. I am advised no offsetting savings have been currently identified. “On this basis, I am unable to support the proposal at this time.” Mr Ryan said it is now up to the Federal Government to find a solution. “They have knocked it back because they say they can’t recover the
money because there is no offset,” Mr Ryan said. “That’s a problem for them, not us.” The site has cost the Federal Government $1.77 million in maintenance since the last time it was open to the public, on December 8 in 2009. The Bendigo Weekly reported in April that upkeep costs $887,000 a year, “with the main component being security”, according to a Defence spokesperson. Every week the stalemate between the Federal and State Governments continues on a decision about the future of Fortuna Villa is costing $17,057, which the Defence Department must offset from its budget.
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