Wednesday, 18 October, 2023
pakenham.starcommunity.com.au
/PakenhamBerwickGazette
@PakenhamGazette
Heartwarming bonds
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PAGE 19
SPORT
Planning pile-up By Corey Everitt The time it takes Cardinia Shire Council to decide on a planning application has jumped dramatically in the last year, leaving a large backlog of home renovators and developers waiting on average almost six months. The concerning stall in the council’s planning process has been revealed in Cardinia Shire Council’s latest Annual Report. The average median of days the council took to grant or refuse a planning proposal jumped by 57 days compared to last year, from 112 days on average in 2021-22 to 169
in 2022-23. This large jump is precipitated by a steady increase over the last few years from an average of 89 days in the 2019-20 period. The council has required timeframes of 60 days to make decision on general applications and 10 days for the State Government’s VicSmart fast tracking program. In the 2019-20 period, 82 per cent of applications were given a decision within these timeframes; in 2022-23 only 31 per cent were made within timeframes. STORY PAGE 3
Locals echo Strength in sentiment numbers The campaign to save the Beaconsfield Reservoir has showed strength, holding a public meeting that drew over 100 residents who want to see the reservoir maintained. Locals turned out to the social rooms at Officer Recreation Reserve on Wednesday 11 October for the meeting of Save the Beaconsfield Reservoir Action Group (SBRAG). SBRAG’s meeting reiterated the community’s continued support and firmly reasserted their desire to stop Melbourne Water’s plan to partially drain the Beaconsfield Reservoir and partially demolish the 105-yearold dam. Residents from across the community attended, with a speaker lineup that included Cr Brett Owen, Eastern Victoria MP Renee Heath, former Liberal Party candidate for Pakenham, David Farrelly and more. STORY PAGE 5
US EAM HIL to m ot
Not letting spring slide by Strong winds and a referendum vote were not enough to discourage members of the Officer community in turning out in droves for Orchard Park Primary School’s inaugural spring carnival. Hundreds of community members
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Ioana and her grandkids Tahlia and Alina go down the slide at Orchard Park Primary School’s Spring carnival. 366592 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
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Voters across the seat of La Trobe voted in line with the nation at Saturday’s referendum, with 62 per cent of voters rejecting the proposal for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. In addition, 32 of 45 polling centres across the electorate returned majority no results, including at Pakenham Uniting Church Hall, where 70 per cent of voters sided with the no campaign. There were small beacons of hope for the yes vote within the electorate, including at polling stations in Berwick and throughout Clyde, where the percentage of yes votes peaked at 60 per cent. Nationally, the majority of voters in every Australian state emphatically decided against enshrining an Indigenous advisory voice to Parliament in Australia’s Constitution. STORY PAGE 3