JUNE 16, 2015 \ MACEDONRANGES.STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
(Shawn Smits)
Teaming up for love Sunbury’s Roxanne Graf and Diggers Rest’s Hillary Clarke are picking up pace ahead of Melbourne’s premier winter charity running event. The sisters, who are competing in memory of a late uncle, are stepping up their training and fundraising efforts for this year’s Run Melbourne. Their Team Love, which has 10 members, has already smashed an original target of $1000, collecting close to $2400 for beyondblue. Ms Graf, who will take part in the 21-kilometre half-marathon, expects the challenge to be mental as much as physical. ‘‘I’ve always wanted to do something like this but didn’t think I was capable,’’ she says. ‘‘But I’ve done the Mother’s Day Classic and we’ve been training a lot. ‘‘I’m running almost every day and we’ve been doing the Tan Track every Sunday.’’ Ms Graf, who has had her own battles with post-natal depression and anxiety, says the event is a great opportunity to honour her uncle and raise money for an organisation that has helped her and others through tough times. Run Melbourne, which will start at the Arts Centre and finish at Birrarung Marr, is on July 26. To donate to Team Love, visit goo.gl/jIqMC8. Lifeline: 13 11 14 ROXANNE GRAF AND HILLARY CLARKE
Matt Crossman
Solo Sunbury’s high cost Residents of an independent Sunbury could face annual rate increases of at least 8.5 per cent over 10 years. New figures released by transition auditors are fuelling speculation that Sunbury’s planned secession from Hume is increasingly unlikely. But pro-split proponents maintain that modelling used by Frank Vincent and John Watson to draw their conclusions is fundamentally flawed. Mr Vincent and Mr Watson were appointed by the state government to investigate the separation. They have warned that service levels in the new municipality could decline if
rates were to rise by only 5.5 per cent a year, as estimated by a previous CT Management report. The auditors said even a 10-year cross-subsidy from Hume council, in lieu of rates from Melbourne Airport, would mean that a Sunbury council would be unable to maintain service levels, staffing and delivery of foreshadowed capital works in the long-term with increases of 5.5 per cent a year. ‘‘We consider that some material decline in service levels would be required over time in order to prevent deterioration in Sunbury’s long-term financial position,’’ they said. The auditors’ latest information sheets, part of a series of updates, aim to explore the impact
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By Matt Crossman
on rates in an independent Sunbury and in Hume. Scenarios considered by the auditors, who based their findings on modelling undertaken this year by Deloitte Access Economics, include rate increases for Hume council still including Sunbury (5.3 per cent annually to 2020-21), an independent, subsidised Sunbury (8.5 per cent annually) and Sunbury without cross-subsidy (14.5 per cent in 2016-17 and 8.5 per cent a year thereafter). The modelling does not take into account the state government’s plans to cap council rates at the consumer price index from next year. Sunbury Residents Association president Bernie O’Farrell questioned how auditors
would decide which group of experts was more credible. “If they were to start from square one and review every facet of the operation, it would add to their credibility, but that’s not what they are doing,’’ he said. Sunbury Community Progress Association president Alison Cunningham said she feared an independent Sunbury would get ‘‘left behind’’. She said a smaller municipality would be reliant on perpetual growth, developing every square inch of available land. Sunbury residents will have the chance to meet with Mr Vincent and Mr Watson from June 29. Details: goo.gl/rm6Qe2.
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