April - May 2022
Urban Edition : 44
YR LOCAL
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Council urging candidates to support Roads for Agribusiness
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Community feedback to shape Waste Plan
A word from the Mayor Our region has been significantly impacted by the events of the last two years, including COVID-19 and the June 2021 storm and flood event. At Council, we’ve been gauging community health and wellbeing by regularly engaging with our communities, and they’ve told us that social connection, emergency preparedness, business support, mental health and wellbeing are their biggest concerns. We recently endorsed our Federal Election Advocacy Agenda at a public Council meeting, outlining funding commitments we’d love to see from both the incumbent Government and opposition for projects in the Yarra Ranges. These projects, listed below, would deliver strong social, economic and environmental benefits to our communities, if delivered by a future Federal Government. These projects include: • Roads for Agribusiness - $150 million to seal roads surrounding local agribusinesses to boost productivity and protect produce from contamination and damage during transport, while enhancing road safety and supporting tourism. This proposal follows the $150m Roads for the Community initiative, which is helping seal roads around residential areas in Yarra Ranges. • Telecommunications – calling for improvements to mobile connectivity in five key areas that have been identified as having low or no mobile service quality, including the Dandenong Ranges, Hoddles Creek, East Warburton, Steels Creek and Fernshaw. Council is also calling for upgrades to NBN broadband services in key areas with slow broadband service. These initiatives will be essential to strengthen telecommunications network resilience during power outages and emergencies. • Solar on Community Facilities program ($500,000 per year over four years) – an emissions reduction initiative that also delivers cost savings directly to community groups, enabling them to divert funds away from bills and into their core programs. • Mental health – an extension of funding for the Lilydale Youth Hub to support young people accessing mental health services, and expanded support for headspace services • Ridges and Rivers – $5 million to enable full delivery of Stage One of the proposed Warburton Mountain Bike Destination, and $4.9 million to construct section 2A of the Yarra Valley Trail, running parallel to the tourist railway and connecting Yarra Glen Station to Tarrawarra Road.
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A word from a FReeZA committee member My name is Hannah Mahoney and I’m a 21 year old student who grew up in the Yarra Ranges. I no longer live in the area but I’m still connected via volunteer work, including through Yarra Ranges Council. I have worked with the Council in various ways over the years, but I became more heavily involved at the beginning of last year with the ‘Leading 4 the Future’ Program. Since then, I have completed my student placement with Yarra Ranges Council and joined the FReeZA committee, among other projects. FReeZA organises events in the community – made by and for young people. Through FReeZA, I have had the chance to be a part of several community events, including our amazing Summer Series in January. We held 11 live shows over seven days, bringing people together and helping local artists to get back out there after such a long period of uncertainty. We are currently working on our BAF Arts Festival, which will be taking place at Burrinja Cultural Centre on Saturday, 26th March.
• Oonah Belonging Place – Yarra Ranges Council supports Oonah’s request for $10-15 million to construct a facility that enhances Aboriginal health and wellbeing across Melbourne’s east.
I believe that youth participation is vital but often neglected. Young people can (and want to) make a huge difference in their community - if they are just given the right support, agency, and opportunities.
This is an opportunity for the Commonwealth to fund the delivery of once-in-a-generation projects to support our communities for decades to come, while ensuring the Yarra Ranges can bounce back from one of the most difficult periods in its history.
I have had so many doors open for me through the Council and am endlessly grateful to the staff for supporting me and so many other amazing young people.
I look forward to conversations with all of our candidates for the Federal Election, and putting forward Council’s position on these vital projects.
With them behind us, we can have our voices heard and actively participate in our communities.
For more information on our Advocacy, visit yarraranges.vic.gov.au/ fedelection.
Keep an eye out at yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Youth for events and projects that young people in the region can visit or take part in.
Cr Jim Child,
Hannah Mahoney,
Mayor of Yarra Ranges
FReeZA committee member
Council to purchase 150 Cambridge Road, Kilsyth Council has formally moved to purchase State Government-owned land at 150 Cambridge Road, Kilsyth, so it can continue to be used as community open space. On Tuesday, 8 March, Councillors unanimously voted to note the feedback they had received through community engagement, agree to the formal offer from the Department of Treasury and Finance to acquire the land and to investigate and progress the sale of four parcels of land to fund the purchase. Walling Ward Councillor, Len Cox, said the Kilsyth region needed open space, and buying 150 Cambridge Road would keep the parcel in community hands. “This land will become a focal point in the area of Kilsyth,” he said. “With more and more backyards disappearing into housing, this kind of open space is crucial and will be needed more and more as years go by. “It’s badly needed as extra open space for
This price for the land is a discount of 50 per cent the current market value of the land, and Council proposed to sell off four smaller, empty parcels of land in Kilsyth and Mooroolbark to fund the purchase of 150 Cambridge Road.
the town and I have no doubt that, with the improvements Council will make over time, this area will be much-appreciated and much-used by the community.” The State Government-owned land was once a part of the former Yarra Hills Secondary College site.
The four proposed parcels of land to be sold are:
The State Government approached Council in 2015 to buy the land, however Council opted to negotiate a 20-year lease for the southern portion of the site, which Council currently uses and maintains, and also includes a dog off-lead area.
182-184 Cambridge Road, Kilsyth 9A Wannan Court, Kilsyth 16 Ellis Court, Mooroolbark 9A Tinarra Court, Kilsyth
Since then, the State Government has rezoned the northern, 3.6 hectares portion of this land to prepare it for sale. The Kilsyth community then strongly advocated to Council to purchase this northern parcel of land to ensure that all land at 150 Cambridge Road would be kept as public open space. In February, Council agreed in-principle to purchase the land for $6.44 million, subject to community feedback.
Council Meetings 2021 Tuesday, 12 April at 7pm Tuesday, 26 April, at 7pm Tuesday, 10 May, at 7pm Tuesday, 24 May, at 7pm Council meetings are currently being held via video conference and livestreamed on Council’s website. Meetings may be held at 15 Anderson Street, Lilydale, from May. For more information, including upcoming agendas and how to make a submission to Council meetings, visit yarraranges.vic.gov.au/meetings
Council asked community members to provide feedback on the proposal, resulting in more than 6000 people visiting the webpage and 225 leaving feedback. 94 per cent of people leaving feedback were supportive of Council’s decision to purchase the land. About 85 per cent of participants were supportive of the funding method for the purchase (in selling the small parcels of land). Find out more at shaping.yarraranges. vic.gov.au
Cr Tim Heenan 9736 2956
Billanook Ward CrTimHeenan@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
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Cr Richard Higgins 9733 4497
Chirnside Ward CrRichardHiggins@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
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Cr Sophie Todorov 0438 166 090
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Melba Ward CrSophieTodorov@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Cr. Fiona McAllister 0408 349 640
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Ryrie Ward CrFionaMcAllister@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Cr. Len Cox OAM 03 9761 9356
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Walling Ward CrLenCox@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
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...Roads for Agribusiness initiative is vital to enable these businesses to bounce back...
Council urging candidates to support Roads for Agribusiness Yarra Ranges Council is seeking funding commitments from Casey electorate candidates in the upcoming Federal Election to support a $150 million project that would enable roads surrounding local agribusinesses to be sealed, while helping economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding would be used to design and construct 150 kilometres of sealed roads as part of Council’s Roads for Agribusiness initiative, targeting roads regularly used by agribusinesses in transporting produce to and from the farmgate. Yarra Ranges Mayor Jim Child said the Roads for Agribusiness initiative would provide benefits to agribusiness owners and their employees, as well as 1,400 residents in agricultural areas of the Yarra Ranges. “Agribusiness is at the heart of the Yarra Ranges economy, generating $701 million in economic output each year,” Cr Child said. “Our agribusinesses were hit hard during Covid-19 and through the significant storm events our region experienced last year. “Unsealed roads surrounding these businesses are inhibiting access to farmgates, damaging produce during transportation, and generating dust that contaminates valuable crops. They are also a deterrent for both the essential
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labour force and visitors alike,” he said. Cr Child said Yarra Ranges was home to a large unmade road network of approximately 700 kilometres. “Every year Council spends approximately $4.5 million grading unsealed roads at a cost of $1250 per kilometre for each grade,” he said. “Roads are typically graded between three to six times per year, and the effects can be very short-term depending on traffic and weather conditions. Cr Child said the Roads for Agribusiness initiative would build on the success of the Roads for Community initiative, through which Council was delivering approximately 180 kilometres of sealed roads in urban areas of the Dandenongs and townships of the municipality over nine years. Council received $150 million in funding from the Federal Government back in 2019 for this initiative as part of an election commitment secured by the former Member for Casey, Tony Smith. Commonwealth funding more than halved the required contributions from Yarra Ranges landowners, from approximately $15,000 (typically) to $7,000. “While Yarra Ranges is the largest metropolitan council in Victoria, we have large rural areas, much bigger than the urban areas of our municipality.
“Yarra Ranges’ agriculture sector is an important part of state, national and global food supply chain markets, and is essentially part of the food bowl for the Melbourne metropolitan area. “Our agribusinesses are key to our region’s, and the country’s, economic recovery. “Funding for the Roads for Agribusiness initiative is vital to enable these businesses to bounce back, by boosting productivity, protecting crops from contamination and minimising damage of produce during transport, while also enhancing road safety, creating the opportunity for more local jobs and supporting tourism. “This funding would also enable Council funds normally used for grading to be redirected to Council’s asset management and renewal programs, delivering even further benefits across the Yarra Ranges community.” Cr Child said Council had started discussions with candidates contesting the Federal seat of Casey regarding the importance of the Roads for Agribusiness initiative and other priorities Council had identified through its Advocacy Agenda. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for candidates to support an essential initiative and make a very big difference to the economic prosperity of this region.”
Pony club jumping for joy after donation of tree logs The Lilydale and Mooroolbark Pony Club, located in Yering, is jumping for joy after Yarra Ranges Council donated 15 logs from last year’s June storm to the club for use as equestrian obstacles. Yarra Ranges Council has been actively engaging with the community to determine ways in which logs that are too big to be milled can be repurposed to benefit the community into the future. Club president Julie Lithgow said the new jumps will help ensure the club is offering the best equipment for its members into the future. “Yarra Ranges Council gave us 15 logs and it was important for us to upgrade what we had to offer.” “We spent time working with Council to get these logs so that could offer new and exciting jumps to our members,” Julie said. The new jumps have been set up by a
professional course builder and some have even been carved to look like animals, with one bearing resemblance to a Dachshund.
these logs and place them where they need to be as well as what Council has done in donating them to us.”
Already the jumps have been tested with over 150 riders and their horses converging on the club on 13 February to take part in a cross-country horse-riding event.
Yarra Ranges Council has been working with community groups, Men’s Shed and artists to ensure a variety of logs are reused and repurposed around the municipality.
Club President Julie said feedback around the new jumps was positive and that everyone at the club was grateful for support from the Council.
Yara Ranges Council Mayor, Jim Child said it was exciting to see the many uses that these logs have, and it was great to see that they are benefitting community groups who might otherwise have to fundraise for them or seek alternative materials.
“We got really good feedback from our competition on Sunday which had 150 competitors.” “It’s quite hard to get these size logs so when you do you really appreciate them. Clubs like us, we don’t have the money to buy these logs because at the end of the day we are just a community organisation, so it’s just fantastic that we do have the volunteers to put the work in and carve
“While the loss of trees from the Storm has been terrible it has been inspiring to see the community put a lot of these logs to good use and reuse/repurpose them in a meaningful way that will benefit the current pony club and future members.”
Solar panels for community facilities Council’s solar panel installations continue, with community facilities receiving panels to offset their energy use.
make sure their budget goes to their work, their materials and helping others – instead of keeping the lights on.
Council has installed nearly 4000 solar panels to date, on over 50 public and community facilities.
Panels are being installed on Men’s Sheds in Mooroolbark and Yarra Glen, with further installations on the Warburton Waterwheel visitor centre, CIRE community school and Golden Wattle Club to come.
“The flow-on benefit is that these groups will be able to rely less on the grid and reduce their environmental footprint.
These solar installation projects align with Council’s Liveable Climate Plan, which outlines major goals for reducing Council’s environmental impacts and switching to renewable energy – such as 100% renewable energy use in Council services and infrastructure from 2030, net zero operational spend on electricity by 2040 and net zero emissions by 2040.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said these systems would help community groups to reduce power bills while lessening their environmental footprint. “When you’re running a community group, the budget is always somewhere frontof-mind – making sure ends meet while carrying out your work,” he said. “By installing solar panels on Men’s Sheds and other community facilities, we’ll be able to help take some strain away by reducing energy bills, meaning groups can
“The panels installed on the Men’s Sheds have been repurposed from buildings removed as part of the Civic Centre Redevelopment in Lilydale – panels that are in great condition, with plenty of working life ahead and can now benefit the community as they have benefitted Council over recent years. “These latest installations follow a bundle of preschool solar installations last year, which were funded by the Federal Government and installed by Council, and I’m proud that we’ve been able to help roll out solar systems through the community.”
Cr Child said this work involves projects across different areas of Council, such as an upcoming energy audit and community climate change project. “I encourage everyone in the community to visit yarraranges.vic.gov.au/ sustainability to see what else our teams are working on, or find tips for how they can live a bit lighter on the earth.”
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Help shape our 2022-23 Budget Community members are encouraged to keep an eye out for Council’s 2022-23 Draft Budget, which will set out goals, projects and funding for the coming year. The 2022-23 Draft Budget, Council Action Plan and Capital Expenditure Program will be released for community feedback in May, with feedback and submissions accepted until early-June. At the time of publishing (late March), details have not been finalised for the Draft Budget, but community members can
sign up at shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov. au to be directly notified when the budget documents go live. Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said that community engagement was a crucial part of Council’s services, its policies and strategies. “Since we launched Shaping Yarra Ranges last year, we’ve received comments, feedback and submissions from the community on more than 120 projects,” Cr Child said.
“The voice of the community is so crucial for us, so we know that what we’re doing at Council meets the wants and needs of the people we’re delivering services to. “Our annual Budget documents shape just about everything we do in the coming financial year, so I’d urge everyone in the community to sign up at shaping. yarraranges.vic.gov.au and take part in our Budget engagement when it opens.”
Work to seal community roads continues Council is continuing its work to seal 180km of community roads in partnership with landowners and the Federal Government, as part of its Roads for the Community Initiative. The initiative, which runs until 2028, will result in 50 years’ worth of roadworks completed in nine years, thanks to $150 million in Federal Government funding. Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said that 22 roads had been sealed to date, with 6km of road projects under construction. “We’ve had fantastic progress and feedback over the first two years of Roads for the Community, where we prioritised roads around community infrastructure – such as schools and preschools – and started working on residential roads,” Cr Child said. “The funding we’re receiving from the Federal Government increases as the project continues, so things are starting to accelerate quickly. “As of the start of February, we’d finished constructing 6.7km of road, with another 6km on the way and another 9.3km – some 31 roads – just having their special
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charges formally declared. “These property owners, and visitors to the region, will have improved vehicle access, reduced dust and mud, lower ongoing maintenance needs and improved stormwater runoff, and we’ve had great feedback from people living on our first sealed roads.” Before Roads for the Community began, landowners and Council would split the cost of sealing an un-sealed (dirt or gravel) road through a Special Charge Scheme. This cost would be as high as $15,000 per development unit, which would be repaid through Council rates yearly over 10 years. The Federal Government’s funding heavily subsidises each landowner’s contribution as part of Roads for the Community, capping the cost at $7000 per property through the life of the project. For every Special Charge to progress, every landowner involved is informed, engaged and surveyed to gauge support for the project and the special charge. A Special Charge Scheme is declared when a majority of landowners surveyed support the project going ahead after this engagement.
Cr Child said the Federal Government support had allowed Council to prioritise road sealing works decades ahead of schedule. “Thanks to this significant investment, we’ve been able to map out more than 180km of roadworks through Roads for the Community,” he said. “Because Councils previously hadn’t received funding for sealing of unsealed roads, this is more than 50 years’ worth of roadworks that we’ll be able to complete before 2030. “These works will benefit more than 7000 families and countless visitors to the region, and I’m excited to see works progressing as funding ramps up this year. “Another 30 roads – involving 13km of road sealing – will have Special Charge Schemes presented for declaration in the first half of this year alone.” To find out more, read answers to frequently-asked questions or view the priority list of roads, visit yarraranges.vic. gov.au/RFC
Changes coming to bin services More than 7000 survey results from Yarra Ranges residents will help Council to shape its future waste services, as we prepare for the State Government’s new bin policy.
Ahead of these changes, which we’re looking to introduce next year, we surveyed the community about current services and how these new services could be rolled out.
The State Government has released its Recycling Victoria Policy, setting targets for reducing waste over the coming ten years.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said that Council will be using the community’s feedback to shape a Draft Waste Plan, which will be released for feedback later this year.
These targets include changing the waste services delivered to community members from Council, adding in: • A food and garden organics (FOGO) services for all households, rather than putting food scraps in the landfill bin • A glass recycling service for all households, separate from the regular recycling bin • Changing bin lids to match standardised, state-wide colours for services.
“Our survey asked how community members would like to see their bin service change and how frequently they’d like the new bins collected,” Cr Child said. “We heard, overwhelmingly, that community members would prefer glass collection in a wheelie bin, rather than a drop-off point in a central location. “While most people told us that they would prefer a weekly rubbish collection, with a
fortnightly FOGO collection, that majority shifted in our webinars, when the food organics component was clearly explained. “We’ll use this feedback – which included thoughts on hard waste, difficult-to-recycle items and composting – to create our Draft Waste Plan. “This plan will be released for feedback in coming months, as a check-in with the community to make sure we’ve got the balance right. “After the plan is finished, we expect to start the rollout of the new bin service towards the end of 2023.” To read more, or to sign up for notifications about community engagements - including the upcoming Draft Waste Plan - visit shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au
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ENJOY local YA R R A R A N G E S
Enjoy local this autumn
As the air begins to crisp and leaves hint at changing, Yarra Ranges locals know that one of the most beautiful times of the year is on its way. And there are so many ways to Enjoy Local in Yarra Ranges in autumn. To celebrate all our region has to offer Yarra Ranges Council is revamping our online events listings into a Enjoy Local Calendar. We are creating and collating a go-to space for everything that is happening in our region, so residents and visitors can easily find out what’s happening in the area, and never miss a moment to enjoy local. There is just so much on this season! From farmers markets to harvest festivals, natural splendours to cosy
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bespoke events, there’s music, arts, and culture galore – all here in our own backyards. The calendar will include events that support our local community and our local businesses. It will also help our visitors plan their journeys, discover new destinations, and help people plan their activities in a COVID safe way. Look out for our seasonal Enjoy Local highlights in the next issue of YR Local! If your community group or organisation has an event coming up, you can add it to the Enjoy Local Calendar here: yarraranges.vic. gov.au/events
1300 368 333