Corangamite Shire’s key issues were on the table at Parliament House in Melbourne this week.
Mayor Kate Makin and CEO David Rae went to the State capital on Tuesday 5 March to attend a Rural Councils Victoria event at Parliament House and meet with some top political figures.
They spoke with Premier Jacinta Allan, Local Government Minister and Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne, Regional Development Minster Gayle Tierney and Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan.
They also met with Department of Transport and Planning secretary Paul Younis who was well familiar with the Shire as a former Corangamite CEO.
Mayor Kate Makin said the visit was a valuable exercise in building significant relationships between Council and the State Government.
“It was a chance to drive home to the decision makers issues that are important to Corangamite Shire residents,” Cr Makin said.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to meet face-to-face and advocate for priority projects that will benefit our communities.
“We also discussed policy matters that have raised concerns for our residents.”
Cr Makin said Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne was one of the main people she wanted to speak to on behalf of the Shire.
“We expressed our appreciation for previous upgrades, such as Cobden Lavers Hill Road but our local economy absolutely needs more investment in adequate infrastructure, particularly roads,” she said.
“We asked Minister Horne to prioritise upgrades to Darlington Road and Mackinnons Bridge Road. We also emphasised the vital need for a comprehensive Dairy Roads upgrade package which will take $31 million per year for 10 years.
“We also spoke to Paul Younis about those road priorities, as well as issues around wind farms.
“There are a lot of issues that concern our residents such as windfarms competing with agriculture in the south of the Shire, buffer zones and adequate community engagement by developers.
“Council wants to work with the Department and VicGrid to get better results for our residents.”
The Mayor and CEO also spent time with Regional Development Minister Gayle Tierney.
“We were able to walk her through our economic development priorities including, the Camperdown Production Precinct, Renewable Energy Apprentice Project, Dairy Supply Chain funding, Key Worker Accommodation, First Nations Tourism and a number of community projects,” Cr Makin said.
“It was great to be able to share some good news stories with updates on the 12 Apostles Trail and Port Campbell Town Centre Project which both received RDV funding.”
