Editorial Comment

By Keith Sutherland We live in rapidly changing times, but when are we going to have a rational debate about the really important issues? The level of politics at a national level has descended into a point-scoring, vicious and no-policy debate. When are we going to discuss the craz..

Much has already been said about the $2.9 million Federal Government cut to Bendigo Health’s budget, and the raging blame game will do little for the political fortunes of the federal and state governments. It seems they are the only ones not to realise that the rest of us have had a ..

BUYING everything locally for Christmas this year is really not that difficult. I took a day off last week and did all our Christmas shopping in Bendigo. Not one trip to Melbourne, not even one present bought from as far away as Castlemaine. The computer stayed off, nothing bought onlin..

Comment by Karen Corr Have you ever wondered how many people in our region are making positive change in the community? If we counted the number of people in Bendigo involved in some way or another with an initiative that is making a difference in our community, we would probably have at le..

IT’S not just talk: there it is, in black and white, in the five-year Strategic Plan released this week by La Trobe University. “Bendigo has the potential to be a truly great university city.” Launching the plan in Bendigo, Vice Chancellor John Dewar dodged a question from the ..

They say you can measure a city’s confidence by its creativity. This week, not only did the good news come through that the historically significant St Paul’s Cathedral is on track with restoration works, we also saw the installation of decorative gates in the city’s much-admired..

At an industry conference last week, the subject of the timing of the next federal election came up, and everyone proceeded to throw their arms up in the air. The election must be held within the next 12 months, with most commentators expecting the vote to be held in the second half of the year. ..

The debate as to whether or not a Royal Commission should be held into abuse within the Catholic church finally came to a head this week when the Prime Minister confirmed such an inquiry would indeed be held. And while some senior Catholic figures might not welcome the move, it is ultimately in th..

Let’s imagine council as a footy team, nine people who must execute a good game plan over four quarters, keep themselves fit to play, work on individual skills and hone their performance as a team to get the best result. Let’s imagine they have strong coaches/advisers supporting them, ..

Newly installed mayor Lisa Ruffell’s idea of throwing open the doors to her office for residents to come and have a chat once a month is a step in the right direction for Greater Bendigo council. Council has for many years wrestled with just how to better communicate with the community it se..

WITH the US election dominating the world this week, it was apt that a Greater Bendigo council idea revealed at www.bendigoweekly.com.au on the day of the election had a strong link with the land of the free and its politics. The fifth episode of hit US political drama The West Wing featured Big B..

The federal government’s highly controversial Mineral Resources Rent Tax – otherwise known as the mining tax, continues to be controversial following revelations yesterday it has not raised a single dollar so far this year. Tipped to raise more than $10.5 billion over four years, the m..

IMAGINE Bendigo without the trams rattling down the centre of our city. Nothing much would change, and it would even be a little easier for cars and pedestrians to negotiate the increasingly busy CBD. As Tom Seddon – the man who runs the Talking Trams, as well as the Discovery Cent..

COMMITTEES for cities have been around for a long time, and they are increasingly popular as a think-tank to help shape planning for the future. Earlier this year, the Bendigo Weekly asked the question, why isn’t there a Committee for Bendigo? Geelong and Ballarat already have one, bas..

By Bruce Phillips I wish to highlight a disturbing development in the run up to the council election. A serial critic of Greater Bendigo, Ted Coleman, is running a campaign to promote his assertion that rates and charges can be lowered by an independent review (costing maybe $250,000) of ..

The City of Greater Bendigo council meeting this week – the second last before elections – saw off at least two of the current councillors, with James Reade and Keith Reynard choosing not to nominate for the elections next month. Notwithstanding a couple of swipes at Cr Reade, the youn..

And so it begins. 21 candidates have put themselves forward for consideration as part of the 2012 elections to choose the group of nine councillors to represent the people of Greater Bendigo for the next four years. The aspiring 21 should be congratulated firstly for putting their hand up and si..

This week’s vote by the House of Representatives on whether or not to support same-sex marriages was an opportunity lost. Liberal Party tactics to deny members a conscience vote on the private member’s bill at a time when Labor members were allowed one guaranteed the vote would fail. ..

THE State Government is coming under fire for its handling of the education budget, and rightly so. The day after about 2000 people protested the harsh TAFE cuts that will see 100 people lose their jobs locally, the Bendigo Weekly can reveal about as many jobs will go from the secondary sector. ..

THE list of candidates for next month’s City of Greater Bendigo council elections is, so far, impressive. The 15 people who have announced they will nominate for the nine position are all genuine, and all have important contributions to make. There is a good mix of community involvement an..