New boundaries add election interest

BENDIGO’S residential Strategy will be reviewed because of greater than expected growth.

The State Government has announced a grant of $50,000 to carry out the review.

The review is needed because, according to the State Government, 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.

Regional Development Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum made the announcement this morning.

Mr Drum said the Bendigo Residential Strategy Review would deliver greater community and investor certainty, helping the region grow.

“The Bendigo Residential Development Strategy was adopted in 2004 and is currently being audited because of the faster than anticipated growth that has occurred in Bendigo in recent years,” he said.

“Strong residential growth has many flow-on economic benefits and having a clear framework for future development will position Greater Bendigo City Council to undertake more detailed, place-based planning in the future.”

Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said about 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.

The Residential Strategy impacts directly on where and how property developments use “infill” parcels of land, range of housing styles and also on housing affordability.

“This project will review the strategy, assess current and estimated land supply and demand and consider various legislative and policy changes,” Mr Ryan said,

“It will also consider the latest demographic data and establish a new strategic framework to guide the long-term residential growth of Greater Bendigo.

“The project will result in a revised residential strategy that will give developers, the community and service providers greater surety and confidence about where land can be developed for residential purposes, and that sufficient land is available to accommodate the City of Greater Bendigo’s future growth.”

Mr Ryan said a contemporary strategic planning framework was essential to the economic development of a large regional centre like Bendigo.

“Clearly identifying future growth options and supporting infrastructure needs will enable the Greater Bendigo City Council and other infrastructure providers to plan their capital works programs well in advance,” he said.

“Identifying long-term growth areas will enable the council and other service authorities to start planning for the delivery of services, thereby minimising the lag time between when residential development occurs and when the services need to be in place.”

Bendigo Weekly | Bendigo Weekly | 28-Sep-2012

BALLOT TIME: Bendigo Returning Officer Tony McDowell conducts the draw. Photo: ANDREW PERRYMAN

The goal posts have shifted for this year’s Greater Bendigo council elections and no one knows quite how the game will play out as a result.
If you go to the City of Greater Bendigo website, and look up council elections, you will read that the last elections were held in November 2008 and the next will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2012.
According to this information, “The City of Greater Bendigo is subdivided into nine wards and a councillor is elected to represent each ward.”
That, of course, is no longer the case, and the Victorian Electoral Commission updates that information with the note about the representation review which occurred since the last election, dividing the electorate into three wards which will each elect three councillors.
Whipstick Ward, which covers the area from Elmore and Drummartin through to East Bendigo and North Bendigo, has also swallowed up the fiercely proud borough of Eaglehawk, whose sitting councillor Peter Cox has again put his hat in the ring.
Cr Lisa Ruffell is also running again, in Whipstick, which has the least number of candidates, with five in total, including James Williams, Elaine Harrington and Jennifer Mitchell Sharp.
Eppalock Ward also covers a big area, running from Heathcote in the east, to Junortoun in the north, through into the near CBD suburbs of Strathdale and Kennington in the west and down to Redesdale in the south.
Running in Eppalock are incumbent councillors Alec Sandner and former mayor Rod Campbell, together with Mark Weragoda, Wayne McKay, George Flack, Helen Leach, Stuart Fraser, Tim Bardsley and Julian Poloniato.
Lockwood covers a smaller region, but it’s still a large area for councillors who may have previously enjoyed strong support in their electorate, to cover.
From Marong in the north, across to Quarry Hill in the east, it threads down the centre of Bendigo through Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat and out to Ravenswood.
Three sitting councillors are vying for the three positions along with four other nominating candidates. The current councillors are Rod Fyffe, Barry Lyons and Bruce Phillips, who are joined by Karen Corr, Wendy Radford, Karel Zegers and Elise Chapman.
Candidates’ statements were lodged on Wednesday with their indication of preferences due today (Friday, September 28) at noon.
According to election-watchers, those preferences may well be crucial in this year’s result.
Candidates’ statements, along with preferences, will be printed, probably by Monday, when a copy will be available for viewing at the election office, on the first floor of Beehive Plaza, 18 Pall Mall.
They will also be available, once they have been printed, on the VEC website.
Everyone on the roll on Friday, August 31 will be mailed a ballot pack in the second week of October, and papers should be mailed back to be at the election office no later than Friday, October 26.
Returning Officer Tony McDowell said hand-delivered voting papers must be returned with the envelope as well as the ballot paper.
Mr McDowell said a few people have already visited the office to vote, because they are about to leave for trips or have other reasons for not being able to receive their ballot papers in the mail.
The results should be known late on Sunday, October 27.

Candidates in ballot draw order

EPPALOCK WARD

1. CAMPBELL, Rod
2. WERAGODA, Mark
3. McKAY, Wayne
4.SANDNER, Alec
5. LEACH, Helen
6. POLONIATO, Julian
7. BARDSLEY, Tim
8. FLACK, George
9. FRASER, Stuart

LOCKWOOD WARD

1. CHAPMAN, Elise
2. PHILLIPS, Bruce
3. ZEGERS, Karel
4. LYONS, Barry
5. RADFORD, Wendy
6. FYFFE, Rod
7. CORR, Karen

WHIPSTICK WARD

1. RUFFELL, Lisa
2. MITCHELL-SHARP, Jennifer J
3. WILLIAMS, James
4. COX, Peter
5. HARRINGTON, Elaine