Columns

Ted Coleman has for a long time been an astute and diligent observer of local government, and especially the City of Greater Bendigo. And while we may not always agree on what each other has to say, I respect any individual’s right to have a say. That’s why this week I need to..

A far-fetched plan presented to the City of Greater Bendigo involving building a tram line from the Bendigo Railway Station to the Bendigo Hospital needs to be disposed of. Immediately. Estimates presented to the City of Greater Bendigo show such a service would cost $3 million a year to ..

This week the State Government made changes to the first home owners grants and stamp duty rates. Over the past few years both state and federal governments have made many changes which have made it very confusing for first home buyers. From July 1 the grant for first home buyers on exist..

Julia Gillard put an end to the speculation as to when the much anticipated next federal election would be held when on Wednesday when she nominated September 14 as the date Australians would head to the polls. Ms Gillard’s announcement seemed to catch almost everyone by surprise, includ..

More than a decade ago now, the then Greater Bendigo councillors considered a report into the future of swimming pools throughout the municipality which found some pools were not sustainable and should be closed. Council pointed out it would be cheaper to close some of the pools and provide ..

There’s been a lot of talk this week about Australia’s so-called ‘’most liveable city’’ and the shock-horror from some quarters that regional areas fare better than their metropolitan counterparts in the Suncorp survey. For the record, Bendigo was judged e..

CAN someone please remind our politicians there’s a country called Australia that they are supposed to be running? The Federal Parliament has been reduced to a shambles over the past couple of years, due partly to the makeup of the House of Representatives that is the minority governme..

IT’S hard to imagine a world without poker machines, but it is far easier to imagine one where more is done to limit the amount of harm they cause to society. Something like one in 60 people can be described as having serious problems with their gambling, the flashing lights of electro..

The London Olympics start this weekend. Thank God. The lead up to the games of the 30th Olympiad has been like no other, and sadly, that’s already been to the detriment of what should be a global sporting spectacle. However, the trivialisation of the athletes’ lives has s..

Leadership is a buzz word, easily dropped into a conversation or a grab, but much harder to actually achieve or deliver. Sadly, there’s not enough good or effective leadership being delivered for the benefit of ordinary Australians today. Accountability is something easily forgot..

By MARIKA MCMAHON When I fired up twitter the other day and learnt that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were going their separate ways, I felt like my worlds were colliding. Tom Cruise is always good for a bit of celebrity intrigue, his child Suri was the ultimate (well at least before Har..

NO Peter Wiseman Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, tells of a boy forced to plead to a magistrate to save himself from what was a very dirty and dangerous job in 17th century London – cleaning soot from the city’s carbon encrusted chimneys. That’s right, soot ..

Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Catholic College Bendigo music night. Looking back, my only regret at turning up after the first interval was that I wasn’t there from the start. The musical talent, ability and confidence of the young people who had the..

Guffaws about mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s “big hole” on national television. Continual disrespect for our Prime Minister. And Lingerie Football League games in Australia. Did I miss a memo? Has war been declared on women? Despite our fine nation having a female Prime Mini..

What constitutes a failure? Is having a go worth some sort of recognition or has our society morphed into a ‘winner takes all’ situation where losers outnumber winners? These are the questions I’ve been asking, and asked, after some recent media reports that i..

WHAT is celebrity? What defines a celebrity? That’s the question I was left asking myself after the Brownlow Medal on Monday night, and when I think about it, many other functions before it. A couple of weeks ago this column questioned the manner in which our news has fal..

LAST week’s column on the consideration or otherwise of the need to establish a Committee for Bendigo drew a strong response from readers, and while not all our feedback was positive, it was all welcome. Confirmation the board of Coliban Water has discussed the need for an advocacy gro..

The demise of the Bendigo Traders Association is a pivotal moment for business and advocacy in Greater Bendigo. But if Bendigo is fair dinkum about itself, this latest chapter in the BTA’s history should be seen as the opportunity to achieve something special, rather than celebrate som..

THIS week’s striking pink front and back pages of the Bendigo Weekly are a stark reminder that breast cancer is such a real and present danger in our community. The pink cause is also a show of support and encouragement for all those who have either battled cancer, or who has lost a lo..

The BP outlet in Condon Street, Kennington is another one who at times puts its fuel prices up a couple of days prior to a weekend then brings it back by the end of the weekend. If it was not for Apco service stations in Bendigo, we would be paying higher fuel prices. Well done Apco. The gove..