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Parliament of Victoria •

Parliament’s trusted resource - Parliament of Victoria

There are various ways in which members of parliament are supported in undertaking their representative roles, but for many one service in particular stands out.

For the Labor Member for Yan Yean, Lauren Kathage, Victoria’s Parliamentary Library is both a resource and a refuge, especially during sitting weeks.
Since her election in 2022, the library has provided Kathage with research, statistics and a connection to the ‘outside world’ while parliament is in session.
‘...
Brunswick Voice •

Local riders reject proposed e-bike ban on trains 

COBURG resident Louise Dumas fears a government proposal to ban the carriage of e-bikes on public transport will cramp her cycling style.


Dumas recently had a hip replacement, and for her a non-battery powered bike is no longer an option. But the proposed ban, which is backed by Fire Rescue Victoria, could force her to reconsider participating with her cycling community, denying her an important social outlet. 


Dumas said the proposed restrictions would negatively impact her health and mob...
Midland Express •

Growing pains for Ranges wildlife | Midland Express

Joanna Beard


It’s a crisp, June morning on the outskirts of Gisborne.


Stolen glances of Mount Macedon and the comforting smell of woodsmoke are among the wintry delights here. But there’s something that distracts from the beauty.


It’s the dead animals splayed along the roadside.


Two eastern grey kangaroos, one ringtail possum, one crimson rosella and one magpie.


There’s a body on almost every road. Twisted and flattened.


This isn’t an unusual sight. The shire has the highest...
Brunswick Voice •

Cash-strapped CERES in bid for urgent funds

OVER its lifetime of more than 40 years, CERES Environment Park in Brunswick East has endured several financial crises. Now it’s facing another one.


The much-loved institution has appealed to the community to dig deep as it seeks to reach a $150,000 target to support continuing operations in the face of economic pressures.


While there is no prospect of CERES closing its gates if the target is not met, it would lead to some tough decisions being made.


CERES chief executive officer, Cinna...
Brunswick Voice •

30 kmh speed limit to be trialed in Brunswick and Coburg

A REDUCED speed limit of 30 kmh for a large section of Brunswick and part of Coburg has been approved for a 12-month trial by Merri-bek Council.


Expected to start later this year, the new speed limit will be implemented on council-controlled roads in parts of Brunswick and Brunswick East – excluding major roads like Sydney Road, Lygon Street and Glenlyon Road – and a residential precinct in Coburg.


It follows last year’s introduction of a 40 kmh speed limit for all roads controlled by the...

As music festivals continue to go under, do community festivals stand a chance?

As the town clock strikes midday on a crisp September afternoon, thousands of smiling,
chattering festival goers line the edges of Kyneton’s main street.
Shopkeepers lean on their door frames and punters file out of the pub, beer in hand, while
enthusiastic kindergarteners throw cut daffodils at their feet.
Adults, children and dogs wave and cheer, as the faces of local schools and businesses trail
down the street in homemade floats.
Midland Express •

More than just scones and tea | Midland Express

Joanna Beard


Local Country Women’s Association of Victoria branches are on the lookout for new members, but first, they want to set the story straight about who they are and what they do.


Established in 1928, the CWA of Vic Inc. was formed to support and connect rural women and children experiencing isolation and disadvantage.


Since those early days, the association has become known for their advocacy, fundraising, and of course, their much-loved baking stalls.


But what does it mean...
The Swanston Gazette •

Federal government announces plan for major HECS debt relief

The Australian government has announced plans for $3 billion of HECS debt fees to be “wiped out” as part of the cost-of-living relief efforts.High indexation has seen HECS debts rise faster than wages. Last year, indexation rose by 7.1 per cent and thousands of dollars were added to individual debts.Last Sunday, the Federal government revealed they plan to cap indexation at a lower rate in the May 14 Budget to prevent sharp rises happening in the future.The proposal will be backdated to June 1 2...
The Swanston Gazette •

Thousands sign petition to fix 'HECS debt crisis'

A petition to the federal government to make HECS debt “easier to pay off” has received more than 280,000 signatures.Dr Monique Ryan, an Independent MP for Kooyong has used the petition to call on the Education Minister to fix the “unfair” HECS system.“The government got more money last year from our HECS debts than it did from its main fossil fuel tax,” Dr Ryan said in the online petition.“We should celebrate students going to university, not straddle them with a lifetime of debt.”“The governme...
The Swanston Gazette •

Fossil fuel company applies to “dump” oil rigs in Bass Strait

Multinational fossil fuel company Esso has applied to “dump eight toxic oil rigs” into the Bass Strait, says environmental group Friends of the Earth.Friends of the Earth is a national grassroots group that supports causes such as climate justice, gender equality and Indigenous land rights.The group is calling Esso’s proposal a “toxic fish factory”, claiming the oil rigs contain harmful levels of asbestos, mercury and lead.Esso’s Rigs to Reef scheme would remove most of the oil platforms but wou...
Midland Express •

Kyneton rallies for the forest | Midland Express

By Joanna Beard


About 500 Kyneton locals joined Victorian Greens Senator, Janet Rice, and comedian Arj Barker in an organised protest march last Sunday against salvage logging in the Wombat State Forest. 


Organised by the Bob Brown Foundation, the ‘March in March’ protest coincided with seven others held across Australia on March 24. 


Ms Rice brought the focus of the Mollison Street march to the salvaging of Wombat State Forest wind-fallen timber. 


She said native timber harvesting w...
The Local •

Your say…

Barringo ReserveI am in Barringo Reserve, and in the waning sunlight, there is no path to organisemy footsteps or show me a clear, linear way of moving.Instead, I am guided by the rise and fall of the land’s contours and the pull of theplants which catch my eye. In this way, I break past the wall of long-leaved box trees(Eucalyptus goniocalyx) and move from the grassy paddock into the reserve’s woodedinterior.From above, my course of movement would look erratic and inefficient. I zigzagbetween v...
The Local •

Your Say: Shapeshifters

I heard whispers of a trail, in a reserve, on the outskirts of Riddells Creek that I was yet to walk.It’s an hour-long loop full of undulations and changing scenery.I have walked it many times since, and came to discover that a change in light, time, or season transforms the place, and it becomes almost new again. Changing along with it, was my idea of what a place can offer to those that know it well.


On my most recent walk along the trail, the new season and high rainfall offered an abundan...