Romsey residents are being asked to complete a survey relating to an application for gaming machines at the Romsey Hotel.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has begun circulating the plebiscite in a bid to help inform the council’s submission to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.
In response to an application to the VGCCC for 50 gaming machines at the hotel, council has commissioned an independent consultant to deliver a Social and Economic Impact Assessment.
To inform this SEIA, council is undertaking a community survey via independent company Insync, using a publicly available database from the Victorian Electoral Commission to target letterbox drops to all Romsey residents and those within five kilometres of the venue.
Council’s director of community, Maria Weiss, said there could be people who had moved to the area more recently – or turned 18 and were newly eligible to vote – who were not captured in this database.
“We know this is an important matter for many Romsey residents and we want to ensure that we are giving as many eligible people (within five kilometres of the venue) as possible the opportunity to participate in our survey,” she said.
“It is important to the council that our SEIA is as well-informed as it can be, to ensure that our submission to the VGCCC best represents the sentiments of our community.”
Eligible residents who haven’t received a letter directly (expected this week) must ‘opt in’ to complete the survey, showing proof of residency to ensure validity of the data collected. Residents can do this by contacting the council on 5422 0333, or by visiting a council office in person.
