Victorian Government
-
Community plea for funding
More than a thousand postcards will make their way to parliament backing increased funding for Macedon Ranges’ strained Neighbourhood Houses. Years of inadequate funding has put the services at risk of closure and threatened the vital programs they provide. Kyneton, Woodend, Gisborne, Lancefield, RIddells Creek and Romsey services have joined the state-wide ‘Keep Our Doors…
-
Council throws off “blanket solution”
Macedon Ranges Shire Council calling for the Victorian Government to hit pause on sweeping planning reforms they fear will shake the Ranges. Under the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025, Victoria’s new homes, duplexes, townhouses and low-rise apartments will not require notice and there will be no third party appeals. It also seeks…
-
“What is the point?” Protections ignored
A document built to protect Macedon Ranges’ distinctive areas and landscapes is being “ignored” and lacks power, Macedon Ranges Shire councillors say. While Macedon Ranges was the first declared Distinctive Area Landscape in 2018, the council says vital steps have lagged that would ensure its special protection. The Macedon Ranges Statement of Planning Policy 2019…
-
Bill to silence objectors, speed up planning
Victorians could be stripped of third-party planning appeal rights as the state government prepares for what it has called the “biggest planning shake-up in decades”. Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny introduced the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 into the Victorian Parliament on October 28 in a bid to speed up planning processes.…
-
People, pets to go together
Castlemaine Cemetery Trust has played a role in helping to change the law regarding burials in Victoria. “We are just the second state that will allow your family pet to be buried in your family plot,” the trust stated last week. Woodend-based Animal Justice Party MP, Georgie Purcell, was successful with her amendment put before…
-
“Passion alone can’t keep the lights on”
Financial strain is putting Macedon Ranges’ Neighbourhood Houses at risk of closure and threatening the vital programs they provide. After years of inadequate funding, almost half of Victoria’s houses have been forced to operate at a loss for two consecutive years, according to Neighbourhood House Victoria data. NHV said the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program —…
-
Community in the dark on Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre reopening
By Morgan Reinwald and Angela Crawford Malmsbury residents and the local Indigenous corporation have said they were blindsided by the state government’s plans to reopen the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre. The government says it will reopen the centre, which was closed just two years ago, to manage stricter new bail laws and reduce the high…
-
Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre to reopen
The state government will reopen the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre to accommodate spiralling levels of youth offenders in custody due to the state’s new strict bail laws. It comes despite claims made to the Midland Express by the Department of Justice just weeks ago that there were no plans to do so. The government has…
-
Plan to reclaim old station aired
The old Riddells Creek Fire Station could become home to local groups like the Men’s Shed and Lions Club if the Victorian Government backs a new plan for its revival. Macedon Ranges Shire Council has recognised the site as a potential haven for ‘homeless’ community-strengthening clubs as the town’s population is soon to double. “When…
-
Reforestation takes seed
Mount Macedon is undergoing a landmark reforestation project to restore native forests to former pine plantation sites. The project received $1.13 million funding through Victoria’s BushBank program. “The Mount Macedon Plantation Restoration Project is a huge win for our region,” Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas said. “It’s helping to stop the decline of our native plants…
-
Deer control to begin
The impact of increasing feral deer populations has put control of numbers in the spotlight. Parks Victoria will, this week, begin its night deer control program in Macedon Regional Park with licensed and professional shooting contractors. Deer are an introduced species and Parks Victoria recognises they “pose significant risks to native biodiversity, water quality, public…
-
A first for the nation
Local First Nations groups across the region have welcomed the historic state-wide Treaty tabled in state parliament last Tuesday. It makes Victoria the first state or territory in Australia to introduce a bill of this kind in parliament and, if passed, will set in stone a permanent First Peoples’ Assembly under the name Gellung Warl,…