By a happy coincidence on the same day (13/11/2015) Buninyong Labor MP, Geoff Howard, turned the first sod to actually start the construction of the $14.3 million Rowsley Passing Loop. These works include an updated Ballan Station.

The former Coalition Government hadn't actually budgeted the project until 2014. In addition, time consuming, but necessary preliminary works such as surveys, geotechnical assessments, signalling & track designs as well as detailed flora & fauna surveys have had to be carried out by the current Labor State Government.

McConnell Dowell has been awarded the contract. The project is expected to be completed by mid 2016.

I really don't want to engage in "tit for tat" politics, so I won"t - but I think in all fairness credit should be given to the Andrews Labor government for actually getting this long awaited project underway.

 PETER PUTNAM., Clunes.

Since Q-Vax is listed by the Victoria Department of Health as “not suitable for children under 15 years of age,” a few questions asked by members of the community in relation to the saleyards relocation remain unanswered; 

Has Council carried out an independent risk assessment of the proposed saleyards site, by a medically qualified expert in human health in relation to Q Fever? 

Why did Council appear to completely disregard the presentation by a highly qualified microbiologist, regarding the risks of Q Fever, and the recommended distance for siting saleyards near human habitation?

Is Council prepared for litigation and for meeting medical costs if people in Miners Rest contract Q Fever as a consequence of the saleyards being built so close to the school and the township?

 Is Council concerned about the risk of Q Fever affecting the multi-million dollar Equine Industry in Miners Rest by building saleyards in such close proximity?  .  Does Council want to be responsible for risk to this highly successful industry?

Dr. Owen Harris in his report to Ballarat Council states “In an outbreak at Colac in the distant past, there were approximately 30 cases. Of these, there were 2 cases of chronic Q fever.”   Bosward said “the 2007 Q-fever outbreak in Waikerie served as a warning to communities of the Q-fever risk posed by abattoirs. In the outbreak, which was linked to contaminated dust from the abattoir, seven people contracted Q-fever and one woman died.”[i]  If you do a search to find information about either of these outbreaks on the internet, you won’t - another sign of how under reported it is.

In reading stories of people who have contracted Q fever, there is a common thread - generally they hear some information and ask the GP to test them. Apparently unless you work directly in a Saleyards or Abbatoir, it is extremely unlikely that you will ever be tested - and therefore mis-diagnosed.  The lucky ones will think they have had a bad case of the flu.  All Australians could benefit from a greater understanding of Q fever. It seems that the impacts are not recognised - that it is under-diagnosed and under reported. 

With the knowledge that’s becoming available, it’s time that the Government took responsibility to put legislation in place to decrease risk to all Australian citizens. Since risk is significantly higher for catching the disease within a 5km radius, common sense would say that no saleyards or abattoir should be located within 5 km’s of a school. It may have been acceptable to build them closer to town when the risks were not known. But to do so with the knowledge we now have is a lack of duty of care to the residents who live within the area.

Sharon Clark, Wendouree