Take the Weed cutting for example. Previously one machine and two men 85 % of each hour cutting and transferring weed mid-lake to increase cutting time . Now three machines 45 to 50% cutting time as they have to return to the banks to unload. The efficiencies of these machine leave a lot to be desired, as one can see extra staff required to collect all the excess around the south shore plus lots of weed mats still floating on the surface requiring more time to collect.  So if we have this situation what other inefficiencies are going on?  Why not really review the councils expenditure and ask them to come up with improvements in costs reductions and efficiencies and these should be part of the CEO,s performance rating. Ratepayers are the share holders we need to see a return on our investment not just keep increasing rates

Quinton Wilkinson, Lake Gardens

Ballarat Stock agents plight with Palisade Investments on the proposed new Miners Rest sale yards;"...we have not been listened to and we also had no guidance..." (The Courier, Feb. 05, 2016). The Ballarat City Council and RIPL (Palisade Investments, CVLX) have not listened to Miners Rest residents either, and it will probably be too late for farmers to complain when unbridled fees are announced. CVLX is not building a new sale yard facility in Miners Rest (Ballarat) as a donation, gift or charity for the people of Ballarat. They are a multinational investment company with headquarters overseas which will spend as little money as possible to gain maximum profit. Privatised investment is all about one thing: making big profit for the company and their shareholders.

Ballarat City Council gives three reasons for the move: Jobs, money and moving the present yards from a residential area. Looking at all three motives it seems to us that not one is valid. Council states that hundreds of jobs will be made available with the new Miners Rest Sale yard complex. Question is: how many jobs will be created? Surely employees from the present location will drive a few kilometers to Miners Rest to work. Judging by the fact that the proposed new sale yards will be smaller than the La Trobe St. yards, there may, in fact, be fewer employees in the new location. The building of the new yards may create some short term construction jobs but where is the council getting the statistics of hundreds of jobs being created? As we have seen, most private investment companies reduce their number of employees to maximise profit for themselves and their shareholders.

With solicitors from CVLX and the Council, what chance did residents have of persuading the independent panel hearing that our lives would change forever if the sale yards are moved to Miners Rest? Many Miners Rest residents feel that the panel report reflected bias and an unfair portrayal of Miners Rest by stating that Miners Rest is a "hinterland".  Miners Rest residents were "told" in presentations and by mailed updates of progress stating what our future would be. Residents were not consulted nor asked if we objected to a stinking, noisy sale yard being built with in a kilometer of many homes and our primary school. 

The result is that the stock agents are not happy, Miners Rest residents are not happy and surely stock yard clients (the farmers) will not be happy when fees are made known. Just who is happy and just who profits from this unscrupulous move by the City of Ballarat Council together with CVLX?

Brenda Beck, Miners Rest