Marysville precedent does not bode well
Regional Development Victoria has based its redevelopment of the Ballarat Station precinct on a model which has flopped elsewhere. In its submission to Planning Panels Victoria's hearings in Ballarat last year it claimed, "RDV is experienced at and has a proven track record in delivering projects to regional Victoria. The recent success of the Vibe Marysville Hotel and Conference Centre...is just one example of how RDV, working in partnership with private consortia, has delivered on a project and realised tangible benefits for the local and wider community."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Vibe Marysville opened in February 2015. It cost $28m (with $19m of this a contribution from RDV). In May 2016 it was put on the market for $15m. This is a reduction in value in a year of $13m. But it gets worse. They appear to be asking too much. The facility remains unsold a year later. So much for RDV's track record.
The Marysville Hotel and Conference Centre is bigger than the facility proposed for Ballarat, with 101 rooms (compared to 77), conference capacity for 430 (compared to 300) and has a number of facilities not included in Ballarat: a cafe/bar/grill; sauna, spa and gym; heated outdoor pool; tennis court; 24-hour reception. RDV is saddling us with a poor copy of a losing model. It will take jobs off existing Ballarat businesses competing in a similar market. There will be no net economic gain to Ballarat.
It is time for the Premier to intervene and stop the sale of our heritage. Don't compromise the capacity for future expansion of our key transport hub. Stop the waste of taxpayers money. Instead, put it to use for the community. The Station badly needs every dollar available spent on it. Generations of commuters can benefit. But only if this Government is willing to step back from the brink of a disastrous decision.
John Barnes, SOS Ballarat group.
An unhappy pet ending
I wonder where my pet registration money is going as it doesn't seem to be to the Pets Place in Sebastopol. Because council can’t afford to keep this wonderful and much needed and respected business. Instead opting to put money into the derelict squat they call a pound. So where are my fees going? To the "dog parks, off leash parks and fenced dog parks? Surely the upkeep of this park is minimal and possibly covered by my already exorbitant rates anyway.
I am reminded reading your article in fact when my much loved, registered and micro chipped pet went missing. Was it the council member that I apparently pay for that found them? Or perhaps the pound that would have charged me to look after them and release them? No it was a another responsible pet owner that found my deceased pet on the side of the road, and who responsibly rang the council to attend to my dog. More than one week later, after much stress, turmoil and many flyers, newspaper notifications and phone calls to vets. This man rang me and told me he'd found my dog and had rung the council. I rang the council and was told "there was nothing they could do" That a mistake was made, and my dog was not micro-chipped checked. But for some unknown reason this was not done on this day. They could only assume by description that this was my beloved pet, as his remains had by now been incinerated.
So I ask you realistically, what am I paying for? Plastic dog tags? Because if there wasn't any requirement to register an animal then these would be obsolete anyway. Please don't tell me I'm an irresponsible pet owner. I would ask the Ballarat City Council, and the Courier to be more responsible in their editorial.
Jen Carson, Bakery Hill
Time for a free vote
Anyone who supports same-sex marriage should be heartened by the results of the recent Galaxy poll, which found that 54% of those surveyed supported the proposition of allowing same-sex couples to marry, and 77% believed that parliamentarians should be free to vote as soon as possible. What is equally heartening is that most Christians in Australia support marriage equality and think that our federal parliamentarians should have a free vote on the issue in the immediate future. What is also enlightening is that the poll found that 61% of Christians do not like having conservative religious groups presenting their views on same-sex marriage as though they are speaking for all Christians in Australia.
Openly gay federal Liberal politician Senator Dean Smith says he is ready to put his bill for a free vote to the parliament in support of same sex marriage to the party room, with the aim of getting it passed by the end of the year, but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has reiterated that party policy is still to hold a plebiscite at a cost of $150 million! This is outrageous - just think what could be done with this money in terms of reducing homelessness and reforming other social issues. For same-sex marriage to become law, it frankly needs the Prime Minister to stop discouraging the Liberal private member's bill for marriage equality from being presented to the parliament.The Galaxy poll was taken nearly two weeks after factional tensions exploded within the Coalition after Christopher Pyne, the Minister for Defence Industries said that same-sex marriage could be law in Australia sooner than people think. As an advocate for same-sex marriage, I simply ask anyone who also supports marriage equality to lobby the federal Liberal Party, the Prime Minister and Liberal politicians. They are the people who are stopping Australia from being a proud progressive nation.
Ron Egeberg, Soldiers Hill