Stage set for marathon meeting

CITY of Greater Bendigo councillors will wade through 332 pages of agenda on Wednesday night – but some believe it won’t stop them from having their say on the city’s biggest issues.

The September 16 council meeting was abandoned, and a replacement meeting was further postponed due to police fears it could have been used to increase tensions ahead of the weekend’s protest rally. 

Among the 34 agenda items is a backlog of petitions about the Kangaroo Flat Community Leisure Centre, the Discovery centre, Big Hill Primary School parking and the new organic waste scheme.

They will also two planning scheme amendments, three subdivisions and two applications to demolish buildings. Council will also have to pass its statement for the financial year – which could prove a lengthy process. 

An updated media policy is among the last items on the agenda, put forward as part of the recommendations from recent Councillor Code of Conduct panels. 

The policy specifies comments made by councillors on social media must comply with the council’s Code of Conduct. Councillor Helen Leach said despite the likelihood of a marathon meeting, she would be treating all matters as per usual, and voicing her opinions where she deemed necessary.

“You don’t get many chances to have a say, so I’ll be taking the opportunity to talk about what I believe is important,” she said.

“It’s disappointing that people won’t be able to sit in the room and ask some follow-up questions.

“It means question time has lost a bit of its punch.”

A spokesperson for the council said all items would need to be considered on Wednesday night.

Councillor Mark Weragoda said one of the most important items on the agenda was whether to opt into the government’s Safe Haven Enterprise Visa program. 

“They are all worthy items but given the current climate I think it’s very important that we really focus on being united now and join the now 230 other councils and shires that have taken the pledge to sign up,” he said. 

“At the end of the day, if makes a difference to one person’s life, we will have achieved something.” 

Cr Weragoda also named community grants allocation as an important item, singling out the Eaglehawk BMX track.