Breaking News
Container deposit scheme for Victoria announced
Victoria will adopt a container deposit scheme by 2023 and a new four bin kerbside collection, as part of a plan to reduce waste going to landfill by 80 percent in ten years in a massive overhaul of the state’s waste and recycling system by the Andrews Labor Government.
The announcement was made on Monday as the first in a suite of new policies under the Recycling Victoria package.
The $129 million of initiatives to reform kerbside recycling includes the roll out of four colour-coded bins, including a purple glass only bin, to homes across the state to better sort waste, recyclables and organics.
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) welcomes the Government’s announcement which will bring the state into line with the rest of the country.
MAV Deputy President (Rural), Cr Ruth Gstrein, said the MAV has been a strong advocate for a container deposit scheme in Victoria and will work with the State on the design of the scheme to ensure best outcomes for communities and councils.
“We welcome the State’s commitment of $129 million to support councils to roll out the four-bin system across Victoria.
“We look forward to more information on how this funding will be allocated, noting that service models will need to be tailored to meet different community needs.
“It will be critical to provide councils with funding and implementation support as well as timeframes that enable appropriate infrastructure to be put in place.”
Farm waste to fuel
Mayor of Moira Shire Council, Libro Mustica, welcomed AgBioEn Directors, Lubey Lozevski, Peter Holmgren, and Katunga Fresh owner, Peter van den Goor, to Kutunga in regional Victoria where he turned the first sod on AgBioEn’s first renewable energy plant.
The first sod was turned this month in Moira Shire, Central Victoria, on Australia’s first renewable energy facility that will generate carbon neutral energy and fuel from agricultural waste. Read more >
Energy from waste facility
A second facility being built to generate energy from waste, will use innovative 'waste-arising' contracts with supplier councils allowing them to pursue waste reduction targets.
Australia’s second large-scale energy from waste (EfW) plant is being built at East Rockingham, Western Australia. Read more >
NZ football team adopts local community
Mayor Peter Petty was warmly welcomed when he visited Auckland, the home of Tenterfield’s adopted big brothers, NZ Warriors National Rugby League team.
New Zealand football team, Vodafone Warriors, a member of the National Rugby League, announced in December 2019, they were adopting the northern New South Wales town of Tenterfield, one of many communities suffering acutely after being ravaged by drought and bushfires. Read more >
New loo
An LG Focus reader sent us this sign they found whilst travelling in Western Australia. The infrastructure dollar at work in Green Head, Shire of Coorow.
Sport is not a simple game
By Colin Steele
When watching major sporting events, cheering for your team, or for team Australia, very little thought is given to what sits behind the individual or the team.
In many cases, there is thousands of hours of training and coaching, the science, untold complex negotiations, all regulated by a system of international laws and rules often based on hundreds of years of evolution of that sport.
The spectator just sees a ball in the back of a net and cheer, or not. If during the game a red card is given to a player, then you have an opinion, depending on which team you support. The red card is not the end, but the start of a complex review system, which generally reinforces the need to follow the rules of that sport. The outcome is fairness.
Sports grants are strangely the same. When writing an application for changerooms, for a much-needed disabled access and the thousands of other necessary local sports facilities, very little thought is given to what sits behind the grants program and potential for funds. You just want to get that goal for your team, for your sport and for your community.
Yet sitting behind the grants program is a network of complex negotiations about funding guidelines, rules and regulations on how grants are allocated and over a hundred of years of evolution on how the Federation is supposed to work based on the Australian Constitution. Not understanding the history, and how the game works, by players, coaches, the referee and even supporters, can lead to challenges.
As described in the New South Wales Parliamentary Research Service e-brief 10/2014 in June 2014 on the Williams 2 (Chaplaincy) case, ‘the limited scope and nature of the High Court’s decision leaves all the other relevant Commonwealth programs subject to constitutional challenge, particularly it is suggested those programs in such areas as sport, the arts, roads and the environment.’
There is plenty of commentary already on why the red card was given to the former sports minister, but this in only the start.
Spending on the red card review, which has a long way to run in relation to sports grants, there is a high degree of probability that grants for 2020 will return to a level playing field.
The competition for funding will remain fierce but the more the process behind the grants allocation is understood, i.e. the constitutional basis for funding, how High Court cases directly influence how your application should be framed and how the system works; the greater chance of success of an application for changeroom facilities.
Of the review outcome finds that it doesn’t matter which team you play for, that all participants can get to play sport on a level playing field in 2020, then that will be a good thing. Then everyone has a chance to get that goal for the team.
Colin Steele is Managing Director of Section51, Canberra based grants and funding consultants. In addition to grants and funding training and writing for councils, Colin has coached field hockey teams for over 25 years. He knows what is behind how
to get those goals.
The first sod was turned this month in Moira Shire, Central Victoria, on Australia’s first renewable energy facility that will generate carbon neutral energy and fuel from agricultural waste.
