'Leave Australia Day alone' petition received at NGSC council meeting

The petition is asking that council 'leaves Australia Day alone and hold community events that celebrate Australia Day, acknowledge Indigenous culture and mark Australia Day with Citizenship Ceremonies'.

Received by council on Monday January 22, the petition is signed by 4900 petitioners.

As specified in the council's governance rules, unless a petition is considered an item of urgent business, no motion may be made until the next fixed council meeting.

NGSC's next statutory council meeting will be held on Monday, March 4.

Also at the council meeting, NGSC carried a motion to endorse the recommendations listed in a recent Marnoo flood report.

Cr Eddy Ostarcevic spoke on the motion at the council meeting.

"The report does step out a series of mitigation effects that does have the potential to ease some of the inundation in the area," he said.

"There are very few properties that are subject to above floor flooding, however, there's several roadways we've witnessed over the years that are blocked off during the wet weather events."

Mitigation options assessed in the study included increasing the height and extending an existing flood levee, increasing the capacity of the channel and culverts that drain into Wallaloo Creek and building a new channel to drain water directly into Wallaloo Creek.

However, the assessed mitigation option were shown to be financially unviable, so no structural options have been recommended.

The report does recommend the following non-structural mitigation options:

An endorsement of the inclusion of the Landsborough Road culvert replacement project into the current capital works program 2023/24 was moved.

The motion also defers the Joel Joel Road bridge upgrade works from the current capital works program to future years.

Funding for the Landsborough Bridge project will be $150,000 including $80,000 reallocated from the Joel Joel Bridge upgrade.

"We understand from the surveillance of the asset that it is in poor condition," said Cr Ostarcevic.

"It does require some mitigation work because it could be a case of catastrophic failure."

NGSC also resolved a motion to name a previously unnamed road 'Maddocks Road' that runs between Horsham Road and Grampians Road in Stawell.

Council resolved to give public notice of its intention to name the road at it Monday, December 4, council meeting.

The name 'Maddocks Road' was suggested by the Stawell Historical Society in recognition of the Maddocks family, who have lived and contributed to the town of Stawell for over 144 years and ran the Maddocks Cordial Factory, which was located on this road.