Media Releases

The 2012 Regional Achievement & Community Awards officially opened for nominations today and the Victorian Coalition Government is calling on individuals and groups to apply.

Representing Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan, Mr Drum said the Regional Achievement & Community Awards had eight categories highlighting success in important areas including business, environment, participation, leadership and innovation.

“Since 2002, these awards have become a renowned event on the regional calendar, and last year 300 nominations were received across eight categories,” Mr Drum said.

Mr Drum said Regional Development Victoria would continue its long association with the awards, sponsoring two categories this year.

“Regional Development Victoria has provided $31,000 to sponsor the Regional Business Achievement Award and the Regional Trade and Career Achievement Award,” Mr Drum said.

“The Regional Business Achievement Award acknowledges successful businesses that are making a significant contribution to regional and rural Victoria, while the Regional Trade and Career Achievement Award will promote individuals who are enthusiastically pursuing a trade or career.”

Mr Ryan said the awards recognised the hard work and commitment of people in regional and rural communities and their contribution towards the economic development of the state.

“The Coalition Government is committed to driving development and growth in regional areas and ensuring the regions continue to be a key part of Victoria’s economic success,” Mr Ryan said.

Winners of the 2012 Regional Achievement & Community Awards will be announced at at a gala dinner in Bendigo on 13 October.

Nominations close on Tuesday 17 July. For more information about awards categories and nominations visit: http://www.awardsaustralia.com/RACA_vic.html

April 30, 2012

Central Victoria could expect a flood of inquiries from potential new residents and businesses following the outstanding success of the Regional Living Expo in Melbourne this weekend, according to Damian Drum MP.

Mr Drum, who is also Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, said organisers were overjoyed at the number of people who visited the Expo in Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Expo was promised by the Liberal/Nationals Coalition in the lead up to the last state election. “We said we’d hold it, and we did, and it was fantastic,” Mr Drum said.

“It was designed to be the showcase for regional Victoria, helping people who were considering a move to the regions.

“The level of inquiry was huge.”

Just days before the Expo, a survey by ShopScience, commissioned by Regional Development Victoria, showed 11 per cent of Melburnians planned to move to regional Victoria while 39 per cent said they liked the idea of moving “one day”.

“The crowd reactions at the Expo certainly supported that survey,” Mr Drum said.

He said while the regions generally put on a very attractive face at the weekend, Central victoria was a particular star, with strong showing from local government, education and key industries and businesses.

“I would be very surprised if places such as Bendigo and Castlemaine don’t have record levels of inquiries about moving to the region over the next few months.

“This can only be a great outcome for all involved: for regional businesses, councils, retailers, schools and colleges … as well as for Melbourne which is already bursting at the seams,” Mr Drum said.

“I want to congratulate everyone involved in the Expo. They all made us proud.”

The historic township of Kyneton was abuzz today with the official opening of restored, heritage-listed Kyneton Mechanics Institute and Reserve.

Representing Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan, Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum officially opened the new facilities and congratulated the local community on their restored prized asset.

Mr Drum, who was joined by Macedon Ranges Shire Mayor Cr Henry McLaughlin, said the $2 million upgrade had ensured the Kyneton Mechanics Institute was once again a place of information sharing and a hub of social activity.

“When the Kyneton Mechanics Institute was built back in the 1850s one of its objectives was to help spread knowledge and now more than 150 years later this upgrade has ensured its purpose stays the same,” Mr Drum said.

“The redevelopment, made possible in part with $980,000 in Victorian Government funding, has improved accessibility to the facility, refurbished the stage and main hall, provided additional community spaces and a new kitchenette, and funded additional landscaping to the adjoining Reserve, for civic occasions and celebrations.

“A whole range of local community groups will benefit from the upgraded facilities, including local arts and theatre groups, the historical society, Lions Club, Friends of Kyneton Botanical Society to name a few.”

Mr Drum said the Kyneton Mechanics Institute upgrade had assisted contemporary community use of facilities that had been an integral part of the historic Victorian town of Kyneton for a very long time.

“The redevelopment has transformed the old facility into an accessible community centre where people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can now participate in a host of educational, leisure and social activities under the one roof,” Mr Drum said.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan said the redevelopment was also made possible thanks $1 million from the Macedon Ranges Shire Council, making it a real partnership project.

“Across the state, all levels of government are working together and with local communities to make sure Victorians get the services and facilities they need to make their communities liveable, prosperous and sustainable,” Mr Ryan said.

Mr Ryan said community facilities such as the Kyneton Mechanics Institute were more than just buildings.

“When people have places like this in which to gather, we know that it helps their communities become stronger, more connected, inclusive and better places to live,” Mr Ryan said.
For information about Department of Planning and Community Development grants, including guidelines and application forms visit www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/grants.

Bendigo will host one of a series of forums next month to help shape the future of recreational fishing.

The Department of Primary Industries has partnered with the VRFish organisation to stage the recreational fisheries forums around the state.

One will be held at the meeting place of the Bendigo Legion Angling Club, Getaway Rotary Park in Kangaroo Flat at 7pm on Wednesday, May 9.

MP for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum, said it was a great opportunity for people to have a say about recreational fisheries, network with DPI and VRFish and learn how the Coalition State Government was working hard to improve recreational fishing.

“The Government has expressed a strong commitment to broadening engagement with recreational fishers and to provide improved opportunities for recreational fishing.

“I encourage as many as possible to attend the forum, especially people from multicultural communities.”

Central and Northern Victoria will be “front and centre” in more ways than just geographically at this weekend’s Regional Victorian Living Expo in Melbourne’s Exhibition Centre.

The Expo will showcase all that is great about living in regional Victoria, and will give people a taste of the benefits of relocating their families, and businesses to the regions.

Among the 130 exhibitors will be a broad range of central and northern Victorian organisations, including the City of Greater Bendigo, Campaspe Shire, Central Goldfields Shire, Bendigo TAFE, LaTrobe University, the Bendigo Students Association, Hazeldenes, Grill’d, and the Castlemaine Hot Rod Centre.

MP for Northern Victoria Region, and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, Damian Drum , said the Expo was a unique opportunity for Regional Victoria to show city people a slice of life outside metropolitan Melbourne.

“This is the first ever Regional Living Expo. Deputy Premier and Regional Development Minister Peter Ryan promised it would happen and we are delivering on that promise.

“I believe it will be very popular.”

Mr Drum said the Expo not only showed people what lifestyle, business and education opportunities existed in the regions.

“It celebrates the achievements of regionally based people, such as Bendigo’s own Margot Spalding, co-founder and owner of the nationally famous Jimmy Possum furniture company.

“The Jimmy Possum company will be a presenter at the Expo.

“As an Expo ambassador, Margot is an outstanding example of the drive and enthusiasm so often found in regional communities.

“Margot and other Expo ambassadors such as Athol Guy, Cameron Ling, Billy Brownless and Rick and Todd Kelly draw a lot of their inspiration from their regional communities.

“They then inspire the rest of us, and now they’re inspiring Melbourne folk,” Mr Drum said.

He urged regional people to visit the Expo as well, if only to reminded of how good it feels to go home.

Mr Drum said he was very happy that the broader region had embraced the Expo concept so enthusiastically and he congratulated everyone involved in the massive undertaking.
The Expo is at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 2 Clarendon St, Southbank
It will be open: Friday 27 April, 12pm - 5pm, Saturday 28 April 10am - 5pm, Sunday 29 April, 10am - 4pm. Entry is free.

Northern Victoria Region MP Damian Drum today announced that $230,000 of road rehabilitation works had started on a weather-affected section of the Wimmera Highway.

 

“These works involve repairing storm damaged sections on a stretch of the Wimmera Highway, approximately 10km east of Newbridge near Woodstock on Loddon,” Mr Drum said.

 

“The Wimmera Highway was one of many arterial roads affected by storm and flood events in 2011.

 

“The rehabilitation works will involve strengthening and stabilising the road pavement and applying new line-marking.

 

“The works are being undertaken as part of a package of road upgrades to flood impacted roads within the Loddon Shire, which also includes the Loddon Valley Highway and sections of the Boort-Pyramid Road,” he said.

 

The works are expected to take about two weeks to complete.

 

Motorists are asked to observe changed traffic conditions as the highway will be under speed restrictions.

 

Mr Drum thanked the community for their patience while the works are carried out.

The City of Greater Bendigo in association with the Diocese of Sandhurst will explore the feasibility of a Faith of the Goldfields Interpretive Centre in central Bendigo with the help of $16,500 in Victorian Government funding, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Development Damian Drum said today.

Mr Drum, who is MP for Northern Victoria Region, said the potential centre was part of a much larger multi-million dollar redevelopment plan for the area around the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

He made the announcement today on behalf of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Development, Peter Ryan. The funding will be matched by the City of Greater Bendigo.

The Interpretive Centre will present the cultural heritage of the Goldfields region from the 1850s gold rush

“The feasibility study will examine how the proposed Centre could potentially function as part of, and engage with, a larger redevelopment of the entire Cathedral precinct,” Mr Drum said.

“The feasibility study findings will form the basis of a business case for philanthropic and government funding for the realisation of the Interpretive Centre and potentially leverage private investment in the much larger precinct redevelopment.”

Mr Ryan said developing the Interpretive Centre would help the City of Greater Bendigo and the Sandhurst Diocese take advantage and benefit from the growing market for heritage or ancestral-based tourism.

“Access to historical records and genealogical research has been a major driver for this growth, encouraged by the plethora of television programs and internet resources devoted to this interest,” Mr Ryan said.

“Providing an opportunity for engagement beyond walking through the Cathedral building - through tours; interpretive exhibitions and access to research collections will enhance the existing tourism experience.”

Mr Ryan said the Faith of the Goldfields Interpretive Centre Feasibility Study project would help inform planning capability for new tourism and community infrastructure and provide information to attract, inform and direct commercial investment in the precinct. Funding was coming from the Planning for Tomorrow fund.

“The project will also deliver better economic development outcomes by capitalising on the strength of genealogical tourism and adding to Bendigo's reputation and positioning as a destination for cultural heritage tourism,” Mr Ryan said.

Mr Drum said Victorian Government funding for the Faith of the Goldfields Interpretive Centre Feasibility Study project would be provided to the City of Greater Bendigo working in association with the Diocese of Sandhurst.

The study is expected to be completed by June.

Letter to the Editor, March 6, 2012.
Dear Editor,
Like many others, I am sick of the constant strident negativism coming from Labor Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards and the rest of her Party about Bendigo health issues.
There’s no health matter she won’t try to pervert into an opportunistic media hit, or a whining letter to the editor, constantly warping history and inventing weird conspiracies.
On the matter of the future of pathology services, Ms Edwards and Labor show they have no regard for the thousands of extra elective surgery procedures or the amount of other extra services the hospital will be able to offer because of the savings over the next 10 years.
I have been told these savings will be in the tens of millions of dollars over the life of the contract. What’s more, Ms Edwards has been told that as well. She was given a full briefing by the hospital on the day the decision was announced and she was shown the figures and the savings.
What she is advocating now – that despite the freeing up of many, many millions to provide life-saving services, the hospital should keep its old system – is nothing more than economic vandalism.
But Ms Edwards always tries to warp our hospital board’s decision into an anti-Coalition conspiracy. The fact is that the review of pathology services began under the previous Labor Government.
She and her leader, the fumbling Daniel Andrews, wanted the Coalition Government to improperly interfere in the hospital board’s processes and tell it what to do. We declined.
This is the same Daniel Andrews who once again has come to Bendigo to show “solidarity” with the nurses union against the hospital and against the courts which keep ordering nurses to drop their industrial action.
And it’s the same Daniel Andrews who, back in August 2007 when he was Health Minister facing similar nurses industrial strife, told the nurses union to abide by the umpire’s decision and drop the action.
He also demanded more flexibility in the nurse-patient ratio.
People are sick of the hypocrisy and double standards of Labor when it comes to Bendigo health.
Their two-faced negativity has been shown on the nurses issue, on pathology and on whether Bendigo people should get the $630 million the Coalition Government is building.
Labor is trashing the Bendigo Health brand, and it will cost our community in terms of attracting the best possible staff, community confidence, money and in health outcomes.
If Labor has nothing positive to contribute to the issue of Bendigo health, it should just back off.
Damian Drum MLC
Member for the Northern Victoria Region

Grants totalling $45,000 will help two Bendigo area Scout groups be prepared for a stronger and safer future, Nationals MP for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum, said today.

The 2nd Kangaroo Flat Scout hall will receive $30,000 and the 1st Eaglehawk Scout hall will get $15,000.

The money – from a new $4 million state-wide fund - will be used to carry out a range of internal repairs and renovations, including lining ceilings, improve ventilation, refurbish a kitchen and electrical work.

Mr Drum said modern Scouting groups needed modern facilities.

“For generations, the Scouting movement has been helping young people bring out their best, and it is great to see the Coalition State Government helping to maintain that reputation,” Mr Drum said.

Minister for Youth Affairs Ryan Smith said the $4 million program delivered on the Government’s election commitment to upgrade Scouts and Girl Guides facilities across the state.

“With this new funding Scouts Victoria and Guides Victoria will be able to modernise facilities and to continue their fantastic work in supporting, training and mentoring young Victorians.

“This funding also ensures that these facilities are still available for other community needs, such as accommodating local not-for-profit organisations working with young people,” Mr Smith said.

Girl Guides Victoria’s State Commissioner Robinette Emonson said: “We are looking forward to working closely with the state and local governments and the community to achieve outcomes which will be of benefit to everyone.”

Chief Commissioner of Scouts Victoria, Bob Taylor, said: “It is fantastic that the Victorian Government has recognised the importance and benefits of Scouting and Guiding in today’s society and are providing funding to assist us in upgrading our facilities across the state.”

To get involved with your local Girl Guide or Scout group visit www.guidesvic.org.au or www.vicscouts.com.au.

The entire community of Greater Bendigo has taken an important step towards building new respect between men and women and ending the cycle of violence, the State Government’s Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, Damian Drum, said today.

Mr Drum officially opened a public forum, Achieving Respect and Gender Equality in Greater Bendigo, aimed at finding ways to end gender-based violence.

“Just as violence in our homes has devastating impacts on our entire community, so it is up to us all to develop a community-wide response.

‘One of the most pervasive and devastating forms of violence is the use of violence by men against women. It is a violation of the most fundamental rights of women and children – but it can be tackled only with commitment and direction.”

The forum brings together state and local governments, community groups, individuals and health and well-being agencies.

In 2010-11, police responded to 753 family violence reports in Bendigo, compared to 420 call outs in 2006-07.

“Statewide, there were 40,892 violence incidents reports – up 14.6 per cent in a year,” Mr Drum said.

“That’s why addressing violence against women and children is an important priority for the Coalition Government. We have invested more than $75 million this financial year to both prevent and respond to this issue.

“State Minister for Women’s Affairs, Mary Wooldridge has launched a new push to find better ways to address gender violence over the next three years. That project has already begun.

“And now we are also seeing local government inspiring us with its efforts to end the violence.

“The Coalition Government has invested just over $1.5 million helping local government build respectful, fair and non-violent communities.

“The Bendigo forum is part of that response,” Mr Drum said.

He said the forum, at Bendigo’s Capital Theatre, demonstrated the whole-of-community response to develop ways to deal with the problem.

“I congratulate the City of Greater Bendigo for its leadership in making this a community responsibility and a high priority,” Mr Drum said.