Tree pruning on Durlacher Street

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be pruning the Hibiscus tree, also known as the ‘heart tree’, located on Durlacher Street on Wednesday 27 June 2018 in the hours between 6.30am and 9am.

To ensure community safety the road between Marine Terrace and Foreshore drive will be closed and a detour in place.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Member for Geraldton elated that Southgate is saved

The decision to refuse the approval of Amendment No. 4 of the City of Greater Geraldton Town Planning Scheme NO. 1A is welcomed by Local Member for Geraldton, Ian Blayney MLA.

“The amendment initiated the planning scheme to rezone the land at Southgate for development purposes”, said Mr Blayney.

“Given the significance of the Southgate Dunes in the region, I am pleased development and subdivision will not be implemented.

Mr Blayney said there was widespread consternation throughout the community when changes enabling the subdivision of 780 hectares on Southgate Dunes were reported in the paper in 2016.

“I wrote to the Minister for Planning several times advising against the proposed changes.

“Southgate is an environmentally sensitive area and any disruption to the dunes may impact on local beaches.

Mr Blayney said that he opposed the changes not only because the dunes are a significant natural asset but also because Geraldton already has problems with beach erosion.

“Any disruption to the sand recharge could further exacerbate coastal erosion in the area.

“This will not only detract from the attractiveness of Geraldton’s beaches but will also add to local government costs as they would have to address such effects.

“I am delighted the Southgate Dunes have been saved.”

Students showcase skills on national stage

Two Central Regional TAFE (CRTAFE) students had their skills put to the test at the WorldSkills Australia National Championship held in Sydney earlier this month.

Isabelle Crosswell from the Geraldton Campus placed fifth in the Hairdressing competition and Travis Watts from the Kalgoorlie Campus placed sixth in the Automotive Open competition.

This is the second time a competitor from Geraldton represented Western Australia at the national competition and a first for the Goldfields region.

Both Isabelle and Travis competed in the regional competition for their respective trades and progressed to represent Team WA at the WorldSkills Australia National Championship (the nation’s largest trades and skills showcase) held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on 1-3 June.

Participants from around Australia showcased their skills against others in their field by completing a series of projects and tasks throughout the three day event, whilst being scored and judged by experienced industry professionals.

Isabelle, who recently completed her hairdressing qualification and was announced this year’s CRTAFE Apprentice of the Year, said the once in a lifetime experience was exciting and rewarding.

“It’s a roller-coaster of emotions. One minute you’re confident then you’re a ball of nerves; it’s both physically and mentally challenging, especially because we don’t find out what the challenge is until five minutes before starting” Ms Crosswell said.

“I would 100 percent encourage others to give it a go. It gave me so many opportunities to network and meet new people from around Australia” she said.

“I also worked alongside world renowned hairdressers and stylists who were team mentors or competition judges, it’s really been a great learning experience” she said.

Travis, a third year Automotive Apprentice at Kalgoorlie’s Performance Gas Mechanical said the atmosphere at the national championship was fantastic and that the competition opened up new opportunities for learning and growth.

“The stress levels whilst competing go through the roof because you are under time constraints for each phase of the competition, whilst still having to worry about accuracy, solving problems and safety aspects” he said.

“There’s a lot of hard work leading up to each completion but it’s all definitely worth it when you get there” he said.

CRTAFE Managing Director Bill Swetman said both students did the college and WA proud.

“Isabelle and Travis have done exceptionally well and should be congratulated for the efforts they have made in preparing for each stage of the WorldSkills program and the professionalism they have demonstrated throughout the competition” he said.

“Their success is a great testament to the dedication they have towards their training and a credit to both their lecturers and employers” he said.

Mr Swetman added “WorldSkills competitions boost young people’s confidence and career prospects, challenges their skills on the national stage and allows them to gain valuable feedback from well-regarded industry professionals.”

This year’s championships was also particularly special for CRTAFE with Kalgoorlie Campus Automotive Lecturer Adrian Gooneratne invited to be one of the judges at the national event.

WorldSkills regional competitions will once again be held in 2019.

For more information please contact Central Regional TAFE on 1800 672 700 or email info@crtafe.wa.edu.au More information about WorldSkills Australia can be found at https://www.worldskills.org.au/

Drainage works in Francis Street

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be undertaking drainage maintenance works at the corner of Francis Street and Marine Terrace with works commencing on Wednesday 27 June 2018 and are expected to be completed by Thursday 28 June 2018.

During the works, the intersection will be closed to ensure community safety and detours will be in place. Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Nature playground opens in Wandina

Wandina Primary School students celebrate the officially opening of the Derna Park Nature Playground, which was constructed in partnership by the school and the City of Greater Geraldton.

Getting back to nature just got a whole lot easier with the official opening of a nature playground today in Derna Park in the heart of the Wandina suburb.

The unique project saw the construction of a playground on land owned by both the Wandina Primary School and the City.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the school’s proposal to build the playground aligned with the City’s plans for Derna Park.

“When the playground proposal came through in 2016, the City was already planning upgrades to the Park which included the construction of a toilet block,” he said.

“It goes without saying the nature playground has added real value to the park and with the addition of the toilet block, which opened in August 2017, Derna Park has become a top location for local children and families from across Geraldton to visit and enjoy.”

Wandina Primary School Principal Di Miller said she was thankful to the City and project funders for supporting a playground that will challenge children of all ages.

“By pooling Wandina Primary School, Wandina Primary School P&C, Seacrest Corporation and City funds we were able to successfully leverage grant funding and build a play space that will be enjoyed by students during recess and lunch times and by the community throughout the day,” she said.

“The new nature playground will provide our school and community with a fantastic play space where children will be able to be creative and imaginative as well as develop their gross motor skills through play in a more natural environment, for many years to come.”

Construction of the $200,746 nature playground was jointly funded by Wandina Primary School, Wandina Primary School P&C, the City of Greater Geraldton, and Seacrest Corporation with the State Government Regional Grants Scheme, managed by the Mid West Development Commission contributing $149,167 towards the project.

Permanent closure of Allen Road bridge

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise of the permanent closure of the Allen Road bridge in Moonyoonooka on Friday 22 June 2018.

To ensure community safety, barriers will be put in place to prevent vehicle access to the 88 year-old bridge which has reached its end of life and may be demolished in future.

Members of the community will be able to use the adjacent bridge located on the Narra Tarra-Moonyoonooka Road.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause. If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Info Sessions on Ward and Councillor review

Community information sessions on potential options to change the current ward system and council representation will be held by the City at the end of the month.

The sessions are part of a review of ward boundaries and the number of Councillors is being undertaken in accordance with the Local Government Act 1995.  All local governments with wards must carry out reviews of their ward boundaries and the number of Councillors for each ward at least once every eight years.  The last time wards and representation were reviewed was in 2011, when the then City of Geraldton-Greenough merged with the Shire of Mullewa.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the purpose of the information sessions are to inform the community on the review process and present the various options for future representation.

“Currently, we have seven wards with 14 elected members and a popularly elected mayor,” he said.

“However, there are a number of options up for consideration which include changing or reducing the number of wards or the number of elected members representing a ward or even abolishing wards altogether.

“The pros and cons of these options will be presented at the information sessions along with the opportunity for attendees to provide their feedback on what they have heard.”

The Geraldton Community Information Session will be on Wednesday 27 June 2018 at 5pm, in the Function Room at the City Civic Centre and the Mullewa Community Information Session will be on Thursday 28 June 2018 at 5pm, in the Dining Room at the Recreation Centre.

Mayor Van Styn encourages everyone to have their say on how they will be represented by local government in the future.

“The feedback we received from the community will help Council identify the system of representation that best reflects the characteristics of our community which include communities of interest, physical and topographical features, demographic trends and economic factors,” he said.

When the Review is complete, a report on the process and Council’s resolution regarding wards and representation will be submitted to the Local Government Advisory Board for assessment against the requirements of the Local Government Act and consideration of any recommended changes. The Board’s recommendations regarding the review are then submitted to the Minister who has the final decision on wards and Councillor representation in the City.

For more information on the review or to make a submission visit the City’s website www.cgg.wa.gov.au

Million Trees Project nears halfway mark

New hessian tree guards, developed by the City in response to community concern regarding using plastic, protect seedlings recently planted by the Sunset Beach Community Group at Triton Place in Sunset Beach.

A recent tally of tree and shrub plantings registered with the Million Trees Project shows the community is on track to reach the halfway mark of 500,000 this winter.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said greening the City region has been the community’s aspiration for many years.

“In 2010, when the 2029 and Beyond Project was launched, we asked the community what would make Greater Geraldton a better place to live and greening our City by planting more trees and shrubs was their top priority,” he said.

“Now eight years in and more than 327,500 tree and shrub plantings later, we are continually asked by the community to keep beautifying streets and public open spaces with more trees.

“That’s why more than 127,000 trees and shrubs are scheduled for planting by community groups, businesses and the City along our foreshore and river reserves over the coming weeks.

“With only 11 years to go till 2029, I am confident together, as a community, can reach the million trees target,” he added.

If you have planted one or more trees or shrubs on your property you can make your trees count by registering them towards the Million Trees Project on the City’s website www.cgg.wa.gov.au

All varieties of trees, including fruit trees and shrubs such as Grevilleas, can be added to the register.

Mayor expresses frustration over road name

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn has described the process for naming a road in Tenindewa as “bureaucratic nonsense” as a third submission has been declined.

The 1.1km unnamed stretch of gravel road in the Tenindewa town site directly abuts the Tenindewa Store which was originally built in 1935.

After much research, the Tenindewa community first suggested ‘Tenindewa Store Rd’ however Geographic Names advised that they did not support the name because there was already several roads containing the name ‘Tenindewa’.

Next the community suggested ‘Foster Road’ after a local pioneer of the area. However this was also rejected because within Geraldton, approximately 100 kilometres away, there is a road called ‘Foster Place’.

After more research and consideration the Tenindewa Progress Association, on behalf of the greater Tenindewa community, recommended the road name ‘Griffiths Road’ as the name not only honours the builder of the Store, Bill Griffiths, but the role of the Store in the growth of the community over the last 80 years.

The City of Greater Geraldton Council supported the application in honour of the pertinent history of the area. The information provided by the Association included justification for the road name and a letter of support from a living descendent of Mr Griffiths.

However Geographic Names have not supported the submission of Griffiths Road for the reason being that there was “no evidence of strong justification”.

Mayor Van Styn said he was concerned and saddened that despite the in-depth information provided, the naming request was denied even after the third attempt.

“The local community is very actively trying to preserve its history and the proposed name of Griffiths Road pays homage not only to Mr Bill Griffiths and his family, but also to the wider community,” he said.

“Regional towns such as Tenindewa play a very important role in our history and long legacy and I feel that the historic stretch of road should be named appropriately.

“This is now the third name suggestion from the community and it seems that no matter the justification, the names put forward keep being quashed.

“It would be very difficult for the community’s hard work in naming the road to not be recognised due to a bureaucratic policy.”

In an unfortunate turn of events, the Tenindewa community lost many of their records in a flood in the 1970s but despite setbacks, the community has worked tirelessly to record their history, honour their community spirit and interpret the history of their town.

Mayor Van Styn said he has written to Minister for Transport; Planning; Lands, Hon. Rita Saffioti MLA to look past the bureaucracy of the approvals process and look to the significance the road name holds in the community.

“I have written to the Minister to draw attention to the bureaucratic nonsense that has been playing out with respect to the naming of the unnamed road reserve,” he said.

“It is difficult to understand why the State has dedicated so much time and effort to thwart the efforts of a proactive rural community who simply want to name a road.

“I am asking the Minister to look past the bureaucracy of the approvals process and look to the significance this road name holds in the community and the opportunity this presents to provide historical interpretation in a declining regional town.”

Rate cuts a possibility

Some of the education around how rates are calculated.

More than 40% of residential properties and 60% of non-residential properties could possibly receive a rate freeze or rate cut in the 2018/19 financial year compared to 2017/18 depending on what decision Council makes as to rates for 2018/19.

As per legislative requirements, rates are calculated by multiplying a property’s Gross Rental Value (GRV) by the Rate in the Dollar. 

The State Government’s Valuer General revalues the Gross Rental Values every three years.  This has just occurred and these new GRVs will be used to determine the City’s 2018/19 rates.

The GRV is the estimate of the rental income of your property. This recent revaluation has seen the overall GRV percentages decrease by 17.88% on average, however City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Van Styn said there have been some wide variations.

“The latest revaluation will mean more than 50% of residential properties may not pay any more in rates than last year, and in 40% of cases they may even pay less,” he said.

“For commercial ratepayers around 60% of ratepayers may also receive a modest rate cut.”

Mayor Shane Van Styn also added the City and Council are diligently working to ensure rate payers aren’t hit with huge rate rises either now or in future as part of ongoing budget deliberations.

“We want to keep rate rises as low as we possibly can, whilst maintaining services,” he said.

“While keeping rate rises to a minimum, we will still need to balance our budget which is a big win and signifies we are moving forward.”  

Mayor Van Styn said many homeowners have been asking why their rates are going up and why their house market price is going down.

“The simple explanation is – it has nothing to do with the sale price of your home,” he said.

“Legislation requires rates to be based on your property’s rental value which is set by the Valuer General, not by Council.

“We know the valuations have decreased but the cost of running the City does not get any cheaper.

“Council has made it very clear to officers that our service delivery needs to be efficient and effective and rate increases kept to a minimum.”

Over the past three years, a core objective of the City has been to keep costs down.  This is reflected in the City’s current long term financial plan predicting a 3.5% rate rise as opposed to earlier plans showing 7.2%.

“Even though the officer’s proposed rate modelling paper to the April 2018 Ordinary meeting indicated a 3.5% rate rise, I believe we can do better than that,” Mayor Van Styn added.

“Council has repeatedly demonstrated that it listens to the community in both rate setting and determining the range and level of services the community requires. 

“The actual rate increase as opposed to the indicated intent will be determined by Council and is subject to community submissions and Council deliberations.

“I expect that our ratepayers will again see the benefit of the City’s continued efforts to keep costs down.”

Mayor Van Styn also added that the City is being very open and transparent and providing education in the media that details how rates are calculated.

For more information can be found at www.cgg.wa.gov.au

Member for Geraldton urges constituents to attend Ombudsman Complaint Clinics

Member for Geraldton, Ian Blayney MLA is encouraging all members of the community who are having issues with their electricity, gas or water service provider to attend an ombudsman complaint clinic later this month.

“I’ve had a fair few constituents come into the office over the last month that are having problems with their electricity, gas and water service providers.

“This visit from the ombudsman will be a valuable opportunity for the community of Geraldton to raise any concerns they may be having with such providers.

Mr Blayney said that he has written to the Minister for Energy a few times over the last couple of months to bring constituent concerns to the attention of the Department.

“I have been writing to the Minister to ask that concerns raised by members of the community be reviewed and investigated.

“Most recently, I wrote to the Minister regarding the power outage at Port Gregory. The power went out on Thursday and was not fully restored until the following Monday. That is a long time to be without reliable power.

“I asked the Minister that power issues be reviewed by the government and for energy security options for the town of Port Gregory to be given some consideration.

The ombudsman complaints clinic will be held at Pollinators CityHive (184 Marine Terrace) on Wednesday 27 June, 4pm – 6pm and Thursday 28 June, 8:30am -10:30am.

Help needed to identify wreck at Dongara beach

The Western Australian Museum would like the public’s assistance to identify a recently discovered shipwreck about 20 metres offshore at 7 Mile Beach in Dongara.

Regular visitor to the area Aletta Bussenschutt discovered the wreck at a depth of about three metres while recreational diving, and reported the find to the WA Museum.

“I had snorkeled many times at 7 Mile Beach and I was lucky enough to have found the wreck due to the recent swells which had moved the benthic sand,” Ms Bussenschutt said.

“I remember diving down to inspect the wreck further and thinking ‘that’s a wooden hull on the bottom of the ocean!’”

WA Museum Maritime Archaeology Curator Dr Ross Anderson said after inspecting the site, it was identified as the remains of a motorised wooden cray boat.

“The vessel is about seven metres long and was built sometime between the 1950s and 1980s,” Dr Anderson said.

“A timber sample shows it was built in part using jarrah indicating the vessel was built in Western Australia.”

Another artefact recovered was a mammal bone, which points to the wreck occurring before bovine cray baiting stopped in the 1990s.

The area is a haven for fishing boats as it is sheltered from prevailing southerly winds which means the boat may have been moored at the time of sinking.

“As it’s likely the boat wrecked in the relatively recent past, the Museum is asking anyone who may be able to identify the vessel to get in touch,” Dr Anderson said.

“Verified information would be added to the Museum’s shipwreck database and would help document the evolution of the Mid West crayfishing trade.”

Information can be reported to Dr Ross Anderson by phoning 1300 134 081 or emailing reception@museum.wa.gov.au

Plastic recycling bin vandalism sparks review

The remainder of a plastics recycling bin located Drummond Cove that was lit on fire by vandals.

The vandalism of a plastic recycling bin located in Drummond Cove has sparked the review of bin locations to ensure the safety of all sites.

On May 18, vandals lit fire to the recycling bin located beside the foreshore ablution block destroying the bin and damaging part of the building’s veranda, which has since been repaired.

City of Greater Geraldton Chief Executive Officer Ross McKim said a review of the blue plastic bin locations is now underway.

“There are 18 blue plastic bins locations throughout the City and we have begun reviewing these sites to address any safety concerns such as proximity to other structures and ease of servicing,” he said.

“Although the plastic bins are currently the property of the Northern Agriculture Catchment Council (NACC), the plastic recycling program is serviced by MEEDAC.”

Plastic and cardboard waste is managed through the City’s Reuse and Recycle Shop located at Meru Waste Facility.  This includes the careful sorting of plastic materials to remove contaminates such coloured plastics and lids and labels from bottles and containers. The plastics are then pressed into bales for transport to Perth where they are sold and shipped to China.

Although China is still accepting foreign waste, they have imposed new restrictions and will only accept material with a contamination level less than 0.5 per cent.

Despite this minor setback, the City still supports plastic recycling.

“City staff are currently in discussion with NACC and MEEDAC on how best to support the plastics program, which will ensure Type 1 and 2 plastics continue to be diverted from landfill,” said Mr McKim.

“Should the review result in any changes of bin locations, the City will notify the community via our website and social media channels.”

EOI: Christmas Tree Trail

Christmas may seem a long way off, but the City of Greater Geraldton is getting ready for the festive season and inviting artists to help transform wooden trees for a Christmas Tree Trail.

The multi-dimensional trees will feature in a prime location along Marine Terrace and showcase the artist’s interpretation of Christmas.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said it was a great opportunity for artists to have their work seen.

“It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to showcase your artwork in one of Geraldton’s most prominent locations, especially during such a busy time of year,” he said.

“The decorated craypots were such a hit last Christmas, and we expect the Christmas Tree Trail to be just as popular.

“I encourage all artists to start thinking about what Christmas means to them and get involved in this great project.”

Twelve artists will be selected to participate in the initiative and will be provided with a ‘blank canvas’ structure and plinth to transform and decorate.

Successful applications will be provided with $1,000 for the cost of materials.

Expressions of interest close on Wednesday 6 June and installations must be completed by Friday 23 November.

To be a part of the Christmas Tree Trail, please visit https://artgallery.cgg.wa.gov.au/christmas-tree-trail-eoi.aspx

711 Cadets receive Freedom of Entry

The 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets have received Freedom of Entry to the City.

The 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets have received Freedom of Entry to the City after Council approved the request at this week’s Council Meeting.

The honour will be presented at the 2018 Sunshine Festival on Sunday 30 September.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn also acknowledged the 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets 25 years of service.

“The 711 Squadron has helped a large number of youth reach their true potential and they regularly support community events including Australia Day, ANZAC Day, HMAS Sydney II Memorial services and Variety Club events,” he said.

“The organisation has made a significant contribution to our community and I am proud to honour them with Freedom of Entry to our City.”

Freedom of Entry is a ceremonial honour whereby a military or civilian unit is granted the right of entry to the City.

It is awarded to Australian military and civilian units that have, through their command, a significant attachment to the City of Greater Geraldton. 

The award is conferred in recognition of their achievement while on active service or overseas duty or as a mark of respect and gratitude for their efforts in the defence of Australia.  

David Power, 711 Squadron Commanding Officer, said the honour was very well received.

“It is great to receive recognition for the commitment to youth development in Geraldton over the years,” he said.

“We have had several thousand young people use the Cadets as a great platform to develop remarkable self-confidence and leadership skills, and go onto bigger and better things.”

The conferring of the award of Freedom of Entry, will be held in conjunction with the 2018 Sunshine Festival opening ceremony at 1pm on 30 September 2018, before marching in the Sunshine Festival parade.

Those interested in the 711 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets can visit www.aafc.org.au or head to the Army Reserve Depot on Monday nights during the school term from 6pm.

Offenders on the loose without being monitored

West Australians were left in the dark when dozens of offenders, some with serious convictions including dangerous sex offences, were unable to be tracked following a telecommunications outage.

Shadow Minister for Corrective Services Zak Kirkup said it was incomprehensible the Government did not alert the community to the dangers posed by offenders able to roam the community without being able to be tracked.

“If there is a telecommunications outage and offenders cannot be tracked, the community needs to be made aware,” Mr Kirkup said.

“Last night in Parliament it was revealed 81 offenders with trackable ankle bracelets had been disconnected from monitoring as a result of the outage.

“The first the community has heard of this is through questioning in Parliament.

“The question must be asked, why did it take questioning in Parliament for this information to be made public?  Why didn’t the Minister bring this to the attention of the public at the height of the risk of these offenders being in public without being able to be monitored.”

Mr Kirkup said the Government needed to assure the public they would not be kept in the dark if there was a similar telecommunications blackout in the future in which offenders were unable to be tracked.

“It is the responsibility of the Minister for Corrective Services to be open and transparent about these very serious and concerning security issues,” Mr Kirkup said.

“He would have received a briefing that the Department had lost track of the offenders as a result of the outage, and he should have insisted on warning the public that this had occurred.

“His failure to do this smacks of a cover up.  I am concerned he may not have wanted the public to know that offenders were out in the public and not being tracked.

“This has only come to light through questioning in Parliament and it would not be surprising if the Government was hoping the questions would not be asked and this incident had not come to light.

“It is now incumbent on the Minister to insist his Department develop a communications protocol to alert the public whenever there is an incident in which tracked offenders are unable to have their movements monitored.

“The public needs to be assured they are protected from these offenders.  This is the Minister’s responsibility and he needs to take action now that this incident, and the potential for further such incidents, has been exposed.”

Shade sail and pontoon removals from the Foreshore

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be temporarily removing the pontoons and the shade sails and shade domes along the Foreshore on Thursday the 24 May 2018 to undertake annual maintenance works whilst protecting them from potential damage caused by winter storms.

The pontoons and shade sails will be returned to their locations in the spring in October 2018.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

WA needs a real Rural Fire Service

The announcement made by the Government in April of a Department of Fire and Emergency Services restructure was not the announcement of an independent rural fire service that will actually fight bushfires according to the Shadow Minister for the Emergency Services Dr Steve Thomas.

Dr Thomas also said that the apparent location of the proposed Rural Fire Division in Darlington in the Shire of Mundaring in Perth was a snub to rural communities, an embarrassment to the Government, and possibly a by-election bribe to the electors of Darling Range.

“The United Firefighters Union let the cat out of the bag last week when they publicly confirmed the location as Darlington, despite the Minister for Emergency Services sticking to his line that it has not yet been determined” Dr Thomas said. “This is on the edge of the seat of Darling Range and only 30km from Parliament House in Perth.”

“The only thing missing from this worst kept secret is a formal announcement by the Government, no doubt including the Labor candidate.”

Dr Thomas said that questions he had asked of the Minister in Parliament in recent weeks had revealed more detail about the proposed Departmental reshuffle that will be known as the Rural Fire Division.

“The Minister has acknowledged that the Rural Fire Division will not manage bushfires – this will stay in the Operations Division. Neither will it supply bushfire brigades with equipment.”

“The Rural Fire Division will in fact be 32 FTEs based in Metropolitan Perth whose role is administration, support and planning according to the Minister, not actually fighting fires.”

Dr Thomas said he believed that given the Government’s intent to not have a truly independent service, the leader of a WA Rural Fire Service should be a Deputy Commissioner, the highest rank below the Commissioner, to give the service the importance it deserved.

“I also believe that a rural fire service should be located in the country, not in the metropolitan region. I would be looking to the South West between Pinjarra and Manjimup to house the leadership group.”

Path and drainage works in Drummond Cove

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be undertaking path and drainage works at Whitehill Road between Hester Street and Seacrest Way in Drummond Cove with works scheduled to commence on Monday 21 May 2018 for a period of approximately four weeks.

The anticipated hours of work will be between from 7am to 6pm. Traffic Management will be in place during this time. Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au

Beresford Foreshore landscaping begins

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise landscaping of the Beresford Foreshore will start during the week of 21 May 2018 and requires construction site access through three temporary entry points along Chapman Road for the duration of the works.

The entry points will be located on the north and south sides of the Adam Street Carpark and in front of Mitchell and Brown.  To ensure community safety, traffic controllers will be in place from Tuesday 22 May 2018 for the remainder of project works as required.  Motorists can expect delays and are encouraged to use alternative routes wherever possible during this time.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.