Councillor Column: Jim Mason from the City of Greater Geelong, July 9

Supporting our community through COVID-19
THE COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a severe health and financial impact in Victoria.
The recent spike in case numbers means we’re not yet through this very difficult time for the community, and we are feeling for everyone impacted in some way.
Last week the Council announced a fourth COVID-19 Community and Economic Support Package, valued at around $5.2 million.
It included initiatives targeted to assist our region’s hardest hit sectors, including the arts, tourism, small business, community groups, international students and the broader community.
The Bellarine’s normally thriving arts and culture scene has been decimated as a result of the pandemic through the closure of cultural facilities, cancellation of events and the general economic downturn.
The Council’s support package included $490,000 to help this industry and its wonderful creative people begin to rebuild.
The allocation will fund employment opportunities, grants of up to $5000, and skills training to help creative people build their capacity to earn an income.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
Thank you to the members of the Geelong COVID-19 Arts Recovery (G-CAR) Advisory Panel for their guidance in developing these support initiatives.
Tourism is another vital sector for the Bellarine that has suffered immensely. The Council’s support package featured $500,000 for our industry body, Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine, to run a series of campaigns aimed at attracting visitors back to our region.
For a full list of all initiatives in the $5.2 million package and previous support announced by the Council in March and April, please head to geelongaustralia.com.au/covid19.

Council’s ‘Recovery Budget’
Councillors have also finalised our 2020-21 Budget, which has a strategic focus on accelerating our region’s recovery from the pandemic.
We’ve put together a $160 million capital works program that will create local jobs and stimulate the economy, while giving the community new and improved facilities to enjoy.
One of the key funding commitments is $750,000 for work to begin on a new 50-metre outdoor pool for the north Bellarine.
Added to the $10 million commitment from the federal government, we now have the bulk of the funding to design and build this project.
The Council has shortlisted two potential sites in Drysdale – at the sporting precinct and the Council depot beside Christian College – and we’ll be confirming the preferred location in the coming months.
The final budget also includes:
$250,000 for a shared trail at Beacon Point Reserve, Clifton Springs
$250,000 for new floodlights at Portarlington Recreation Reserve
$250,000 for further streetscape upgrades in St Leonards
$160,000 to create a south-east Bellarine coastal reserve strategy for the sensitive land between Ocean Grove and Point Lonsdale, and
$30,000 to design a new skate park in St Leonards – a project the town’s young community has lobbied passionately and intelligently for!
In response to community feedback the Council agreed to add $30,000 for a feasibility study into a new Bellarine seniors activity hub.
And there’s also a $549,000 recurrent commitment for the Restoring Rural Landscapes program, which aims to protect and regenerate the beautiful rural landscapes throughout the region – including across the Bellarine.
The final budget will be available to read in full from July 14 at geelongaustralia.com.au/budget.

Managing our rabbit population
Rabbits are a serious threat to Greater Geelong’s ecosystems and sustainability.
They’re an introduced pest that damages native vegetation, competes with livestock for pasture, supports the spread of weeds, and causes erosion of waterways and damage to land.
The Council has just released a draft Rabbit Control Plan 2020-24 for public feedback. It outlines how the City of Greater Geelong will control rabbits on City-managed land and support the community to reduce impacts elsewhere.
It’s been shaped by expert advice and extensive community input, including from local Landcare groups and the Council’s Rural and Peri Urban Advisory Committee.
It includes proposals to use some new and innovative control techniques and technologies, such as remote sensing cameras and drones.
There’s also a focus on rehabilitating affected sites with intensive weed control to help restore native vegetation.
Please head to yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au to read the plan in full and give us your feedback.

Livestock and Information Exchange
Finally, a quick update on another key project for the Rural and Peri Urban Advisory Committee – the investigation into a new livestock and information exchange site for Greater Geelong.
We have now gathered detailed information from the community through social media, hard copy and online surveys and a direct mail out.
This feedback has been presented to the committee and will now be used to develop some potential options to meet the livestock and information exchange needs identified.
We look forward to sharing further updates as this work progresses.
Cr Jim Mason is Chair of the Council’s Rural and Coastal portfolio, and Chair of the Rural and Peri Urban Advisory Committee.

Cr Jim Mason
Bellarine Ward, City of Greater Geelong