$800k for Foto Biennale

A NEARLY four-and-a-half-hour bladder buster of a City of Ballarat council meeting that confronted councillors, officers, and people viewing the livestream on Wednesday, 27 May.

On the beefy agenda was a decision on what funding to allocate to the Ballarat International Foto Biennale over the next four years.

Councillors were presented with four options: do nothing, as well as $100,000, $400,000 and $800,000 options plus in-kind support relating to the use of council owned venues valued at nearly $90,000 over four years.

Included as part of the agreement was a “COVID-19 provision” aimed at safeguarding the municipality by making incremental payments, and the inclusion of a senior City of Ballarat officer on the Foto Biennale’s Board.

After some debate councillors voted to go with the maximum amount.

Conflict over 26 January

Discussion over how the city might mark Australia Day got heated as deputy-mayor Cr Belinda Coates was rebuffed by other councillors over an amended motion, instead choosing to support an alternative put forward by Cr Grant Tillett.

Council was debating a wide ranging motion that included things like acknowledging 26 January is a day of mourning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, working with the city’s Koorie Engagement Action Group on future 26 January events and looking at how to do away with the Lake Wendouree fireworks.

Also part of the motion was a plan for an outdoor music event, similar to Summer Sundays, “that both acknowledges January 26 and celebrates our way of life,” however that was subsequently dropped from all amendments for being too prescriptive.

Cr Coates said members of KEAG had asked her to see if other councillors would be willing to have the 26 January fireworks not go ahead in 2021.

“They are keen to test whether there’s support to transition as of this next upcoming one in the spirit of Reconciliation Week,” she said. “My reading of the original recommendation in the report was to transition for this upcoming 26 January to look at alternatives.”

That support was not forthcoming.

“I think the proposed alteration… to definite and almost shotgun,” said Cr Grant Tillett. “The softer approach is to address the issue of how to transition… rather than just do it.

“I think come January 26 and we get 15,000 screaming kids wanting to see some fireworks, if we haven’t done something serious and satisfied that I think we’re in a bit of trouble.”

Cr Coates then made an impassioned appeal that drew the ire of some other councillors.

“I will express deep disappointment in councilors in not accepting the recommendation from our Koorie Engagement Action Group,” she said. “I will only support this motion because… it does actually include the majority of what [KEAG] recommended anyway.

“If you support this amended motion you are committing to being held to account, held to strong account by the Koorie Engagement Action Group to actually plan for future January 26 activities that really do promote understanding, respect and reconciliation.”

Cr Des Hudson was not rapt with Cr Coates’ speech.

“I do take a little bit of offence at the lecture we received about not being empathic and not showing support and not understanding the suffering,” he said. “We all do that in our different ways.”

Pooches to get more parks

A motion was approved for further consultation on the locations of fenced off dog parks in Buninyong at James Reserve as well as explore preferred locations for the facilities in Miners Rest and Alfredton.

Cr Amy Johnson said the amenities were much used and needed.

“I fully support the work we’re doing in this regard,” she said. “Not only are the dog parks good for our four-legged friends, but they’ve also proven to be a fantastic way for people to connect socially.

Cr Tillett said the location of a park in Miners Rest was not much of a challenge and a report on the job was not required.

“I can tell you the Miners Rest site, there’s only one site and the cost of the fence is $2000, and we’ve got a dog park,” he said. “It’ll cost us more than $2000 to do the report.”

Pool use report

Cr Hudson was very positive on a report about pool and aquatic centre summer usage numbers.

“I wish to commend the acting manager, Michael Riseley, for the quality and detail of the report and the statistical analysis that he’s actually brought forward in trying to have us being able to understand the world of aquatics as a city,” he said.

A report said usage of the city’s pools was down 14.9 per cent based on numbers over the last four years, meaning an average revenue decrease of nearly $34,000.

However, that loss was offset by a $35,415 reduction in variable operating costs.

The drop in usage was put down to fewer days hotter than 35 degrees, air quality problems associated with the summer bushfires and the early shutdown of the Eureka Pool because of COVID-19.

The report said that the Eureka Pool made up 70 per cent of outdoor pool attendance while that site and the Ballarat Aquatic and Leisure Centre made up 91 per cent of all pool use in the city.

Fernery finery

Design works on stage two of the Botanic Gardens fernery are a step closer after councilors voted to keep going with the Gothic replica theme used as part of stage one.

At the same time they also gave the okay to apply for a Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens grant, in partnership with stakeholders to help pay for the works.