Meetings cease for northern space

COUNCIL meetings for Golden Plains Shire will not be held at Linton this year.

Having previously been a contentious site due to poor network connectivity for livestreaming, councillors voted to not meet at the town’s community hub following an unscheduled meeting just before Christmas.

Cr Owen Sharkey spoke to the motion and said Linton is no longer viable as a meeting place.

“[The Linton Community Hub] unfortunately has come to that stage of its life where the building needs additional work done to it,” he said.

“We’ve received reports on the viability of the internet not being suffice. Any councillor would not be able to attend a meeting [via Zoom] if held at Linton.

“I don’t think we’re letting down the community. [They] can quite simply head down to Smythesdale.”

Cr Helena Kirby voted against the decision, and attempted unsuccessfully to amend the motion to hold council’s regular March and November meetings in Linton.

“We’re not looking after the people of Linton and we’re not considering the building and the heritage aspects of it for the future,” she said.

Linton resident Janet Pathe has lived in the region for nearly a decade, and said council’s decision speaks to a larger issue for the Shire’s north.

“There are some councillors who look for any reason they can find not to come to Linton,” she said.

“Councillors should put themselves out there and make sure they’re there not just for Linton but all the outlier areas. They just don’t want to step outside of Bannockburn.

“When they were having meetings in Linton, that was the only time councillors came to Linton, but at least they came. They were there if residents wanted to raise issues on a face-to-face basis.”

Formerly the Shire of Grenville offices and Golden Plains Shire Customer Service Centre, the space was transitioned into a community hub in 2022, and is currently a home for initiatives like a playgroup, the Linton Food Pantry, and Goldbrush Painters.

A municipal spokesperson said residents of Linton and surrounds are still being supported with an equal number of meetings in the Shire’s north.

“Council is committed to holding approximately half of the scheduled council meetings in 2025 in the north of the Shire, ensuring equitable access to council meetings in the north and south,” the spokesperson said.

“The meetings in the north will be held at The Well in Smythesdale, a 10-minute drive from Linton.

“The lack of communication backhaul/upload capacity, capability, and infrastructure from the telecommunication providers materially limits the ability and connectivity for effective live streaming and virtual attendance at the Linton Community Hub.

“The Well has the required IT infrastructure to enable residents across the entire Shire to participate in council meetings online. This technology is also available at the Golden Plains Civic Centre in Bannockburn.”

Wi-fi connectivity is scheduled to be installed at the building as part of the Linton Community Plan and overseen by the hub’s management group established last year.

An accessibility audit is also scheduled for the site during the first half of the year.

However, the spokesperson said the building’s age restricts it from being as accessible as the younger municipal venues.

The spokesperson also said upgrades to make the Linton hub suitable for council meetings would require “significant and costly upgrades.”

Five meetings will be held in 2025 at The Well at Smythesdale, while eight, including the mayoral election, will take place at the Golden Plains Civic Centre at Bannockburn.