A NEW Greater Ballarat Alliance of Councils officially became operational last week.<\/p>\n
The alliance includes the six regional and rural municipalities in and around Ballarat, and replaces the Central Highlands Councils of Victoria.<\/p>\n
Staff and councillors of member organisations the City of Ballarat, and Central Goldfields, Pyrenees, Hepburn, Golden Plains, and Moorabool shires, will aim to lobby the State and Federal governments as a united group to access infrastructure funding.<\/p>\n
The alliance\u2019s areas of priority are improving public and private transport, digital connectivity, and housing accessibility, and managing growth across communities.<\/p>\n
GBAC was launched at the Creswick Town Hall on Friday morning by the Minister for Local Government, and Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, and City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson was named inaugural chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrong regional communities need strong regional voices and that is what the Greater Ballarat Alliance of Councils will deliver for our community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Moorabool Shire mayor Cr Rod Ward said working together will mean better outcomes for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially those on the underserviced peri-urban fringes of Melbourne and Ballarat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCatherine has said, from a Federal Government point of view, that dealing with over 600 local councils is quite a challenge, so for us to be able to collaborate and work as a collective for matters of common interest is a dual opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Ward said the condition of the Western Highway, and phone reception, are problems concerning all stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to see increased investment there, as well as increased mobile coverage, which remains a hot topic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to further discussing this with telecommunications providers about how we can improve those black spots.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pyrenees Shire mayor Cr Ron Eason said GBAC \u201cwill help everyone that\u2019s a member,\u201d and possibly those that aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s designed to be more effective for all our communities,\u201d he said. \u201cOur area needs good transport links, so that\u2019s one of the major elements that we hope can possibly come from this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A NEW Greater Ballarat Alliance of Councils officially became operational last week. The alliance includes the six regional and rural municipalities in and around Ballarat, and replaces the Central Highlands Councils of Victoria. Staff and councillors of member organisations the City of Ballarat, and Central Goldfields, Pyrenees, Hepburn, Golden Plains, and Moorabool shires, will aim […]<\/p>\n