MOORABOOL Shire Council will investigate the possibility of a support group for bereaved parents being established in the municipality, although it may not necessarily be officially involved.<\/p>\n
But the Shire will consider allowing a group to be integrated into its maternal and child health services, along with provision of a council facility at no cost.<\/p>\n
During a regular monthly meeting last week characterised by prolonged, combative and at time fractious debate, councillors voted six to three in favour of a notice of motion from Cr Sheila Freeman seeking a report on the Shire helping to set up a group.<\/p>\n
Cr Freeman\u2019s motion followed an approach to her and other female councillors from a Bacchus Marsh resident, who is a social worker and also a mother who has lost a child.<\/p>\n
After Cr Freeman read the motion, Cr Tom Sullivan \u2013 who participated in the meeting online \u2013 said the issue of support for bereaved parents was a very sensitive one and he was not sure the Shire had the capability or the expertise to formally be involved.<\/p>\n
Cr Sullivan also said he was concerned the council could be \u201ccutting across\u201d existing agencies that already delivered support.<\/p>\n
Cr John Keogh, who seconded the motion, said he strongly supported it.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s only asking for a report on the feasibility of a support group,\u201d Cr Keogh said.<\/p>\n
Cr Rod Ward said he was \u201csomewhat surprised and disappointed that we\u2019re debating this\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Cr Freeman pointed out, we\u2019re looking at the feasibility of establishing a support group,\u201d Cr Ward said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur role as councillors is to ensure we\u2019re … protecting and servicing the best interests of our ratepayers, and people who are going through this and would have a need for this would consider this a very high priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Ward said he took on board Cr Sullivan\u2019s comments but suggested that existing support groups or services would probably be \u201cdiscovered\u201d and highlighted in a report, adding that he thought it was \u201ca wonderful initiative\u201d.<\/p>\n
At that point, Cr Sullivan interjected and said he did not need a lecture from a fellow councillor. Cr Ward did not respond.<\/p>\n
Cr Paul Tatchell said he had not wanted to speak on the motion and it should probably have been considered in the meeting\u2019s confidential session.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you need to be really, really careful as a council when you take on any form of responsibility with regards to this matter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need to be very, very careful how it\u2019s discussed as well. When we\u2019re asking to take a lead or get a report on a matter like this we need to be extraordinarily careful that we\u2019re not punching above our weight limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not against the project; it\u2019s not against the idea and it\u2019s not against the goodwill of this, but we need to recognise that it\u2019s extraordinarily complex.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is complex to the point where if we start to get involved in these things and there\u2019s an expectation that we have expertise in this area, we also end up taking some form of responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Tatchell said he was not ready to vote on an issue like bereaved parents support.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m against it, it\u2019s just that I have some serious concerns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cr Ally Munari said she was \u201ca big one\u201d for the council staying in its lane, and would have preferred the State Government to have approached the Shire about possibly providing a facility for a group.<\/p>\n
Cr Munari said the issue sat clearly in the Government\u2019s lane.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s why I can\u2019t support this tonight, because I\u2019ve been a stickler for staying in our lane … and I just feel this is too big for us, too big,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cr Moira Berry said she had met the resident proposing the group but was \u201ctorn\u201d about the motion, and a feasibility report would provide guidance on whether the Shire could do anything to support it.<\/p>\n
Closing debate, Cr Freeman said the parent had told her there was minimal support available when one of her twins died.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis motion is not about council stepping beyond its role, nor is it about committing scarce resources,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about whether we are willing to explore a low-cost, community-led response to a well-documented gap in support, guided by evidence, professional expertise and lived experience.<\/p>\n
Cr Freeman argued that providing access to a council-owned facility like a meeting room would not be unreasonable.<\/p>\n
When mayor Cr Steve Venditti-Taylor called for a vote, councillors Jarrod Bingham, Berry, Freeman, Ward and Keogh indicated support.<\/p>\n
A vote against was not called for because those in favour outnumbered any votes against, but Cr Freeman called for a division.<\/p>\n
Cr Venditti-Taylor stood with other councillors in favour while councillors Sullivan, Munari and Tatchell stood as voting against.<\/p>\n
EV charging stations probe proceeds<\/strong><\/p>\n Cr Keogh\u2019s notice of motion to have officers prepare a business case on establishing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the municipality was adopted, again on a 6-3 vote and with a division called.<\/p>\n The motion called for a report detailing the feasibility, costs, delivery models and potential partnerships for setting up charging stations at strategic locations in the shire.<\/p>\n The motion said that with a growing uptake of EVs around Australia, installing charging stations would take advantage of an opportunity to benefit from more tourism, economic activity and regional connectivity.<\/p>\n The motion said no charging stations existed between Ballarat and Melton.<\/p>\n Speaking to his motion, Cr Keogh said: \u201cLeaving right wing and left wing politics aside, there is irrefutable evidence that climate change is real.<\/p>\n \u201cTo adopt this notice of motion will flag to our community that we are serious about our environment.\u201d<\/p>\n In the prolonged debate that followed, Cr Bingham said he supported one component of the motion but Cr Keogh \u201ccould have left the whole climate change debate out of it\u201d.<\/p>\n Cr Bingham said he knew that the council several years ago had included as a permit condition the provision of EV charging stations for a service station on Gisborne Road, and asked community planning and development executive manager Henry Bezuidenhout what was happening with that.<\/p>\n Mr Bezuidenhout said the permit was issued in 2020 and required the developer to \u201cprovide capacity\u201d for charging stations.<\/p>\n He said the due date was in March next year.<\/p>\n Cr Munari asked Cr Keogh if he had been given a report on the development when he lodged his notice of motion. Cr Keogh replied that he had not.<\/p>\n In a lengthy contribution to the debate, Cr Tatchell \u2013 a transport operator \u2013 said he knew of another transport operator who had been encouraged to switch to electric trucks and recharge them all at once at night.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only problem is we\u2019d shut down Ballarat if he plugged his trucks in, let alone if he plugged a couple in the whole street would be blacked out,\u201d Cr Tatchell said, arguing that insufficient infrastructure existed for such a headlong rush to powering transport with electricity.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, imagine turning up to the Birdsville pub in an electric car,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019d say \u2018we\u2019re struggling to run the fridge, mate\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree we need some charging stations; I certainly won\u2019t be going to electric trucks in a hurry because I don\u2019t want to black out Ballan.<\/p>\n \u201cBut to be honest I think this is a waste of time, and it\u2019s yet another notice of motion.\u201d<\/p>\n Supporting the motion, Cr Freeman said it was \u201clow risk and high value\u201d and did not commit the Shire to supplying EV charging stations immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are simply asking for a report that looks at feasibility, costs, delivery models and partnerships,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Cr Freeman said EV drivers routinely plan trips around the availability of charging stations, and supplying them close to the Ballan and Bacchus Marsh shopping precincts would encourage them to stop and shop while their vehicles recharged.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about keeping visitors spending local, not letting it pass us by,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In further comments, Cr Bingham said a significant amount of time had been spent debating Cr Keogh\u2019s motion when it could have been dealt with in one email.<\/p>\n \u201cI really want to stay away from the climate change and carbon emission hypocrisy of EVs, but the reality is we do have EV cars in Australia and yes there is a need for EV chargers, but you don\u2019t create EV chargers by saying how great an idea it is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHow you do it is through the permit process, and that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n Cr Ward said the motion was not about climate change or the capacity of the electricity supply network.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not about Birdsville, it\u2019s not about the viability of electric trucks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about listening to our ratepayers and our businesses, because they\u2019ve spoken to us and made their thoughts very clear.<\/p>\n \u201cOur local businesses don\u2019t want people to stop on the freeway at McDonald\u2019s and charge their vehicle, they want them to stop in town and go and buy a coffee and have a look at our retail businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cThat has come out in (the preparation of) our retail strategy. This is what our ratepayers and our businesses are telling us they want.\u201d<\/p>\n Cr Sullivan said he had \u201clistened very carefully to the intelligent conversation that was bandied around the room\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you prepare a business case it\u2019s an inference that you\u2019re in fact going to fund something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf (EV) growth is so great in this area why would councils be involved in setting things up?<\/p>\n \u201cSurely there\u2019d be enough demand by private investment to setting these things up.\u201d<\/p>\n Cr Sullivan said he did not consider providing charging stations as a municipal council\u2019s core business.<\/p>\n Closing debate, Cr Keogh said that preparing a report did not mean the Shire would definitely provide charging stations.<\/p>\n \u201cAll we want to do is see if there\u2019s a business case for something like that to happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s a business case and we\u2019re not going along with it I believe that we are missing a golden opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n In a division count, those who voted in favour were Crs Keogh, Munari, Berry, Freeman, Ward and Venditti-Taylor.<\/p>\n Crs Tatchell, Sullivan and Bingham voted against.<\/p>\n Intercultural committee probe gets the go-ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n In a different notice of motion, Cr Ward was successful in seeking a report on the possibility of establishing an intercultural advisory committee.<\/p>\n Cr Ward based his motion on discussions he had with representatives of the Diwali festival in Bacchus Marsh after it was held last October.<\/p>\n His motion said the Indian population in Bacchus Marsh had tripled in the past five years and the percentage of shire residents born overseas grew to 14.2 per cent in 2025.<\/p>\n It said a further 11 per cent of the population arrived in Australia in the five years before 2021.<\/p>\n Cr Ward told councillors an advisory committee would support a range of community groups, and that other municipalities had them.<\/p>\n Crs Tatchell, Berry and Sullivan all spoke against the motion, generally because they did not see a need for such a committee.<\/p>\n In a division vote, those in favour were Crs Ward, Bingham, Freeman, Venditti-Taylor and Keogh.<\/p>\n Those against were Crs Berry, Sullivan, Tatchell and Munari.<\/p>\n