Media Releases

Member for Eastern Region Peter Hall is encouraging Gippslanders to nominate local people and groups who are making a positive difference to their environment for the 2011 Victorian Landcare Awards.

Mr Hall said the 2011 Landcare Awards recognised volunteers who supported rivers, farming land, wetlands, estuaries, coasts and urban environments, through creative initiatives such as sustainable farming, bushfire recovery, awareness and partnership building.

“These awards a great way of recognising volunteers and groups in our community who are devoted to ensuring Victoria’s natural environment is protected and restored for future generations to enjoy,” Mr Hall said.

“I know there are many people in Gippsland who put in hundreds of hours making valuable contributions to our environment and I encourage people to nominate these hard working volunteers for these awards,” he added.

Landcare is a movement of individuals and groups focusing on managing the environment in their local area. Volunteers perform a range of tasks from planting trees, stopping soil erosion and assisting with primary production, to protecting Victoria’s native wildlife and controlling weeds and pests.

Victorians can nominate volunteers or groups for approximately 18 award categories, including seven special Victoria-specific categories:

· Heather Mitchell Memorial Fellowship – $5,000
· CitiPower and Powercor Landcare Network Award – $5,000
· Dr Sidney Plowman Travel and Study Award – $4,000
· DPI Sustainable Farming Award (regional) – $500 per CMA region; Rural Press Primary Producer Award (state)
· The Bushfire Recovery Award – $15,000
· Long Service to Landcare Award – $1,000
· Long Service to Landcare – Honour Roll

Nominations have been extended until 22 July 2011. State winners will become nominees in the biennial national Landcare awards 2012. For more information visit www.landcarevic.net.au

Nationals Member for Eastern Region Peter Hall has welcomed the announcement of a new program of small business workshops and seminars to be held in Gippsland this year.

Innovation, Services and Small Business Minister Louise Asher this week announced the 282 workshops and seminars which will be offered over 2011 in locations across Victoria, including in Gippsland.

 “Small businesses often face difficulties in accessing relevant, reliable and affordable information,” Mr Hall said.

“These workshops and seminars offered over 2011 will provide businesses and prospective business owners with the facts and advice they need to make informed decisions and create a platform for ongoing success.”

The Small Business Workshop and Seminar Program will be delivered by Small Business Victoria in partnership with host organisations.

Small businesses across Victoria will have local access to the program, with workshops and seminars to be held in metropolitan and regional areas.

The workshops and seminars have been grouped into five themes: Getting Started, Growing Your Business, Getting & Keeping the Right Staff, Achieving Financial Success, and Moving On.

Mr Hall said all the workshops and seminars were offered at a low cost to participants and delivered by private sector specialists who were well-qualified and experienced in small business.

“The Coalition Government recognises the vital role Victoria’s 495,000 small businesses play in contributing to the economic and social life of the community,” Mr Hall said.

“We have many wonderful small businesses in Gippsland who provide employment and contribute in many other ways to our local community.”

Mr Hall said the State Government was committed to encouraging small businesses to get started, to prosper and to grow.

The Small Business Workshop and Seminar Program will start today 15 February 2011. It is anticipated that more than 3,000 small businesses will participate in these workshops and seminars during the course of the year.

For more information about the workshops and seminars that are available please go to: www.business.vic.gov.au/workshops

Nationals Member for Eastern Region Peter Hall has joined the fight to have a pedestrian crossing installed near Rosedale Primary School.

“The students and parents don’t have a safe place to cross the Princes Highway at the western end of Rosedale where the school is located,” Mr Hall said.

“That is a very busy stretch of road and already one tragedy has occurred when a grade five student suffered serious injuries after being hit by a four-wheel drive while crossing the highway on his bike last October.”

Mr Hall said the school had already had pedestrian and vehicle counts conducted and these supported the need for a safe crossing.

The school has now been advised by Wellington Shire that it needs to commit to funding the works to install the crossing at a cost of $20,000.

“I believe this amount is just too steep for a small public school such as Rosedale to pay,” Mr Hall said.

“That is why I have contacted the Minister for Education, Bronwyn Pike, and the Minister for Roads, Tim Pallas, enquiring as to whether the school could receive some form of assistance.”

A parent survey by the school found that most families wanted the school crossing to be installed at Mackay Street.

Mr Hall said he had been told of many “near misses” on the highway in that area.

“I know the principal and staff are doing everything possible to educate families and students on safe road use, but they can’t physically help every family cross that road and that’s why a crossing is needed,” he said.

“The last thing anyone wants is for another tragedy to occur.”

Nationals Member for Eastern Region Peter Hall is urging local communities to consider applying for funds to restore war memorials across the region.

“Applications for restoring community war memorials are now open with up to $10,000 available for upgrading and enhancing local commemorative sites and honour rolls,” Mr Hall said.

“The war memorials are an important feature of most towns and continue to provide a symbol for our communities of the sacrifices made by local people to defend our way of life.

“Unfortunately over time some of these memorials suffer from the elements and this grants program provides an opportunity for our important memorials to be restored.”

Mr Hall said funding could be provided to ex-service organisations, local councils, schools and community groups to repair, protect, restore and enhance local war memorials and honour rolls.

“Preserving this part of our history, which is so relevant to many of our towns, is really important for current and future generations and I encourage groups to consider making an application,” Mr Hall said.

Applications close on January 31^st, 2011 and forms can be accessed by calling 1300 366 356 or by going to www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/veterans/veterans-heritage/war-memorials

Many lives will remain at risk unless the State Government acts quickly to implement all of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission’s final recommendations, Mr Hall said today.

“We need to ensure that those recommendations do not sit on the shelf and gather dust, as have many previous recommendations in response to bushfires,” Mr Hall said in parliament this week.

 “We owe it to the 173 people who perished and their families to get on with the job and implement the very fine recommendations that have been given to us by the Royal Commission.”

Speaking in parliament, Mr Hall said the Coalition, if elected, had agreed in principle to implement all 67 recommendations.

“Some of those recommendations are going to be costly to implement, some are going to be difficult. There are some people may not agree with, but somewhere along the line we have got to say that we have given these three commissioners the task of doing this, they have worked diligently over that nearly 18-month period to produce what they have, we need to take their recommendations forward and implement them in full.”

Mr Hall said while many of those impacted by the fires had understandably found it difficult to participate in inquiry, others had been going through the consultation process for 18 months.

“My judgement is that most of them are saying, 'I have had enough of this. It is about time the government got on with the job, that we all collectively did something rather than continuing to talk about it'.

“I know the government will claim that it is now going out and doing some consultation on the recommendations, particularly some of the controversial ones, but I also know that that is not for everybody.

“The majority of people want to see some action now; they want to see some real commitment that the recommendations in this royal commission report are now going to be adopted. We owe it to those people; we owe it to the 173 people who lost their lives; we also owe it to the families and friends of those people and to those who lost property and are still recovering.”

Mr Hall said he hoped the government’s claimed consultation on eight of the controversial recommendations was not an excuse for further procrastination.

“We need to heed the lessons of this terrible tragedy and act now to ensure the consequences Victoria experienced after Black Saturday never happen again,” Mr Hall said.

In particular Mr Hall said recommendation 4 which looked at fire refuges and shelters, was an important one.

“With the bushfire season fast approaching, there are still some unresolved issues, particularly around neighbourhood safe places and community refuges, that need to be resolved,” he said.

Mr Hall also argued that recommendation 64 which called on the Government to replace the Fire Services Levy with a property-based levy, was imperative.

“Government members no longer have any excuse. They have said they were waiting on this report before making a decision on the levy so there is no reason for them not to act to restructure the levy and make it fairer for all members of the community.”

Nationals Member for Eastern Region Peter Hall is encouraging community groups in Gippsland to apply for grants up to $250,000 under Victoria’s Heritage Grants for Places and Objects program.

Mr Hall said the 2010-11 Places and Objects funding program was part of the Victoria’s Heritage- Strengthening Our Communities program and supported communities in their efforts to retain and creatively use heritage places and objects to promote community identity.

“I receive many enquiries from community groups across Gippsland seeking funding opportunities for heritage projects, so I am encouraging all community groups to consider lodging an application,” Mr Hall said.

The program has $1.2 million available for a range of grants in four categories:

• $20,000 to $250,000 available for the repair of heritage places;

• $5000 to $10,000 for the repair of heritage objects;

• $10,000 to $50,000 for interpretation of heritage places and objects;

•  $5000 to $10,000 for documentation projects.

“The program is open to local councils, not-for-profit community organisations, committees of management, the National Trust, religious organisations, and State Government departments,” Mr Hall said.

Mr Hall said a further program for Heritage Studies and Advisory Service, offered grants up to $120,000 to local councils and authorities responsible for administering planning schemes.

“Community based organisations undertaking strategic state-wide or regional heritage studies to enable local government to better protect and manage local heritage places may also apply for funding under this program,” he said.

The 2010-11 Heritage Studies and Advisory Service program has $600,000 available for a range of grants in three categories:

• $10,000 to $20,000 for heritage studies stage one and two,

• $3000 to $15,000 for heritage studies stage three, and

• $3000 to $14,000 for heritage advisory service.”

Member for Eastern Region Peter Hall is warning residents of a scam which attempts to clean out people’s bank accounts.

“My office has had a number of reports recently of residents receiving phone calls telling them about over charging of bank fees,” Mr Hall said.

“They are then asked to give their banking details to this person on the phone so that a refund in the fees can be paid into their account.

“This is a scam!

“I urge anyone who gets such a phone call to immediately hang up. Do not give your details out.”

Mr Hall said unfortunately there were many people trying different scams to get other people’s hard earned money.

“Be very wary of any offer that sounds too good to be true, because that is probably exactly what it is – too good to be true,” Mr Hall said.

This latest scam has been reported to the ACCC’s ScamWatch Infocentre, however, anyone else receiving such a scam can also report it by phoning the Infocentre on 1300 795 995.

The Infocentre is staffed between 8.30 am and 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday or you can visit www.scamwatch.gov.au

Community members can now access the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages services in Gippsland, Eastern Region MP Peter Hall said today.

“It’s great that people can now access these services in Bairnsdale, Sale and Morwell rather than having to travel to or call Melbourne for assistance,” Mr Hall said.

By visiting the Bairnsdale Justice Service Centre, Sale Justice Service Centre and Department of Justice Office in Morwell, members of the community will be able to:

• Make face-to-face general enquiries about Births, Deaths or Marriages (BDM)
• Apply for certificates with personal assistance from Regional Justice Officers
• Pay for applications for BDM services
• Lodge and have certified proof of identity (POI) documents for the purpose of supporting their BDM applications
• Lodge other BDM related applications or supporting information

Mr Hall said having the assistance available in Gippsland would be beneficial for many community members.

“Births, Deaths and Marriage certificates will continue to be distributed from Melbourne but at least people can now lodge forms, make payments and receive face-to-face assistance in regional areas,” Mr Hall said.

BDM services can now be accessed at: Bairnsdale Justice Service Centre 108A Macleod St, Bairnsdale, ph: 5150 1500, Sale Justice Service Centre 374 Raymond St, Sale, ph: 5149 5000, Morwell Department of Justice Office 25 Ann St, Morwell ph: 5116 5700.

Gippsland would have a great opportunity to showcase what it has to offer during an annual Country Week expo if the Coalition is elected, Eastern Region MP Peter Hall said today.

The $2 million Coalition Country Week plan which was launched by Coalition Leader Ted Baillieu and Leader of the Nationals Peter Ryan this week, will focus on a central expo in Melbourne’s CBD as well as incorporating cultural, artistic and sporting events across the city.

“Country Week will showcase regional Victoria’s business, lifestyle and cultural riches,” Mr Hall said.

“The week long event will include exhibitions on employment, housing, education and investment opportunities in country Victoria.

“The eastern region has so much to offer individuals and families and this will be a great opportunity for our local towns to promote what a great part of the state this is to live and do business.”

The plan will see $500,000 a year invested in Country Week for four years and would be held at a different time to the agricultural-based Royal Melbourne Show.

The central exhibition will provide a platform for a wide range of exhibitors to set up stalls, showcase local products, answer questions and provide information to visitors.

“The Labor Government has failed to adequately showcase what regional Victoria has to offer through an annual event such as Country Week and has made little attempt to encourage city-based families to make the move to the country,” Mr Hall said.

“The Coalition’s planned Country Week shows those people thinking of moving out of metropolitan Melbourne that Victoria’s regions have a great deal on offer.”

Eastern Region MP Peter Hall is urging local businesses to support the new Carer Card.

“The Carer Card offers holders discounts at certain businesses and is a small way in which we can recognise the people in our community who spend so much of their time offering much needed care to those in need,” Mr Hall said.

Mr Hall said there were a large number of unpaid primary carers in Gippsland who deserved extra assistance from the Government.

“The Gippsland region has approximately 46,000 people living with a disability, handicap or frailty and half of these people receive care from a family member or members,” he said.

“It is important that our carers are acknowledged for all their tireless efforts and I hope that this card can provide some benefit to those people who do so much for others.”

Mr Hall said while the introduction of the Carer Card would be of some small benefit to carers, the Government still needed to do more to assist carers.

“There are still significant issues that need to be addressed to assist carers including more support and advocacy,” he said.

“The carer card is just a small step in rewarding unpaid Victorian carers but I’m sure those people who devote much of their lives to caring for people with disabilities, chronic or mental illness, young children and the aged, would love to see more assistance and support such as improved respite services.”

Mr Hall is now urging local businesses to register with the new Carer Card program to ensure the eastern region can provide carers with a number of discounts.

Local businesses currently listed on the Carer Card include Europcar (Sale and Bairnsdale), Lakes Auto Parts, Lakes Squash and Movie Theatre, Lakes Waterfront Motel, Sale Lighthouse, Tambo Lodge, The Foot Specialists, Subway (Moe, Wonthaggi and Cowes), Red Rooster (Sale, Morwell, Moe), A W Smith and Sons, Ridgway Country Store, East-West Auto’s, Simon Parsons & Co, Ultra Tune, Addison Real Estate, The Feminine Touch Boutique and Tony Yates Automotive.

For carers seeking more information about the card or businesses wanting to register, access the website at www.carercard.vic.gov.au