Council news
Edition 2 / December 2016
All correspondence addressed to:
The General Manager
PO Box 21, Mathoura NSW 2710
Hats off to flood control efforts
■ Volunteers sand bagging in Moulamein.
The efforts of staff, SES personnel and the
community generally during the recent
flood event have been praised by our
Administrator, David Shaw and everyone
here at council. Our gratitude is extended
to all community members who had rallied
together to look after their neighbours.
They, along with council staff, SES personnel
and volunteers worked tirelessly and
showed remarkable dedication and
resilience during the flood event.
■ Horseshoe Lagoon
during the recent floods.
See insi
de
for the f
ull
story...
Contact council
Phone
Murray River Council
Organisational structure
1300 087 004
www.murrayriver.nsw.gov.au
[email protected]
All correspondence addressed to:
The General Manager
PO Box 21
Mathoura NSW 2710
Operating hours
DAVID SHAW
Administrator
MARGOT STORK
General Manager
Barham Office
15 Murray Street
Barham NSW 2732
Mon-Fri: 9am to 5pm
Mathoura Office
21-25 Conargo Street
Mathoura NSW 2710
Mon-Fri: 9.30am to 4pm
Moama Office
6 Meninya Street
Moama NSW 2731
Mon-Fri: 9am to 4pm
SIMON
ARKINSTALL
Director
Environmental
Service
Moulamein Office
Tualka Terrace
Moulamein NSW 2733
Mon-Fri: 9am to 5pm
Mathoura Visitor & Business Centre
Cobb Highway
Mathoura NSW 2710
e: [email protected]
Mon to Fri: 8.30am-4.30pm, Sat & Public
Holiday: 10am-2pm, Sun: 11am to 3pm
Moulamein Business Centre
Morago Street
Moulamein NSW 2733
Mon-Fri: 9am to 1pm
PETER ARTHUR
Director
Corporate
Services
(Greater Wakool
Ward)
BRYCE CRAGGS
Executive Director
Business
Support and
Organisation
Development
LEIGH ROBINS
Director
Engineering
PHIL HIGGINS STEPHEN PYKETT
Director
Manager
Corporate
Economic
Services
Development and
(Greater Murray/
Tourism
Moama Wards)
Holiday period emergency after hours
Mathoura water & sewerage 0429 843 439
Moama water & sewerage 0417 747 911
Greater Moama & Murray Ward ranger
0408 823 852
Roads on-call 0408 928 303
Moulamein roads & general 0447 514 830
Barham roads & general 0429 073 391
Greater Wakool Ward ranger 0448 190 613
Fire and emergency 000
DI COTTRELL
Project Management
Office
JACKIE WARREN
Manager Community
Services
Hats off to flood
control efforts
From front page…
The effects were felt in many areas of our council,
by the farming community, tourism operators
and residents generally, as properties were
inundated and roads cut off and damaged. Work
has already begun to repair affected roads and we
are appealing to motorists to take extra care while
travelling in areas which have been affected by the
floods.
With the Murray River on our boundary and
the Edward and others within our council area,
inundation in times of high river flows is likely.
Aerial photographs of areas affected by this flood
event will provide us with an up-to-date record
captured at peak water levels at each site. Images
of our townships show how and where the flood
waters spread and what infrastructure was affected.
These images, together with local floodplain studies
will help us manage emergency works and road
closures in the future.
Prepare now for a
fire safe summer
Remember to tidy up your yards to prepare for the
upcoming fire season.
Property owners and householders need to:
• clear rubbish, long grass and hazards from
properties
• cut back shrubs that are close to houses
and other buildings
• take steps to clear over grown vegetation
and rubbish in vacant blocks
To find out more about how to prepare your home
for the fire season, visit the NSW RFS website www.
rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare.
If you are worried that a property in your
neighbourhood is a potential fire hazard please
contact council on 1300 087 044 to register your
concern.
Assistance
available
If you have been affected by the recent flooding
you can access services and assistance through
the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Natural
Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements
(NDRRA)
Assistance under the NDRRA includes:
• help where eligible homes or belongings have
been damaged
• concessional interest rate loans for small
businesses, primary producers and not-forprofit organisations
• freight subsidies for primary producers
• grants to not-for-profit organisations.
Assistance for primary producers
NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW
DPI) and Local Land Services (LLS) coordinate
and provide recovery assistance and advice to
landholders, primary producers, commercial
fishers and other industries.
Murray LLS is encouraging farmers across the
Murray River region to report flood damage
including agricultural losses, damaged crops and
stranded, injured or deceased livestock.
More information
Emergency NSW https://www.emergency.nsw.
gov.au/
Disaster Assistance https://www.disasterassist.
gov.au/Pages/home.aspx or via the help line on
1800 018 444
NSW DPI website http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/
Murray LLS website http://murray.lls.nsw.gov.
au/ or on 1300 795 299
Message from the Administrator
It is with great pleasure that I
have been taken to establish
present our first Murray River
a robust and fit-for-purpose
Council Christmas message.
IT environment and whole-ofcouncil approach to one finance
Our council is still in its
system.
infancy, but it’s already been
an incredible time of change
We’ve embarked on reviewing
for both our staff and the
all our services. This review will
community we serve. We’ve had
be informed by the results of a
some notable achievements in
recent community survey that
the past seven months.
was done in partnership with the
NSW Government. The results
I’d like to thank our dedicated
will help us better understand
staff, led by interim General
Manager, Margot Stork and
the dynamic and talented
what our community most
■ David Shaw, Administrator
efforts on changes that make
executive group, for their hard
work throughout the year. I haven’t been at the
helm for long, but have been impressed by their
commitment to building a stronger, efficient council
that delivers better services and infrastructure
for our residents. Change is not always easy but
our team has shown real nous and resilience and
should be proud of what they’ve achieved to date.
values and help us focus our
it easier for residents to access
services and in turn, improve customer satisfaction
levels.
As Murray River Council continues to take shape,
communication needs to be a priority. As a council,
we have about one person per a square kilometer,
spanning 11,865 square kilometers, which presents
obvious challenges that we’re working to overcome.
Unveiling our logo has been a key milestone. Our
One of the bigger changes you’re likely to notice
logo incorporates the Murray River and the Red
next year is our new website that will not only be
Gum to represent our region. In the new year, the
rich with information, but will also make it easy for
logo and new identity will be reflected in signs at
you to access services and target information you
council offices and uniforms worn by staff, which
need.
are important steps to building a strong and
cohesive sense of community.
Other initiatives have already been introduced.
My fortnightly column appears in local papers
As a council in transition, much of the work we
and is also available on our website. We’ve also
are doing to improve how we deliver services
been hosting ‘Meet the Administrator’ offering our
has happened behind the scenes. Vital first steps
residents the opportunity to come along and meet
Your local representatives’
The Local Representation Committee (LRC) represents community
views on merger issues, such as our vision, mission and strategic
priorities.
You can email [email protected] to discuss your views.
Jason Russell
CHAIR
Katarni Lipp
DEPUTY CHAIR
me and Margot. It’s a chance to have an informal
ahead for the additional holiday traffic as caravans,
chat and share what’s important to you and your
boats and trailers may also slow down your journey.
town. It’s been a roadshow of sorts, travelling to
It’s better to get there safe and slow.
Moama, Tooleybuc, Barham, Bunnaloo, Mathoura,
Murray Downs and Moulamein. They’ve certainly
proved valuable to my understanding of what our
communities need from council and I hope this
is equally true of those who have attended. I’d
encourage everyone to take part when we next visit
your town.
To our community and on behalf of everyone at
council, I wish you, your family and loved ones a
safe and happy festive season. It’s been a great
pleasure to work with you and for you in these
past seven months. I look forward to continuing
our work together to move this council towards a
brighter, inclusive and vibrant future.
I’d also like to mention the members of our Local
Representation Committee (LRC). The LRC is made
up of former councillors and community members.
David Shaw
Administrator
Their role is to represent your views on issues that
relate to the merger. LRC hold monthly meetings,
which again I’d encourage anyone interested in
shaping councils future to attend.
You can check our website or your local paper for
future dates for both the ‘Meet the Administrator’
and LRC meetings.
Recent months have been a challenging time for
many of our residents after the floods. Most of us
would have been directly or indirectly affected and I
Order street
trees now
If you want to spruce up your nature strip you
can take advantage of our tree program.
you take care to clear fire hazards and prevent
Residents in Moama and Mathoura can
request up to two trees from council’s
approved species list for each residential
block. The trees on offer will be semi-mature,
averaging 1.8 metres in height.
mosquitos from breeding around your homes and
Planting will start in autumn of 2017.
applaud the effort and resilience of our community.
It’s likely the impacts of the heavy rain and warm
weather will be felt for some time. Make sure
properties.
Most importantly, let’s make sure that we have a
festive and safe season.
If you’re travelling take extra care and be patient
To order, contact council on 1300 087 004
by Friday 24 February 2017 to leave your
name, address and phone number and our
parks and garden team will be in touch.
on our roads. We are still repairing and reopening
our road networks after flood damage. Please plan
Alan
Mathers
Clint
Flanagan
Heidi Glenn
Jo Hearn
Lois
Lockhart
Neil Gorey
Commonwealth aged care reforms
Changes to the Commonwealth Government’s
On the local scene, as council continues to work
Aged Care model are giving our older residents
through its transition period to a brighter and
greater choices and greater control over what
better local government entity, so too does our
services they want, and how those services are
home support service throughout our area. We
delivered. Individually funded packages are being
continue to support frail-aged people in our
tailored to suit the needs of individual recipients.
community with valuable entry-level services to
While Murray River Council does not provide
choose to do so.
these packages of services to our clients, we
work closely with registered approved providers
to help them deliver the very best suite of
services to our elderly.
enable living in their own homes as long as they
Services include community transport, meals on
wheels, home maintenance for safety (repairs/
carpentry), home modifications (rails/ramps/
steps etc), social support – individual (shopping
To ensure you always receive the best we would
support etc), social support – group (supported
like to hear from you or members of your family
group activities and outings) and flexible respite
about your experiences in regard to both the
support (providing relief to carers by supporting
broader community services we provide and
the client).
those delivered by others.
Younger people with disabilities eligible for basic
It is our aim to see that you have access to the
services are currently supported by our program
best services for your individual care needs. We
will also continue to support you in accessing
pending roll-out of the National Disability
Insurance Scheme in 2017/2018.
our specific services, as well as guiding you to
Inquiries about any of our services are
seek other preferred services, within our current
welcome and should be directed to council
capacities.
community services team on 1300 087 004.
Cover up for mozzie control
The best and cheapest personal
protection against mosquito
bourne-disease is simple - cover
up!
By wearing long, light coloured
and loose fitting clothing,
combined with an application
of a suitable insect repellent,
containing picaridin or DEET as
an active agent, on exposed skin
you can significantly reduce your
risk of bites and contracting any
mosquito borne virus.
Tips to help prevent mosquitos breeding around your house:
• check insect screens fitted to doors and windows are in good
condition
• clean up yards and remove anything where water can collect
• mend leaking taps
• change pet drinking bowls, bird baths and vase waters at least
once a week
• keep lawns and gardens trimmed
• make sure any water collection containers have secure lids or
screens
• use ceiling or floor fans to reduce the chance of bites in your
home
• consider using plug-in mosquito zappers or vaporisers in
enclosed verandahs or mosquito coils in outdoor areas.
Boost for community projects
We’ve joined forces with the NSW and Commonwealth
governments to deliver grant programs that promote
strong, vibrant and inclusive communities.
NSW and Murray River joint funding initiatives
In all, 47 community projects shared in just over
$1M of funding through the joint NSW state and
Murray River Council Community Grants Program.
They include the Golden Rivers Theatre Group,
Mathoura Recreation Reserve Committee, Bendigo
Regional YMCA and Echuca Moama Cycling Club.
The not-for-profit theatre group has been allocated
$37K for accessible toilet facilities for its theatre
space in Barham’s Sandy Faulkner Pavilion, the only
local fully equipped performance space.
Sporting clubs using the Mathoura Recreation
Reserve will benefit from a $51K injection to fund
two projects for separate shelters and secure
equipment storage space, easily accessible on
training and game days.
Commonwealth and Murray River joint funding
initiative
Our community has also enjoyed a windfall from
the federal government’s Stronger Communities
Programme.
Moama Senior Citizens Centre can start a $60k
upgrade thanks to a $20K grant to kick start major
renovations. The project transforms the centre’s
outdated kitchen to a commercial-grade facility. The
grant will also enable an expansion of services and
ensure adequate and inclusive access for those with
a disability or walking aids by expanding the facility
entrance.
Our children and young people from Moama
and Mathoura will be able to keep their cool this
summer, thanks to a $7K grant to make the Moama
Skate Park ‘Sun Smart’. The money will provide sun
shades which will offer protection to users of the
popular facility.
Grants totalling $40K will mean the Bendigo
Regional YMCA can enhance the pools it manages
at Moama and Mathoura. A thermal pool blanket,
defibrillator, outdoor furniture and shade sail will
be provided at the Moama pool, while Mathoura will
benefit from the purchase of outdoor furniture and
a shade sail.
The Tooleybuc Bridge Keepers Cottage is getting
a $24K facelift under this grant programme. The
decking and stairs, paint and an interior fit out in
this historical structure are being updated to create
a diverse community space. The refurbishment will
include a display area and meeting room that will
make the cottage a focal point for future community
events held in town.
After vandalism and a fire destroyed its bike and
equipment shed earlier this year, Echuca Moama
Cycling Club has also welcomed a $20K grant
towards its fundraising efforts to replace the facility.
Moulamein residents will soon be able to enjoy
new seating and shade facilities, thanks to a $23k
funding injection that will transfer a vacant block to
a landscaped community space.
■ Golden Rivers Theatre Group performing at
Sandy Faulkner Pavilion.
■ Tooleybuc Bridge Keepers Cottage.
World of works
New construction
• Blair Street kerb and gutter – from Francis Street
to Moama Bowling Club
• Bunnaloo Road
Recently completed
• Chanter Street kerb and gutter – 220m of kerb
and gutter from War Street to Murray Street
• Holmes Street – 1km newly constructed and
sealed from Victoria Street to Old Deniliquin Road
• Bett Street – 950m newly constructed and sealed
for the entire length
• Hillside Road - 3km newly constructed and sealed
from 24 Lane to Thyra Road
• Thyra Road
• Noorong Road
• Moulamein Road Kerb and shoulder
• Wakool Road – black spot shoulder widening and
heavy patching
• Picnic Point Boat Ramp Car Park – drainage
complete, carpark works to start
• Murray Downs new water main
• Balranald Road – 3km of gravel resheeting from
0km to 3km
• stormwater rising main Tallow Street Moulamein
• stormwater pump upgrade Barham
• heavy patching on Perricoota Road and Caldwell
Line Road
Maintenance
Featured projects
• grading and gravel resheeting across the Murray
River Council unsealed road network
Bunnaloo Road reconstruction
• pothole patching across the Murray River Council
sealed road network
The $250k full reconstruction and reseal of a 1km
section of Bunnaloo Road between the 4km and
5km mark is in progress. Subgrade and pavement
work has been carried out, with construction staff
using new GPS machine control to enable quicker
and more accurate road construction. The project is
scheduled for completion by the end of 2016.
Blair Street kerb and gutter
oad
■ Bunnaloo R
n
reconstructio
We’ve started replacing the kerb and gutter in Blair
Street, Moama. The damaged kerb and gutter,
which was installed in the 1970’s, is being removed
and replaced with new concrete kerb on a bed
of stabilised material and upgrades to the street
stormwater drain are also underway. All works are
coinciding with the Moama Bowling Clubs upgrades
on the adjacent site and should see the new kerb
and gutter last well into the next century. The
project is scheduled for completion by the end of
2016.
Spotlight on flood works
■ Blair Str
eet kerb
and gutter
We’ve been busy assessing and repairing the
damage to our road network caused by the recent
flooding event. Most of the roads have been made
safe for traffic and reopened but more roadworks
still needs to be completed to repair the major
damage caused by the flooding. This is a big
task that spans across a large geographical area.
Our team is advancing these works as quickly as
possible and we encourage all drivers to be careful
and drive according to conditions.
Major reconstruction work on Aratula Road is
underway to repair the damage caused to the seal
and the road pavement from both the Tuppal Creek
and the Bullatale Creek in the recent flood event.
Tarragon road was closed during high water, but
has reopened to traffic as a single lane following
rock repair work. Work continues to enable two-way
traffic.
Let’s talk development
Economic growth is essential for building a
sustainable future for our region and when it
comes to development, Murray River Council’s
growth figures, particularly in our Moama Ward,
are among the strongest in rural NSW.
Landholders and prospective developers need to
have confidence in how land will be developed
within our community. One of the ways we can
give assurance to property owners, investors
and developers is by continuing to deliver the
plans and strategies that our communities were
consulted on. We’re integrating the strategic
land use plans and local environment plans from
the former Wakool and Murray shires into one
Murray River Council area approach. We won’t
be making changes to zoning areas for individual
applicants, unless there is an extraordinary case.
Our planning team can help with any questions
about our land plans, strategies or zoning
questions.
We are working hard to ensure development
■ Aratula Road during flooding and damage to
the road after water has receded
applications are processed within the required
timeframes and our processing times generally
compare favourably to our counterparts in other
NSW local governments. We also know that for
some of the more complex applications, where
inputs from multiple agencies are required, our
targeted timeframes can be affected.
We’ve added an extra staff member to the team
to help keep pace with the increase in demands
and are also reviewing how we can do business
smarter in the future to continue to improve our
services and processing times.
In a bid to achieve a ‘do it once, do it right’
scenario we’d like to encourage you to talk to
us early about your proposals. Even if it’s at the
‘light bulb’ stage, setting up an appointment with
the planning team can answer any questions
before you do the paper work. Making sure your
development application is complete, accurate
and inline with the strategic land use and local
environment management plans when you
submit the form will give you your best chance at
a successful and timely outcome.
■ Tarragon Road during flooding and repair
work after water has receded
Make an appointment with the planning
team before you submit your development
application on 1300 087 004.
Recyclability named
volunteering state finalist
The Community Living and Respite Services
(CLRS) Inc. Social Enterprise – Recyclability - is
creating opportunities for people of all abilities,
and was recently named as a finalist in the
‘Inclusion’ category of the Volunteering Victoria
State Awards.
CLRS CEO Suzanna Barry said that they were
thrilled that the valued role the program is
playing in our community was being recognised
in the first 18 months of Recyclability.
“Recyclability is an innovative concept that sees
people with disability volunteer in a variety of
roles,” Ms Barry said.
“These opportunities are helping people to
develop a range of skills that may assist them
with future employment goals. Some of our
clients are involved because they want to
contribute to the community and some simply
because they enjoy the activities it offers.”
Recyclability has many components, from
delivering pamphlets, collecting items from
households, collecting bags from clothing
donation bins, and sorting of donations. There
are also customer service roles, which include
working in the Op Shop at 4 Percy Street, Echuca,
recording sales, shop displays, inventory control
and interacting with customers.
“Volunteers enjoy the flexibility Recyclability
offers. They aren’t compelled to stay for the
full day, but the roles are developed to meet
individual needs. We have found that many enjoy
attending so much that they like to stay longer
than planned, and some visit during holiday
periods.”
Recyclability values the contribution from
many others in the community. Young people
completing their studies regularly help out,
staff from the Echuca ANZ branch will soon
start volunteering and a number of retirees
make up a team of regular volunteers. On
■ Team leader Sandra Carey and CEO Suzanna
Barry.
Saturday mornings several community members
who work full time in professional positions
volunteer, saying they love the positive outcomes
achieved by Recyclability.
“People with disability, just like us all, want
purpose, and desire valued roles in the
community. Recyclability is a community
program meeting these needs – it is an inclusive
environment, provides a wonderful community
service particularly as local householders can
leave their donations at their letter box and it
has important environmental outcomes,” Ms
Barry explained.
“We are proud of our Recyclability group and its
achievements over the past eighteen months.
Being recognised as a finalist in the inclusion
category of these awards is great validation for
our volunteers, staff and community.”
For more information
Rowena Tedesco is the CLRS Volunteer
Coordinator. Rowena can be contacted
Monday – Wednesday on 5480 2388.
The Op Shop is open from 10 am – 3 pm
Monday to Friday and 10 am to 1 pm on
Saturdays at 4 Percy Street, Echuca
Backyard pool safety
The best defence against backyard drowning is to
make sure your pool is securely fenced with a selfclosing and self-latching gate.
Do’s: make sure your fence meets safety
requirements, is properly used, regularly
checked and maintained.
Don’ts: Never prop open the gate or leave
things near the fence that children can climb.
Check out the Royal Life Saving website at www.
royallifesaving.com.au/ for more information
about their Home Pool Safety Initiative.
Is your pool registered?
All swimming pools must be registered on the
NSW Swimming Pool Register. If you have a pool,
but it is not yet registered, go online to www.
swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au or ask council
to register the pool on your behalf. A fee of $10 may
be charged for the service. Fines of up to $2,200 can
be imposed if you fail to register your pool.
Changes to pool compliance
In April 2016 Compliance Certificates, which used to
only apply to all tourist, visitor and multi-occupancy
developments (such as hotels, caravan parks and
residential unit blocks), was extended to private
properties that are for sale or lease.
Private certifiers may also be engaged to issue a
compliance certificate that is valid for three years,
unless a subsequent inspection finds the pool to be
non-compliant.
It’s the property owners responsibility to ensure
swimming pool barriers are compliant.
Who can remove a
snake from my garden?
Summer is here, so who can remove a snake from
my garden? All snakes are protected in NSW and
killing one is an offence. Only licensed people
are allowed to catch or keep snakes. A licensed
herpetologist will catch and relocate a snake for a
fee, you are advised to contact your licensed snake
catcher. If there is no local snake catcher, please
contact the Environment Line for more information
on 1300 361 967 or [email protected]
Murray River Council’s officers are not
authorised to deal with snakes.
Wildlife organisations
Wildlife organisations do not catch snakes unless
they are injured or present a serious threat.
However, they can suggest ways to encourage
the snake to move away. Contact WIRES on
1300 084 737 or Wildlife Victoria on 1300 094 535.
How to deter snakes
• if you are buying a property with a pool you
must fix any areas of non-compliance within
90 days of settlement
You can make your garden less attractive to snakes
by keeping shrubs trimmed, lawns mowed and the
garden tidy generally. Remove any piles of rubble,
wood, roof sheeting or leaf clippings where snakes
can shelter. Snakes may lay eggs in compost heaps
and garbage piles. Food sources such as rodents,
frogs or birds encourage them to stay, so snakeproof any refuse bins, ponds and aviaries with fine
mesh. If snakes are residing under your home,
consider blocking their access after they have been
removed.
• if you are leasing a property with a pool you
must have either a certificate of compliance
or a relevant occupation certificate and a
certificate of registration.
Tip: Snakes hear through vibration, so when
mowing the lawn, mow away from the house
to avoid directing snakes towards it.
What you need to know:
• if you are selling property with a pool, you
must have either a certificate of compliance,
a relevant occupation certificate and a
certificate of registration, or a certificate of
non-compliance
If you are planning to purchase a property which
has a pool, you can ask council if the pool is
registered.
Council inspection programs, developed in
consultation with the local community, will
determine if or when your pool may be inspected.
Are all snakes dangerous?
Snakes are not naturally aggressive and prefer to
retreat. They will only attack if hurt or provoked –
most bites occur when people try to kill or capture
snakes as snakes are a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
It’s best for everyone if we can co-exist safely.
Office hours over the holiday period
Murray River Council’s offices and depots will be closed for the holiday period from 12 noon
Friday 23 December and will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday 3 January 2017.
Kerbside waste and recycling collections will operate as normal.
The waste disposal depots and transfer stations will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing
Day and New Years Day.
Barham Koondrook Lions
Club Christmas Mardi Gras!
Christmas Eve at Riverside Park, Barham from 6pm.
A night out for the whole family with BBQ, activities, the
major Lions raffle draw and a special visit from Santa!
Keep an eye out locally for more details.
Moama Lions Club presents
Carols by Candlelight
Sunday 18 December 6.30pm at Kerrabee Sound Shell
Moama
• programs and candles
available
• lucky book prize
• great local entertainment
• Lions barbeque
• Father Christmas
POSTAGE
PAID
AUSTRALIA
To the Householder