Media Releases

More than 150 jobs are expected to be created through the development of two new industrial sites in Carisbrook, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Development Damian Drum announced today.

Representing Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan in Carisbrook, Mr Drum announced $1.53 million Victorian Coalition Government funding would be provided to the Central Goldfields Shire Council as part of the $3.4 million initiative.

“The Carisbrook Renewal Park will promote industrial activity and attract new investment to the region through the expansion of existing businesses and the addition of new businesses and industries,” Mr Drum said.

Mr Drum said the Carisbrook Renewal Park comprised of council-owned land at Tullaroop Road (Site 1) and the Penny and Lang site (Site 2).

“The council proposes developing eight lots at Site 1 and three super-lots at Site 2 and estimates that the Park will retain 15 existing jobs, assist in the creation of 98 new direct jobs and 35 indirect jobs, as well as an additional 18 jobs through the construction phase.”

The Carisbrook Renewal Park project works across the two sites includes:

• site establishment;
• traffic and environmental management;
• road works including intersection, service roads, curb and channeling;
• stormwater drainage and associated works;
• land preparation including sub-grade removal and replacement;
• service trenching and conduits ;
• connection to utilities (water, gas and power) and relocation of existing infrastructure;
• retardation basin for flood mitigation purposes; and
• fencing and landscaping

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan $1.53 million Coalition Government funding for the project would be made to the Central Goldfields Shire Council with the balance provided by the council and sales of the serviced lots.

“The Coalition Government’s is pleased to provide funding through our $1 billion Regional Growth Fund’s Economic Infrastructure Program, which aims to improve the productive potential of regional Victoria by strengthening regional industries,” Mr Ryan said.

“The fund is about supporting and growing local economies and providing opportunities for regional Victoria through investment in enabling strategic infrastructure.

“Our support for the Carisbrook Renewal Park is a clear example of how the Coalition Government’s strategy of investing in targeted projects that support jobs, growth and development in regional and rural areas can have major flow-on benefits,” Mr Ryan said.

A new five-year strategic plan and website for Loddon Healthy Minds Network has been launched today by Northern MLC Damian Drum.
Speaking at the launch in Bridgewater on behalf of Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge, Mr Drum said the Loddon Healthy Minds Network has played a significant role in promoting good mental health and wellbeing in the Loddon Shire since its establishment in 2007.
“Healthy Minds plays an important role in building awareness about mental health issues and educating consumers, carers and community groups about mental health services available in the Loddon Shire,” Mr Drum said.
“The development of a five-year strategic plan by the Loddon Healthy Minds Network is a significant achievement and will play a crucial role in guiding the direction of the Network over the next five years. It identifies the key goals and priorities to address and improve mental health and wellbeing in the Loddon Shire.”
Mr Drum said goals of the Network include building awareness in the Loddon community about mental health issues and advocating for the best possible outcomes for Loddon residents in relation to mental health.
“The strategic plan outlines the actions to be undertaken by the Network to achieve the goals and priorities by 2016,” Mr Drum said.
“Development of the Loddon Healthy Minds Network website is also a significant achievement.
“The website is an information portal for consumers, carers and community members wanting to access information about mental health issues.
“It contains a comprehensive database of mental health service providers available in the Loddon Shire and provides links to mental health peak bodies such as beyondblue.
“This website is an excellent mental health and wellbeing resource for consumers, carers, community members and service providers in the Loddon Shire.”
Mr Drum said completion of the strategic plan and website builds on other key achievements of the network, which include hosting mental health week activities such as the annual ‘Sunshine Breakfast’ and the development of Healthy Minds Community Forum in 2009.
“The work of the Loddon Healthy Minds Network in the Loddon Shire is especially important after the impact of the 2011 floods in the Shire,” Mr Drum said.
“Promoting good mental health and wellbeing in our flood-affected communities has been essential in improving community spirit and building community resilience in the Shire.”

The City of Greater Bendigo in association with the Diocese of Sandhurst will explore the feasibility of a Faith of the Goldfields Interpretive Centre in central Bendigo with the help of $16,500 in Victorian Government funding, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Development Damian Drum said today.

Mr Drum, who is MP for Northern Victoria Region, said the potential centre was part of a much larger multi-million dollar redevelopment plan for the area around the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

He made the announcement today on behalf of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Development, Peter Ryan. The funding will be matched by the City of Greater Bendigo.

The Interpretive Centre will present the cultural heritage of the Goldfields region from the 1850s gold rush

“The feasibility study will examine how the proposed Centre could potentially function as part of, and engage with, a larger redevelopment of the entire Cathedral precinct,” Mr Drum said.

“The feasibility study findings will form the basis of a business case for philanthropic and government funding for the realisation of the Interpretive Centre and potentially leverage private investment in the much larger precinct redevelopment.”

Mr Ryan said developing the Interpretive Centre would help the City of Greater Bendigo and the Sandhurst Diocese take advantage and benefit from the growing market for heritage or ancestral-based tourism.

“Access to historical records and genealogical research has been a major driver for this growth, encouraged by the plethora of television programs and internet resources devoted to this interest,” Mr Ryan said.

“Providing an opportunity for engagement beyond walking through the Cathedral building - through tours; interpretive exhibitions and access to research collections will enhance the existing tourism experience.”

Mr Ryan said the Faith of the Goldfields Interpretive Centre Feasibility Study project would help inform planning capability for new tourism and community infrastructure and provide information to attract, inform and direct commercial investment in the precinct. Funding was coming from the Planning for Tomorrow fund.

“The project will also deliver better economic development outcomes by capitalising on the strength of genealogical tourism and adding to Bendigo's reputation and positioning as a destination for cultural heritage tourism,” Mr Ryan said.

Mr Drum said Victorian Government funding for the Faith of the Goldfields Interpretive Centre Feasibility Study project would be provided to the City of Greater Bendigo working in association with the Diocese of Sandhurst.

The study is expected to be completed by June.

Bendigo has shared in another round of funding from the Flood Recovery Community Infrastructure Fund.
MP for Northern Victoria Region and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, Damian Drum, announced today that seven projects in the City of Greater Bendigo, and nine in Loddon Shire would get more than $200,000.
Projects in the City of Greater Bendigo in the latest round of grants were:
Phoenix FM - Repair roof leaks - $100 (Fully completed)
Aged Care Services - Replace damaged carpet - $8,500 (Fully completed)
Bagshot Hall - Replace damaged floor coverings. Supply crushed rock to driveway to provide access to site - $2,575 + $850 (Fully completed)
Chinese Museum - Repair roof leak. Repair and replace damaged fire indicator panel due to water damage - $178.75 + $2,846.25 (Fully completed)
Dudley House - Repair roof leak - $66 (Fully completed)
Jaara Building - Inspect and dry carpet. Replace underlay - $513 (Fully completed)
Peter Krenz Leisure Centre - Undertake sanding, linemarking and coating to 1/3 stadium flooring as a result of flooding. - $12,174.98 (Fully completed)
More than $180,000 in grants were announced for Loddon Shire projects, mainly to make up for shortfalls in insurance payouts on damage to community facilities.
These included:
Bridgewater Bowling Club - $166,748.49
Bridgewater Public Toilets - $1,686.75
Pyramid Hill Pool Complex - $9782.21
Pyramid Hill Tennis Club - $13,177.27
Pyramid Hill CERT Hall - $33,249.25
Pyramid Hill Preschool - $5,800
7East Loddon Preschool - $3,774
Newbridge Public Hall - $34,165.28
9Boort Gun Club - $8,341

Mr Drum said even though it was now a year since last summer’s devastating floods, many small communities were still struggling to get back to normal.

“The Coalition State Government stands solidly with their communities in that work,’ he said.

August 19, 2011


Nationals MP for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum, has praised the City of Greater Bendigo and VicRoads for listening to people’s concerns over the proposed Bendigo transport strategy and acting on their concerns.
He told State Parliament this week that the council and VicRoads had put a process in place which allowed people to have a clear say on the strategy – particularly on a proposed bypass which would have impacted heritage areas.
He said he had had meetings with many concerned residents.
“There was one meeting at the city library, where all the representatives were present, that enabled everybody for the affected areas to step up to the microphone and have their say. It was an interesting meeting which went on for four hours and many did get up and have their say.
“To their credit, those representatives listened to the concerns and recommendations have now been put in place to scrap the transport corridor which would have gone through Quarry Hill.”
Mr Drum said other parts of the city’s transport strategy would probably be implemented.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the City of Greater Bendigo and VicRoads for listening and arriving at a compromise.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Development Damian Drum met
with local government, business and community representatives in Mildura
today to discuss priorities in the Northern Loddon Mallee Regional
Strategic Plan.

Mr Drum said the roundtable talks on the Regional Plan would focus on
economic development, leadership and actions for the region.

Representing Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development
Peter Ryan, Mr Drum said the Victorian Coalition Government had officially
launched the $1 billion Regional Growth Fund this week to support growth
and investment in regional areas.

“Driving economic growth in regional and rural Victoria is a key priority
and the purpose of the Regional Growth Fund is to add value, while
strengthening infrastructure across Victoria,” Mr Drum said.

“The Coalition Government has a vision for regional development, to ensure
the regions remain key contributors to Victoria’s future growth and
prosperity, and roundtable events such as this have been set up to
establish working relationships with business.”

Mr Drum said the Coalition Government understood the benefits of a
grass-roots approach to regional development activities.

“The Coalition Government believes in working in partnership with local
people and in developing projects that have been identified by local
communities, for local communities,” Mr Drum said.

“Communicating with industry and key stakeholders is crucial to ensuring
each region is best placed to take advantage of available government
resources to support locally identified projects and initiatives.”

Mr Drum said it was an exciting time in regional Victoria with population
growth and unprecedented investment delivering more opportunities for
people who live and work in Regional Victoria.

To see a copy of the Loddon Mallee Regional Plan visit
http://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/victorian-regions/loddon-mallee

The eagerly anticipated $296,000 tennis pavilion at Spring Gully Tennis Club was officially opened today by the Member for Northern Victoria Damien Drum.

Representing Minister for Sport and Recreation Hugh Delahunty, Mr Drum said the new pavilion would go a long way to accommodating the increasing numbers of locals wanting to join in the fun at the popular club.

“Our local sporting clubs are at the heart of our communities and by improving the quality of their facilities we’re helping more people get active more often,” Mr Drum said.

“The new pavilion provides the perfect opportunity for the club to cater for the growing numbers and broaden its tennis programs for club members, the community, and nearby schools, as well as host bigger competitions and events,” he said.

The new pavilion includes a sheltered viewing area, a large social and meeting space, kitchenette and new accessible toilet amenities and replaces the previous inadequate small hut.

“The new pavilion will go a long way to encouraging more people to don their tennis gear and get on the courts at the Club, regardless of the season,” Mr Drum said.

Mr Drum said the Victorian Government had contributed $60,000 towards the development of facility through the Community Facility Funding Program.

“By investing in local sport and recreation facilities like these we can further encourage people to get involved in their local clubs,” Mr Drum said.

Mr Drum acknowledged the Greater Bendigo City Council for its investment of $186,000 and the Spring Gully Tennis for their contribution of $50,000 towards the project.

“Working together we can further encourage participation in sport and recreation and improve levels of physical activity to enhance a person’s overall health and wellbeing,” he said.

A treasure trove of historical records from Bendigo’s rich and colorful ‘Goldfields’ period will be among the documents stored in the new state-of-the-art Bendigo Regional Archive Centre (BRAC).

The $1.85 million facility was officially opened today by Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Development Damian Drum, representing the Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan.

Mr Drum said the BRAC would provide a world-class, environmentally-controlled storage space for the region’s permanent public records.

“A wide range of documentation will be safely and securely stored in the BRAC, creating a significant asset for the City of Greater Bendigo, the Central Goldfields and regional Victoria as a whole,” Mr Drum said.

“The existing collection includes historical documents, catalogues, letters, immigration and settlement records, extremely rare and valuable information about local indigenous communities as well as the story of Chinese and European settlement in the region.

“In addition to the purpose-built storage facility in Nolan Street, the BRAC operates a Public Reading Room at the Bendigo Library where people can access and research information.”

Mr Drum said the BRAC had more than four kilometers of document shelving that would also be available for use as a regionally based storage alternative for many local councils, businesses and agencies.

“Public documents and records have been traditionally sent to Melbourne for secure storage, making access and retrieval of records more difficult and expensive,” Mr Drum said.

“This facility will provide a cost-effective, secure document storage solution in the region.”

Mr Drum said the BRAC project was an example of a positive partnership between community, local and state governments.

“The Victorian Government contributed $1.3 million towards the BRAC with contributions also made by the Greater Bendigo City Council and the Public Record Office Victoria,” Mr Drum said.

Bendigo’s sporting “jewel” is back
Nationals MP for Northern Victoria Region, and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, Damian Drum, said it was a delight and an honour to help officially launch the revamped Queen Elizabeth Oval project.
“The QEO is, in many ways, the jewel in the crown of regional sport in Bendigo, and an important hub of the City of Greater Bendigo.
“This project has re-polished that jewel and reinstates its importance in the life of the region.
“For the past two years Bendigo has been unable to hold State league events because of the state of the QEO playing surface and had a dysfunctional and mostly unusable scoreboard.
“It has been a huge task involving massive earth-moving efforts and surface redevelopments, as well as new sporting infrastructure, often carried out under very trying conditions.
“It is ironic that the project started after more than a decade of record-breaking drought, and then had to proceed under record-breaking summer rains.
“From tomorrow (Saturday) we will begin to reap the rewards of that work and commitment.”
Mr Drum said the Coalition State Government had contributed $1 million to the make-over and was proud of the outcome.
The funding will also allow a second netball court to be developed. This will be ready in time for the 2012 season.
“The project will allow Bendigo to regain its position as an exciting home to high profile regional and national sporting events.”
The $2.2M redevelopment of Bendigo’s premier sporting oval – the QEO will be officially opened by Greater Bendigo Mayor Rod Fyffe and Damian Drum.

The opening will take place prior to the start of senior match between the QEO’s traditional tenants South Bendigo and Sandhurst.

Works that have taken place as part of the redevelopment project include:-
• Site clearing including removal of 15,000 cubic metres of soil;
• Preliminary earthworks to reshape the oval and provide extra space for spectators;
• Drainage works and installation of an irrigation system;
• Installation of a concrete slab to support three turf cricket pitches;
• Final surface works including the laying of 17,000 square metres of drought tolerant turf;
• Installation of new fencing;
• Construction of player/coaches shelters at the front of the grandstand;
• Construction of new concrete terraced spectator seating for approximately 400 people at the Barnard street end of the ground;
• Upgrade of the ovals lighting system to meet AFL match standards;
• Installation of a new electronic LED scoreboard;
• Resurfacing of the existing netball court; and
• Installation of new perimeter seating to the oval.

City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Rod Fyffe said since 2003 Council has shown a high level of commitment to the QEO with over $7.5m being spent on works including construction of a $4.4 million multipurpose facility to serve both the Aquatic Centre and QEO, a significant upgrade of the grandstand change rooms, installation of match and training lights and connection to the recycled water pipeline.

“The redevelopment of the ground now means that Greater Bendigo has a sporting ground with the capacity to host major sporting events to local, state and national standards.

“The works commenced in late 2010 following ten of the driest years Bendigo has experienced.

“During the works phase of the project we experienced one of the wettest summers for some time and a cooler than average autumn. However despite the weather this project was still delivered basically on time.

“This has been a much needed project which has been funded by a million dollar contribution from the Victorian State Government, a $812,000 contribution from the Federal Government and a $500,000 contribution from the City of Greater Bendigo.

“It’s also been an important joint project between the State and Federal Governments and the City of Greater Bendigo that demonstrates an enormous commitment to local sport and a strong desire to make the QEO one of Victoria’s top cricket and football facilities.

“I believe the new QEO surface and facilities will provide the sporting and general community with long lasting benefits for many years to come and I can‘t think of a better way to open it than with a match between the ground’s traditional tenants Sandhurst and South Bendigo,” said Cr Fyffe.

QEO key user groups include the Sandhurst Football/Netball Club, South Bendigo Football/Netball Club, Bendigo Football/Netball League, Bendigo Bombers, Bendigo Pioneers, Bendigo Cricket club and Bendigo and District Cricket Association.

A $2 million allocation in this month’s State Budget will allow Maryborough and the Central Goldfields Shire to react swiftly to any future growth opportunities, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, Damian Drum, said today.
Mr Drum was in Maryborough to discuss the Shire’s bold new Go Goldfields strategy, which won major funding from the new Regional Growth Fund.
“Go Goldfields is the result of some inspired visioning from the shire and the broader community,” Mr Drum said.
“It sets out a plan under which the region will be able to quickly take up any growth opportunity which comes its way.
“Go Goldfields was developed by Central Goldfields Shire – in partnership with agencies and the community – after a great deal of planning and discussion.
The community focussed on five priorities: early childhood, youth, skills and training, community development and environmental sustainability.”
Mr Drum said that work had identified the strengths and weakness in the region and now Go Goldfields would work to achieve community renewal and addressing some of the social and society challenges.
Among the strategy’s early aims are ideas on creating stronger families, to reconnect young people with the community, improving literacy and a range of family-based well-being projects.
“There would, for example, be a specialist children’s librarian and an expansion of the Bookmates program to improve the language skills of young children,” Mr Drum said.
“There would be expanded speech pathology services through the Maryborough District Health Service.
“And there would be efforts to get better linkages from the various assistance agencies which already exist across the community.
“This would all be geared towards developing stronger foundations, strong building blocks in the Central Goldfields Shire. This, in turn, better equips the community to react positively and quickly to new economic circumstances.”
Mr Drum said it was an example of getting the basic community settings right to be able to build new futures.
The strategy will be driven by an Alliance chaired by Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Cr Chris Meadows-Taylor and will include representatives from across all sectors of the community, including:
• ASETERIA Disability Services
• Bendigo Health
• Central Victoria Health Alliance
• Emergency Accommodation and Support Enterprises
• Goldfields Education and Learning Centre
• Maryborough District Health Service
• Maryborough Education Centre
• Maryborough Police
• Salvation Army
• St Luke’s Anglicare
Mr Drum said the strategy had been discussed with the Liberal/Nationals Coalition before last November’s state election and had won a firm commitment of support.
“The Coalition State Government is now delivering on that commitment.
“I’m proud that the Government is partnering Maryborough with the strategy which, I believe, can help create a much brighter future for Maryborough and the region,” Mr Drum said.