Mayor's Column – 11 August 2022

Published on 11 August 2022

Hello to all residents, ratepayers and visitors to the Borough of Queenscliffe. Our kerbside food waste collection is well and truly in action now and it’s been great to see so many people receive the change positively. Have you downloaded the Borough Bins app yet?

Let’s go FOGO!
I had the very fortunate privilege of riding along in one of the trucks last week as we kicked off our new kerbside Food Organics & Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service. The new service is the culmination of years of work by Council and our community to manage our food waste in a more sustainable way, and I’m very proud to see the Borough to continue to be at the forefront of environmental sustainability.

Remember, your kitchen caddy – which would have recently been delivered to your household – contains all the information you need on how to sort your waste and when to put our bins each week. But I find that the easiest way to stay on top of everything is by downloading the Borough Bins app. The reminder notifications it sends out to let me know what bins need to be placed on the kerb are a godsend!

Simply go to your smartphone’s app store and search for ‘Borough Bins’. Once you download the app, it’ll ask you to enter your home address, and from there you can choose to set a reminder if you like – it’s that simple! If you find the app useful, feel free to leave a rating or comment as we appreciate every bit of feedback received.

You can also visit our website at queenscliffe.vic.gov.au/bins for more comprehensive information on your kerbside bin service, and our friendly waste team at Council can also be contacted if you’re really stuck.

Victoria Park consultation and management policy
Thank you to all those who have taken part in the recent consultation on Council’s draft Victoria Park management policy. While public feedback has now closed, you can still read the draft policy, which proposes a long-term management plan for the park, including the creation of vegetation reserves. You can also view a plan of the proposed replanting zones in Victoria Park. All this information and more is available on the project page at boq.news/vicparktrees.

ALGA refugee and asylum seeker motion passed
At the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly in late June, the Borough of Queenscliffe put forth a motion that called for a fairer, more secure future for refugees and asylum seekers. I am thrilled to announce that this motion has passed! The success of this motion shows that local communities want permanent protection for refugees and asylum seekers – not Temporary Protection Visas that threaten to return them to danger at any time.

As a Refugee Welcome Zone, I’m proud of the small role the Borough has played in this campaign. Working together with our community, we’ll continue to advocate for a better future for refugees and asylum seekers.

Council listening posts
Residents in Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale have a couple of opportunities to meet in person with Councillors over the next month. If you have anything you’d like to chat to use about, I definitely encourage you to stop by and say hello on the following dates:

• 11:00am – 12:00pm, Friday 19 August at the Queenscliff Uniting Church on Hesse Street;
• 11:00am – 1:00pm, Sunday 11 September at the Point Lonsdale Primary School market.

I’m looking forward to meeting you and hearing your ideas for our community.

As always, if you have anything you’d like to discuss with me about the Borough, drop me a line via the contact details on Council’s website.

Kind regards,

Cr Ross Ebbels
Mayor, Borough of Queenscliffe