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October 1998 Olympic Torch to visit Melbourne and 161 Victorian towns The details of the official Olympic Torch relay for the 2000 Olympic Games were announced on October 30. The torch will pass through Victoria in July and August 2000, visiting most areas of the state. New disability information service The Disability Information Victoria clearing house, www.disabilityinfo.org.au, an information bureau which acts as a distributor of material to people with disabilities, was launched on October 30 by the Minister for Youth and Community Services, Dr Napthine. Food assistance package to Indonesia A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the State Government and the Indonesian Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Ahmad M Saefuddin. Public Transport Privatisation Victoria’s passenger and freight railways and tramways are to be progressively privatised over the next twelve months. The Minister for Transport, Mr. Robin Cooper, launched a major public information campaign on October 29, to explain the changes and their effect on passengers. First Report shows success of Parentline The first four-month review of Parentline, a 24-hour telephone advice and referral service for parents, has shown it to be highly successful in meeting its aims. Federal Magistrates a "waste of money" State Attorney-General, Jan Wade, believes there is no need for the Commonwealth to establish a separate federal magistracy when there were capable State and Territory magistrates already exercising significant federal jurisdiction including family law. maxi Network reaches 100,000 milestone More than 100,000 transactions have been carried out on the Victorian Government's maxi online network in less than one year of operation, the Minister for Information Technology and Multimedia, Alan Stockdale has announced. The Land Titles Validation (Amendment) Bill has been introduced to State Parliament to ensure consistency with the recent amendments to the Federal Native Title Act. Mont Albert Tram to be extended The Whitehorse Road tram service is to be extended as far as Market St. Box Hill as part of $42 million of new public transport infrastructure improvements. New Responsible Pet Ownership Program A new $1.5 million ‘Victorian Pet Program’ has been introduced as part of the Government’s Responsible Pet Ownership Community Awareness campaign. Victoria's Net Assets rise 34.5% during 1997-98 Large-scale infrastructure investment and a successful privatisation program helped to boost Victoria's net assets by 34.5 per cent to $28 billion during the past year, according to the Financial Statements for the State of Victoria 1997-98 tabled in State Parliament. Government welcomes Catholic Commission Report The Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mr. McGrath, has welcomed the report by the Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace into Victoria’s prison system. Tough privacy laws for City Link data The Melbourne City Link Act 1995 is to be amended to provide for fines of up to $10,000 for any unauthorised use of personal information in City Link tolling records. Teacher recruitment program to create 2,600 jobs Up to 2,600 teaching jobs will be available in government primary and secondary schools next year. Proposed changes to Victorian betting laws Victorian Minister for Sport and Rural Development, Tom Reynolds has outlined changes to the Racing and Betting Acts (Amendments) Bill in Parliament. 37,000 laptops purchased for teachers Minister for Education Phil Gude today announced the purchase of 37,000 laptop computers for Victoria's teachers. V/Line services to increase by 15% with new timetables An extra 101 services per week will be added to V/Line Passenger timetables from December 6. WorkCover Annual Report shows fewer workplace accidents The number of deaths and traumatic injuries in Victorian workplaces continued to fall during 1997-98 while Victoria's worker compensation scheme moved closer to regaining full funding. Government confirms Budget Surplus for 1997-98 The Budget Outcome Statement was tabled in State Parliament on October 20 and showed a Budget surplus of $583.6 million, below the revised projection of $707.4 million published in the 1998-99 Budget Papers in April. Tackling Discrimination in Sport Playing Fair: Guidelines For Tackling Discrimination in Sport is an information booklet for sporting bodies designed to prevent discrimination, harassment and other anti-social behaviours in Victorian sport. Policy for School-Community/Business Partnerships The new Framework for Developing School-Business/Community Relationships policy was launched by the Minister for Education, Mr Gude, on October 18. Restrictions on the sale and movement of Liquid Petroleum Gas imposed on September 26 following the Longford explosion, were lifted on October 16, effective immediately. Government to pursue alternative gas supplies The Premier, Mr. Kennett, announced on October 16 that the Government had agreed to proceed with an upgrade of the interconnect with New South Wales and bring forward to 1999 the construction of the South West Pipeline and aspects of the underground storage project. Victoria dominates Tourism Awards For the third year running, Victoria has won more awards than any other state at the Australian Tourism Awards, announced on October 16. Parties to court cases which are appealed will soon have access to a fairer system of re-imbursement for legal costs thereby incurred as a result of proposed amendments to the Appeals Costs Act 1964. Farmers urged to utilise online opportunities The Minister for Information Technology and Multimedia, Alan Stockdale, has urged Victoria's farmers to get online and experience the value of the Internet for their farm business, following the recent release of a paper by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) which highlighted the poor up-take of the Internet by Australian farmers. 1998 Governor of Victoria Export Awards A company specialising in the design and development of computer-based medical monitoring and diagnostic products has been named the Victorian Exporter of the Year in the Prestigious 1998 Governor of Victoria Export Awards. The Terms of Reference for the Longford Royal Commission were released by the Premier, Mr Kennett, on October 13. Victoria will lead the way with the creation of Australia's first virtual TAFE campus, attracting students from across Australia and overseas. Australia's First University Alumni Directory RMIT has become the first university in Australia to launch an online directory and interactive database for its Alumni program; a key part of the State Government's Alumni initiative. New Liquor Laws Aim for a "Responsible Balance" Reforms in the proposed Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 continue the State Government's stance on issues like underage drinking and harm minimisation while promoting the development and diversification of the liquor industry. Government Rejects Major Changes to TAC, WorkCover The State Government has not accepted proposals under national competition policy reviews to change Victoria's transport accident and workers compensation schemes. Victorian International Tourism up 3% 995,240 international visitors travelled to Victoria in the year ending March 1998 - three per cent more than the year before. Employment Growth in Victoria 1997-98 The Victorian Annual Employment Statistics Book for 1997-98 was released by the Industry Minister, Mr. Birrell, on October 8. For earlier news stories see our Archives. For the latest New Releases from the Victorian Government's main media releases page, see What's New. Page last changed Friday, 04-Jun-2004 05:24:42 EDT |
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(other news from the Government's web site main media releases page and other releases) Victoria is hosting this year's Virtual Opportunity Congress for leading IT industry thinkers. The Premier and the Museums Board of Victoria on 30 October announced the appointment of Dr George MacDonald as the new Director of Museum Victoria. Figures in the Liquor Licensing Commission's annual report show the commission had determined 11,398 licence and licence-related applications this year, the highest number ever in a single year and a 5.6% increase over the previous year. The Minister for Sport and Rural Development on 28 October launched the Government's Water Safety Initiative, a $6 million public education and awareness program over three years under which life saving and learn to swim organisations, the Education Department and the media will work together to promote the message "Play it safe by the water" The 1998 Interact Asia Pacific Multimedia Festival features twice as many overseas exhibitors and delegates as last year $17.5 million will be provided for a land buy-back package for rural landholders in East Gippsland. A report highlighting the achievements of Victorian engineers was
officially released on 26 October by the Minister for The Minister for Police and Emergency Services has announced the winners of 14 Fire Awareness Week Community Service Awards. More than $50 million worth of products currently imported by major manufacturers have been put up for local replacement at the Import Replacement Expo 98. The Premier, Mr Kennett, on 20 October announced $23 million in funding for
long term restoration works on flood-affected public land in East The latest ABS statistics show full time employment in regional Victoria
has grown by 4.1 percent or 7,700 in the 12 months to the Melbourne has become the first city in the Asia Pacific region to host the prestigious annual International Textile Manufacturers Federation Conference Berri Limited is to relocate its national headquarters from South Australia to Melbourne Plans by Grainco Limited for its $40m multi-bulk commodity terminal to be built at Appleton Dock in the port of Melbourne were announced on 14 October. A new emergency warning signal to be sounded as a prelude to critical community safety announcements on radio and television has been launched. Ms Marilyn Warren, QC has been appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. The Minister for Small Business and Tourism on 13 October presented awards for Victoria's best restaurants. Legislation to restructure the Melbourne Cricket Ground Trust was introduced into Parliament on 8 October The Minister for Education, Phil Gude, announced an additional $2 million for upgrade works in Victorian schools on 8 October. Grantsworth $1.2 million will be allocated immediately. Four additional officers have been appointed to assist the Victorian Taxi Directorate and Tow Truck Directorate in the delivery of their services in rural Victoria. The State Government has given planning approval to a proposal by Grainco Limited for a multi-bulk commodity import-export terminal in the Port of Melbourne. |