November 1998

Victorian Water Safety Week

The Government has inaugurated a new Water Safety Week following on from its recently-launched $6 million public education and awareness campaign.

Port Campbell underground gas storage developer chosen

Texas Utilities Australia is to build, own and operate the proposed underground gas storage project at Port Campbell in Western Victoria.

Revised timetable for competitive gas market

Victoria's 1.4 million households and small business will be able to choose their gas supplier in a fully competitive market from September 2001.

Victoria's TAFE 'best in Australia'

The Minister for Tertiary Education and Training, Phil Honeywood, has responded to criticism of Victoria's TAFE system by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Brumby.

Encouraging signs on prison drugs

There has been a significant reduction in the percentage of prisoners testing positive to illicit drugs in Victorian prisons.

Catchment Management Authority rates

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Agriculture and Resources, Patrick McNamara, has responded to concerns over Catchment Management Authority (CMA) rates.

Victoria's Aquaculture Strategy

The State Government’s Aquaculture Strategy was launched on November 26, with the primary objective of doubling Victoria’s aquaculture production to $36 million by 2001, within the context of a sound environmental policy.

World's largest smart card firm to set up in Victoria

The French company Gemplus - the world's largest producer of smart cards - has chosen Victoria as its headquarters to develop and manufacture smart cards for the Asia-Pacific region.

Major Changes to Fishing

A $20 Recreational Fishing Licence for all Victorian waters will be introduced from mid July next year.

Victorian Plantations Corporation Sale

The Victorian Plantations Corporation (VPC), including management rights for 170,000 hectares of land, has been sold for $550 million to Hancock Victorian Plantations Pty Ltd.

Gas privatisation go-ahead

The Government had decided to proceed with privatisation of the State's gas industry.

Allocation of $134m extra Medicare funding

The Minister for Health has announced the allocation of the $134 million for the State’s public hospitals gained as a result of the Australian Health Care Agreement (Medicare Agreement) recently reached with the Commonwealth Government.

Government urges retention of junior wage rates

The Victorian Government has launched a campaign to ensure the retention of the junior rates of pay system. The Minister for Industry, Mark Birrell said the abolition of junior rates would have an immediate and destructive impact on youth employment.

Self Governing schools named

Twenty-nine schools have been named to take part in the Self Governing Schools program from the start of the 1999 school year.

Women's Action Plan Released

Women On the Move, the first volume of the Government’s Two Year Action Plan for Women was released on November 13 by the Minister for Women’s Affairs, Jan Wade.

October unemployment down to 7.8 percent

Victoria’s unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in October in seasonally adjusted terms, down from 8.1 percent in September.  Australia's unemployment rate fell from 8.1 percent to 7.7 per cent.

Initiatives for Carers and Families

The Minister for Youth and Community Services, Dr. Denis Napthine, has outlined measures taken by the Government in recent times to support the caring work of families with both children and adults.

Melbourne wins $35 million Aerospace Centre

British Aerospace Australia has announced plans to develop a new $35 million military aircraft systems design centre in Melbourne.

Rail service improvements

The Minister for Transport, Robin Cooper has announced a range of metropolitan passenger rail service improvements to be introduced on December 6, 1998.

$70 million for schools upgrade projects

Victorian Schools are to receive an extra $70 million for maintenance work in the next stage of the Government’s pledge to provide $1 billion in school maintenance and capital works during its present term.

Community Visitors Annual Report

The tenth Annual Report of Community Visitors was tabled in State Parliament on November 10. The Report is co-ordinated by the Office of the Public Advocate, under the terms of the Intellectually Disabled Person’s Services Act 1986.

Grands Prix deliver net gain for Victoria

State Government tax receipts estimated at $10.5 million have offset a combined annual operating deficit of $7 million before depreciation for the 1998  Formula One Grand Prix and the 1997  Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Expansion of Palliative Care Funding

The Minister for Health, Mr. Knowles, has announced additional funding to increase the number of Palliative Care beds from 154 to 243 and provide Victorians with statewide access for the first time. The total funding increase is $8.5 million, which will increase current capacity by 58 per cent.

Public Transport Accessibility Action Plan

The Government has launched an 'Action Plan' for 21^st Century Public Transport Accessibility which will ensure that a majority of Victoria's public transport services are 100 percent accessible to everyone within 20 years.

Water standards defended

The Minister for Agriculture and Resources, Mr McNamara, has defended the State Government's plan to have all country Victorians drinking World Health Organisation (WHO) standard water by the year 2000 and wastewater to EPA standards by 2001.

Compulsory registration for Driving Instructors

All driving instructors operating in Victoria must be registered from March 1, 1999, under new laws introduced by the State Government.

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 05:23:42 EDT

(other news from the Government's web site main media releases page and other releases)

Victorian liquor licensing fees are to be reduced - fees payable for new licence applications (with the exception of a limited licence) are to be cut from an average of $717 to $500.

Victoria's first Bachelor Degree course in acupuncture will begin in February next year at the Melbourne College of Natural Medicine.

The Road Trauma Support Team, a voluntary group established to provide support for victims of culpable driving, is to receive funding of $121,500 from the Transport Accident Commission and from the Department of Justice through its Victims Referral Assistance Service (VRAS).

Chief executive officers from 20 of Victoria's leading corporations and business organisations have attended a Business Round Table meeting to discuss the importance of taking full advantage of the skills and experience of a multicultural workforce to boost competitiveness, the culmination of a six-month multicultural business information campaign, Our Multicultural Advantage.

The Minister for Sport and Rural Development, Tom Reynolds, has launched a new guide, "On Track: A guide to employment and training opportunities in the Sport and Recreation industry in Victoria".

The Minister for Transport, Robin Cooper, has asked the Minister for Planning and Local Government to advertise a planning amendment which would establish a planning reservation for a rail link to Tullamarine airport, as an extension of the Broadmeadows line.

The State Government has full confidence in crime statistics compiled by Victoria Police, which had an acceptable error rate of 1-2 per cent, a level independently verified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The Premier, Mr Kennett, has urged Victorians to write to Independent Senator Brian Harradine demanding his support for the Federal Government's proposed 30% rebate on private health insurance.

Education Minister Phil Gude on 23 November announced the formation of partnerships between 10 specialist Technology Colleges in the UK and a similar number of Victorian schools, and agreement to establish links between VicOne and TCTrust.net.

Nominations are now open for the annual Victoria Fellowship and Victoria Prize, which reward Victoria’s most promising young innovators in the fields of science and technology.

A new campaign has been launched to attract suitably skilled business immigrants to Victoria.

Melbourne continues to be Australia's most popular destination for delegates attending Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) events.

The Minister for Health announced on 17 November a  new directory of health and family services, to be distributed to every Victorian household. A Guide to Your Local Health Services contains advice on all available Government health services and how to access them.

The State Government's Skills.net IT Roadshow is to be sponsored by BHP.

A Melbourne call centre business , United Customer Management Solutions (UCMS), has won a contract to handle all telephone customer enquiries for a New Zealand electricity company, First Electric, creating 100 new jobs for Victorians and adding to Victoria's reputation as a call centre hub in the Asia Pacific region.

Two new grower-owned companies, ABB Grain Ltd and the subsidiary company ABB Grain Export Ltd, will take over the marketing responsibilities of the Australian Barley Board by 30 June 1999 as part of the move to fully privatise the ABB and to extend the single desk for barley marketing to the 30th of June 2001.

The Victorian Law Enforcement Drug Fund will fund two innovative crime prevention programs - the Salvation Army's Positive Lifestyle Program and the Sacred Heart Mission St Kilda's Women's Program - Outreach and Open House Project

The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs on 11 November tabled in Parliament an Implementation Status Report on the Victorian Government's initiatives in response to the Bringing Them Home report.

The Premier argues that financial subsidies paid to Queensland should be reviewed in light of a foreshadowed abolition of stamp duty on share transactions by the Queensland Government.