November 1999

Thwaites overrules council on Bayside heritage controls

The Minister for Planning, Mr John Thwaites, has extended Interim Demolition Controls in the Bayside Planning Scheme to 31 March 2000, contrary to the wishes of Bayside Council. (26 Nov)

$50 million for more teachers, staff

The Government says it will provide schools with an extra $50 million next calendar year, consisting of $25.2 million for primary schools to employ an extra 450 teachers, $12.2 million for secondary schools to employ an extra 200 welfare officers, $10 million for students with special learning needs enabling schools to employ up to 200 equivalent full-time support staff, and $2.5 million for shared specialist teachers in small rural schools with enrolments of less than 100. (25 Nov)

Minister praises Coalition's precinct upgrade

Access around Melbourne’s world famous Sports and Entertainment Precinct has been further improved with the completion of a new $10.7 million pedestrian bridge and associated works, connecting the MCG and the new Multi Purpose Venue (MPV), the Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs, Mr Justin Madden, has announced. (16 Nov)

Low income preschool subsidy increased

The Government has increased the subsidy paid to Health Care or Pensioner Concession card holder parents of four year old preschoolers  from $100 to $250 per annnum, at an estimated cost of $14 million over four years. (16 Nov)

Minister agrees to honour self-governing schools contracts

Following pressure from the State Opposition, the Minister for Education has met with council presidents and principals of schools whose self-governing status is being abolished by the new Government, and has agreed to a package of transitional measures including identifying and honouring all binding contracts. (16 Nov)

Government announces $10 million for public TAFE institutes

The Premier has announced that Cabinet has approved an extra $10 million to public TAFE institutes, consisting of an extra $6 million for TAFE budgets for the start of the new year to meet the cost of apprenticeship and traineeship courses and to ensure the continued provision of training courses next year, and almost $4 million to compensate those Institutes with large numbers of students eligible for fee exemptions. (15 Nov)

Government claims TAFE providers in difficulties

The Government has claimed that half of Victoria's major public TAFE providers are reporting serious financial problems and four are on the brink of insolvency, due to alleged neglect and "excessive competition", with the Council of Adult Education also facing "serious financial shortfalls".  The Minister said "Labor has already announced a boost of $14.7 million over four yeas for regional and rural TAFE Institutes". (15 Nov)

Proposed Major Hazard Facilities Regulations released

The Minister for WorkCover, Mr Bob Cameron, has released for public comment proposed regulations prepared under the previous Government, stating the regulations are expected to come into effect early next year. (11 Nov.)

Urgent measures needed on setbacks, overlooking, overshadowing

The Shadow Minister for Planning, Mr Robert Clark, has called on the Minister to act quickly to introduce urgent interim measures to provide greater requirements for minimum setbacks on residential development and to provide greater protection against overlooking and overshadowing. (10 Nov)

Basslink EES details announced

The Planning Minister, Mr John Thwaites, has announced details of the Environment Effects Statement (EES) process for the Basslink project. (10 Nov)

Penington to chair injecting facility committee

The Premier has announced the appointment of Doctor David Penington to head an expert committee to oversee the implementation of medically supervised injecting facilities. (8 Nov)

Parliament meets for first time since election

The State Parliament has met for the first time since the State election.  The proposed program of the new minority Labor government was outlined in the Governor's speech, which was followed by the traditional garden party before the Parliament resumed business. (3 Nov)

Hospital Networks Review Panel to be established

The new Government is to establish an expert review panel to report early next year on management arrangements for metropolitan hospitals and how the abolition of hospital networks is to achieve the promised savings of $18 million, with the Government "committed to achieving these savings and directing them to improved infection control and cleaning in hospitals and additional beds associated with emergency care." ""Without pre-empting the review", the model favoured by the Government is for smaller groups of hospitals and other agencies working in partnership across sectors such as acute care, aged care and mental health. (1 Nov)

For earlier news stories see our Archives.  For the latest New Releases from the Victorian Government's main media releases page, see All - By Date.

Page last changed Friday, 04-Jun-2004 05:08:11 EDT

(other news based on the Government's web site main media releases page, Opposition media releases and other sources)

The Minister for Energy and Resources has described the all waters fishing licence introduced in July by the previous Government as a success. (30 Nov)

The Minister for Education has announced that  she had repealed the section of Teaching Service Order 165 which prohibited teachers from making public comments about education policy. (30 Nov)

The Victorian Government will contribute $1 million toward the building of a world-class lawn bowls centre in the Eastern suburbs, the Minister for Sport and Recreation, Justin Madden, has announced. (25 Nov)

The Victorian Government will increase  the time for sport and physical education in public school curriculums to the levels recommended in the 1993 Moneghetti report, with primary school children to spend a minimum of 100 minutes each week participating in organised sporting activities, and secondary students to receive 100 minutes of sporting activity and 100 minutes of physical and health education. (25 Nov)

The Minister for Local Government, Mr Bob Cameron, has announced the formation of a Taskforce to implement the Best Value Victoria local government model, which the Government is establishing under legislation currently before Parliament. (25 Nov)

Commercial port waters in Victoria will be closed to shipping operations for large vessels for up to 24 hours from New Year's Eve as part of Year 2000 contingency planning. (25 Nov)

The Government's film, television and multimedia agency, Cinemedia, will move into the Arts portfolio and the Government will "review spending priorities" within Cinemedia to "ensure that funding to Film Victoria is restored to its previous level" (25 Nov)

The Minister for the Arts, Ms Mary Delahunty, today announced details of 19 recipients for grants totalling $252,992 under Arts Victoria's two International Programs, Export and Touring and Cultural Exchange. (24 Nov)

The Minister for Planning, Mr John Thwaites has approved the final development plans for the Melbourne University Square Campus project in South Carlton, claiming the new Government had been able to make significant improvements to the original design of the project. (24 Nov)

The Minister for Environment and Conservation, Ms Sherryl Garbutt, says she is concerned Federal Government funding for the completion of Stage 6 of the Wimmera Mallee pipeline is to be taken from Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) allocations. (23 Nov)

The Premier has announced that each Government department or agency would be responsible for determining what compensation should be paid to their employees rostered to work on New Year's Eve, with the cost of any locally negotiated incentive package is to be borne by the relevant Department or Agency concerned save in exceptional circumstances approved by the Expenditure Review Committee.  (22 Nov)

In a speech stating that he will continue to approve Councils' new format planning schemes, but will require schemes to support the new Government's planning agenda, the Minster for Planning, Mr John Thwaites, commented "This Government does not believe in a quick-fix approach to planning. The emphasis for this Government is on consultation and balance. To get the improvements right from the outset the approach must be considered and consultative – and not reactive or rushed.” (19 Nov)

The Minister for Health has officially opened an expanded spinal rehabilitation facility at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre in Kew, paid for by $300,000 of additional funding provided under the previous Government. (17 Nov)

The Minister for Community Services has supported the initiatives of the previous Government in closing the Pleasant Creek Centre for people with intellectual disabilities and establishing home units such as the $320,000 Community Residential Unit in McKenzie Street, Bendigo. (17 Nov)

Melbourne will host Australia's first National Innovation Summit in February, 2000, a joint initiative of the Business Council of Australia and the Federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources.  The Victorian Government  would contribute $100,000 toward the costs of the venue, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. (17 Nov)

The Government has announced  increased funding for the Victorian Multicultural Commission's 1999/2000 Small Grants Program to $880 000 and promised further increases over the next three years. (17 Nov)

The Government has introduced into Parliament legislation amending the Freedom of Information Act. (16 Nov)

The Minister for State and Regional Development has announced a $20 million Technology Commercialisation Program to provide access to business development services.  The funding is being provided from the $310 million Science, Engineering and Technology program established by the previous Government. (16 Nov)

The Minister for State and Regional Development has announced that the Government would deliver a package of financial support to secure the establishment of ADI's military and specialist vehicles division in Bendigo. (16 Nov)

The Minister for Finance has announced a review of the State Government's purchasing and contracting framework. (15 Nov)

The Minister for the Arts, Ms Mary Delahunty, today announced details of eleven recipients of grants totalling $367,805 under Arts Victoria's Touring Victoria program. (15 Nov)

The Premier and Treasurer has made a number of questionable assertions in tabling the 1998-99 State Financial Report, which showed that the State budget sector achieved a surplus of some $1.7 billion in 1998-99. (11 Nov)

The Minister for State and Regional Development has committed the new Government to supporting Victoria's memberhip of a network of Capital Cities of Great Wine-Growing Regions entered into by the previous Government. (11 Nov)

The Minister for Environment and Conservation has announced that she would be issuing a formal directive to Catchment Management Authorities to discontinue charging catchment tariffs. (11 Nov)

The Minister for State and Regional Development has made a Ministerial Statement on information technology policy - Connecting Victoria (11 Nov)

The Government has announced changes to arrangements for handling Ovine Johne's Disease. (11 Nov)

Robert Keith Kent QC has been appointed a County Court judge. (10 Nov)

The Government will commit an additional $9 million over the next three years to upgrade Victoria's network of on-road and off-road bike paths the Minister for Transport, Mr Peter Batchelor has announced. (10 Nov)

eSign Australia is to spend $6 million on its purpose-built Regional Operations Centre in Melbourne, under licence from US company VeriSign, creating 67 jobs, the Minister for State and Regional Development has announced. However, details of the arrangements are regarded as commercial-in-confidence. (9 Nov)

DHL is to establish a new $7m facility at Tullamarine airport, including facilities for export of fresh food by air to Asian markets, creating 200 jobs, the Minister for State and Regional Development has announced. (8 Nov)