Public Notice - May 26 2020

The Victorian Government is directing all Victorians to stay at home to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). While the stay at home directions still apply, some restrictions have eased and there is now a fifth reason to leave home.

You may only leave your home to:

• Shop for food and other necessary goods and services.
• Access medical services or provide caregiving.
• Attend work or education where you can’t do those things from home.
• Exercise and participate in some recreational activities adhering to the rules.
• Visit friends, family and loved ones while adhering to the rules.
You may also leave your home in an emergency or if required by law.

You can now have:

• Family and friends visit you at home – with up to five visitors being allowed at your home at one time.
• Gatherings of people for the purposes of non-contact sport and recreation in public settings, such as parks – with groups of up to ten being allowed to gather.
• Small gatherings of up to ten people at some indoor facilities such as places of worship and community centres – along with those required to run the facilities. The four-square metre rule applies.

It is important that we all continue to stay at home and follow the advice to keep our community safe and protect each other. Please continue to maintain good hygiene and physical distancing, and check in on your family, friends and neighbours. We also urge you to shop locally to keep every dollar in our shire.

Remember to stay home if you are unwell and get tested if you are experiencing mild symptoms of coronavirus. Make an appointment with your local GP or head to a nearby testing centre in Bendigo, Kyneton or Maryborough.

For more information call the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398 or visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

Council is continuing to implement our pandemic response plan and deliver a range of services within the directives from government and health authorities. We also announced some initial relief measures in March.

For updates on Council services visit www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

To help and connect our community at this time we have created a dedicated COVID-19 support number and email. For local information or a referral to a community organisation or service, call us on 1800 512 446 between 8.30am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday or email covid19@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.

We have also expanded the COVID-19 support service to provide an online virtual emergency relief centre (VERC). The online centre provides a one-stop shop for assistance, similar to what would be in a physical emergency relief centre.

Visit www.connectmountalexander.com.au for information about programs and services to help residents and business deal with the impacts of coronavirus on the road to recovery. There are links to service providers and assistance programs, frequently asked questions such as where to get tested, and an online form to make a request for support.

Help keep our community safe by downloading the COVIDSafe app. It’s part of a nation-wide effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. The free app helps find close contacts of COVID-19 cases. This means health workers can quickly notify you if you come into contact with someone who has coronavirus. It also reduces the chances of passing the virus on to family, friends and other people in the community. For more information visit www.health.gov.au.

CHIRP Community Health can offer support to help you get through these challenging times. Call CHIRP on 5479 1000 weekdays during business hours or visit www.chirp.org.au. For crisis support and suicide prevention services contact Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 www.kidshelpline.com.au; QLife 1800 184 527 www.qlife.org.au or Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au.

If you or someone you know are at risk of family violence call Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 or visit www.safesteps.org.au. The Centre for Non-Violence based in Bendigo offers a range of services. These include safety planning, counselling and support for those at risk including children, financial counselling, access to emergency accommodation, referrals to legal services and more. Contact the centre on 1800 884 292 or visit www.cnv.org.au. In an emergency call 000.

Quotations are invited for the following contracts. Documentation is available on Council's website under Tenders and Quotations.

Engineering Coordinator – Short Term Contract, Contract M1508-2020Q.
Quotations must be received by 2.00pm, Monday 1 June.

Access and Inclusion Implementation, Castlemaine, Contract M1507-2020Q.
Quotations must be received by 2.00pm, Friday 12 June.

Direct enquiries to Andrea O’Grady, Procurement Coordinator, on 5471 1724.

Darren Fuzzard, Chief Executive Officer

Sorry Day (26 May) and National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) will be recognised a little differently this year, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and show respect to our Indigenous community, their history and culture. Take a look at the Central Victorian Indigenous Film Festival at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au. Find other events at nrw.reconciliation.org.au. Council will feature messages throughout Reconciliation Week on our Facebook page.

Works will start this week to upgrade a stretch of the Forest Creek Trail and install an accessible crossing on Hargraves Street. The trail upgrade starts behind the site of the proposed new supermarket in Castlemaine and runs along the creek behind the Castlemaine Tennis Club Courts to Hargraves Street. The trail will be closed during the works, which are expected to take four weeks. The project is funded by the State Government’s Healthy Heart of Victoria initiative.

We are seeking feedback on our new plan to support the needs of children aged 8 to 12 years and their families. The plan was developed in partnership with the community and will be available from Wednesday 27 May at www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/HaveYourSay. Submissions are due on Wednesday 10 June. Contact the Youth Development Team on 5471 1700 for a printed copy.

Engineering Coordinator – full time, ongoing.
Close at 9.00am on Monday 1 June.

Network and Systems Administrator – full time, fixed term (11 months).
Business Support Officer – Rostering – full time, ongoing.
Closes at 9.00am on Monday 8 June.

For more information or to apply visit our website.

The next Council meeting is at 6.30pm on Tuesday 16 June and will be broadcast live via YouTube.

To raise a question at the Council meeting write to the Governance Team, Mount Alexander Shire Council, PO Box 185, Castlemaine 3450 VIC, or email governance@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.

Messages must be received by 12 noon on the day of the meeting.

This information was correct at time of going to print. Find the latest updates on our website at
www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

The Council Column is published in The Midland Express each Tuesday.

Public notice - 26 May 2020.

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