Council slams pipeline

By Melissa Meehan
SHIRE of Yarra Ranges councillors voted to formally endorse their submission to Water Minister Tim Holding in relation to the Sugarloaf Pipeline at last week’s council meeting.
Given the very tight timeline that submissions could be received, the submission draft was circulated at various stages for councillor input, but could not be formally endorsed by council before it was sent.
A unanimous decision saw the councillors vote to endorse the submission and highlight their feelings that the Victorian government had let down both the council and its community.
Councillor Jeanette McRae used the council meeting to highlight the time and effort of local community groups and council staff who put the submission together in such a short time frame.
“I believe that community groups along with council staff should be thanked for their time and efforts, the government has been “tokenistic” towards community and council in this development,” Cr McRae said.
Councillor Samantha Dunn echoed Cr McRae’s comments and highlighted the failure of the government to show evidence of water savings.
Councillor Noel Cliff described the project as a “disgrace” and labelled the government’s plans as “downright vandalism”.
After the unanimous decision to endorse the submission Councillor Len Cox moved a motion to highlight the council’s concerns about the width of the easement surrounding the pipeline.
“I cannot imagine why there is a need for a 13-meter easement for a 1.4 meter pipeline,” Cr Cox said.
Councillors voted to support the amendment to the submission which will be sent to the Water Minister shortly.