Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Golden Plains Shire Council will be implementing a number of changes to its operations to reduce the risks to residents and staff.
As the situation evolves, further changes will be posted on Council’s website and social media, with weekly updates on the Council News page in the Golden Plains Times. For any questions, please call Customer Service at 5220 7111.
Changes to Council’s Services: From Monday 16 March
From close of business today, Monday 16 March, Council’s Bannockburn, Linton and Smythesdale Customer Service Centres will close for face-to-face interactions for four weeks. Customers will still be able to contact the Customer Service team during this time by:
- Phone: 5220 7111
- Email: [email protected]
- Online: goldenplains.vic.gov.au/forms/portal
Essential services of Council including Community Care and Maternal and Child Health Services will continue to operate on a priority basis and subject to staff availability. The Bannockburn Family Service Centre, Bannockburn Children’s Service and Council’s Kindergartens in Bannockburn, Teesdale, Rokewood, Inverleigh and Meredith remain open and operating as usual. Council’s waste collection services will continue as usual with the Rokewood Transfer station open as usual on Sunday.
Changes to Council Events and Engagements: From Monday 16 March
The next Ordinary Meeting of Council at Linton Shire Hall, 68 Sussex Street, will continue as usual on Tuesday 24 March at 6pm. All attendees are advised to practice social distancing and the hygiene recommendations of the Department of Health and Human Services.
With a number of active community consultations underway, Council will also cancel several in-person conversation posts planned for March.
The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) has cancelled the face-to-face consultation on the Bannockburn Growth Plan at Bannockburn Plaza on Thursday 19 March. The Bannockburn Growth Plan survey is open until Tuesday 31 March, 2020. Residents with questions can contact Council’s Strategic Planning Team Leader at 5220 7271 or email [email protected]. There will be opportunities for further community engagement as the project progresses through the Draft Plan stages.
The following Golden Plains Community Vision 2040 consultations are cancelled: 4 to 8pm, Friday 27 March, Bannockburn Skate Park Competition and 10am to 2pm, Saturday 28 March, Meredith Interpretive Centre. The Community Vision 2040 survey is open until Monday 30 March, 2020.
The Community Grants Information Session on Thursday 19 March at The Well in Smythesdale has also been cancelled. Applications for the Community Grants program open in April. Residents with questions can contact Council’s Community Partnerships Officer at 5220 7220 or email [email protected]
The Business Victoria workshop, “Finance Fundamentals”, presented by Council on Wednesday 18 March at the Bannockburn Cultural Centre has been cancelled, as has the “Starting Your Business” workshop at Haddon Community Centre on Thursday 26 March. For more business training and mentoring opportunities, please call Council’s Investment Attraction and Business Support team at 5220 7111 or email [email protected]
The Council-run This Girl Can Twilight Walk in Inverleigh on Wednesday 25 March, 2020 and the Barwon regional event in Geelong on Saturday 28 March, 2020 will not proceed at this time. Other This Girl Can events in Golden Plains Shire may or may not go ahead at the discretion of the organisers.
Council’s weekly youth groups in Smythesdale and Bannockburn, the Mark Smith Creative Writing Workshop on Tuesday 24 March, and the Barwon South West Skate, Scoot and BMX Competition at Bannockburn Skate Park on Saturday 28 March will not proceed as planned.
Regular playgroups, parenting groups and social support group meetings will continue, though no excursions or incursions will take place.
The Bannockburn Library and Golden Plains Mobile Library run by the Geelong Regional Library Corporation will close from Wednesday 18 March, 2020. For more information on the library closures, visit grlc.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.
For the most up-to-date public health information, Council encourages residents to visit the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services’ website at dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.