Desal Plant Disaster

The labour government’s desalination plant has sparked widespread environmental concerns.

The desalination plant located on the Bass Coast, is Australia’s largest and has a capacity of 150 gigalitres.

While plant will provide a secure source of clean water for Victorians, it has a huge impact on the environment. It is an unsustainable quick fix. The plant links to the Murray-Goulburn water grid as well as the Thomson River, despite the results of a scientific analysis concluded that all major rivers in Victoria could not ecologically support and sustain themselves.

Institute for Sustainable Water Resources, Dr Grace Mitchell said “the environment definitely did lose” as an outcome of this plant, which was one of the “biggest mistakes” the government has made in terms of sustainable water planning. She said a plant with a capacity of 50-100 gigalitres would have been feasible for Victoria’s population.

Environment Victoria CEO, Kelly O’Shanassy said they do not support the plant because it is too big O’Shanassy said “the desalination plant is the most expensive and energy intensive” solution to Victoria’s water problems.

Overcrowded and Under serviced: Melbourne’s Transport Disaster

Commuters should expect a wait of up to 20 years if they are looking for an enhanced public transport experience.

Monash University’s Chair of Public Transport, Professor Graham Currie said “as a general rule, there isn’t any public transport in Melbourne,”. This is because the number of commuters is rising rapidly, while the capacity and frequency of running trains, buses, and trams, remain the same.

The city’s inability to improve its transport services has lead to severe inefficiencies throughout the entire network. Patronage of trains has increased by 40% over its limit and traffic congestion has escalated by 20%.

As the government plans to invest $2 billion on 38 new trains, experts are still skeptical about the improvement it will make. Both Bowen and Currie said the government needs ongoing plans to improve the overall quality of public transport.

Daniel Bowen,vPublic Transport Users Association President, said more trains will only work as a “band aid” for the prevalent issue of the transport system not being able to accommodate commuters effectively.

Part of the solution is to have buses and trains that run more frequently and plan ahead with Melbourne’s population growth in mind. Currie said a “congestion tax” similar to London’s, may also help with making public transport run more efficiently. Bowen said traffic light priority given to trams will have a “big impact” on their efficiency.

The government plans to spend $18 billion on a new metro project focused on upgrading metropolitan train lines.

Flood Levels Rise, Residents Stranded

Rural residents of Broken River and Sevens Creek have been cut off as flood levels escalate. The Kialla Lakes area has had roads closed off.

The SES advised the Kialla Lakes and Taylors Estate community to evacuate and a public meeting was held at Mooroopna. Regional SES manager, Les Smith said necessary precautions were being taken to limit flood damage and residents “will have community support until the water subsides”. His main cause for concern is the Goulburn River and those who have been isolated on properties.

The Goulburn River is predicted to peak at 11.1 metres by tonight or early Tuesday morning. It is estimated 100 homes will be damaged as a result of flood water and 600 homes isolated.

A Recovery Centre has been set up at the Senior Citizen’s Centre on Welsford Street, Shepparton. Medium to long term assistance will be provided for those affected by the floods. Assistance will come in forms of monetary grants, aid in clearing up property, and psychological support.

Motorists are advised to monitor local road conditions prior to travelling and be wary of any wildlife in need of assistance.

Goulburn River

Meningococcal Outbreak in Ballarat

Five teenagers have been hospitalised and quarantined with meningococcal disease in Ballarat.

All were students of Sebastapol College, aged 13 to 16 and catch the same school bus.

The first to be diagnosed was Jeremy Little (15). He was rushed to hospital 6pm last night.

His symptoms included a high fever, intense headache, and vomiting. His mother, Lynne Little said she has not received any updates on Jeremy’s condition.

Sebastapol College principal, Bruce Feeney is not aware of any other students being diagnosed by the disease and is looking to the Department of Education for further instruction.

Ballarat Base Hospital’s Head of Communicable Diseases, Dr Beryl Wainwright said that the three were in a “serious but stable condition” and two were in a “critical condition”.