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What if we had more people making decisions whose goal was the creation of beauty or telling stories or growing food or caring for older people? We would have a richer public life, a richer discourse. And we would get better decision-making because suddenly you wouldn’t have this very narrow financially-driven set of decision makers making decisions with that possibly invisible bias colouring their vision.
(Jess Scully, cited in Dumbo Feather magazine, August 2020, p.26)
When given the authority, time, and information, everyday people take the tough questions, side-step party lines, and deliver sensible answers.
(newDemocracy Foundation website, 2021)
There’s lots in this February newsletter, after a couple of months break. Scroll down and discover more about these vibrant central Victorian places we live in!
- Launching Event — Castlemaine Free University
- Gardening Australia comes to Newstead Natives
- Repair Cafes return- Daylesford and Castlemaine
- Circular economy webinar- Mt Alexander shire
- No mining: No Wombat Gold
- Wild Things Documentary film
- Established orchard business available in Harcourt
- How-to posters about food preservation
- Connecting with old paddock trees & Healthy Landscapes Guide
- Learn weaving and natural dyeing in Castlemaine
- Pay the rent scheme
- Walk and picnic in Rise and Shine- Strangways/Clydesdale
- Climate Justice and No to a gas-led recovery plan
- Hepburn Together- Participate Hepburn
- Mt Franklin Organics
- Rivers Storytelling Program- Northern Victoria
- Castlemaine Weekly Farmers Market and MaLets program
- Castlemaine State Festival 2021
- Make a Change- Initiatives that make a difference- Bendigo
- Seed Libraries – Hepburn and Castlemaine
- Forest and Free- Community Bush School, Daylesford
- Vocal Nosh in Newstead
- Daylesford Community Food Gardens
- Wild Fennel: Hepburn Herbal Group
- Land Share Central Victoria
- Democratic Renewal in Hepburn Shire
- Bendigo Villages launched
- Community Supported Bakery- Two Fold Bakehouse
- Explore, be inspired and have your say in Mt Alexander shire
- Hepburn Wholefoods
- Tiny house update in Mt Alexander shire
- Food for Thought- Anitra Nelson, Alison Pouliot, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Trevor Scott, Charles Massy, Rob Hopkins and Morag Gamble
1. Launching Event — Castlemaine Free University
TOPIC: Community Voice was initiated by a group of concerned residents in May 2020, who wished to bring about democratic renewal across Hepburn Shire, in the lead up to the local government elections. A majority of Community Voice independent candidates, committed to active democracy, were elected in October 2020. Community Voice’s current focus includes: notifying residents about what’s going on in council; encouraging effective participation in the democratic process; and communicating values, wishes and concerns expressed by our communities to inform and guide council’s direction.
WHAT? — Hear and engage with Nikki Marshall, Patrick Jones and Councillor Jen Bray on Community Voice, which started in 2020 to promote participatory democracy in Hepburn Shire. They will talk about their experiences, vision and achievements. An idea for Mount Alexander Shire? Come along and participate in the Q&A.
WHO? — Among a plethora of other activities, Nikki Marshall edits the monthly Localising Leanganook newsletter, Patrick Jones and his family are pioneering ‘neo-peasant’ lifestyles locally, and Jen Bray has just become one of the two new councillors for Birch Ward in Hepburn.
WHERE? — Northern Arts Hotel, 359 Barker Street, Castlemaine, 3450
WHEN? — 7pm–9pm Monday 1 March 2021
FREE — but gold coin donation for tea, water or coffee.
SPEAKERS
Nikki Marshall has worked for many years towards system change. Living on Dja Dja Wurrung country for the past 10 years, she advocates ways of living that are regenerative, within the earth’s limits, and that draw on our collective and creative capacity to respond to the complex challenges we face.
Patrick Jones is a subsistence-economy activist, poet, forester, community collaborator and goat herder who works within neighbourhood and community biomes to re-common land and build post-capital social and ecological relations in every aspect of life. He is a member of the performance group Artist as Family who perform everyday culture degrowth and neopeasant lifeways in southern Djaara Peoples’ Country.
Jen Bray has been active in the Hepburn shire community for the past 15 years working with children and youth in the performing arts, running festivals and events, providing Outdoor Ed activities for families, and advocating for Climate Action and local issues. She has recently been elected to Hepburn Shire Council on a platform of listening to, and acting for the community.
For more information: Castlemaine Free University — https://anitranelson.info/cfu
2. Gardening Australia comes to Newstead Natives
ABC’s Gardening Australia team is visiting Frances Cincotta to learn more about her Indigenous nursery at Newstead.
When: Tune into ABC TV at 7.30pm on Friday February 26th.
Specialising in native plants for habitat restoration in the Mount Alexander Shire, Frances Cincotta established Newstead Natives Nursery in 1999. Frances collects seeds and cuttings from remnant bushland areas in central Victoria and uses this material to propagate almost 200 species for local habitat restoration projects. Customers include Landcare and environmental groups as well as individual gardeners and farmers.
Local native (or indigenous) plants are the best choice for supporting the local ecology, and they are likely to be successful as they are adapted to the local conditions including hot, dry summers and frosty winters. They do not need fertilising, or artificial watering after their first year in the ground.
3. Repair Cafes return- Daylesford and Castlemaine
Both Daylesford and Castlemaine Repair Cafes start back again in February (covid willing). Here are the details:
Daylesford: Sunday February 21st, 1-4pm at Victoria Park Pavillion (on Daylesford-Ballan road)
Castlemaine: Sunday February 28th, 10am-1pm, Castlemaine Community House, Templeton St
Here’s Dayleford Repair Cafe’s latest poster.
4. Circular economy webinar- Mt Alexander shire
Jodi Newcombe, Mt Alexander Shire’s Climate Change Coordinator, recently hosted a webinar with circular economy expert and Hepburn Springs resident, Damien Melotte. This introduction to the Circular Economy provided a base understanding from a global perspective and also highlighted local examples, opportunities and action points.
The State government has released a raft of policies and funding opportunities to shift our economy from an outdated and wasteful linear model to a circular one, where the business community is more collaborative, diverse, localised and resilient.
Damien has suggested that we start a local community of practice that can convene to continue these conversations and help guide our work in an iterative way, starting with the development of a joint proposal to CEBIC: https://www.cebic.vic.gov.au/grants/recycling-victoria-business-support-fund-stream-1-identification-grants
The webinar was recorded. Here’s the link and passcode: https://zoom.us/rec/share/X409WcqSoRJDr3zV00xT1b3iz0PWX6RT7yNur3zqFVCPLZMQHbp2YhQb0tKBA535.gajrikr5RamzByte Passcode: 4vh+umbj
5. No mining: No Wombat Gold
No Wombat Gold are the community of the Wombat Forest concerned about a renewal of gold mining in the area. For more information: nowombatgold@gmail.com ; https://www.facebook.com/NoWombatGold/
6. Wild Things Documentary film
Some of our young local climate activists feature in this new documentary film. There were several recent screenings at Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal. Check out other cinemas and encourage your local cinema to screen the film.
Wild Things follows a new generation of environmental activists that are mobilising against forces more powerful than themselves and saying: enough.
7. Established orchard business available in Harcourt
The Grow Great Fruit orchard in Harcourt, which Ant has been looking after for nearly 4 years, with all it’s associated infrastructure and machinery and the business, is being made available.
It is an excellent opportunity for someone with a passion for organic farming so if you’re interested in taking on a farming enterprise, read on or click the button below. Also, please share this message as much as possible! More info
If you’d like a career in farming, there’s not many opportunities to get started that are as fully-formed as this one. You get to walk into an established, certified organic orchard and start making money from the first year. You get the freedom of running your own farm business immediately, without the worry or responsibility of a mortgage. And you get to do it all within the supportive community environment of the co-op.
The orchard has changed a little since Ant started 4 years ago, but essentially still grows cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums apples, and pears. There are 4,000 productive trees.
The infrastructure that’s provided includes a packing shed, coolroom, tractor, and forklift, as well as access to the communal spaces which include a bathroom and tearoom. The right person will ideally have some previous fruit growing or farming experience, as well as experience with organics. To find out more about the opportunity and how to apply, visit growgreatfruit.com/expression-of-interest
8. How-to posters about food preservation
Local illustrator Brenna Quinlan, who has lived at Melliodora in Hepburn Springs for the past 4 years, has created a series of how-to posters around food preservation. Topics include apple scrap vinegar, bottled fruit, dried fruit, fermented vegetables, sour dough, yoghurt, sauerkraut and more. Here’s a timely poster to whet your appetite.
9. Connecting with old paddock trees & Healthy Landscapes Guide
Recently Connecting Country organised a tour of Guildford and surrounds, hosted by passionate local character and historian Max Kay, and his daughter and photographer Gen Kay. The aim was to capture an array of photographs featuring the local landscape, threats and some of the natural assets of our region. The photographs are to be used in the upcoming Healthy Landscapes Guide, which is about helping our local farmers and other landholders manage their land sustainably for the benefit of farms, wildlife, and broader landscape health.
They also visited long-serving Guildford and Upper Loddon Landcare President Maurie Dynon, who has an amazing knowledge of the region and the restoration efforts over the past few decades. Maurie has preserved many of the large native trees on his property, including a Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) estimated to be over 500 years old. The large old trees we visited in Guildford on private property were a mix of Yellow-Box (Eucalyptus melliodora)and Grey Box. The trees are a stunning example of valuable habitat and Indigenous cultural heritage, and what can be achieved if these trees are protected and encouraged to exist within farming landscapes. Maurie invited us to photograph the large scar tree near his dam which he learnt is a canoe tree when he had it assessed and registered.
We are lucky enough to have old paddock trees in our shire, many of them hundreds of years old. They provide critical resources for wildlife including hollows which are slow to develop taking more than a hundred years to form, and as such are a limited resource in surrounding regenerating woodlands and forests. Paddock trees are associated with an increase in the abundance and diversity of insect pollinators and natural pest control agents. Native microbats, lizards, and birds will prey on common farm pests, and many of these species use paddock trees for roosting, nesting and foraging due to their thick bark, large canopies, and often heavy flowering.
Here’s a selection of photographs, taken on the day, with more to come from professional photographer Gen Kay. Photos by Ivan Carter, Connecting Country.
The Healthy Landscapes guidebook will cover practical topics such as:
- Reading your landscape: Assessing a property to identify natural assets (e.g., remnant vegetation and large old trees), threats (e.g., weeds, overgrazing, erosion), the need for shade and shelter for stock.
- Property planning: Whole-property planning tailored to landholder needs and aspirations, to protect and enhance natural assets, increase farm productivity, reduce threats and build farm resilience.
- Managing soil and water: Identifying soil types, managing soil erosion, building soil carbon, managing farm dams as habitat, fencing waterways and off-stream watering to improve water quality.
- Promoting biodiversity: Fencing remnant vegetation, grazing exclusion, revegetation techniques, selecting revegetation areas and plants to achieve landscape connectivity, enhance remnant vegetation, protect soil and shelter stock.
- Managing threats: Weed and pest animal identification, control methods, integrated pest management, staying ahead of new and emerging weeds using the latest online tools.
Taken from a post by Connecting Country, on 5 February, 2021 (https://connectingcountry.org.au/)
10. Learn weaving and natural dyeing in Castlemaine
When: (5 Full days 10 – 4pm) Sat/Sun March 6 & 7, then Saturdays: April 3, May 8, and June 6.
For those who have completed Introduction to Weaving classes and are ready for more theory and practice!
We’ll be weaving some lovely iterations of Extra Warp Patterning including Warp Pile Velvet, Turned Overshot, Turned Monksbelt, Double Cloth Pleats and Supplementary Warp Pick-Up . And, we’ll have a Natural Dye day on the opening weekend to tie and colour our warps for Ikat-like effects.
Increase your confidence in reading, adapting and ultimately designing your own patterns and textures on 4 or 8 shafts. BYO table loom, or borrow one from Ilka.
Online follow-up will also be available for those who can’t join us for every session. EMAIL ILKA TO ENROL
11. Pay the rent scheme
The scheme Pay The Rent was endorsed in the 1970’s by the National Aboriginal and Islander Health organisation. It is a way of acknowledging that all Australians live on and benefit from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander land that was taken without consent, payment or treaty. The scheme is a way that other Australians can contribute “rent” directly to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led groups and organisations.
Other Australians can contribute to Pay The Rent in different ways, through money transfer or by providing useful services or skills. Rent can be paid through any of the schemes in Australia. A scheme in Castlemaine is hosted by the Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation website. For more information: https://nalderun.net.au/pay-the-rent/
or phone Nalderun: 5472 4842 9am – 3pm Mon-Friday or or email: nalderun@cch.org.au
12. Walk and picnic in Rise and Shine- Strangways/Clydesdale
When: Saturday March 13th starting at 5pm
Where: end of Ramsey’s lane, Clydesdale
Newstead Landcare will start the year with an evening walk in the beautiful Rise and Shine Nature Conservation Reserve followed by a picnic dinner. For those not familiar with the Rise and Shine, it is a unique mosaic of vegetation types and a bird hotspot – one of BirdLife Australia’s Key Biodiversity Areas. Newstead Landcare Group has been involved with its protection for over 15 years.
The picnic area and start of the walk is about a kilometre up the lane. The 3km walk is fairly level, but has a rough surface in places and a few fallen trees need to be skirted. Bring something to eat, to drink and your own utensils for the picnic. All are welcome to come along. As there may be limits on participant numbers due to COVID, if you’d like to come please RSVP to David Tuck by email to clydesdalehome@fastmail.com.au or by phone on 0473620045
13. Climate Justice and No to a gas-led recovery plan
Castlemaine climate justice activists are inviting us to make a submissions on the government’s gas led recovery plan. Email Trevor Scott and he will forward to the Australian Conservation Foundation. Submissions are to the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources). SUBMISSION TO DISER ON GAS RECOVERY PLAN
Closing date for submissions on emissions is 26th February. If you want to write a submission and would like some help, contact Trevor Scott (email: trevorscott3@gmail.com)
Here’s the website link for submissions: https://consult.industry.gov.au/energy/gas-fired-recovery-plan/ .
Castlemaine’s Climate Justice stall is at Wesley Hill market on Saturdays, and at the Artists’ Market on the first Sunday of each month.
14. Hepburn Together- Participate Hepburn
During 2021 Hepburn Shire Council is embarking on a major strategic planning project: the Hepburn Together project. The project encompasses development of the following key strategic documents:
- Community Engagement Policy.
- 10-year Community Vision.
- 4-year Council Plan (incorporating Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan).
- Financial Plan and Asset Plan.
Through community engagement Council plans to build a comprehensive understanding of community aspirations, strengths, ideas, priorities and challenges. Also, together, uncover the best way to engage with the community, create a shared community vision, and define strategic priorities to inform Council decision making while providing strong leadership and governance that is responsive, open, and accountable.
The Hepburn Together project is an opportunity to shape our future. It is important that we plan in partnership with our community to ensure that the direction we set is a shared one.
For further information and to have your say: https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/hepburn-together
15. Mt Franklin Organics
16. Rivers Storytelling Program- Northern Victoria
This Environment Victoria free program is based on building the capacity of communities and individuals to tell effective stories that influence change for positive environmental outcomes for our rivers. Telling local stories helps build understanding and is a useful platform for action and practice change.
Over the next few months, Environment Victoria will be bringing people together from across northern Victoria for a comprehensive training program to tell stories that are emotionally compelling and get media attention.
The Loddon River at Bridgewater (photo: ABC Central Victoria)
We need to tell the stories of our communities, which are bearing the burden of change. Local stories help build understanding and galvanise people who want to take action.
The training sessions will be held monthly. You can attend individual sessions, or commit to the whole program. Participants will supported with coaching, a list of media contacts in your area and feedback for telling your own story.
At the end of the program, you’ll have published an opinion piece, media story or social media video and you’ll be connected to a new network of river storytellers in your area.
For further information or to register your interest, visit the Environment Victoria website – click here
Posted by Connecting Country 20/1/ 21 (https://connectingcountry.org.au/rivers-storytelling-with-environment-victoria)
17. Castlemaine Weekly Farmers Market and MaLets program
When: Weekly– Every Wednesday afternoon- 3.30 -6pm; Monthly – first Sunday of the month, 9am -1pm
Where: Maxi IGA Carpark and surrounds of Visitor Information Centre, between Forest Street and Mostyn Street
Fresh, local, seasonal food from vegetable, fruit and milk producers at Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative, along with other local farmers.
Swapping produce: There’s also the MaLets table for those who want to swap home grown and home made produce. Sign up and away you go! And you can go into debt or credit. HEAPS of fantastic stuff – seasonal fresh fruit & fresh vegetables, including tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers, other salad items plus pears, plums, nectarines, apples, grapefruit, lemons and eggs. When’s there’s abundance there’s also cooked/poached plums, peaches, pears and tomatoes, so come along to the market and let us help each other out distributing seasonal food, fresh & cooked.
For more information re MaLets: malets.editor@gmail.com
For more information re market: https://castlemainefarmersmarket.org/
18. Castlemaine State Festival 2021
Castlemaine’s biennial festival is on again from March 18th to April 4th, 2021. There’s music, theatre, talks, writers, performance, artists’ open studio’s, circus and much more. There are free events, indoor and outdoor venues, as well as family friendly events.
For more information and program go to: https://castlemainefestival.com.au/
19. Make a Change- Initiatives that make a difference- Bendigo
Make a Change/Let’s pivot, is based in Bendigo and works with local people to create positive change. They are running eight sessions delivered on Wednesdays 10.30am – 12pm from 3rd February to 24th March. These sessions are free of charge and are friendly, inclusive, facilitated discussions for not-for-profits, community groups, leaders, and anyone who wants to be more effective or make a positive impact!
Designed for people to connect, explore, and enjoy the topics provided, they are particularly relevant if you are looking for support to:
- adapt services and programs
- implement new projects
- change approaches and plans
- build resilience and strengthen community connections
- increase community involvement
- improve online delivery
- gain inspiration and ideas
- be part of an encouraging network
- or simply tune in to what others are doing
Included is an invitation to attend an optional 15 min session prior to the start of each discussion to cover any tech questions you may have in using Zoom or other online platforms. You will also receive all the agendas as templates so you can have these conversations with your own groups and communities later.
To book or join the sessions: https://jumpleads.us5.list-manage.com/
Movers and Shakers: Make a Change have hosted interviews with local and national thought leaders and changemakers. These interviews have provided food for thought and stimulus for Let’s Pivot participants and our broader community, including:
Ian McBurney Amanda Logie Craig Lapsley
More interviews to come this month and next.Topics include online fundraising, locally led solutions,
co-working in rural towns and more. For more information: https://makeachange.org.au/
20. Seed Libraries – Hepburn and Castlemaine
At the recent working bee Castlemaine Seed Library received donations of rainbow chard, red cos lettuce, mixed lettuce, china rose/daikon radish cross, edible chrysanthemums, parsley, coriander, purple sprouting broccoli, celery, chervil, carrot, ruby red chard, garlic chives, Wasabi mustard greens, rocket, kohl-rabi and honey peas.
For the bees and other pollinators we received dark and light pink hollyhocks to plant in spring, mixed cornflowers, frilled daisy, striped marigold and pink scabiosa.
Next Seed Library working bee- There are lots of seeds to winnow and pack. All welcome.
When: March 4th 11am.
Where: Library foyer for Covid-safe spacing.
If you can’t get enough gardening and want to join a friendly group, the Castlemaine Community House garden weekly working bee is on Thursday mornings, 9.30 – 1pm.
Hepburn Seed Savers
Hepburn Seed Savers meet every third Sunday afternoon from 2pm at Glenlyon Hall, starting back this year on February 21st. Come along and help pack and swap seeds and meet fellow like- minded seed lovers and gardeners.
Our local living seed library is at Hepburn Wholefoods, open Mon 9:30-11:30, Tues 5:00-7:00pm, Wed 2:00-4:00pm, and Thursday 3-5pm
For more information: https://www.facebook.com/Seedkeepers/
21. Forest and Free- Community Bush School, Daylesford
22. Vocal Nosh in Newstead
Songs to keep our dreams afloat”
23. Daylesford Community Food Gardens
Daylesford has several community food gardens where free organic, liberated food is grown for all to share. Monthly working bees are held on the second Saturday of each month from 10am – 12pm at the library garden.
24. Wild Fennel: Hepburn Herbal Group
Wild Fennel is back. Join us for the first Wild Fennel of the year.
When : Saturday February 20th from 9.30am – 12.30pm
Where: Daylesford skate-park community garden.
Bring a rug to sit on, a thermos of your favourite herbal tea + cup and a burning herbal question to ask facilitator Rosie Cooper.
25. Land Share Central Victoria
26. Democratic Renewal in Hepburn Shire
- flags to the community upcoming council issues, e.g. around policy, planning, local laws;
- collects information from the community about their current issues and barriers, then formally shares that information with the wider community and the shire’s councillors;
- promotes and trials active democracy methods within the shire, i.e. ways of ensuring public participation in council decision making.
27. Bendigo Villages launched
It’s time to reconnect with neighbours and communities across town to create an epidemic of belonging. It’s time to share stuff and skills with neighbours and reduce consumption. It’s time we had our own local cooperative platform, with no ads, no bots, no billionaires and no one selling our private data. On Villages, you’re in control. Of who you connect with, what you share and what you see.
Vision: We own our local digital sharing economy together. First mission: Create a digital platform that allows Bendigo people to create, own and run sharing enterprises, providing access to shared local goods and services.
28. Community Supported Bakery- Two Fold Bakehouse
29. Explore, be inspired and have your say in Mt Alexander shire
Have your say on our region’s future: A collection of local groups are looking for community input on a plan for our shire’s future. Climate change will bring many challenges to our region which is already dry and prone to bushfires. We want to plan how our community can continue to thrive into the future and build our resilience to the climate shocks that are anticipated.
Last year, with significant input from the community, Mount Alexander Shire Council declared a Climate Emergency. Since then, The Mount Alexander Sustainability Group (MASG), Council, The Hub Foundation, Renew Consulting, Nalderun, Central Vic Greenhouse Alliance, Castlemaine Institute and many other local groups have been working together to create a plan for the Mount Alexander Shire. Reaching zero net (carbon) emissions (Z-NET) by 2030 is one aspiration, the other is to take actions that build local resilience as we adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The aim is for many people from the Mount Alexander Shire to co-create this community transition plan. To this end, the collective have set up an online platform for people to introduce what is important to them and share ideas. Building our collaborative capacity and harnessing the wisdom within this community is a critical aspect of the way forward.
There are three main forums for discussion on the site covering; vision, concerns and ideas. Questions posed include: What does a future thriving future look like? What are your concerns for the future? What are your big (and little) ideas? You don’t have to be an expert; you just need a willingness to be part of envisioning our future.
Any resident of the Mount Alexander Shire can register on OurSay and join the discussions. You can see what other people are talking about and vote for the ideas you think are good, or suggest changes. The site will be open until March 2021 at which time the next phase of sorting and decision making will be set into motion.
“The OurSay site is an ideal hub for discussions on reducing carbon emissions and other local climate change opportunities and challenges. What I like best about it is that any of us can read and post ideas and proposals there 24/7. It allows for open and vibrant engagement with others so we can collaboratively plan on making our future sustainable.” Anitra Nelson said, a local eco-housing enthusiast and one of the early users of the site.
Go to: https://oursay.org/znetmountalexandershire
(Thanks to Alison Hanley at MASG for this posting)
30. Hepburn Wholefoods
ORGANIC BULK WHOLEFOODS FOR THE DAYLESFORD REGION
Hepburn Wholefoods Collective is a not-for-profit community group which aims to support a vibrant and secure community food system. We sell wholefoods in the Daylesford and Hepburn area to provide a connection between growers and their community.
Our stocked goods are sourced from the most local farms we can buy from, and our preference is to buy organic and biodynamic food straight from them.
Community members pay an annual fee and then bring their own containers to stock up their pantry. The shop is staffed by volunteers and is usually open four days a week for two hours at a time.
31. Tiny house update in Mt Alexander shire
A permit for using a ‘tiny house’ as a residence in Mount Alexander Shire (MAS) can be obtained but there are certain limits and conditions. A well-fitted and multi-functional off-grid tiny house is likely to be the simplest type to succeed in getting a permit.
Temporary use: The tiny house cannot be established on a vacant lot unless there is a another dwelling with a permit being constructed on site. In this instance, the tiny house will require a permit prior to or within a few weeks of being positioned. The permit will be issued according to clauses in the Local Law pertaining to caravans and similar for temporary use by the builder or future resident. This permit will be for six months with the option of an extension every six months up to two years provided the primary dwelling is still under construction.
Permanent residence: A permit for a tiny house to be used as a permanent residence requires the tiny house to be located on a site with a pre-existing primary dwelling but no secondary dwelling. The fact that it is a small dwelling on wheels or stumped is of little consequence. As such the tiny house will be considered for a permit under provisions and consultation processes for a secondary dwelling.
These provisions are many and various. For instance, on a town lot the siting and type of tiny house will need to fit into Residential Development standards (ResCode) design, zoning, planning and building regulations, including overlays. In a rural area the applicant will need to show that the tiny house will not impinge on agricultural production. Many applicants will need to ensure that the dwelling is made of appropriate materials and sited in accord with Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) requirements in cases of a bushfire overlay. The regional water authority will need to approve the water collection, use and sanitation utilities. Neighbours will be given an opportunity to object to the permit being approved.
Prospective applicants can arrange a pre-application meeting with a MAS statutory planner to discuss such details. An application might take up to sixty days to be approved (or not, as the case might be), unless delayed for instance in processing by the local water authority.
In October 2020 the MAS charge for making an application for a permit for a tiny house/secondary dwelling worth up to $100,000 was $1147.80.
For more information: https://www.facebook.com/mountalexanderecohousinggp/
Photo: Australian Tiny House Association. Information: Mt Alexander Eco-Housing group
32. Food for Thought
32.1 Anitra Nelson interviewed on the Post capitalism podcast- capitalism, COVID-19, and degrowth economics
32.2 The Kingdom of Fungi with Alison Pouliot- a video highlighting the role fungi plays in Central Victorian ecosystems
click here
32.3 Profile of Helena Norberg-Hodge,
Helena is founder of Local Futures and this article is published in the New York Times.The piece provides a glimpse of the world through Helena’s eyes, opening the window onto a radically different future. In light of the coronavirus crisis, more and more people are thirsting for the connection – with Nature and with others – that is at the heart of this vision. As Helena points out, community and local economies “just make sense”.
Profile of Helena Norberg-Hodge,
32.4 The role of gardening during the pandemic
In Sustain’s national Pandemic Gardening Survey, 19% of respondents said they couldn’t have made it through this challenging time without their garden–they considered it liberating, essential, and life-saving. In this podcast, Sustain’s Dr. Nick Rose sits down with permaculture champion Morag Gamble to discuss the crucial role of gardening during the pandemic.
Listen here
32.5 Dr. Charles Massy and Regenerative Farming
In a recent episode of ABC’s Australian Story, Dr. Charles Massy continues to advocate for regenerative agriculture, which he calls “one of the great stories of hope.”
Watch his 2018 TedTalk
32. 5 Climate Activist Trevor Scott on the gas-led recovery
GAS-LED RECOVERY IS NEITHER RESPONSIBLE NOR SAFE: In spite of the science that says that fossil fuels must stay in the ground, Scott Morrison and his government insist we must have a “gas-led recovery”. Labor supports this “subject to environmental approvals to ensure communities are addressed”. The problem is “fracking”, the preferred method of gas extraction, is destructive and damaging, and it seems that neither party has done their homework on this. Fracking involves drilling deep beneath the earth’s crust into bedrock, before pumping a mixture of chemicals at high pressure into the bed, releasing the gas. It is neither responsible nor safe. The gas is normally beneath the water table and the process, deep underground, cannot be controlled. Gas and chemicals escape into the groundwater, which is poisoned, eventually polluting the streams and lakes in the area. If fracking is on agricultural land, the installation of the drill and thousands of metres of pipes, makes the land unusable, not to mention that farmers and their families have to put up with loud noise and bright lights throughout the night. Those who agree to fracking on their properties, find that their livestock become sick and die, their soil is contaminated and they are being poisoned by the drinking water. The farmer and his family have no choice other than to leave, forced off the land that was their livelihood. If the land is a national park, the forest is destroyed and the wildlife is threatened.
