DINOSAUR ADVENTURES is Coming to Melbourne, 6/21-7/20

Did you hear a roar? A stomp? The Dinosaurs are coming!

We are pleased to announce that Dinosaur Adventures, the Number 1 Attraction at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show is set to open in Melbourne.

These life-size creatures will be taking over Caulfield Racecourse this June and July.

Dinosaur Adventures is an exhibition that is captivating young and old alike. Explore a prehistoric world full of life-size moving dinosaurs and be amazed and thrilled as the greatest creatures ever to walk the earth return and come alive right before your eyes.

Marvel at the story of their 200 million year domination of life on earth. Watch them move. Hear the roar. From the ripple of their skin to the glint in their eye, you will think that the dinosaurs really are back!

Apart from this amazing animatronics show, you will be able to become a Paleontologist for the day. Children will be provided their ‘experts digger outfit’ and chip away at their very own fossil. Plus there will be many more dinosaur activities to take part in including dinosaur sand art, dinosaur library, fossil displays, dinosaur inflatable activity land, dinosaur sand pit, photographic souvenirs inside a life sized dinosaur egg and so much more.

Pegged as a must-see these School Holidays, Dinosaur Adventures is set to bring all the wonder and excitement of the prehistoric world of dinosaurs back. Get ready to be thrilled as you see Triassic period comes to life!

Open from 21 June to 21 July, Dinosaur Adventures will deliver a realistic animatronics show like no other that will capture the imagination of children & parents everywhere.

“We are extremely excited about bringing Dinosaur Adventures to Caulfield Racecourse. The Exhibition was seen by over 250,000 people in just 16 days in Sydney, and we can’t wait to bring it to Melbourne. This is an inspiring show for the young and those just wanting to learn more about dinosaurs. We are very happy that we can deliver such a realistic animatronics show, that can represent what the dinosaurs where all about, ” commented Keith Brown, Dinosaur Adventures Director.

The event includes:

· Explore a prehistoric world full of life-size moving dinosaurs.

· Be amazed and thrilled as the greatest creatures ever to walk the earth come alive before your eyes.

· Meet Fred and Barney from The Flintstones

· Fossil displays

· Become a Paleontologist

· Dinosaur sand pit

· Dinosaur egg photos

· Camp fire story telling

· In a heated Big Top

Melbourne get ready to feel the Dino-Roar Saturday 21 June – Sunday 20 July 2014!

General Admission $27. Under 3’s free

www.dinosauradventures.com.au

Today’s Caulfield Leader features the public advertising of the Glen Eira budget and Strategic Resource Plan. Once again the public is assailed with the following claims in its budget papers – Glen Eira Council is characterised by low taxing (rates and charges)….low spending……

How true these claims are, readers can judge for themselves with the following facts on past and projected rate increases in Glen Eira from 2007 until 2017 –

2007/8 – 6.5%

2008/9 – 6.5%

2009/10 – 6.5%

2010/11 – 6.5%

2011/12 – 6.0%

2012/13 – 6.5%

2013/14 – 6.5%

2014/15 – 6.5%

2015/16 – 6.5%

2016/17 – 5.0%

By way of comparison here’s what some of our neighbouring councils forecast for their residents –

BAYSIDE – Rating levels – Modest rate increases are forecast over the four years. Council proposes a rate increase of 3.9% in 2014/15 and 4.3% for the following thee years to 2017/18.

STONNINGTON  – General rates are projected to increase by 4.3 percent in 2014/15 and 4.3 percent over the remaining years to 2017/18

On top of this, staff numbers continue to climb dramatically – again in stark contrast to other councils which often have a much larger area to service and a far greater population. Here are the Equivalent Full Time figures and these do not include the number of ‘contractors’ –

Bayside – 396

Port Phillip – 795

Yarra – 706

Stonnington – 575

Manningham – 493

Moonee Valley 728

Whitehorse – 654

Glen Eira  – 775

PS: We neglected to point out the following –

• Council no longer claims that it provides the largest pensioner rebate on earth. Instead, the language now states that the rebate of $270 is higher than in most Victorian municipalities. The government subsidy was $253 and for 2014/15 is said to rise to $258. That means that Council’s ‘largesse’ has been decreasing each single year and that this year will signal the magnificent sum of approximately $12 per pensioner!

PPS: After a decade of promises, delays, and inaction, the Tree Register issue remains in the land of the never-never. Action Items for the 2013/14 budget stated in its goals and measures the following:

Introduce Local Law which creates the framework for a Classified Tree Register- Local Law adopted by Council.

The 2014/15 Action Plan has ‘re-engineered’ this outcome by stating –

Introduce Local Law which creates the framework for a Classified Tree Register – Local Law exhibited by Council.

So here’s another example of a council resolution that hasn’t been fulfilled. Further ‘adopting’ and ‘exhibiting’ a Local Law are vastly different things. There is no guarantee that by June 30th 2015 we will be any closer to having a Tree Register in Glen Eira – nor for that matter even clapping eyes on what promises to be a highly controversial set of Local Law amendments.

City of Glen Eira Crown land

Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield)—I rise to raise a matter for the attention of the Minister for Environment and Climate Change regarding the Caulfield Park council depot and some Crown land located near the intersection of Glen Eira, Booran and Kambrook Roads, Caulfield, known as the Booran Road reserve. The action I seek is for the minister to explore with Glen Eira City Council the opportunity to relocate the Caulfield depot to the currently unused Crown land site of Booran reserve adjacent to the racecourse to free up parkland in Caulfield Park. The Caulfield depot is a large allotment within Caulfield Park on Inkerman Road and is used to store heavy maintenance vehicles and other equipment. Glen Eira has the lowest amount of open space of any Victorian municipality, and therefore the opportunity to create more recreational space must be explored.

I have spoken with local ward councillor, Michael Lipshutz, who regards this proposition very favourably. I am aware that council has in the past been agreeable to exploring options to move the depot on the premise it will not take away from recreational parkland at another site. I am also aware that Glen Eira City Council has rejected our offer for it to use the land for parkland. In addition, I have had discussions with Friends of Caulfield Park representatives who agree that shifting the Caulfield depot to the unused Booran reserve would free up further premium open space in Caulfield Park; which would be a big win for the Caulfield community. Glen Eira Debates, a community blog site, has had many locals voice their strong opinions on the matter. There has been overwhelming support from locals for the Caulfield Park depot to be relocated to free up additional open space. Caulfield Park is used and loved by all locals, and to open up additional recreational space in this suburban oasis would be fantastic.

I would greatly appreciate the minister exploring the opportunity with Glen Eira council to provide Caulfield residents with additional recreational open space by examining this opportunity, which would also allow the Caulfield Park depot to be located at the unutilised Booran reserve Crown land and free up much-needed space in the beautiful Caulfield Park, the jewel of open space in Caulfield.

Government kick-starts independent and fully funded planning authority

• Child care fees up $5 per day

• Expediture on drains remains at $3.5m which doesn’t even cover inflation and cost increases

• GESAC fees up 3.5% (until January, then predictably higher) PLUS the following expenses –$261,000 for legal fees; GESAC plant and equipment – $86,000; Gesac defects rectification $617,320;Gesac refit administration area 1^st floor stairwell with 3 consulting rooms for new therapy services $200,000

• Government contribution to the pensioner rebate continues to rise – meaning that Council’s ‘largesse’ diminishes year after year.

• Staff numbers of course keep rising!

• The only REDUCTION in fees applies to some of the rubbish bin size collection.

High-rise plan for railway hubs

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/highrise-plan-for-railway-hubs-20140503-37p6f.html#ixzz30hCKbwUu

Next Wednesday, the 7th May, will see the Planning Conference for the Big Screen at Caulfield Racecourse take place.

TIME: 6.30pm

CHAIR: Cr Jim Magee

VENUE: Town Hall

We can only hope that this time:

• doors will not be locked
• that clear directions are provided to residents so they can find the exact location
• that enough plans are provided to go around
• that the MRC deigns to appear and answer questions, and
• that in future Council consider that 6.30pm is NOT the best time for such meetings if their objective is to truly engage with residents!

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PS: and if any further evidence was needed to prove how Glen Eira City Council operates in contrast to its neighbours, we provide the following:

Residents and councillors reject State Government call for greater housing density in Boroondara

Boroondara residents and councillors have rejected a call from Planning Minister Matthew Guy for an increase to the proportion of residential growth zones in the municipality. Source: News Limited

ANGRY residents and councillors have rejected last-minute planning zone changes that would see more neighbourhoods opened up to 13.5m-high residential developments.

More than 600 residents packed into the Camberwell Town Hall this week to hear councillors unanimously reject a planning scheme amendment that would see a greater proportion of residential areas allocated the Residential Growth Zone.

It was originally planned for 0.8 per cent of areas to be given the zone, under amendment C190. Planning Minister Matthew Guy asked for this to be increased to 2.5 per cent, under amendment C199.

A total of 123 residents wanted to speak at the special planning committee meeting, of which 52 were heard. The meeting stretched into the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Cr Jim Parke described the proposed changes as “utter nonsense”.

“What was put forward (originally) is a great outcome for Boroondara and council had every right to expect they would be approved by the minister,” Cr Parke said.

“Not for one moment did council tend to alter the protection of our city. It goes to show with the depth of feeling here tonight, that should also be conveyed to our local state members.”

Boroondara Residents Association President Jack Roach said there had been an unnecessary delay in approving the C190 amendment, which many people had found “unacceptable and detrimental” to the region.

“We request the minister approve C190 without delay,” he said.

‘There are 700 people here tonight who do not like this growth. These added bits are an insult to us all and the minister has to be told the people are not happy with this.”

The Leader asked Mr Guy’s office for a response to the meeting and details of when he plans to finalise planning scheme amendment C190.

A spokesman for Mr Guy said “An independent advisory committee is considering the merits of this issue and will give a recommendation back to the minister.”

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And from Council Minutes 29/4 –

It has become apparent overtime, the Gallery feel we should have the opportunity to be able to speak as we are a democratic country. Instead we’re being gagged. Afterall we the ratepayers are paying the Councillors wages. So a motion should and needs to be passed on the above. During a meeting with the Mayor (Neil Pilling) last month he said he would agree to the idea of the Gallery being able to voice questions with certain restrictions. EG: time restraints. If the Councillors are discussing a particular subject the Gallery should be able to interject and ask a question by raising their hand, which is allowable in VCAT. What’s the point of attending Council Meetings monthly when we the ratepayers can’t voice our opinions.

The Mayor read Council’s response. He said:
“Over recent years Council has considered the issue of meeting procedures including the provision for a public question time.
Council, by a majority decision, decided not to change the current format.”