Ballarat City Council meeting recap

Wednesday evening at Ballarat City Council’s regular September meeting, Councillors considered a number of items: 

Reusable cloth nappy and reusable sanitary product rebate  

The Ballarat City Council was presented with feedback from the six month reusable cloth nappy and reusable sanitary product rebate trial.  

From the initial $30,000 budget, there were 501 applications for the rebate, with a total of $23,300 provided in rebates.   

It was resolved that the trial be extended until the end of the 2022/23 financial year, with an additional $30,000 added to the program from the 2021/22 positive variance. 

Road Naming Proposal – Kunuwarra and Nyaninyuk 

Ballarat City Council has voted to formally lodge an application with Geographic Names Victoria to give two roads Indigenous names. 

Councillors endorsed a proposal to name the entrance to Prince of Wales Park, Lake Gardens as ‘Kunuwarra Drive’. Previously, it did not formally have a name and posed potential issues for emergency services. 

The name Kunuwarra (pronounced Koo-noo-warrah) was deemed appropriate as the name translates to ‘black swan’ in native Wadawurrung language and is supported by the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. 

Councillors also endorsed naming another unnamed road in Glendaruel, on the northern fringes of the council area. 

A small section of the road on the eastern side of Coghills Creek Road has always been unofficially named Coutts Road, however it has never been valid. 

Council has proposed the road now be known as Nyaninyuk Road. 

The name Nyaninyuk (pronounced Nah-nin-nook) is deemed appropriate as the name translates as the Traditional name for Mt Beckworth in native Dja Dja Wurrung language. The proposed name translates to the mountains back of the neck – nyani being ‘neck, nape, back of the neck’ and -nyuk being ‘his, her, its. 

The naming proposals will be formally lodged with Geographic Names Victoria, who will consider the proposal and if compliant Gazette the new name. 

Both motions were supported unanimously.  

Urban Forest Project  

Ballarat City Council has awarded a $2,166,000 (excluding GST) contract to ELZUK Enterprises Pty Ltd to deliver street tree planting under the Urban Forest Action Plan. 

The contract will deliver 1,000 plus trees a year to suburbs lacking canopy cover and street trees as part of the City of Ballarat’s annual program to increase the canopy cover to 40 per cent by 2040. 

The three-year contract includes the provision of two one-year extensions at Council’s sole discretion. 

The City of Ballarat manages about 120,000 trees across the municipality.