Mayor's Message Thursday 10 December

A new intercultural community event will take the place of 26 January fireworks from 2022, following a decision at last week’s ordinary council meeting, the first of this new Council. 

Councillors resolved to move the fireworks or fireworks funding to another significant day, such as New Year’s Eve, or another public event such as the Ballarat Begonia Festival. 

The Survival Day Dawn Ceremony, as well as a citizenship ceremony, will be held on 26 January 2021, subject to COVID-19 restrictions. 

From 2022, a new intercultural community event will be developed for 26 January to promote understanding, respect and reconciliation, featuring live music and performances and profiling indigenous culture. 

The resolution was an important one for both Ballarat’s Aboriginal community and the wider community. 

Moving the fireworks from 26 January is about supporting a community that’s hurting, and I’m proud that this decision is one of the first acts of this new Council. 

After the year we’ve had, we all want and deserve the opportunity to celebrate together– at the right time. 

We all look forward to having that celebration, and also to a renewed program of activities for 26 January going forward 

Another great outcome from that meeting was that Council has awarded $2.132 million in contracts (excluding GST) for roads projects at sites across the municipality. 

The council awarded five contracts – all to local firms - for roads projects  at Sebastopol, Buninyong, Ballarat Central, and Glendaruel. 

The works, which include road, footpath and drainage building, are part of the City of Ballarat’s 2020/21 capital works program.