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Recycling locations

Frankston Regional Recycling and Recovery Centre
20 Harold Road, Skye
(off Ballarto Road, opposite the Skye Recreation Reserve)
Phone: 1300 322 322
Open: seven days a week, 8am-4pm
Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day

Knox Transfer Station and Recycling Centre
George Street, Wantirna South (Melway reference 72 D3)
Phone: 9887 4222
Open: seven days a week from 7.30am–4.30pm (closed: Christmas Day, Good Friday)

SITA Australia / Outlook Waste Transfer and Recycling Centre
274 Hallam Road, Hampton Park (Melway reference 129 F1)
Phone: 9799 6277

Monash Waste Transfer Station and Recycling Centre
390 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill (Melway reference 70 H8)
Phone: 9518 3767
Open: seven days a week from 7.30am–4pm (closed: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day before 12pm)

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Question: Rubbish dumping

Good Morning Sean,

Having been a long time resident of Springvale, I have noticed that a lot of residents are treating certain areas as dumping grounds.

It appears that anywhere where there appears to be a higher density of people (i.e. flats/units), there seems to be more rubbish. The creek is always full of rubbish whether it be a shopping trolley, a tv, shoes, bags etc. So naturally when a downpour occurs, that all ends up being pushed downstream thus polluting our waterways. The fencing next to the railway lines (along Newcomen Rd) also seems to attract its fair share where I have seen mattresses, tyres etc. This is just one area – I imagine there are plenty of others within the suburb.

Ideally, as people seem to be lazy and find dumping easier than calling for a collection, the council needs to implement a regular inspection of the city and clean up as rubbish is just unsightly and an environmental issue.

Perhaps the free once-yearly collection on a standard date should be re-instated along with allowing each household one extra free collection a year (one that needs to be booked via the council). This could be more appealing to residents.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email and I hope something can be done to help rectify the situation.

Answer

Thank you for your feedback and suggestions.

The problem is quite well defined. Solutions are harder to come by. Rubbish dumping is quite hard to combat as the culprits do it out of sight.

Council recently discussed the cost and efficacy of once yearly collection. My recollection is that it wasn’t supported – it would cost the council an extra million dollars at least that would be passed on to ratepayers in the waste charge.

We have and are trying new initiatives such as in the following links. A surprising piece of advice when I asked the council officers involved was that these initiatives do not seem the impact rubbish dumping. The initiatives just make it more convenient for residents that are already doing the right thing.

Your suggestion of regular inspections & clean up is also something I’ve raised, but it was not supported due to the cost. We do have hotspots that are regularly inspected and cleaned up, but to inspect the whole municipality on a regular basis would cost a lot.

http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/30827/pop-up-drive-thru-recycling-days

http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/30826/homecycle-one-off-kerbside-collection

http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/25566/littering-and-illegal-rubbish-dumping

Regards

Cr Sean O’Reilly

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Question: trucks parking on properties

What is the size limit for trucks, where they can or are allowed to have them on the properties? If they are bigger than 3 tonnes or 5 tonnes I believe they may be illegally parked on the street, is that correct?

The maximum weight for a truck to be parked in a residential street or on a residential property is 4.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) or 7.5 metres in length.  A permit may be issued for a larger truck where it is parked on a residential property, however, permits are not issued for larger trucks to park in residential streets. As such, any truck exceeding 4.5 tonnes or 7.5 metres in length that is parked on a residential street would be doing so illegally.

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Cars blocking driveways

Council issues parking infringement notices (fines) for vehicles parked over driveways, however, Council does not have the authority to issue fines for most other traffic offences. The Police may be able to enforce other traffic offences if resources permit. If there are particular locations of concern, the police generally recommend contacting Crimestoppers at https://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/report-a-crime/ or on 1800 333 000.

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Events

Following is info on running a community event.  Accurate as at 15/09/2017

All community groups, organisations or individuals that would like to host an event in our municipality would be required to submit an application if the event is held on Council land.

Please see below details outlining the application process including information, application forms and deadlines. This information is available on Council’s website http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/26140/events-in-council-parks-and-reserves

Events with more than 200 attendees

Events attracting over 200 attendees on Council land in the City of Greater Dandenong require an event permit.

To commence an application for an event permit, complete the intention to hold an event form and return to Council within the relevant application deadline. Once this is received, Council will advise the next steps of the application and whether any other relevant event application forms are required.

Event application deadlines

All event applications forms must be submitted by due dates outlined below, otherwise, the event will not be approved and may need to be rescheduled to a later date.

If the submitted event documentation is incomplete or requires additional work, the event may need to be rescheduled to a later date. If that is required, the later date will only be confirmed once all forms are completed correctly.

Important deadlines

60 days prior

Complete and submit Intention to Hold an Event Form online 

45 days prior

Submit the following:

  1. Event Application Forms Parts A and B (PDF – 689KB)
  2. Public Liability Insurance (minimum $20 million cover)
  3. Site plan
  4. Traffic management plan, if applicable

30 days prior

submit event on Council’s online event calendar

14 days prior

submit the following:

  1. List of food stalls
  2. Event emergency management procedure: Parks, Reserves and Open Spaces – Event emergency procedure template for events in parks and reserves (PDF – 678KB) or Harmony Square – Event emergency Procedure template for events in Harmony Square (PDF – 2.9MB)

5 working days prior

cut-off date for submitting a statement of trade for food (streatrader.health.vic.gov.au)

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Gambling reform

Link to council webpage: http://greaterdandenong.com/news/1754/fighting-pokies-together

Following are my responses to questions put to me by a RMIT student:

Q:The statement you’ve linked me to is from a couple of years ago now. It’s clear the council has a strong stance in regards to gambling, what significant moves has the council taken towards lowering the average of gambling losses?

There’s not a great deal that local councils can do, given that the final arbiter on individual applications and the cap on the number of machines allowed per municipality is the Victorian Government.

As you mention, the council is part of a multi-council coalition against problem gambling. This coalition has become significantly stronger in the last six months, as more councils have joined the coalition.

The council does have limited success. For example, recently we voted down an increase of machines at Club Noble and the club did not appeal to the Victorian Government.

Q: Given that the council has been aware of this issue for a long time, is it of concern that these loss statistics are still so high today?

Most definitely. More than ever, our local community has less disposable income and is more vulnerable to the effects of problem gambling.

Q: What ongoing actions does the council have in place to lower these losses, and have they been changed by recent revelations, or do they remain the same?

I’m not sure of the revelations you refer to. The amount of money lost to gambling in Greater Dandenong has been high for a long time.

The council has the following actions to reduce problem gambling:

Assess each application for increase including the context of harm to the community by problem gambling.
Continue the multi-council coalition to advocate to the Victorian Government for, in particular, harm minimisation. Harm minimisation is about making it harder for an individual to lose a large amount of money in a short time. One of these initiatives is $1 minimum bets, which we were happy to see has been supported by Coles.
Support community initiatives such as Australian Friendship Chess that offers an alternative to gambling.
Support awareness of problem gambling by initiatives such as Two Sides of the Coin.

Q: Your statement reads, “a lot of what Council is trying to achieve is hampered by the impact of gambling including domestic violence, crime as well as physical and mental health”. Have you seen any changes in these areas within the community having joined this taskforce and taken a more aggressive stance on gambling?

I haven’t seen any data or studies showing a causal link between problem gambling and purported associated issues. What we do know is that problem gambling takes money out of family budgets, and one of the main stresses on family relationships and well-being is financial stress.

 

Response to questions by Cr Matthew Kirwan:

State legislation specifies a dual role for Councils in the process of approval as follows:
• The initial granting of planning approval of the addition of further electronic gaming machines(EGMs) or establishment of a new gambling venue; and
• In terms of the next step under state legislation which requires applicants to also seek approval from the State Government Statutory Authority known as the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR), the opportunity to respond to an application by submission to VCGLR. As part of this process, legislation specifies the amount of time Councils may take to notify the VCGLR of its intention in relation to an application and to present its submission on behalf of the community. Having made a submission, Council has the option of supporting its position with an oral presentation at a hearing of the Commission, should it choose to do so.

So, in short we can’t stop ultimately gaming machine applications nor do we have the power to remove EGMs. Recently our rejection of an application for 20 additional machines in Club Noble in Noble Park was supported by the VCGLR but they ultimately had the power to decide.

Hence with dealing with the problem of the very large number of machines at Keysborough Hotel, and the very large losses there (from memory in the Top 10 across Melbourne) our role is advocacy related specifically to advocate, and support the advocacy of other local governments or organisations, for reform to the regulation of EGM gambling, including but not limited to the following:
• Reduction in the density and number of EGMs permitted under the caps of EGMS, in municipalities of socio-economic disadvantage and relatively high EGM density (one of the caps covers Greater Dandenong);
• Measures that diminish problem gambling. For example:
– Imposition of a limit of $1 upon the amount of money that may be lost in a single bet on an EGM;
– Removal of EFTPOS facilities from EGM gambling venues;
– Introduction of a compulsory pre-commitment mechanism; and
– Increased State Government financial support for programs and services that prevent problem gambling or the harms associated with
problem gambling;
• An extension in the period of time Councils are allowed to respond to gambling applications; and
• Revision of the VCGLR Social and Economic Impact Assessment Form, to more clearly direct local governments to relevant evidence about the local impact of gambling applications.

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History of the Springvale library

Hi Heather,

I had been on the Dandenong Valley Regional Library Service for over 10 years and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Colin Watson was the Regional Librarian from its inception and Kevin Moody who resides in Berwick was the Foundation CEO ., The Region was from Springvale, Dandenong, Pakenham. Cranbourne, Berwick, Kooweerup, Lang Lang I wink it was 270 square miles at the time. Springvale was the first and then one by one the Branch Libraries broke and formed their own area according to their respective municipalities. A lot of travelling for Delegates and the Pan techs towing a gooseneck trailer packed to the walls with lending books.

I had the good fortune to be Mayor Springvale when Springvale founded the Springvale Library and Premier Dick Hamer and I jointly opened the Library in 72 Prior to me being elected to Council in 1960 I had been a member of the Springvale Library Action Committee which was established in about three years prior.

I liked Jan Bateman. I stood for the State seat of Dandenong and was beaten by Alan Lind by 600 votes. Bill Warner won in every polling booth except Doveton I think the electorate had about 400,000 odd voters.

Jan stood a couple of years later.

I had the good fortune to be mayor three times, so it was an exciting 20 years as a councillor.

I will send this one to a few people who had been my supporters over the years

Many thanks

Bill Warner

Photo celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Dandenong Valley Regional Library Service on July 1, 1981. It says you were Regional Chairman of the Library Board. That’s the late Jan Bateman, who was Mayor of the City of Berwick, with you.

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About Springvale

Springvale was named after its abundant source of natural spring water in the early 1850s. Springvale was also an important stopping place between Melbourne and Dandenong. Springvale was chosen as a location for one of the Australian Government’s purpose-built Enterprise Migrant Hostels to meet short term housing needs created by waves of migration in the 1970s and 1980s. This hostel provided settlement services to over 30,000 migrants and refugees and has been a key contributor to Springvale’s existing cultural identity. Today it is home to the largest and most established south-east Asian cultural precinct in Greater Dandenong. It has a strong Vietnamese and Cambodian influence giving the centre a distinctive Asian food and retail offer. Springvale has an established cluster of civic and community services and assets such as a council customer service centre, large civic hall, library and police station. In 2014 the Springvale Road railway level crossing was removed and the railway line was lowered below Springvale Road. This project also involved other public transport improvements, such as the new bus transport interchange and the Lindsay Williams Crossing vehicular bridge to allow crossing of the line east of Springvale Road. This removal has also provided the opportunity to initiate a significant urban renewal project, namely the Springvale Road Boulevard Project. The level crossing removal has opened up the north and south of the centre for Springvale was chosen as a location for one of the Commonwealth Government’s purpose built Enterprise Migrant Hostels to meet short term housing needs created by waves of migration in the 1970s and 1980s. The Hostel provided settlement services to over 30,000 migrants and refugees during this time and has been a key contributor to Springvale’s existing cultural identity.

In 2014 the Springvale Road railway level crossing was removed and the railway line was lowered below Springvale Road. This project also involved other public transport improvements, such as the new bus transport interchange and the Lindsay Williams Crossing vehicular bridge to allow crossing of the line east of Springvale Road. This removal also opened up the opportunity to initiate a significant urban renewal project, namely the Springvale Road Boulevard Project. The level crossing removal has opened up the north and south of the centre.

The Springvale Civic Site redevelopment is also underway and will include improved public open space and community facilities including renovation works at the Springvale Town Hall and the construction of a community hub which will incorporate a modern, state-of-the-art library, flexible community meeting spaces, civic services area and plentiful parking.

After its planned launch in 2020, it will be a vibrant meeting place where people of all ages, backgrounds and interests feel welcome and can come together in a spirit of mutual respect, connection and celebration.

World-class community facilities will combine with large, multipurpose green spaces to provide the perfect setting for learning, playing and relaxing.

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Formation of Springvale & District Historical Society

In 1982 a public meeting was called by the mayor, Councillor IGN Warner JP, with assistance of the Town Clerk Holman Lindsay Williams. As a result of the public meeting Cr Warner was elected temporary President and Deputy Town Clerk Kevin Moody was appointed temporary secretary. A number of interested members of the community were elected to the interim committee. Several meetings were held, a constitution was established and the interim committee was replaced with a fully established committee. With a great deal of enthusiasm and with the backing of the council, the Springvale and District Historical Society proceeded to hold over the years many exhibitions and functions.  One was the six day exhibition of a “Stroll Through Time” at the Springvale Town Hall which was attended by over six thousand and the “Last Chance Debutante Set” which was attended by over two hundred. In the meantime, the society was endeavouring to find an appropriate meeting place and obtained temporarily the use of the nursing home attached to the Springvale and District Hospital (now the Monash Community Centre) in Buckingham Avenue, Springvale. We then transferred to a room in the front of the former old weatherboard home of Mrs Wills which had been the home of the Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau. During this time the Society had been giving talks to Rotary Clubs and other organisations in the City of Springvale and had in fact obtained a grant and purchased a trailer and display panels as part of the lecturing routine. In the meantime both the Town Clerk and Cr Warner made application to the Bi-Centennial Committee and eventually received a grant of $82,000 towards a Historical Society Building.

The home of John Stollery in Heather Grove had been purchased by Council for $350,000 and had been the temporary home of Council’s Child Care Management. They then moved out and Council with the assistance of the Community Arts Officer Jonathan McNaughton set to and partly demolished the building and replaced it with a purpose built building consisting of a Workshop, Meeting Room, Gallery, Kitchen, a room for film processing, substantial size compactus. The cost of this purpose built building was $387,000 including the Bicentennial Grant of $82,000. The meeting room was fitted out with tables and chairs. The workshop had suitable work tables. The Gallery has superb overhead rail track lighting suitable for lighting up and spotlighting various exhibits with a major control panel in an adjacent room. Because of insufficient funds a Theatrette was not able to be added to the northern end of the building adjacent to the Gallery. The Building was officially opened by the Mayor Councillor Noelle Trembath on February 25th 1990 . The Society continued giving Exhibitions involving various diverse community groups including Vietnamese and the Springvale Necropolis. The cataloguing of artefacts and photographs has been an ongoing process for many years and the current President Colin Robinson has done a sterling job in maintaining exhibitions, tours and lecturing at schools. It should also be remembered that
the Deakin University Graduate Diploma of Applied Science (Museum Studies) has had a number of placements at our society since the Society’s establishment.
The number of artefacts (approx. 5,000) and photographs (again approximately 6,000) have been catalogued under the direction of the former Ministry of the Arts and the Museum of Victoria.