Community Questions

Do you have a question you would like Council to address at one of our monthly Ordinary Meetings of Council?

Members of the gallery are not permitted to engage Councillors in conversation during formal Council Meetings, however there is a simple form you can fill out to have your question asked during a meeting, which can be found below.

For your question to be considered, the below form must be submitted by 4:00pm the day prior to the Council Meeting. The form allows for only one question to be submitted at a time. If you have a second question, you will need to complete the form again.

If you are attending the meeting in person, you can also submit a question in writing before the end of Section 15 Management Reports.

We do our best to answer questions on the night, however if this isn’t possible, we will provide a written response within seven working days. All community questions and verbal responses will be documented in the minutes of the meeting.

In accordance with section 45(g) of Council’s Governance Rules, no more than two questions will be accepted from any person at anyone meeting.

Additionally, Council will not accept questions considered malicious, defamatory, indecent, abusive, offensive, irrelevant, trivial or objectionable in language or substance. Questions will also not be considered if they relate to:

  • confidential information as defined in the Local Government Act 2020;
  • the personal hardship of any resident or ratepayer; or
  • any matter which the Council or the Chief Executive Officer considers would prejudice the Council or any person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions regarding Autism rates in Mildura.

Council is not best placed to comment on issues regarding autism within the Mildura LGA and suggests queries be directed to the Sunraysia Autism Spectrum Support Group who have access to the most accurate information and data.

Questions regarding the fluoride in the local water supply.

Council is not responsible for fluoridation of the water supply and currently has no authority in this space. Lower Murray Water are the government entity responsible for providing potable water to the community, therefore this matter would be best raised directly with Lower Murray Water.

It's important to note that water fluoridation is a complex topic and decisions regarding its implementation or removal should be made based on scientific evidence and a thorough consideration of the potential benefits and risks. Council understands that Lower Murray Water have the necessary information and resources to make these decisions and therefore it is best that any concerns over the use of Fluoridation of the water supply are raised directly with them.

Questions regarding Local Government's relevance.

The referendum was in regard to the recognition of Local Government in the constitution, and not about the validity of Local Government, as that occurs through the State Government. Each state has a constitution, and through the Victorian Constitution, Local Government is created and recognised. One of the objects of the 1988 referendum was to try and increase the awareness and recognising Local Government in the Federal Constitution, to assist with the payments of financial assistance grants and other forms of funding and for the Commonwealth to have closer relationship with Local Governments.

Questions regarding public disturbances, particularly in the CBD.

Council is working in partnership with local organisations to address concerns raised regarding youth in the Langtree Mall and surrounding CBD. These organisations have various roles relating to youth and include Hands Up Mallee, Victoria Police, Sunraysia Community Health, Department of Justice and Community Safety, MASP, Mallee District Aboriginal Service, Council and Department of Education along with assistance and advice from local Aboriginal elders. It is important to note that it is not just Indigenous Youth engaging in anti-social behaviour in public places. This Community Lead Response has been developing both longer term and immediate response strategies to address the issues that have been identified in the Mildura CBD. Community members with immediate concerns for their safety or the safety of others should contact Victoria Police.

Questions regarding the chemicals used to spray mosquitos.

Council has undertaken “fogging” in certain locations to reduce the mosquito population. This involves spreading a non-residual product to control the mosquito larvae and is completed during off-peak times when the public is unlikely to be present in these areas. It is also not targeted towards bees or other insects. The process is undertaken by trained and qualified staff using approved products. Signs are placed in the area when fogging is occurring, and staff will stop the process if a member of the public enters the area. Overall, it is a low-risk process for public and other insects but is a very effective process for reducing the mosquito population. Members of the public can also contact Council's Environmental Health staff for more information on mosquito fogging.

Smart Cities/15 Minute Cities/ WEF Initiative: Question regarding signing up Council to the smart cities initiative

  • Council has not signed up to any initiative declaring Mildura as a “smart city”.  This includes any initiatives relating to or affiliated with Rockefeller Foundation or the World Economic Forum.  Nor has Council received any funding from these two sources.
  • Council has completed a project along with Buloke, Gannawarra and Swan Hill councils which was described as a ‘smart cities’ project.  This project was funded by the Victorian Government, and included testing a range of sensors for use in Council operations. These were used to collect information such as utilisation of street bins and alternatives to traffic counting strips. The people counting technology is similar to a retailor counting customers entering a premises and will continue to be used in various locations to measure the utilisation of Council’s assets. No images or personally identifiable information is captured by these sensors. These counts are useful for Council to understand how many people use various council facilities to inform maintenance schedules, asset capacity and lifecycles.
  • The current State Government review of ‘wards’ is being imposed on Council by the VEC on behalf of the Minister in line with the Local Government Act 2020.  Wards, in this context relates to the councillor electoral structure.  There is no relationship, in our view, between this review and ‘smart cities’.

Questions regarding 5G Towers

  • Council is not best placed to answer questions on 5G Towers. We suggest you direct your questions to the Department of Infrastructure Transport Regional Development Communications and the Arts. The Department of Infrastructure Transport Regional Development Communications and the Arts can provide a range of relevant information on this topic, including the fact sheet linked below
    EME Factsheets Exposure limits for electromagnetic energy (infrastructure.gov.au)
  • Council is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all residents. At this point in time, we have no awareness or evidence of chemtrails within our municipality.

Questions about the Ward system

The Ward system was introduced to the Mildura Rural City Council municipality for the 2024 Council Elections. This decision to implement the Ward system was made by the Minister for Local Government (Victoria) following advice from the Victorian Electoral Commission, not Mildura Rural City Council. 

Questions regarding Council’s role in providing health information to the community in relation to vaccines and flu shots

The Victorian Government is primarily responsible for developing health advice in Victoria. Like other local councils in Victoria, developing and distributing our own health advice, including information relating to vaccines, falls outside of our role. Any health advice we distribute is advice provided by the Victorian Government through the Chief Health Officer.

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