WIMMERA farmers are hoping to use strength in numbers to change their rate burden. More than 100 people attended a special meeting on Friday night at Kalkee.
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Run by the Wimmera branch of the Victorian Farmers Federation, the evening included a range of guest speakers and gave farmers the chance to voice their concerns in a public forum. Every councillor from Horsham, Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh, West Wimmera and Northern Grampians were invited to the meeting.
Only a handful of councillors attended, including Northern Grampians mayor Tony Driscoll, Yarriambiack mayor Graeme Massey, and Horsham councillors David Grimble and John Robinson.
Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke spoke at the meeting.
He encouraged farmers to pressure their councillors to make a change to the rating system.
“We need people to stand up and have a say because we want to communicate and plead our case to councillors,” he said.
“At the end of the day, they actually have the power in their hands to change this. We want them to take control and send out that message that we want it to be fair, we want to pay our fair share.
“For us to be copping an increase like we are, not one person in this room can say that’s fair.”
He said the state government were also responsible for inciting change to the system.
“I spoke to (state treasurer) Tim Pallas Friday morning and he understands that money needs to be allocated to regions, but he also expects us to raise a percentage to help the councils run, which is our rates,” he said.
“He promised to talk to Marlene Kairouz, the Minister for Local Government. I’ve been trying to make representation on our behalf to her for over a month now.
“We need her to come in and say that councils can pass their Budgets, but they need to change to rating strategy. The whole rating burden needs to change.”
Speaking openly at the meeting, McKenzie Creek farmer Neville McIntyre said action needed to be taken.
“Tell us what happens now; do we just go home and wait or do we start doing something,” he said.
“We can be at that rates meeting and show the council that we’re serious; we can withhold part of our rates.
“Farmers are starting to realise that they have to do something otherwise the council will shift this half-a-million dollars worth of rates off the residential sector and we’re going to pay it.”
Horsham Rural City Council councillor David Grimble said council received valuations for properties in late May. “It infuriates me that this year we got our valuations way too late,” he said.
“We need to see them in January to consider equity in a more reasonable way.”
Horsham councillor John Robinson said farmers carried an unfair burden.
“Farmers make up four or five per cent of council residents, yet they make up 30 per cent of the revenue,” he said.
“I want to encourage people to put pressure on us to do better. These aren’t so much rate rises, but rate shocks.
“Farming is a business and not too many business ratepayers would be able to handle a rate rise like this.”
Northern Grampians Shire Council mayor Tony Driscoll said solutions needed to be discussed.
“The model need to be changed, this has got to be re-built form the ground up,” he said.
“This is an election year and this is a chance for us to get together and make a difference.”
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