Regional Australia still waiting on bank reforms outlined in senate report
One of the most important Federal Government inquiries into welfare issues specific to regional Australia in decades handed down its final report a year ago this week ... the recommendations are still languishing in a no-man’s-land of neither being accepted or rejected.
How the Bendigo showgrounds project became a sports rort (without the sport)
Through the Bendigo Showgrounds Master Plan, the biggest and most active user group that sits hand-in-glove with the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society’s primary reason for existence has been absolutely and unceremoniously shafted.
Plan confirms sports funding not being use for sports pavilion
State Government Sports infrastructure funding is being used to build a shed that was always intended to house produce stall holders and retail market activities at the Bendigo showgrounds, a planning document from 2019 has confirmed. The market shed is being built instead of a proposed multi-purpose sports pavilion that was to include changerooms, a function room, umpire rooms, toilets and kiosk on the opposite side of the arena in the equestrian precinct.
Sporting group blows whistle on showgrounds consultation failure
Who would have thought ping pong could get the Victorian Government into so much trouble. Amid developing controversy over plans to redevelop the Prince of Wales Showgrounds at Bendigo, damning testimony has come to light from a 2023 Federal Senate inquiry into the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games that was to be hosted by regional Victoria.
ANZ at cashless tipping point after fundamental change to bank business model
When does a bank cease to be a bank? ... As of March 2025, ANZ is just a handful of branches away from the majority of its banks in the most populated areas of Australia being cashless ... Regional Australia ... has lost 20 branches to cashlessness ...
Horse groups have grounds for complaint over planning schemozzle
The Bendigo Showgrounds – home of the Victorian Agricultural Shows Saddle Horse Championships and many other state and national equestrian events – is to have the size of its arena cut significantly under a Victorian Government redevelopment of the site.
Hot competition at the VAS championships in Bendigo
After a year of collecting qualifications, the Victorian Agricultural Shows Saddle Horse Championships at Bendigo were a celebration of equestrian excellence.
Hard NO to cash mandate will do more harm than good
The Federal Government has published a proposal for a cash mandate that will only apply to a legislated list of “essential” goods and services and give express permission to more than 97 per cent of businesses in Australia to refuse to accept cash. Due to the restrictions and exemptions attached to this proposal, I cannot support it.
Does the Treasurer have a god complex or is he just trying to avoid the really hard reforms?
For the many people who have spent years working on this issue, culminating in the senate inquiry being called in 2023, the failure to respond officially to the final report and subsequent behavior of the federal treasurer, is highly disrespectful ... Jim Chalmers needs to recognise the democratic processes of government and stop white-anting the findings of this inquiry.
ANZ’s bid to outsmart Suncorp contract reaches new low
Just when it seemed ANZ’s attempts to justify the closure of a regional NSW branch in defiance of a condition of the Suncorp acquisition deal not to close any regional sites for three years could not get any more farcical, the bank has upped the ante. In a letter to a customer complaining about the planned closure of the Katoomba branch next month, ANZ claimed that although it had triggered regional branch closure protocols (established as a direct result of two federal government inquiries into regional bank closures), the protocol was not about regional branches.