The much anticipated Benalla Working Group - who will be the voice of the community throughout the Inland Rail Project - has been named.
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The Working Group is:
● Janette Anderson - Community member;
● David Blore - Community member;
● John Dennis - Community member;
● Cr Don Firth - Benalla Rural City;
● Annette Jones - Community member;
Masks available for Benalla locals
● Rowan McEwan - Community member;
● Pamela O'Connor - Community member;
● Graeme Paul - Community member;
● Bill Parris - Community member;
● Susan Pearce - SOS/Better Rail for Benalla;
● Cr Scott Upston - Benalla Rural City;
● Phil Rees - SOS/Better Rail for Benalla.
Vale Keith McNaughton: January1, 1955 – August 20, 2020
The group will be chaired by an ARTC representative, and ARTC General Manager Victoria Projects Ed Walker said he was looking forward to hearing a diverse range of views and ideas.
“ARTC worked with Benalla Rural City Council to select the members of the Benalla Working Group, which was established to be representative of the Benalla community,” Mr Walker said.
“Members will bring a diverse range of views and ideas, while bringing wide-ranging skills and experience.
“Community members were selected for their understanding of the local area and interest in the project, creating a link between Inland Rail and Benalla locals so we can work together to find a design solution that meets community expectations and addresses concerns.
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“The group will work through each of the design options in a structured way to capture community sentiment which will be used to inform the ongoing design process.
“This process will see the community represented at key stages throughout the design development, planning and implementation phases of the project, to provide input and feedback at each point, with the group acting as a conduit to the community.
“While we may not be able to deliver everything the community is asking for, we are committed to doing as much as we can to incorporate feedback to ensure what we build supports opportunities for future development of the area.
“ARTC will communicate details for the first meeting to members in the coming weeks, which will be held via an online meeting platform due to COVID-19. We are also currently considering nominations for an independent chairperson of the group.”
Benalla Rural City is represented in the group and Cr Don Firth said he was looking forward to taking part.
“The Working Group is a good representation of the Benalla Community. We are grateful to the people who have put their hand up to contribute their time and energy to this important project,” Cr Firth said.
“Cr Upston and I are both looking forward to working with the ARTC and all members of the Working Group on this Inland Rail project and to achieving the best possible long term outcome for Benalla.
“The Working Group has an important role in representing the interests of the community and keeping it informed, and providing input and feedback to the ARTC as this project relates to freight rail.
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“The Working Group has a Terms of Reference which defines the extent of its authority and influence and within that scope, we’re looking forward to achieving what is possible for now and the future.”
The Ensign would also like to clarify that in an article printed in last week's edition we referred to a Glenrowan committee providing feedback to ARTC as the Glenrowan Working Group. There is no official working group in Glenrowan and the person quoted is part of the Glenrowan Improvers.
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