Drivers busted
Police have charged motorists with 14 offences during a crackdown on “dangerous driver behaviour” in central Geelong.
Drug driving, speeding and using mobile phones were among the offences detected during Operation Share on Wednesday morning, police said.
House closed
North Geelong’s historic Osborne House will remain closed until “all safety and costs issues are considered” following a mould outbreak earlier this year, City Hall has announced.
Quotes so far for cleaning and repairs to the building totalled $1.5 million without including additional costs such as storage or possible replacement of damaged materials, City Hall said.
Fifty-nine bankrupt
Geelong trailed Melbourne municipalities but led regional Victoria for the number of personal bankruptcies in the June quarter, according to new figures.
Geelong had 59 personal insolvencies for the three months compared to 76 in Casey South, 71 in Wyndham, 70 in Whittlesea-Wallan, and 45 in Ballarat, Australian Financial Security Authority said.
Jobs split
Coalition MPs have given differing responses to the Andrews Government formally announcing Fisherman’s Bend as the preferred base for an army contract that Geelong initially hoped to win.
Federal MP Sarah Henderson (pictured) welcomed BAE Systems’ Melbourne-based bid as promising spin-off jobs for Geelong city but state counterpart Simon Ramsay said the city could now expect only “crumbs” if Victoria won the Land 400 contract.
Children relocated
Child care places at Norlane and Corio will remain unchanged despite the closure of 30-year-old centre at the end of the year, according to council administrators chair Kathy Alexander.
Dr Alexander and her two colleagues announced the closure of the Trudy Moritz Centre this week, saying enrolled children would be relocated to a nearby facility for 2018.
Ambulances ‘faster’
Geelong ambulances have slashed their average response times for code-one emergencies over the past year, according to State Government.
Average waits had fallen from 13.18 to 11.36 minutes while times for ambulances arriving within 15 minutes had improved almost 12 per cent, the government said.
Women emerge
More than 40 people have attended workshops for prospective councillors in Geelong, according to City Hall.
Women comprised about a third of the attendees at the first two in a series of workshops before the 28 October elections, said City Hall’s Rebecca Leonard.
