Geelong hosted 20 major events over the past year, generating approximately $65.9 million expenditure in our region and supporting the equivalent of 527 full time jobs.

The 2012-2013 Geelong Major Events Annual Report was presented to Council.

Some of the major events hosted successfully from 1 July 2012- 30 June 2013 include:

• Just Cars Motorsport Revival
• New Year’s Eve Pier Festival 
• Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic 
• Festival of Sails
• Geelong Multi Sport Festival
• Victorian Open Golf Championships
• Pako Festa
• Australian International Airshow 
• National Celtic Festival

The installation and operation of Byron Shire Council’s landfill gas extraction and flaring system at the Myocum Landfill has been officially recognised as a ‘Registered Offsets Project’ under the federal government’s Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI).

Council’s environmental programs officer, Lloyd Isaacson, said it’s a significant achievement.

“We are the second council in Australia to have a gas extraction and flaring project approved under the CFI scheme, and the first to have an existing system approved that has not been associated with a previous greenhouse gas emissions scheme.

Street lights across Bass Coast and South Gippsland Shires will shine more sustainably thanks to a switch to energy efficient light globes.

The Sustainable Street Light Project to replace almost 4,000 light bulbs will begin to roll out next week, with each of the existing 80-watt mercury vapour lights to be replaced with T5 fluorescent bulbs, which are 60 per cent more energy efficient.

Greater flexibility for homeowners as Fremantle takes density planning to new lengths

First it was the small dwelling scheme that enabled Fremantle homeowners to build granny flats without the need for a granny. Now the City of Fremantle has taken its density planning to new lengths with a draft planning scheme amendment which allows homeowners to build dwellings on eligible sites, irrespective of the sites planning density coding.