Secession For Walhalla?Will Walhalla transfer from the Baw Baw Shire Council to be governed by Latrobe City? By Emma Kae - 25th July 2002 - Back to News Controversy has arisen in the township of Walhalla with the announcement that several residents and business owners wish to transfer from the Baw Baw Shire Council to be governed by Latrobe City.
The residents feel that with an estimated 75 per cent of the economic value created in Walhalla flows back into the Latrobe Valley, and with little community driven connection to the Warragul/Drouin areas in comparison to that with Moe, Morwell and Traralgon, the town may be better served under the Latrobe municipality.
However, not all residents agree with this point of view. Rhonda Aquilina, for example, is quoted in the Latrobe Valley Express as stating that the letter that sparked the debate "obviously doesn’t reflect the whole community’s attitude". She noted that in recent times, such as with the rock slides, the Baw Baw Shire had served them incredibly well, saying *"they couldn’t do enough for us" to help them throughout this time.
It has been suggested that the final decision should be voted on by all ratepayers on a referendum basis, to ensure that everyone gets their say.
The shires involved in the heated debate are treating the situation with caution, unwilling to make comment on what the outcome could be and what it will involve.
Baw Baw Shire Councilllor Michael Fozard simply stated that he believes "Baw Baw is better placed, better structured as a rural municipality to provide for the rural needs of the community"*
Mayor for Latrobe City, Brendan Jenkins made the point that council would accept and encourage whatever decision is made by the Wallhalla community. He stressed that the debate should be based on the issue of where the town desires to be governed from, rather than one incident.
Cynical onlookers have commented that a closer relationship with the representation Walhalla currently has would be far more beneficial than a secession – choosing to solve the problems at hand rather than creating new issues.
What do you think? Have your say in the discussion forum.
* Source - Monday 23/07/02 - The Latrobe Valley Express.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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