Going On in the Goldfields

03/11/2025

How much rain have you been getting where you live? 🌧️

25/10/2025

Labor MPs Martha Haylett and Catherine King attended the Maryborough Highland Society today to celebrate Clive Stoneham, who passed away 33 years, 3 months and 3 weeks ago.

Clive served in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for more than 27 years between 1942 and 1970, representing the electorates of Maryborough and Daylesford, and later Midlands.

From 1958 to 1967, he was Victoria's Opposition Leader, losing to Liberal Party Premier Sir Henry Bolte in the 1961, 1964, and 1967 state elections.

“Clive Stoneham was a champion for regional Victoria and a towering figure in Victorian politics,” reported Catherine. “He was an honest and decent man in every way.”

“It was an honour to celebrate his life and achievements today with Martha Haylett and Maryborough locals.”

18/10/2025

Happy 60th Birthday, Hendo! 🎈

Happy 60th birthday Boss Man!

What an inspiration you are too so many people!

Grateful for you everyday!

Your fam 🩶

11/10/2025

It was a massive turnout in Maryborough today, with hundreds of locals hitting the streets to tell the State Government and Central Goldfields Shire Council where to go over the planned closure of the VicRoads office.

You could feel the anger bubbling – people are sick to death of being ignored while Labor funnels billions into Melbourne pet projects that don’t do a damn thing for country towns.

The Member for Western Victoria Joe McCracken fired up the crowd, saying the community won’t stop until this cruel, backwards decision is reversed.

He wasn’t alone, either. Plenty of locals spoke their minds about how Labor’s lost the plot and forgotten who they’re meant to serve.

The government can somehow splash billions it doesn’t have on vanity projects but can’t stump up a measly $200,000 to keep basic services running in regional Victoria.

Meanwhile, not a single Labor MP showed their face. The local Labor Member for Ripon, Martha Haylett, was nowhere to be seen, and neither were any of her Ballarat, Bendigo or Melbourne mates.

They love to preach about “fairness” and “equity” but vanish when real people are struggling to access essential services.

Even Central Goldfields Shire Council’s copped heat today, with locals furious they let things slide this far without sounding the alarm earlier.

It shouldn’t have taken Facebook outrage to get this issue noticed. The writing’s been on the wall since VicRoads was part-privatised back in 2022, and the Council just sat there acting like everything was fine.

Maryborough’s message today was loud and clear: hands off our services, fund rural Victoria properly, and stop using small towns as the government’s dumping ground for failed policy experiments.

29/09/2025

Central Goldfields Shire workers are done playing nice, kicking off industrial action after nine months of going nowhere in pay talks. They say the “modest” rise they’re chasing is about survival, not luxury – bills keep climbing, but their pay hasn’t kept pace.

The action starts small – flyers, slogans, a bit of noise at council buildings and community hubs – but workers are clear it’ll escalate if nothing shifts. Stop-works and bigger disruptions are on the cards if the stalemate drags on.

The union’s push is simple: either a set weekly bump or a small percentage rise. To them, it’s peanuts in the shire’s overall budget, but a lifeline for low-paid staff who’ve been falling behind for years.

Council, though, is digging in. They’re pointing to budget pressure, joint agreements with other councils, and caps on rates. Behind the scenes, it’s a tug-of-war between staff who want a fair go and management claiming they’ve already offered enough.

And while all this is playing out, Council’s reputation with much of the community isn’t exactly glowing. Many locals already feel decisions are out of step with the people they’re meant to represent, so this latest dispute only adds fuel to the fire.

Now it’s landed at the Fair Work Commission, with both sides ready to square up again. Until it’s sorted, locals can expect more noise from staff, who reckon the only way to be heard is to turn up the heat.

17/09/2025

The Member for Ripon, Martha Haylett, is encouraging her constituents to drop into her Maryborough office and claim their $100 Power Saving Bonus.

Martha says her employees have already helped hundreds of residents apply, and she’s urging anyone who hasn’t taken advantage of the scheme to come forward.

The bonus is part of the state government’s push to ease cost-of-living pressures by encouraging people to compare energy plans and potentially switch to cheaper deals.