Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association

06/09/2026

Our roads are finally in the spotlight from our politicians! With thanks to Ballarat Times.

06/09/2026

With thanks to the Ballarat Times.

05/09/2026

Delacombe Leawarra Housing Development finally has what appears to be some Homes finally being built - Frame work for two Units standing ready for completion (before the election) 🤷‍♂️ with ground work and plumbing visible for the start of some others - unfortunately that’s it, no similar housing lots been prepared - I wonder will Ballarat see a Grand Opening of the First two Units (Before the Elections) 😉 only Five years in the Planning 🤷‍♂️ Photo also of previously built New Units looking quite Smart and Tidy 🇦🇺

05/09/2026

According to this report (below) from The Courier, Doctors at Ballarat Base Hospital have staged historic industrial action, warning that exhaustion, unsafe conditions and stalled pay negotiations are putting both staff and patients at risk.

Doctors at Ballarat Base Hospital walked off the job for four hours on 3 September, marking what is believed to be the first protected industrial action by medical staff at the hospital.

Members of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) protested stalled negotiations with the Victorian government over a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement. Doctors say the current system is unsafe and unsustainable, citing:

Extreme fatigue and dangerously long shifts

Excessive unpaid hours

Poor training time and limited leave

Difficulty attracting and retaining staff in regional Victoria

A proposed pay rise that fails to meet cost‑of‑living pressures

Hospital medical officer Dr Caitlyn Conway, currently on parental leave, said she fears taking her own children to the ED because staff are so exhausted. She described routinely working from 7am to past 9pm, often for days on end, barely seeing her family.

Emergency doctor Dr Rob Roscioli said junior doctors are being taken advantage of, with worsening conditions and reduced teaching time leading to poorer patient care. “If you have unhealthy doctors you have unhealthy patients,” he said. Doctors described:

Missing meal breaks

Being unable to take basic bathroom breaks

Constant pressure from high patient demand

Making mistakes due to exhaustion

Patients waiting in pain or stuck in discharge queues

A system plagued by bed block, burnout and long ED waits

One obstetrics doctor said shifts were so intense that staff were “preoccupied, hungry, thirsty” and unable to safely manage workloads.

A couple of protest signs captured the mood:

“If you think doctors are expensive, wait until you run out of them.”

“We asked for funding, they gave us resilience training.”

Former AMA Victoria president Dr Mark Yates told the crowd the government was disrespecting junior doctors, assuming they had nowhere else to go. He warned this attitude would drive full‑time staff out of the public system.

He also argued Ballarat and Bendigo must be included in rural retention and training grants, noting Ballarat acts as a hub for doctors servicing western Victoria. Dr Yates said modern workloads are high‑throughput and error‑sensitive, with delays causing major flow problems in an already strained hospital. He pointed to the emergency department as evidence of a system under pressure.

A 24‑hour statewide stopwork for public hospital doctors is planned for 15 September.
Link below for subscribers to The Courier.

Doctors at Ballarat Base Hospital have walked off the job in a historic first amid an ongoing state-wide dispute over unsafe conditions and pay. 🔗https://links.acm.media/dVG0xj

05/09/2026

Wondering how the repair/replacement of the Vandalised Glass see-through Portal at The Bridge Mall is going - I wonder if Council will be suing the offender/s using Councils new Local Law where restitutional measures can be applied via legal action🤷‍♂️🇦🇺

04/09/2026

Update on Bridge Mall Road Pavers - Today Friday 4/9/26 we noticed that all loose road pavers have been Identified with Hi-Vis tape and numbered - It appears that ‘more road pavers’ have become an issue than previously reported by this Page - could it possibly be Heavy Vehicles causing the problem Notice the Oil Spill right along the length of the Mall 🤷‍♂️

03/09/2026

🤝💡 Have a project that could make a lasting difference in Ballarat?

The City of Ballarat is inviting local organisations and businesses to submit an Expression of Interest for the 2027/2028 City Partnerships Program.

The program supports initiatives that deliver lasting community and economic benefits for Ballarat, with opportunities for multi-year funding agreements of up to three years.

Funding is available through two streams:
• Community Stream: Up to $100,000 per year for Ballarat-based not-for-profit organisations.
• Commercial Stream: Open to businesses and not-for-profit organisations delivering benefits to the Ballarat municipality, with funding available for projects over $20,000.

One of the successful recipients from the previous round was the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute, which received support for a three-year Marketing and Community Reach Project aimed at strengthening community connection and activating the Ballarat C*D.

🗓️ Expressions of Interest are now open and close 29 September.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application in early 2027.

👀 Learn more and submit an EOI at https://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/grants

02/09/2026

Members of the Public have sent in questions about the visible condition of the Old Atlantic Hotel in Skipton Street Redan, Ballarat. The original hotel operated under the name Prince Charlie Hotel in 1859 - In 1864 Daniel Brophy (owner) advertised the opening of the Atlantic Hotel ex Prince Charlie Hotel, in 1882 the hotel was destroyed by fire to which a replacement hotel was built.

The current Atlantic Hotel was once a favourite family oriented hotel with Fine Dining, Darts - Billiards Competitions and a large Membership contingency a favourite especially around Christmas time with the children.

It appears the current building is quite solid and clean as compared to other vacant buildings - interior is surprisingly clean with proper boarding added to exterior windows and doors but one person could have forced their way in.

A clean solid Building with lots of vacant exterior space - two entrance/exits via different streets making for the perfect space to see this once-loved space/ building revived again 🇦🇺

01/09/2026

The Courier have also reported about an upcoming stop work by Grampians Health Doctors on Thursday over pay and unsafe working conditions.

01/09/2026

The West Vic Brolga have done a story on the social housing issue in Delacombe.