Andrew Bock | Politician

Andrew Bock

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24.01.2022 It was a pleasure - as always - to speak with Robert McLean yesterday for a Council-based 'Climate Conversation'.

24.01.2022 Pleasing to hear the Treasurer name drop Shepparton twice during his Budget Speech. I'm also ecstatic that the government plans to double the number of subsidised psychology appointments per year to 20 - something I've been advocating for many years, including during last year's Federal election. There is plenty of emphasis on business and jobs growth and much of this is via infrastructure spending. The new Council needs to link arms with our State and Federal MPs to ensure that our region - neglected for so long - receives our fair share - if not more.

23.01.2022 From Monday's Shepparton News

23.01.2022 Perhaps, in addition to tip tickets and wider waste reform, Greater Shepparton needs to install signs like these in dumping hotspots :)

23.01.2022 Ballot paper extraction has commenced for the #LG2020 local council elections! The postal vote receipt period ends at 12pm this Friday 30 October, so we'll be a...dding votes that were posted before the voting deadline last week as they arrive. Some of the counts will be manual and some will be computer counts. Keep an eye on our channels for when results start coming through from Monday 2 November. See more

23.01.2022 With a day and a half left to nominate, we now have 10 candidates registered with the VEC.

21.01.2022 So, the Ballot Draw is in, with Kim O'Keeffe turning the ballot on it's head - going from the last name 4 years ago, to the first this time around! Voting packs should be dispatched in the first week of October (if you haven't received them by Friday October 16th, contact the local VEC office) and should be in the post before Friday October 23rd.

21.01.2022 Gratifying to hear the Premier, CHO and others praising the (Greater) Shepparton community's response to our recent Covid cases. Let's hope the Andrews government keeps us in mind when dishing out infrastructure and other recovery spending in their upcoming budget! Funding the Shepp Bypass and Stage 2 of the Shepp Hospital redevelopment would be most appreciated.... #SpringSt See more

19.01.2022 A big thank you to Peter D for having me on ONE FM Shepparton Radio this morning. Always good to chat :)

18.01.2022 Please continue to wear masks correctly, physically distance when in public and get tested if you have any symptoms whatsoever. We WILL beat this, if we continue to work together.

17.01.2022 If you haven't received your Council ballot pack as yet, or are worried about getting your completed ballot back in time, you can visit the local VEC office at 207 High St, Shepparton. They'll be open from 9-5 today (Wed), 9-8 tomorrow (Thurs) and 9-6 on Friday.

16.01.2022 As someone who has experienced homelessness and insecure housing, I was immensely pleased to hear Councillors speak so passionately about increasing the number of affordable homes available within Greater Shepparton at Tuesday night's Council Meeting and I agree with Cr Dinny Adem - let's not 'still be talking about this in 12 months time' - let's act. Strategies and working groups are certainly a positive step. However, I would like to see Council investigate the possibility... of building a number of affordable homes. Some can be leased at the lower end of market price, to subsidise those that are leased at an even lower rate - this is the definition of action. This initiative would also support builders and other tradespeople as, we begin to recover from Covid. It could also utilise 'alternative' building materials - shipping container houses (see link below), straw bale and/or hempcrete to increase efficiency. Taking such direct action would go a long way in improving the situation for many of our most vulnerable residents.

16.01.2022 Whilst the same can be done using the VEC website and the back of an envelope, Vote Easy allows you to create your own 'How to Vote' card. Simply follow the link, hit Greater Shepparton and the 'Create How-to-Vote Card' button at the bottom. Then drag the candidates into your preferred order and hit Save - the candidates will appear in ballot order with numbers next to their name in YOUR preference order.

15.01.2022 Got an idea for a creative project that could boost tourism in our region? Open to local councils and creative and community organisations and associations, the... Creative Activation Fund will support the development and delivery of creative projects that have the potential to become new tourist attractions. The new Creative Activation Fund is open for applications until 24 September. To register your interest visit www.creative.vic.gov.au

13.01.2022 My 15sec pitch for the 2020 Council Election.

12.01.2022 Today was the first day for candidates to officially nominate to stand for Greater Shepparton City Council. I'm pleased to have been one of the first to submit my forms and pay my nomination fee. Nominations are open until Tuesday - you can check who has nominated each day here: ... https://www.vec.vic.gov.au//greater-shepparton/nominations See more

12.01.2022 COUNCIL ELECTION 2020 IS OVERRRRRRRR! Whilst counting still needs to be done and the result isn't expected until November 13th, voting is now officially closed. Thank you to everyone who has responded to my Facebook posts, sent messages, emails, hosted corflutes and otherwise supported my campaign. ... A special thankyou to the person or persons who decided to collect my advertising trailers early - I'm not sure who you are or why you decided to take them, but I hope you get plenty of use out of them and thankyou for saving me the effort of picking them all up. No matter the outcome, we're going to have at least four new faces on Council next month and with such a high caliber cohort of candidates, I'm confident that whoever takes up those nine seats around the Council table will see Greater Shepparton become even greater.

12.01.2022 http://ethniccouncilshepparton.com.au/ All candidates in the upcoming Greater Shepparton Council elections were asked to comment on multiculturalism. Their responses can be accessed through the link.

12.01.2022 Update Regarding Shepparton Outbreak: Current Active Cases ~ There number of positive cases has not changed. There are three people that have tested positive ...for COVID-19 in the Shepparton region that are considered to be active cases. These people are self-isolating at home and are being monitored. GV Health is continuing to undertake contact tracing and testing, with further information to be provided as soon as it is available. This is an evolving situation and further information will be provided as soon as it becomes available. Getting Tested ~ There are a number of sites in Shepparton where people can get tested for COVID-19 noting this is for people from the designated high-risk locations and locations of concern below: * Acute Respiratory Clinic at Graham Street, Shepparton is open from 8:00am to 5:30pm. People who have symptoms are encouraged to this location. * The McIntosh Centre at Shepparton Showgrounds corner of Thompson Street and High Street from 8:00am to 5:30pm. People who do not have symptoms are encouraged to this location. * Two separate drive through clinics at the Shepparton Sports Precinct, corner of Numurkah Road and Brauman Street, Shepparton. - Location 1 Soccer Fields car park from 8:00am to 5:30pm. - Location 2 Netball Courts car park from 8:00am to 5:30pm. * Central Park Recreation Reserve, Corner Central Avenue and Channel Road, Shepparton East from 8:00am to 4:30pm. People who do and do not have symptoms of COVID-19 can attend the drive through sites. Testing is also available at Shepparton Respiratory Clinic - 172 Welsford Street, Shepparton by appointment High-Risk Locations in Shepparton ~ If you have visited any of the high-risk locations below during the dates and times identified you should get tested and quarantine for 14 days. Even if you don’t have any symptoms or only mild symptoms. * Central Tyre Service, Welsford Street, Shepparton on Wednesday 30 September to Tuesday 13 October 2020 * Mooroopna Golf Club Members Bar, Sunday 4 October from 11:00am to 2:00pm and Sunday 11 October 2020 from 11:00am to 2:00pm * Bombshell Hairdressing, Fryers Street, Shepparton on Wednesday 7 October 2020 from 9:30am * Thai Orchid Restaurant, Nixon Street, Shepparton on Wednesday 7 October 2020 from 7:00pm * Shepparton Market Place Medical Centre, Midland Highway Shepparton Thursday 8 October 2020 from 9:15am to 10:15am Locations of Concern ~ If you have visited any of the locations of concern below you should get tested and stay at home while you await your results. In addition, people should be vigilant for symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested again at the first sign of any symptoms. * Bunnings Warehouse Shepparton, Benalla Road, Shepparton Wednesday 30 September 2020 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm * McDonalds Shepparton North, Numurkah Road, Shepparton Saturday 3 October 2020 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. (Anyone who went through drive through does not need to get tested). * Lemon Tree Café, Fryers Street, Shepparton Wednesday 7 October to Monday 12 October 2020 * Mooroopna Golf Club Pro Shop Sunday 11 October 2020 from 11:00am to 2:00pm * Caltex Kalkallo Service Centre South Bound, 1340 Hume Freeway, Kalkallo 30 September 2020 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm

12.01.2022 A big thank you to Kay and John Ball for taking time our of their busy day to speak with me and give me a tour of the Murchison Heritage Museum. Such a fantastic collection, covering the Indigenous, settler, irrigation and wartime history of the town and it's surrounds. It was also good to have confirmed that my concerns about heavy traffic and inadequate public amenities (given the high number of visitors) are shared locally - two problems I hope to alleviate, if elected.

11.01.2022 I've been saying for some time that - if elected - finding a way to incentivise the owners of the Shepparton Hotel to either sell or develop that site was high on my list of priorities. Since then, residents have pointed out a number of other houses and buildings that they'd also like to see fixed up or torn down. I commend Rob Priestly for Greater Shepparton for going one further and finding such a mechanism already.... (From today's Shepparton News)

11.01.2022 Last Council election, in 2016, almost 10,000 people in Greater Shepparton didn't vote and a over 4,000 voted informally. These people could have significantly changed the results, had they chosen vote and/or remembered to number every box. Please, no matter who your preferred candidate/s are or what your preference is based upon; remember to vote this October, to ensure YOUR voice is heard.

11.01.2022 Have you recently turned 18, or moved house? You have 1 week left to enroll to vote in the upcoming Council elections.

10.01.2022 TRANSPARENCY IN COUNCIL I believe we need more transparency in Council. There are a number of policies and strategies that I know exist, but haven't been able to find on Greater Shepparton City Council's website. As has been discussed regarding rates, we don't know why our rates are so comparatively high or where much of that money is going. ... At the end of many Council meetings there are motions voted on either behind closed doors or without the motion being publicly discussed or debated - many of these are due to motions containing matters that are 'commercial in confidence' - obviously there is some information that should be withheld. However, ensuring that the public have a general understanding of such motions is important - just because these matters can be passed behind closed doors, doesn't mean they should be. If I'm elected in October, I aim to shed as much light as possible on all Council decisions and policies - the public has a right to know what their elected representatives are deciding on their behalf.

10.01.2022 Today is the perfect day to #BuyThePaper, with the Shepparton News publishing profiles of each candidate for Greater Shepparton City Council's upcoming election.

10.01.2022 FREE REUSABLE FACEMASKS I'm not normally one to engage in gimmicks, but I love a good deal. Therefore, when I saw an ad for 'Promotional Masks' for a few dollars each, I decided to go for it. Given the minimum order was 100, I have more than a few spares. Therefore, if you'd like a free reusable face mask, just PM me your address and I'll drop them in your letterbox over the next few days!... (Of course, I won't know if you decide to color the design in with black texta )

09.01.2022 My plan to increase economic activity through tourism centres around attracting as many different 'segments' of the tourism market to our region. Through 'Big Things' and other open air installations, we can encourage a huge range of people with diverse interests to both Shepparton and our smaller towns, whilst telling our stories and celebrating our shared history.

09.01.2022 Six more candidates have nominated today, for a total of 16. Three business hours of nominations left tomorrow and then the ballot draw!

09.01.2022 The best thing about postal ballots? Voting at 4am!

08.01.2022 From today's Shepparton News. NB: It's the International Village *concept* I'd like to revive, through 'Big Things' and other open air installations.

07.01.2022 Are you ready to vote in the #LG2020 local council elections this month? To support Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities, we’re offering... free online voter education sessions over the next week: - Korean: Monday 12 Oct 10.30 am - Mandarin: Tuesday 13 Oct 10.30 am - Amharic: Tuesday 13 Oct 2pm - Dari: Wednesday 14 Oct 10.30 am - Arabic: Wednesday 14 Oct 2 pm - Vietnamese: Thursday 15 Oct 2 pm - Italian: Thursday 15 Oct 3pm - Greek: Friday 16 Oct 10.30 am Book in to attend a session at: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx

05.01.2022 All voting packs should have been recieved by now. If yours hasn't arrived, give the VEC office a call on Monday - 1300 112 738

04.01.2022 We have many attractions across our municipality - food and wine, history, culture, arts and more. We need to take a leaf out of Moira Shire's book and develop clear 'trails' for as many traveler groups as possible - those interested in our war time, agriculture, irrigation and migrant histories. Our food, beverage and produce businesses. Our arts and cultural displays. These will encourage visitors to extend their stay in Greater Shepparton and lead to economic growth and more jobs for locals.

04.01.2022 RATES Like the 96 signatories to the letter below (printed in Friday's Shepparton News) I, too, fail to understand why Greater Shepparton residents - and especially business owners and farmers - are charged such disproportionately high rates. I previously lived in Strathbogie Shire which, at the time, was deemed to be one of the highest rating municipalities in the state. It was explained that the cost of maintaining and repairing their massive number of bridges with such a ...Continue reading

02.01.2022 From today's Shepparton News

02.01.2022 Really enjoyed hanging out with members of the Katandra West community and surrounds today. Thanks to those - locals and candidates - who attended and participated in the discussion.