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proudly serving Brimbank and the North West
5 AUGUST, 2025
Gearing up A Keilor local is preparing for her fourth Great Vic Bike Ride this year, cycling from Mortlake to Camperdown via the Great Ocean Road. Nevenka Bradica, a regular cyclist in Brimbank Park, said she’s excited to take on the challenge. “I love the fact you can see our beautiful countryside on roads that normally I would not want to ride on … with lots of other bike riders I feel very comfortable and safe on the Great Vic Bike Ride,” she said. The bike ride, now in its 41st year, will feature 300 kilometres of Great Ocean Road coastlines, cliffs and winding country roads as part of its five-day itinerary. Ms Bradica said in previous years she’s seen little ones on bike racks participating in rides as well as 80-year olds furiously pedalling it out. “It’s fantastic,“ she said. “ My advice for the first timer is to do it and like me you’ll get the bug and keep coming back.” The Great Vic Bike Ride will run from November 23 to 28.
Nevenka Bradica will ride in her fourth Great vic Bike Ride later this year. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 492708_05
Charges dropped By Sam Porter Locals have been left frustrated by a Environment Protection Authority (EPA) decision to drop criminal charges against Barro Group for its mismanagement of the Kealba landfill where underground fires have been burning underground for more than six years. The EPA charged Barro and its three directors with breaches of the general environmental duty in 2022. In a recent statement the EPA said its withdrawal of criminal charges would not limit further compliance and enforcement activity in the future.
“We acknowledge this is a disappointing outcome for the community,” the EPA said. “However, the most important thing is to make sure Kealba landfill is safe, all hotspots are extinguished and Barro Group is brought into compliance, “By concentrating resources and expertise on the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) case, and our ongoing compliance actions, we stand the best chance of making that happen.” The EPA revoked Barro’s operating licence in 2023. Barro has appealed the move at VCAT. The regulator said it continues to monitor the landfill to ensure Barro works
to extinguish the last remaining hotspot. Resident Nicole Power, whose health has been negatively affected by noxious odours from the landfill’s ongoing fires, said the decisionto drop the criminal charges is “a monumental failure by the EPA”. “It just devastated me,“ she said. “I just can’t understand. There’s been no penalty whatsoever for these fires. “We need some transparency, some community consultation. We need to know why the charges were dropped.” An open letter from residents affected by the landfill said the EPA’s withdrawal of the criminal charges “undermines confidence in enforcement and denies the community
the justice it deserves”. Brimbank mayor Thuy Dang agreed the outcome is disappointing. “The community expects that regulators like the EPA will utilise their full jurisdiction to hold industry operators to account, to ensure that their practices are safe, responsible and cause no harm to the community and the environment,” she said. “Council and the community have long-held serious concerns about air quality and health impacts and want to see decisive action on this issue to protect public health and the environment for generations to come.” Barro Group declined to contact.
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