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Spring blooms This spring, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne is alive with colour as wattles and orchids burst into bloom. Highlights include the rare red Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’ and other unique wattles adapted to Australia’s harsh environments. From 2–18 September, nature lovers can join the Orchid Conservation Tour for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Victoria’s endangered orchids, many found nowhere else, as they are carefully nurtured and reintroduced into the wild, offering a rare glimpse of Australia’s botanical treasures. “We have approximately 87 species of wattle growing at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and 92 species on display at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne,” Tim Sansom, executive director Living Collections and Environment at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, said. Full story page 10
Jai Slatter, visitor experience officer with Acacia spectabilis. (Stewart Chambers: 499991)
IBAC lays charges By Cam Lucadou-Wells Two people, including a former Casey councillor, have been charged from matters arising from the Operation Sandon corruption inquiry. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) announced it had charged the unnamed ex-councillor with five offences, including one count of receiving secret
commissions and two counts each of misconduct in public office and misuse of position. A consultant in the “property development industry“ was charged with giving secret commissions. Both of the accused are scheduled to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 25 September. In July 2023, IBAC released its report on allegations of serious corrupt conduct in relation to
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planning and property development decisions at City of Casey. It followed a five-year investigation of property developers, Casey councillors and state MPs, which spanned 40 days of public hearings and seven private examinations. The report was damning of several key players – with two councillors accused of accepting more than $1.15 million in payments and in-kind sup-
port for promoting a developer and his clients’ interests on council. In the midst of the early public hearings, thenLocal Government Minister Adem Somyurek sacked Casey’s councillors and installed a panel of administrators to oversee the council in 2020. Since several months ago, IBAC “temporarily“ removed the report from its website through an “abundance of caution“, it stated at the time.
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