Hume City Councillors have endorsed a series of motions to be presented at the upcoming Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) State Council meeting.
Speaking at a Monday 14 July council meeting, Cllr Karen Sherry outlined five priority areas the council will submit for consideration at the conference, namely:
- Illegal dumping and littering
- Dog attack legislation
- Wildlife road strike prevention
- Greater protection for property purchases
- And concerns around WorkCover premiums
“These are real and ongoing issues affecting the daily lives of our residents,” Cllr Sherry said. “From roadside rubbish and dangerous animals to rising WorkCover costs, we want stronger legal rights and better outcomes for our community.”
The associated council agenda item (8.1) noted that the MAV call upon the Victorian Government to amend the Domestic Animal’s Act 1994 to:
- Provide council authorised officers with a clear power of entry onto residential land where there is a reasonable belief that a dog involved in a serious attack is being kept at that location
- and (ii) Authorise the reasonable use of force by Council authorised officers when entering land, executing a search warrant, or seizing an animal under the Act
Cllr Sherry noted the motions would not only represent Hume’s interests but also align with concerns faced by other outer-suburban councils across Melbourne’s north.
“This is about collective advocacy. Many of these challenges aren’t unique to Hume, and by working together with other councils, we can amplify our voice to the Victorian government,” she said.
If endorsed at the MAV northern area delegates meeting on Wednesday 23 July, the motions will be formally presented at the State Council gathering on 10 October 2025.
The motions were unanimously supported by councillors. Cllr Steve Gagen, for the third week in a row, attended online with the CEO’s permission. Absent from the meeting were:
- Mayor Cllr Jarrod Bell
- Cllr Sam Misho
State government
Meanwhile, the state government wants to pass a law allowing public officials to force their way onto the land of farmers and other property owners.
The government’s bill to be debated in Parliament provides for extraordinary powers to be given to ‘authorised officers’ under the National Electricity (Victoria) Amendment (VicGrid Stage 2 Reform) Bill 2025.
These officers would be allowed to use reasonable force to enter land deemed necessary for the construction of electricity transmission towers across large swathes of the state.
They would have the power to remove any obstruction, with authorisation to cut locks and break open gates when undertaking involuntary entry onto properties.
Penalties for non-cooperation reach $12,210 for individuals and up to $48,842 for body corporates.
Wendy Lovell, MP for Northern Victoria, says: “The Allan Labor Government’s legislation is an extraordinary over-step by government and tramples on long-standing democratic processes as Labor seeks to force the rollout of its botched energy policies.
“Removing land-owners rights to appeal against these projects at VCAT shows complete disregard for rural Victorians and reflects an increasingly authoritarian stance from a Labor government now in its eleventh year.
“The Liberals will hand back these rights to rural people, as well as reintroducing a two kilometre buffer zone between wind turbines and homes.”