Board vacancy: Shepparton FoodShare board members Peter Thompson, Damien Willoughby (secretary), Jeremy Rensford (chair), Cheryl Hammer, Matthew Todd (treasurer) and Jan Phillips. Absent: Trish Vigliaturo, Jim O’Connor, Roly Hunt and Tom Brain. Matthew Todd, who has been on the board since 2020, is departing, and a replacement is being sought.
Shepparton FoodShare is seeking another director to join its volunteer board, preferably one with experience in accounting and/or financial management, to take on the role of board treasurer.
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FoodShare was established in 2012 to address hunger in Greater Shepparton’s diverse community and now provides food to individuals and families living in the Goulburn Valley and surrounding regions that are hungry or experiencing food insecurity.
It has distributed 3.9 million kilograms of food, or the equivalent of 7.8 million meals, to people in need and has redirected more than 3 million kilograms of edible food that would have gone to landfill.
It predominately relies on volunteers, with the equivalent of just 2.5 full-time staff members.
The deadline for lodging expressions of interest is Friday, October 27.
Leased: The old Katies store in Maude St has been leased to another Maude St tenant.
Prominent retail location let
One of Shepparton’s most prominent shop fronts, which closed when Mosaic Brands withdrew its Katies brand from the city, is set to reopen with a new tenant before Christmas.
Katies withdrew from the store at 225 to 229 Maude St in May after more than 30 years in Shepparton.
Mosaic also closed its Noni B and Autograph stores in the Central Arcade and Maude St, respectively.
Letting agent Vince Tassoni said Ghanda Clothing would move a few doors down from its current 203 Maude St location into the old Katies store.
He said no other announcements on the other stores could be made at this stage.
Farmers welcome housing clarification
The Victorian Farmers Federation has welcomed what it describes as a clarification from the Victorian Government on the taxation of vacant houses on farms.
The VFF said it raised concerns with Treasurer Tim Pallas over plans to extend the vacant residential land tax to regional Victoria as part of the government’s plans to help ease the housing crisis by getting vacant housing back online and available to renters or home buyers.
“I am pleased the treasurer has responded directly to the VFF’s advocacy by clarifying the extension of the vacant residential land tax will not apply to houses on primary production land,” VFF president Emma Germano said.
“The application of this tax to vacant farmhouses would be completely unfair, given these houses are used for seasonal workers, or where a vacancy has been forced due to workforce shortages.”
Workforce shortages are being felt across the Goulburn Valley, in part because potential employees are having difficulty finding houses to live in.
It’s forcing some businesses, not just farmers, to consider providing employees with accommodation.
The tax applies to residential properties that have been vacant for more than six months.
