Shopping locally helps boost the fortunes of local businesses which in turn means they have more money to spend on local goods and services.

The Lowan electorate has many fantastic businesses and it is great when people do their best to support them by shopping in town, rather than online or elsewhere.

Local businesses can provide the quality face-to-face service that customers value and there are often added benefits to supporting your town by shopping locally. 

Simple but important extras such as free advice, free delivery and good old fashioned customer service are thrown in to reward loyal customers.

Both big and small local businesses play an important role within our rural communities by providing employment, sponsorship and many other flow on benefits, which all help to keep our money local and improve our local areas.

- Emma Kealy, Member for Lowan

ROTARY’S Team Cambodia 2016 is beginning to take shape with a number of Year 12 students from Ararat and Stawell putting up heir hands to show their interest in going on this years’ Discovery Tour to Cambodia.

The Rotary Clubs of Ararat and Stawell will hold a parent/student information evening on Monday, August 22 at the Ararat SES Hall, 85 High St Ararat at 7pm. East Geelong Rotarian Dr Bryan Humphrey, who will lead the team, will be in attendance.

In 2015 a team of 13 students participated and were wonderful young ambassadors for Australia in the work they did to raise funds for community and school projects in Cambodia and the respect and friendliness they showed towards the Cambodian communities we visited.

- Jenny Beales (Rotary Ararat), John Launder (Rotary Stawell)

Daniel Andrews promised to build a Transport Hub in Ararat in 2014, but the state government has been sitting on its hands ever since.

After failing to provide any information on the status of the project, instead of getting on with the freight hub the Andrews Government last week announced it would be commissioning a  costly and timely feasibility study. This is simply not good enough.

The people of Ararat have been waiting too long for Daniel Andrews to wake up and build the freight Hub he promised.

Many Ararat residents were hopeful of finally getting an announcement that this project would be built. Instead, they were met with disappointment when it was revealed Labor would instead be undertaking a time wasting study.

This community has been calling for this project for a long time; they already understand the benefits of it, it's time Daniel Andrews got on with the job and built a freight hub for Ararat.

Opposition regional development spokesman Tim McCurdy said this project had been delayed long enough.

“Daniel Andrews told Victorians it was ‘about time’ for the Ararat freight and logistics hub in 2014, and yet it has taken Labor 18 months to make any progress. Mr McCurdy said.

“Just three months ago, The Coalition asked Jaala Pulford in parliament why the people of Ararat were still waiting for work on this project to begin – she was unable to answer.

“Daniel Andrews promised this study would help deliver more jobs to Ararat families. But 18 months later they are still waiting. It is more proof that the further you live from Melbourne, the less you get from this city-centric Labor Government.”

- Louise Staley Ripon MP