Ararat Rural City’s Environmental Health Unit protects and promotes the public health and wellbeing of all communities within the municipality as well as our natural environments including the air we breathe and water we drink. This is through a range of services designed to protect our communities and the environment.
Programs include food safety, the regulation of domestic waste water disposal, the investigation of infectious disease outbreaks, tobacco education and enforcement, as well as the investigation of public health nuisance complaints.
Environmental Health Fees 2022/2023
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All applications are submitted through the Greenlight system. Follow this link to apply now.
Hairdressers, Beauty Parlours, Tattooists and Body Piercing establishments are required to be registered with Council and are regularly inspected to ensure correct hygiene and infection control procedures are being carried out by proprietors.
Premises offering accommodation such as hotels, motels, boarding houses, bed & breakfast establishments also require registration and are inspected to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008
Victoria has strict laws regarding the sale of tobacco and smoking in public places. Ararat Rural City Council and the State Government are responsible for enforcing these laws and issuing infringements where necessary.
Council’s Environmental Health Officer’s undertakes annual inspections of tobacco retailers, eating establishments, gaming venues, hotels or other licensed premises to ensure compliance under the Tobacco Act 1987.
Council is part of the Cigarette Sales to Minors program which is a Victorian Government initiative. A young person under the age of 18 years is regularly employed to attempt to purchase tobacco products from retailers in order to test compliance with tobacco laws. If you are aware that a retailer is selling tobacco products to people under the age of 18 years, please report this to the Environmental Health Officer.
Council aims to reduce harm from tobacco smoke by:
- enforcing smoke-free dining for all eating establishments
- regulating the display and advertising of tobacco products
- banning illegal tobacco products
- enforcing smoke-free workplaces, including licensed premises
Information regarding tobacco advertising, signage and the display of tobacco products can be found at the Tobacco Reforms website.
Noise, odour, smoke and similar issues can be public health nuisances. Noise, in particular can impact considerably on health and wellbeing, especially when it disturbs sleep. An enjoyable sound for one person can be noise to someone else.
These issues can be reported to our Environmental Health Officer. Reports are treated confidentially and investigated with the aim of resolving the issue promptly. EPA noise regulations also include prohibited times for different residential equipment.
Where it is a problem with your neighbour, often the best approach is to speak with the person you feel is causing the nuisance. In many instances they may be unaware that an activity is in fact creating a nuisance. We suggests that this action takes place in the first instance as these discussions can often resolve the problem.
For further information on noise regulations, click here.
For further information on Dispute Settlement, click here.
Outside of sewered areas in Ararat, Willaura and Lake Bolac, household wastewater must be connected to an approved wastewater system.
Our Environmental Health Officer issues permits to install or alter a septic tank or other domestic wastewater treatment system. Sites must be capable of retaining all waste and a Land Capability Assessment may need to be carried out to determine this.
For further information on Onsite wastewater, click here.