NEWS DESK
Tax scammers hit the phones Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au
Play time: Vanessa Shaw, left, Evie and Vanessa’s daughter Peyton enjoy family day care flexibility. Picture: Gary Sissons
Day carer wins accolade LANGWARRIN family day care provider Vanessa Shaw has been recognised as Regional Educator of the Year after being nominated for a Family Day Care Australia award. Ms Shaw said it is “pretty amazing” to receive the award and she had “no idea” about being nominated by parents of children she cares for at her Langwarrin home. She said family day care is an option for families with children who may be anxious about being separated from parents who work during the week. “We work from our homes. Our
homes are set up just as well and are as regulated as the big centres so we have all the benefits of being in a family home and there is only one person who’ll look after your child,” Ms Shaw said. “It is a natural option for a lot of families and it’s more flexible.” Advantages of family day care for preschool-aged children include smaller groups and one-on-one care by the same person each day. “It’s really like a second home for them.” Ms Shaw said being a family day
carer is the ideal job for parents wanting to spend time with their own children when they are young. “It’s for parents who have a real wish to be home with their children. They can be an educator at home and I’d say it is the perfect job. “For those that are suited to looking after children and being a present parent, I can’t think of anything better.” Ms Shaw is now in the running to be a national winner at the Family Day Care Australia national conference gala in September. Neil Walker
TAX time is also scam time for thieves trying to intimidate people into handing over bank or credit card details to pay a fictitious tax debt. Scammers have been calling people throughout the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula area this month claiming to represent the Australian Taxation Office. The pre-recorded call falsely claims the recipient of the call owes money to the ATO and a warrant will be issued for the person’s arrest if they do not call the scammer back on a phone number provided. Some people may also receive an email making the same threat. Frankston CIU Senior Sergeant Steve Fyfe confirmed the calls are a scam. “People shouldn’t hand over their financial details to any unsolicited callers,” he said. The ATO says the “fake tax debt” phone scam is the most common way scammers try to con people to hand over money. “The ATO regularly sends emails and SMS messages and we make lots of calls each week but you should be wary if you weren’t expecting to be contacted by us,” ATO assistant commissioner Kath Anderson said.
The ATO will never threaten anyone with arrest, jail or deportation in a call and will not request payment of “a debt” via iTunes, prepaid Visa cards or cryptocurrency. A fee is never charged to release a tax refund. Any emails sent from the ATO will not ask to click on a link to provide login and personal details. See scamwatch.gov.au online to keep up to date with common scams and alerts.
Labor comes to Baxter line party Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au THE electrification of the extension of the Frankston line to Baxter now has bipartisan support from both the Liberal and Labor parties. Federal Labor shadow transport spokesman Anthony Albanese visited Langwarrin’s McClelland Gallery last Tuesday (31 July) for a Committee for Greater Frankston “roundtable lunch” and used the occasion to announce a Shorten government will “move quickly to deliver the muchneeded Frankston to Baxter rail upgrade”. The federal opposition’s pledge to
back the rail duplication and electrification from Frankston to Baxter comes two weeks after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the Liberal National Coalition federal government’s promise to provide $225 million to build the rail extension. Liberal state opposition leader Matthew Guy also promised that the state Liberal National Coalition, if elected in November, will direct $225 million to the project. Mr Albanese’s announcement last week leaves the Labor state government as the sole hold outs in not yet committing to build the rail extension. The state government is conduct-
ing a business case study into the project’s feasibility, paid for by $3 million in federal funding. “Labor has advocated for the electrification and duplication of the Stony Point Line to Baxter to improve train services for commuters across Dunkley and on the peninsula,” Mr Albanese said at last week’s roundtable meeting. “And that’s because we know the benefits of this project speak for themselves — better services, greater accessibility to public transport, reduced travel times, and more parking but most important of all, ensuring commuters get home earlier so they can spend more time with their families.” Continued page 6
Rail pledge: Federal shadow transport spokesman Anthony Albanese and Labor candidate for Dunkley Peta Murphy at Langwarrin’s McClelland Gallery. Pic: Gary Sissons
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Frankston Times
6 August 2018
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