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Loddon HERALD Vol 1 No 18 THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021
MPs LAUNCH PETITION FOR SOLUTIONS
CARE PLEDGE By CHRIS EARL
LATE NEWS
THE CAMPAIGN for child care facilities across the Loddon has stepped up a notch.
More than 100 people attended a public meeting on Sunday where Ripon MP Louise Staley launched a petition calling on the State Government to act on the crisis. The petition, a joint initiative of Ms Staley and Murray Plains MP Peter Walsh, comes as Loddon families experience a lack of child care options in the region, Families across the Loddon, including Serpentine, Inglewood, Pyramid Hill, Boort and Wedderburn, have spoken out about the dire shortage of child care in the Loddon over recent weeks and the impact on local schools, businesses and families. Investigations by the Loddon Herald reveal there are no vacancies in the region with limited places already full. Sunday’s meeting at Wedderburn College was attended by grandparents, parents, parents and their children. College principal Danny Forrest said: “The situation across all these communities should not be like this. ““We’re pushing for solutions right across the region,” he said. “We have to maintain awareness of the challenges faced by all young families in all towns across the region. And it has to be at the top of the agenda. Ms Staley said: “As a society we invest in educating and training young people for jobs.
New curbs hint as cases grow
Maddi Postle adds her name to the petition launched by MP Louise Staley. LH PHOTO But that also means we need to be investing in child care so young mothers can work.” She said there had been significant government failure in thinking about how rural women with young children could continue their careers and what care was provided in country communities. Ms Staley said innovative solutions were needed. “Local communities would not be in this situation if the current model worked.
“It doesn’t work in a lot of small communities,” she said. During the meeting, Ms Staley advocated for co-location of child minding, child care and other children’s services. “One example is Charlton where the model was redeveloped to share places between three different areas ... care not every day but some days. It’s not perfect but it’s better,” she said. “It gets women back into the workforce. The full solution will take time. It won’t happen in a
few weeks or months but we will have one,” Ms Staley told the meeting. A working committee has been formed under the banner Keep Families Local following talks across the region with other stakeholders. Options being explored include co-location of an early years hub on land at existing State Government facilities, including Wedderburn College.
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VICTORIA faces the prospect of new COVID restrictions today as a Melbourne cluster continues to grow. Acting Premier James Merlino yesterday said there was concern for the number and kind of exposure sites. “The next 24 hours are critical if we have to make further changes (to restrictions),” he said. As case numbers increased to 15 yesterday, two central Victoria locations were added to the list of Tier 1 exposure sites. They are the Axedale Tavern and a hair salon in Bendigo.
Coronial brief POLICE are preparing a brief for the coroner after a woman, 42, died in Inglewood on Tuesday afternoon. They said emergency services were called to an address in Belmont Street to reports of an injured woman Police said the woman died at the scene and the death was not being treated as suspicious.