WHAT’S ON AT NEPTOURS *CROWN CASINO – MONTHLY*
Casino’s bus program with a great BUFFET lunch (all) $35. Only p/p over the age of 18 permitted. Thu 22 Feb (numbers permitting)
QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET
Tue 10 Apr - All $35 PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Regent Theatre Wed 18 Apr (a) $140 (p/s) $130
BEAUTIFUL THE CAROL KING STORY
Wed 2 May matinee (a) $140 (p/s) $130 WIZARD OF OZ
Wed 23 May (a) $130 (p/s) $120 THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Evening Only Thu 19 Jul all tickets $130 MAMMA MIA
Princess Theatre Wed 29 Aug (a) $140 (p/s) $130 4 WEEKS ONLY
NEWS DESK
Cafe admits to underpaying staff A CAFE at Benton Square shopping centre has been fined almost $10,000 after a Fair Work Ombudsman’s audit found junior staff had been underpaid. Degani Bakery Cafe has agreed to back-pay staff $9375, apologise to them, and display notices at the cafe detailing the breaches on its website. The underpayments came to light during a selfinitiated compliance audit of 14 Degani Australia franchised cafes. The Ombudsman found that 15
staff, including waiters, cooks and four juniors at the Mornington cafe, had been underpaid from September to November, 2016. The audit found the company paid $18-$21 hourly rates to its casual staff which did not meet casual loadings and penalty rates to which they were entitled under industry awards. One staff member was underpaid $1318 at a flat hourly rate of $20, despite being entitled to base rates, including casual loading, of $23.64, weekend rates of up to $28.37 and public holiday rates of up to
$47.28 at the time. Other issues included not providing meal breaks for employees who worked more than five hours, not rostering on part-time employees for at least three consecutive hours and not paying annual leave loading. The cafe was said to have fully co-operated with Fair Work inspectors, agreeing to back-pay workers in full and to overhaul its business practices under the terms of an Enforceable Undertaking entered into with the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Council calls for help with CEO job review
Phone: 5981 1277
www.neptours.com.au
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Home safe: Pensioner Larry has found a place to live in return for helping out his landlord. Picture: Yanni
Happy ending follows housing plea Peninsula Adult Education and Literacy
16 Henry Wilson Drive, Rosebud 3939 Telephone: 5986 8177 or email: admin@pael.com.au PAEL is supported by the Victorian State Government
A PENSIONER’S fears that he could be evicted from his fourth rental property in as many years struck a chord with readers – and it seems help is at hand. Larry (surname withheld) said he feared becoming homeless if the new owners of his Hastings unit decided to renovate or move in themselves – or perhaps re-let it at a higher rental. Either way he would be forced to look for a new home – with the few available being offered at rents he could not afford (“Pensioner feels the brunt in house hunt” The News, 6/2/2018). A reader has now come to the rescue offering Larry a self-contained unit or bungalow on 12 hectares at Pearcedale. Larry has accepted and will take over yard duties, such as lawn mowing and looking after the animals. “It’s a two-bedroom apartment with a kitchenette and is ideal,” Larry said. “The owners are away a lot and need someone to look after the place and keep it looking lived-in.” Larry’s new landlord said he would make an ideal tenant. “We went through everything and he was rapt,” said the owner, who asked not to be named. The Salvation Army was also helpful, adding
Larry’s name to a Department of Housing list for those seeking independent living quarters. Larry, 70, says his age means he will be moved higher on the list, which will also suit his new landlord’s family situation later on. Also interested in Larry’s plight was the Council to Homeless Persons, which says the state government should finance social housing projects through stamp duty revenues. “The number of people being evicted into homelessness has more than doubled over five years as rents rise,” CEO Jenny Smith said. Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that, last financial year, 43,751 people presented at Victorian homelessness services due to eviction, she said. The Council to Homeless Persons says the increase from 17,930 just five years ago, is due to rising rents. Ms Smith said homelessness was also being driven by population growth, federal government housing taxation settings, and an absence of a national affordable housing plan. “Australia increasingly views housing as a commodity rather than the shelter we all need.” Stephen Taylor
Continued from Page 1 Meanwhile, the consultant being sought by councillors will help with: n Annual performance reviews of [the] CEO, including assisting … with recommendations to council as a result of performance reviews. n Review of remuneration and conditions of employment of the CEO. n The process relating to the appointment of CEO. The advertisement describes the consultant’s role as: “The successful consultant will work in close collaboration with the ‘committee of the whole’, CEO and relevant shire officers, and will be required to attend meetings at the shire’s Rosebud office. The service will commence 1 April 2018 and will not require the consultant to work full time; the time required will vary over the term of engagement subject to the requirements of council’s committee.” As well as making the gifts register publicly available councillors have also called for a review of the “definitions” of words used in the Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy, an “internal document” that is also now publicly available. A review of the policy by councillors and council officers is designed “to ensure that any ambiguity is addressed in a clear and meaningful manner,” Mr Cowie stated in a news release following last week’s decision by councillors. Benefit, as defined in the current policy is defined in part as “something which is believed to be of benefit to the receiver” and can include accommodation and recreation trips. A news release from the shire said making the gifts policy and register public would “ensure the organisation meets public expectations around transparency and the disclosure of gifts”.
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Mornington News
20 February 2018