Damning IBAC report
Criminal charges and sweeping planning reforms may follow a damning and long-awaited anti-corruption report involving Casey councillors and property developers.
Former Casey mayors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett accepted more than $1.15 million in payments and in-kind support for promoting developer John Woodman or his clients’ interests on council, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission found.
Under state law, IBAC is barred from publicly stating people engaged in criminal, corrupt conduct.
COVERAGE PAGES 5, 16-17
Deer on our doorstep
Community groups are mobilising to limit the population of deer in the Cardinia Shire and surrounds as reports show deer expanding southward as far as Bayles.
Currently, Cannibal Creek and Bunyip Landcare groups are running public meetings on the impact of deers and deer control with speakers from Parks Victoria, Victoria Police, Cardinia Shire and other government institutions.
These efforts are to reinforce the reality that these introduced animals are highly destructive for native plant life and risk upsetting the habitats of native species.
STORY PAGE 7
100 days!
Officer Primary School’s youngest learners celebrated a special milestone on Friday 28 July, marking 100 days in the classroom.
Superheroes, doctors, race car drivers and astronauts represented big career dreams for the pint-sized pupils, while other students chose to represent their veteran efforts at school by dressing as 100-year-olds.
STORY PAGE 6
Push for change
By Eleanor Wilson
Melbourne’s South East continues to experience some of the the highest levels of family violence in Victoria, a Victoria Police family violence training officer revealed at Cardinia’s annualWhite Ribbon event.
Held at Cardinia Life on Wednesday 26 July, the annual event works to raise awareness
about family and domestic violence and recognises local pioneers in the family violence prevention space.
Southern Metropolitan region divisional family violence training officer Senior Sergeant Darren Hedge said incidences of family violence also continue to rise across the state, but said the force is committed to improving its response to family violence incidents.
Data from the Crime Statistics Agency showed that breaching a family violence order was the top offence in the municipality in the last year.
There were over 1500 incidents of family violence in Cardinia Shire last year.
In recent years the force has established a dedicated and trained Family Violence Liaison Officer (FVLO) at every station in the SD3
region, covering Cardinia, Casey and Greater Dandenong, to better handle domestic and family violence cases.
While other parts of the state employ FVLOs on a part-time basis, those in the South East are needed on an almost full-time basis due to the prevalence of the issue in the region.
STORY PAGE 3
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Foundation students at Officer Primary School, joined by Pakenham MP Emma Vulin (back left), classroom teacher Amber Augustus and education support aid Shannon Cooke. Picture: ELEANOR WILSON
