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proudly serving Brimbank and the North West
7 FEBRUARY, 2023
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Preps jump into school The youngest learners at Cairnlea Park Primary School have successfully completed their first week of school. More than 100 preps commenced their learning journey at the school, and one thing was consistent among the cohort – the playground was the place to be. Engagement and transition co-ordinator Natalie Roach said it was exciting to welcome the pupils to school. “They were all very excited about making new friends and starting at their new school,” she said. “The students were most excited to play on the playgrounds, especially the monkey bars.” She said one of the reasons the transition is so smooth is because when the kids are in kinder they get a year four buddy. “We had lots of transition sessions last year and we do kinder visits,” she said. “This means when they come to school they know those familiar faces in the yard. “Learning to be independent is huge for the preps – they don’t have mum and dad around. “The teachers have been really happy with the way they have settled.”
Cairnlea Park Primary School preps Isaac, Xania, Jason and Kaia. (Damjan Janevski) 317659_04
Housing crisis deepens By Liam McNally Eight thousand Brimbank and Melton households seeking crisis accommodation and private renal assistance were turned away last year, while another 7000 households are on a waiting list, according to the Salvation Army. Data from Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) reveals that Melbourne’s west as Victoria’s highest proportion of unmet housing needs, with more than 20,000 households – or 6.9 per cent – deemed inappropriate. This means people are either experiencing homelessness, living in
overcrowded homes or spending over 30 per cent of their income on rent. In Brimbank and Melton, the figure jumps to 7.2 per cent, or 4800 houses in Brimbank and 4100 houses in Melton. Salvation Army Vicwest homelessness manager Cheryl McKinley said rising rents and inflation are causing a “very big” increase in people needing housing services in Melton and Brimbank. “We’re seeing a move away from those just on a Centrelink … payment that are struggling with their rent working families are coming through our services for the very first time,” she said.
Ms McKinley said the Salvos are dealing with the increase in an already under-resourced emergency housing sector and wait-times are as long as “a ball of string”. “There needs to be more affordable housing. There needs to be more social housing that is built,” she said. CHIA Victoria acting chief executive Jess Pomeroy said the report highlights the urgent need for more social housing in Victoria. “The inner, west, and south-east parts of Melbourne are among the top 10 areas in Australia with the highest number of households facing unmet need,” she said. “Victoria has the lowest proportion of social
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housing in the country. We urgently need governments to provide a clear, long-term funding pipeline for social and affordable housing beyond the Big Housing Build.” Victoria’s Big Housing Build program is a $5.3 billion investment in social and affordable housing that aims to deliver 12,000 new dwellings including 9,300 new social housing dwellings by 2026. A government spokesperson said there is a “high demand” for social and affordable housing options across Victoria and Australia. “We are using all the levers within our control to house as many people as possible as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
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Kathy Danoucaras, Nick Danoucaras and Sam Robertson KND Denture Clinic, 192 Main Road East, St Albans 9364 3677 Also at: Suite 8, 242 Caroline Springs Boulevard, Caroline Springs. 8361 9722
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