FEBRUARY 27, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
(Joe Mastroianni)
Planetarium stars reborn Take a journey out of this world when the Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks in Spotswood reopens next month after a $1.2 million upgrade. A powerful new projection system will launch a new show, Moonbase ONE ONE, on March 9. Digital production designer Warik Lawrance said the six-projector system would be complemented by state-of-the-art LED lighting. “Not only will the image be three times brighter, but with 36 million pixels on the dome, it will be three times sharper,” he said. “This will look amazing and help to produce the most accurate and clear stars possible.” Moonbase ONE is a groundbreaking new production narrated by Australian geek culture enthusiast Stephanie “Hex” Bendixsen. It centres on Bendixsen’s character, a virtual reality games developer struggling to figure out what is going wrong with her new game on a full-moon night. Existing planetarium shows, including Starlight and Ticket to the Universe, will continue showing after the reopening, with more colour and depth than before. Goya Dmytryshchak
PRESENTER NINA THOMSON
Councils outsource care Services for some of the west’s most vulnerable residents will be outsourced following a decision by Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay councils. The councils will sub-contract domestic assistance, personal care and in-home respite for the elderly and people with a disability, due to possible changes in federal funding. Maribyrnong councillors endorsed a decision to outsource in-home support at an in-camera meeting last Tuesday. Staff were informed of the intended new arrangements the next day. At the end of Hobsons Bay’s ordinary council meeting, also last Tuesday, chief executive Aaron van Egmond received a rescission
motion signed by two councillors to reverse a decision made in-camera. Star Weekly understands the signatures were from deputy mayor Michael Grech and councillor Tony Briffa, who had earlier voted against the home care tender being decided behind closed doors. By law, a rescission motion must be heard at the next scheduled council meeting or alternatively at a special council meeting. Hobsons Bay mayor Jonathon Marsden called a special meeting, closed to the public, for 9am last Saturday. At that meeting the rescission motion was defeated, meaning that the council’s original decision to outsource stood. Council staff were notified on Monday. Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer Daniel
Sports mouth guards starting at $90
Denture Repairs from $70 returned in 1hr*
Victory, acting for the Australian Services Union, has questioned the legality of the Saturday meeting. In a letter sent to Hobsons Bay mayor Jonathon Marsden, Mr Victory said the meeting breached the Local Government Act because seven days notice was not given. The council received legal advice that the meeting was valid. State and federal MPs earlier this month urged both councils not to outsource home care, given the likelihood of a federal Labor government which would guarantee funding. During public question time, a number of people implored Maribyrnong council to keep the services in-house but their pleas failed to sway the councillors. Maribyrnong mayor Martin Zakharov said
1182408-CG18-15
By Goya Dmytryshchak and Benjamin Millar
A vibrant new community coming soon to the Inner West
*Conditional on the type of repair method required.
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION DENTURE CARE CLINIC www.altonadentureclinic.com.au
8 Borrack Square, Altona North
9391 9998
the council would continue to manage the funding and quality assurance processes for these services until at least 2020. “We are committed to minimising change and maintaining both quality and continuity of care,” he said. “The central objective of this process has been to appoint a high quality provider, with a comprehensive service offering, who will ensure the continuing availability of services to support people to live as independently as possible within their own home. “The decision to enter this subcontracting arrangement is based on providing the best support possible for our clients, community and employees as the aged-care and disability service systems are reformed by the federal government.”
Register now
thefabric.mirvac.com