PLANNING has begun for a new aged care facility in Cheltenham. The residential facility at Monash Health’s Kingston Centre will have the capacity for 150 beds. It is expected to cater for residents with complex needs such as dementia. The project is budgeted to cost $134.6 million. Disability, ageing, and carers minister Luke Donnellan said “our public sector residential aged care services play a vital role in supporting vulnerable older Victorians who need specialist care for complex physical or mental health needs.” The centre will be operated and staffed by public health service Monash Health. During the devastating second wave…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
AN Edithvale cafe owner who was planning to introduce outdoor dining this summer says that council’s rejection of his proposal is “a huge opportunity lost”. Kingston Council has been encouraging local venues to expand outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic – offering free outdoor dining licences and footpath trading permits, as well as dining pop-up licences. Despite that, council struck down a plan for The Crowded Hour to expand its outdoor dining space into Beeson Reserve. The Crowded Hour owner Rogan O’Shannessy said he was blindsided when council rejected his proposal. He said he “had spent months developing the plans with…
CRICKET PENINSULA A BIG score from Damien Lawrence got Pines over the line in their clash against Long Island. Long Island chose to bat first and got off to a horror start, losing both openers for a combined total of just one run. Losing star batsman Nick Jewell for one proved a huge blow. Jewell’s output this season has been down compared to his usual lofty standards. Long Island ended up all out for 144. Pines’ run chase was a little shaky to start off with, as they fell to 2/11. Opener Damien Lawrence held his ground though, and ended…
VOUCHERS worth up to $200 have been made available to holidaymakers who visit regional Victorian hotspots this summer. The state government scheme will cost $28 million to Victorian taxpayers. Adult Victorian residents who spend at least $400 on accommodation, experiences, or tours in regional Victoria are eligible for the voucher. Only one voucher per household is available, and at least two nights must be spent in paid accommodation to be eligible. The Mornington Peninsula and the Yarra Ranges are considered regional as part of the scheme. The first lot of 40,000 vouchers went up on 11 December. The website to…
THE cashless welfare card program would cause “significant hardship” if rolled out nationwide, Dunkley MP Peta Murphy says. The program sees 80 per cent of welfare payments made to an individual put onto a card, where it cannot be used on alcohol or gambling products. The government is trialling the card in four communities – Ceduna, SA, Bundaberg and Harvey Bay, QLD, Goldfields, WA, and East Kimberley, WA. It moved last week to make the trials permanent in those locations, but could not gain the support it needed in Parliament. The trial has instead been extended for two years. Ms…