Employment

Patricia Gill. Denmark Shire chief executive David Schober will officially end his tenure on July 11 to return to a lifelong passion, coaching basketball. Former professional basketball coach David will take a ‘dream job’ at the Denmark Senior High School vacated by dual Olympian Paul Rogers.

The Malinauskas Labor Government’s return of early childhood courses to TAFE has seen an almost doubling of uptake in just 12 months ... Enrolments in Semester 1 for 2023 for both courses are currently at 456 – almost double the same time last year with 276 enrolments.

Jesse Wray-McCann. When a 200-kilometre drive from one end of your policing patch to the other is the same distance as travelling a quarter of the way across Victoria, it pays to be close to your community and your colleagues. The 10 police officers across six stations – Donald, Charlton, Wycheproof, Culgoa, Sea Lake and Birchip – that make up the Buloke Shire cluster make it their mission to keep connected with everyone around them.

Helping spot fires is the job of dreams for Parks and Wildlife Service Senior Spotter Pilot Bronwen Prinsloo. This Manjimup-based pilot loves taking to the skies to spot and report on fires, monitor prescribed burns and do her bit to help keep our communities safe.

At the Industry Breakfast held last week the Clifton State High School announced the nomination of Claire Keleher for a Queensland Traineeship Award for School Based Apprenticeships ... Year 12 student Claire spoke of how the butcher’s apprenticeship she has begun at the Allora Butchery has given her a new lease of life at school as she has regained her enthusiasm for school because of the program.

The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) CEO Liz Ritchie will launch the national Regionalisation Roadshow in Stawell this week – helping local leaders of Northern Grampians tackle the issues holding their country towns back ... As a member of the RAI, the Northern Grampians offered to host and be the first location in regional Australia to ignite a place-based lens on the framework – focussing on areas including job vacancies, education, and housing.

The Federal Labor Government has been forced to admit it won’t reach its target of 24/7 Registered Nurses in all Aged Care homes, which is an acknowledgement for battling smaller regional aged care facilities. Earlier this week, Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells, revealed to media not every facility would be fully staffed by July 1, following months of pressure and advocacy from the Coalition on behalf of smaller aged care facilities.

Donald High School. After a two-year break, Year 11 students undertook a week’s work experience last week. Fifteen students travelled to Ballarat to work at a variety of workplaces, and two students stayed in Donald. Students worked in the fields of aged care, education, hairdressing, fitness, tourism, civil engineering, accountancy, building and construction, steel fabrication, and agriculture.

If Australia is to continue to grow its economy and increase individual prosperity, productivity policy should focus on key emerging trends like the shift towards service industries, according to the final report of the Productivity Commission’s 5-year Productivity Inquiry ... “Concentrating on five key themes can make a real difference”: Productivity Commission Chair, Michael Brennan.

Victorian regional communities are being delt the brunt of brutal job and skills losses since the timber supply issues stemming from a Supreme Court order in November 2022 locking up Victoria’s native forests causing mills to close down. It was announced in 2019 by the State Government that the native timber industry would be phased out by 2030 and since then activists have been relentless in attempting to speed up the process by taking out court injunctions stopping timber harvesting operations leading to short supply.

Well the ABC came a-knocking yesterday, asking Yours Truly about my new role at Barkly Regional Council ... yes I am indeed the new Media and Communications Officer at Barkly Regional Council.

The North East NSW Forestry Hub has posted a report prepared by Ernst & Young into the economic significance of the NSW hardwood industry to the NSW and Commonwealth economies ... the report shows the critical importance of the industry to the Northern NSW economy, contributing $1.8 billion in revenue, adding $700 million to NSW GDP and employing 5,700 people in the region.

More than a third of the Alice Springs population, some 10,000 people, identify as Indigenous but less than 5% of the Town Council workforce of about 300 is Aboriginal, according to Cr Marli Banks. This makes a mockery of commitments such as the council’s  Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.

Our four visiting surgeons - Drs Rob Padbury, Bill McLeay, Andrew Hunter and Tom Wilson – were the stars of a small farewell planned recently. But the farewell soon snowballed into a dinner meeting: ‘Some Thank yous, Farewells and Welcomes’ for 40 doctors who had contributed to our region’s health-care for 30-50 years.

Shane’s lucky break came as a result of his carer Samantha De Jersey’s encouragement for Shane to apply for a stable hand position with Clear Mountain Fairview Thoroughbred Horse Stud at Greenmount ... Mick liked the boy’s enthusiasm, respectful nature and willingness to learn and he soon became an important team member.

Under the direction of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, native forestry throughout the state of Victoria is set to be banned by 2030. The move has alarmed rural communities right across Victoria as the regenerative, carbon sequestering resource is not only a sustainable natural product, but provides significant employment, bushfire prevention and a boost to the economy.