Tuesday, July 4
Hearts warm to big week
NAIDOC Week celebrations kicked off, giving an opportunity for all Australians to recognise and learn about First Nations cultures and history.
MDAS Swan Hill hosted a smoking ceremony, which was attended by chief executive Darlene Thomas. The theme of the week was For Our Elders.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/community/hearts-warm-to-big-week
Rain gives mallee fowl a breeding boost
Breeding activity for the iconic Mallee fowl was recorded to be at its highest in a decade by the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group.
Breeding activity was shown to have grown 18 per cent from the long-term average, with almost 25,000 of the birds recorded across Australia.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/farming-and-environment/rain-gives-mallee-fowl-a-breeding-boost
Tax cut bid for health workers
Mallee MP Anne Webster proposed a plan to incentivise health professionals to move to the regions, with tax incentives for those choosing to work in rural health care.
Dr Webster described the plan as “embryonic” and was not yet ready to share details but was looking to take it to the next election as Coalition policy.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/politics/tax-cut-bid-forhealth-workers
Friday, July 7
Tourism plan for Pental Island revealed
Swan Hill Council approved the release of the Pental Island Cultural Masterplan to the public, headlined by ambitious plans to create a new tourism precinct.
The $7.5 million development was expected to be delivered in stages over the next 10 years, with plans to foster independent Aboriginal businesses, healing and cultural education.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/tourism-plan-for-pental-island-revealed
Barber takes the bus
The Walkabout Barber Brian Dowd visited town as part of NAIDOC Week celebrations, providing free access to the mobile barber and beauty shop, organised by MDAS.
Mr Dowd said when individuals were in his barber’s chair hard conversations were made a bit easier.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/community/barber-takes-the-bus
No degrees of separation on Kokoda
Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh made an unlikely discovery when on a trip to walk the Kokoda Track, a group of Swan Hill residents.
Mr Walsh described the chance encounter as “a real buzz” and said the groups would’ve been unaware “if it wasn’t for the fact we had started from the opposite ends of the trail”.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/no-degrees-of-separation-on-kokoda-1
Tuesday, July 11
Plibersek seeks report on water recovery deadline
Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said the $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan was in need of a “course correction” after becoming “off track”.
The comments came in a letter written to Murray-Darling Basin Authority chair Sir Angus Houston seeking advice on how likely the plan’s 2075-giglitre water recovery targets were to be met by the June 2024 deadline.
Ageing concerns for the Mallee
A regional aged-care summit organised by Dr Anne Webster heard that legislation changes to the aged-care sector were deeply concerning for providers in the Mallee.
Dr Webster said she had heard from local providers who believed they would be in millions of dollars of debt and the new care requirements would make it impossible in regional areas.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/ageing-concerns-for-the-mallee
Day to remember
NAIDOC Week ended with sporting clubs donning specially designed Indigenous-themed jerseys for their NAIDOC round games.
Both the Central Murray and Golden Rivers football and netball leagues took part in the round, with a performance from the Wiran Dance Group preceding the match between Woorinen and Nyah-Nyah West United.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/community/day-to-remember
Friday, July 14
Kill threats to Webster, court told
Federal police arrested a man at Brisbane airport for allegedly sending a death threat to Member for Mallee Anne Webster.
The 39-year-old man faced seven charges, including using a carriage service to make a threat to a kill a person and using a carriage service to harass, threaten or menace.
The maximum penalty for the first charge can be punished by 10 years in jail.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/police-and-courts/kill-threats-to-webster-court-told
Mounting living costs drive Op Shop surge
Local residents turned to Op Shop’s as they attempted to get a handle on the rising cost-of-living pressures.
Local op shop volunteers said they had seen people of all kinds coming in to search for better value for their dollar.
While donations continued at strong levels, the local stores were still calling for more volunteers.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news/op-shop
Growers cop a 40 per cent hit on wine output
The annual Murray Valley Winegrowers wine-grape crush report showed that wine production in the Swan Hill and Murray-Darling regions had dropped by almost 40 per cent in the last year.
Independent growers and winery-owned vineyards produced a collective 205,000 tonnes, well below the previous five-year average of 355,000 tonnes.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news/growers-cop-a-40-per-cent-hit-on-wine-output
Tuesday, July 18
Health debt plan idle – MP
Member for Mallee Anne Webster urged that the HELP debt reduction scheme for rural doctors and nurse practitioners be put into action.
Dr Webster said regional Australians were “crying out for doctors and nurses, how long does minister Butler think the regions can wait?”
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/health-debt-plan-idle-mp
Twilight art market returns
Local makers opened stalls and offered a variety of goods at Swan Hill Town Hall’s Twilight Arts Market.
A range of food added to the workshops, live entertainment and exhibits on the night enjoyed by more than a thousand people.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/arts-entertainment/twilight-art-market-returns
Up to mischief for charity bash
Local participants in this year’s Victorian Variety Bash raised $6,000 from a trivia, auction and raffle evening organised as part of their fundraising efforts.
Preparing for his final Variety Bash journey from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, Haydn Bailey convinced his with Cheryl to join him on the trip as the Meerkat Mischief team.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/community/up-to-mischief-for-charity-bash
Friday, July 21
Swan Hill’s bridge plea to government
Swan Hill Council pleaded to the Federal Government not to abandon plans and funding for Swan Hill’s new bridge.
The calls came as the Albanese government undertook a 90-day review into the Infrastructure Investment Program.
Mayor Les McPhee sough government support to “ensure that this vital piece of infrastructure is ultimately constructed”.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/swan-hills-bridge-plea-to-government
Voice cases laid out
Debate surrounding the voice referendum gained intensity in the lead up to the vote.
After pamphlets were released detailing reasons to vote “yes” or “no”, Member for Mallee Anne Webster said the people of the Mallee were “simply not convinced that the Voice will fix any of those issues”.
Labor Senator Jana Stewart, who grew up in Swan Hill, said the people of Mallee “will form their own views about the Voice and not be guided by those who try to divide us”.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/politics/voice-cases-laid-out
Farmers, environmentalists back longer basin plan deadline
Farmers and environmentalists welcomed calls from Tanya Plibersek to extend the deadline of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
While Ms Plibersek said the Federal Government were committed to delivering the plan, she added that they would be “flexible about how we get there”.
Tuesday, July 25
Nationals slam ‘devastating’ pokies reforms
Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh slammed the State Government’s pokies reforms, calling the changes “devastating” and comparing the changes as a “sledgehammer” to a single section of the gaming industry.
The reforms to poker machines introduced new limits to play and forced gaming areas to close between 4am and 10am.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/politics/nationals-slam-devastating-pokies-reforms
Swan Hill Council approval rating falls again
Swan Hill Rural City Council received an overall performance rating of 50 out of 100 in the most recent phone survey of 400 people living in the area.
While Mayor Les McPhee was disappointed in the rating, he said “there are some good parts” in the survey.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/swan-hill-council-approval-rating-falls-again
Friday, July 28
‘One helluva bang for buck’: Swan Hill tourism roars back
Figures from Swan Hill Incorporated showed that visitor numbers to the town had almost returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Domestic overnight travel to the region had risen 21.5 per cent, with 395,000 visitors spending an average of $167 per person per night.
Tourists spent a total of $157 million in the region in the past year.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/one-helluva-bang-for-buck-swan-hill-tourism-roars-back
Three quit VFF board
Tensions were high at the state’s peak farming body as three board members quit their positions.
Victorian Farmers Federation egg council president Meg Parkinson, grains council president Craig Henderson and livestock council vice-president Peter Star announced their resignations at an annual conference.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/three-quit-vff-board
Detail key on social housing
The Victorian Government announced $1 billion in funding to build 1300 new homes in regional Victoria with the funds saved after the state withdrew as host of the Commonwealth Games.
Mallee Accommodation and Support Program chief executive Vincent Wilson welcomed the funding and said his team would “be fighting very hard to ensure that a fair share of funding comes to the Mallee”.
https://www.theguardian.com.au/news257/detail-key-on-social-housing-1
