Emergency crisis in paramedic working conditions
As Ambulance Victoria (AV) and the State Government continue to negotiate a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for paramedics, Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has embarked on a campaign to address the state’s growing healthcare concerns.
Speaking first to paramedics several weeks ago, Ms Cleeland was shocked to hear the realities faced by many workers.
“I heard that many of our dedicated paramedics were working 16-hour shifts, rosters were understaffed, culture issues prevented them from speaking out against these difficult conditions, and that patient transport had taken over from emergency response as a major part of their role,” she said.
“Ramping issues at our regional hospitals have been widely publicised too, with entire fleets of ambulances stuck in hospital car parks for hours as our emergency rooms struggle to handle increased demand.
“Paramedics do an incredible job ensuring our loved ones are safe, but they have understandably reached their breaking point due to a lack of support from this government.”
Their stories are accompanied by concerning new data that shows that AV’s target of responding to 85 per cent of Code 1 emergencies within 15 minutes has fallen short in local and surrounding shires.
In the Mitchell Shire, an average of 55.5 per cent of Code 1 emergencies were attended to within the targeted timeframe, while in Strathbogie that figure sits at 32.7 per cent.
However, AV Hume Regional Director Steve Doyle emphasised that response times were improving, with the Kilmore unit boasting the largest improvement this year, attending to 67.9 per cent of Code 1 patients within 15 minutes—up 13.1 per cent from 2023.
“Our dedicated paramedics and first responders in Hume do an incredible job in the face of record-breaking demand, providing best care to our communities every day,” he said.
Despite the improvement, Ms Cleeland continued to urge the government to take action.
“We need to ensure our paramedics are given the support they need to keep our community safe in times of crisis,” she said.
“People’s lives are at risk, particularly in regional communities that have seen resources slashed for local ambulance services.”
Ms Cleeland raised her concerns in parliament last month, calling for specialised Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) units across the southern Hume region.
The highly trained units are able to perform more advanced medical procedures, however, there are currently none in operation in much of the region.
“The Mitchell Shire, one of the fastest growing parts of our state, does not have a MICA unit to cover a population of more than 50,000 people,” Ms Cleeland said.
“A recent incident at a Coles supermarket carpark in Seymour required a MICA air-unit from Essendon because there were no local options available, leaving the patient at risk for an extended period of time.
“Similarly, local paramedics told me that a clinical manager was called back for a paediatric resuscitation because she was the only one qualified in the entire Mitchell LGA for specialist cases.
“On their own, this specialist paramedic is already covering an area from Wallan to Seymour, then out to Alexandra.
“This is completely unacceptable. People suffering from serious medical incidents should not be put at greater risk because the minister has failed to allocate enough resources to our communities.”
In response, a Victorian Government spokesperson said they would not take lectures from the opposition.
“We won’t take lectures from the Liberal Party who went to war with our paramedics and closed regional hospitals,” they said.
“Since coming to government, we have more than doubled our paramedic workforce , giving Victoria more paramedics per 100,000 people than any other jurisdiction.
“We will always support our paramedics, because that’s what Labor does.”
Wollert study tracking along
The Wollert Transport Corridor Study is now underway, providing an analysis of transport needs and the much-needed Wollert Rail line extension.
The comprehensive study will provide critical analysis to guide future planning for the corridor.
Under the collaboration of the Victorian and Commonwealth Government, the study includes a transport demand assessment, potential implementation options, service design alternatives, and land requirements, ensuring a thorough evaluation of the corridor’s future use.
Addressing the infrastructure needs for the northern catchment, the study was identified in the Victorian Infrastructure Plan in 2017, and outlined in Victoria’s 30 Year Infrastructure Strategy.
The study is also a key advocacy project for the City of Whittlesea, who described the project as an ‘essential piece of infrastructure,’ expecting the rail to have an estimated 15,000 daily trips from launch, increasing to 40,000 daily trips by 2040.
Last month, The Age reported that a landowner took on Council and Victoria’s Transport Department over the ‘Epping North transport corridor,’ but had lost the fight to subdivide his property.
With approval for the study now granted, the analysis will detail key options and cost estimates for developing public transport infrastructure along the corridor. The Federal Government, in partnership with the State Government, will consider funding in the context of future budgets.
The Federal Government committed $250,000 to a feasibility study for the corridor in 2022, contingent upon receiving matching funds from the state.
Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell and Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Evan Mulholland claimed the State Government had agreed to start the study after pressuring them in parliament.
“The government says the feasibility study will get under way shortly, but they have broken many promises recently, and this announcement cannot be an excuse to keep delaying the project,” Ms Lovell said.
“If Labor weren’t spending $216 billion on the Suburban Rail Loop in Melbourne’s east, projects like the Wollert Rail could be a reality for the fast-growing communities of Epping North and Wollert,” Mr Mulholland said.
A Victorian Government spokesperson said the State Government would keep striving for its fair share of infrastructure funding.
“After 10 years of neglect from previous federal Liberal National governments, we are glad to have a partner in Canberra with the Albanese Labor Government and we’ll continue to fight for our fair share of infrastructure funding,” they said.
Federal Member for Scullin Andrew Giles was pleased the study was now ‘moving ahead.’
“I’ve been fighting for better public transport for residents in Epping North and Wollert since I was first elected,” he said.
“The Wollert rail feasibility study … is moving ahead with this vital transport infrastructure for the Wollert and Epping North community.
“The biggest issue I’ve heard from residents in Epping North and Wollert is the need for better and more accessible public transport options. That’s why the Albanese Government is committed to undertaking the Wollert rail feasibility study.”
Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell stated that the study had commenced last month, and is expected to be completed by early 2025.
Due to council caretaker provisions now in effect, the City of Whittlesea was unable to provide comment.
No temple, no traffic near future meditation centre in Clonbinane
Concerned residents of properties located near the Dhamsuwa Meditation Centre in Clonbinane have called on the Mitchell Shire Council to object to its future development, flagging increased traffic and the development and use of land not for farming purposes in a farming zone as reason for their objection.
“The neighbours have all worked very hard to live in this beautiful, peaceful countryside, and chosen farm zoning area for the peace and purpose of the land … and to be away from industrial-like activities as proposed with this development,” they said.
“We live in a farming area for its peacefulness. Not to drive down our quiet country road to have to sit at traffic management signs while they conduct worshipping ceremonies.
“Clonbinane residents are going to be impacted by traffic management stopping cars in a 100km/h zone to allow worshippers to enter the property. This will block the road and cause congestion.
“Organisations such as this are better suited for an industrial area which have the infrastructure to deal with such large sums of people and traffic.”
Adding further reason for concern, the residents claimed that the centre had not been maintaining the land, increasing the risk of fire.
“We went through two summers and they did not maintain their land,” they said.
“The grass was very long and dangerous. They do not understand what the locals have gone through out here during Black Saturday. Some of us have lost everything. They have been seen driving cars with hot exhausts through paddocks with long grass when they hold ceremonies. Neighbours have had to call the CFA.
“If there was another catastrophic event like Black Saturday, how could everyone evacuate safely … when there is only one road in and one road out to Mount Disappointment?”
However, in an article by the Review titled Keeping the peace: No plans for Clonbinane development (December 20, 2022), Dhamsuwa Meditation Centre Coordinator Pushpa Jayakody claimed that contrary to popular belief, the centre had no plans to build a 10-stage development and was intent on preserving the peaceful environment.
“We have no intention to disturb anything. We are in favour of conserving and preserving the environment. We are more interested in keeping this environment the way it is—quiet,” she said.
But the residents pointed to the construction of a new meditation hall at the centre’s sister temple, Bhaddeka Vihari Buddhist Monastery, located in Ripplebrook, as evidence of their plans to develop the land.
“They have always had full intentions of turning this old farmland into a temple. Look at their sister temple. They have done the same to this farmhouse. It has been turned into a meditation retreat and hosts many large ceremonies. We don’t want that here as we are in a nice, quiet farming area,” they said.
Confirming suspicions, Mitchell Shire Council Chief Executive Brett Luxford said that council had been approached for approval of a planning permit.
“Council currently has before it a planning permit application seeking consideration and approval for the Use and Development of the land for a Place of Assembly Monastery.
“The land currently has a single dwelling and numerous outbuildings, and the proposal seeks planning approval to repurpose the existing dwelling, which is currently used as a residence for five monks, to allow a small Place of Worship (Buddhist Monastery). The subject land is not covered by a Significant Landscape Overlay (SLO). However, this matter, along with other concerns raised by residents, will be considered and addressed during the application assessment.”
The residents urged council to carefully consider the implications of the centre’s developments.
“If the Mitchell Shire Council allows any such development from any organisation, whether it’s religious, commercial, or industrial, then the shire is setting a precedent for any future organisations to develop whatever they like within a farming zone,” they said.
“The application has requested to build a 16-car carpark, a toilet block, a meditation hall … to cater for 35 people, and to remove many trees which will allow them to host large ceremonies of up to 150 guests with traffic management. How is this ‘keeping the peace’ for locals?”
The Review reached out to the Dhamsuwa Meditation Centre for comment but were not provided with a response.
RDFNL: Grand final showdown
The Riddell and District Netball Football League (RDFNL) Seniors grand final was played between Riddell and Wallan on Sunday afternoon at Romsey Park, with Riddell tipped to win.
Riddell’s Captain Joshua Grabham won the coin toss and he chose to kick with the gusty strong wind towards the northern end of the oval. Near the four-minute mark, Riddell celebrated Dean Galea’s first goal, and then quickly another from Decon Kalpakis.
Wallan’s John Bellino kicked their first goal, and when the umpire awarded Steven Boyall a 50m penalty against Riddell, Wallan scored their second.
Back at Riddell’s end, Matthew Derby, under the duress of a tight angle, kicked their next goal and his team rallied around him. They were in front by 20 points at quarter time, 5.2 (32) to 2.10 (12).
Early in the second quarter, Wallan’s Reuben Rode gathered up a loose ball and expertly disposed it to Hayden Gill who was positioned front and centre of their goal square. Riddell capitalised on the next ruck contest with Galea receiving the spoils and earning his second goal for Riddell.
Next, near Wallan’s centre half, Bellino took an uncontested mark and quickly kicked long, and the tall player’s second goal sailed through.
Riddell replied with two back-to-back goals, and once again the side were 20 points in front at the end of the first term, 8.4 (52) to 5.2 (32).
Fresh from the half time break, the teams returned to the windy oval and took their positions. Five minutes after the umpire bounced the ball, Riddell scored the opening goal and Wallan replied with a goal from Matthew Perri. A strong tap from ruckman Chris Stewart sent the ball to Brodie Gilchrist, and the rowdy Wallan crowd cheered when they got back-to-back goals.
Riddell’s next goal was something to behold, and achieved with a fast passage of handballs and short kicks from one wing to the other. Wallan forced each disposal. Riddell maintained possession for the remainder of the quarter and finished with a winning 24-point margin, 10.9 (69) to 7.3 (45).
The opening six minutes of the final quarter was full of action. Gill positioned himself near the goal square and leapt into the air to take a spectacular chest mark. Riddell’s Trent Stead kicked a goal, and then Gill quickly scored another for Wallan. Riddell kicked three back-to-back goals to increase its winning margin to 39 points.
At the next bounce, a turnover at Riddell’s end allowed Wallan’s ball carrier Rode to steal the ball and race away, and he found Bellino again near their centre line. Bellino marked and spun around and kicked his third goal for Wallan.
With nearly five minutes of game time remaining, Riddle had a 15-point advantage to defend. Wallan’s coach swapped their ruckman around but to no avail as Riddell created another goal and three points before the siren sounded to signal the end of the 2024 grand final.
Every Riddells player rushed to pat their captain on the back, and the mob quickly attracted their families and faithful supporters, with the final score 15.12 (102) to 11.5.(71).
At the post-game presentations, Riddell President James Nolan thanked Wallan’s ‘Nugget’ who he said led the club very well. He also thanked the RDFNL and their sponsors.
“I know it’s hard to take, but you put up a really good fight out there so stick around each other and I’m sure you’ll be back next year. Thanks to our sponsors, and all our supporters for not only welcoming me, but the new players to the club,” he said.
The Doug McIntyre medal was awarded to Best on Ground player Tommy Alkemade.
Wallan Football Netball Club Coach Daniel Nolan congratulated Riddell on their wonderful season and he thanked the umpires and the Wallan Community and Committee.
“Thanks to my coaches. I’m very lucky to have their support in the coach’s box. To the player’s group, I’m very proud of you boys and we’ll work hard on the off season and hopefully we’ll be back up here next year,” he said.
Riddell’s best players were Callum Williamson, Tommy Alkemade, Dylan Tarczon, Matthew Darby, Dean Galea, and Jesse Horton.
Goal kickers for Riddell were Dean Galea on five, Trent Stead with three, and Dylan Tarczon, Tommy Alkemade, Kamen Ogilvie, Jack Hammerling, Matthew Panuccio, and Matthew Darby each kicking one.
School Saving bonus available
Families can now claim more items such as textbooks on the State Government’s $400 School Saving Bonus.
The once-off bonus will be available in November 2024 and applied for each child, which means a family with three school children will receive $1200 in support to spend on school costs.
In Term 4, families will receive a code granting them access to the bonus, and will get to choose how much of the funds they want allocated to a uniform or textbook voucher, and school activities such as camps, sports, excursions, graduations, and other eligible programs.
The voucher can be combined if families have children at different schools but use the same supplier for uniforms and textbooks. Families can also use the voucher to buy second-hand uniforms and textbooks directly from schools.
For families of students at non-government schools, the $400 will be provided directly to the school to be managed in consultation with the student’s family and in line with the intent of the program.
Non-government school families who are eligible for the means-tested Camps, Sports, and Excursions Fund, including healthcare and concession card holders, are eligible for the bonus.
For more information on the $400 School Saving Bonus, visit www.vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.
Forced amalgamations shoved in Victoria’s health system
The State Government will invest a further $1.5 billion to support the state’s health sector, and revealed that it will not force hospitals to merge, following an announcement made last month.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the State Government will deliver several key reforms such as supporting health services to reduce non-clinical duplication and promoting stronger partnerships between hospitals, but will not forcibly amalgamate Victoria’s health services.
Moving towards a better connected healthcare system, Ms Allan announced the formation of a new agency in the Department of Health—Hospitals Victoria—led by former Northern Health Chief Executive Siva Sivarajah.
Other reforms include rolling out a connected Electronic Medical Record System to all hospitals, and replacing the Health Service Partnerships with stronger Local Health Service Networks.
The networks will support hospitals to collaborate—enabling them to work together to deliver better care, while also better supporting staff across each region.
Ms Allan said Labor would always support Victoria’s hospitals.
“As the sister of a nurse, and the mum of a daughter who has relied on the life-saving care of our hospitals, my priority will always be patients and their families,” she said.
Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas said the reforms would deliver better patient care.
“Victoria’s health system is one of the best in the world, and these reforms will keep us on track to deliver even better patient care through a reformed health system that is better integrated and connected, at the same time protecting the local services we know Victorians trust and rely on,” she said.
Kilmore Golf Club thanks sponsors
THIS year, Kilmore Toyota sponsored the Pennant Golf Teams at Kilmore Golf Club.
Four teams were entered in the Dalhousie District Pennant Tournament in the 2024 season and just one team, the Midweek Pennant team, won their tournament. Sophie Banon, Jill Bannon, Di Dickson, Cheryle Anderson, Helen Dennett, and Bron Gunn made up the winning team.
The Kilmore Golf Club recognised the support that Kilmore Toyota had given to these teams by presenting a framed Pennant shirt to the Kilmore dealership.
The Dalhousie District Golf Association boasts 20 main and associate clubs, including the Broadford, Hidden Valley, Kilmore, Lancefield, Romsey, and Seymour golf clubs.
To learn more about the association, visit www.ddga.com.au.
Bat-crazy for upcoming cricket season
With the 2024/25 cricket season slowly creeping up on us, the Review has put together a list of all the teams we’ll be covering this spring and summer.
The Seymour District Cricket Association A Grade and B Grade will be watched closely by many, with the Avenel, Seymour, Tallarook, Yea, Alexandra, and Pyalong teams scheduled to play after Eastern Hill’s recent transition to the Gisborne and District Cricket Association (GDCA).
While the league are yet to release their fixtures, the GDCA have jumped on releasing their schedule to PlayHQ, with the firsts and seconds of the McIntyre Cup and Johnstone Shield grades, and the Kookaburra Women’s League set to take on the season.
In the McIntyre Cup firsts and seconds grade, Broadford, Gisborne, Macedon, Romsey, Rupertswood, Sunbury Kangaroos, Sunbury United, and Woodend are lined up to play, while in the Johnstone Shield firsts and seconds, the lineup includes Aintree, Diggers Rest Bulla Village, East Sunbury, Eastern Hill, Eynesbury, Kilmore, and Wallan.
The Kookaburra Women’s League will see two Lancefield teams, plus a Bacchus Marsh, Darley, Gisborne, Kilmore, Macedon, and Wallan team take on the season.
The four men’s teams are set to start the season on Saturday, October 5, while the women will begin a week later on Sunday, October 13.
Editor’s note
If your league or club is not listed above and you would like to be included in our Sports section, please email editor@ncreview.com.au with your team’s name and league, and the subject heading, ‘Cricket season’.
Please note that as we will endeavour to report on each team listed under the Senior Competition across both leagues this season, reports and coverage will rotate weekly and where practical.
Junior competitions will be reported on during the final weeks of the season.
If you would like to submit your own report for consideration, please email editor@ncreview.com.au.
Emily Waite
NCR Editor
Sport grants up for grabs
More sporting grants are now available to help break down participation barriers and get more people into community sport.
Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence earlier this month announced applications for the Sporting Club Grants Program, with grants of up to $5000 for clubs to improve the skills and knowledge of volunteers, coaches and officials, helping clubs across the state to empower and enhance the experience of volunteers.
Ms Spence said sport clubs played a massive role in communities.
“Sport clubs are the lifeblood of our communities and the volunteers play a critical role. This program supports clubs to thrive and grow and get more people in the community playing an active part in local sport,” she said.
“We’re ramping up our efforts to back more grassroots clubs so they have the equipment, skills, facilities, and funding they need to thrive into the future.”
Grants of up to $4000 are also available to help clubs deliver a new sport or active recreation program.
Clubs can also apply for grants of up to $1000 to purchase uniforms and equipment, and $750 travel grants are available to help clubs participate in competitions away from home.
The program is supported by the Regional Community Sport Development Fund that is delivering infrastructure upgrades and other programs, including the Regional Community Sport Infrastructure Fund to help more regional Victorians get active and be part of their local sporting club.
Applications close on October 7.
For more information and to apply for the Sporting Club Grants Program, visit www.sport.vic.gov.au.