Queensland car theft hit highest record
Almost 70 cars were stolen across Queensland every day in the worst month on record for vehicle thefts as Queensland grapples with a youth crime crisis. According to the Children’s Court Serious Repeat Offender Index, 17% of young offenders, or 568 children, were responsible for nearly half the crimes committed in 2021-22.
Unfortunately BigDog became a statistic when we had a number of cars stolen and seriously damaged, causing financial loss and inconvenience to our employees and clients. Police did catch the culprits.
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Numerous reports are coming in from clients who are loving our yard services and are thanking Miles and Alex for all their hard work. This is great news as BigDog won an award for Disability Employment and we are so very pleased to have Alex with us, and to be able to offer work that he loves.
Clean team has been gaining a steady influx of clients and building a great relationship with new and existing clients and they also received a beautiful note written to them regarding the cleaning service they have provided to Samir a client from Yeppoon. thanked the ladies for making his cottage spotless and was very appreciative of the service they provide. The note was handwritten.
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The Right to Public Protest
The Courier Mail
In May 1992, the Goss cabinet approved legislation to give Queenslanders the formal right to public protest. The accompanying announcement said the change was a critical part of the Fitzgerald process. Labor premier Wayne Goss declared: “Governments who try to restrict the right of the people to freedom of expressions are governments scared of scrutiny. This government is not.”
In November 2022, Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reinterpreted that freedom, telling parliament: “People have the right to protest silently in public.” She followed that extraordinary statement by encouraging her Speaker Curtis Pitt to criminally prosecute a group of Extinction Rebellion protesters – most aged over 50 – who had interrupted proceedings of parliament for three minutes.
Those protesters – the first Queenslanders since before the Fitzgerald Inquiry to be criminally charged for disrupting state parliament –are due to appear in court today. Among them is the 69-year-old wife of Professor Peter Coaldrake, the man the Premier tasked last year to lead a review of the culture of her government.
That fact is awkward. But the bigger issue here is what this saga tells us about how far this third-term Labor government has drifted from the North Star set out by the Fitzgerald inquiry and the subsequent reforms enacted by Ms Palaszczuk’s political hero, Mr Goss. Now, as we have said here before, it is indeed illegal to “disturb the Assembly” and to be “disorderly while parliament is sitting”. Both
are technically crimes punishable by up to three years in prison. Sending a clear message that this protest was the wrong thing to do is therefore appropriate. But the response should be proportionate. Nobody was hurt. There was no property damaged. And the entire disruption lasted for a total of three minutes. Charging the protesters with the criminal offence of disturbing the legislature is a punishment that clearly does not fit the crime. Considering our state’s political history, that this was done at the behest of a Labor Premier is troubling.
Woke culture is just a dead end
Konstantin Kisin, a podcaster, pundit and selfprofessed satirist, is a man who believes in free speech, so long as it reflects well on him.
He is also the cracklingly viral man of the moment. Invited to debate whether “woke culture has gone too far” at the Oxford Union two weeks ago, Kisin delivered a clever speech. It was not predictable. No lazy rhetorical drivebys against snowflake statue-smashers, miserable vegans or blue-haired placard-wavers
No, the speech was an invitation to the students that night. Kisin outlined the seriousness of climate change, with all its gloomy high stakes, and then asked them how they should solve it. By gluing themselves to paintings? Or by working, creating and building a better world?
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All wokeness has to offer,” he said, “is to brainwash bright young minds like you to believe that you are victims”.
Woke culture hasn’t gone too far, according to Kisin. Woke culture is just a dead end. Kisin’s side carried the motion by a margin of 89-60.
The main difference between a plan manager and a support coordinator is a plan manager helps with the financial side of your plan and a support coordinator or recovery coach helps you establish and manage your supports and service providers.
Support Coordinators
Support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches help to put your NDIS plan together. They work with you to identify what your needs are and help you to find and manage your supports and service providers. Your needs will determine the level of support available to you from a support coordinator or recovery coach. There are three levels of support coordination:
Support Connection: helps you understand and manage your NDIS plan. This is a couple of hours of support a month and decreases over time.
Support coordination / recovery coach: initially a few hours per week, arranging assessments of your needs and helping you to choose supports and providers. Then continues with check ins with you for help in managing service agreements and helping in renewing and reviewing your plan.
Specialist Support Coordination: Over a few hours a month, specialist support coordinators will help with plan renewals and specialised support for any complex situations where, for example, multiple government agencies may be involved.
You can have both a support coordinator and
a plan manager as they both support you in different ways, and you can request to have both at your planning meeting. Plan managers and support coordinators can communicate with each other about your supports and providers when needed.
Plan Managers
Plan managers help you by managing the financial side of your NDIS Plan. They manage the payment of services and supports provided under your plan and the financial reporting of your plan management. The National Disability Insurance agency (NDIS) also provides a service to help manage your NDIS funding or, you can manage funding yourself, or do a combination of self-management and plan management. The benefit of plan management is it gives you greater flexibility and removes the burden of financial management so you can invest more time working towards your goals.
All NDIS participants can access plan management and it is fully funded by the NDIS. When starting your plan, you can request to include a plan manager.
Plan managers provide expert advice, guidance, and support to help you live your life as independently as possible. For example:
} Processes your service provider invoices
} Processes your invoices within 5 business days
} Claims your funds through the NDIS portal
} Manages NDIS financial reporting
Len went to the Brisbane Treasury Casino on the 21st of January. This trip came after many hours of planning and fine-tuning between all stakeholders. Len has been in an aged care home for the past 24 years of his life and now resides in a SIL home which was the first step in finding freedom and connection back to the countryside he grew up with and loves so much. For a number of years Len and his family have been speaking of attending the Casino and enjoying a bit of a 'Slap' and possibly testing Len's poker face, this trip is a sense of absolute freedom and relief for Len showcased by the smirk he gets on his face. Len's son and his daughter Jen are over the moon.
Samantha is supported at Happy Paws and out in the community to build more meaningful relationships and go outside her comfort zone Tyler has engaged in new supports to get out into the community and build new relationships with people his age and overcome his anxiety Georgina is back out into the community now after not being able to
School-based Traineeships
BigDog is proud to be the first to employ a schoolbased trainee undertaking a Certificate III in Individual Support and this month we will have an additional student from Wilsonton SHS also undertaking this qualification. Each student will spend one day per week out of the classroom and working in our Community Centre in North Toowoomba.
A big thankyou goes out to Robbie from Queensland Ed, Wade from Aurora and Erin from MREAL. We are so excited to have 2 students on this project.
To obtain a copy of WhatsUp in Disability magazine or to be a sponsor, please contact WhatsUp via:
Office 11-15 Alexander Street, Toowoomba
Email admin@whatsupindisability.org
Online www.whatsupindisability.org
WhatsUp in Disability
Stories in this issue include:
• Matt Hansson
• Never Give Up
• What’s the difference
• Ginger’s Mobile Barber
• NDIS the Musical
• People we lost in 2022
• 2022 in Review
Click on the above magazine cover to read this online at Issuu.
I recently spent some time on a teleconference with Kennedy Lay, the director of Fly 2 Health and it was difficult not to be excited by the innovative nature of the services that his company provides.
They are new to Toowoomba and will be utilising Wellcamp as there base to service here but also, Warwick, Roma and other places west as the need arises.
Kennedy’s vision is to breakdown the healthcare access gap in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Too many people living in rural and remote Australia are not getting the allied healthcare services they need or spend far too much time travelling to receive care. Fly2 Health Group are helping to change this by providing care closer to home, family & community.
They have a close-knit allied health flight team that travels from Perth to rural areas of WA and now in south-west Queensland to deliver allied health services in a private plane, it’s a stunning way to get to work, its rewarding and its fun! Plus, we all get home at the end of the day.
F2H services over 30 locations on a regular basis in Queensland and Western Australia including 3 remote Aboriginal communities. Their services include Psychology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, GP and Audiology
Already this January was a wonderful start to the new year with our Australia day BBQ. Swimming has returned every Friday. This year we have changed it up with our you decide days with two options of activities. This will now be a monthly thing.
February brings exciting new adventures we will be start Water Aerobics on a Friday. Love is in the air with valentine’s day this month. Wear Red
Birthday shout outs to Sammy, Shane and Luke.
BigDog Day Service Toowoomba
Paul Myatt Community Centre
11-15 Alexander Street
North Toowoomba 4350
Coordinator
Jess Wright
Phone: 4512 6020
dayservice@bigdogsupport.com.au
School Holiday Program
During the past 5 weeks, the SHP has attended the following activities:
} 4mile Farm (which also provides NDIS funding for programs/individuals)
} Flow Centre (Museum and information centre for the Fitzroy Basin
} Dream Time Cultural Centre
} Mt Hay Gem Fields
} Heritage Village
} Rockhampton Art Gallery
} Archer Park Rail Museum
} Rockhampton Zoo
} Yeppoon Lagoon
} Emu Park Beach
} Rockhampton Cinemas
} South Rockhampton Aquatic Centre
While also engaging in the following activities at the BigDog Community Centre:
} Master Chef classes
} Team Bonding games
} Movie/Pyjama Day
} Zumba
} Arts and Crafts
Group and Community Activities
Matthew has been out and about in the community by visiting various places. Mount Morgan, all local beaches and Stocklands Shopping Centre this past week where Matthew enjoys searching for different craft items. Joshua enjoys spending his time creating art pieces while currently residing at RMHU.
BigDog
BigDog Community Centre
170 East Street Rockhampton 4700 Coordinator
Macka & Carli
Phone: 4573 4611
rockhampton@bigdogsupport.com.au
Bushfires are a major threat to rural homes across Australia and without the appropriate safety measures you could put yourself at additional risk, particularly if you have a physical or intellectual disability that could impact your movements during a serious fire.
It is essential that you are organised and ready for any outcome during the bushfire season. Depending on where you live, the bushfire season can start in early November and end in April.
During this time you should be aware of what safeguards should be in place, how fires behave, and what considerations need to be made to look after yourself or anyone with a disability.
Bushfire behaviour depends on several factors, including weather conditions (temperature, wind), fuel sources (vegetation) and even the topography of the environment.
Grassfires are one of the most common types of bushfires. Dried out, dead grass burns easily and fire can spread rapidly, which is why long grass must be slashed, mowed and cleared regularly during summer.
You will also find that Australia’s native scrubland/shrubland vegetation creates serious fire risks. They burn slowly, but intensely, and the additional heat could lead to trees or manmade structures catching on fire.
Trees can also pose a major risk factor as the embers can spread easily through the wind if treetops catch fire. However, fire will only reach the top of a tree if there is enough fuel around the base and dry, fibrous bark that helps the flames travel upwards.
To reduce the impact of natural fuels strengthening a bushfire around your house, you should:
} Mow, slash, rake and weed any grasses within 20 metres of your home (and other buildings) to remove fast-burning fuels
} Clean the gutters
} Prune shrubs to keep their tops away from low-hanging tree branches
} Prune lower branches of trees and remove nearby ground fuels and foliage
} Remove or reduce loose bark, dead twigs, branches and leaves in the garden
} Keep any other flammable items away from the home, such as firewood or paper recycling contents
All staff are to read and understand 2.9 Emergency and Disaster Management Policy
Available through the Staff Portal on our website BigDogSupport.com.au
New Paid Family & Domestic Violence Leave
From 1 February 2023, new entitlements exist for employees who experience family and domestic violence. This entitlement extends to part-time and casual employees. The leave is designed to assist employees who are dealing with the effects of family and domestic violence. This means that the entitlement to paid family domestic leave has increased from 5 to 10 days for those employees employed in businesses with 15 or more employees. The National Employment Standards (NES) have been updated to reflect this change.
It is also important to note that this leave entitlement does not accrue over time, like (for example), annual leave. The full entitlement is able to be taken from the commencement date, but it resets annually on the anniversary of the employees commencement date. However, starting from 1 August 2023, employees of small business enterprises will become entitled to paid domestic violence leave. Until this date, those employees may still access unpaid domestic violence leave. BigDog is taking appropriate steps to inform all employees of this change and will introduce a policy to provide certainty for matters such as conditions, privacy and reporting.
Abandonment of Employment Policy (New)
What does “Abandonment of Employment” mean?
An employee is considered to have abandoned their employment when there are absent from the workplace without a reasonable excuse, for an unreasonable period of time and without communication to the employer.
Employers may consider that Abandonment of Employment constitutes an end of the employment contract at the Employees choice. Although abandonment of employment can be considered reasonable grounds for dismissal, the employer may be at risk of an unfair dismissal case if they did not take steps to show you have made reasonable attempts to contact the employee.
Staff Birthdays
8th Leanne Sergio
10th Linda
11th Tanika
12th Serena
14th Trinity
17th Maitland
Tiko
20th Daniel
25th Tracey C
27th Tahnee
Have a great day!
Come and volunteer in our Big BBQ Van. Learn cooking skills for eggs and bacon muffins or our sausage sizzle. Learn food handling in preparing the items for the customers. Learn cash handling and customer service skills.
Sunday 19 February
struction company
We would love for you to Invite your Jobseekers, Students, stakeholders or anyone you believe would benefit from this night. Girls Can Trade Up! will be held at DGT Toowoomba 56 Duhig Street. Toowoomba, QLD 4350 on February 9 from 6pm to 8pm.
Tickets are available here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/ e/girls-can-trade-up-tickets-492140614827?
utmcampaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utmmedium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utmsource=cp&aff=escb
