Podcast return

The Local is hitting the airwaves with the return of its Country Life podcast.

The fortnightly podcast unwraps each edition of The Local, and is brought to you by general manager, or Ranter, Kyle Barnes and editor Donna Kelly.

Kyle said the podcast was a down-to-earth look at the stories and their backgrounds, published in The Local "A couple of years back we ran a podcast four times a week during Covid to keep the community informed. The podcast included many interviews and a wrap-up of the paper which was weekly at the time.

"This fresh approach is to have a bit of a look at the story behind the stories using plain speak and the experience of the editorial team. There are also a few colourful anecdotes along the way.

"It's all about being local and real. We are not comedians swearing and carrying on, just an editorial team doing a wrap-up at the end of each production.

"And if people are a bit time poor but want to keep up with their local region, it is an easy way to do that.

"Like with all podcasts, and there are so many out there, you can check it out in the car while driving around the region, at home while you are doing the boring stuff like the dishes or gather the family around the wireless after dinner for some wholesome entertainment. Jokes."

Tune in at www.tlnews.com.au and scan the QR code, which is always within the top four posts. Or head to Spotify.

“It is the luck of the draw if your support worker arrives on the day allotted to you, as they are often shunted around and more often than not the person who is waiting for them (the client) is not informed.

“When they don’t show up you are often told you will be waiting for your next allotted day (in a fortnight) as they have no-one to backfill.

“If your support day falls on a Monday which mine has sometimes – and it’s a public holiday – too bad, you wait another fortnight for a service. Trying to ring them is a nightmare as the phone often rings out. They frequently state they will get back to you and don’t.”

A Benetas spokesperson told The Local the organisation valued the opportunity to support "the care needs of our clients in the local community".

“As a not-for-profit organisation, it is essential that we remain competitive on pricing compared to other service providers in the market, so we can provide the best level of care for our clients in the long term.

“In order to keep pace with cost of living increases and supplier charges, we have recently completed a review of our pricing schedule. This has resulted in price increases for some services, in line with pricing recommended by the government.

“We continue to invest in improving the services we provide and in supporting our team members with appropriate remuneration in recognition of the important contribution they make in caring for our clients.

“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the feedback that the client has raised to ensure that we are supporting their needs appropriately.”

Hepburn Shire Council won a Local Government Professionals award for its Aged Care and Disability Services Transition, after its decision to withdraw from offering aged care provision.