LOCAL STORIES

Victoria Taxpayers will pay for future IVF Treatments

By Warren Strybosch

Having a child is something most of us just take for granted. However, for some it becomes an emotional rollercoaster ride when they find out that they cannot have a child via natural means and need to consider alternative solutions.

The world’s first In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) occurred in 1973 and Australia had their first IVF birth in 1980. The first baby born from a frozen embryo was in 1983 and since then IVF success rates have increased from 1-9 successful births to over 50% of successful births.

One of the biggest hurdles for people wanting to try IVF was the cost associated with the procedure. Not anymore. The Andrews Labor Government is making it easier for more Victorians to achieve their dream of becoming parents by establishing the first public fertility care service in Victoria and asking Victorian taxpayers to cover the majority of the costs of those treatments.

Minister for Health Martin Foley has stated, “We’re removing the financial barrier faced by too many families and making IVF easier, fairer and more affordable – it will be life changing for thousands of Victorian families every year.”

“Our policy will save Victorian families up to $10,000 each year, ensuring that bank balance is no barrier to becoming a parent.”

We are not sure what she means by fairer? The Victorian Budget 2021/22 will invest $70 million to establish public fertility care services, which will help up to 4,000 Victorians every year – saving them on average $10,000 each.

The funding includes $20 million to improve public hospital facilities to deliver the services, while $50 million will be invested to provide up to 2,700 free treatment cycles and a range of other fertility care services to up to 4,000 Victorians per year.

This investment will deliver on the Labor Government’s commitment to create public IVF services, while also establishing Victoria’s first public sperm and egg bank.

Public fertility care will make a real difference to thousands of Victorian families, with services expected to start in a phased approach from 2022. It is estimated public IVF will deliver on average savings of $10,000 to eligible Victorians, depending on their individual circumstances.

This investment will also create jobs for more Victorians, with roles as fertility specialist doctors, nurses, counsellors, laboratory scientists and support staff.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think it is fair for Victorians to take upon themselves the financial burden of paying for these IVF treatments, whilst those who are wanting to use the services do not have to pay as much or anything at all?

You can write your comments to the editor@findmaroondah.com.au.

Pay relief for locked down parents-to-be

By Georgie Moore (Australian Associated Press)

Soon-to-be parents who have lost work because of lockdowns won’t miss out on paid parental leave under proposed federal government changes.

Coronavirus disaster payments will count towards thresholds for parental and partner leave pay under a bill being introduced into parliament on Wednesday.

Currently, a parent must show they’ve worked for the equivalent of at least one day a week for 10 out of 13 months before having a child. Parents cannot have more than a 12 week gap between each work day in that period.

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston doesn’t want lockdowns to affect paid parental support that expectant mums and dads rely on. “This will come as welcome relief for families living

in extended lockdown conditions in NSW who are awaiting the arrival of a newborn,” she said. The change would be applied across other parts of the country and to anyone receiving disaster payments in the future. Primary carers can receive paid parental leave for up to 18 weeks. The weekly $772.55 payments can be transferred to another parent should they become the primary carer.

The final six weeks can also be shared or taken by either parent at any time before a child turns two. Two weeks’ pay is also available for dads or partners.

Weekly coronavirus disaster payments of up to $750 a week are available for people in nationally recognised hotspot areas who have lost more than 20 hours of work. People who have lost between eight and 19 hours of work are eligible for $450 a week.

Heatherdale Spur

HEATHERDALE COMMUNITY ACTION GROUP

By Elwynne Kift

The original road level can ve gauged from viewing the shop on the corner of Molan Street and Heatherdale Road. People would ride their horses to a rail which was as high as the present shop's door step up to go into the shop. (Have a look at it next time you are there.!) Soil fillin out of the original widened and deepened cutting for railway embankment, but also Heatherdale Road.

Heatherdale Road only existed because one of Victoria's largest fruit coolrooms stood where the Nursery Supplies used to be, and which where SP Aus Net is now has taken over.

There was a farmland/orchards all around because of the two creeks which do not exist today.

Heatherdale Spur had a creek running from Whitehorse Road, under the railway line and down what is now Cochrane Street to Somers Street through Somers Walk to the first football ground and on the rear of Manhattan Hotel it was a small but very muddy, boggy, blackberry overgrown creek.

There was also a large damn on the Madden Street creek with its bank at Palmerston Street. That's why Palmerston Street is where it is, because you could walk, ride a horse through the orchards and the blackberries nad cross the creek over the dam wall. Around where the Manhattan Hotel is, there was low lying land and there was a marshy swampy full of bulrusher, balckberries, frogs by the millionand snakes, up to and beyond the present heatherdale Sports Oval. Only when the creeks were converted into barrel drains and proper drainage installed, could Purches Street and Heatherdale Road extensions by joined up with Canterburry Road.

When this happened, the Kinman night soil truck cleaning yard on the north side of the creek (about where Agent Place and Pilgrim Court are now.) was thankfully shifted. Some of the area may still be seen.

HEATHERDALE has a fascinating history.... and the residents have every reason to be proud to live there!

Victorians to pay for Mental Health and Wellbeing “payroll” Surcharge

By Warren Strybosch

The Andrew’s Labor government has decided that Victoria taxpayers will need to cover the ever-increasing mental health costs the government continues to face.

The Victorian State Revenue Office has advised that the “mental health and wellbeing surcharge” will commence from 1 Jan 2022, which is payable on Victorian taxable wages paid or payable from 1 January 2022 by an employer or a group of employers. The surcharge will be payable if Victorian taxable wages are paid and the Australian wages exceed the first annual threshold of $10m. The surcharge is payable at the same time that payroll tax is payable. Separate returns will not be required. What is difficult for a lot of business owners to swallow is the fact that Victoria has experienced the most severe and extended lockdowns than any other place in the world. This has, by its very nature, increased mental health issues for many Victoria’s, and with the introduction of this new payroll surcharge, seems to be another slap in the face to those running a business.

Textile Artist Annemieke Mein loses her sense of touch to rare autoimmune disease

HEATHERDALE COMMUNITY ACTION ABC Gippsland By Mim Cook

Posted Sun 9 2019, 9:04am

By Elwynne Kift

Annemieke's love of art, craft, sewing and texture of silk was inspired by her Grandparents. She was raised by her Grandmother during the 2nd world War.

In 1951, at aged 7, Annemieke moved to Australia from the Netherlands and discovered the world of Australian bush critters.

She says that there was a huge gum tree which she could sit under and see all these insects.. AT 24 HEATHERDALE ROAD, MITCHAM.

She attended school locally after which she became a nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and still has friends in Mitcham.

Annemieke's art specialises in depicting wildlife. She was the first textile artist to be a member of the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia, and the Artists Guild of Realistic Art of Australia.

The subjects of some of her sculptured textiles are of birds, frogs, gums, and wattle blossoms. Other invertabrates such as moths, dragon flies, wasps, and grasshoppers signify her fondness for insects. - her images are often enlarged.

One of her books - THE ART OF ANNEMIEKE MEIN - wildlife artist in textiles, illustrates a collection of skilled textile artworks containing fabric, stitching, and paints with hand machine embroidery.

Annemieke uses an amazing variety of materials - silk, wool, fur, cotton and synthetics - all carefully chosen for their colour, texture, credibility and aesthetic appeal.

Recently Annemieke was diagnosed with a very rare auto immune disease in which she has lost feeling in her hands and feet. This has not stopped Annemieke working

PHOTO: Annemieke Mein is meticulous about her work. (ABC Gippsland: Mim Cook)

in her art studio, though, as she has not stopped Annemieke working in her art studio, though, as she has said, her love of her art dull the feeling of the pain.

Her art work is prominently displayed at the Gippsland Information Centre, Sale, Victoria where there are many of her pieces.

EACH ARTWOK INVOLVES A SCIENTIFIC JOURNEY.

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Are your children playing too much video games?

By Warren Strybosch

China has introduced a new social intervention for under-18s. They have restricted the number of hours a child can play video games to no more than three hours a week – not three hours a day but three hours per week.

The limit will be for one hour a day - 8 pm to 9 pm - on only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to the Xinhua state news agency.

Personally, I think China is onto something here as research has shown the increasing health risks of playing video/computer games for long hours.

A research paper conducted by Peter Grinspoon (2020), found that ‘gaming’ was associated with obesity in teens, vision problems, and psychological problems. Gaming is yet to be considered an addiction, but internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a real syndrome experienced by a lot of gamers.

Psychological Association, IGD is defined as experiencing at least five of the following nine criteria over a 12-month period: • gaming preoccupation • withdrawal • tolerance • loss of interest in other activities • downplaying use • loss of relationship, educational, or career opportunities • gaming to escape or relieve anxiety, guilt, or other negative mood states • failure to control • continued gaming despite psychosocial problems.

The Chinese games market was estimated to make $A62.5 billion of revenue in 2021, ahead of the United States, according to analytics firm Newzoo, but these new rules will definitely put a dent in these estimates.

China, is trying to curb the high number of runaway youth and believes gaming is one of the major reasons why youth are becoming more anxious, less tolerant, withdrawn and finding it more difficult to relate to others, including their own parents.

It is estimated that up to 1% of the American population might have an internet gaming disorder and this can be assumed to be the case in most countries where teens have access to computers and the internet.

It is no wonder China has come down hard on ‘gamers’ in their own country, as they try and curb the growing addiction which has been described as something akin to a “spiritual opium.”

The new rules will apply to all devices including mobile phones and has gotten many global gaming companies concerned given the higher number of teens in China who play their games.

“Teenagers are the future of our motherland,” Xinhua quoted an unnamed NPPA spokesperson as saying. “Protecting the physical and mental health of minors is related to the people’s vital interests and relates to the cultivation of the younger generation in the era of national rejuvenation.”

Gaming companies will be barred from providing services to minors in any form outside the stipulated hours and must ensure they have put real-name verification systems in place, said the regulator, which oversees the country’s video games market.

With COVID and the resulting lockdowns, it is likely that Australian teens are spending more time in front of their screens playing games. Rather than cutting off their gaming time or reducing it down to 3 hours per week, we encourage all parents to be mindful of the ICD criteria’s and if a child is presenting with five or more of them, to find helpful ways to reduce their screen time, or seek professional help in dealing with this matter before it becomes a serious issue.

Do you have a teen living in your home? Has screen time increased during COVID? What strategies have you come up with to encourage your teen to be off screens?

We would love to hear from you. Send your responses to editor@findmaroondah. com.au.

By Xave Gregorio

The Chapter 11 filing, which allows a company to continue operations while it restructures its finances, was a product of discussions with key shareholders, PAL said, adding the plan will not affect passengers and employees. The company will also complete a parallel filing for recognition in the Philippines under the Financial Insolvency and Rehabilitation (FRIA) Act of 2010.

“We welcome this major breakthrough, an overall agreement that enables PAL to remain the flag carrier of the Philippines and the premier global airline of the country,” billionaire Lucio Tan, company president and CEO, said.

To stay liquid during the recovery process, PAL said existing shareholders and local banks agreed to infuse $505 million in new debt and equity financing to the company. The carrier said it will gradually increase domestic and international flights to match any improvements in market demand. Once the bankruptcy protection is over, PAL will borrow $150 million from foreign investors “to facilitate post-restructuring activities”.

“PAL will continue to operate flights in the normal course of business in accordance with safety regulations, and the company expects to continue to meet its current financial obligations throughout this process,” the company said.

As losses piled up for the beleaguered aviation sector, the Duterte government has continued to be reluctant in spending taxpayers’ money to rescue local airlines on the brink of financial collapse, unlike regional counterparts that handed bailouts to their cash-strapped carriers like Malaysia and Thailand.

PAL has weathered past crises before. In 1999, the airline was placed under receivership after facing a series of labor strikes while grappling with the Asian Financial Crisis and a $2 billion debt driven by its ambitious expansion plans at the time. But the coronavirus pandemic is a different kind of crisis for the company, which sank the airline deeper into the red in 2020 to mark the fourth consecutive year that it recorded hefty losses.

In the first half, PAL Holdings Inc., the airline’s parent firm, narrowed its net loss by 20% year-on-year to P16.56 billion. Operating expenses fell nearly 49% onyear during the period, with manpower costs also declining after the company started shedding 2,300 workers in March while those who managed to stay took big pay cuts.

"We are grateful to our lenders, aviation partners and other creditors for supporting the plan, which empowers PAL to overcome the unprecedented impact of the global pandemic that has significantly disrupted businesses in all sectors, especially aviation, and emerge stronger for the long-term,” Tan said.

NAPLAN Results - Victorian comes out in front despite lockdowns.

By Warren Strybosch

Despite COVID, Victorian students have recorded the highest NAPLAN results.

Year 3 students in Victoria continued improving on previous year’s results as they topped the class in reading, numeracy, and grammar and punctuation.

Victoria's year 5 students also lead the nation in reading, numeracy, writing, and grammar and punctuation.

Year 7 students improved in reading, writing and spelling compared to 2019 and scored the highest scores of any jurisdiction for reading and numeracy skills while Year 9s topped the nation in spelling. "These phenomenal results are more than statistics - they represent thousands of Victorian kids who will be afforded better opportunities through education, no matter where they live or what their background," education minister James Merlino said.

"We're so proud to be building a world-class education system that gives every student the opportunity to shine - and I want to thank every educator, principal, family and school community across Victoria for helping us get here."

In secondary schools, more students are achieving the top two bands of reading compared to 2019 and there are less students in the bottom two bands.

Jabbed Should Get The Freedoms: Survey

(Australian Associated Press)

A new survey shows a clear majority of Australians want fully vaccinated people to receive preferential treatment over the unvaccinated.

YouGov, in a survey conducted exclusively for News Corp Australia, interviewed 3114 Australian residents aged 18 and over online between August 20 and 25.

The survey, published in The Australian, found that 45 per cent of people support the right of all employers to demand their workers be vaccinated, while 24 per cent support it only for public-facing jobs.

Just 23 per cent said employers should not compel workers to get the jab.

The survey found almost half (49 per cent) blamed a flawed vaccine rollout for the fact more people have not been vaccinated to this point, while a smaller number (37 per cent) blamed the reluctance of people to get vaccinated.

It also found that 45 per cent of Australians believe the most effective incentive to get vaccinated would be to exempt fully vaccinated Australians from lockdowns.

Two in three people supported a vaccine passport to gain entry to sport venues, cinemas, nightclubs and restaurants. Just one in five people opposed such a move. Almost two in three people (63 per cent) said borders between states should be reopened only to fully vaccinated people, while just 30 per cent said they should be reopened to both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.

The survey found 68 per cent of people supported the resumption of overseas travel for vaccinated people only.

Just 22 per cent of people believed both vaccinated and unvaccinated people should be allowed to travel overseas once the vaccination rollout is complete.

September is Classical Music Month!

Whether you consider yourself a classical music aficionado or newcomer, there are plenty of ways to celebrate classical music this month — from the comfort of your very own home.

Settle in for an Online Concert

Start with our Classical Concerts at the Centre playlist on YouTube, featuring stunning live performances by Freiburg Baroque Orchestra & Kristian Bezuidenhout, Gabrieli Consort & Players, Slava & Sharon Grigoryan and many more.

Immerse Yourself in a Podcast

To get your classical music fix on the go, be sure to listen to our podcasts Classical Uncovered with Graham Abbott and The Tune Up featuring Ben Opie.

Read all about it on Soundescapes

Check out our stories on Soundescapes, including Eddie Ayers' exquisite exploration of 'Why Classical Music is the One True Global Language.'

Want more? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram as we share classical music gems with you all month long.

Your chance to win!

Tell us what your favourite piece of classical music is and why and go into the draw to win one of three Melbourne Recital Centre Premium Memberships, valued at $200.

ENTER NOW

All That Is Dust

A charismatic star in Melbourne’s chamber music scene, Blair Harris is a must-hear for all cello lovers. This program reflects on the brevity of living and the unknown abyss that is eternity.

Tue 14 Sep 6pm

BOOK NOW Young Mozart

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra performs youthfully brilliant and elegant Classical works including Mozart's Symphony No.28 and Piano Concerto No.9 with Hoang Pham.

Thu 16 & Sun 19 Sep

BOOK NOW Oxossi - The Hunter

Australia meets South America in the eclectic music of contemporary jazz ensemble Panorama Brasil. For this concert, the ensemble takes inspiration from the story of Afro-Brazilian deity Oxóssi.

Fri 1 Oct 7pm

BOOK NOW

Join us on YouTube for the 2021 Bach Competition

Now in its 12th year, Melbourne Recital Centre’s Bach Competition is dedicated to young musicians passionate about the works of J.S. Bach. Due to the ongoing restrictions in Melbourne, the 2021 competition will premiere online on Wednesday 22 September at 7pm. Enjoy watching the next generations of musical stars battle it out for the prestigious Richard Mills Prize, from the comfort of your own home.

The 2021 Bach Competition is supported by Richard Mills AM, Martine Letts, Vivienne Ritchie, Maria Johnson in memory of the Late Harry Johnson and Melbourne Recital Centre.

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MSO.LIVE

We miss seeing our Key Presenting Partner Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform in our space. While we are closed, visit the MSO's online home, MSO.LIVE, to see the Orchestra in full flight with Australian songstress, Tina Arena.

Use promo code TINA21 to save 20% on this concert, or use it towards an annual MSO.LIVE membership.

WATCH NOW

Stop The Interruptions

We cannot wait to share in the experience of life after lockdown and the return of live music. Join us and our arts industry peers as we get vaccinated to protect our community, and to stop the interruptions.

Watch the #VaxTheNation video here and find out more below.

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