Saffn welcomes $1.78-million boost for Women’s Health Centre

LISMORE MP

Janelle Saffn has welcomed the Minns Labor Government’s announcement of a $1,780,500 boost in funding to the Lismore Women’s Health and Resource Centre over the next fve years.

Ms Saffn said the doubling of recurrent funding would make the world of difference to the Northern Rivers Women and Children’s Services Incorporated (NORWACS), the charity which runs the health centre and an outreach service in the greater Lismore area.

“Increasing funding by $34.3 million over fve years to 19 women’s health centres across New South Wales was long overdue because they’ve had to make do with tight budgets for decades,” Ms Saffn said.

“I am pleased that our Government is delivering on this major election commitment to recognise the essential communitybased healthcare and domestic violence support these centres provide to women and children.”

NORWACS Chief Executive Offcer Kelly Banister said she and her team were delighted with the frst increase in funding to the sector since 1986 because delivering services had been pretty challenging to say the least.

“Conservatively, this funding means that we will be able to increase the services we offer by 50 per cent, reaching many more women, and taking the funding cycle from three to fve years helps us plan for the future and gives us more stability,” Ms Banister said.

“We’ll have more hours for counselling staff, social workers, health promotion staff, and importantly, our women’s health nurse clinic will be more frequent and expand from primarily educational and referral services to screening and pathology.

“In addition, this funding will signifcantly increase our capacity to deliver therapeutic group workshops to the women in our community who need this support.

“Our intention is to also run a pop-up women’s health centre in places like Murwillumbah and Kyogle from time to time.”

The Lismore Women’s Health & Resource Centre is a safe place run for women by women providing confdential, friendly health and well-being assistance for women in Lismore and surrounding areas.

“Leemo has views on just about anything”

‘SOMETIMES’ no NEWS ‘IS’ GOOD NEWS’

I asked ‘Mum Jane’ what the word ‘NEWS’ means. She appeared impressed by my perceptive inquiry.

Goodie!! (it’s ‘Leemo Cat’ here!) She ‘politely’ asked for a cup of tea which I made pronto.

‘Well my special Boy, let me tell you that in the 14th century, news literally meant, “NEW THINGS” from a Latin root, nova, or “new.” e phrase “no news is good news” has been around since the 1600s and the de nition of news is information about recent and important events. is is provided through di erent media: word of mouth, printing papers, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events.

‘Ooooh, Mum, I’m glad you told me this ‘cos I have serious questions to ask you; is that OK?

Do you have the time in your busy day to talk?’

Crikey, she was almost purring with at my polite, keen approach to stu . A er a slurp or 5 of tea, she asked how she could assist. ‘Well Mum, you know I use my keen & inquiring mind; I’ve been reading stu about what has been rated as NEWS over the years, whilst keeping a close eye & ear on our television & ABC Radio channel to determine for myself what NEWS really is. Mum, I’m confused.

‘Oh dear my clever boy, do tell me more.” I had to take a BIG breath.

‘Well Mum, you said that news consists of stu that is recent and IMPORTANT. My research has given me a rather cynical view about what news really is. Mum, for example, how can a newspaper headline saying ‘British Le Wa es on Falkland Islands’ be proper news? Or another headline that said ‘Cold Wave Linked to Temperature’ or ‘Typhoon Rips rough Cemetery; Hundreds Dead’ or ‘Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Axe’ and then I read ‘Iraqi Head Seeks Arms’. Don’t any of these reporters know how to phrase words? And, more recently, Mum, is where Princess Charlotte’s hand is in a family photo truly newsworthy? Or a news HEADLINE on our TV saying ‘Taylor Swi ’s Plane has just landed? (like, who cares?) OR, ‘Rupert Murdoch’s latest engagement announcement? As a most wealthy and smart man does he not learn and again, who cares? Mum, my understanding of REAL NEWS would be more akin to ‘Cost of Living DROPS, Fuel & Electricity Prices Go DOWN: Health Insurance NOT going up: Housing & Homelessness Crisis eases in Australia & all over the World; People on the Gaza Strip nally receive URGENT food & medical help or the people close to starving in the Sudan? THAT is, to me & my Buddies Mum, proper real newsworthy stu . We are concerned about of what constitutes NEWS in newspapers, on our TV, Radio & whatever. Truly Mum, what proper good news have you heard lately that is actually true? Come on, out with it!! She did a bit of a ponder. ‘OK Leems, it may NOT be World news, but both Branches of the CWA in Lismore, will soon move back to their wonderful and historic CWA rooms in Spinks Park, that were devastated in the 2022 Flood. THIS MEANS, they can get on doing what they do best which is assisting women & children in our Community! Well, on that sorta positive note I shall now slink o for a well deserved cat-nap. Purrsies, Leemo.