What 6 letter word means both a hair style and a fish?

Great coverage: Latrobe City deputy mayor Dan Clancy, Labor candidate for Morwell Dr Kate Maxfield, Image Direct director Jim Radford, One Shot Double Shot owner Stefan Posa, Minister Jaala Pulford and Latrobe City mayor Kellie O’Callaghan welcome free wi-fi for the shire.

photograph liam durkin

Six mobile towers move to 5G with support from state

FREE WiFi is being extended across parts of the Latrobe Valley. Libraries and prominent community venues such as the Gippsland Performing Art Centre are offering the service, in order to provide locals with faster and more reliable connectivity. Greater internet access is also being offered in regional towns such as Boolarra, Tyers and Yallourn North. The extended network will be delivered by Latrobe City Council using council infrastructure and a number of telco service providers. It will give regional Victorians, businesses, schools and students in Latrobe access to fast, free internet connectivity and help promote the region as a great place to work, live and do business. Separately, the state government will also upgrade six mobile towers in the area from 4G to 5G through the Connecting Victoria program. These upgrades will be delivered through partnerships with Optus and TPG Telecom. The telcos have agreed to share infrastructure at some of these sites, giving locals a choice of mobile provider and improving competition. The work will be carried out between 2023 and 2025 to deliver improved services across more than 295 square kilometres in Latrobe, benefiting more than 67,000 premises. Places that will be covered include Callignee, Callignee South, Carrajung, Churchill, Glengarry North, Glengarry West, Hazelwood, Hazelwood South, Jeeralang Junction, Koornalla, Loy Yang, Traralgon, Traralgon East, Traralgon South, Tyers and Yinnar. Minister for Employment, Small Business, Resources, Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Jaala Pulford, was in Traralgon last week, announcing the extended coverage. “We’re investing in extending free WiFi access and improving reception coverage because internet access and mobile connectivity is important for everyone, no matter where they live,” she said.

COVID patients can vote by telephone

NEW regulations will mean Victorians who have tested positive to COVID-19 will be able to vote via telephone in the November state election. The new regulations will allow people subject to public health restrictions and isolating because of coronavirus to access electronic-assisted voting via phone. The changes also allow for electronic-assisted voting to be extended to voters affected by certain other emergency situations, where an emergency determination is made by the Victorian Electoral Commissioner. Victorians who are already eligible for electronicassisted voting, such as voters who are blind or have low vision, or who have a motor impairment, will continue to have access to the service. The Electoral Regulations 2022 also made other changes to improve Victoria’s electoral system. Forms prescribed in the Electoral Regulations 2022 have been updated and simplified with information in plain English and unnecessary elements deleted. The Electoral Regulations 2022 began on August 20 with the recommendation of the Victorian Electoral Commissioner and replaced the Electoral Regulations 2012 before they expired on August 21. The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is an independent statutory body that is responsible for the conduct of state elections in Victoria. Minister for Government Services, Danny Pearson, said the changes would give Victorians the ability to vote safely. “These changes will ensure Victorians with COVID-19 who are doing the right thing by complying with public health restrictions and isolating are still able to cast their vote,” he said. “As always, Victorian voters will also have the option of voting at any voting centre in the state on election day, voting before election day at any early voting centre, or applying to vote by post.” For more information, head to vec.vic.gov.au. For phone inquiries, call 131 832. The state election is on Saturday November 26.

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