Pathways to Bright Futures

The staff from Mount Morgan High School had the privilege of touring the Heritage Minerals Mount Morgan Mine site on Tuesday, 18 July.

The group was hosted and escorted on the historic site by Heritage Minerals, Mine Manager and Site Senior Executive (SSE) Shane Charlton.

The visit was incredibly informative and provided an in-depth understanding of the project and the scope of work that is planned for the historical site. The school has been in consultations with Heritage Minerals taking a proactive approach in preparing to support local students and the community with future career opportunities in the mining industry.

This initiative is aimed at helping bridge the gap between education and industry, providing students with valuable insights and potential pathways for their future careers. By engaging with mining companies like Heritage Minerals, the school can not only offer valuable learning experiences for the students but also create avenues for work experience, traineeships/apprenticeships, or other forms of collaboration that could benefit both the students and the innovative company in the long run.

Mining is a significant industry that can offer diverse career paths, from engineering and geology to environmental science and management.

By fostering these connections and exposing students to the industry at an early stage, the school can play a crucial role in nurturing an industry ready talent pool as well as supporting the local community’s economic development.

The school plans to integrate this knowledge into its educational programs and career development initiatives for the students with the potential to create positive impacts on the community’s future.

Story submitted by Justene Webb

Mount Morgan Promotion and Development Inc is one of 18 Community organisations in the Flynn electorate sharing in over $150,000 in funding for small-scale projects, upgrades and new equipment that they need and deserve.

MMPAD received $12,000 towards the “Mount Morgan CBD – Links to its historic past” project which involves the development of QR-coded interpretive signage and production of brass plaques affixed to the footpath outside of businesses in Morgan and East Streets. This project will provide self-guided tour opportunities.

Round 8 of the Stronger Communities Programme is providing local governing bodies and community groups funding for projects of up to $20,000.

Announcing the successful grant recipients, Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce said more funding for the Flynn electorate would deliver the infrastructure and equipment our communities need to be successful and grow.

“This funding of between $2,500 and $20,000 to community groups will allow them to spend more on their essential activities,” Mr Boyce said.

“This type of investment brings people together by strengthening social connections, building community participation, and delivering a brighter and more vibrant future for communities.

July 1 has been dreaded by age care providers across the country, the 24/7 registered nurses requirement hits the sector amidst a severe workforce crisis.

Just recently, it was announced Carinity Summit Cottages (Summit Cottages), the residential aged care service located in Mount Morgan will close. They advised the ongoing nation-wide shortage of aged care staff, combined with Mount Morgan’s regional location, has made staffing the facility increasingly difficult in recent months.

Analysis shows that an additional four fulltime registered nurses and 6.5 fulltime personal care workers are required to have a sustainable long-term workforce at Summit Cottages. Despite ongoing efforts, Carinity has been unable to recruit sufficient staff to fill these vacancies.

Given the national care workforce shortage and increased difficulty recruiting staff; the low likelihood this can be overcome in Mount Morgan; and the increase in expectations from the community and regulators regarding staffing levels in aged care communities, the only viable option for Carinity is to commence a staged closure of Summit Cottages. The Department of Health and Aged Care has revealed that over the next three months, the aged care sector is 8,100 nurses short of being able to meet Labor’s staffing requirement, which they brought forward against the recommendation of the Royal Commission.

As the aged care sector deals with the immense stress of trying to fulfill this requirement when the workforce is just not there, we know that facilities have already had to close and many more are considering this option – forcing older Australians out of their homes.

I intend to speak on this issue at the next sitting of Parliament as our regional communities and older Australians deserve better.

Parliament will not be sitting until next week. In the meantime, I have written a letter to the Health Minister, but have yet to receive a reply.

If you would like to follow the media I have done on this topic you can do so by following: https://www.facebook.com/100064002399357/ videos/242984128538438.

Colin Boyce - Member for Flynn