MARCH 17, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Activist is a real beauty
(Marco De Luca) 205775_01
Caroline Springs activist Tiffany Shen has been crowned Miss Australia International. Ms Shen, originally from China, said she owes her crown to her mother. “I owe this entire journey to my own precious mother and everything she has done for me … She did everything she could to ensure I had a childhood and a better future,” she said. “I hope to inspire other girls, that they can be and do whatever is in their heart.” Ms Shen hopes to use her enhanced public proile to create further public awareness and provide practical support to charities that work to protect children from the horrors of sex traficking. “Quite clearly, this atrocious crime is trying to stay undetected so that it may continue to proit from illegal, lucrative activities like sex tourism,” Ms Shen said. “Stamping out this shocking activity is really just one piece of the puzzle. “The other issue is to provide decent opportunities for victims to somehow create a life for themselves whilst living with the mental and physical scars they have acquired.” Ms Shen has been named as an ambassador for the Sunlight Foundation – an organisation striving to stamp out child sex crimes. Tate Papworth
Brimbank on virus alert Brimbank is a city on high alert as fears of a COVID-19 outbreak grow. Major events have been cancelled, schools are bracing for shutdowns, supermarket shelves lie empty and specialist teams have been set up at the Sunshine Hospital to deal with a possible outbreak. And on Monday morning, the state government took the unprecedented step of declaring a state of emergency for the next four weeks. his gives the Chief Health oicer whatever power is necessary to contain the spread of
the virus and reduce the risk to the health of Victorians. Brimbank council said it has scrapped a number of its events, including a citizenship ceremony scheduled for March 18. But it is yet to provide a list or details of other cancelled events. It comes as the principal of a Braybrook school said it was not a case of if, but when, the government orders to close all schools. Caroline Chisholm Catholic College principal Marco Di Cesare said the school was set to implement an emergency plan in the event school’s are shut down. “If someone at the school is tested we have to
shut down for a period, even if they don’t test positive … we’ve actually seen that with schools shutting down in anticipation of a positive result,” he said. “From what we’ve been hearing it’s not a case of if, but when … the government is being rightly very risk averse and is trying to slow this thing down.” he school sent out an email to parents last week, informing them of its contingency plan. “We sent an email out to parents and staf ater talk of schools being shut down heightened,” Mr Di Cesare said. he online system allows parents and students to see what work is due and needed.
Catholic Education Victoria also elected to cancel Catholic Education Week events planned for this week. Meanwhile at Sunshine Hospital, a specialist team has been put in place should the deadly virus arrive in Brimbank. he hospital has also established an assessment clinic to test for possible cases. he clinic’s hours of operation are from 12pm-8:30pm. Testing will only be provided for people who have traveled outside the country in the two-week period before their illness started or have had contact with a person known to have the virus.
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By Tate Papworth