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16 NOVEMBER, 2021
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SIG N U P N O W!
Sharing a love of prose
(Damjan Janevski) 256623_05
Kalkallo resident Anna Navarro (pictured), has started a street library, to share her love of reading with the neighbourhood. Ms Navarro said she has always been an avid reader. “I’ve always loved books,” she said “I heard of the concept of a street library many years ago and wanted to make my own. “I really hope that once more people live on this side of the community, they’ll come past and discover the library. “I’ve also shared the location on our Facebook group, and have had a few people donate a few books to the library from that. “I want to spread the word about it. “I think for kids in the neighbourhood, it’s an alternative to video games.” Ms Navarro said a personal favourite of hers has made it into the little library. “The Secret Garden is one of my absolute favourites,” she said. “I really like the imagination of it, and the storyline. “It’s really fun to read, I think everyone should read it!” Michaela Meade
COVID takes a heavy toll By Michaela Meade Lockdowns and high COVID-19 infection rates have taken a toll on Hume’s workforce, with the municipality recording the state’s highest unemployment rate. Latest federal government labour market data reveals Hume’s unemployment rate was 12.1 per cent in the June quarter. Whittlesea’s jobless rate was 8.4 per cent, while the state average was 5.2 per cent, according to the data Hume Whittlesea Local Learning and Employment Network’s (LLEN) executive
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officer for Hume, Nicky Leitch, said it was a “wait and see” situation for Hume, warning that the latest COVID-19 lockdown may have adversely affected the city’s jobless rate. “Because we were such a COVID hotspot, we had a lot of base rate workers, like cleaners and such, get laid off,” Ms Leitch said. “Casual employment went first, so a lot of our young people were affected, as well as middle-aged women, who were doing the sort of ‘checkout chick’ stuff. “The demographic of our community meant low vaccination rates, high hotspot numbers, and lots of cultural diversity making it harder
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to get work. It’s almost like all the hard work we’ve done we have to redo now.” Ms Leitch said despite the high rate, it was not all doom and gloom. “There are some really good incentives for employers to take on people again,” she said. “Our employers, a lot are starting to feel more confident in returning. “We’re not as pessimistic as perhaps we could be. “I’m hopeful that it’s an anomaly.” Hume mayor Carly Moore said the fact that Hume’s unemployment rate was “almost double” the rate of greater Melbourne (6.6 per
cent) was “unacceptable” She said stimulating the municipality’s visitor economy and creating jobs would be a key focus of the council’s recovery efforts. She said that Hume could recover, with the right support. “Investment which enables employment in our city is critical to our recovery,” she said. “This can come from developers and new businesses to employ residents and also the Victorian and Commonwealth governments to deliver a range of enabling programs and services that support employment and capacity building.”
At Kingsgate Village you can enjoy your independence while living among secure and tranquil surroundings. Our state-of-the-art centre has resort style facilities to suit your lifestyle: • Competition Size Lawn Bowls • Swimming Pool • Fully Equipped Gymnasium • Hairdresser • Cinema and Library • 24 Hour Video Security 12506352-BL35-21