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10 MAY, 2022
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More trees for Melton Melton has been chosen as one of six council areas to gain a share of 180,000 trees as part of a state government initiative to help provide more greenery and shade for residents in the west. The More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West program has already planted 30,000 trees since last spring and will provide Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Brimbank, Melton, Moonee Valley and Wyndham with even more trees. The government has allocated $5 million to plant both mature and young trees outside schools, along trails, in parks and on residential streets. Melton mayor Goran Kesic thanked the volunteers who had helped to plant the trees so far. Councillors joined with students from Kurunjang Secondary College last week to plant 272 trees at Little Blind Creek Reserve in Kurunjang and Toolern Creek Regional Park in Cobblebank. “Planting trees is a great example of forward planning. Our children and grandchildren will get to enjoy the benefits of this initiative,” Cr Kesic said. Kurunjang Secondary College student Jazmin Lopez and Melton mayor Goran Kesic.
(Supplied)
Health concerns unheard By Olivia Condous Melton mothers are struggling to get vital health check ups for their children, with Melton council’s maternal and child health service still severely restricted in the wake of the pandemic. Local governments provide free regular health checks with a qualified nurse for infants and children up to the age of six years old, in order to ensure every child’s development is on track. On January 28, Melton council announced it was making temporary changes to its maternal and child health nurse service due to the pandemic ‘Code Brown’ in the public health system.
The council sent a letter to parents stating that appointments were only available to infants aged from 0-8 weeks and Indigenous infants and children. Three months later, the service is only providing appointments for infants up to four months of age. Melton resident Marie Goizet hasn’t been able to get a check up appointment for her 11-month-old son since he was 12 weeks old. “I don’t know if he’s measuring up to everything that he’s meant to,” Ms Goizet said. “On the website, it says you can fill in their details and show it at the next appointment, but there is no next appointment. “I definitely worry, the sense of feeling
supported isn’t there.” Melton mum Rebecca Farrugia McGinley’s daughter was born at the beginning of the pandemic, and at eight months old, nurses suspected that her daughter had mild hip dysplasia. After her daughter turned one, she was turned away by the council for her next check up. Ms Farrugia McGinley was told by a council officer in September, 2021 that the appointment shortage would only be temporary and she would be allocated an appointment for when her daughter turned two years old. But when Ms Farrugia McGinley’s daughter turned two, no appointment was available. She contacted a
council officer and a Melton councillor directly with her concerns but received no reply. “I thought, enough is enough, because this is beyond a joke,” she said. Neighbouring local council areas, such as Moorabool and Brimbank, have returned their maternal and child health services to regular operations and are offering appointments for children up to six years of age. “I think the problem is that Melton council hasn’t accommodated the growth of all the council suburbs, plain and simple,” Ms Farrugia McGinley said. “But then they can’t just go, ‘too bad,’ … It’s not right.” ■
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