Established in 1981 as the
proudly serving Melton and Moorabool
4 APRIL, 2023
12496404-AV22-21
FREE DIGITAL EDITION
SIG N U P N O W!
Dane Swan hits Rockbank AFL Brownlow Medallist Dane Swan was the star of the show as the Riddell District Football League kicked off on Saturday. Swan pulled on the jumper for the Western Rams for their season opener against local rivals Melton Centrals. The match was played as a standalone game, with a big crowd to watch Swan and the Rams. While known for his inside work, Swan spent most of the game in the back half, finding plenty of the ball. He was named in the Rams best as the side proved no match for Centrals. Swan then stayed at the club for a sold out sportsman’s night, which the club was hoping would help them raise funds for the season ahead. For more on the match and the opening round of the netball, turn to sport.
Dane Swan in action for the Western Rams. (Jacob Pattison) 323330_24
Hub timeline undecided By Liam McNally Melton council will most likely build a community hub dedicated to the municipality’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, but the question of when has been kicked down the line by councillors. A scoping report on an Aboriginal Controlled Community Hub (ACCH) was brought before council at a meeting on Monday, March 27. The report found a “range of complex and inter-related health, wellbeing, social and education and employment needs are present amongst the local First Nations population that demonstrate demand for more services”
and that current local provision of culturally specific services “does not meet levels of need”. An ACCH would help address these issues by providing community members and families a variety of support services as well as a place to make social and cultural connections, the report said. Cr Ashleigh Vandenberg moved a motion for council to note the report and to refer the development of a business case feasibility study, to council’s 2023-24 budget. “The report identifies that first nations people are the most marginalised group in Australia … supporting self determination requires choice for our local first nations community to exist when accessing either
mainstream or culturally specific services … it would be of great benefit to our community,” she said. Multiple councillors voiced support for the ACCH, but were split on whether the development of a business case feasibility study could be added to budget deliberations, which begin on Wednesday, April 5. Council budget submissions were supposed to be in by the end of February, although other motions at the March 27 meeting were referred to the upcoming budget. Cr Kathy Majdlik said Melton does “desperately need” an ACCH but it’s “just a matter of timing”. “Unfortunately it didn’t cut the budget
discussion so hopefully it can be done soon and we can talk about it at the next budget,” she said. An alternative motion by Cr Steve Abboushi was passed to note the scoping report, and for council to hold “further discussions on the ACCH at a councillor briefing with all relevant information including costings”. Cr Vandenberg said Monday night’s meeting is a “core example of how and why we have a gap in Australia today”. “ … Where other topics are prioritised over Aboriginal lives, and there is not enough time to add the words ‘business report and feasibility study’ to a budget template that isn’t finalised until June 2023.”
We are OPEN for Take Away and Home Delivery Contactless delivery with Menulog, Doordash, Ubereats,Instore and La Porchetta online. Follow us on Social Media /LaPorchettaMelton /LaPorchettaMelton
Woodgrove Shopping Centre www.laporchetta.com Download our New iPhone or Android App 12505545-JW34-21