Well, it has taken 6 months but finally we have a launch. The first Newspaper to be launched in the area in a long time, I guess.
When this idea began late last year, it came about because of the perceived bias in certain sections of the local press. Important issues appeared to be selectively ignored and not addressed by fair and balanced journalism.
We are all in this together” – how often have we seen this or heard it said over the past 2 months.
Well it does not seem to have been applied at the local elite work force at the South Gippsland Shire Council.
This is a Council where workers who have had their place of work closed (i.e.. Caravan parks, coal creek, libraries) are still employed and paid for by ratepayers at SGSC Centrelink.
Council is putting through a four-year plan 2020 to 2024 in last week’s budget. Now normally they are started the year after a council election. Can you comment on why this is occurred now and not after the next council election
In the second half of last year the officers briefed the administrators on the Leongatha Community Hub and the Council Offices-site options and costs analysis. The budget approved in July 2019 confirmed the allocated spending for the library at $105,062 for 2019-2020, $1373,036 in 2020-2021, and $1407,362 in 2021-2022.
I asked Kerryn about transparency and the 15-year Capital Works program in the proposed budget
“Are you aware of how the 15 Year Capital Works program is being portrayed in the budget document for the budget this year and the changes from previous ways that it was being produced?”
I asked Kerryn her thoughts on transparency within the organisation.
“How would you describe the changes made by the administrators in the last 12 months changes to Question Time and how do you justify those changes when placed in comparison to Casey council’s administrator’s comments?”
On April 28th I had the pleasure of chatting with the new CEO of South Gippsland Shire Council. It took us both a couple of minutes to grapple with the new zoom technologies but finally we managed to get connected. The interview was quite long so it will be broken up into around 20 parts put up over the next couple of weeks.
1. Truth and Accuracy
Journalists cannot always guarantee ‘truth’, but getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism. We should always strive for accuracy; give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have been checked. When we cannot corroborate information, we should say so.
2. Independence
Journalists must be independent voices; we should not act, formally or informally, on behalf of special interests whether political, corporate or cultural. We should declare to our editors – or the audience – any of our political affiliations, financial arrangements or other personal information that might constitute a conflict of interest.
3. Fairness and Impartiality
Most stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to present every side in every piece, stories should be balanced and add context. Objectivity is not always possible and may not always be desirable (in the face for example of brutality or inhumanity), but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.
4. Humanity
Journalists should do no harm. What we publish or broadcast may be hurtful, but we should be aware of the impact of our words and images on the lives of others.
5. Accountability
A sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves accountable. When we commit errors, we must correct them, and our expressions of regret must be sincere not cynical. We listen to the concerns of our audience. We may not change what readers write or say but we will always provide remedies when we are unfair.
Critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrots have been released into the wild, as part of an innovative trial funded by the Victorian Government to save the species from extinction.
With less than 50 adult Orange-bellied Parrots remaining in the wild, the four-year Mainland Release Trial aims to increase the size of the birds’ population in conjunction with increasing their survival in the wild.
Up to 100,000 Victorians will be tested for coronavirus over the next two weeks as part of a major testing blitz across the State, to better understand how the virus is spreading in the community and set us up for the potential easing of restrictions.
Australians are doing a tremendous job self isolating and social distancing. We are now one of the leading countries heading in the right direction, minimising the Corona virus spread.
We are especially fortunate in our beautiful South Gippsland region, away from the city hot spots, but we still have a way to go.
Let us not loosen the chains just yet …
Sustaining Creative Workers delivers quick-response funding to professional independent creative practitioners, sole traders, freelancers, collectives and micro-organisations/businesses whose work and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by coronavirus.
The Victorian Government is helping to save hundreds of jobs in the state’s independent creative and cultural sector while keeping Victorians connected through the coronavirus crisis.
With so much negativity being broadcast by some sections of the media recently, you could be forgiven for assuming that the Victorian property market had ground to a complete halt since ‘social isolation’ became such a common part of our language.
We have an update to the article in the last issue on the Victorian government’s scrapping of the temporary moratorium on onshore gas drilling.
A recent report from The Australia Institute argues that ‘analysis of the Government’s own Victorian Gas Project Progress report finds the decision is based on misleading claims that exaggerate benefits, understate costs and ignore alternatives.’
Unprecedented, cataclysmic, disastrous: the early figures suggest an economic decline deeper and more rapid than in the great depression. The great unknown is when will the pandemic end, what state will the economy be in, and how do we kick start it when it eventually ends?
We can’t rely on the local economy just returning to normal in six months or even twelve months by itself. The Federal and State governments have done what they can; the rest is going to be up to us and, to a degree, fate. According to Ken Henry, the former head of Treasury, the economy is not in hibernation, but is on ‘Life Support’. Local business and former employees need help.
Scientific advice to governments and communities is one important thing scientists do. There are many scientific voices in the media, so it can be confusing. These voices can also often lobby politicians for vested private interests rather than for broad community benefit. That is why CSIRO is important – it is largely funded by the public for public benefit in Australia. It is regularly scrutinised in open senate estimates committee hearings to test its integrity and it is an independent statutory agency, not a government department controlled by a Minister.
Scientific advice to governments and communities is one important thing scientists do. There are many scientific voices in the media, so it can be confusing. These voices can also often lobby politicians for vested private interests rather than for broad community benefit.
Local businesses are suffering a huge downturn. Tourism, accommodation, and retail businesses are being hit hardest. Some hard-working South Gippslanders are losing jobs or shifts, and everyone knows someone who is directly impacted. Hopefully, no-one in our shire will lose their life to this unwelcome virus.
The investigation report identified potentially suitable locations for development of a caravan
and camping ground subject to further examination by prospective private operators as the
current caravan park’s future operation is uncertain.
