Rebecca McDonald

STATEMENT FROM VRCA Regional Victorian Building Industry in Crisis: Urgent Government Intervention Needed The Victorian Regional Chamber Alliance (VRCA) is calling for immediate Government action as the residential building industry throughout the State faces an unprecedented crisis. Despite the high demand for housing, regional and rural areas are witnessing a major downturn in all aspects of the housing and residential building industry. Land sales in new subdivisions have virtually stopped and agents are reporting a notable increase in land resales, where the current market value is significantly below the initial purchase price. Prospective homebuilders are therefore experiencing increased difficulty in securing bank finance to build and alarmingly, there has been an unprecedented number of defaults on land settlements. This downward spiral flows onto builders, who are unable to secure stable work which in turn impedes the commencement of much-needed dwelling construction projects across regional Victoria. Earlier this year Victoria experienced its lowest dwelling approvals in over a decade. January saw a staggering 9.8% decline in approvals compared to the previous month, illustrating a severe slowdown in construction activity. This trend underlines the financial strain faced by industry players, threatening the stability of the entire sector. Furthermore, the erosion of confidence in the building sector has led to a notable shift in consumer behaviour, with prospective buyers increasingly favouring established homes over new land and build options. The absence of first-home buyers, residential investors and upgraders in the current land market further exacerbates the challenges faced by industry stakeholders. “The Victorian Government must urgently intervene to address these pressing issues and safeguard the future of the building industry,” says the VRCA. “The Government has set a target of 80,000 new homes in Victoria in the next 10 years. Who is going to build them? Small construction companies are going out of business, looking to commercial work to survive or exiting the industry. “Supply chain issues continue to cause gaps in the construction process, and sub-contractors are stood down until materials arrive, so they too are looking for work outside of residential projects. “Immediate measures such as reassessing land tax policies, revisiting windfall-gains tax regulations, and implementing targeted financial support are essential to restore confidence and stimulate activity. “We call upon the Victorian Government to the prioritise regional and rural Victoria and take decisive action to mitigate the current crisis. Failure to act swiftly risks long term damage to the State's economy and housing market,” the VRCA said. Contact Jodie Gillett for further information

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What is sitting with me from the Philanthropy Australia Conference is the immensely human quality of leadership, and how individuals come together to form intentional collectives. The enabling forces that we work hard to create inside our organisations were present as we came together.. like: 🔵 BELONGING: our sector is a place where we make communities healthier and safer. What was co-created by PA was a space for that to thrive. The act of PA staff and Board welcoming people outside the venue, down the hallways with hugs, names, so beautifully walking the talk lay the foundation of psychological safety. (Lisa George, Amanda Miller OAM 🎗️, Adam Ognall and everyone else)  🔵 COURAGE: The power of having the conversation, and tolerating discomfort was modelled at key moments like by Stacey Thomas and Maree Sidey, and taken up by almost the entire 1100 people, which is incredible. The ground of respect and assumed good intent supported an ease of connection. Groups welcoming others in for conversation, a kind of constant fluidity. (I can not believe how many people I had meaningful conversations with over the 2 days!!) Maree, when you said, ‘how we operate as an organisation and as leaders is part of the work. How we operate in here, inside’. Yes. 🔵 PERSISTENCE: the story from James Chen, just nailed this for me. The long game of being an outsider and trying relentlessly to find a way to progress a cause that really matters to you. Humbling humanity, working strategically to approach a challenge from every angle.  🔵 HONESTY: Andy Bryant's encouragement to invite feedback from grantees, own your failures and shortcomings, put things in plain and simple language, say what is motivating you even if it’s not the fancy pants thing you imagine people want to hear. His comment, ‘we need to own and reckon with the wealth and privilege. If we don’t own it, we can’t language it.’  So much wisdom. 🔵 CUT-THROUGH: the environment and our climate situation scares me to death but listening to Danny Kennedy from New Energy Nexus and the door-to-door salesman image with the coat pockets full of options blasted out - we can do this, we can be hopeful, smart people that step forward and get the things done that really matter. Thank you. 🔵 TOGETHER: this massive theme of finding new and refreshing old ways of working in collectives; from giving circles, to formal collaboratives, to next gen networks that are pinging off each other – working together is proliferating around the sector. These are often hard yacker to get going, but as the beautiful Sara Lomelin from Philanthropy Together said, they pay enormous dividends in community making, bringing joy, and accelerating learning. Thank you to every single person I spoke to.  If change is a holographic, which I believe it is, then we together have created some important ripples. Leadership Space

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📣 A significant moment for NSW (and Australia more broadly!) in the move towards a wellbeing economy. Social Value Collective providing clear, concise recommendations below in response to the NSW Performance & Wellbeing Framework. 👇 #wellbeing #socialvalue #socialimpact #evaluation

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📍 Chikomba Community Upliftment Project Tracy Hokonya, a 38-year-old mother of three from ward 16 in Chikomba District, faced significant financial difficulties. These challenges included affording decent meals for her family and paying school fees for her children. In March 2023, Tracy joined the Tiritose Self Help Group under the Community Upliftment Project, which provided her with technical skills and business training necessary for starting her own enterprise. Initially, Tracy began her poultry farming venture with 25 birds. However, she quickly realized that this number was insufficient to generate a sustainable profit. However, she increased her capacity to 100 birds per batch every two weeks which significantly improved her production output. Tracy strategic decision reflected an understanding of market demand and operational scalability. As of now, Tracy manages to sell a total of 200 birds per month. She has established market linkages with butcheries and restaurants in Chivhu town, which often purchase large quantities—sometimes up to 25 birds at a time. This ability to create strong market connections is crucial for any small business as it ensures consistent sales and revenue flow. Each bird is sold at US$6, leading to an average net profit ranging between US$450 and US$550 per month. This income has allowed Tracy not only to meet her family’s basic needs but also to pay school fees for all her children, including one who attends boarding school. The financial stability gained from this venture illustrates the potential impact of entrepreneurship on improving quality of life. Her vision is to build another fowl run that can accommodate 500 to 1000 birds. #hihzim #communitydevelopment

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Empowering Australian Voters: From Passivity to Action #AustralianDemocracy, #EmpoweredVoters, #PoliticalEngagement, #PowerMode   Empowering Australian voters. Learn how Australian voters can transition from passive observers to active participants in democracy, shaping the nation’s future.   https://lnkd.in/gxxc5B5c

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🌟 Considering your next project, investment, or business venture? Think Bundaberg! 🌟 The Bundaberg region is bursting with potential and ready to support your ambitions! 🚀 Whether you're looking at the bioeconomy, agricultural diversification, business ventures, transporting freight, tourism opportunities or hotel development and anything in between, I am here to help you navigate the possibilities and connect you with the right resources. Let’s turn your vision into reality! 📩 Feel free to reach out to me—I'd love to discuss how we can make your next venture a success in the Bundaberg region. #Bundaberg #Investment #Business #Connections #Innovation #Sustainability

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Tanya Quinn is a disability advocate, business woman and community builder. She is challenging Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, in the seat of McMahon in Sydney's west. #ChrisBowen is the face of modern Labor. He has never held a #real job outside politics in his life. After university he was a #staffer for two Labor politicians, and an official for the #FinanceSector Union. He married an official of the #Electrical Trades Union - they met, of course, in the Party. Then he became a politician. That is the #sumtotal of his work and life experience. #TanyaQuinn is a dedicated single mother, living in Oatlands with her teenage daughter. She grew up in Macquarie Fields in public housing, and went to #Liverpool Girls High School. She started work as a support worker in aged care and disability services, where her passion for care and advocacy led her to become CEO of two prominent disability providers. Tanya blew the #whistle on fraudulent conduct in NDIS by operators who had no legitimate background in disability services. She took significant personal risk in supplying evidence of corruption to NDIS, but despite this, the individuals concerned continue to operate in NDIS with #minimal repercussions. This experience led Tanya to #start her own venture. She launched a smaller, community-focused service where #quality and genuine #relationships are at the forefront. Now, as a business owner, she focuses on #housingsolutions for people with disabilities across Sydney and the Hunter Region. With an unwavering commitment to #empowering others, she is a powerhouse in her field, always ready to tackle new challenges and champion those most in need. ___ #McMahon is based on #Holroyd and #Fairfield. Growing up in public housing, Tanya has first hand experience of the challenges faced by disadvantaged communities and intimate knowledge of the deep #distrust in these communities of politicians who claim to represent them.  ___ #McMahon is one of many traditionally 'safe' Labor electorates that are vulnerable to community-based challengers. In McMahon, the #LiberalParty is irrelevant. It gets a low vote and can never win. The vote for #Others in McMahon will exceed the vote for the Liberals, which means that a centrist Other candidate can win the seat when the Liberals finish in third place. Tanya says "I want Labor and Liberal politicians removed from the whole #WesternSydney region. They don't belong here anymore. They don't work for us, they just use us in building their careers". You can register you support for Tanya at https://lnkd.in/gA4nUwcr About 45 traditionally 'safe' #Labor seats are winnable by centrist community-based challengers. They can be won by candidates like Tanya. ___ Share this post if you want career politicians thrown out of traditionally 'safe' seats. Then join #DemocracyFirst today and become involved in our movement. https://lnkd.in/gB7mz-3d

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Victoria will need up to 60 new government schools, 900 new kindergartens and 20% more teaching space for TAFE by 2036.  Infrastructure Victoria's latest report "Learning for life: preparing kindergarten, school, and TAFE infrastructure for the future" looks at how the Victorian Government can best invest in education to improve access, reduce cost, make the most of existing land and infrastructure, and encourage other providers to invest - https://lnkd.in/gDNjdcAy Our recommendations give the government guidance on the future demand for education infrastructure, and how it can make decisions to meet that demand: 1. Facilitate markets for private and not-for-profit investment in kindergarten infrastructure. Share regularly updated information about the demand for and supply of kindergarten places. 2. Publish priorities for government investment over the next 5 years to deliver kindergarten in communities that will have the greatest need in 2036. 3. Identify schools to expand and confirm areas that will need new schools. By 2030, fund expansions of existing schools and begin delivery of 35 to 60 new schools. Minimise costs by expanding the built capacity of existing schools and building larger schools. 4. By 2030, expand TAFE campuses in Melbourne’s west, north and south-east growth areas, and some large regional centres, to train more students to fill skills gap, especially in construction, energy and health. Noel Towell reports in The Age today that the north, west and south-east growth areas of Melbourne will need the most government investment in education infrastructure - https://lnkd.in/gnStAzns You'll find the full Learning for Life research report from Infrastructure Victoria at https://lnkd.in/gDNjdcAy #learning #life #education #schools #kindergartens #TAFE #infrastructure #victoria #research #evidence #policy Department of Education Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions Victorian TAFE Association Municipal Association of Victoria Victorian Planning Authority Department of Transport and Planning Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals (VASSP) Victorian Association of Catholic Primary School Principals (VACPSP) Wyndham City Council City of Casey City of Whittlesea Melton City Council Planning Institute of Australia

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The deep divide over whether community organisations should be political or not is a conversation I have had with so many for-purpose leaders over the last couple of years. It is a hard line to walk, and when 56% of people in this study see advocacy on social and political issues as an important function of community organisations but 49% think community organisations should stick to serving their communities and stay out of politics (and no, I don't know how there's a 7% crossover there, but perhaps those 7% think that you can advocate but still stay out of politics?), it will remain a source of contention. I look forward to more conversations on this topic while we figure out how to strike a balance.

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#TLDR #HealthAdvocacy #Job https://lnkd.in/g9fUqZDD For many people in the WA health system, Health Consumers' Council WA is known for its engagement and systemic advocacy. But what's less visible, is the important work we do supporting individuals to understand and assert their rights in health. This free service - thanks to funding from the WA Department of Health and the Mental Health Commission - is available to anyone accessing any type of healthcare in WA: public hospital, private hospital, GPs, mental health, community health. (The only exception is people who have been involuntarily admitted to mental health services - who are able to access advocacy from the Mental Health Advocacy Service.) Some typical enquiries include ✅️ being asked to support consumers with disability to support their advocacy because they are finding it hard to get their voice heard and fear they're not being offered treatment due to assumptions about their disability ✅️ helping an Aboriginal consumer to make a complaint about not being heard as they sought healthcare for a family member ✅️ supporting a family to meet with hospital staff as the family try to find out what happened to their loved one ✅️ attending an appointment with a consumer and their GP to support the consumer to be heard after the relationship had become tense We don't advertise our service, but there's always a wait list. This role is available because of some short term funding we've been given, but we have a plan in place to extend access to this for more people in the WA community. To my mind, individual advocacy is an essential pillar of clinical governance, particularly in a system with so much power imbalance and complexity. We're looking for an experienced advocate to join our team - details at the link below - and support people in the community to understand and assert their health rights. This is one of four roles we're advertising at the moment.

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For all the social entrepreneurs in the ACT...

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📢 Weekly Grants Wrap-Up 📢 Here are some grants for the lead up to the end of the year 🆕 Game Changer Grant is now open, through Ember Connect, to support professional, personal, or cultural enrichment activities for members. Up to $5,000. Closing 8 November. 🏘️ Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) – Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program (CTAP) are now open, through the Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide support for crisis and transitional housing. Closing 13 November. 🌍 Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) Grant Round 2024-25 is now open, through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to support projects that advance areas of shared interest between Australia and Arab communities. Up to $60,000 available. Closing 14 November. 👗eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund is now open, through eBay to support innovative start-ups and businesses that are helping change customer behaviour in the fashion industry. Up to $100,000 available. Closing 15 November. 🆕 Grants for Investor Education Programs is now open, through LaunchVic, to increase the early-stage startup investor pool. Up to $1,000,000 available. Closing 19 November. 🆕 Grants for Victorian Accelerator Programs is now open, through LaunchVic, to support Victoria’s best accelerators and fuel the growth of Victorian startups. Up to $1,500,000 available. Closing 19 November. ⚡ SEQ Innovation Economy Fund is now open, through Advance Queensland to provide funding support for innovation infrastructure to accelerate the creation of future jobs in Queensland’s south east corner. Up to $25,000,000 available. Closing 22 November. 🆕 Social Investment Partnerships Grants is now open, through City of Melbourne, to support the development and delivery of projects that address key social issues and provide equitable opportunities for communities. Funding between $25,000 - $180,000. Closing 25 November. 🏠 Grants to End Homelessness are now open, through the Mercy Foundation to support projects aimed at ending homelessness for women, with a focus on those from migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking backgrounds. Up to $60,000 available. Closing 29 November. 🪴 AGCO Corporation Agriculture Foundation has opened the AGCO Agriculture Foundation Grants which seeks proposals to support the next generation of leaders in agriculture, helping them to develop innovative solutions for agri-food systems. Up to $450,000USD available. Closing 29 November. 🆕 Action for Women’s Health Program is now open, through Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, to support organisations working to improve women’s mental and physical health. Grants range from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000. Closing 3 December. 🔬 CUREator+ is now open, through Brandon BioCatalyst and AndHealth, providing funding for medical research and innovation projects with commercial potential. From $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 available. Closing 04 December.

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So today the Castlemaine Mail has published our story about our need to seek fair pricing from the NDIS. The Loddon Mallee Disability Alliance remains collaborative in our approach to see fair pricing. #4abetterndis #lmda NDIS pricing short-changing locals By Castlemaine Mail July 19, 2024 Leah Taaffe, CEO Community Living & Respite Services; Janette Martin, CEO Lifely; Natasha Williams, CEO Golden City Support Services; and Mike Amor, CEO Windarring are disappointed with the pricing review. The Loddon Mallee Disability Alliance (LMDA) has condemned the NDIS Annual Pricing Review for short-changing regional people with disabilities, cautioning that it could lead to the collapse of quality regional providers and leave participants across the region stranded unless pricing issues are addressed now. The alliance says the recently released NDIS Annual Pricing Review fails to meet the sector’s needs amid rising operational costs. Price caps for everyday supports increased by only 3.19 per cent, while therapies, support coordination, and plan management have remained stagnant for five years. “The government has ignored calls from reputable NDIS-registered providers to rectify known errors and ensure fair pricing that reflects the true cost of delivering quality disability services . “Regional providers face unique challenges, such as rising travel costs, staffing shortages, and the responsibility to deliver unfunded crisis and coordination services in underserved country areas, that NDIS pricing does not consider. “Our alliance members serve some of the state’s most vulnerable families. If just one or two providers close their doors, it will create a ripple effect, straining all disability providers and impacting our overburdened health services.

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Bill Shorten faces a big test in Maribyrnong in the next election. He will be challenged by a young woman with complex disabilities on a Fix NDIS platform for Democracy First. This will be the most watched seat in Australia. #Millions of people are deeply disappointed with the way #NDIS has been botched as an important social reform. It was intended to personalise supports for people with disabilities through #individualbudgets to purchase supports to suit each individual. In fact, service providers #seized the money, #aggregated it to meet their organisational priorities, and perpetuated the old #providercentric paternalistic disability industry. It became a #gravytrain for everyone except vulnerable people with disabilities. NDIS confirmed for the nation that #careerpoliticians are not very good at social reform or government. #BillShorten went from Scotch College to Melbourne University to a union official position in the #AustralianWorkersUnion. Of course, he has never worked in an occupation covered by that union (storeman, packer, driver). He became #NationalSecretary of that union in 2001 aged 34 never having held a real job. In 2007 Bill Shorten became a Labor politician for #Maribyrong in Victoria. Then he became #Minister for NDIS. He'd never thought about disability before. And he has still never held a real job. NDIS sums up the failure in #leadership and #publicgovernance that we have witnessed in every area of policy in the last 20 years. Good ideas become debacles because career politicians with no experience of the real world find themselves managing billions of dollars of taxpayers money. And they fail. ___ Our #DemocracyFirst candidate in Maribyrong aims to have 1,000 volunteers on the ground. She will represent every #user of services who has ever been humiliated by #bureaucrats and intimidated by #lawyers in disability, mental health, veterans affairs, aged care and welfare. She says: "#Hi all you may not know who I am, but I'm the person who has complex disability but still goes in to fight for your loved one when they are faced with the #AAT or #Centrelink or the many other areas they might need support." "I've won multiple #cases and access requests. I specialise in cases that are #rejected and I don't ask the person I'm advocating for for any funds unless they are able to afford it." Yes, there are people like this in the world! We can easily #mobilise 1,000 people from across Melbourne to support our #FixNDIS candidate in Maribyrnong. We want another 1,000 outside Melbourne to donate to support her win the seat The process is important. #Disability and #mentalhealth people and their families and carers have been taken for a ride by politicians, bureacrats and providers for a long time. There are millions of us. And now we have a #politicalvoice. #Register to support our candidate in Maribyrnong. #Join up today. Tell us how you can be involved. https://lnkd.in/gB7mz-3d

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What is the government going to do to bring excessively high public service remuneration packages into line with community expectations? AND What can the government do to stop excessively overpaid elites lecturing us about disadvantage?

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NEWS ** International Fathers’ Mental Health Day** 17 June 2024 I am so thrilled that Gidget Foundation Australia has been enlisted to lead International Fathers’ Mental Health Day (17 June) on behalf of Global Founders Mark Williams BCAh FRSA, Dr Daniel B. Singley, Ph.D., and former campaign lead, Dr Bronwyn Leigh.    We were honoured to be approached by Mark, Daniel and Bron to lead this campaign into the future as it aligns seamlessly with our mission of driving advocacy, education and awareness of the importance of perinatal mental health for all expectant and new families.   With our partners, our collaborative strategy is to reach as many fathers as possible through a united voice, focusing on the causes of PNDA in fathers and fatherhood support in early parenting for 2024. We believe that by working together, we can make a significant impact on fathers' mental health! Gidget Foundation Australia is proud to be a Global Partner of International Fathers’ Mental Health Day, joining other key local and international organisations in raising awareness, influencing policy and changing attitudes including: Postpartum Support International  THE INTERNATIONAL MARCE SOCIETY  Fathers Reaching Out – UK  The Center for Men's Excellence – USA  Bournemouth University – UK  University College Cork – Ireland  Society for Pre and Post Natal Services (SPANS) – Zimbabwe  Gidget Foundation Australia PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia Perinatal Wellbeing Centre – Australia   COPE: Centre of Perinatal Excellence – Australia  Centre for Perinatal Psychology – Australia   The Parent-Infant Research Institute (PIRI) Institute – Australia  Becoming Us – Australia  Australasian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA)   Peach Tree Perinatal Wellness – Australia  The Marcé Society - Australasian Chapter   Belmont Private Hospital   Karitane – Australia  Dads Group – Australia   Healthy Male – Australia  PADA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa – New Zealand  Little Shadow NZ – New Zealand  Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative  Maternal Mental Health Progress in Canada  Narendra Singh Thagunna PhD ( Cross Cultural Psychology) (Nepal) Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings CIC  DorPIP - Helping Families Flourish UK  ForWhen  Fathers Network Scotland  SMS4dads  Dads Matter UK Mellow Parenting Centre for Perinatal Psychology How’s Dad? Sut Mae Dad? The Radiance Network South West Inc West WA C-Section UK Neuronatal Action on Postpartum Psychosis   Helpu  PANDAS Foundation UK (Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support) UK   Men Against Mountains   Fathers of Success If your organisation would also like to become a global partner of this great campaign then please do reach out! #DadsMHDAy

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Are you a leader in the aged care sector? Do you feel ready to lead your people through sector reform change? Join our Change Management professional development sessions, designed specifically for leaders of the Aged Care Sector... #agedcare #leadership #change #changemanagement

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Do you have Aged Care leaders in your network? Are they feeling stressed or overwhelmed with sector reform? We can help. Our Change Management professional development program has been designed to build leader confidence to manage change. Take a look, and share with those you know in Aged Care. #change #changemanagement #agedcare #wellbeing

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Economic pressures are testing a key pillar of our national identity: multiculturalism. Historically, tough economic times have often led to misplaced blame, with migrant communities often unfairly targeted. But through our work SSI, we know migrants are part of the solution, not the problem. That’s why we’re leading an advocacy coalition to Activate Australia’s Skills and reform a system blocking highly skilled migrants in Australia from positively transforming our economy.

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