Happiness found among residents

People living in Baw Baw Shire are the happiest in Gippsland.

That’s the conclusion reached by a study group at Queensland’s Bond University after an assessment of nine quality of life categories.

The study that covered all municipalities in Australia allocated 10 points in each of the categories and then gave an overall rating based on the average of the scores.

Baw Baw’s average of 6.5 points out of 10 across the nine areas – housing affordability, education, community, employment, wealth, accessibility, work/life balance, safety and health – was the highest in Gippsland.

It just edged out western neighbour Cardinia Shire that scored 6.4.

South Gippsland shire came in at 6.2, Bass Coast 5.2, Wellington 5.1, East Gippsland 4.6 with Latrobe City trailing the field with a rating of 4.5.

The assessments were based on a range of data collected by State and Federal government surveys including information compiled from the national census.

Although Baw Baw may have been found to be the “happiest” place to live in Gippsland it came in well short of outer north-east metropolitan’s Nillimbuk shire, that topped the list in Victoria with a rating 8.6.

The “community” category that looked at things such as volunteering and cultural tolerance, scored 7.8 out of a maximum 10 points to be Baw Baw’s best quality of life factor.

“Accessibility”, that included areas’ transport, internet access and availability of other major services, and “safety” that considered crime rates especially those for homicides, assaults and personal safety each gained 7.7 scores to round out Baw Baw’s top three.

The least attractive factors for living in the shire were work/life balance (5.0) and housing affordability (5.3).

Ratings in the other categories were health (7.4), wealth (6.3) and education and employment (each 5.8).

In its overall summary the study group said the analyses showed the biggest factor in quality of life was education.

Health and wealth were the next most important.

According to the study geography plays a role in many regional and remote communities, particularly in areas that do not benefit from opportunities generated by the mining sector.

Employment, safety and wealth were the major shortcomings identified in each of Latrobe city and Wellington and East Gippsland shires, in Bass Coast it was housing affordability as well as employment and wealth and in South Gippsland work/life balance was found to have the biggest effect on quality of life.

Latrobe’s highest rating was for work/life balance (7.5), Wellington’s was community (7.5), East Gippsland was also community (7.3), South Gippsland’s highest score was for health (7.6) and Bass Coast’s strongest areas were community (7.5) and health (7.4).

Firearms seized

Police located firearms and homemade fireworks when they searched a vehicle on the side of Lardner Rd, Drouin early Saturday morning.

Police observed three people standing outside the vehicle in Lardner Rd at 5.30am.

When police searched the vehicle, they located an inoperable revolver, a revolver in pieces, a handmade firearm and homemade fireworks.

A 27-year-old Yarragon man was remanded in custody to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court yesterday. He was charged with firearm, explosives and drug offences.

A Pakenham woman also was charged with possession of drugs.