Aged care staff overworked and underpaid

Approximately 25 per cent of our population is over the age of 60 years so many matters, including care of the aged, discussions as to assistance needed for many of the aged in our communities and salaries for aged care workers have become critical issues.

I recently spent two weeks in respite in one of our local aged care facilities where I gained an understanding of many of the challenges and complexities relating to the provision of those giving care to the aged and those receiving care.

Management and staff were extremely helpful and empathetic to my changed circumstances and mobility issues. However, I also became aware that the staff were under considerable pressure with shortages of staff for several shifts, especially at weekends. The strong sense of community within the staff became obvious when I saw that those at work were covering the duties of those who were absent.

Simply put I was distressed to see these people chronically overworked and underpaid.

The commitment to the provision of care and support by all was very reassuring but for me it also meant that the implementation of the recommendations of the Aged Care Commission, including those relating to salaries, should be implemented as soon as possible, if a crisis in aged care is to be avoided

I wonder how many decision makers and parliamentarians in our community have visited an aged care facility in recent times?

Fairlie Kermode, Warragul

Power to them

If the 10 year old, to whom you refer, Geoff Lee, (''Brainwashed'', Gaz. 5/4 ), knows nothing about climate change, then respectfully that makes two of you.

To you I say, if children of her ilk, and their families, realise the inequities, inequalities, and self destructiveness of our world, largely created by our generation, and are prepared to do something about it, then more power to them.

As for ''left wing teachers'' and their'' brainwashing'', (just left wing brain washing, Geoff, or is the other OK ), I say this.

I have been a primary school teacher in Gippsland for 50 years, working with literally thousands of colleagues, and my experience is that a more non political environment than a primary school could not be found.

I would never know the political leanings of teachers within that environment, contentious community issues in class are always treated with extreme caution, and if, for example, the subject to which you refer arises, appropriate deferral to science would occur.

Your myopic view of teachers is ignorant and insulting , and says more about you than them. An apology is due.

Fifty years of teaching has taught me many things, including that there is much to learn from 10 year olds.

One is keeping an open mind, and another treating people with respect.

A famous Australian primary teacher once said to the media, ''yeah mate, I'm a teacher, I teach them something, and they teach me something.''

John Duck, Trafalgar

Waiting, waiting, waiting

Back in February two councillors, former mayor Danny Goss and East Ward Councillor Darren Wallace, declared publicly Baw Baw Shire Council is making dumb decisions. Neither

has been forthcoming with any examples of such decisions.

It may well be they agree with my list, here are three for starters.

The most recent example, the biggest of them all, is councils' pursuit of a $30M civic centre complex, now called Baw Baw Culture & Connection Precinct. Going through a public engagement exercise with a handful of council selected people will not support this expenditure when there are so many areas in council budget crying out for funds.

Council at the last meeting awarded a contract of up to $1,147,520 (ex GST) for design of stage one, moved and seconded by Central Ward Councillors – the $30M outlay is on the way. One of the officer options was to defer the decision, but no, this council is hell bent on spending our money.

Second, tinkering with parking time limits in Warragul shopping centre when a serious grip of the problem is required seems too hot to handle. There is a shortfall of spaces and nothing is on the agenda to sort this problem. Council could have had in place a cash in lieu scheme where new developments that cannot provide car spaces are required to contribute to a fund what council would use to construct parking facilities. Our neighbours to the east (Latrobe), south (South Gippsland) and the west (Cardinia) all have such schemes in place – why not Baw Baw? The forgone revenue is in the millions. Councillors keep running up the flag on how we are peri urban but are not sorting peri urban issues.

Another recent example is the Council six month budget review revealing town planning costs overspent by $1.5M and no action taken to address the over expenditure by redirecting funds. This non action may well find Council overspending by around $3M by end of the financial year. Planning is one of the many low points in council performance in the community satisfaction survey, possibly as a result of underfunding and lack of resources. Clearly more funds are required for the planning department.

The report to council March 23 on a draft plan to manage council assets is a step in the right direction on responsible budgeting. Councils' adoption of an asset plan is a requirement of the Local Government Act and must be adopted by June 30, 2022. Community consultation concludes May 2, this effectively rules out any meaningful community interaction. Another example of going through the motions. The consultation should have commenced at least three months back.

When discussing the item at the council meeting Cr Annemarie McCabe said all that needs to be said on the subject that council must ensure "community facilities will be suitable for use for years to come".

Cr Wallace, one of the two councillors declaring Baw Baw is making dumb decisions added his bit asking the question "Do we build and then spend no money on maintenance or do we spend money on maintenance and give them a mid life facelift". Sometimes it is better to say nothing. How could council consider spending a single dollar on new works without taking into account the ongoing maintenance costs? When you look at the poor standard of our roads it may well be council is on the path of the Cr Wallace option - spend money on new works and walk away.

Don McLean, Warragul

Do your research

When it comes to choosing who to vote for, for some of us it seems we spend less time on that selection than on tipping a winner at the races or getting our footy tips in. We spend far more time researching before investing in shares or something from a local department store or supermarket. For some of us, we believe our one vote won't make a difference. To some extent politicians rely on that, particularly in "safe" seats. We feel disempowered because what is promised by candidates is rarely delivered. However, one vote may be the difference in the quality of the candidate that gets to represent us.

We get hammered by advertising in all forms of media and so tune out. For some of us our focus is more often on the democracy sausage we will buy after we vote, on how to avoid the harassment of people waving how to vote cards in our faces and on how long the queue to the polling booth is.If we actually looked at the candidates closely, checked their backgrounds, checked their affiliations and what they have done and potentially will do for the community, then we may get better representation.

In the polling booth, there is just a list of names. Some will be familiar, most likely one will have represented us before. Do we stick with the old? Do we choose someone new? Which one deserves our vote? Which one has earned the right to represent us? Some of us see it as a lottery, but like any sporting tipping or any investing, if you put the time in to study the form, your chances of picking a winner are much improved.

If and when you read the pamphlets that will clog your mailbox, remember the warnings that go with prospectuses, “Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance" and the ones that go with betting advertising, "Gamble responsibly.". They apply equally well in elections.

Greg Tuck, Warragul

Federal integrity commission

In 2021 Australia ranked 18th on Transparency International's anti-corruption index, a massive drop of five points since 2018.

Under the Morrison government we have had three years of rorts and scandals.

Billions of dollars have gone to contracts for LNP donors and mates without any tender process.

A flurry of former Liberal ministers and staffers have just been appointed to government jobs in the lead-up to the coming election.

In December 2018 Scott Morrison promised legislation for a federal Integrity Commission. That legislation has yet to be tabled in Parliament, and won't be tabled before the government goes into caretaker mode.

When in November 2021 Dr Helen Haines moved to suspend standing orders to debate her private member's bill (first introduced by Cathy McGowan in November 2018) the government defeated the motion.

If ever we needed to re-establish integrity in government it is now. Yet in the recent budget zero funding was allocated for the establishment of the commission. If the Morrison government is re-elected I have no doubt that we will be still waiting in another three years. What are they afraid of?

Sue Walden, Rokeby