Latest news with #MunicipalAssociationofVictoria
Sydney Morning Herald
06-07-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
This program has been a ‘lifeline' for new parents. It's now been quietly axed
New parents seeking advice about their baby's sleep from local maternal and child health centres face a fresh struggle after the Victorian government quietly pulled millions of dollars from a popular program. The government informed Victoria's councils in late May that it would cease funding group education, one of two components of free, municipal-run sleep and settling programs, which has been a crucial first point of contact for exhausted parents grappling with sleep challenges. Funding was silently axed as part of the state budget for the 2025-26 financial year, with councils being notified just six weeks before the change that took effect on July 1, forcing many to suddenly cancel sleep group classes at their maternal and child health services. Councils are warning that overall sleep support services will be significantly impacted; without group sessions, which provide early preventive help, demand for more intensive one-on-one services and stay-in programs will increase, leading to blowouts on waitlists. Loading The Municipal Association of Victoria estimates the state spent almost $5 million on the group classes program last financial year, allocating funds to councils according to their population. The state government has declined to confirm the precise figure. Mother of two Anna Gilmore, from Altona in Melbourne's south-west, first attended a sleep session with her husband when their son was three months old. She found it so helpful that they attended several more over two years, facilitated by Hobsons Bay Council. 'It helped us with the sleep, but it also helped my partner and I to align on what we were doing,' she said. Gilmore believes receiving fundamental evidence-based advice helped divert her from bigger challenges down the track that could have put her in costly sleep schools.
The Age
06-07-2025
- Health
- The Age
This program has been a ‘lifeline' for new parents. It's now been quietly axed
New parents seeking advice about their baby's sleep from local maternal and child health centres face a fresh struggle after the Victorian government quietly pulled millions of dollars from a popular program. The government informed Victoria's councils in late May that it would cease funding group education, one of two components of free, municipal-run sleep and settling programs, which has been a crucial first point of contact for exhausted parents grappling with sleep challenges. Funding was silently axed as part of the state budget for the 2025-26 financial year, with councils being notified just six weeks before the change that took effect on July 1, forcing many to suddenly cancel sleep group classes at their maternal and child health services. Councils are warning that overall sleep support services will be significantly impacted; without group sessions, which provide early preventive help, demand for more intensive one-on-one services and stay-in programs will increase, leading to blowouts on waitlists. Loading The Municipal Association of Victoria estimates the state spent almost $5 million on the group classes program last financial year, allocating funds to councils according to their population. The state government has declined to confirm the precise figure. Mother of two Anna Gilmore, from Altona in Melbourne's south-west, first attended a sleep session with her husband when their son was three months old. She found it so helpful that they attended several more over two years, facilitated by Hobsons Bay Council. 'It helped us with the sleep, but it also helped my partner and I to align on what we were doing,' she said. Gilmore believes receiving fundamental evidence-based advice helped divert her from bigger challenges down the track that could have put her in costly sleep schools.
The Age
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Rubbish city: These Melbourne suburbs are done with being dumping grounds
Driving along Melton's highways, rural roads and streets of new housing estates, it's impossible not to notice them: the piles of old mattresses, tyres and random household or construction waste strewn across the outer-western municipality. And the problem is costing the local council a mint. More than $3 million has been spent so far this financial year cleaning up more than 6000 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish – enough to fill about 200 large garbage trucks. The council has now spearheaded a push to call for state-led reform to crack down on a rising scourge of illegal dumping that disproportionately affects outer-metropolitan areas. At a Municipal Association of Victoria meeting, the state's 79 councils unanimously voted for a resolution put forward by Melton council urging the Victorian government to develop a prevention and education plan to combat illegal dumping. The motion, which was classified as a significant priority, also asks the government to divert money collected from the waste levy to help heavily impacted councils and increase resources for more enforcement by the Environment Protection Authority. Currently, policing is shared between councils and the environment authority. MAV president Jennifer Anderson said illegal dumping had become a major issue that required a uniform statewide approach. 'The fact that the resolution was passed unanimously highlights that the local government sector appreciates the impact this has on councils where it is taking place,' she said. Melton Mayor Steve Abboushi said local governments could not afford to keep working in silos – a lot of rubbish tossed in outer areas comes from outside these municipalities, with some cowboy operators choosing to dump illegally rather than pay tip fees.
