Upper Yarra
Tuesday, 25 April, 2023
Killara Road upgrades in question
Wesburn Park works underway
Youth Homelessness Matters
Climate change expert talk upcoming
PAGE 3
PAGE 7
PAGE 8
PAGE 9
A Star News Group Publication
Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808
12496493-NG22-21
We’re all mad here... By Tanya Steele Healesville Library transformed into a wonderland on Thursday 20 April for a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, with smiles and fun all around. The event had live entertainment with a magician and storytelling, followed by a musical conga line to a delicious feast for attendees. A tipsy topsy version of musical statues and other games were enjoyed by all. After the tea party, The Mad Hatter who is also the library’s children’s service officer took charge of a “crafternoon“ and led kids and parents through making some mini peg Mad Hatter figures. Turn to page 12 for more pictures
Care for some afternoon tea?
Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Bulk-billing scarce By Callum Ludwig
“Each practice would have had to evaluate whether they could continue, with the costs of rent, wages, medical supplies and equipment all having gone up in the last 12 to 24 months. A lot of clinics haven’t been able to sustain it.” In Victoria, the average appointment leaves residents $40.10 out of pocket. The Casey electorate is down on this average, at $35.28 for a standard consultation. Ms Dajlan said residents need to be able to receive medical care in their local area. “Patients need to be able to access these services nearby and if they can’t access service
locally, they may have to travel. For some, they may not be able to if they are limited due to work or commitments or don’t have means of transport,” she said. “Yarra Junction Medical Centre will keep bulk billing for as long as we possibly can.” The bulk-billing statistics for some of Casey’s neighbouring electorates are varied with over half (51.4 per cent) of Latrobe clinics, a reasonable 36 per cent in Aston and a worrying 14.3 per cent of clinics in Deakin offering bulk-billing. Continued page 3
Organic Certified Pork from - our commitment to sustainability 0429 219 263 • Shop 8/1585 Warburton Hwy, Woori Yallock
12599865-AA17-23
12598785-AP15-23
In a time where we are all tightening the purse strings, the reduction in medical centres offering bulk-billing is making it harder for residents to avoid a hit to the hip pocket. Healthcare comparison directory Cleanbill released its Health of the Nation report on 16 April, collecting pricing and availability information from all 6363 GP clinics across the country. The Casey electorate had one of the lowest percentages of bulk billing clinics in Victoria, and not far from the lowest in the
country, with only four of 34 available clinics offering bulk-billing, only 11.8 per cent. Yarra Junction Medical Centre is one of those four and Practice Manager Alison Dajlan said there needs to be bulk-billing in the local area as otherwise some people simply can’t afford to go to the doctor. “There’s a lot of support that is needed by general practitioners, in general, to be able to afford to run a practice while still bulk-billing., the bulk-billing rates need to be increased to make it more viable for practices to provide the service,” she said.