Ferntree Gully Belgrave
Supreme Court Justice decides in favour of Yarra Ranges Council
Cockatoo community takes stand on animal welfare
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Tuesday, 22 August, 2023
Mail Lantern and Light Children’s International Film Festival
Young talent from The Basin hits TV screens on The Voice
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A Star News Group Publication
Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808
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This is a page turner School students across the state will be burying their faces in pages and discovering the beauty of reading as we kick off book week this week - and the rest of the community is getting among it with them. This week we take the time to celebrate authors, our favourite fictional characters, and the joys that are held within the pages of our favourite books. Take a look at what books our community has been enjoying on pages 9 and 10. Rinny, Eliza and Madi celebrate Book Week in their favourite character costumes from Alice in Wonderland and the Hungry Caterpillar. 350248 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Kinders stunner By Tanya Faulkner A community is in shock as Knox City Council comes to a decision on locally-run kindergarten services. The council had decided to stop running standalone kindergarten services and will make its buildings available to other sessional kindergarten providers from January 2025. The meeting held earlier this week on 14 August was a tense environment, as debate broke out around two amended proposals presented to the council.
The first was submitted by Cr Sorina Grasso stating that council should seriously consider option 1. Cr Grasso suggested that from the level of community engagement provided, including the feedback from kindergarten staff at a meeting on 7 August, council should remain a sessional kindergarten provider, creating a more sustainable service by consolidating the existing service to no more than 20 sites from 2024, and increase the hours offered to 1.5 hours. She also mentioned that by going with option 2, there would be approximately 110 se-
cure jobs lost, which would not be good for the employees or their families, and the redundancy costs may be a burden on the council. “The quality of service and the needs of our kids should be at the forefront of our thinking,” she told councillors. Cr Grasso also stated that going with option 1 would result in “significant savings”, and that further review would need to be undertaken by 2026 regarding the implication of the state government’s requirements. The amendment also included the receipt
of a petition organised by the Australian Education Union (AEU) containing 2255 names urging council to act to ensure their kindergarten services would continue to be delivered by City of Knox Council. Scott Ward Cr Lisa Cooper rebutted saying the savings suggested in option 1 were only short to medium term, and that the expenses on council were likely to increase over time, particularly as government funding had no certainty behind it. Continued page 5
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