Tuesday, 22 April, 2025
Road sealing back on the agenda for Coalition
Anzac day special preview
New community noticeboard unveiled
Real Estate liftout Inside
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A Star News Group Publication
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Ride of a lifetime By Oliver Winn For roughly 20 years, Nikki Liebman has lived a relatively ordinary life managing an autoimmune condition that affects her liver. But in 2022, she got Covid-19 and everything changed. Her world was turned upside down as she battled through life with a failing liver, constant fatigue and the uncertainty of not knowing whether she would be there for her two teenage daughters as they navigated their teenage years. A liver transplant saved her life, and now she will honour the mystery organ donor by riding the iconic 80km-return Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail for her one year transplant anniversary in May. To read more, turn to page 5 Ms Liebman will ride along the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail to honour her donor and to raise awareness around organ donation. (Stewart Chambers: 472091)
Housing in focus Housing affordability and accessibility may be the tipping point for voters this election, with many Yarra Ranges residents naming the issue as a top priority in Star Mail’s federal election survey. Some of those respondents spoke to Star Mail, noting that “there’s not one magic bullet” to fix the housing crisis, the cost of buying or renting,
nor the trust of younger voters but key policies surrounding housing may sway votes in either direction. Housing was also recognised as a key policy point by both major political parties, each announcing how they would tackle the issue last week. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the Labor Party’s official launch on Sunday 13 April
that it would build 100,000 homes for first-time buyers, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced an elected Liberal government would offer first home-buyers tax deductible mortgage interest payments on the first $650,000. Yarra Ranges voters said however, “the Great Australian Dream has been taken away” from young people, even those with partners and professional jobs because of the cost of owning
a home. Concerns for those forced into homelessness were also raised, with voters wanting to see a holistic approach to supporting people and improving rental availability through better investment property regulations to ensure there was a range of stock to cater to all needs and situations. To read more, turn to page 4
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By Mikayla van Loon
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