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Indigenous VET program launched A ground-breaking VET program launched at Alex Wilkie Nature Reserve by Hampton Park Secondary College is offering Indigenous secondary students a culturally rich entry into conservation and land management. The six-month pilot blends Western science with traditional knowledge, supported by Elders, environmental experts, and local schools. With a focus on identity, connection to Country, and career pathways, the program is already being hailed as a meaningful step toward inclusive, hands-on learning. Story Page 2
Students and guests of the official launch were eager to take part in the smoking ceremony, as the crowd gathered and the smoke wafted into the sky. (Stewart Chambers: 490612)
New crime frontier By Ethan Benedicto It’s one of the most talked-about Facebook groups in Victoria, with more than 90,000 members and growing. Now, the Casey Crime Page is drawing attention from a different kind of community: academia.
Monash University researchers have turned their focus to the online crime discussion hub, launching a new study that calls on residents to share how they use the page to engage with crime in their area. The project, led by sociologist Claire Moran and criminologist Kathryn Benier, aims to explore how neighbourhood-based social media groups
like Casey Crime Page shape conversations, perceptions, and even actions around local safety. Both researchers say it’s an “unexplored frontier” with powerful implications, not just for digital engagement, but for how communities come together around the issue of crime. Their call-out for participants went live in
mid-July, but the planning has been in the works for nearly a year. With their eyes now set on first-hand stories and real-time interactions, Moran and Benier are looking to the very people who scroll, post, and comment daily. Full story on Page 3
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