Latest News

• Add My News • Search Old News

Russel Northe MLA:
Northe Renews Calls for Lifeline Gippsland Funding Amid Budget Shun

Calls for increased funding for Lifeline Gippsland renewed.

By Portal Admin - 30th November 2020 - Back to News

Member for Morwell Russell Northe this week in Parliament renewed calls for increased funding for Lifeline Gippsland.

"In terms of suicide prevention, the Government announced an ambitious target to half the Victorian suicide rate by 2025, but the reality on the ground is suicide rates have only increased since this announcement in 2015" Mr Northe said.

"This week, I used Question Time in Parliament to ask the then Minister for Mental Health why the State Government wouldn’t marginally increase funding to the very people that are working on the ground to try and meet this target" said Mr Northe.

Lifeline Gippsland is one of the oldest Lifeline branches in the country. It has a huge amount of dedicated and amazing volunteers delivering support and raising vital funds to deliver these services.

Currently, Lifeline is provided around 12% of their annual funding by Government and for a paltry extra $135,000 per year they could implement the following critical measures;

• Provide additional training to increase the number of Crisis Supporters responding to 13 14 11 calls
• Implement face-to-face peer support groups for our most vulnerable cohorts including men and youth
• Introduced paid shifts for unfulfilled rosters that are difficult to staff due to the timeframes - such as midnight to 4am

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: support@gippsland.com

If you are the author of this story you can edit it by clicking here

• Northe Calls for Budget for Big Builds
  Russel calls for meaningful support for economic recovery to the Latrobe Valley. It is important the local economy could be stimulated and encouraged with valuable developments in the region.
• Northe Calls for Clarity on Government Emission Reduction Targets
  Transparency and clarity wanted around the energy policy and the content of Emission Reduction Target plans.
• Northe Calls for Greater COVID Compassion
  Interstate travel exemption process applicable to persons seeking to say goodbye to a loved one or attend a funeral urged.
• Northe – Gippsland business grants
  Grants are available to help Gippsland businesses in the region that have been doing it extremely tough, with a number unable to open their doors or only offer limited service. Russell Northe said he cautiously welcomes this announcement.
• Northe Continues Call for Sole-Trader Support
  Wanted: support for local businesses currently excluded from the Victorian Business Support Fund.
• Northe Licence Testing Backlog Continues
  Driver licence testing still pending.
• Northe Highlights COVID Concerns
  Concerns raised relating to the State Government’s COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2020.
• Startup Gippsland Funding to Launch Entrepreneurial Tech Program
  $250,000 grant to allow Startup Gippsland to provide pre-accelerator programs targeting non-tech founders with tech-focused startups.
• Gippsland Sports Stadium Now Game-Ready
  Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS) now ready for games.
• Gippsland to Share in Tafe Upgrade Blitz
  TAFE Gippsland to receive more than $4.3 million for modernisation and upgrades of learning spaces and and facilities at Warragul and Morwell schools.
• West Gippsland and Latrobe Valley Business Chambers Receive Vital Funding
  Funding from Grants for Business Chambers and Trader Groups awarded.
• West Gippsland and Latrobe Valley Children Embrace Reading at Home
  Congratulations to schools that participated in the Premiers’ Reading Challenge.
• Helping Gippsland’s Competition Survive and Thrive
  Boost given to Gippsland community sport to help local leagues and associations ride out the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• Grants to Keep West Gippsland and Latrobe Valley Creatives Working
  West Gippsland and Latrobe Valley artists and creative businesses to receive a lifeline from the Victorian Government.
• Growing Gippsland’s Future Health Workforce
  $200,000 for a feasibility study for a Community Health Hub and Clinic at the Gippsland campus in Churchill.
• $436,839 Awarded to West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley to Boost Safety and Employment
  31 projects sharing in more than $5.6 million in funding under the 2020-21 Community Safety Infrastructure Grants
• Putting Gippsland People First
  No Victorian left behind with the Victorian Budget 2020/21.
• Grants Open to Help West Gippsland and Latrobe Valley Schools Build Inclusion
  All inclusive playground and outdoor learning spaces soon.
• Funding for More Latrobe Valley Community Projects
  Upgrades to community meeting spaces in Glengarry and Morwell with nearly $200,000 fund.
• Ride Nation Launches in Gippsland with First Bike Library
  Gippsland's first bike library.
• Latrobe Valley and West Gippsland Clubs Score Sport Grants
  Sport Grants awarded to Latrobe Valley and West Gippsland clubs.
• Celebrating Children’s Week in West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley with Community Grants
  $100,000 fund to local communities across Victoria to host fun and free educational activities and events during this year’s Children’s Week celebrations.
• VicHealth Funding Announced for Local Groups
  Five organisations to share in more than $30,000 of VicHealth funding.
• Helping Sport and Active Recreation Organisations in West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley Survive and Thrive
  Six grants under Community Sport Sector COVID-19 Short-term Survival Package announced.
• Bass Coast Welcomes Funding for Public and Community Housing
  $25 million for Bass Coast
• Building Better, Safer Schools in West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley
  Vital maintenance and safety works delivery to over 400 schools.
• Transition Support Funding for Students with Disability
  Extra support to transition from their final year of education into post-schooling pathways
• New VicHealth Funding Available
  $2.5 million in new funding to support local organisations to address the immediate health and wellbeing concerns of Victorians hardest hit by the impact coronavirus pandemic.
• Warragul’s Western Park Scores Funding for Redevelopment of Netball Facilities
  Transformation fund of $1,440,000 from Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program.
• More Mental Health Support for Students in West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley
  Access to the school-based mental health support for secondary students soon.
• Supporting Small-Scale School Building Projects in West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley
  Important upgrades to Victorian schools.
• More Services along the Gippsland Line
  Improved train frequency and reliability with a redesigned timetable effective early next year.
• School Buildings Project Funding Announced
  Local schools to receive funding for building upgrades and capital investments.
• Latrobe Valley Reserves Score Funding for Lighting Boost
  Transformation and improved amenity with $1,046,109 from Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program.
• Bringing More Clean Energy to Gippsland
  The Victorian Government is helping more Gippsland businesses use renewable energy technologies to reduce electricity costs, create local jobs and support clean power
• Home Library offers Lockdown Lifeline
  Home Library Service extended to everyone who wanted to borrow items, with no restrictions on age.
• Targeting Weeds and Pests across West Gippsland
  Funding for weeds and pests eradication under Roadside Weeds and Pests Fund.
• Community Motorsport Program Funding Open
  First motorsport and motorcycling funding program to back community clubs, participants and encourage greater female participation.
• Latrobe Valley Back to Work Scheme - Northe
  Considerations to reinstate Latrobe Valley Back to Work Scheme.
• Regional Roadmap Going in Wrong Direction
  Calls to review the thresholds that apply to the "Last Step" within the reopening roadmap to Regional Victoria.
• Annual Budget Adopted
  Highlights of the Budget include funding for the planning and/or design of a number of significant, intergenerational projects.