Albany Update

From Rebecca's Desk 

Happy Festive Season!

Welcome to the December issue of Albany Update, a special festive edition to mark the start of the holiday season.

 

It was tremendous to see such a large turnout of families at the recent Albany Christmas pageant. My thanks go to the City of Albany for organising the event, and also to the many people and community groups who worked for weeks in advance on their beautiful floats and exhibits. Equally as impressive were the twilight markets and the food offerings, all of which made for a fun, festive atmosphere. 

 

Congratulations go to Albany Pride for winning the Best Float prize, as well as to Southern Edge Arts for winning the Walking Float prize.

 

My free Christmas Lights bus tours have proven to be enormously popular, with most dates selling out. Limited tickets are still available here: Rebecca Stephens MLA - Christmas Lights Bus Tour! Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite 

Jump in quick to secure your seats!

 

My festive season office opening hours are as follows:

  • 21 December 2021: Final day open in 2021
  • 22 December - 3 January 2022: Office closed
  • 4 January: Office re-opens

I wish you and your loved ones a safe and relaxing Christmas. Please take your time while on holidays and be careful on the roads and in the water. I look forward to hearing from you in the New Year.

Art Lease Launch 

I recently spoke in Parliament about the Art Lease project that I am proud to partner with here in Albany. 

 

Underpinning this government’s support for the thriving Western Australian arts sector are so many important local micro-initiatives that help keep the arts community alive, such as Art Lease.

 

In Albany, the Art Lease project has been operating since 2018. It’s a collaborative project that facilitates art loans to venues in the community. Artworks by local artists are leased by a venue for a small fee which goes to the artist, with artworks being changed over and refreshed every 3-4 months, if they are not sold by the venue.

 

Ownership remains with the artist while the works are leased, however, they can be sold, with the purchaser paying the artist directly for the work, and a 20 per cent sales commission going to a selected charity.

 

The coordinator of Art Lease in Albany, Nat Rad, sources the artworks, assists with promotion and acts as a liaison point for sales. Nat has over 90 local artists on her books at any given time.

 

In my office, we currently have six beautiful artworks on display by a range of local, Albany-based artists: Ulla Zettergren; Beth Kirkland; John Manson; Zoe Butler; Meagan Gardiner; and Jenny Boshall.

 

Recently, we launched the Art Lease project in my office and committed the funds raised to the Albany Roller Derby for the incredible work they do fostering the development of roller sports in the region, with a focus on children and youth. 

 

The Great Southern Specialist Centre is also involved in Art Lease and their selected charity is the Albany Community Hospice.

 

The Art Lease project is one small way that we are supporting local artists and giving back to the community by way of donating the sales commission.

Volunteers' Day

Last week, I attended the Thank a Volunteer Day event held at the Rainbow Coast Community Garden in Lockyer. 

 

As we all know, volunteers make the world turn, and I was delighted to be present at this event acknowledging the incredible work that volunteers do in our community.

There are really significant, positive benefits that accrue to both volunteers and the recipients of volunteering from the act of giving and receiving help.

 

For volunteers, the giving of your time:

  • connects you to others; 
  • is good for your mind and body; 
  • improves your social skills; and
  • can be fun and fulfilling. 

Volunteering can make you happy; it combats depression; and it helps to counteract stress. It gives you the chance to make a difference in your community, to act on your values and interests, to enjoy new cultural experiences and to be happier and healthier.

 

Most importantly, volunteering gives you a sense of belonging and, in a challenging world, we all need to know that we belong.

 

It is also said that being a volunteer is an adventure and that bringing together people from different walks of life delivers unexpected experiences.

 

Further, it is reported that people who give of their time or their money as a volunteer are happier and healthier. Apparently, helping others releases feel good neurotransmitters, giving us a buzz known as the ‘helpers high.’

 

More importantly, being a volunteer lifts the mood of those around you, including the people you are helping. It’s known as ‘emotional contagion.’ If a person is feeling positive, it spreads to others who become more likely to give, as well!

 

Thank you to Tracy Sleeman who does so much to coordinate the efforts of volunteers across Albany and makes so much volunteering possible, in turn creating more emotional contagion! This community is so much richer for the work that you do.

Albany Aquaculture Zone

Recently, the McGowan Government announced Stage 2 of the Albany Aquaculture Zone to provide 'investment-ready' opportunities to grow the aquaculture industry. An additional $1.8 million was committed to upgrade the Albany Shellfish Hatchery to expand Akoya and rock oyster seed supply, boosting investment opportunities to grow the State's aquaculture industry.

 

The Albany Aquaculture Zone comprises a 500-hectare area in Oyster Harbour and around 310 hectares in Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound combined.

 

The upgrade will increase the capacity of the hatchery to support the growing aquaculture industry, expanding Akoya-seeded line production by 100 per cent, and rock oyster spat by 300 per cent.

 

The Oyster Harbour area was declared in August 2020 as Stage One of the Albany Aquaculture Zone development.

 

Aquaculture development zones provide 'investment-ready' platforms for large-scale aquaculture operators, with environmental approvals and management frameworks already in place.

 

At full capacity, the Albany Aquaculture Zone is expected to produce around 1,500 tonnes of shellfish at an estimated value of $30 million per year.

 

The areas to form Stage Two were identified following extensive consultation with the community and with prospective user groups.

 

Access is still permitted within aquaculture areas, provided there is no interference with aquaculture gear or farm operations.

 

Albany is recognised as one of the best shellfish aquaculture locations in Australia and the development of this industry will be a boost to our economy. It will provide local jobs, drive business for local suppliers and contractors, and help keep our waterways clean and healthy.

Lotterywest Grants Delivered

Albany Pride were the grateful recipients of a $12,246 Lotterywest grant for funding towards the 2022 Albany Pride Festival, which will promote inclusivity, celebrate diversity, and connect people in Albany.

 

I was also delighted to present the City of Albany with a Lotterywest grant of $45,000 to assist in funding Summer events including Christmas 2021, New Years Eve 2021 and Australia Day 2022. 

16 Days Campaign

My office participated in the 16 Days campaign this and last month, marking 16 days of awareness-raising across WA about violence against women, encouraging communities to take an active role in making change. I was so pleased to see so many Albany-based businesses and community organisations go orange in support of this campaign. Learn more here: 16 Days in WA

Youth Week Grants

Applications are now open for the Youth Week WA Grants Programme.

 

Community organisations and local governments across WA are invited to apply for funding to stage events during Youth Week 2022.

 

Youth Week 2022 runs from 8-16 April and is the biggest celebration of young people on the Western Australian youth calendar.

 

For more info, visit https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/department-of-communities-grants-programs

Happy Birthday, Men's Shed!

This week, I took a birthday cake into the Men’s Shed to celebrate their fifth birthday and chatted to members about plans for 2022. Many happy returns to an amazing community organisation!

Schools' Clean Energy Technology Fund

The McGowan Labor Government has recently launched the Department of Education’s Sustainability Framework and opened applications for the $40 million Schools' Clean Energy Technology Fund.

 

The fund will allow schools to access funding to install solar panels, become Virtual Power Plants and implement other clean energy technologies.

 

Details of the fund and how to apply are now available to schools.

 

The Department of Education’s new Sustainability Framework provides schools with a practical guide to accessing sustainability initiatives, understanding where schools sit on the sustainability continuum.

 

We all have a role to play in reducing emissions and ensuring we take care of our planet, the Sustainability Framework and the Fund will provide schools with the tools and funding they need to achieve this.

Seeds for Schools

Albany schools are all the richer for a recent visit from Lita O'Keefe from The Seed Library Inc 

 

Lita visited my office and presented seed boxes to Albany Primary School WA students and other Albany schools as part of the Seeds in Schools initiative.

The programme is focussed on engaging Western Australian students to learn more about vegetables, nutrition and sustainability and experience the wonder of growing vegetables from seed.

 

Lita taught us all so much about growing seeds and the students loved receiving their four seasonal seed boxes. 

 

Check out how your school can be part of this brilliant programme at Seeds in Schools and The Seed Library Inc | Facebook

Great Southern Skills Summit

This week, I was pleased to open the inaugural Great Southern Skills Summit, the final in series of 10 Regional Skills Summits held.

 

More than 40 business leaders, peak bodies, unions and training representatives attended the event, the aim of which was to support the unique workforce needs of regional WA.

 

Attendees, including local business and government leaders generated innovative ideas and practical actions to grow the skilled workforce in the Great Southern region, with business leaders from a range of sectors attending, including the Great Southern region's biggest employing industries of agriculture, forestry and fishing, health care and social assistance, retail, education and training, and construction.

 

Insights from the summit will form the basis of a local action plan to meet the region's unique workforce needs.

 

Recognising the importance of training to build a skilled workforce and retain people in regional areas, the McGowan Government has been working to ensure its investment in training initiatives reaches all corners of the State.

 

Great Southern locals are snapping up affordable training opportunities offered through the State Government's 'Lower fees, local skills' (LFLS) initiative, with a 17 per cent increase in LFLS enrolments in the region this year.

 

The McGowan Government recently expanded the LFLS programme by a further 30 courses from 2022 to include a total of 210 courses with heavily reduced course fees in priority industry areas including hospitality, health care, construction, retail and others.

 

Workers in industries which have a critical need to upskill workers, including childcare, aged and disability care, and civil construction, will be able to access low -fee existing worker traineeship places to help meet the skills needs of these sectors.

 

The new initiatives are jointly funded through a $103.5 million agreement between the State and Commonwealth Governments under the expanded JobTrainer Fund agreement.

 

The State Government is also:

  • providing support for job seekers experiencing disadvantage to obtain a driver's licence; 
  • progressing targeted advertising campaigns to attract interstate workers and increase participation of under-represented groups in WA; and 
  • has smoothed the pipeline of construction work.

Fostering strong links between regional TAFE colleges, government, industry and the education sector, the VET Regional Partnerships Program also continues to grow. With a focus on creating more apprenticeships and traineeships in regional WA, the programme supports the Government's plan to increase the number of jobs in regional WA by 30,000.

 

I thank all who attended the Albany summit and contributed to the identification of solutions to help industry manage this complex combination of issues. It is, we hope, the start of a practical new beginning for skills in the Great Southern to generate economic growth, to grow our young people, and to lift up communities. 

School Graduations

I really enjoy attending school graduations as the year comes to a close, and this year I attended as many as I could fit into my schedule, including the Albany Secondary Education Support Centre, where I presented the Resilience Award.

Tidy Town Finalists

Congratulations to those towns recognised as finalists in the Tidy Town Awards, including Keep Albany Beautiful (Litter Prevention and waste management category), Olivia Finn (Young Legends category) and the restoration and repurposing of the historic Albany Town Hall (Heritage and culture category). Well done!

Bike Vouchers

In 2021, I donated nine Impulse Cycles bike vouchers to schools to the value of $450.00, with Impulse donating an additional $50.00 to each voucher, bringing the total of each bike voucher to $500.00. To date, six schools have used their vouchers for fundraising and have drawn their vouchers, with a over $5000.00 in funds raised.

Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics

To book your family's Covid-19 vaccinations, if you have not already done so, please visit: Albany COVID-19 vaccination community clinic (rollup.wa.gov.au)

 

Rebecca Stephens MLA | Member for Albany