West Gippsland Week

With a Victorian State Election coming up fast here is one of what we expect to be a series of "meet the Candidate" podcasts - Wayne is the Liberal Candidate. He speaks in a refreshingly blunt way.

Our science correspondent chats about how we might get solar power from space and why it won't be soon, and what we have learned in the International Space Station about growing plants in zero gravity. 

Deb Tsorbaris is CEO of the Centre, which recently toured regional areas hearing from providers of the needs in rural areas.

One of many gold rush towns that close as soon as the gold is gone, Walhalla is a town in the southern hills of the Australian Great Divide. now claiming a resident population of about 20. It has transformed itself in recent times into a heritage town, and boasts several genuine historic offerings, not least is the Walhalla Goldfield Railway lovingly restored by volunteers over many years. Take a...

Kids make up a disturbing number of injuries on farms. Here we look at the Victorian statistics and talk to Kidsafe Victoria about what needs to be done to reduce the damage.

How we parent has changed over the years, from back when multiple generations lived together in small villages, to our nuclear family often separated from family and community in single suburban homes. So the support that parents need has also changed and along with government services community groups have developed to provide that support. This is one such.

A couple of people feel compelled to do something to help, and find their community responds with surprising support.

It may be thought that asbestos is a danger that has been dealt with long ago, but it was used so widely that it can still be found in homes and factories. Here we discuss where it can be found in some surprising places, and the threat it can pose when renovations are undertaken in the home or factory.

Corey Lewis has set up a small recycling operation, literally in his back yard. We visit his operation and find out what you need to know about recycling in Australia, and how you might make it a cottage business.

Local theatre group "Off the Leash Theatre" is presenting the Louis Nowra play, here discussed by joint directors Tracey Rabl and Kellie Bray.

Recent Victorian (Australia) legislation has provided for a legal path to Mitochondria donation to prevent children getting various life-limiting diseases. Here we explore what it is, and how the donation process works.

Yarragon is a small highway town in West Gippsland, whose history of settlement by Europeans is similar to many in rural Victoria. Tini Cook is has "married into" a founding family of the town, and explored it's history, and the dynamics of a small town.

Energy Markets are impacting all around the country, but what is actually the situation, especially in Victoria? Things are different in different states, but here Alan Rattray, who has been involved in the energy market since it was privatized in the 1990's explains what the current situation is (as at June 10!) and the background. He is also the principle in "Energy Umpire" which he introduces.

"Saving" eggs has been in the news because of alleged pressure being placed on young married people by grandparents to "provide" them with a grandchild. Leaving aside any ethical questions, what is this process, and where is it used in addition to human IVF? We explore the process and techniques with Monash biologist Dr Jarrod McKenna.

COVID has just about tired us all out, but it is perhaps even more widespread than ever, and still deadly, and causing huge disruption and maybe long term damage to individuals. So we go back to a prime source of expertise to get an update on current understandings, were treatment is at, what we can do, and get a feel for what even this expert might prefer to talk about!

The pandemic is ongoing, even though it seems most don't want to talk about it, and Australia is now one of the highest in deaths per week, though the rate per infection remains steady. The increased infectiousness of new variant means that numbers are staying high. To bring us up to date Prof Stuart Berzins from Federation University (Victoria Australia) walks us through what we now know (and don...

Interact is an employment service assisting people with a disability become job ready, and importantly assisting employers to tailor jobs to fit their clients. In this episode we discuss how it works, and discover a a small positive from the pandemic.

Homelessness is commonly associated with cities, but it is increasing in rural areas not least because of changes in demand for rural living from people moving out from city lives. QUANTUM is a social support agency in Gippsland, and here we talk with their CEO about the pressures that are building (no pun intended).

We discuss recent developments with Prof Sara Charlesworth from RMIT University, and compare with what British Columbia in Canada has already done.

The Flying Fruitfly Circus is now almost a venerable institution in Australian circus theatre, but was a something of a radical idea on a number of levels when it was formed. In discussion their latest show "Girls with Altitude" the Artistic Director provides a delightful insight into how they work, and the history of the group.

Off the Leash is a community theatre group in Wesy Gippsland, that has been bringing a wide range of often challenging theatre to this semi-rural area. They reently tuned 10, and have developed a celebratory event, sadly delayed by nearly 2 years due to COVID. Here we talk about the event, but also chat about the role of community theatre.

A unique body set up 50 years ago (under a variety of names) to try to take the heat out of environmental conflict over land use. In previous episodes we have discussed a process underway for an area of forest near the town of Mirboo North in the Strzelecki Ranges in southern Victoria. Here Mellisa Wood, chair of VEAC discusses their role, and how the process will proceed from here.

Prof Sara Charlesworth (RMIT) has been studying the Aged Care Syatem, and especially it's workforce, for some time here and overseas. In this conversation we explore the continuing crisis in the sector, and the lack of progress following the Royal Commission in Aged Care last year.

Melbourne University has been scoping out the potential of Geothermal Energy in the Latrobe Valley for some years. Here Prof Rachel Webster describes why it is so prospective in the Latrobe Valley and how it might be used immediately and in the long term.

The process of determining the uses for an area of State Forest declared last year as "an Immediate Protection Area" has started. Here forest campaigner Marg Thomas describes the process.