West Gippsland Week

We talk to Graham Abbott (guest conductor) about the Symphony's upcoming performances of Handel's Messiah (December 11 - 13 2021)

The First People's Assembly has been established to advise on the process of creating a Treaty between First People and the Victorian Government, in an Australian first. Here we discuss changes to bring in more groups to the Assembly, the special impacts on women, and some of the other work the Assembly is charged with to make the Treaty negotiation fair and inclusive.

Have you struggled to open some of the packaging of products you purchase? Can you imagine what limitations modern packaging can put on people who have movement difficulties? In this program we introduce just some of the frustrations it causes for a sample of people (a person with cerebral palsy; a person with Parkinson's; and an older person). In the second half we explore a new campaign trying to bring the issue to the attention of the Packaging Industry and how you might be able to help.

Aunty Geraldine Atkinson is co-chair of the Victorian First Nations Assembly, as part of the process to develop a Treaty between First Nations and the Victorian Government. Here we discuss the Assembly, and the Treaty process.

Gary Blackwood is Liberal party member for the Victorian State seat of Narracan. Here we discuss COVID vaccines, the vaccine mandates and proposed new Pandemic management legislation. We also touch on local planning issues and infrastructure needs of a "peri-urban" area, and his pending retirement (and comments on other older politicians continuing on!)

The so called Spanish Flu was a devastating and often under remembered event post world war 1. It killed over 15,000 people in Australia. Prof Erik Eklund of Federation University (Gippsland) has written a paper on the impacts of, and responses to, the pandemic in Gippsland. This is an example of how many communities in Australia experienced the pandemic. We also discuss how it compares to our recent experiences.

Prof Stuart Berzins is an immunologist from Federation University (Ballarat) and here explores what we have learned about the virus, how it affects us and how vaccines work.

A community group have been working for some years to save a piece of State Forest from planned logging. Marg Thomas, group leader, explains why.

A windfarm is being developed in Bass Strait, south of Victoria, and it is the first in Australia. Recent legislation has paved the way, but here we explore the proposal in detail and the planning done so far, how it will be safe for wildlife, navigation, how maintenance will cope with the harsh environment and more.

The finalists of the 2021 Archibald Prize in it's only Victorian exhibition is at the Gippsland Art Galley, and here we tour the show with Simon Grieg, Galley Manager.