Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Lyndoch Living has taken to Facebook today to urgently flog off the fencing around the site of its proposed $22 million medical clinic, strongly suggesting work will start within a week.

The big hint? It needs the whole lot packed up and gone by Monday.

And why wouldn’t they be putting the pedal to the metal?

There is nothing like getting a cement slab down to try and shut down growing community concern around the viability of this project.

More than 600 people have now signed a petition started by the “Keep Lyndoch living” action group asking for the State Government to intervene and pause the project until these concerns are addressed.

This petition asks for nothing more than an independent review, just to make sure that this massive investment by Lyndoch – the largest in its history – is sustainable.

But 600 people is obviously not enough to stop the Lyndoch Living juggernaut.

No, it presses on regardless, rolling right over the top of the community concerns and flattening them like it did the Tomlinson dementia wing with its established gardens, vegetable beds and green lawns.

The residents, you will recall, were shuffled off to the spanking new Swinton Wing, where they could peer through the windows at the destruction of their former home.

Grass and gardens are so yesterday, with that “old” Lyndoch slowly being replaced by cement, rooftop gardens, and a medical clinic that could possibly send Lyndoch broke.

And despite being owned by the community, Lyndoch feels under no obligation to explain anything to the community about its decisions.

Simple questions like where is the money for this medical clinic coming from?

What is the benefit to the elderly residents?

Is there a business plan?

What are the expected returns?

Such concerns are dismissed as a beat-up by “troublemakers” or “disgruntled ex-workers” who must be pushed aside quickly if Lyndoch is to move on with its masterplan.

It doesn’t matter a jot that one of those raising the alarm about this clinic is former Acting Chief Financial Officer Allan Conway who has the rare distinction of actually standing up and speaking out publicly for Lyndoch.

That shows a spine, yet Mr Conway’s concerns have so far fallen on deaf ears.

And because those with the power to intervene are choosing not to act, Lyndoch is acting – fast.

But as the petition shows, hundreds of people are prepared to publicly support Mr Conway and, most importantly, the elderly of Lyndoch, and that gives me heart and hope that this fight is far from over, fence or no fence.

You can find the petition here.

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

A short post tonight.

As we know, the Lyndoch Living board has still not answered a series of questions over its plan to pour $22 million of aged care funds into a medical clinic.

This clinic is one of either two things:

an expensive trophy project that could leave Lyndoch in serious financial stress OR;

a certified winner that will directly improve the lives of the elderly and vulnerable residents of Lyndoch.

We still don’t know which.

The “Keep Lyndoch living” * group has tried to get answers from Lyndoch on behalf of the community, but has heard nothing.

It has now started a Change.org petition asking the State Government to intervene and pause the project until an independent review can address all outstanding concerns and questions.

The group will also shortly launch a Go Fund me campaign to seek a legal opinion on the rights of the community in regard to Lyndoch – a sentence which would have been unimaginable just 10 years ago.

As individuals, we have two choices: we can either join the fight for greater scrutiny of this massive project, or shrug our shoulders and leave Lyndoch to it.

No need to guess what this #justablogger plans to do. Over to you.

You can find the Change.org petition here.

*”Keep Lyndoch living” is a grassroots action group formed to become a voice for the community. Its founding members include medical Prof James Dunbar, Helen Bayne (M.Ed. B.Comm) and a former senior investigator for the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Jim Burke.

This is a slightly edited version (for brevity) of South West Victoria MP Roma Britnell’s speech to State Parliament on 18 March 2021, following the March4Justice rally:

Ms BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (14:44): I rise to speak on the Cemeteries and Crematoria Amendment Bill 2021. The purpose of this bill is to protect affected persons against further significant harm, pain or suffering that may be caused as a result of the exercise of a right of interment…

This bill effectively has come about as a result of a shocking case of the murder of a woman by her husband. A headstone was placed on her grave which had ‘In loving memory’ or words to the effect that her husband was respectful, and there was nothing further from the truth. It was upsetting for her children, her family, her brothers, her sisters. Obviously it was completely inappropriate.

Not only that, but the man who murdered her, her husband, had the right to in time, when he died, lie beside her. So it makes complete and utter sense to change that for those who have been, like in this case, murdered, harmed, and in some cases it even applies to a victim of sexual assault, where a family member may be able to lie beside them. That is completely wrong, and this bill goes exactly to where that needs to be changed. This discussion actually happened before Karen’s death. In 2016 the Victorian Law Reform Commission made a recommendation. That was five years ago, so it is a real shame that it has taken the government this long to fully adopt—which is what we are doing here—those recommendations. It is simple, and it has been far too long coming.

This makes me think about what we are really doing to support women. Are we doing enough? Clearly we are not.

Not when you see the figures that my colleague the member for Lowan just raised in her speech around the people who are victims of family violence. They are on the increase. Violent crime stats just out today demonstrate the increase in family violence, not decrease, of those cases that are being reported to police. It is just not okay. Women have the right to feel safe. They have the right to feel safe wherever they are, be it at work, be it on the street or be it at home. Are we doing enough? Clearly we are not.

I was at the March 4 Justice just this week with my colleagues, and I back the fact that we as a group of community members, as females together—both sides of this house—must work together. Colleagues—be it my male colleagues, my female colleagues—we can all do so much more…

There was a real white-hot anger at that rally, and I could feel the women just so intent on making a change. You can understand the anger, particularly from women who were present who have been abused. Sexual assault is a really serious crime, and we are not seeing the results in convictions that we see in other serious crimes like murder. Why is that?

I am reminded of when I was at school in year 11 studying legal studies, and I remember learning about momentous change that was happening in the legal system where, for the first time—and I learned this I reckon in 1983—women, instead of being in the box facing their perpetrator, could actually do what was called a hand-up brief. The very fact that it was called a hand-up brief or is still called a hand-up brief—I know it is a fairly common legal term still; I am not sure if it is the right one anymore—is kind of bizarre in itself.

What it means is that women, instead of facing their perpetrator, could write their report and hand it in as a written format rather than as a verbal format in front of the perpetrator—a great and momentous change. But it made me think: have we done enough? I know we have got the Royal Commission into Family Violence results and we have had 227 recommendations, 64 of which are still to be implemented, but have we really actually looked at what we can do?

I suggest we get the legal minds of this state and perhaps this country together—the brightest and best—and look at the meaningful reform we really need to have so that we get the convictions just like we get in other serious crimes. Because it makes no sense that we are not getting the same level of convictions. It is not that the women are making it up, it is not that it is not true; it is that we need to find ways to support them.

There must be an opportunity for us to look around the Western world and see how other nations are perhaps doing it better. I am not saying we should undo the very important rules of law that we have in place, the foundation of our very democracy, but I am wondering: have we really put those minds together and formed a panel that can actually do that review?

I think it is time we made a difference, and I believe that meaningful reform is absolutely possible. I had in my office just a few weeks ago a woman who was terrified for her safety. The intervention order that she had out on her husband was coming to an end. I do not want to give any more details than that, but it struck me as strange that she was relying on that IVO. She was terrified for her life and she gave me lots of reasons and stories that made me also very concerned about her life. The very fact that she was being put into such a fearful place really sent a chill down my spine. I wrote to the minister that day with a sense of urgency, via email, which obviously is instant. I am actually still waiting to hear back, and I think it was three weeks ago. So we must be able to do better.

I know we have got to support our women, and sexual abuse, murder and being treated like this woman was—with absolute fear—is no way for any human being to live.

I think the bill does do one thing that will help change what has happened to Karen, and I pay my respects to the family for the pain and suffering that they have gone through, which no family should have to go through. But it is time, well and truly past time in fact, to make these changes. I hope that we do more than make these changes in this legislation, but we look at the figures today of 1800-plus people being treated by ambulance call-outs in the 2019–20 year that are victims of family violence where 30 per cent of children are actually witnessing these events.

We need to support women so they can call these situations out early, know that they will get help and not be like another woman who came to my office having left a marriage situation where there was a lot of emotional violence and withdrawing of ability to see friends and withdrawing of finances. Four years later she said to me, ‘I’m couch surfing and I really did think, given all the support they talk about for women, that I would at least be supported with a home’. After 3½ years of couch surfing, for the last six months she has joined up with her friend, pooling their funds and living in motels. But she is on a national disability insurance scheme package. She cannot drive. She has to walk to services that do a great job, she said, supporting her. She cannot move out of the area because those support services are critical for her disability. But come May when we have the May races in Warrnambool, when the motels are full, she is out on the street.

And that is just last week’s story.

How many stories do we get in our offices where we are just not doing enough? She left her husband in that abusive situation—it was not physical abuse, it was emotional abuse but fairly significant—believing that she would be supported, because that is what we say to women these days. But it is not; it is just not happening enough and that was why the rally occurred.

We can do more, and my suggestion is we get the best legal minds in our nation together, particularly in the state of Victoria, and lead the way of finding better ways to support women. That hand-up brief, the example that I spoke about, was 35 years ago at least. So I think it is time for change, and there are ways to do that.

[Note, this is an uncorrected proof from Hansard, so may have minor changes in the final published version.]

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Standing up: In the absence of any other events that I have (so far) seen planned in Warrnambool for the #enough national event happening next Monday, 15 March, I am planning one.

It will be simple, but it will – I hope – still have meaning.

Next Monday, 15 March, I am asking everyone who wants to express support for women and girls in the ongoing battle against sexual violence and sexual assault to meet at the Civic Green from 12.30pm to 1pm for what I am calling a circle of solidarity.

We will stand 1.5m apart, as is the new norm, in a circle. If three people turn up, it will be a small circle. If more people turn up, it might be a little bigger. If lots of people turn up, we may even need two circles.

There will be no speeches, but bring a sign with the #enough hashtag or whatever else you would like to say.

As I say, this is a simple protest, but I cannot let the events of the past few weeks pass without standing in solidarity with those who have spoken up and said “enough”.