The Housing Industry Association (HIA) says National Apprentice Week is the time to highlight the urgent need to expand apprentice training if Australia is to address ongoing housing shortages and meet future housing demand.

“Workforce shortages remain one of the biggest constraints on increasing home building activity, with the nation needing an estimated 83,000 additional skilled workers across our key trades,” HIA Executive Director Future Workforce, Mike Hermon said today.

“Shortages across key residential construction trades, particularly carpentry, are limiting building capacity across the states. Builders across the country are telling us the same thing – demand for housing is there, but access to skilled labour is holding projects back.

“A recent survey of HIA’s small business members indicated that the cost and access to skilled trades were both in the top 5 issues placing pressure on builders. The survey also showed that 67 per cent of respondents said they were having trouble recruiting new staff or retaining existing workers.

“If we do not train more apprentices now, the homes Australia needs simply will not be built.

“Residential construction is a hands-on industry, and apprenticeships provide the practical, on-site training that cannot be replicated in a classroom alone – today’s apprentices are tomorrow’s carpenters, builders and site supervisors.

“HIA welcomes government incentives that are helping employers take on apprentices, including the Priority Hiring Incentive, along with the Key Apprenticeship Program (KAP), to help apprentices purchase tools or meet costs of living challenges while training. These incentives are working and are encouraging more businesses to invest in training.

“However, they must be maintained, simplified and extended if they are to have a lasting impact on housing supply.

“HIA supports apprentices through our group training scheme, which delivers mentoring, pastoral care and helps reduce the cost and risk for builders – particularly small businesses. HIA’s group training model gives apprentices consistent employment and broad site experience, while giving builders confidence to take on and train new workers.

“All tiers of government must recognise that housing supply targets cannot be achieved without sustained investment in skills and training. You cannot set ambitious housing targets without backing them with an equally ambitious commitment to apprentice training.

“Every new home starts with an apprentice on site. Supporting apprentices today is essential to increasing housing supply, easing affordability pressures and building Australia’s future workforce,” concluded Mr Hermon.

Drew Muscat celebrated 10 years working at Hepburn House last August – and he is not going anywhere.
The personal care assistant, more recently turned lifestyle assistant, cultural support officer and member of the Ageing with Pride committee, loves his job.
The lifestyle side of things sees Drew doing activities five days a week, like going into the garden with the residents and reminiscing with them about their own gardens and, with Valentine’s Day coming up, what they had in their wedding bouquets.
There’s also movies, the in-house theatre and even a progressive writing project which he tries to keep on the rails as the residents add one-by-one to the original sentence. “We had a story about a bus tour and the bus got flooded but one of the ladies added that she was so full of hot air, the bus refloated. It’s all good fun. Now we are doing a ghost story treasure hunt.”
The cultural side is a bit more intense. Drew steps in if anyone thinks they are not being treated respectfully or spoken to as well as they should be – a form of OH&S.
The Pride position sees Drew as part of the committee talking about and maintaining the house’s Rainbow Tick and education about Pride. They are also busy now working on their ChillOut Parade float.
For Drew, it all adds up to having a great job. Or not even that. “I know it’s a cliché but if you enjoy what you do, you don’t really work. I spent many years working in hospitality and it’s just nice not to have to handle money anymore. We always have a laugh.”
Drew said he found his way into aged care the same way he fell into hospitality. “Almost 20 years ago my brother’s fiancée said they were doing a hospitality course – and did I want to do that too. So I did, and they didn’t.
“Then 10 years ago, a neighbour said they were doing an aged care course. And I did that too. And so did they this time. Since then I have also done my certificate four and a diploma in leisure and health.”
Drew said he felt an affinity for older people which he puts down to being adopted, at one week, to older parents. They were born in 1925 and 1930 and he was adopted in 1971. “So I can really relate to the residents. I know the kind of humour my parents liked. You can be a bit bawdy without being crude. I find it easier to relate to them. We have fun.”

Hepburn House, 1 Hepburn Road, Daylesford, is a Commonwealth Government-funded aged care facility focussed on providing personalised and advanced services to accommodate the needs of all residents as they experience change over time.
Email reception@hepburnhouse.com.au or call 5348 8100. Advertorial

Creswick Town Hall is celebrating 150 years since its building began in 1876.
In 1873 the town council decided to build new offices and offered £50 for a winning design, won by architect W.R.H. Creber of Ballarat. The builder who won the tender was A.J. Boulder at a price of £3000.
Council meetings were held in the upstairs chamber for many years and portraits of many mayors, shire presidents and councillors adorn the walls. The building was the centre of town activities – the large room was the library, people paid rates etc.
In the 1960s there was talk of demolishing the building, but after much lobbying the council offices were opened as a museum, housing many historic exhibits and artworks by local artists including the famous Lindsay family.
The main hall has been used over the years for many events, concerts, dinners, balls, flower shows, orations and as a movie cinema when the biobox (projector room) was added in the early 1940s.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary, the Creswick & District Historical Society in conjunction with the Creswick Museum will be open from Thursday, February 26 until Sunday, March 1 from 9am until 3pm each day, with displays of historic interest.
At 10.30am on the Thursday there will be an official opening with invited guests, and anyone who would like to come along at that time is welcome. There will be a birthday cake and refreshments.
Other community groups will also be involved – the Creswick Brass Band will play at 2pm on Saturday, February 28, the Creswick Garden Club will have a floral display to acknowledge one of the first events in the Town Hall, and several other groups will have displays. Entry by donation.
The Havilah Masonic Lodge in Albert Street will also be open during this time. The building is unique and not to be missed.
The Creswick Senior Citizens will provide refreshments on Saturday and Sunday.

Words: Contributed

Child and Family Services Ballarat (Cafs) is encouraging individuals and families across the Central Highlands region to seek support early if they are feeling overwhelmed by financial stress, following new research released by The Salvation Army.
The nationwide survey revealed that nearly half of all Australians (44 per cent) will start 2026 in debt, and almost nine out of 10 people report feeling the same or more stressed about their finances compared to last year. Cafs’ Financial Counselling service provides free, confidential, and independent support to anyone experiencing financial difficulty. The service helps people negotiate with creditors, understand debt options, and work towards greater financial stability. Cafs also provide a Financial Capability Program to support and strengthen budgeting skills and financial literacy.

Hepburn Shire Council is offering residents a reusable product voucher to reduce the upfront costs associated with purchasing reusable nappy, period and incontinence products.
The council has partnered with Kyneton business Darlings Downunder to provide residents with a voucher to reduce the cost of transitioning away from disposable products. Each household in the shire can access one $50 voucher to purchase eligible items. The program runs until May 31 unless funds are exhausted prior. Minimum spend $50.

More than 271 medical interns will head to regional hospitals this year.
Those around the Central Highlands include Bendigo Health (43) and Grampians Health (6). Under the guidance of senior doctors, interns rotate through a range of specialties over 47 weeks, including medicine, surgery, emergency, mental health and other clinical areas.

Victoria’s smallest towns have an extra month to apply for a Tiny Towns Fund grant.

Applications for Round 3 of the $20 million Tiny Towns Fund have been extended by four weeks and will close at 4pm on Wednesday, March 4. Grants of between $5000 and $50,000 are available to towns with fewer than 5000 people for projects that provide more opportunities to connect, attract visitors, improve facilities and deliver infrastructure upgrades.
Link: www.rdv.vic.gov.au/tiny-towns-fund

Image: Trentham was this year’s national and state Tiny Town.

Macedon Ranges Council, in partnership with the Goldfield Libraries and Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group, has announced the return of ChangeMakers Macedon Ranges: a two-week festival of climate and sustainability events.
From Saturday, March 21 to Saturday, April 4 the festival will offer inspiring ‘how to’ workshops, locals teaching locals info sessions, community forums, author talks, film screenings, sustainable home and garden tours, and Eco Story & Rhyme Times in the libraries throughout the shire. All events are free, family-friendly and designed to inspire behaviour change and collective action to protect the region’s beautiful environment and respond to increasing climate emergencies.
Link: www.mrsc.vic.gov.au/Changemakers

The people behind Hotel Trentham and Heatherton’s Arcobar have taken on the project of bringing the Palais Theatre in Hepburn Springs back to life.

To be rebranded as Hepburn Palais, the historic venue celebrates its 100th birthday this year, and should be ready to reopen its doors to live music, dancing, comedy, theatre, and a plethora of special events just after Easter. The venue will initially open for ticketed events only.

Clunes Booktown Festival will mark its 20th anniversary on March 21-22 with a stellar program on the theme of defiance and hope.
More than 15,000 people are expected to join the festival, creating a bustling hub of readers, authors, booksellers and music-lovers of all ages.
Festival creative director Suzi Cordell says the event will include more than 130 book stalls, a Kids Village, writers’ workshops, panels on crime writing, speculative fiction, romance, First Nations storytelling, playwriting and historical fiction, as well as free music and entertainment across the weekend.
“The weekend will be packed with activities including Historical Walking Tours of Clunes, a First Nations Night Sky Dreaming event, the annual Poetry Slam, free Kids Village events with the creators of bestselling children’s series Real Pigeons and Oceanforged plus the iconic Hay Bale Maze,” Suzi said.
“We’re so excited to be celebrating our 20th anniversary and what this event means for a small regional town like Clunes. We want to pay tribute to the festival founders, who have brought so many iconic Australian authors to our town over the years including Helen Garner, Kate Grenville and the late John Marsden, as well as former Prime Ministers, journalists and – most importantly – almost a quarter of a million book lovers.”
Events include:
Lifelong environmental activist and former Greens leader Bob Brown talking with broadcaster Hilary Harper about his new book Defiance;
Hear Me Roar: Fearless Female Characters in Crime with podcaster and author Vikki Petraitis (The Stolen, The Unbelieved), Ned Kelly award-winner Christian White (The Wife and the Widow, The Ledge), Fiona Hardy (Unbury the Dead) and Jacqui Horwood;
How to Live and Die with screenwriter and playwright Marieke Hardy (From The Heart: Women of Letters, You’ll be Sorry When I’m Dead), Hannah Gould (How to Die in the 21st Century) and Antonia Pont (Plain Life);
Miles Franklin winner Sofie Laguna (The Underworld, The Choke, The Eye of the Sheep) discussing Myth and Coming of Age with literary journalist and novelist Jane Sullivan;
Real Pigeons creators Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood sharing the latest on their crime-fighting birds, and Oceanforged author Amelia Mellor helping young readers invent magical creatures in the Kids Village;
Historical fiction authors Toni Jordan (Tenderfoot, Addition), Marion Taffe (By Her Hand) and Jock Serong (Cherrywood, The Settlement), discussing characters fighting the tide;
First Time Lucky will explore the new wave of romance writing with Emma Mugglestone (In The Long Run), Holly Brunnbauer (What Did I Miss?), AFL and queer romance devotee Darcy Green (After The Siren) and multicultural romcom author Cynthia Timoti (How to Find a Guy In Five Weddings);
Join writer and academic Dennis Altman, human rights lawyer Paula Gerber and biographer Jill Blee for a discussion on the struggle for equal rights in Defiantly Queer; and
Explore The Poetics of Hope with Maxine Beneba Clarke (Beautiful Changelings, The Hate Race); Wiradjuri writer and Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry winner Jeanine Leane, and arts journalist and poet Thuy On (Essence). There will also be workshops on short-story writing, self-publishing, and writing oral history.
For the full program head to www.clunesbooktown.org.au
Festival entry is $15 (covering both Saturday and Sunday), and is free for locals and children under 16 years of age. Author talks are $25, with ticket discounts for multiple events. Workshop tickets are $30 each.

The Local is a proud media partner of Clunes Booktown.

Good businesses don’t fail – they leak.
Not because the work isn’t good. Because follow-ups slip, details drift, and visibility fades while you’re flat out doing the job.
That’s why Kim James has created The Wombat Collective – an initiative designed to strengthen the middle layer – the systems, touchpoints and consistency that protect revenue, reputation, and repeat work.
Ballarat born and bred, Kim is a down-to-earth animal lover who’s worn many business hats. Over the years, she has learned that clear communication and solid customer care matter far more than chasing new sales.
After a career working with small businesses in Melbourne, Kim is bringing back those skills to the Central Highlands region to help business owners strengthen their systems, from customer follow-through and operations to simple digital tools where required.

“They are the things that connect local businesses to the people in the town, quietly protecting the local economy and keeping money, skills and confidence in the community.” Kim said her aim was to be the “person you wish you could create” when starting or running a business — someone who can step in flexibly, whether the work is hands-on or technical, and identify the missing pieces that often make or break small businesses.
She said many businesses don’t have every skill in house or the capacity to outsource fully, and that her approach allows specific pieces of work to be handed over affordably to someone who understands how the business actually operates.
“A local who understands how things work in the town, someone who speaks plainly and can actually sit with you and help to keep your business thriving with local people supporting local business. We don’t need to lose business to Melbourne. We have everyone here.
“I see The Wombat Collective eventually being a shared hub for businesses where help is available without the usual cost barriers.” She added that she kept her fees affordable for small businesses and would “help create a really sensible flow of support in the town”.
Kim said most small businesses were born from passion and the region is full of skilled, creative people. But being a wonderful tradesperson did not always translate to keeping a website up and running or being on top of quotes and emails.
The name The Wombat Collective came from her love of wombats, a symbol of the region, and being grounded. Literally. “The Wombat Collective is also grounded, not flashy and unattainable. The Collective came from a vision that this is about sustaining the local, circular economy. Being able to learn from each other, which is the great opportunity we have in these smaller towns.”
For anyone running a small business who could use a hand, in the first instance give Kim a call on 0435 905 962 for a free, no commitment, chat.
Or head to www.thewombatcollective.com.au Advertorial

Daylesford’s community cinema, The Phoenix@The Rex, will open in April.
The month will kick off with a soft opening for volunteers with tickets then available online. An application has been made for a liquor licence and the Daylesford Carpet Flooring Group donated and installed covering for a storage area, which was painted by Daylesford’s Peter Sagittarius. External and internal signage is being planned, along with the interior design for the upstairs toilets.

Australia Day

Why is anyone looking to the Hepburn Shire Council to celebrate any holiday or commemorative day? Shouldn’t that be up to individuals?
In my opinion it is a ridiculous and outdated sentiment to look to the council for how to celebrate holidays. The council should be neutral on matters of celebration and holiday.
I understand some individuals want ‘the government’ to agree with their opinions … but that’s not what the council should be there to do. I’d rather the council not celebrate any holiday or commemorative day. I’d like if and how I mark the day to be up to me as a free-thinking individual.
I’d like the council to maintain parks for public (everyone) use. Fix roads for public use.
My thoughts and commemorations are not for public comment and therefore have nothing to do with the council. People need to be responsible for their own minds. Not look to a local government to mirror whatever it is they believe.
– Denver resident

I’m reading the January 26 edition (of The Local) and the comments included in your opening article.
It’s interesting to note how people are kind, gracious and considerate in their wording as they try to navigate the exclusionary date for the Indigenous population. Which is in direct contrast to the inflammatory, angry and defensive wording for daring to disrespect the 233 year ‘history’ of colonisation – blithely ignoring and riding roughshod over 65,000 years of history.
An oral tradition of history is far more accurate than a written history; because it is not edited, censored or altered into doublespeak to inflame and incite others when convenient.
– Name and address supplied

The people behind Hotel Trentham and Heatherton’s Arcobar have taken on the project of bringing the Palais Theatre in Hepburn Springs back to life.
To be rebranded as Hepburn Palais, the historic venue celebrates its 100th birthday this year, and should be ready to reopen its doors to live music, dancing, comedy, theatre, and a plethora of special events just after Easter. The venue will initially open for ticketed events only.

Daylesford’s community cinema, The Phoenix@The Rex, will open in April.
The month will kick off with a soft opening for volunteers with tickets then available online. An application has been made for a liquor licence and the Daylesford Carpet Flooring Group donated and installed covering for a storage area, which was painted by Daylesford’s Peter Sagittarius. External and internal signage is being planned, along with the interior design for the upstairs toilets.