A couple with two special needs children are seeking feedback from the Greater Shepparton community on the need for a respite service in the city.
Daniel and Maggie Bloomfield have set up a business, Break Away Respite Stays, to provide overnight accommodation and care needs for children and young adults with special needs.
They have already purchased a house in Shepparton North and are refurbishing it for purpose while also going through the necessary NDIS processes.
“Initially, I want to offer Friday to Monday respite and have a group of people booked in to do that duration,” Daniel said.
“I would like to know what people would like and if they’re currently missing out on what they would like, then we can do that.”
Daniel said his family had struggled to find appropriate places for his children to be cared for, meaning they’d had little time to seek respite for themselves.
He said the answer seemed to be to set up their own service — and so they are.
“School holidays come, you might want to go on a week-long holiday, and yes, we haven’t done that, like, ever,” he said.
Anyone interested in finding out more can contact Daniel by email at info@breakawayrespitestays.com.au
New La Trobe appointment
Award-winning researcher Professor Nilmini Wickramasinghe has been appointed as the inaugural Optus chair of digital health at La Trobe University within the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.
Professor Wickramasinghe’s role is co-funded by Optus and La Trobe University, building on their strategic alliance announced in 2016.
La Trobe says Professor Wickramasinghe will lead large-scale, innovative, high-quality, high-impact digital health research across its campuses, including Shepparton.
Deadline for DIY returns approaching
The Australian Taxation Office has urged people planning to do their own tax returns to add that task to their list of other DIY projects over the long weekend.
ATO assistant commissioner Rob Thomson said people with simple affairs could lodge online, often in under 30 minutes, through my.gov.au
“If your long weekend plans are filled with DIY projects, how about you add your ‘DIY’ tax return to the list?” Mr Thomson said.
For people planning to use a registered tax agent, they can check the Tax Practitioners’ Board register at www.tpb.gov.au/public-register
“Remember to only use a registered tax agent and to get on their books by 31 October,” Mr Thomson said.
The ATO has also reminded people to make sure their claims for work-related expenses accurately reflect their working arrangements this year and not to just copy and paste claims from last year.
The ATO has a series of 40 occupation and industry-specific guides at www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-deductions-offsets-and-records/Occupation-and-industry-specific-guides/
Regional labour demand
The latest jobs vacancy report from the Regional Australia Institute has shown a slight decrease from the same time a year ago.
Regional job vacancies remained steady at 91,000 in August 2023, with a 0.8 per cent increase from July, but a slight 0.3 per cent decrease compared to the same period a year earlier.
In contrast, the RAI said the figure for metropolitan Australia had declined significantly, year-over-year, by 10.1 per cent, or a fall of 0.1 per cent from the previous month.