By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT   NEWBOROUGH aged care and retirement home, Latrobe Valley Village (LVV), cut the ribbon to officially open its workers’ living quarters recently. Known as ‘Cedar Workstay’, a previously unused wing of the facility has been transformed to make way for needed foreign workers arriving into the area. Seven apartments have been erected, replacing 14 former residence, while communal areas including a kitchen space, meeting spot, and outdoor gardens were also created. Filipino employees Eddie and Joyce opened up their rooms during a tour of the revamped wing on February 6. All seven workers tenants come from the Philippines, with Joyce feeling “very blessed” to be within the local community. “The LVV board of members, all staff, they are supporting (us) all the way from the start until now. We have a very good job,” Joyce told the Express. “It’s amazing, it’s like a hotel (with) all the furniture out there and then it’s very convenient to walk to our work.” The group has been settled in the area for a while, and were excited to finally move into their new homes. “I’m very honoured to be living in the Latrobe Valley, because all the residents, the staff, the crew (are all) very friendly and accommodating when we started,” Joyce added. The project came about due to the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund, in partnership with Regional Development Victoria. Having frequented the not-for-profit organisation multiple times over the course of Cedar Workstay’s construction, Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing arrived on opening day, representing Regional Development Minister Jaclyn Symes. “The work that Regional Development Victoria has done alongside the people here at Latrobe Valley Village has been second to none,” Ms Shing said. “This is also about making sure we have the workforce in place that can continue with that world-class work that again has people at its very heart. “To bring seven standalone units into operation means that we’ve got workers who can continue to provide that care, to provide support to the nursing and carer workforce that’s already here, and therefore to provide that really wonderful care to residents.” Do the honours: Latrobe Valley Village staffer Eleniza cuts the ribbon to officially open the workers living quarters at the Newborough aged care facility. Photograph: Blake Metcalf-Holt Latrobe Valley Village Chief Executive Alison Skeldon was pleased to announce that the workers’ living quarters were at capacity with an extensive wait list for further workers. It was also revealed that the project was delivered on time and on budget. “It will make a huge difference to the key workers who keep our organisation running (as well as helping) community services and health services in Gippsland,” Ms Skeldon said. “This accommodation will allow us to attract and retain key workers’ strength and local employment, and contribute to the ongoing growth of our region.” Ms Skeldon spoke of the significant impact that this accommodation will have on staff stability and allowing residents to get continuous support from a caring team. She also acknowledged the aged care workers crisis that has affected them and others in the industry, being forced to explore alternate options. “The same way as others have intentionally recruited locally (and) nationally for staff, and not been able to fill roles, we’ve done exactly the same thing, and in our case, we have brought people in from overseas who want to come and settle here,” Ms Skeldon said. A 10-year Victorian Health Workforce Strategy was announced by the state government in 2024 to combat these gaps in the care economy, along with the Care and Support Economy Taskforce at a federal level. Other Gippsland beneficiaries of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund include: Omeo District Health, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, and Bass Coast Health, Wonthaggi.

By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT   A NEW place to call home … and to work. Latrobe Valley Village, Newborough will soon open a fresh and neat shared living quarters to accommodate the arrival of its latest foreign workers to the aged care home as a part of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund. Refurbished from a previous wing of the facility, 14 former aged care rooms have been transformed into seven apartments, which include a kitchen and eating area, bathroom and bedroom for each. An outdoor area, communal kitchen and meeting spot is also featured. Member for Eastern Victoria and Minister for Regional Development, Harriet Shing took a tour of the site last Friday (July 18), which is expected to be complete by the end of August. “Finding a place to live is one of the biggest challenges in attracting and keeping workers in the regions – building workers’ accommodation is just one way we want to help,” she said. “This is about creating secure jobs, helping businesses to grow and attracting even more visitors to regional Victoria.” The MP and Latrobe Valley Village Chief Executive, Alison Skeldon both acknowledged the continued lack of aged care workers for the region, which contributed in securing this development, to ensure highly skilled people are working in the industry. Free TAFE qualifications and short courses were cited as a combatant of those workforce shortages, which was announced for this year. Ms Skeldon believes the tide is starting to turn with help of such initiatives. “Working in residual care or aged care has not been as highly valued as other industries and that’s now changed … I feel we’re at the beginning of changing that around,” she said. “Working with people at a really important stage of their life, and we need people who care and want to do that for the long term.” Latrobe Valley Village has invested and passionate staff, which includes a strong contingent of recently hired Filipino employees who will be moving into the living space once open. Eleniza, Eddie, Herlene, Jonel and Joyce all made the move from the Philippines to Australia. For those like Herlene Joy Chipo, she made the tough decision to leave her family and children in Baguio, to ultimately set themselves up later on. “It (was) also an opportunity for us to come to Australia to build a better future for them as well,” she said. “(Latrobe Valley Village) is very supportive of us … the staff here are very welcoming and the residents as well.” The group will soon fill out the premise. The space is also large enough that it could allow families to eventually arrive as well. “We’re very excited to move in because it is also very convenient for us to be just near the facility,” Ms Joy Chipo added. Ms Skeldon said that due to the inability to fill out positions locally, the board, under suggestion from the federal government and following suit from other aged care facilities, made the decision to recruit abroad. “We have always employed local people, we have always worked with the local TAFE sector, and we’ve always worked with local universities to ensure we have local staff,” she said. “Like everybody else, there is not the pipeline, it’s not as full as it should be. “There are a range of initiatives for us to do that (hire overseas) and we’ve taken the path of choosing Filipino-trained workers.” The shared living space is located right in front of the retirement village, meaning the staff will not only begin to develop a good relationship with the aged care residents, but also those who may arrive soon thereafter. “The retirement village residents are really excited about it too because they like the idea of welcoming new people and they like the idea of those people coming and staying, because there are many people in the retirement village who may choose to live here as well,” Ms Skeldon said. Other projects in Gippsland have also been announced as beneficiaries of the first round of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund at Omeo District Health, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, and Bass Coast Health, Wonthaggi.