Community spirit will get us through this

To anyone in flood affected areas reading this right now - I hope you’re safe, I hope you’re okay. 

It’s been a really hard couple of days in Tassie, and we’re not quite sure of the full impact of the floods yet. My heart goes out to people like Wings Wildlife Park, who’ll be closed indefinitely while they assess the damage and see what comes next. 

But in times like this, the community really pulls together and it reminds me of why I’m proud to call this patch home. I’ve seen people on social media offer up their homes for shelter to anyone evacuating. People paying out of their own pockets to buy sandbags - not just for themselves, but for neighbours and fellow businesses. The situation is pretty horrible. But I know that as a community, we can come back from this bigger and better. We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again. 

Paid Domestic Violence Leave

It’s coming down to the wire. The bill for paid domestic violence leave could be in the Senate in a bit over a week. So I need to contact your Senator NOW and tell them why we need this bill fixed.

At the moment if you need domestic violence leave, you need to tell your boss you need domestic violence leave. They’re allowed to ask for proof. Not to mention that in small towns, it’s likely your boss might know your abuser. Your boss could be your abuser. If you’re going through this, you shouldn’t have to give up your privacy to take leave you’re entitled to. 

That’s why I want to call this emergency leave and combine it with compassionate leave. That way your boss wouldn’t have to know if there’s been a death in the family or if you’re dealing with domestic violence - all you have to say is that it’s an emergency. 

If you agree that people shouldn’t have to give up their right to privacy, please use this link to email your Senator and tell them these changes need to happen.

Shoutout to Western Tiers Distillery

Last week I visited Western Tiers Distillery in Westbury and learnt about the cutting edge technology they’ve developed for their distillery. It’s amazing! The way these new systems regulate temperatures as the spirit goes through the distilling process is really something. I learnt a lot that day! 

So a big thanks to Jon Heathcote of SAGE and Tim Freeman of Kolmark for showing me around. They’re both big employers in Tassie, especially when it comes to trades, and are doing some really cool stuff.