A HUMAN SERVICES A H S PPROFILE
OF THE SSHIRE OF
CCENTRAL GGOLDFIELDS
A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table of Contents
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 11 2 INTRODUCTION...... 18 3 GENERAL DESCRIPTION...... 19 4 MAPPING THE SHIRE...... 20 5 DEMOGRAPHICS ...... 23 5.1 Population Profiles...... 23 5.2 Migration ...... 25 5.3 Birthplace...... 25 5.4 Birth Data ...... 27 5.5 Education ...... 28 5.6 Agricultural Activity...... 31 6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ...... 32 6.1 Socio-Economic Disadvantage ...... 32 6.2 Social Issues ...... 32 6.2.1 Alcohol Consumption...... 32 6.2.2 Crime ...... 34 6.2.3 Gambling ...... 35 6.2.4 Suicide ...... 37 6.2.5 Child Protection...... 37 6.2.6 Socio-Cultural Well-being...... 38 6.2.7 Labour Force Status...... 39 6.2.8 Occupation Type and Industry...... 40 6.2.9 Household and Individual Income...... 42 6.2.10 Pensions and Benefits ...... 43 7 HEALTH ...... 45 7.1 Residential and Generalist Health Services...... 45 7.2 Hospital Admissions...... 46 7.3 Community Health...... 49 7.4 Mental Health...... 50 7.5 Disability Data...... 51 7.6 Mortality Data...... 52 7.6.1 Death Data ...... 52 7.6.2 Life Expectancy at Birth...... 52 7.7 Burden of Disease...... 53 7.8 School Nursing...... 54 8 TRANSPORT ...... 55 8.1 Transport Systems ...... 55 8.1.1 Transport to Work ...... 55 8.2 Road Accident Statistics ...... 56
ii A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
9 FAMILY AND HOUSING ...... 58 9.1 Rental Housing Stock...... 59 9.2 Household Size and Status...... 61 9.3 Family Size and Composition...... 61 10 SERVICE SYSTEMS...... 62 10.1 Primary Care Partnership (PCP) ...... 62 10.2 Specialist Services...... 64 10.2.1 Psychiatric Services ...... 64 10.2.2 Juvenile Justice Service ...... 64 10.2.3 Sexual Assault Services ...... 65 10.2.4 Drug and Alcohol Services ...... 65 10.2.5 DisAbility Services ...... 66 10.2.6 Specialist Women’s Health Service...... 66 10.2.7 Aged, Residential and Home and Community Care Services...... 66 10.2.8 Visiting Acute Specialists ...... 67 10.2.9 Rehabilitation Services ...... 68 10.3 Emergency Services ...... 68 10.3.1 Emergency Management...... 68 10.3.2 Ambulance Services...... 69 10.3.3 Police Services ...... 69 10.3.4 Emergency Services...... 69 10.3.5 Fire Services...... 69 10.3.6 Emergency Grants...... 71 11 KEY ISSUES ...... 71 11.1 Population Changes ...... 71 11.2 Socio-economic Differences ...... 71 11.3 Employment/Unemployment ...... 71 11.4 Transport ...... 71 11.5 Crime...... 72 11.6 Child Protection ...... 72 11.7 Preschools and Health Care Cards...... 72 11.8 Service Redevelopment...... 72 11.9 Lack of GPs...... 72 11.10 Lack of Other Medical/Health Services ...... 73 11.11 Information on Service Availability ...... 73 11.12 Other general observations and Issues advised through Consultation with DHS Funded Agency Staff and DHS Staff and Local Government...... 73 12 REFERENCES ...... 74
iii A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figures and Tables
Figure 1 Maryborough Railway Station ...... 19
Figure 2 Chinese Mining Relics In Central Goldfields (S) ...... 19
Figure 3 Memorial for the Welcome Stranger – the largest gold nugget found in the world at Moliagul, 1869 ...... 19
Figure 4 Central Goldfields (S) showing Towns, other Localities, Highways, Roads, Railway and Rivers...... 20
Figure 5 View of Maryborough from Tower Hill toward Mt. Tarrengower...... 20
Figure 6 Memorial for the Welcome Stranger – the largest gold nugget found in the world at Moliagul, 1869 ...... 20
Figure 7 Central Goldfields (S) Postcode Boundaries ...... 22 Figure 8 Projected Population Profiles of Central Goldfields (S), Regional Victoria, Victoria and Metropolitan Victoria 2001...... 23
Figure 9 Population Gender Comparison by Age Cohort for Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 24
Figure 10 Projected Population Changes for Central Goldfields (S) 2001-2021 ...... 24
Figure 11 Migration between Central Goldfields (S) and Melbourne from 1991 to 1996 ...... 25
Figure 12 Migration between Central Goldfields (S) and Interstate from 1991 to 1996 ...... 25
Table 1 Birthplace by Age Cohort in Central Goldfields (S) 1996 ...... 26
Table 2 Most Common Languages Spoken At Home in Central Goldfields (S) 1996 ...... 26 Figure 13 Number of Live Births, Central Goldfields Shire, Maryborough SLA and the
Balance of the Shire, 1995-2000...... 27
Table 3 Teenage Births in Central Goldfields (S) and Victoria 1995 - 2000...... 27
Figure 14 A G Leech Kindergarten...... 28 Table 4 Pre-School Enrolments and Health Care Card Holders in Central Goldfields (S)
July to September 2001 ...... 29
Table 5 Proposed 2002 Preschool Enrolments and Health Care Cards in Central Goldfields (S)...... 29 Table 6 Pre-School, Primary School, Secondary College, and Technical Campus Enrolment Numbers in Central Goldfields (S) 1998-2001...... 29 Figure 15 Qualification of Central Goldfields (S), Loddon and Mallee Statistical Divisions (SD) and Campaspe (S) 1996 (Percent)...... 30
Figure 16 Sheep Farming in Central Goldfields Shire ...... 31
Table 7 Selected Agricultural Activities by SLA for Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 31
Table 8 Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage by LGA for Loddon Mallee Region 2000...... 32 Figure 17 The Bull and Mouth Restaurant and Holiday Unit Located in Talbot opposite the Talbot Town Hall, Ballarat Street North...... 33 Table 9 Alcohol related hospital admissions in Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee ...... Region and Victoria,
1998/99 - 1999/00...... 33 Table 10 Alcohol related hospital bed days Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee
Region and Victoria 1998/99-1999/00...... 33
Table 11 Alcohol related deaths for Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria 1996-1999 ...... 34
Table 12 Number and Type of criminal offence by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) 1994/95 to 1998/99...... 34
iv A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 13 Offences Recorded per 100,000 population in Loddon Mallee LGAs 2000-2001 and the top ten ranked LGAs of offences per 100,000 population 2000-2001...... 35 Table 14 Rate of Alcohol Related Assault per 10,000 residents for Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria for Offender Residence, Victim Residence and Assault Location...... 35 Table 15 Details of Gambling Information for the Shires of Central Goldfields, Loddon,
Mt. Alexander, Country Victoria, Melbourne Metropolitan and total Victoria...... 36 Figure 18 Age Distribution of Child Protection Notifications in Central Goldfields Shire between 1995/1996 and 2000/2001...... 37 Figure 19 Unemployment Percentage of Labour Force in Central Goldfields SLAs, Victoria and Australia June 2000 – June 2001...... 39
Figure 20 Labour Force Status for Males by Age Cohorts for Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 39
Figure 21 Labour Force Status for Females by Age Cohorts for Central Goldfields (S) 1996 ...... 40
Figure 22 McPherson’s is the largest printer in Maryborough, where printing is a major industry...... 40
Figure 23 Grouped Occupation Type for Employed persons by Gender in Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 41
Figure 24 Industry Type by Gender for Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 41
Figure 25 Grouped Household Income by Household Type for Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 42
Table 17 Taxable Income Details for the Main Postcodes in the Central Goldfields Shire 1996 ...... 42
Table 18 Disability Support Pension by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000 ...... 43
Table 19 Pension Rental Assistance by Postcodes for Central Goldfields (S) June 2000...... 43 Table 20 Newstart, Newstart Mature Age Allowance and Youth Allowance by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000...... 44 Table 20 Newstart, Newstart Mature Age Allowance and Youth Allowance by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000...... 44
Table 21 Aged Pension by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000 ...... 44
Table 22 Wives Pension, Partner Allowance and Carer Payments by Postcodes in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000..... 44
Table 23 Residential and Generalist Health Services in Central Goldfields (S) 2001...... 45 Table 24 Victorian Public Hospital Inpatient Separations Age Group by Sex for Residents of Central Goldfields Shire 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000/01...... 46 Figure 26 Victorian Public Hospital Inpatient Separations by Age Group for Residents of Central Goldfields (S) for 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000/01...... 47
Table 25 Top 10 DRGs based upon Victorian Public Hospital Separations for Central Goldfields (S) Residents 2000/01 47
Table 26 Top 10 MDCs based upon Victorian Public Hospital Separations for Central Goldfields (S) Residents 2000/0148
Table 27 Total Separations by Public Hospital for Central Goldfields (S) Residents 2000/01...... 48 Figure 27 Community Health Service Contacts by Service Type and Age Grouping for Central Goldfields Residents 2000/2001...... 49
Figure 28 Age Distribution of Community Health Clients for Central Goldfields (S) July – September 1997...... 49
Figure 29 Primary Diagnoses for Mental Health In-patient Clients from Central Goldfields (S) 1998 ...... 50
Figure 30 Primary Diagnoses for Mental Health Out-patient Clients from Central Goldfields (S) 1998 ...... 50 Table 28 Medical Condition of Central Goldfields (S) Residents Receiving the Disability Support Pension, September 2000...... 51
Table 29 Gender and Age of Central Goldfields (S) Clients with a DisAbility 2000-01...... 52
v A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 30 Major Causes of Death in Central Goldfields and the Central Victorian Health Alliance 1996...... 52 Table 31 Life Expectancy at Birth for Central Goldfields (S), Macedon Ranges (S), Mt Alexander (S), CVHA, and Loddon Mallee Region ...... 52 Table 32 Total DALY Rates (1996) per 1,000 Persons by Gender for Central Goldfields (S), Mt Alexander/Macedon Ranges (S) and Victoria...... 53
Table 33 Total DALY Rates per 1,000 Population by National Health Priorities (1996)...... 54
Table 34 Years of Life Lost for Top 10 Conditions for Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 54
Figure 31 Truck Travelling through Central Goldfields (S)...... 55
Table 35 Mode of Transport to Work for Central Goldfields (S) 1996...... 56
Table 36 Types of Road Accidents in Central Goldfields (S) 1995-2000...... 56
Figure 32 Road Surface at Location of Road Accidents in Central Goldfields (S) 1995-2000...... 56
Table 37 Number of Road Accidents by Year in Central Goldfields (S) 1995 - 2000 ...... 57
Table 38 Number of Casualties in Central Goldfields (S) by month 1995-2000 ...... 57
Table 39 Weekday Casualty Accidents 01/07/1995 to 30/06/2000 in Central Goldfields (S)...... 57
Table 40 Casualty Accidents by Light Conditions in Central Goldfields (S) 1 July 1995 to 30 June 2000 ...... 58 Table 41 Rate of Alcohol -Related Serious Road Injury (per 10,000 residents) for Central Goldfields, Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria of Victim residence and Area of incident for 1992 – 1998...... 58
Figure 33 Historic Magistrates House Located in Heel Street Talbot ...... 59
Table 42 Number of DHS Houses by Number of Bedrooms for Towns in Central Goldfields (S) November 2001...... 59
Table 43 Waiting List for DHS Housing as at 11 December 2001...... 60
Figure 34 Selected Family Status for DHS Housing Stock Residents November 2001...... 60
Table 44 Structure of Dwellings in Central Goldfields (S) 1996 ...... 61
Figure 35 Overall Ownership of Households in Central Goldfields (S) 1996 ...... 61
Figure 36 Percentage of Family Members by Family Type in Central Goldfields (S) Households 1996...... 62
Figure 37 Map of CVHA Primary Care Partnership 2001...... 63
Table 45 CASA Clients for 2000/2001...... 65
Figure 38 Supported Residential Service Resident Type by Predominant Condition for Central Goldfields (S) June 2001.67
Figure 39 Allocation of HACC funds/Units of Service in the Central Goldfields Shire by Activity...... 67
Figure 40 Displays the breakdown of call outs in the Central Goldfields (S) by SES Units...... 69 Table 46 Country Fire Authority Brigades in Central Goldfields (S) and Number of Members and Number of Reported Incidents 2000/2001...... 70
Figure 41 Map Displaying CFA boundaries overlapping Central Goldfields (S) ...... 70
vi A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Acknowledgements Many contributions either verbal, written or data was received from a wide variety of people and agencies and thanks is sincerely expressed to all those who have provided their time and information. The assistance of the following people are also recognised for the development of this profile:
John Hedges, Project Officer, Data & Performance Evaluation Unit, Strategic Support Branch. Ian Clark, Project Officer, Data & Performance Evaluation Unit, Strategic Support Branch Louise Simm, Research Officer, Data & Performance Evaluation Unit, Strategic Support Branch John Sawtell, Central Victorian Health Alliance Primary Care Partnership. Greg Johnston, Project Officer, Strengthening Goldfields Project.
Disclaimer
The content of A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields is provided for information purposes for Department of Human Service, Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Shire of Central Goldfields only. No claim is made as to the accuracy or authenticity of the document. The Department of Human Services Loddon Mallee Region does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or the use of such information or advice), which is provided in the A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields or incorporated into it by reference. The information in A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields is provided on the basis that all persons using A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content and maintaining confidentiality for sensitive information relating to Child Protection. No liability is accepted for any information or services, which may appear in any other format. No responsibility is taken for any information or services that may appear elsewhere.
Feedback
Comments and feedback on this document are most welcome and can be made to:
Mike Butcher Team Leader Data & Performance Evaluation Unit Strategic Support Branch Department of Human Services P.O. Box 513 BENDIGO VIC 3552 Ph: (03) 54 345579 Fax: (03) 54 345670 Email: [email protected]
vii A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Glossary of Terms
ABI Acquired Brain Injury ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics AIHW Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ATSS Adult Training Support Service BHCG Bendigo Health Care Group BRIT Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE CASA Centre Against Sexual Assault CD Collection District CDAMS Cognitive Dementia and Assessment Memory Services CDATA96 ABS Electronic Census Product 1996 Central Goldfields (S) Shire of Central Goldfields CFA Country Fire Authority CGS Central Goldfields Shire Council CRU Community Residential Unit CHISOL Childrens Services Online CVHA Central Victorian Health Alliance DALY Disability-Adjusted Life Year DHS Department of Human Services DRG Diagnostic Related Grouping EFT Equivalent Full Time EGM Electronic Gaming Machine ENT Ear, Nose, Throat ERP Estimated Resident Population FY Financial Year GP General Practitioner HACC Home and Community Care HCC Health Care Card ICD International Classification of Disease IRSED Index of Relative Socio Economic Disadvantage JPET Job Placement Employment Training LGA Local Government Area LMR Loddon Mallee Region MAA Mature Age Allowance MDC Major Diagnostic Category MVA Motor Vehicle Accident NEC Not Elsewhere Classified NRE Natural Resources and Environment PCP Primary Care Partnership PGSS Problem Gambling Service Strategy PRISM Psychiatric Records Information Systems Manager
viii A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
RACV Royal Automobile Club of Victoria RAV Rural Ambulance Victoria Region Loddon Mallee Region SD Statistical Division SEHQ School Entrant Health Questionnaire SEIFA Socio Economic Indications For Areas SES Shire of Central Goldfields Shire State Emergency Service SLA Statistical Local Area SNIS School Nursing Information System SRS Supported Residential Service State Victoria TAFE Technical and Further Education VACCHO Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation VAED Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset VCGA Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority YLL Years of Life Lost
ix
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION Central Goldfields (S) is located in the south-west of the Loddon Mallee Region (Region), with 4.6 percent of the Regional population. The Shire covers an area of 1,532 square kilometres and contains approximately 7,575 rateable properties. The projected population for the Shire in 2001 was 13,065 persons. The principal industries are Community services, wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing. 1.2 MAPPING THE SHIRE The principal towns in the Shire are Maryborough, Dunolly, Carisbrook, Bealiba and Talbot. The Pyrenees Highway is the main road that runs through the Shire. Maryborough, the largest town, is situated between the two regional centres of Bendigo (68 kilometres) and Ballarat (66 kilometres) The Shire has two Statistical Local Areas (SLAs), consisting of the Maryborough SLA and the Balance SLA comprising the remaining areas of the shire. 1.3 DEMOGRAPHICS
• Population Profiles The Shire had a higher percentage of 10-14 year olds than Regional Victoria, Metropolitan Victoria and Victoria generally. In contrast, the Shire has the lowest percentage of 14-44 year olds compared to the Regional Victoria, Metropolitan Victoria and Victoria generally. The Shire also has a higher percentage of persons aged over 50 years than rural Victoria and Metropolitan Victoria.
• Migration
More people moved from the Shire to the rest of Victoria (excluding the Loddon Mallee Region and Melbourne SD) between 1991 and 1996 (696), than those who moved from the rest of Victoria to the Shire (502). More people also moved from the Shire to the rest of the Region between 1991 and 1996 (681), than vice versa (409). Slightly less than twice as many people moved from the Shire to interstate between 1991 and 1996 (543), than vice versa (336). The 25 to 64 year old age group were the most mobile group between 1991 and 1996.
• Birthplace The majority of people resident in the Shire were born in Australia (89.9%), with the next two highest percentages coming from the United Kingdom (3.8%) then Germany, Netherlands and New Zealand with 0.5% each. The languages spoken at home other than English are ‘Other European’ (11%), German (5.6%) Italian (3.7%) and Greek (2.9%).
• Birth Data Over the period 1995-2000, there were 841 births in the Shire, three-quarters of whom were in Maryborough. The Shire had a higher percentage of teenage pregnancies compared to the state average.
• Education The following educational establishments are located in the Shire: one childcare centre, eight pre-schools, 10 primary schools, one special school (Maryborough Learning Centre), two secondary colleges and two post secondary campuses. Central Goldfields has a lower percentage A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields of persons qualified with an Associate Diploma or higher than the Region and a higher rate of vocationally qualified persons.
• Agricultural Activity There were 220 agricultural establishments in the Shire with a production for 1996-97 amounting to over $20.4 million. Sheep farming was the most common agricultural activity in the Shire, representing 70 (33.2%) of establishments, closely followed by Grain-sheep/beef cattle farming with 69 (31.4%) establishments in 1996. 1.4 SOCIO-ECONOMIC
• Socio-Economic Disadvantage The most commonly used indicator for socio-economic status, the Index of Relative Socio- Economic Disadvantage (IRSED), summarises attributes such as low income, low educational attainment and high unemployment. The lower the IRSED value, the greater the socio-economic disadvantage. In 1996, Central Goldfields (S) had the lowest IRSED value (928) of the ten LGAs in the Region.
• Social Issues Central Goldfields has a higher rate of alcohol related hospital admissions and length of stay compared to the Regional and Victorian rate per 10,000 population. However, from 1994/95 to 1995/96, the per capita consumption of absolute alcohol (7.43 litres/person/annum) was below the Regional rate of 8.46 litres and the Victorian rate of 7.82 litres. Central Goldfields haD the highest rate of crime per 100,000 population and is the second highest rural LGA and tenth highest of all LGAs in the State in 2000-2001. In 2001 there were two gambling venues in the Shire with a total of 114 Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) and has a lower Net EGM expenditure per 1,000 population than Country Victoria, Metropolitan Melbourne and Total Victoria.
Protective interventions were necessary with less than twenty families in 2000-2001. Over half of these had been subject to two or more protective interventions and may already be receiving services from community-based agencies. According to the CVHA Community Health Plan, the rate of completed suicide in the Shire in 1996 was 6.7 per 1,000 population, higher than the Regional rate of 5.0 per 1,000 and the Victorian Rate of 4.1 per 1,000.
• Socio-Cultural Well-being Some of the major events in the Shire during 2001 included the World Gold Panning Championships, RACV Energy Breakthrough and Victorian Scottish Union Conference. Monthly Tourist markets, Quarterly Sports Award Dinner, annual Agricultural Show, Country and Western Music events and racing events are held in the Shire. The religious organisations are important community resources. The largest denomination in the Shire is Anglican (27.9%), followed by Catholic (17.9%) and Uniting (12.4). This does differ from the comparison with Rural Victoria.
• Labour Force Status The total labour force at June 2001 was 5,326 persons, made up of 3,124 in Maryborough SLA and 2,202 in the rest of the Shire. The unemployment rate at June 2001 was 11.5% (12.3% in the Balance SLA and 11.0% in Maryborough SLA. The unemployment rate was significantly higher
12 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields than Victoria (6.0%) and Australia at (6.4%). The unemployment rates were among the highest in the Region.
• Occupation Type and Industry Type The occupational type with the highest number of males in 1996 was Tradespersons and related (21.2%), followed by Managers and administrators (which includes farmers) (17.6%). There were more females than males in the Professional and Clerical Sales and Service Categories. The third largest occupational type for males was Intermediate Production and Transport (13.3%). The largest popular industry type for males was Manufacturing (17.6%), followed by Agriculture, forestry and fishing (14.9%). For females Health and Community Services (18.5%) was the highest category followed by Retail Trade (17.6%).
• Household and Individual Income The most common weekly household income grouping in the Central Goldfields Shire in 1996 was $120 to $299 (30.8% of households), with the majority of these (58.5%) comprising Non- Family households. The second highest was the $300 to $499 which comprised 23.9% of households and the bulk of this category is Family Households (78.7%).
• Pensions and Benefits An estimated 2,577 people in the Shire received Age Pensions in June 2000. Nearly three quarters of these were from the Maryborough postcode (73.2%). 758 individuals also received Disability Support Pensions and 736 families obtained Rental Assistance. 1.5 HEALTH
• Residential and Generalist Health Services The generalist health services in the Shire include the Maryborough District Health Service (public hospital Community Health Service), and several General Practices. Nursing homes are located at hospitals in Maryborough and Dunolly and a hostel is located in Maryborough. The residential services include two Supported Residential Services, Princes Park Lodge in Maryborough and Talbot Lodge in Talbot.
• Hospital Admissions
There were 15,243 in-patient hospital separations for Central Goldfields residents in the three year period from 1998/99, with an average of 5,081 per year. The highest three DRGs were for Renal Dialysis (15.9%), Chemotherapy (2.8%) and Neonates of less than 2.5 kgs (2.3%). For MDCs the top three were Kidney & Urinary Tract (18.8%), Digestive System (15.6%) and Circulatory System (8.4%).
• Community Health There were 4,667 occasions of service during 1997/98, the majority of which were for Other Health Promotion (38.4%), followed by Counselling/Casework (35.3%) and Nursing (11.5%).
• Mental Health A total of 29 Shire residents made 40 in-patient admissions to mental health facilities in 1998. The most common facility visited was the Bendigo Health Care Group - Division of Psychiatry (80.%). The highest percentage of diagnoses on admissions were Schizophrenia 30.7%, depressive-related (17.9%) followed by Drug and Alcohol related (12.8%).
13 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
• School Nursing A School Nurse is based at the Maryborough Regional Secondary College. The most common issues that students contact School Nurses for include Sexually Related Issues, Self Esteem, Bullying and Abuse, Nutrition and Mental Health Issues.
In the primary schools within the Shire, the main issues relate to the School Entrant Health Questionnaire (SEHQ), Vision, Asthma, Hearing, Height and Behaviour.
• Disability Data The 1998 survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers found that nearly 20 percent of the population experience some level of disability in relation to the core activities of communication, mobility or self care. There were 86 families from the Shire’s postal areas receiving the Child Disability Allowance during the fourth quarter of 1997. In the September 2000 quarter, 767 Shire adults met the Centrelink criteria to receive the Disability Support Pension.
• Mortality Data The highest causes of death in the Shire in 1996 were Ischaemic Heart Disease, Stroke and Respiratory Disease. 1.6 TRANSPORT
• Transport Systems There are no local buses in any of the towns in the Shire, so the public move around within town via their own transport, taxis, cycling or walking. This is particularly an issue for youth and older people who do not have their own transport.
• Road Accident Statistics There was a total of 213 road accidents involving a casualty in the Shire between 1996 and 2000, with 12 of them (5.6%) involving at least one fatality, and a further 77 (36.2%) involving serious injury. The road surface was dry in the majority (90.7%) of road accidents. 1.7 FAMILY AND HOUSING
• Rental Housing Stock There were a total of 245 DHS (public) rental stock dwellings in the Shire in November 2001. The majority of these were three bedroom houses (50.2%), with the highest number of DHS houses being located in Maryborough (80.2%), followed by Dunolly (12.2%) and Carisbrook (6.1%). There were a total of four movable units in the Shire, while the remainder were general rental stock.
In December 2001 there were 52 household applicants on the waiting list for DHS houses in the Shire. The majority of applicants are waiting for one-bedroom accommodation (36.5%) three- bedroom houses (30.8%), followed by two-bedroom (26.9%)
• Household Size and Status There were a total of 4,903 dwellings in the Shire in 1996, with an average of 2.4 people in each dwelling. The majority of persons lived in a separate house (93.1%), with a further 2.2% in a flat and 1.7% in semi-detached dwellings. More households were owned in the Shire in 1996 (48.7%), than were being rented (14.1%) or in the process of being purchased (19.8%).
14 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
• Family Size and Composition The average number of children per couple family was 1.9, whereas for one parent families it was 1.7 children. There were 1,317 persons living alone in the Shire in 1996, 1,358 lone parent families, 5,726 two parent families’ and 2,859 couples without resident children.
1.8 SERVICE SYSTEM
• Primary Care Partnerships The Primary Care Partnership (PCP) strategy seeks to improve service planning, service co- ordination and service partnerships. There are five proposed service delivery areas in the Region. The Shire has been combined with Mount Alexander (S) and Macedon Ranges (S) to form the Central Victorian Health Alliance service delivery area.
• Psychiatric Services The Division of Psychiatry, Bendigo Health Care Group provides psychiatric services to residents of the Loddon Campaspe/Southern Mallee Sub-region. Three sub-divisions deliver services: Child and Adolescent, Adult and Aged Persons Mental Health Services.
• Juvenile Justice Service Generally there would be likely to be five or six clients on an order from Central Goldfields and it would be rare to have any more than this at one time. Throughout the year Juvenile Justice would also come into contact with all of the other children that go through the Maryborough Children's Court that don't get a supervision order, and would often be involved in linking them into appropriate services. The offences seem to be associated with peer groups, and take the form of minor shoplifting and at the serious end, car theft and assaultive behaviours. The length of orders varies, and it is estimated that 50 percent would be for twelve months, 30 percent 6 months and 20 percent may get a second order that may take them a bit longer.
• Sexual Assault Services The Loddon Campaspe Region’s Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) services the Region. In the 2000-2001 Annual report, there were 820 registrations with CASA in the financial year, 89 percent of whom were female. Data for the period 1 December 1999 to 30 January 2001 indicates CASA has had 651 contacts with 89 clients from Central Goldfields, seventy of whom were female clients (79%) and nineteen male (21%).
• Drug and Alcohol Services
The alcohol and drug (A&D) services in the Shire include counseling, Rural Withdrawal and Drug Diversion Programs at Maryborough District Health Service. The A&D counseling targets the general population in the whole Shire.
• Disability Services
Disability services funded by DHS have historically been focussed on clients with an intellectual disability. This has now broadened and in the Shire day services are provided by Wattle Human Services, which provides an adult training centre for people with a disability. There are two Community Residential Units in Maryborough, one in Pekin Road and the other in Laidman Street, which provide long-term accommodation for up to nine intellectually disabled persons. There is also an independent unit based at the Laidman Street house that provides accommodation for a further two clients who have minimal support needs.
15 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
• Specialist Women’s Health Service The Loddon Mallee Women’s Health Service, located in Bendigo is a non-government organisation that provides information and services to residents of the Region on all aspects of women’s health.
• Aged Services There are 73 aged related beds at Maryborough District Health Services with most being General Active High Care places (86.3%), with a small proportion of General Active Low Care Places. There are two Supported Residential Services (SRS) in the Shire with fifty two beds for the support of male and female clients with a psychiatric or intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, and frail aged clients.
• Home and Community Care Services The LGA receives approximately 5.1% of HACC Funding in the Region and the main HACC services provided in the LGA are Nursing (24.3%), Home Care (19.2%), Personal Care (11.0% and Volunteer Co-ordination (10.7%).
• Visiting Acute Specialists There are a number of specialists who regularly visit Maryborough District Health Service to provide medical and surgical clinical services.
• Emergency Services The Ambulance service in Maryborough is the only one in the Shire. There are police stations and State Emergency Service (SES) units located at Maryborough and Dunolly. Two Country Fire Authority regions (2 and 15) cover the Shire, supported by approximately 498 volunteers.
1.9 KEY ISSUES
As a result of the data provided in this profile, and in consultation with the agency staff and other departments, a number of issues pertinent to the planning and provision of services in the Shire have been identified and are listed (but not limited to) the following:
• Population Profile - a relatively high number of elderly persons and low numbers of younger persons in a declining population
• Socio-economic Differences - on the basis of the 1996 Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage, the Shire was more disadvantaged than the Region and State.
• Employment/Unemployment - high unemployment in CGS and some industry wind back, ie: the closure of the Nestle factory and scaled down printing industry operations will not help the situation in the near future.
• Intra-Shire Transport - The shortage of intra-Shire transport is especially an issue for young people and older people without transport and places extra pressure on volunteer services.
• Crime - Central Goldfields (S) has the highest rate of crime per 100,000 population in the Loddon Mallee Region. This is reinforced at the state level where the Shire is ranked as the tenth highest LGA and the second highest rural LGA.
• Of the 228 notifications received in Central Goldfields (S) in 2000-2001, protective interventions were necessary with less than twenty families. Over half of these had been
16 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
subject to two or more protective interventions and may already be receiving services from community-based agencies.
• Preschools and Health Care Cards - The high number of cardholders potentially means that fundraising for equipment and staffing by pre-schools could be difficult. The number of enrolments in Maryborough for pre-schools may be an issue affecting recruitment and retention of staff along with long term sustainability.
• Service Redevelopment - The outcomes planned for the Central Victorian Health Alliance PCP Community Health Plan in relation to Central Goldfields Shire will be implemented and evaluated over the next couple of years. Other general observations and Issues advised through consultation with DHS Funded Agency Staff, DHS Staff and Local Government include:
• Staff from agencies expressed that short term funding initiatives do not often create long-term sustainable outcomes.
• Recruitment and retention of staff with low EFT and/or short term funding affects the delivery of services.
• Workload and ageing of volunteers will affect service provision in the future.
• High teenage smoking levels in females
• A number of empty shops and the high level of food shops, eg; bakeries.
• Sewerage implementation at Talbot and Dunolly.
• High percentage of professional staff who do not actually live in LGA.
• Patient Information and Confidentiality
17 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
2 INTRODUCTION
A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields has been prepared to assist staff of the Departments of Human Services and Premier and Cabinet, other government departments and funded sector agencies to gain an overview of the human services related issues in the Shire of Central Goldfields. The Profile has been designed to present, in a readable format, data relevant to the provision of human services. It presents, relatively succinctly, the scale and breadth of the range of services funded and provided by the Department in the Loddon Mallee Region, together with data selected to identify areas of need. The issues identified in the Central Victorian Health Alliance Primary Care Partnership Community Consultations and Community Health Plan have also been incorporated. The data have been selected to generally relate to the business of the Department of Human Services and therefore have a bias towards needs or potential problem areas. The timeframes for the data vary according to availability, but in general the most recent has been used. No data are presented that could be attributed to an individual consumer. This profile has been developed as part of the DHS Loddon Mallee Region’s contribution to the Central Goldfields Community Building Demonstration Project. There are also other projects that currently involve Central Goldfields Shire, These include the Strengthening Goldfields Project and the Small Towns: Big Picture project. The Strengthening Goldfields Project aims to increase the level of awareness of community strengths and better networking and participation between towns. The Small Towns: Big Picture Project also aims to enhance capacity building in the area by involving artists working with small town communities to plan for a better future economically, socially and ecologically. These projects, along with the Central Goldfields Community Building Demonstration Project aim to improve sustainability of the area. The joint DHS/DEET Best Start Program may also target Maryborough as a demonstration project. A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields is the second profile of a local area undertaken by Loddon Mallee DHS and has borrowed extensively from the first publication based on the Macedon Ranges Shire, but with enhancements. The Strategic Support Branch of the Loddon Mallee Regional Department of Human Services has already produced several reports, relating to Women’s Health, Men’s Health Suicide Prevention, Ageing, and various regional and strategic plans. More recently the branch has undertaken ‘A Review of Allied Health Services in the Loddon Mallee Region – Draft Options Paper 2001’ and promotional material including A Work Experience Guide for Agencies. Most of these reports can be found at: www.dhs.vic.gov.au/regional/loddon/publications/publications.htm
18 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
3 GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Shire of Central Goldfields is located in the southern end of the Loddon Mallee Region (Region). The Shire covers an area of 1,532 square kilometres and contains approximately 7,575 rateable properties (Central Goldfields Shire website 2001). The Department of Infrastructure population projection for the Shire in 2001 was 13,065 persons, representing 4.6 percent of the Regional population. There was a small excess of females (50.8%) over males (49.2%). Many residents of the Shire commute to Melbourne, where 70 percent of the residents of the southern part of the Shire were employed in 1996. The principal industries are manufacturing, printing, community services along with wholesale and retail trade. Major features in the Shire include the historic buildings of which one is the railway station as shown in Figure 1 and many relics from goldmining. Figure 1 Maryborough Railway Station
Source: www.centralgoldfields.com.au
Figure 2 Chinese Mining Figure 3 Memorial for the Welcome Relics In Central Goldfields (S) Stranger – the largest gold nugget found in the world at Moliagul, 1869
Source: www.centralgoldfields.com.au
The Shire has an average altitude of 200 metres above sea level, with Mount Bealiba rising to over 480 metres high. The average summer temperature is in the high 20s to low 30s and the average winter temperature is 17 degrees. Rainfall average is 50 cms per year and the humidity
19 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields is generally very low. The Regional Environmental Profile provides rainfall levels for other areas in Victoria.1 4 MAPPING THE SHIRE The main towns in the Shire are Maryborough, Dunolly, Carisbrook, Bealiba and Talbot. The Pyrenees Highway is the main road that runs through the Shire. Maryborough, is the principal town, situated evenly between two regional centres being 68 kilometres from Bendigo and 66 kilometres from Ballarat. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has divided the Shire into two Statistical Local Areas (SLAs). These comprise the Maryborough SLA, with an area of 23 square kilometres, and the Balance SLA covering the rest of the Shire. The Pyrenees Highway runs east-west through Maryborough and Carisbrook. The rivers flowing through the Shire include the Avoca River at Bealiba, the Timor Creek north of Maryborough and the Tullaroop Creek running through Carisbrook and near Talbot in the south of the Shire. Both the Timor and Tullaroop Creeks are catchments of the Loddon River. Tullaroop reservoir lies south-east of Carisbrook and just outside the Shire boundary is the Cairn Curran Reservoir. (Figure 4) Figure 4 Central Goldfields (S) showing Towns, other Localities, Highways, Roads, Railway and Rivers
Key: Red line = Pyrenees Highway. Source: CDATA96
1 Loddon Mallee Regional Data Unit. (March 1999). An Environmental Profile of the Loddon Mallee Region: Interim Report. Bendigo: Loddon Mallee Regional StrategicSupport Branch.
20 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 5 shows the two SLA and twenty-seven Collection District (CD) boundaries for the Shire. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collect the Census of Population and Housing data by CDs (about 200 households), which is the lowest level for which data are made available. For ease of comparison and to avoid confidentiality issues of reporting small numbers, most of the data in this profile will be produced on a SLA or LGA basis.
Figure 5 Central Goldfields (S) showing Figure 6 View of Maryborough 1996 Statistical Local Area and Collection from Tower Hill toward Mt. District Boundaries Tarrengower
21 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 7 Central Goldfields (S) Postcode Boundaries
Postcode Principal Location 3371 Talbot 3464 Carisbrook 3475 Bealiba 3472 Dunolly 3465 Maryborough 3462 Newstead 3370 Clunes 3364 Creswick Forward
Source: DOI Research Unit Note: The shaded areas are outside the Central Goldfields LGA. Source: CDATA96.
Figure 7 shows Australia Post postcode boundaries for the Shire, because some data are only available at this level. Eight postcodes cover the Shire, however, three of them (3370, 3364 and 3462) only cover small areas and populations of the Shire and have been excluded in some cases. Note that the Census-derived postal areas are approximations to the postcode boundaries and in many cases, especially in rural areas, the match is very poor.
22 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
5 DEMOGRAPHICS 5.1 Population Profiles Figure 8 compares the projected 2001 population by percentage of the Shire with Regional Victoria, Metropolitan Victorian and State as a whole. The Estimated Resident Population (ERP) for the Shire in 2001 was 13,065 persons. Figure 8 Projected Population Profiles of Central Goldfields (S), Regional Victoria, Victoria and Metropolitan Victoria 2001.
9.0% 8.0% 7.0% 6.0% 5.0% 4.0% 3.0%
Population (%) 2.0%
Percentage of Total 1.0% 0.0% CGS 5 -9 90+ 0 - 4 10-14
Reg Vic 15 - 19 20 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 - 49 50 - 54 55 - 59 60 - 64 65 - 69 70 - 74 75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 Victoria Age Cohort (Years) Metro
Source: Victoria in Future 2000 The Shire had a higher projected percentage of 10-14 year olds and 50 to 89 year olds than regional or metropolitan Victoria and the State for 2001. The LGA also has the lowest projection percentage of 15-44 year age grouping. According to the 1996 ABS Population Census, there were 0.49 percent male and 0.34 percent female indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) people living in the Shire in 1996. This is less than the percentage of indigenous people who were living in the Region at the same time (0.55% male and 0.58% female). The highest number of indigenous persons was in the 0 to 9 year age group (30% of all indigenous persons), followed by the 10 to 19 year age group (22.6%). As outlined in the Department of Human Services’ Regional Demographic Profile2 these figures are likely to be under-estimates, which should be borne in mind when using these data. Figure 9 shows the gender population comparison for people living in the Shire in 1996. There were more males in the 0 to 24 age group and more females in the 25 plus age group. Overall, on Census night there were 199 more females than males in the Shire.
2 A Regional Demographic Profile of the Loddon Mallee Region: Interim Report. Bendigo: Loddon Mallee Regional Planning Branch
23 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 9 Population Gender Comparison by Age Cohort for Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, La Trobe University Bendigo
Figure 10 shows the projected population changes for the Shire between 2001 and 2021. The dominant feature of this graph is the population increase in the 55 year plus age cohort over the twenty year period, while the under 55 year age cohort declines over the same period.
Figure 10 Projected Population Changes for Central Goldfields (S) 2001-2021
1400
1200
2001 1000 2006 800 2011 600 2016 2021 400 Number of Persons 200
0 90+ 0 - 4 10-14 20 - 24 30 - 34 40 - 44 50 - 54 60 - 64 70 - 74 80 - 84 Age Cohorts
Source: Victoria in Future 2000
24 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
5.2 Migration
Figures 11 and 12 summarise migration between the Shire and Melbourne Statistical Division, and the Shire and interstate. Overall, more people moved from Melbourne to the Shire than from the Shire to Melbourne between 1991 and 1996. However, for the 10 to 24 year age cohort, approximately twice as many moved to Melbourne than from Melbourne to the Central Goldfields Shire. The highest number of migrations between Melbourne and the Shire in a particular age group occurred with people aged 25 to 64 years (485), who moved from Melbourne to the Shire. Figure 11 Migration between Central Goldfields (S) and Melbourne from 1991 to 1996
900 800 In 1991 lived in Central 700 600 Goldfields (S) and in 1996 500 lived in Melbourne 400 In 1991 lived in Melbourne 300 SD and in 1996 lived in 200 Central Goldfields (S) 100 0 0-9 10-24 25-64 65+ Total
Source: ABS 1996.
Figure 12 Migration between Central Goldfields (S) and Interstate from 1991 to 1996
600
500 In 1991 lived in Central 400 Goldfields (S) and in 1996 lived Interstate 300
200 In 1991 lived outside Victoria and in 1996 lived in Central 100 Goldfields (S) 0 0-9 10-24 25-64 65+ Total
Source: ABS 1996.
More people moved from the Shire to other regions of Victoria (excluding the Loddon Mallee Region and Melbourne) between 1991 and 1996 (696), than those who moved from Victoria to the Shire (502). More people also moved from the Shire to the rest of the Region between 1991 and 1996 (681), than vice versa (409). Interstate migration was also an exodus, as twice as many people moved from the Shire in 1991 to interstate in 1996 (543), as vice versa (336). Of all age groups, the 25 to 64 year old age group were the most mobile between 1991 and 1996.
5.3 Birthplace Table 1 shows the birthplace of people living in the Shire in 1996. The majority of people were born in Australia (89.8%), with the next two highest percentages coming from the United Kingdom (3.8%) and New Zealand (0.6%).
25 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 1 Birthplace by Age Cohort in Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Birth Place Total 0-14 years 15-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years 65-69 years 70-74 years 75 years Plus
Australia 2552 1281 1286 1447 1374 1142 602 541 818 11043 Germany, Federal Rep. 0 0 0 7 10 18 8 5 4 52 Italy 0 0 0 3 4 9 5 3 0 24 Netherlands 0 4 0 4 16 16 7 6 3 56 New Zealand 5 8 13 17 7 8 9 0 4 71 Philippines 3 5 3 5 6 0 0 0 0 22 United Kingdom 7 11 29 86 104 102 49 39 44 471 Born elsewhere o'seas 3 5 4 11 15 24 9 4 6 81 Not stated 78 36 41 50 24 51 21 29 42 372 Total 2634 13411367 1621 1551 1361 706 623 996 12192 Source: CDATA96 The most common languages spoken at home for Shire residents in 1996 are shown in Table 2. Of these languages, English (98.5%), Italian and German (0.3%) were the most commonly spoken at home. Approximately equal numbers of males and females spoke these languages at home. Table 2 Most Common Languages Spoken At Home in Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Language Spoken Male Female Persons Speaks English only 5360 5542 10902 German 19 19 38 Italian 18 16 34 Netherlandic 13 14 27 Greek 11 9 20 Chinese languages: Total 5 7 12 French 7 5 12 Macedonian 4 7 11 Spanish 5 6 11 Total 5442 5625 11067
Source: CDATA96.
26 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
5.4 Birth Data
Between 1995 and 2000, approximately three-quarters of the live births in the Shire were born to mothers in the Maryborough SLA. There is a slight downward trend in live births over the six year period. (Figure 13) Figure 13 Number of Live Births, Central Goldfields Shire, Maryborough SLA and the Balance of the Shire, 1995-2000.
175 150 125 Maryborough 100 Balance of Shire 75
50 Central Goldfields Shire 25 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Source: Perinatal Data Unit DHS 2001 Note: It is the policy of the Perinatal Unit not to release figures on any item where the actual number is less than five as this is potentially identifying and replace the actual figure with <5 and this will affect the Balance of Shire figures slightly. Please note that these figures are approximate only and change each year due to the ABS changing the proportional allocation of postcodes to LGAs. The percentage of teenage pregnancies (19 years old and younger) was significantly higher in the Shire in the six year period between 1995 and 2000 than Victoria, as shown in Table 3. Table 3 Teenage Births in Central Goldfields (S) and Victoria 1995 - 2000
Central Goldfields Victoria % of births % of in Central births in Year No. Goldfields No. Victoria 1995 12 7.8 2212 3.4 1996 15 10.8 2137 3.4 1997 6 4.2 2045 3.3 1998 9 6.9 3000 3.4 1999 12 8.1 2030 3.2 2000 16 12.6 2035 3.2 Source: Perinatal Data Collection Unit 2001 Note: This table relates to all births, not just live births
27 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
5.5 Education
Figure 14 A G Leech Kindergarten The Central Goldfields Shire has a high rate of attendance at preschool, with 95.4% of preschool aged children attending preschool in 2001. The anticipated enrolments for 2002 of 156 children represent 89.1% of the preschool population. One service in Maryborough has experienced a decline in numbers of children attending over recent years.
Preschools conduct significant fund raising although DHS provides funds for the preschool. Smaller services in particular can struggle to raise the minimum target of $3,000 set for the Committees of Management. In 2000 one preschool experienced difficulty attracting qualified staff, but since that time staffing has remained stable.
The number of Health Care Card (HCC) holders in the Shire Was significantly higher than the rest of the Region in 2001 as shown in Tables 4 and 5. The increased government subsidy for Health Care Card holders has enhanced the capacity of low-income families to participate in a preschool program.
The Goldfields Children’s Centre, a long day childcare centre, operated by the Central Goldfields Shire continues to operate at near capacity with limited vacancies available and a waiting list exists. There is currently a demand for places for children over three years of age. A limited number of workers with families work at the Nestlé centre, so it is expected there will be little impact at the childcare centre when the Nestlé centre closes.
The Family Day Care service is currently experiencing difficulties recruiting sufficient carers particularly in the outlying towns especially Dunolly. This service is also operating at capacity.
It is possible that a centrally located affordable occasional child care service in Maryborough could provide occasional child care services for a number of families currently not able to access part time care. This would allow increased usage by the non-working population. There is a need for innovative child care service models in small communities.
28 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 4 Pre-School Enrolments and Health Care Card Holders in Central Goldfields (S) July to September 2001
Funded No. Health % Health Care Pre-School in Central Goldfields Enrolments Cards Card Holders Dunolly Preschool Inc. 25 22 88% A.G. Leech Kindergarten 54 33 61% Californian Gully Kindergarten 43 21 49% T.L. Stone Memorial Kindergarten 27 20 74% Back Creek Kindergarten 19 15 79% Total 168 111 66% Loddon Mallee Region 3958 1702 43%
Source: DHS CHISOL System 2001
Table 5 Proposed 2002 Preschool Enrolments and Health Care Cards in Central Goldfields (S)
Number of % of Health Funded Preschool Health Care Care Card Enrolments Cards Holders Dunolly Preschool Inc. 17 14 82.4 A.G. Leech 50 27 54.0
Californian Gully Kindergarten 56 19 33.9 T.L. Stone Memorial Kindergarten 15 10 66.7 Back Creek Kindergarten 18 15 83.3
Total 156 85 54.5% Source: Department of Human Services Loddon Mallee Region Community Care Unit 2002. Table 6 shows enrolment numbers between 1998 and 2001 for pre-schools, primary schools, secondary colleges and technical campuses in the Shire. There are five pre-schools, eight primary schools, two secondary colleges, and a Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (BRIT) campus in the Shire. Table 6 Pre-School, Primary School, Secondary College, and Technical Campus Enrolment Numbers in Central Goldfields (S) 1998-2001 School Type Enrolmen Enrolment Enrolment Enrolment t 1998 1999 2000 2001 Dunolly Preschool Pre-School 22 23 17 25 A G Leech Kindergarten Pre-School 52 58 47 54 Californian Gully Kindergarten Pre-School 49 49 42 43 T.L. Stone Memorial Kindergarten Pre-School 27 28 23 27 Back Creek Kindergarten Pre-School 19 13 18 19 Maryborough Primary School Primary 440 424 429 418 Bealiba Primary School Primary 42 40 35 28 Talbot Primary School Primary 75 67 72 80 Carisbrook Primary School Primary 151 140 145 134.4 Timor Primary School Primary 34 32 32 35 Wareek Primary School Primary 33 26 23 15 Dunolly Primary School Primary 123 123 128 109 Maryborough East Primary School Primary 195 188 180 178.4 Maryborough Specialist School Special N/A 15.8 12.4 13.7 Maryborough Regional College Secondary 979 957 940 952.5
29 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Highview Christian College Secondary N/A 373 373 357 BRIT Post Sec. N/A 600 501 540 Note: The decimal fractions refer to part-time enrolments Key: NA= not available or obtained for this publication Source: Department of Education 2001; Personal Communication with Highview Christian College and BRIT Maryborough Campus 2001. There was an overall decrease of 95.2 enrolments in the primary schools from 1998 to 2001 and a smaller decrease in secondary college enrolments of 20.5 from 1999 to 2001. Enrolments at BRIT Maryborough campus have also declined since 1999. Figure 15 shows the percentage of persons with qualifications in Central Goldfields (S) compared to the rest of the Region and the Loddon and Mallee Statistical Divisions. The number of Central Goldfields residents with an Associate Diploma or higher (23.2%) is below the rest of the Region. However, the Shire has a higher proportion with Vocational qualification (40.3%) than the rest of the Region. The high proportion of Not Stated makes closer comparison problematic.
Figure 15 Qualification of Central Goldfields (S), Loddon and Mallee Statistical Divisions (SD) and Campaspe (S) 1996 (Percent)
40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% Percentage 10% 5% 0%
Higher Degree Post Degree Basic Degree Under- Bachelor Skilled Diploma graduate Diploma Graduate Associate Vocational Vocational Not Stated Described
Qualification Inadequately
Central Goldfields (S) Loddon CD Mallee CD Campaspe
Source: CDATA96
Note: Loddon SD includes Central Goldfields, City of Greater Bendigo, Loddon Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire and Mt. Alexander Shire. Mallee SD includes Buloke Shire, Gannawarra Shire, Mildura Rural City and Swan Hill Rural City. Campaspe Shire forms part of the Goulburn SD, from which figures have been extracted.
30 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
5.6 Agricultural Activity
Figure 16 Sheep Farming in Central Goldfields Shire
Although agriculture is not a large employment sector in the Shire (8.3%), there were 220 agricultural establishments in the Shire with an agricultural production for 1996-97 of over $20.4 million.3 Sheep farming is the most common agricultural activity in the Shire, comprising 70 (33.2%) of establishments, closely followed by Grain-sheep/beef cattle farming with 69 (31.4%) establishments. The largest land area associated with agricultural activity was for Grain- sheep/beef cattle farming (46,422 ha, or 50.7%), followed by Sheep farming (29,012 ha, or 31.7%) and a distant third Sheep-beef cattle farming (6,068 ha, or 6.6%). (Table 7) Table 7 Selected Agricultural Activities by SLA for Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Maryborough SLA Balance SLA Agricultural Activity No. of Establish Area No. of Area Establish (ha) (ha) Plant nurseries 1 1 0 0 Grape growing 1 97 0 0 Grain growing 0 0 7 2,176 Grain-sheep/beef cattle farming 0 0 69 46,422 Sheep-beef cattle farming 3 333 12 5,735 Sheep farming 3 1,264 70 27,748 Beef cattle farming 0 0 22 3,470 Dairy cattle farming 0 0 3 643 Poultry farming (meat) 0 0 0 0 Poultry farming (eggs) 0 0 2 97 Pig farming 0 0 4 351 Horse farming 0 0 4 260 Deer farming 0 0 1 110 Livestock farming n.e.c. 9 0 7 1,907 Crop & plant growing n.e.c. 0 0 2 871 Total agriculture 17 1,694 203 89,790 Source: ABS 31 March 1996: Area of Establishments with Agricultural Activity by Industry. Key: No of Establish = Number of Establishments; ha = hectare; nec = not elsewhere classified.
3 Research Planning Design Group. (June 1999). North Central Victoria Regional Profile. Bendigo: Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, p 71.
31 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC 6.1 Socio-Economic Disadvantage The Australian Bureau of Statistics has created a suite of Socio-Economic Indicators for Areas (SEIFA)4 from the Census of Population and Housing. These indicators can be used to rank areas at a number of geographic levels, from Collection Districts (CD) to States. The most commonly used index, the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSED), summarises attributes such as low income, low educational attainment, high unemployment and jobs in relatively unskilled occupations The higher values indicate less disadvantage and lower values indicate greater disadvantage. (Table 8) Table 8 Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage by LGA for Loddon Mallee Region 2000
LGA IRSED (96 )
Buloke (S) 1,017 Campaspe (S) 1,000 Central Goldfields (S) 928 Gannawarra (S) 999 Greater Bendigo (C) 990 Loddon (S) 977 Macedon Ranges (S) 1,062 Mildura (RC) 973 Mount Alexander (S) 971 Swan Hill (RC) 985
Loddon Mallee 990 Rural 998 Source: ABS SEIFA 1996 Victoria 1,015 Central Goldfields (S) had the lowest IRSED score in the Region.
6.2 Social Issues There are a number of social issues that may affect the well being of a community. Because of the limited availability of data, only selected social issues will be presented in this section, including alcohol consumption, gambling, crime, suicide and child protection.
6.2.1 Alcohol Consumption According to a Regional report on alcohol consumption and harm,5 Central Goldfields (S) had 35 licensed premises in the years 1994/95 – 1995/96 or an outlet density of 34.95 per 10,000 population, whilst the Region and Victoria both had outlet densities of 26.91 per 10,000. Of the 35 licensed premises in the Shire, 37 percent were Hotels and Bars, 20 percent of them were on- premises licenses and 14 percent were packaged liquor sites (ie bottleshops). (The Loddon Shire
4 Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas: Information Paper ABS Publication No. 2,039.0 5 Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre. (1998). Loddon Mallee Region: Profile of Alcohol Consumption and Harm.
32 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields had a similar number of licensed premises to Central Goldfields however the make up is quite different) Figure 17 The Bull and Mouth Restaurant and Holiday Unit Located in Talbot opposite the Talbot Town Hall, Ballarat Street North.
In 1994/95 – 1995/96, the per capita consumption of alcohol (litres of absolute alcohol per person per annum) in the Shire was 7.43 litres/person/annum, which is below the Regional rate of 8.46 and the Victorian rate of 7.82 litres. As shown in Table 9, Central Goldfields has a higher rate of alcohol related hospital admissions than the Regional and Victorian rate per 10,000 population. During the 1998/99 - 1999/00 period there were 36.9 admissions per 10,000 population, compared with 30.8 for the Region and 33.0 for Victoria. Table 10 also shows that on the standardised rate of Alcohol Related bed days, Central Goldfields (S) residents required a longer length of stay than the average for the Region or Victoria. Table 9 Alcohol related hospital admissions in Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria, 1998/99 - 1999/00
Total number of Annual rate per Area cases 10,000 Central Goldfields (S) 94 36.9 Loddon Mallee Region 1,753 30.8 Victoria 31,092 33.0
Source: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook (Volume 3) Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity in Victoria, Turning Point Monograph Series No 3 1996 - 1999
Table 10 Alcohol related hospital bed days Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria 1998/99-1999/00
Total number of Annual rate per Area cases 10,000 Central Goldfields (S) 435 171.3 Loddon Mallee Region 8,197 143.9 Victoria 147,040 156.2
Source: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook (Volume 3) Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity in Victoria, Turning Point Monograph Series No 3 1996 - 1999 Central Goldfields has a higher standardised rate of alcohol related death s (1.7) than Victoria (1.6) however it is less than Regional rate (1.8) as shown in Table 11.
33 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 11 Alcohol related deaths for Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria 1996-1999
Total number of Annual rate per Area cases 10,000 Central Goldfields (S) 9 1.7* Loddon Mallee Region 202 1.8 Victoria 2,990 1.6
Source: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook (Volume 3) Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity in Victoria, Turning Point Monograph Series No 3 1996 – 1999 *The numerically small number of deaths makes this comparison statistically problematic.
6.2.2 Crime A total of 5,500 criminal offences were recorded in the Shire between 1994/95 and 1998/99 and 1,355 in 2000/01. Table 12 provides the number of criminal offences by postcodes in the Shire between 1994/95 and 1998/99 with crime against property being the most frequent offence in all areas of the Shire and accounting for 66% of offences. Crime against the person was 14%, while Drug related crime accounted for only 3% of offences. Maryborough had the majority of crime in the LGA with 77% of recorded offences, while Dunolly had 14%. Table 13 shows the percentage breakdown of crime over the same period.
Table 12 Number and Type of criminal offence by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) 1994/95 – 1998/99
Crime Crime Drug POST Against Against Related Other
CODE POSTCODE NAME Person Property Crime Crime Total 3371 Talbot/Amherst/Burnbank 31 135 5 22 193 3464 Carisbrook 25 105 7 31 168 3465 Maryborough 619 2769 126 767 4281 3472 Dunolly/Bromley/Betley 60 577 28 97 762 3475 Bealiba/Burkes Flat 18 61 6 11 96 TOTAL 753 3647 172 928 5500
Source: Victorian Police Crime Statistics, 1994-1999.
Central Goldfields has the highest rate of crime per 100,000 population in the Loddon Mallee Region as shown in Table 13, suggesting that crime may be a key issue for the Shire. This is reinforced in the adjacent table of statewide rankings, where Central Goldfields (S) is ranked tenth highest LGA and the second highest rural LGA for crimes per 100,000 population.
34 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 13 Offences Recorded per 100,000 population in Loddon Mallee LGAs 2000-2001 and the top ten ranked LGAs of offences per 100,000 population 2000-2001.
LGA (ranked) Rate per 100,000 LGA (ranked) Metro/Rural Rate per 100,000 Central Goldfields 10,764.2 Melbourne Metro 82,056.0 Swan Hill 9,115.9 Yarra Metro 22,804.1 Mildura 8,967.5 Port Phillip Metro 21,353.9 Campaspe 7,578.6 Maribyrnong Metro 18,720.6 Greater Bendigo 7,245.4 Stonnington Metro 16,357.3 Macedon Ranges 6,982.6 La Trobe Rural 13,140.3 Greater Mt Alexander 6,474.8 Dandenong Metro 12,684.5 Gannawarra 4,997.0 Darebin Metro 12,187.8 Loddon 4,547.0 Frankston Metro 11,103.0 Buloke 3,082.0 Central Goldfields Rural 10,764.2
Source: Victoria Police 2001
Alcohol Related Crime
Central Goldfields (S) has a much higher rate of comparative alcohol related assault and this is shown consistently in all categories of Offender Residence, Victim Residence and Assault Location being generally double the Victorian rate and constantly higher than the Regional Rate. (Table 14) Table 14 Rate of Alcohol Related Assault per 10,000 residents for Central Goldfields (S), Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria for Offender Residence, Victim Residence and Assault Location Offender Victim Assault Residence Residence Location Area 1995/96- 1994/95- 1995/96- 1997/98- 1997/98- 1993/94- 1996/97 1995/96 1996/97 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 Central Goldfields 28.48 21.1 17.43 16.02 23.13 20.42 Loddon Mallee Region 12.65 16.43 11.35 11.55 12.73 13.51 Victoria 9.21 9.82 8.63 8.7 9.28 9.48
Source: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook, Alcohol-Related Serious Road Injury and Assault in Victoria 1992-1999.
The Local Safety Survey 2001 conducted by Crime Prevention Victoria indicated that 59% of respondents in Central Goldfields stated there was more crime than five years ago and 55% considered that crime was a problem in their area to a ‘great’ or ‘moderate’ extent. .
6.2.3 Gambling A number of Victorian Gambling Acts in the early 1990s, provided a framework for regulating gaming activities in the State, including the stipulation that 20 percent of electronic gaming machines (EGMs) be located outside the Melbourne Statistical Division (SD).6 In 1996 however, a Ministerial Directive stipulated that a ceiling be placed on the number of EGMs operating in venues outside the Melbourne Crown Casino (27,500 at that stage), until the Victorian Casino
6 Problem Gambling Research Program, Department of Human Services. (1999). Demographic profile, gambling activity and service use of clients presenting to Break Even Problem Gambling Counselling Services. Melbourne: Youth and Family Services Division, Victorian Government Department of Human Services.
35 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields and Gaming Authority (VCGA) undertook some comprehensive research.13 The Problem Gambling Service Strategy (PGSS), which was implemented in 1993 and has been developing ever since, targets people who have been adversely affected by gambling activity. The PGSS has established a number of services for this group of people, including:
• Counselling services,
• Gamblers Help line, a free 24-hour telephone counselling and referral service
• A research program to provide info information and inform appropriate service responses.
• Community education
• Media Campaigns There are two venues in Central Goldfields Shire containing EGMs. These venues are – Maryborough Golf Club 50 EGMs Maryborough Highland Society 64 EGMs Source: Office of Gambling Regulation website http://www.ogr.vic.gov.au/domino/web_notes/ogr/OGRMaps.nsf/VOLS/V9310089 The Shire of Central Goldfields (along with the Shires of Mt. Alexander and Loddon) has a lower rate of EGMs per 1000 population than Country Victoria and Metropolitan Melbourne. Within the Region, these three Shires have the second lowest EGM per 1000 population (18+) and the third lowest Net EGM expenditure per 1000 (18+) population. (Table 15). Table 15 Details of Gambling Information for the Shires of Central Goldfields, Loddon, Mt. Alexander, Country Victoria, Melbourne Metropolitan and total Victoria. Shires of Central Country Melbourne Total Region/Area Goldfields Loddon Victoria Metropolitan Victoria and Mt. Alexander* 2001 Population Projection 39,155 1,316,075 3,454,339 4,770,414 2001 Population (18+) Projection 29,422 974,017 2,664,449 3,638,466 Number of Venues 3 196 341 537 Number of Electronic Gaming Machines 144 7,438 20,006 27,444 Total Net Expenditure 2000-01 $9,620,272 $487,970,463 $1,878,046,121 $2,366,016,584 Population per venue 13,052 6,715 10,130 8,883 Population (18+) per venue 9,807 4,969 7,814 6,776 Net EGM expenditure per 1000 $245,697 $370,777 $543,677 $495,977
Net EGM expenditure per 1000 (18+) $326,975 $500,988 $704,853 $650,279 EGM per 1000 3.7 5.7 5.8 5.8 EGM per 1000 (18+) 4.9 7.6 7.5 7.5
Source: Office of Gambling Regulation website http://www.ogr.vic.gov.au/domino/web_notes/ogr/ogrsite.nsf/pages/ogrhome * Denotes the statistics for that Local Government Area (LGA) are cumulative with other Local Government Areas and includes Mt. Alexander and Loddon Shires. EGM denotes the total number of electronic gaming machines licensed as at 30 December 2000. Population Figures Source: Victoria in Future Population Projections, Department of Infrastructure (DOI) - Estimated Resident Population by New Local Government Areas (LGA) 2001) Disclaimer: Care must be taken in using any figure for an LGA involving net expenditure and population as the expenditure per person in an LGA has not taken into account the amount of expenditure coming from persons not residential to the LGA.
36 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
6.2.4 Suicide In Australia, there are now more deaths from suicide than from motor vehicle accidents, with more than 2,000 suicides a year.7 Suicide is currently the leading cause of death by injury in Australia.8 Suicide is a complex, multi-faceted behaviour; and there is no one reason why a person ends their life. Suicide, which is defined as a self-inflicted, intentional act resulting in death, was once considered a religious and moral issue, but is now seen as a social problem. According to the CVHA Community Health Plan, the rate of completed suicide in the Shire in 1996 was 6.7 per 1,000, higher than the Regional rate of 5.0 per 1,000 and higher again than the Victorian Rate of 4.1 per 1,000. A Regional DHS report on suicide prevention, which highlighted the need for community-based suicide prevention programs, particularly in rural and remote areas, was published in April 1999. An action plan based on the recommendations in this report was developed and released in May 2001. Young rural males, young gay people, Aboriginal and other cultural groups, and older people, were some of the groups identified as requiring further research. The actions in the report cover areas of conceptual approaches, service delivery, education and research. A suicide prevention model, developed and detailed in the report, recognises the need to provide a continuum of services while emphasising resiliency and connectedness – promoting a population-based approach toward suicide prevention.
6.2.5 Child Protection
Anyone can notify the Department of their concerns for the safety and well-being of any child. The Department must then respond to the notification within the statutory period. Several notifications may relate to the same family. Of the 228 notifications received in Central Goldfields (S) in 2000-2001, protective interventions were necessary with less than twenty families. Over half of these had been subject to two or more protective interventions and may already be receiving services from community-based agencies.
Figure 18 shows the percentage age distribution of the child protection notifications for Central Goldfields (S) for the six year period 1995/96 to 2000/01. Figure 18 Age Distribution of Child Protection Notifications in Central Goldfields Shire between 1995/1996 and 2000/2001.
Source: Loddon Mallee Internal Child Protection Resource Base 2000 (GL Analysis)
7 Loddon Mallee Regional Planning Branch. (May 2001). Connections: Suicide Prevention in the Loddon Mallee Region. Bendigo: Loddon Mallee Regional Department of Human Services (www.dhs.vic.gov.au/regional/loddon/publications/publications.htm). 8 Suicide Prevention Task Force. (1997). Suicide prevention: Victorian Task Force Report. Melbourne: Information Victoria.
37 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
6.2.6 Socio-Cultural Well-being
Central Goldfields Shire has a strong commitment to the provision of sporting activities, with a wide range of sporting facilities in the shire. These include Nestle Sports & Fitness Centre, Tullaroop Leisure Centre, Carisbrook Raceway, Maryborough Tennis Centre, Maryborough skate-park and velodrome. As well as golf courses at Maryborough, and Talbot, all towns have excellent bowling greens, as well as swimming pools in Maryborough, Talbot and Dunolly.
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has a wide-ranging involvement with youth in the Shire. This includes Dramatics (youth drama group), Maryborough FReeZA group and the Skate Park Group. These groups were involved in a number of activities and excursions both in the Shire and at other locations within the region and in Melbourne. The RACV Energy Breakthrough is a national event attracting up to 20,000 participants and spectators in a solar and pedal vehicles competition aimed at school children and young adults.
The Shire also hosted the World Gold Panning Championships, the Victorian Scottish Union Conference, Veterans Cycling Classic and the re-enactment of the Robe to Bendigo Chinese Walk in 2000/2001. Regular community events include Monthly Tourist markets, a quarterly sports award dinner and Country and Western music events A Central Goldfields Shire Council Leisure Services Guide is published annually. For further information contact the Shire web page: http://www.centralgoldfields.com.au/recreation.htm Religious affiliations remain important sources of community support. Table 16 shows the number of persons and percentage by religion in the Shire in 1996. In comparison to Rural Victoria, Central Goldfields has a higher percentage of Anglicans and a lower percentage of Catholics. Table 16 Religion in Central Goldfields (S) and Rural Victoria 1996
Religion Central Goldfields Rural Victoria Anglican 3,431 (27.9%) (20.2%) Roman Catholic 2,198 (17.9%) (25.9%) Uniting Church 1,797 (14.6%) (12.4%) Presbyterian & Reformed 661 (5.4%) (5.6%) Churches of Christ 189 (1.5%) (0.6%) Total Christian 8,843 (71.8%) (71.8%) Total non-Christian 58 (0.5%) (0.7%) No Religion 2,273 (18.5%) (18.0%) Inadequately desc and not-stated 1,134 (9.2%) (9.5%) Total 12,308 (100.0%)(100.0%) Key: No. = number; % = percentage; Rural Victoria = Victoria outside metropolitan Melbourne. Source: Regional Victoria In Fact, Department of Infrastructure, 1998.
There were slightly more Uniting Church members in the Shire (14.6%) compared to Rural Victoria (12.4%) in 1996. It has been estimated by R Croucher in 1999 that 12 percent of Australian Christians attend places of worship on any given Sunday.9 For the Shire, this would mean about 1,000 worshippers of the 8,900 total identified worshippers of all denominations.
9 Croucher, R. (1999). How many go to church each week in Australia?
38 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
6.2.7 Labour Force Status Small Area Labour Markets10 – June Quarter shows the total labour force at June 2001 for Central Goldfields (S) was 5,326 persons, of whom, 3,124 were in Maryborough SLA and 2,202 in the Balance SLA. The unemployment rate at June 2001 was 11.5% (11.0% in Maryborough SLA and 12.3% in the Balance SLA. Whilst there has been a small decrease in unemployment from June 2000 to June 2001, the unemployment rate is significantly higher than Victoria (6.0%) and Australia (6.4%) respectively. (Figure 19). Central Goldfields (S) has two of the three highest unemployment rates for SLAs in the Region. Figure 19 Unemployment Percentage of Labour Force in Central Goldfields SLAs, Victoria and Australia June 2000 – June 2001.
15
12
9
6
3 Unemployment Percentage
0 Jun-00 Sep-00 Dec-00 Mar-01 Jun-01 Quarter
Central Goldfields- Maryborough Central Goldfields- Balance Victoria Australia
Source: Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business publication Small Area Labour Markets Australia June Quarter 2001 Figure 20 shows the labour force status of males by age cohort in the Shire in 1996, and Figure 21 shows this for females. For males in the Shire in 1996, the high number of men not in the workforce (1,851) is of interest. For females, the number not in the workforce (2,938) is higher than the full time or part time females (1,611). There were fewer females unemployed than males, but the non-participation rate is higher among females. Figure 20 Labour Force Status for Males by Age Cohorts for Central Goldfields (S) 1996.
600 500 400
300
200
100
0 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-69 70-74 75+
years years years years years years years years years
Employed Full-time Employed Part-time Unemployed Total Not. in the labour force
Source: CDATA96 Table B18. Note: Full-time employment is defined as having worked 35 hours or more in all jobs during the week prior to Census night. Unemployed is defined at those who stated they were looking for either full-time of part-time employment.
10 Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business
39 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 21 Labour Force Status for Females by Age Cohorts for Central Goldfields (S) 1996
600 500 400 300
200 100 0 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-69 70-74 75+ years years years years years years years years years
Employed Full-time Employed Part-time Unemployed Total Not. in the labour force
Source: CDATA96 Table B18. Note: Full-time employment is defined as having worked 35 hours or more in all jobs during the week prior to Census night. Unemployed is defined at those who stated they were looking for either full-time of part-time employment.
6.2.8 Occupation Type and Industry
Figure 22 McPherson’s is the largest printer in Maryborough, where printing is a major industry.
Figure 23 shows the occupation type for employed persons in the Shire in 1996. The occupational type with the highest number of males (total for all ages) was Tradespersons and related. There were more females than males in the Professional and Clerical Sales and Service categories. The second largest occupational type for males was Intermediate Production and Transport (14%) with five other categories between 10 and 11%. Farmers are included in the Managers and Administrators employment category.
40 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 23 Grouped Occupation Type for Employed persons by Gender in Central Goldfields (S) 1996 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
Related Rel. Not stated Admin. Trnsp described Associate
Sales/Serv Advanced Interm. Elem. Cleric, & Labourers Inadequately Professionals Professionals Clerical/Serv
Managers and Interm. Prod'n & Prod'n Interm. & Tradespersons Cleric,Sales/Serv
Total Male Total Female Source: CDATA96 Table B20.
Figure 24 shows the number of males and females in the Shire by industry type in 1996. The industry type employing most males (769) and females (345) was Manufacturing. Retail Trade was the second highest category with 615 persons with an even gender spread of 302 males and 313 females. The third highest industry type was Health and Community Services where the majority employed were females (294 females, 59 males). Figure 24 Industry Type by Gender for Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Not stated Non-classif econ. units Personal & Other Servs Cultural & Rec. Servs Health & Comm. Servs Education Total Female Govt Admin & Defence Total Male Property & Busin. Finance and Insurance Communication Servs Transport and Storage Accom, Cafes & Industry Type Retail Trade Wholesale Trade Construction Elec, Gas & Water Manufacturing Mining Agric, Frstry & Fshng
Number in Industry Type 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Key: Non-classif econ units = Non-classifiable economic units; Rec = Recreational; Comm = Community; Govt Admin = Government Administration; Bus = Business; Accom = Accommodation; Elec = Electricity; Agric = Agriculture. Source: CDATA96 Table B19.
41 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
6.2.9 Household and Individual Income The most common weekly household income grouping in Central Goldfields (S) in 1996 was $120 to $299 (30.8% of households), with the majority of these (58.5%) comprising Non-family Households. The second highest was the $300 to $499 which comprises of 23.9% of households and the bulk of this category is Family Households (78.7%) Figure 25 shows the quantity against each income group and the relationship between Family and Non-Family Households. Figure 25 Grouped Household Income by Household Type for Central Goldfields (S) 1996
1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
Group in income Number
$1-$119
$120-$299 $300-$499 $500-$699 $700-$999 stated(b) $2,000 or-more All incomes not incomes All $1,000 - $1,499 - $1,000 $1,999 - $1,500 Neg/Nil income Weekly Household Income
Family H'holds: Total Non-family H'holds Total Partial income stated(a)
Key: Neg/Nil Income = No income. Source: CDATA96, B23. (a) Comprises households where at least one, but not all, member(s) aged 15 years and over did not state an income and/or at least one spouse, child or co-tenant was temporarily absent. (b) Comprises households where no members present stated an income.
Table 17 shows the individual taxable income for residents in the Shire in the 1995/96 financial year for the main postcodes in the Central Goldfields Shire. The average individual taxable income for residents in the Shire in 1995/96 was $24,382, whereas in the Region it was $26,098 and in Victoria, $30,356. The range of average individual taxable incomes for the individual postcodes in the Shire was $21,662 (3475 Bealiba) to $25,855 (3464 Carisbrook). All the listed postcodes in the Shire were below the Regional and State Average. 22.9% were in the Non- Taxable category. Table 17 Taxable Income Details for the Main Postcodes in the Central Goldfields Shire 1996 Non-Taxables Taxables Taxable Mean Taxable Postcode Number Number Income $ Income $ 3371 Talbot 119 272 6,407,838 23,558 3464 Carisbrook 111 379 9,799,122 25,855 3465 Maryborough 966 3,592 88,960,971 24,766 3472 Dunolly 194 516 11,223,771 21,751 3475 Bealiba 66 131 2,837,720 21,662 Totals 1,456 4 890 119,229,422 24,382
Source: Taxation Statistics 1996-97 Table 13: Individuals
42 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
6.2.10 Pensions and Benefits During the June quarter of 2000, 758 individuals in the Shire received Disability Support Pensions (Table 18). The highest numbers of individuals from the one postcode receiving this pension were 527 (69.5%) from Maryborough, 89 (11.7%) from Dunolly and 72 (9.5%) from Talbot. Table 18 Disability Support Pension by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000
Number of Postcode Principal Location Pensions 3371 Talbot/Amherst/Burnbank 72 3464 Carisbrook 44 3465 Maryborough 527 3472 Dunolly/Bromley/Betley 89 3475 Bealiba/Burkes Flat 26 Total 758
Source: SuperSTAR for Windows Populations 2000 Qtr 2 Table 1Postcode by Payment Type for Customers, Victoria: During the same period, 736 persons received Rental Assistance (see Table 19). Again, Maryborough had the highest percentage receiving this pension, being (72.1%) with Dunolly (9.9%) and Talbot (8.3%) (109.
Table 19 Pension Rental Assistance by Postcodes for Central Goldfields (S) June 2000
Rent Postcode Principal Location Assistance 3371 Talbot/Amherst/Burnbank 61 3464 Carisbrook 50 3465 Maryborough 531 3472 Dunolly/Bromley/Betley 73 3475 Bealiba/Burkes Flat 21 Total 736
Source: SuperSTAR for Windows Populations 2000 Qtr 2 Table 1Postcode by Payment Type for Customers, Victoria:
736 persons in the Shire received Newstart Allowances, with Maryborough (531) and Dunolly (73) as the principal locations. Individuals receiving the Youth Allowance were mostly Maryborough based with much lower figures in the other postcode areas in the LGA, (Table 20).
43 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 20 Newstart, Newstart Mature Age Allowance and Youth Allowance by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000
Newstart Youth Postcode Principle Allowance and Allowance Newstart MAA
3371 Talbot / Amherst / Burnbank 75 25 3464 Carisbrook 42 16 3465 Maryborough 486 272 3472 Dunolly / Bromley / Betley 139 41 3475 Bealiba / Burkes Flat 35 12 Total 777 366
Source: SuperSTAR for Windows Populations 2000 Qtr 2 Table 1Postcode by Payment Type for Customers, Victoria: Table 21 shows the distribution of Aged Pensions by postcode in the Shire in June 2000. Of an estimated 2,577 persons aged 65 years and over in the Shire, 2,137 were in receipt of an Aged Pension.
Table 21 Aged Pension by Postcode in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000 Number of Postcode Principal Location Age Pensions 3371 Talbot/Amherst/Burnbank 142 3464 Carisbrook 117 3465 Maryborough 1564 3472 Dunolly/Bromley/Betley 258 3475 Bealiba/Burkes Flat 56 Total 2137
Source: SuperSTAR for Windows Populations 2000 Qtr 2 Table 1Postcode by Payment Type for Customers, Victoria: There were 428 people receiving Wives Pension, Partner Allowance and Carer Payments in the Shire in June 2001. The majority of these were living in Maryborough followed by Dunolly. (Table 22). Table 22 Wives Pension, Partner Allowance and Carer Payments by Postcodes in Central Goldfields (S) June 2000.
Postcode Principal Location Recipients
3371 Talbot/Amherst/Burnbank 42 3464 Carisbrook 25 3465 Maryborough 278 3472 Dunolly/Bromley/Betley 67 3475 Bealiba/Burkes Flat 16 Total 428
Source: SuperSTAR for Windows Populations 2000 Qtr 2 Table 1Postcode by Payment Type for Customers, Victoria:
44 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
7 HEALTH 7.1 Residential and Generalist Health Services
• The generalist health services in the Shire include the Maryborough District Health Service (public hospital Community Health Service), and several General Practices.
• There are two nursing homes and one hostel. The nursing homes are located at the Hospitals in Maryborough and Dunolly while the Hostel is located in Maryborough.
• The residential services include two Supported Residential Services, Princes Park Lodge in Maryborough and Talbot Lodge in Talbot. Table 23 shows the types of Health Related Services available. A full list can be found as Appendix 1.
Table 23 Residential and Generalist Health Services in Central Goldfields (S) 2001
Service Quantity Service Quantity Adult Day Centre 2 Home Maintenance (HACC) 1 Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) 1 Horse-Riding for People with 1 Disabilities Aged Hostel 1 Hospital Services 2 Aged Persons' Psychiatric Assessment Team 1 IDS (Residential Unit) 2 Ancillary Medical Services 1 Immunisation 1 Arthritis Support 1 Job Placement, Employment & 1 Training Program (JPET)) BreakEven Problem Gambling Service 1 Library Services 1 Breast-Feeding Support 1 Licence Restoration Program 1 Centrelink 1 Maternal & Child Health Nurse 7 Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) 1 Meals on Wheels (HACC) 1 Chiropractic 2 Men's Health Program 1 Community Accommodation Support 2 Needle & Syringe Program (NSP) 2 Community Health Education Program 1 Nursing Home 2 Community Health Nurse 1 Occupational Therapy 1 Community Outreach Support Service 2 Optometric Services 6 Community Services, Day Drop-In Centre 1 Palliative Care 1 Community Services, Psychiatric Disability Support 1 Pensioner Rate Rebates 1 Service Community Transport HACC 1 Personal Care (HACC) 1 Continuing Care 1 Pharmacy 2 Crisis Assessment & Treatment (CAT) 1 Recreational & Educational 1 Activities Dentistry 5 Red Cross 2 District Nursing Service 2 Respite Care 4 Drug & Alcohol Counselling 1 Rural Withdrawal Service 1 Education & Employment Programs 1 Sexual Health 1 Education Pathways: Student Enterprise 1 Sharps Disposal 1 Emergency Services (SES) 2 Social Support Program - Friendly 2 Visiting Enhanced Home Visiting 1 Special School 1 Environmental Health Services 1 Specialist Medical Services 1 Family Nutrition Worker 1 Support for Alcoholics 1 First Aid 1 Support Groups & Educational 1 Programs First Aid Training 1 Supported Employment, Job 1 Placement & Support FReeZA Events 1 Supported Residential Services (SRS) 2
45 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
General Medical Practitioner (GP) Services 12 VicRoads Information Service 1 Head Lice Treatment 1 Heads Together 1 Home Care (HACC) 1
Source: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
7.2 Hospital Admissions
There were 15,243 in-patient hospital separations for Central Goldfields residents in the three- year period from 1998/99, with an average of 5,081 per year. Table 24 shows the number of separations (a completed hospital visit) by age grouping and gender for Central Goldfields Residents for the same period. The three highest age groupings over the three-year period were the 70-74 years (10.1%) followed by the 65-69 years (9.6%) and 60-64 years (8.1%). These three age grouping account for 27.8% of separations. Table 24 Victorian Public Hospital Inpatient Separations Age Group by Sex for Residents of Central Goldfields Shire 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000/01 2000/2001 1999/2000 1998/1999 Age Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Group s s s s s s 00-04 169 97 266 162 128 290 180 164 344 05-09 39 41 80 46 29 75 57 87 144 10-14 38 35 73 58 38 96 49 46 95 15-19 56 90 146 44 79 123 60 103 163 20-24 65 110 175 162 95 257 166 90 256 25-29 202 96 298 104 114 218 63 114 177 30-34 87 119 206 58 139 197 45 125 170 35-39 214 113 327 211 130 341 152 145 297 40-44 100 119 219 170 103 273 90 92 182 45-49 91 129 220 139 115 254 73 105 178 50-54 142 145 287 276 135 411 201 216 417 55-59 384 132 516 267 135 402 113 151 264 60-64 157 207 364 170 162 332 349 195 544 65-69 185 277 462 202 328 530 194 276 470 70-74 235 214 449 341 269 610 293 186 479 75-79 191 190 381 177 191 368 135 179 314 80-84 102 138 240 149 149 298 92 168 260 85+ 81 137 218 116 135 251 110 126 236 Total 2538 2389 4927 2852 2474 5326 2422 2568 4990
Victorian Admitted Episodes Database (VAED) Source: Victorian In-patient Minimum Database, 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000
46 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 26 Victorian Public Hospital Inpatient Separations by Age Group for Residents of Central Goldfields (S) for 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000/01 700
600 2000/01 1999/00 500 1998/99
400
300
200
100
0 85+ 00-04 05-09 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84
Victorian Admitted Episodes Database (VAED) Source: Victorian In-patient Minimum Database, 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000 Figure 26 shows the number of hospital separations by age group for each year from 1998/99. It is difficult to detect major trends from the limited data available. Diagnoses for hospital admissions can be grouped on several levels. International Classification of Disease (ICD) are used to record specific diagnoses and for CaseMix management purposes, but they are too detailed to summarise general health issues. For the purposes of this profile, two relevant ICD code groupings will be used, Diagnostic Related Grouping (DRG), eg “Asthma”; and Major Diagnostic Categories (MDC), which are groupings of DRGs, for example “Respiratory System”. The top 10 DRGs and top 10 MDCs for residents of the Shire admitted to Victorian public hospitals in 2000/01, are shown in Tables 25 and 26 respectively.
The number one ranking for “Admission for Renal Dialysis” illustrates a limitation in using count of separations to identify the prevalence of disease. It is known that the large number of dialysis admissions involve a small number of individuals, who undertake this procedure regularly.
Table 25 Top 10 DRGs based upon Victorian Public Hospital Separations for Central Goldfields (S) Residents 2000/01
Percentage of Number of Total Rank Diagnostic Related Grouping (DRG) Separations Separations (%) 1 Admit for Renal Dialysis 782 15.9 2 Chemotherapy 138 2.8 3 Neonate>2499 gms without significant ORP without problem 111 2.3 4 Other Gastroscopy - Non-major digestive disease, sameday 109 2.2 5 Other Colonoscopy, sameday 107 2.2 6 Oesophagitis,GE, Miscellaneous digestive system, Aged>9 NoC/S CC 104 2.1 7 Other Gastroscopy for Major digestive system, sameday 94 1.9 8 Nsurgery Neck, Back with Pain Man Pr/Myelogram 70 1.4 9 Vaginal Delivery no Complicating Diagnosis 69 1.4 10 Dental Extractions and Restorations 58 1.2 Total of remaining DRGs (450) 3285 66.7 Total 4927 100% Source: Victorian In-patient Minimum Database, 2000/01
47 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
For the last three years, the same five MDCs have occurred as the first five groupings, with Kidney & Urinary Tract and Digestive System being ranked first and second respectively in each of those years. Presumably it is the renal dialysis separations that keeps Kidney & Urinary Tract in first position.
Table 26 Top 10 MDCs based upon Victorian Public Hospital Separations for Central Goldfields (S) Residents 2000/01
Number of Percentage of Total Rank Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) Separations Separations (%) 1 Kidney & Urinary Tract 925 18.8 2 Digestive System 768 15.6 3 Circulatory System 414 8.4 4 Musculoskeletal Syst & Connective Tissue 407 8.3 5 Respiratory System 324 6.6 6 Ear, Nose, Mouth & Throat 238 4.8 7 Nervous System 218 4.4 8 Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue & Breast 218 4.4 9 Female Reproductive System 202 4.1 10 Pregnancy, Childbirth & the Puerperium 184 3.7 Total of remaining MDCs (13) 1029 20.9 Total 4927 100
Source: Victorian In-patient Minimum Database, 2000/01
The most common hospital visited by Shire residents in 1997/98 was the Maryborough Distict Health Service, consisting of 71.8 percent of in-patient separations by Shire residents. Table 27 lists the top ten hospitals visited by Shire residents in 2000/01. Ballarat Hospital was the second most used hospital by Central Goldfields residents for the past three years, suggesting that the preference of residents is towards Ballarat rather than Bendigo for service even though the distance to either location is similar.
Table 27 Total Separations by Public Hospital for Central Goldfields (S) Residents 2000/01
2000/2001 Number of Percentage of Hospital Separations Separations Maryborough Hospital 3540 71.8 Ballarat HS - Ballarat Base Hospital 768 15.6 Bendigo Health Care Group - Bendigo Base 192 3.9 Royal Melbourne Hospital 66 1.3 Royal Childrens Hospital 38 0.8 St Vincents Hospital (Melbourne) Ltd 32 0.6 The Alfred 29 0.6 Bendigo Health Care Group - Anne Caudle Centre 28 0.6 Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre 27 0.5 Barwon Health 26 0.5 Total of remaining hospitals (40) 181 3.7 TOTAL 4927 100.0
Source: Victorian Admitted Episodes Database 2000/01. It should be noted that Tables 24 to 27 are principally based upon public hospital in-patient separations, although ‘Hospital in the Home’ separations are also included in the database. They include re-admissions and hence they may include the same individual visiting hospital for the
48 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields same reason within the same year. The renal dialysis separations have already been mentioned. Also, not everyone with a health issue visits hospital. Hospital in-patient data can provide useful information and, if interpreted with care, an indication of the health status of the population. 7.3 Community Health Maryborough District Health Service is only Community Health Service in the Shire. Figure 27 shows the number of contacts (visits or consultations) for each service type in 2000/2001. Of the 4,667 contacts recorded during 2000/2001, the majority were for Other Health Promotion (38.4%), followed by Counselling/Casework (35.3%) and Nursing accounted for 11.5% of contacts. Other Health Promotion includes activities such as …….???? Figure 27 Community Health Service Contacts by Service Type and Age Grouping for Central Goldfields Residents 2000/2001
2,000 1,792 1,800 1,645 1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000
800 535 600 416 400 177 200 2 44 11 54 0
Nursing Social Speech Education Casework Promotion Pathology / Community Risk Factor Information / Information Professional Research & Screening & Education & Other Health
Development Counselling / Counselling Community,
Organisational Source: SWITCH 2000/2001
During 1997/98 (the most recent year for which these data are available) there were a total of 535 clients, of whom, 61% were female and 39% male. Figure 28 shows that largest grouping of clients (30%) was aged between 40 and 49 years.
Figure 28 Age Distribution of Community Health Clients for Central Goldfields (S) July – September 1997. 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 Clients of Number 20 0 0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+ Invalid Birth Age Cohort Date Source: SWITCH, 97/98.
49 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
7.4 Mental Health
A total of 29 Shire residents made 40 in-patient admissions to mental health facilities during 1998. The most common facility visited was Bendigo Health Care Group - Division of Psychiatry (80%). The highest percentage of diagnoses for Shire residents in 1998 were Schizophrenia (30.7%), Depressive (17.9%) followed by Drug and Alcohol related (12.8%). The “Other” group included a number of diagnoses, such as Conduct Disorders and Predominant Disturbance of Emotions, which totalled 23% of cases. (Figure 29) Figure 29 Primary Diagnoses for Mental Health In-patient Clients from Central Goldfields (S) 1998 35%
30%
25%
20% 15%
Percentage (%) 10%
5%
0% Bipolar/Manic Depressive Drug and Other Personality Schizophrenia Alcohol Principal Diagnosis Source: PRISM, 1998. Community based support for psychiatric illnesses reaches a larger sector of the community. During 1998, a total of 162 residents living in the Shire made 3,620 mental health outpatient contacts, with an average of 22.3 contacts per person. Many of these were brief telephone contacts made at critical times for patients. The most common principal diagnosis for out-patient clients was Depressive-related (24.7%). (Figure 30). The “Other” group included a number of diagnoses, such as Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The Unknown principal diagnosis accounts for 42.6%. Figure 30 Primary Diagnoses for Mental Health Out-patient Clients from Central Goldfields (S) 1998 45 40 35
30
25 20
15
Percentage (%) 10 5 0
Other
Unknown Personality Adjustment Depressive
Drug/Alcohol Bipolar/Manic Schizophrenia Principal Diagnosis
Source: PRISM, 1998. Note: A number of diagnoses were missing from the database – these are categorised as “Unknown”.
50 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
7.5 Disability Data There is no commonly accepted definition of disability. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) identifies an individual as having a disability if they have one or more of a group of selected limitations, restrictions or impairments which has lasted, or was likely to last, for six months or more. A few of these selected limitations are loss of hearing, incomplete use of arms or fingers, long-term effects of head injury, stroke, or any other brain damage, and a mental illness requiring help or supervision. The 1998 ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers found that nearly 20 percent of the population experienced some level of disability in relation to the core activities of 11 communication, mobility or self care. Many are disabled by virtue of age, so the proportion rises to 50 percent of persons over the age of 65 years. Data from this survey are not available at the level of local government area. An individual is eligible to receive the Disability Support Pension if they have an impairment of at least 20 percent and have a continuing inability to work (where work is defined as working at least 30 hours a week at award wages somewhere in Australia). In the September 2000 quarter, 767 Central Goldfields (S) adults received the Disability Support Pension. Table 28 shows the medical condition of Shire residents who were receiving the Disability Support Pension at that time. The pensions granted prior to November 12, 1991 (as the Invalid Pension) have not been re-assessed by disability type, so their medical condition is not included. They appear as a separate item in this table. Eighty-six families from the Shire received the Child Disability Allowance during the fourth quarter of 1997. Table 28 Medical Condition of Central Goldfields (S) Residents Receiving the Disability Support Pension, September 2000
Medical Condition Number Musculo-skeletal and connective tissue 240 Granted prior to 12.11.91 120 Psychological/psychiatric 118 Intellectual/learning 66 Circulatory system 44 Respiratory system 34 Sense organs 24 Nervous system 23 Visceral disorder 18 Cancer/tumour 17 Acquired brain impairment 16 Endocrine and immune system 15 Chronic pain 14 Other conditions 18 Total 767 * Medical conditions of clients registered before the 12.11.91 were not categorised Source: CentreLink, September 2000. Table 29 shows the age distribution of persons receiving services under the Intellectually Disabled Persons Services Act 1986 and the Disability Services Act 1991 by age group and gender for Central Goldfields (S). Many of those above the age of 16 years will be in receipt of a Disability Support Pension, of which many will have been granted prior to 1991.
11 Australian Bureau of Statistics. (1998). Disability, Ageing and Carers: Summary of Findings, Cat. 4430.0. Melbourne: ABS.
51 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 29 Gender and Age of Central Goldfields (S) Clients with a DisAbility 2000-01. Age Females Males Total (years) 5-9 2 3 5 10-14 2 7 9 15-19 5 10 15 20-24 6 5 11 25-29 7 5 12 30-34 5 9 14 35-39 2 4 6 40-44 3 0 3 45-49 1 7 8 50-54 1 2 3 55-59 1 3 4 60-64 4 0 4 65+ 3 1 4 Total 42 56 98 Source: DISCIS 2001.
7.6 Mortality Data
7.6.1 Death Data Table 30 shows the main causes of death in 1996 in Central Goldfields (S) and the Central Victorian Health Alliance Primary Care Partnership, which comprises the Shires of Macedon Ranges, Central Goldfields and Mt Alexander. The most common causes of death in 1996 were Ischaemic Heart Disease, Stroke and Respiratory Disease. Table 30 Major Causes of Death in Central Goldfields and the Central Victorian Health Alliance 1996.
Central Central Victorian Health Cause of Death Goldfields Alliance Area Ischaemic heart Disease 27.0 27.3 Stroke 9.0 9.3 Respiratory Disease 6.0 5.3 Cancer- lung 5.0 4.3 Cancer-colon/rectum 4.0 3.3 Diabetes Mellitus 3.0 3.0
Source: Central Victorian Health Alliance Community Health Plan 2001
7.6.2 Life Expectancy at Birth
Table 31 shows the Life Expectancy at birth for males and females in the Central Goldfields (S) and other selected areas. Central Goldfields (S) was the most disadvantaged of these areas using this simple measure. Life expectancy is modified by many factors during life, so more complex measures have been developed to capture some of these factors into broader health indicators.
Table 31 Life Expectancy at Birth for Central Goldfields (S), Macedon Ranges (S), Mt Alexander (S), CVHA, and Loddon Mallee Region
52 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Males Area Females (yrs) (yrs) Central Goldfields 74.61 80.31 Macedon Ranges 75.44 80.51 Mount Alexander 75.44 80.51 CVHA 75.00 80.50 Loddon Mallee 74.94 81.05 Victoria 75.59 81.34
Source: Central Victorian Health Alliance Community Health Plan 2001
7.7 Burden of Disease The Global Burden of Diseases study, initiated by the World Bank, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), found mortality and morbidity data to be an inadequate indicator of health status and quality of life, and concept of disease and injury ‘burden’ has since been developed as a more appropriate indicator.12 The Victorian Burden of Disease study aimed to quantify and compare the burden of diseases, injuries and risk factors in Victoria. The study measured burden using the time-based unit, Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY), which expresses the number of years of life lost due to premature death, and the number of years of life lived with a disability as a result of a particular disabling disease or injury, weighted by severity.13 Table 32 shows Central Goldfields has an extra fifteen DALY years of life lost for males and females compared to the rest of the State and also much higher than the other two shires that make up the Central Victorian PCP.
Table 32 Total DALY Rates (1996) per 1,000 Persons by Gender for Central Goldfields (S), Mt Alexander/Macedon Ranges (S) and Victoria Males Females Victorian Male Average 139.7 years Victorian Female Average 124.4 years Central Goldfields 154.7 Central Goldfields 135.5 Mount Alexander Mount Alexander 142.2 131.7 /Macedon Ranges /Macedon Ranges
Source: Central Victorian Health Alliance Community Health Plan 2001
Table 33 summarises the DALYs per 1,000 population for Shires in the Central Victorian Health Alliance and Victoria.
12 Public Health and Development Division of the Department of Human Services. (March 1999). Health Focus: Current public health issues and developments for Victoria. Melbourne: Department of Human Services 13 The Victorian Burden of Disease and Cost-Effectiveness Study: Volume I. Melbourne: Department of Human Services.
53 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 33 Total DALY Rates per 1,000 Population by National Health Priorities (1996)
Central Mount Alexander Loddon National Health Priorities Victoria Goldfields /Macedon Ranges Mallee
Cardiovascular diseases Ischaemic Heart Disease 22.5 21.9 21.5 19.6 Stroke 6.4 6.3 6.5 6.6 Injuries Unintentional Injuries Road Traffic Accidents 6.3 5.3 5.5 3.7 Falls 1.0 0.5 0.9 1.0
Intentional Accidents Suicide 6.7 6.6 5.0 4.1
Source: Central Victorian Health Alliance Community Health Plan 2001 Table 34 provides a ranked list of Years of Life Lost (YLL) for Central Goldfields (S). The four major conditions that result in years of life lost in Central Goldfields are ischaemic heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and respiratory disease. According to the CVHA PCP, males are likely to die prematurely from heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory disease, whilst females are more likely to die from stroke, breast cancer and cancer of the colon/rectum. Table 34 Years of Life Lost for Top 10 Conditions for Central Goldfields (S) 1996 Years of Life Rank Condition Lost Percent 1 Ischaemic heart disease 317 23 2 Stroke 102 7 3 Cancer - lung 76 6 4 Respiratory disease 63 5 5 Cancer - colon/rectum 60 4 6 Suicide 49 4 7 Road traffic accidents 48 4 8 Cancer - breast 41 3 9 Diabetes mellitus 39 3 10 Cancer - prostate 29 2
Source: Central Victorian Health Alliance Community Health Plan 2001
7.8 School Nursing
A School Nurse is based at the Maryborough Regional Secondary College. The most common issues that students contact School Nurses for include Sexually Related Issues, Self Esteem, Bullying and Abuse, Nutrition and Mental Health Issues.
In the primary schools within the Shire, the main issues relate to the School Entrant Health Questionnaire (SEHQ), Vision, Asthma, Hearing, Height and Behaviour.
54 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
8 TRANSPORT
Figure 31 Truck Travelling through Central Goldfields (S) Source: www.centralgoldfields.com.au
8.1 Transport Systems There is no direct rail link from Maryborough, however V/Line does provide a coach service to Castlemaine and Ballarat Stations. A private bus service operates from Ballarat to Maryborough daily and every Wednesday from Bendigo to Maryborough. Towns such as Dunolly, Bealiba and Talbot, which are not located on the Pyrenees Highway, are more isolated and do not have direct access to V/Line Services. This is especially an issue for youth and older people who do not have their own transport. There are no local bus services in any of the towns in the Shire, so the public move around within town via their own transport, taxis, cycling or walking. Central Goldfields (S) provides five vehicles for a Community Transport Service for Home and Community Care clients. There is one paid driver for the larger bus and approximately thirty volunteers for the other vehicles. The vehicles are also available for hire to special groups and low-income persons by arrangement. After identifying ways to improve transport needs for HACC clients, the Shires of Central Goldfields, Mount Alexander and Macedon Ranges have developed a joint transport service between these shires. The Maryborough District Health Service also has a community transport vehicle to transfer day hospital clients within the Shire to and from the site, but it is limited to a ten-kilometre radius. The vehicle is available for hire by groups at weekends. The Australian Red Cross also provides a transport service to those who need essential short- term medical treatment for up to six weeks to those unable to use available public transport, unable to drive or have access to a vehicle including family or friends to transport, cannot afford taxis and has no other viable alternative. Transport is identified as a key issue in the community and was identified in the consultations undertaken by the Central Victorian Health Alliance Primary Care Partnership in 2001.
8.1.1 Transport to Work The most common mode of transport to work in the Shire in 1996 was by car as driver (2,345), followed by car as passenger (292), and walking (285). It was also noted that a large number of people work from home (392). Table 35 below shows details.
55 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 35 Mode of Transport to Work for Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Mode of Transport Male Female Persons Train 3 0 3 Bus 0 3 3 Car, as driver 1433 912 2345 Car, as passenger 153 139 292 Motor bike/motor scooter 26 6 32 Bicycle 72 7 79 Other 49 10 59 Walked only 173 112 285 One method only: Total 1909 1189 3098 Source: ABS 1996 Table W03 8.2 Road Accident Statistics A consequence of the dependence on private vehicles is the number of vehicular accidents. There was a total of 213 road accidents in the Shire between 1996 and 2000, with 12 of them (5.6%) involving at least one fatality, and a further 77 (36.2%) involving serious injury. Table 36 displays the type of road accident, with almost half (45.9%) being a collision with another vehicle, followed by a collision with a fixed object (29.6%). Table 36 Types of Road Accidents in Central Goldfields (S) 1995-2000
Category No. % Collision with vehicle 98 46.0% Struck pedestrian 19 8.9% Struck animal 6 2.8% Collision with a fixed object 57 26.8% Collision with some other object 3 1.4% Vehicle overturned (no collision) 16 7.5% Fall from or in moving vehicle 2 0.9% No collision and no object struck 11 5.2% Other accident 1 0.5% Total 213 100.0%
Source: Vic Roads, 2001. The road surface was dry in the majority (90.7%) of road accidents in the Shire between 1995 and 2000, with wet conditions accounting for approximately 7% (see Figure 32). Figure 32 Road Surface at Location of Road Accidents in Central Goldfields (S) 1995- 2000.
200
150
100
Accidents 50 Number of Road
0 Dry Wet Muddy Icy Unknown
Type of Weather Condition Source: Vic Roads, 2001
56 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 37 shows the number of road accidents for each year between 1996 and 2000 in the Shire. The lowest number of road accidents occurred in 1998 (11.7%) and the highest in 2000 (20.7%). Table 37 Number of Road Accidents by Year in Central Goldfields (S) 1995 - 2000
Year Accidents Percentage 50 1995 38 17.8% 40 1996 34 16.0% 30 1997 33 15.5% 20 1998 25 11.7% 10 1999 39 18.3% 0 Number of Accidents of Number 2000 44 20.7% 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Total 213 100.0% Year Source: Vic Roads, 2001 The month with the lowest number of road accidents in the Shire between 1995 and 2000 was April (5%), while the highest number occurred in March (14%) as detailed in Table 38. While looking at the day of the week (Table 39) when road accidents occurred between 1995 and 2000, Wednesday had the lowest number (20), while Sunday had the highest number (33), accounting for 19 percent of all accidents and Friday second with 16 percent. Table 38 Number of Casualties in Central Goldfields (S) by month 1995-2000
Month Casualty Accidents Percent January 12 6.9% February 12 6.9% March 25 14.5% April 9 5.2% May 12 6.9% June 15 8.7% July 13 7.5% August 12 6.9% September 13 7.5% October 15 8.7% November 21 12.1% December 14 8.1% Total 173 100.0% Source: Vic Roads 2001
Table 39 Weekday Casualty Accidents 01/07/1995 to 30/06/2000 in Central Goldfields (S)
No. Casualty 12% Day of Week 19% Accidents Sunday Sunday 33 Monday Monday 24 16% Tuesday 24 Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday 20 14% Thursday 22 Thursday Friday 28 Friday Saturday 21 13% Saturday Total 172 14% 12%
Source: Vic Roads 2001
57 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Most accidents in the Shire occurred during the day (71. %; 122), followed by Dark with no Street Lights (13%; 23), and dusk or dawn (4%; 7). Table 40 shows further information. Table 40 Casualty Accidents by Light Conditions in Central Goldfields (S) 1 July 1995 to 30 June 2000
No. 1% Dark/Light Casualty 13% Day Accidents 1% Day 122 Dusk/dawn Dusk/dawn 7 10% Dark, street lights on 18 Dark, street lights on Dark, street lights off 2 4% Dark, street lights off Dark, no street lights 23 Dark, street lights unknown 1 Dark, no street lights Unknown 0 71% Dark, street lights Total 173 unknown Source: Vic Roads 2001
The Victorian Admitted Episodes Database (2000/01) showed that 0.5% of inpatient public hospital separations were by residents of Central Goldfields Shire as a result of a motor vehicles accident. Of all motor vehicle accident (MVA) inpatient admissions, 69.6% of these were caused by a car; others were related to motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accidents. The majority (52.2%) of MVA inpatient hospital separations for residents of Central Goldfields in 2000/2001 went to Maryborough Hospital. A further 26% either went to Ballarat Base or Bendigo Base Hospital. In the period 1992/93 to 1993/94, Central Goldfields Shire Residents had lower rates of alcohol related serious road injury than the Region and the rest of Victoria. However this was not the case in 1994-95 to 1995-96 when it was higher than the Region and Victoria. Between 1996/97 and 1997/98, the Central Goldfields rate was higher than the Region although below the Victorian average. This is shown in Table 41. Table 41 Rate of Alcohol -Related Serious Road Injury (per 10,000 residents) for Central Goldfields, Loddon Mallee Region and Victoria of Victim residence and Area of incident for 1992 – 1998.
Residence Accident 1992/93 1994/95 1996/97 1992/93 1994/95 1996/97 Area ------1993/94 1995/96 1997/98 1993/94 1995/96 1997/98 Central Goldfields 3.61 4.44 3.36 6.11 6.57 5.07 Loddon Mallee 4.65 4.08 2.83 7.77 6.35 4.18 Victoria 4.25 4.37 3.82 6.36 6.50 5.85
Source: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook, Alcohol-Related Serious Road Injury and Assault in Victoria 1992-1999.
9 FAMILY AND HOUSING
58 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 33 Historic Magistrates House Located in Heel Street Talbot
9.1 Rental Housing Stock There were a total of 245 DHS (public) rental stock dwellings in the Shire in November 2001 (Table 42). The majority of these were three bedroom houses (50.2%), with the highest number of DHS houses being located in Maryborough (80.2%), followed by Dunolly (12.2%) and Carisbrook (6.1%). There were a total of 4 movable units in the Shire. Table 42 Number of DHS Houses by Number of Bedrooms for Towns in Central Goldfields (S) November 2001
Town BS 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4 BR RMU Total Carisbrook 12 3 15 Dunolly 19 11 30 Maryborough 48 31 112 5 1 197 Timor 3 3 Total 12 70 31 123 5 4 245 Key: BS= bed sitting; BR = bedroom/s; RMU = movable unit. Source: DHS Housing Table 43 shows the number of applicants by housing type for Central Goldfields in November 2001. The majority of applicants are waiting for one-bedroom accommodation (36.5%) three- bedroom houses (30.8%), followed by two-bedroom (26.9%). There are four waiting list segments in the Region. Waiting times on two of these segments are less than two months, whilst for people with disabilities the waiting times are dependent upon the availability of suitable housing stock. The fourth segment is for persons without priority access to low cost housing, where the waiting time can be up to five years.
All these waiting times vary depending on the number of vacant properties. Sometimes there are several vacancies at the one time, whilst at other times no vacancies at all. Waiting times also vary depending on the number of priority applications approved, as these have to be housed ahead of the normal waiting list applicants.
59 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 43 Waiting List for DHS Housing as at 11 December 2001
Town Type Applicants Waiting Period
Maryborough 1 bedroom units 16 applicants Aged applicants is under 2 years- for others indefinite 2 bedroom 14 applicants Minimum of 4 years 3 bedroom 14 applicants Approximately 12 months 4 bedroom 3 applicants Approximately 2 -3 years Dunolly 1 bedroom (all for 3 applicants all of Approximately 12 months for Aged, but older people which are "non can be immediate depending on the aged" applicants vacancies 3 bedroom 2 applicants Possibly less than 12 months Carisbrook No applicants for single 1 bedroom units accommodation
Source: DHS Housing 2001 NB: ‘Waiting Period’ is an estimate only and subject to frequent change.
The most common family type rental DHS housing stock in the Shire in 2001 was the lone person (42%) followed by the one parent family (28.2%) (Figure 34). Figure 34 Selected Family Status for DHS Housing Stock Residents November 2001.
Central Goldfields
Youth 5
Sole Parent Family 69
Lone Person 103 Group 17
Couple with Children 15
Couple without Children 23
Not Specified 13
020406080100 Number of Households
Source: DHS Housing.
Consultation with local real estate agencies on 11 December 2001 indicated that there are 329 privately owned rental houses in the Shire with only four houses, three single units and five two bedroom units currently available for tenancy. Discussions with accommodation services staff in the Shire have suggested that the following factors have influenced limited availability of private rental: • introduction of the Goods and Services Tax • first home buyers scheme • property damage by tenants, and • many tenants with arrears payments and non-payments.
60 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
9.2 Household Size and Status
There were a total of 4,903 dwellings in the Shire in 1996, with an average of 2.4 people in each dwelling (Table 44). The majority of these were separate houses (93.1%), whilst 2.2% resided in a flat and 1.7% in semi-detached dwellings.
Table 44 Structure of Dwellings in Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Structure of dwelling Separate Semi- Flat Caravan Tent Shop Not Total House detached stated Number of Dwellings 4374 129 204 88 8 51 49 4903 Total number of persons 11026 199 258 120 11 122 110 11846 usually resident in dwelling Average number of persons 2.52 1.54 1.26 1.36 1.38 2.39 2.24 2.42 per dwelling Key: Semi-detached = Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse, etc; Flat = Flat, unit, or apartment; Caravan = Caravan, cabin or houseboat; Tent = Improvised home, tent, sleepers out; Shop = House or flat attached to shop, office, etc. Source: CDATA96 Table B28. Note: does not include ‘Visitor only Households’ and where persons were in category ‘6 or more’ the figure of 6 was used. Figure 35 shows the ownership status for all households in the Shire in 1996. More households were owned in the Shire in 1996 (48.7%), than were being rented (14.1%) or in the process of being purchased (19.8%).
Figure 35 Overall Ownership of Households in Central Goldfields (S) 1996
Not - Stated 104 Other 98 Rented Total 801
Rented Not - Stated 7
Rented Other 584
Rented State/Terr Housing Authority 210 Buy Rent 25 Being Purchased 1074 Owned 2759 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 Source: CDATA96 Table B25. In the 1996 Census, the majority of owned households in the Central Goldfields Shire were occupied by a couple with no children (1,041), followed by lone person households (792) and then couple with children (681). The majority of households in the process of being purchased are occupied by a couple with children (551), followed by a couple without children (219). The majority of rented households are occupied by a single person (228), followed by one parent families (183) and then couples with children (157). 9.3 Family Size and Composition Figure 36 shows the percentage of family members by family type in the Shire’s households in 1996. The average number of children per couple family was 1.9, while for one-parent families it was 1.7. There were 1,317 persons living alone in the Shire in 1996, while there were 1,358 lone parent families and 5,726 two parent families’ and 2,859 couples without children.
61 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 36 Percentage of Family Members by Family Type in Central Goldfields (S) Households 1996
Used with permission of Latrobe University Bendigo 30/11/2001.
10 SERVICE SYSTEMS 10.1 Primary Care Partnership (PCP) The DHS document Going Forward – Primary Care Partnerships defines the Primary Care Partnership (PCP) strategy as creating a genuine primary care service system by helping providers and professionals, such as General Practitioners, community nurses, Allied Health Professionals and home care workers to co-ordinate their work for clients they have, or may have.14 The main goals of the reform are to:
• Improve the experience and outcomes for people who use primary care services.
• Reduce the preventable use of hospital, medical and residential services through a greater emphasis on health promotion programs and by responding to the early signs of disease and /or people’s need for support. PCPs are required to develop and implement a Community Health Plan for their community that involves:
• Service Planning – which will identify the population health needs of the community and propose strategies to address the needs, such as health promotion and integrated disease management strategies.
• Service Co-ordination – which will describe how local systems and infrastructure, such as information management, needs identification and referral will enable services to be better coordinated so that outcomes are improved for people using the primary care system.
14 Aged, Community and Mental Health Division. (2000). Primary Care Partnerships: Going Forward. Melbourne: Victorian Government Department of Human Services.
62 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
• Service Partnerships – which formally describe how providers and the community will work together to implement the plan. The CVHA Community Health has identified the following priority areas for 2001/2002:
1. General priorities: Cardiovascular Disease, Social Connectedness, Community Development. 2. Health Promotion: Cardiovascular health focused on men and disadvantaged groups. Wellness Guide: Community building. 3. Rural Health Promotion: Mental Health – social connectedness 4. Quality: Enhancing access to services for men. There are five proposed service delivery areas in the Region. The Shire has been combined with Mount Alexander (S) and Macedon (S) to form the Central Victorian Health Alliance service delivery area, which had a projected total population of 65,891 for 2001. Figure 37 below defines the CVHA PCP area:
Figure 37 Map of CVHA Primary Care Partnership 2001.
63 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
10.2 Specialist Services
10.2.1 Psychiatric Services
The Division of Psychiatry, Bendigo Health Care Group (BHCG) provides psychiatric services to residents of the Loddon Campaspe/Southern Mallee Sub-region. Services are delivered by three sub-divisions: Child and Adolescent, Adult and Aged Persons Mental Health Services.
In-patient services are provided for Adults at the Alexander Bayne Centre on the BHCG Campus (20 beds) and Aged Persons on the Anne Caudle Campus (8 beds). Secure Extended Care is provided at Vahland House (8 beds) with Continuing Care Units (12 beds) provided at the same site. Child and Adolescent in-patient services are purchased from the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Community based psychiatric services are delivered in six population centres throughout the sub-region: Bendigo, Swan Hill, Echuca, Maryborough, Castlemaine and Kyneton. Adult and Aged psychiatric services are represented in the Central Goldfields Shire. Child and Adolescent psychiatric services to the Shire are provided from Castlemaine.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) support children and adolescents up to the age of 18 years with serious psychiatric disorders detrimental to psychosocial development. Community based CAMHS provides assessment, treatment and liaison with related services.
Adult services support 18 to 64 years olds with serious mental illnesses, including those people identified as being at risk of self-harm. Service elements include Crisis Assessment and Treatment (CAT) Services, Mobile Support and Treatment Services, Case Management and, recently, support for people with a dual diagnosis (alcohol and drug and mental health issues.
Aged Persons Psychiatric Services provide Psycho-geriatric Assessment and Treatment Services.
Clinical services are supported by the Centre for Rural Mental Health, which provides research capacity and training.
A Primary Mental Health/Early Intervention Service will commence in 2002.
10.2.2 Juvenile Justice Service
Generally there would be likely to be five or six clients on an order from Central Goldfields (S) and it would be rare to have any more than this at one time.
More recently Juvenile Justice has had young females who have offended around alcohol use, minor offences, thefts, risk taking behaviours and assaultive behaviours on other young females and are usually short term offenders.
The young males on orders in Central Goldfields have not escalated to very serious offending, though one was sentenced in the past to a Juvenile Justice Centre, more due to a longer pattern of minor offending than offences becoming more serious.
The trend seems to be associated with peer groups, minor shoplifting and at the serious end, car theft and assaultive behaviours. The peer groups are the early school leavers with very few options open to them in Maryborough.
64 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Once on an order, Juvenile Justice staff support the family, monitor their behaviour and link them into employment and training options or negotiate with schools to allow them to return, although there has been very little success with the latter.
JPET and Maryborough Regional Employment are the main service providers in the area for services to these clients. Juvenile Justice staff work closely with these providers and with the JPET Steering Committee.
Fortunately, the level of substance use with clients in this area is low and is usually alcohol related, though an increase in marijuana use is being noticed. There is very little heavy substance use, however it is around.
Throughout the year Juvenile Justice would also come into contact with all of the other children that go through the Maryborough Children's Court that don't get a supervision order, and would often be involved in linking them into appropriate services such as Maryborough Community Health, JPET, School support programs, St Lukes Maryborough Regional Training and Employment, Learning Centre. The length of orders varies, and it is estimated that 50 percent would be for twelve months, 30 percent 6 months and 20 percent may get a second order, which may take them a bit longer.
10.2.3 Sexual Assault Services
The Loddon Campaspe Region’s Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) services the Region. In the 2000-2001 Annual report, there were 820 registrations with CASA in the 2000/2001 financial year, with 89 percent of these being female. Data as displayed in Table 45 for the period 1/12/99 to 30/11/01 indicates CASA has had 651 contacts with 89 clients from Central Goldfields and there were 70 female clients (79%) and 19 male (21%).
Table 45 CASA Clients for 2000/2001
Age Gender Quantity <12 Female 8 12 Male 4 13-18 Female 5 13-18 Male 3 19+ Female 57 19+ Male 12 Source: CASA 2001
During the financial year 1/12/99-30/6/00 15% of CASA service provision was in Central Goldfields while during the period 1/7/00 - 30/6/01, 9% of CASA service provision was in this LGA.
10.2.4 Drug and Alcohol Services
The alcohol and drug (A&D) services in the Shire include counselling, Rural Withdrawal and Drug Diversion Programs at Maryborough District Health Service. The A&D counselling targets the general population in the whole Shire. The Day Rehabilitation/Supported Accommodation program, located in Bendigo offers a ten week program to residents of the Region. Residents of the Shire also have access to a Women's A&D Supported Accommodation service in Bendigo, Parent Support, Methadone Outreach and
65 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Post Withdrawal services. Residential withdrawal and rehabilitation may also be accessed in Melbourne and youth residential withdrawal in Ballarat. A Needle and Syringe Program operates in Maryborough. During 1999, 2,467 needles (7% of the total needles and syringes distributed in the Region) were from Central Goldfields.
10.2.5 DisAbility Services The Department has responsibilities under the Intellectually Disabled Person’s Services Act 1986 and Disability Services Act 1991 to provide services to people with disabilities.
Disability services funded by DHS have historically been focussed on clients with an intellectual disability. This has now broadened and in the Shire there are currently day services provided Wattle Human Services which provides an adult training centre for people with a disability. There are two Community Residential Units in Maryborough, one in Pekin Road and the other in Laidman Street, which provide long-term accommodation for up to nine intellectually disabled persons. There is also an independent unit based at the Laidman Street that provides accommodation for a further two clients who have minimal support needs.
Residents have Individual Program Plans which address their health, hygiene, personal development, living skills, behavioural and recreational needs.
10.2.6 Specialist Women’s Health Service The Loddon Mallee Women’s Health Service, located in Bendigo, provides free information and services in relation to all aspects of women’s health. The services offered include health counseling and information, referral, community education and information, worker training, consultation, and direct clinical service. The goal of the Loddon Mallee Women’s Health Service is to improve the health and well being of all women in the Region. Services are centre based and outreach is done on a needs basis.
10.2.7 Aged, Residential and Home and Community Care Services A range of aged care health services are offered to Shire residents, including services from the Bendigo Health Care Group, Central Goldfields Shire Council, Maryborough District Health Service, and Interchange Loddon Mallee. Cognitive Dementia and Assessment Memory Services (CDAMS) operate in Bendigo and Castlemaine and service the Region. However, in common with other regional areas, care and treatment of dementia sufferers in the Shire is a service for which there is an unmet demand. There are seventy-three aged related beds at Maryborough District Health Service locations with most being General Active High Care places (86.3%), with a small proportion of General Active Low Care Places. Of these 73 places, 40 are in Maryborough, 14 in Avoca and 9 in Dunolly. A further 10 Low Care places are located in Avoca. There are two Supported Residential Services (SRS) in the LGA that provide fifty two beds for the support of male and female Psychiatric, Acquired Brain Injury, Intellectual DisAbility, frail aged clients. There are forty seven residents and there is an even gender balance with females accounting for 51% and males 49% and this is consistent with the regional profile of SRS residents. There is also an even spread of resident type between Psychiatric and Dementia being 23% each and Frailty and ABI both accounting for 26%. Regionally, ABI is not in the top four conditions. (Figure 38).
66 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Figure 38 Supported Residential Service Resident Type by Predominant Condition for Central Goldfields (S) June 2001.
0% 26% 23% Psychiatric Intellectual Disability Frailty Dementia 2% ABI Drug & Alcohol Physical 23% 26%
Source: Loddon Mallee Supported Residential Service Audit 2001
Central Goldfields (S) based services received approximately 5.1% of the Region’s HACC Funding.15 The actual percentage would most likely be higher in real terms after distribution of Regional Based Funding such as that provided to the Bendigo Health Care Group to provide Linkages and Rural Allied Health Services.
The main HACC services provided in the Shire are Nursing (24.3%), Home Care (19.2%), Personal Care (11.0% and Volunteer Co-ordination (10.7%) as detailed in Figure 39 below.
Figure 39 Allocation of HACC funds/Units of Service in the Central Goldfields Shire by Activity.
0.2% Allied Health 2.5% 2.2% 10.7% Assessment & CM 0.2% 8.4% Delivered Meals 4.4% Flexible SR 2.9% Home Care Nursing 8.0% PAG - Core 19.2% Personal Care Property Maint Respite - H&C 11.0% Service System Res Vol Co-ord - Other Volunteer Co-ord 5.9% 24.3%
Source: Loddon Mallee HACC Project Register detailing base Recurrent and Fixed-Term Recurrent full year effect levels for 2001/2002.
10.2.8 Visiting Acute Specialists There are a number of specialists who regularly visit Maryborough District Health Service to provide medical and surgical clinical services. They offer a number of speciality services including Radiology, ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat), Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, and Urology.
15 2001/2002 Loddon Mallee HACC Project Register detailing base Recurrent and Fixed-Term Recurrent full year effect levels for 2001/2002
67 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
10.2.9 Rehabilitation Services Central Goldfields Residents can obtain Rehabilitation Services from Mt. Alexander Hospital, the John Lindell Centre at the Bendigo Health Care Group and from Ballarat. Five hospitals provide rehabilitation services in the Loddon Mallee Region. The other three are Mildura Hospital, Swan Hill Hospital and Echuca Regional Health.
10.3 Emergency Services
10.3.1 Emergency Management Emergency management involves putting into place preventative measures to enhance the safety 16 of individuals and communities. All communities have an emergency response and emergency recovery plan. The Emergency Management Act 1986 defines emergency as “an emergency due to the actual or imminent occurrence of an event which in any way endangers or threatens to endanger the safety or health of any person in Victoria or which destroys or damages, or threatens to destroy or damage, any property in Victoria including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
• An earthquake, flood, windstorm or other natural event • A fire • An explosion • A road accident or other accident • A plague or epidemic • A warlike act; whether directed at Victoria or part of Victoria or at any other State or Territory of the Commonwealth 17 • A hi-jack, siege or riot.”
DHS has been designated as the principal recovery planning and management agency under the State Disaster Recovery Plan. Recovery, under this plan, is defined as “the process by which a community is helped to return to its proper level of functioning after an emergency." In the event of an emergency, DHS is responsible for ensuring adequate provision is made for personal support, advice and information services, temporary accommodation, material aid, financial assistance for displaced persons and the re-establishment of dwellings and community re- development. DHS ensures these functions are undertaken and that recovery is progressing effectively through its liaison and co-ordination role with Municipalities and other agencies, including the Australian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Victorian Council of Churches, Centrelink, and Insurance Council of Australia.
The Regional Director for DHS Loddon Mallee Region is responsible for co-ordination of recovery activities, whilst the Corporate Services Manager is also the Regional Recovery Manager. Central Goldfields Shire Council plays a crucial role in emergency management and has a Municipal Emergency Management Plan in place. A number of services are involved in the Shire’s emergency management arrangements including the Rural Ambulance Service, Victoria
16 Emergency Management Policy Division, Department of Justice. (June 1999). Year 2000: Emergency Management Planning. Melbourne: Department of Justice, Victoria. 17 Corporate Services, Department of Human Services. (February 1999). Emergency Services. internet: http://intranet_1/ regional/eastern/admiserv/emergncy.htm#emergman.
68 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Police, Country Fire Authority (CFA) and State Emergency Service (SES). The Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) also plays a role in emergency management (eg. providing graders for bush fires). A copy of the DHS Regional Emergency Recovery Plan can be found on the Regional DHS web site at www.dhs.vic.gov.au/regional/loddon
10.3.2 Ambulance Services
Central Goldfields forms part of Rural Ambulance Victoria Region 3. There is one ambulance station in Central Goldfields (S), which is serviced by four paramedics. On average the branch attends approximately 700 emergency / urgent cases and 400 non-emergency cases per annum.
10.3.3 Police Services
The Central Goldfields LGA is in Police Region 2, Division 3. There are two stations in the Shire, one at Dunolly, and the other located in Maryborough. Dunolly police station is a one- person station while in Maryborough there are one senior sergeant, six sergeants and twenty- three constables. In the near future, the Region 2 inspector will possibly also be located in Maryborough. Central Goldfields (S) is the only shire in the Loddon Mallee Region that is not in Police Region 3.
10.3.4 Emergency Services
Two State Emergency Services (SES) regions cover the DHS Loddon Mallee Region. The North-West SES region covers Greater Bendigo (C), Central Goldfields (S), Loddon (S), Mount Alexander (S), and Macedon Ranges (S). There are two SES units located in the Shire, situated in Maryborough and Dunolly, both with twelve members. Between the financial years of 1998 and 2001 there was a total of 67 call outs with the majority being for road rescues. (Figure 40). Figure 40 Displays the breakdown of call outs in the Central Goldfields (S) by SES Units.
6.3% Storm 9.4% 20.3% Rescue Land Search Land Public Relations 9.4% Fire Flood
7.8% Road Rescue 39.1% Community Service 3.1% 3.1% Other 1.6%
Source: SES 2001
10.3.5 Fire Services There are two CFA regions that cover the Shire - Region 2 and Region 14. Table 46 displays the brigade locations in the Shire for Regions 14 and 2, the approximate number of volunteers which service these units and the number of incidents attended from 1 July 2000 and 30 June 2001. There are approximately 498 volunteers listed with the CFA in the Shire and a total 98 reported incidents were attended to during the 2000/2001 Financial Year not including Dunolly, Bealiba or Natte Yallock.
69 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
Table 46 Country Fire Authority Brigades in Central Goldfields (S) and Number of Members and Number of Reported Incidents 2000/2001.
No. Members No of incidents for No. Members No of incidents for Region 15 Brigades Region 2 Brigades (Dec 2001) 2000/2001 F/Y (Dec 2001) 2000/2001 F/Y Maryborough 40 30 Dunolly 60 23 Talbot 38 11 Bealiba 46 1 Carisbrook 24 20 Natte Yallock 117 0 Wareek 65 7 Bowenvale 48 4 Moolort 29 1 Mt. Cameron 31 1 Source: Personal communication, CFA 2001.
Figure 41 Map Displaying CFA boundaries overlapping Central Goldfields (S)
Source: CFA 2001
70 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields
10.3.6 Emergency Grants During the period May 1999 to December 2001, DHS have provided $13,680 in Emergency Grants to persons or families affected by house fires and the flooding in Central Goldfields Shire. Of the total amount, 82% were in relation to the flooding which occurred in December 1999 and the remaining 18% were for single event house fires.
11 KEY ISSUES
From the data provided in this profile, and in consultation with the agency staff and other departments, a number of issues pertinent to the planning and provision of services in the Shire have been identified. These are listed below:
11.1 Population Changes Central Goldfields has a relatively high number of elderly persons and low numbers of younger persons in a declining population. This has implications for aged services along with volunteer services, particularly if younger adults leave the area for employment education or training elsewhere. 11.2 Socio-economic Differences The Shire appears to be more disadvantaged, by the socio-economic criteria used in this profile, than the other LGAs in the Region. On the basis of the 1996 Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage, the Shire was more disadvantaged than the Region and State. 11.3 Employment/Unemployment The continued high unemployment in CGS and some industry wind back, ie: the closure of the Nestle factory and scaled down printing operations will not help the situation in the near future. Staff at agencies have also advised that there are quite a few professionals who work in the shire but do not live in the shire boundaries. 11.4 Transport Transport is an issue for the community. The issue includes the lack of transport within the Shire enabling access to health services, in particular for the smaller communities such as Dunolly. The effect is particularly evident with senior citizens and those unable to afford private transport who feel isolated by a lack of transport and who seek solutions from health providers (regardless of their ability to solve the issue or not). The lack of trains and buses to Bendigo and Ballarat is also an issue because of the number of services that have to be accessed in these larger provincial cities for medical tests or more specialist services. There is also an apparent lack of taxis mentioned by a few respondents. The requirement for people to have access to private transport means by definition that the elderly the young and the poor are all at a disadvantage.
Maryborough lacks a town bus service and there are no services to towns off the Pyrenees highway. The shortage of intra-Shire transport places extra pressure on volunteer services. Those who do not have their own transport must rely on taxis, walking, or private arrangements, as there are no local/domestic bus services in the Shire. There is a broader social problem stemming from poor transport provisions. Isolation and boredom by members of the community who are the most vulnerable result in feelings of
71 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields helplessness and a lack of independence. A lack of public transport provision affects the ability of a health service to effectively deliver its services to the community and for such transport- dependent people to maintain important social contacts. 11.5 Crime Central Goldfields has the highest rate of crime per 100,000 population in the Loddon Mallee Region which suggests that crime may be a key issue for the shire. This is reinforced in terms of the state where Central Goldfields is ranked as the tenth highest LGA and the second highest rural LGA for crimes per 100,000 persons. The Central Goldfields LGA has a much higher rate of comparative alcohol related assault and this is shown consistently in all categories of Offender Residence, Victim Residence and Assault Location in being generally double the Victorian rate and constantly higher than the Regional Rate. The Local Safety Survey 2001 conducted by Crime Prevention Victoria indicate that 59% of respondents in Central Goldfields indicated there was more crime than five years ago and that 55% considered that crime was a problem in their area to a ‘great’ or ‘moderate’ extent. 11.6 Child Protection
For the Loddon Mallee Region, Internal Child Protection Service data reveals that Central Goldfields occupies 4.6% of the regional workload of all Notifications, Investigations and Substantiations during 2000/2001. 11.7 Preschools and Health Care Cards The Central Goldfields Shire has a high rate of Health Care Card holder enrolments, for which DHS partially reimburses Committees of Management. Fundraising for equipment and staffing by pre-schools could potentially be difficult because of the high number of cardholders. 11.8 Service Redevelopment
The outcomes planned for the Central Victorian Health Alliance PCP Community Health Plan in relation to Central Goldfields Shire will be implemented over the next couple of years. 11.9 Lack of GPs
All age groups consistently mention the lack of GPs in the Central Goldfields Shire. There are many issues that surround this central one. Often people have to wait two or three weeks to see the doctor for an ailment for which they are wanting to see someone immediately. The lack of supply not only makes the waiting period a lengthy one it also results in extended waiting periods within the surgeries once an appointment is made. Also respondents noted a lack of time with the doctor – that they wish for appointments to last longer than they do and it seems from their comments that the lack of GPs has consequences that affect GP behaviour. The link between longer waiting periods at the time of the appointment (i.e. in the doctors’ surgeries) and respondents’ desires for longer appointments is not made.
Another result of the lack of GPs is the lack of choice. Some respondent’s wish to access women doctors and others are dissatisfied with their doctors but feel that they have few if any alternatives.
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There is also a noted lack of specialist-type knowledge according to some respondents. People indicate that they would like to have some doctors who are recognised as having specialist type knowledge in areas such as alcohol abuse and depression. 11.10 Lack of Other Medical/Health Services
Related to the lack of GP issues discussed above is a perceived lack of other specialist services such as podiatrists, physiotherapists and chiropractic services. There is a reliance on local hospital services (e.g. Maryborough hospital) but there is a desire for these services to be offered away from such a facility. Counseling and psychiatric services are also an area identified for increased access. Given the concern about smoking, drugs and alcohol within the community there is an identified need for heath-related specialist services. 11.11 Information on Service Availability
There is a broad consensus that there is a need to improve the level of information available on what services are offered to the community and how they can be accessed. Some see the Internet as only one avenue but there is an issue with accessibility to it. A number of respondents suggested points of access to obtain information about other services, these included community health services and General Practices. Further, there is an expectation that when a community member attends a service provider that if there is some relationship with other providers that are required for treatment etc that they be in effective communication and that this will be provided to the patient. There is an expectation, therefore, that if a community member, for example, asks for a GP to make an appointment that some alternative solution be sought and communicated - that some central databank system be in place and that the community would benefit from such an information flow.
11.12 Other general observations and Issues advised through Consultation with DHS Funded Agency Staff and DHS Staff and Local Government.
• Staff from agencies expressed that short term funding initiatives does not often create long term sustainable outcomes. • Recruitment and retention of staff with low EFT and/or short term funding is also an issue as this affects the delivery of services. • Workload and ageing of volunteers will affect service provision in the future. • High teenage smoking levels in females • A number of empty shops and the high level of food shops, eg; bakeries. • Sewerage implementation at Talbot and Dunolly. • High percentage of professional staff who do not actually live in LGA.
• Patient Information and Confidentiality
There appears to be a desire from the community (especially senior citizens) that the forms they have to complete are often effectively duplicating information that already has been given to a health provider. However, they also see privacy and confidentiality to be of great importance especially within small country communities. There is an expectation that the service providers
73 A Human Services Profile of the Shire of Central Goldfields can exchange information to prevent duplication of forms etc but that this is done within an environment of protecting privacy and confidentiality. 12 References
Going Forward – Primary Care Partnerships – Department of Human Services – April 2000 Hanlin K, Cvetkovski, S, Dietze, P, Laslett, A-M & Rumbold, G (1999). The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook: Alcohol Consumption and alcohol-related hospital admissions in Victoria: 1994/95–1995/96. Fitzroy, Victoria: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre 2000-2001 Annual Report, Centre Against Sexual Assault, Loddon Campaspe Region. 2000-2001 Annual Report Annual Report, Loddon Mallee Women’s Health An Analysis of the Increase in Notifications to the Loddon Mallee Child Protection Program July 2001 – Work in Progress, Department of Human Services. 8th Annual Report 2000/2001 – Maryborough District Health Service Local Safety Survey 2001, Crime Prevention Victoria. Annual Report 2000 – 2001 Central Goldfields Shire Dietze, PM, McElwee, P Heale, P, Jonas, H, Hanlin, K & Cvetkovski, S (2001). The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook Volume 2: Alcohol-Related Serious Road Injury and Assault in Victoria 1992-1999. Fitzroy, Victoria: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre Donath, S, Matthews, S, McElwee, P & Dietze,P (2001). The Victorian Alcohol Statistics Handbook (Volume 3) – Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity in Victoria 1996-1999. Fitzroy, Victoria: Turning Point Alcohol Statistics Handbook – July 2001 Small Area Labour Markets Australia – June Quarter 2001, Economic and Labour Market Analysis Branch Labour Market Policy Group, Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business. Websites To estimate distance between towns: http://www.travelmate.com.au/ Latrobe University: http://ironbark.bendigo.latrobe.edu.au Office of Gambling Regulation: http://www.ogr.vic.gov.au/ Vicroads: http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/road_safe/index.htm Department of Human Services: http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/ Department of Infrastructure: http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/DOI/Internet/planning.nsf/ Central Goldfields Shire: http://www.centralgoldfields.com.au/ Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: http://www.aihw.gov.au/ Rural Ambulance Victoria: http://www.rav.vic.gov.au/ State Emergency Service: http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/ Victoria Police: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/
Country Fire Authority: http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/
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