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There's one story from this week that should alarm all of us.
Family violence is rife across the south-west.
Warrnambool-based support agency Emma House this week revealed 1873 new cases were referred to it last financial year - an equivalent of 36 a week. Even more concerning is that number is heading upward with a staggering 267 new referrals last month, 30 per cent more than June.
As a community we are more aware than ever of family violence, even though most of us don't see it or hear it because it happens behind closed doors through our suburbs and towns.
The depth of family violence runs deeper than most think.
The numbers are only part of it. There's far too many who don't get help.
What we know is that there is plenty to do to curb family violence.
More funding is needed for support agencies.
Warrnambool police has established a specialised four-member unit to investigate family violence and it has had successes since it started last October.
More funding is needed in preventative measures, including awareness campaigns. We need to end casual sexism and continue pushing attitudinal change at all age groups. We need to unite as a community to support survivors but stamp out family violence. It's a matter of life and death.
The week's headlines were again dominated with developments in the Warrnambool City Council credit card saga. Mayor Tony Herbert called Thursday's special council meeting in a bid to calm ratepayers wanting an independent audit of credit card purchases and policies.
Councillors voted 6-1 in favour of appointing an independent expert to carry out the review. But that wasn't enough for a raucous group of ratepayers in the gallery, who repeatedly booed and jeered councillors during the 30-minute meeting. They want an audit that goes back a decade.
As revealed on Friday, such an audit would cost up to $1 million. The same people calling for such a costly exercise have savagely criticised councillors for their spending on projects and lifting rates by almost double the regulated state cap.
There is no doubt ratepayers have lost faith in the council and the review process adopted on Thursday night can only restore confidence. But it needs to be shared with ratepayers. In the meantime, some angry ratepayers need to review their own behaviour. Personal attacks on councillors achieve nothing and intimidation from the gallery is disrespectful and distracting. By all means councillors and staff need to be held to account but name calling and the like fails to achieve that.
The state of our roads was again back in the spotlight with a forum held in Portland on Thursday night. We need action but if these talks help us get changes, then they were worth it.
The proliferation of drugs in our community was again highlighted this week with police revealing a handful of dealers are responsible for the trade and spin-off crimes in Warrnambool. Belinda Unmack's courageous step to tell her story of ice addiction and successful rehabilitation was a must-read.
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Here's a selection of stories that also made headlines this week.
Until next week,