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Should students be going back into classrooms soon?
If you ask Premier Dan Andrews, it's an emphatic no based on advice from the state's chief health officer.
But if you ask federal Education Minister, Wannon MP, Dan Tehan, it is a definite yes.
Mr Tehan created national headlines this week when he announced the federal government would bring forward $3billion in funding to religious and independent schools if they got 50 per cent of students back in classrooms by June 1.
"Why we're doing this is because Catholic and independent schools approached the federal government and said that some schools were experiencing cashflow issues and were asking us to bring forward the July payment we would normally make to them," Mr Tehan said. He said the funding would be split in two instalments.
"They'll get the first if they commit to have a plan in place to have teachers back in the classroom teaching all year levels by the end of May," Mr Tehan said. "And then if they achieve 50 per cent of students at a minimum attending schools at the end of May they'll get the second." In his home state where the Victorian government has said students need to be home-schooled until the end of term two (June 26), Mr Tehan's comments were likened to bribery.
Warrnambool's Kings College principal Allister Rouse said: "It is a health issue over a monetary issue and that's the big issue I see, they are putting finance ahead of the well-being of staff and students."
The federal government's offer would obviously help the cash flow of struggling schools. But now is not the time for political points-scoring.
Parents are already uncertain about what's happening with their children's education. The debate about whether it is or isn't safe for kids and teachers to be in classrooms just creates more confusion and anxiety for parents.
What do working parents do if on May 11 the state government eases restrictions and they are allowed to return to work but children are still being home-schooled until the end of June? We need clarity not muddied waters.
This week's scaled-back May races will be a shadow of previous years. Warrnambool Racing Club is set to cop a $500,000 hit with the event crowd-free due to COVID-19 restrictions. But the club has a plan to ensure its survival. Jumps trials this week created a lot of interest with fans checking out the action from a number of vantage points outside the course. Police received several complaints about people breaking COVID-19 restrictions and are warning they will be out in force this week to stop that happening.
It's been yet another interesting week for Warrnambool City Council. We asked questions on Monday about whether the chief executive accepted a pay rise but on Wednesday he went on radio and revealed he didn't. Why did it take so long to comment when it had the potential to be a positive story?
The real estate market is bubbling on, a $1million sale underlining interest in the city.
The feel-good story of the week was young Evie Hollonds who reached out to local police to offer support following the death of four officers in Melbourne.
Spare a thought for Koroit Irish Festival organisers who should have been flat-out with a sold-out event this weekend. Instead of abandoning the festival altogether this year, they have taken some of their popular competitions online.
We've been trying to come up with some content that puts a smile on our readers' faces. Our photographers led by Morgan Hancock have been capturing some stunning images, including one we published earlier this week of a quiet Liebig Street at night.
There are more, including the one above of the breakwater and this one of the Lighthouse Theatre when it turned blue to honour the fallen police officers.
And reporter Anthony Brady has been digging through the archives producing a new quiz of events from past decades. If you missed it, check this out and see how you score.
Here's a selection of other stories that made headlines this week.
Until next week