The rate of people accessing homelessness services in Gippsland is more than double the national average, with increased housing and rental stress limiting budgets to the point where people are going hungry.

What’s happening: A report from Gippsland Primary Health Network (PHN) links a rise in housing affordability to food insecurity, as well as worse health outcomes, as rates of people experiencing homelessness continue to rise across Gippsland.

Why is it on the rise? Gippsland Primary Health Network (PHN) acting CEO, Lisa Smith, told the Monitor there are a range of factors that can lead to people becoming homeless.

“Housing affordability pressures, financial hardship, family violence, low incomes and housing instability can all contribute to people experiencing homelessness or struggling to consistently access enough nutritious food.”

Read the full story here.

Ben Anthony, along with his father, brother and son, have run Port Anthony for the last 25 years.

They’ve seen first hand how gas drilling in the Bass Strait has wound down due to a lack of supply and how local jobs have dried up because of it.

But Anthony told the Monitor over the last two years a lot of the dock’s activity has been in preparation for offshore wind. He expects these developments to bring hundreds of permanent long-term jobs back to the region.

Take a look at an interview with Anthony at his port below.

To rehabilitate their retired mine pits, energy companies are looking at turning three coal pits in the Latrobe Valley into lakes.

Latrobe City Council wants the Victorian government to put the funds raised from selling the water in its rivers into a support package to help the region transition away from coal.

Take a look at a video explaining this story below.

Now that spring is here, it’s warm enough to get out for some longer hikes and enjoy the Latrobe Valley’s many rivers and streams. To help you make the most of this time of year, the Monitor has compiled a list of Gippsland’s best waterfalls.

If you have any suggestions for waterfalls, feel free to email us at [email protected]. 

Check out the list here.

Should federal MPs have to tell the public who they meet with?

In Australia, state and territory MPs have to publish information about who they have met with. This can give journalists and the public a better idea of who is influencing their decisions.

Federal MPs don’t have to do this.

Take a look at my colleague Archie Milligan from the National Account looking into the dairies of some state leaders below.