Housing and Aged Care Minister Bronwyn Pike launched Yarraweb, a new website aimed at improving links between service providers in inner Melbourne.

The Government-funded site will ultimately provide local news, listings of local services and activities and a host of other important information for local residents and service providers.

The Government has committed $14,300 to help set up the website, developed in partnership by InfoXchange, Outreach Victoria and the City of Yarra.

‘The developing website represents a powerful tool for advocacy,’ Ms Pike said.

‘From this home page, community workers can, for example, select Networks for organisations dedicated to helping local residents deal with issues—including public health and public housing—and make youth forum and ethnic community connections,’ Ms Pike said.

‘Already, Yarraweb is signposting public housing activities and is linked to proposals for free computer access and training on the Atherton Gardens public housing estate.

‘The website is an important part of the State Government’s wider plans to boost public tenant access to computers and information technology.

‘It links to major websites—Yarranet, Vicnet, InfoXchange—as well as agency and network sites and, on a practical level, Yarraweb will be a boon to the City of Yarra’s 400 or so community workers,’ she said.

Updated service news, training program promotions, public housing policy changes and reviews can all be e-mailed simultaneously to every registered community worker and acted on as needed.

‘Yarraweb enables community workers to be involved even when they cannot actually be on site—improving the effectiveness of local services,’ Ms Pike said.

The City of Yarra offers free training sessions to help service providers use Yarraweb.

• Yarraweb is on the internet at www.infoxchange.net.au/yarraweb.