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Police have released an image and are appealing for public assistance to identify a man following an alleged sexual act on a bus at Charlestown last month.

About 5.25pm on Thursday 1 February 2024, a man and three women boarded a bus at Pearson Street, Charlestown.

While on the bus, it’s alleged the man exposed himself and rubbed his genitals.

The matter was reported to Police Transport Command Newcastle with officers commencing an investigation.

Despite extensive inquiries by officers attached to the Proactive Crime Team North/Central, investigators have been unable to identify the man, and are now appealing for public assistance.

As inquiries continue, Police have released a CCTV image of a man who they believe may be able to assist with their inquiries.

The man depicted is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 165cm tall, believed to be aged in his 50s, of slim build, with a shaved head, and was wearing a black t-shirt, yellow shorts, white sneakers and reading and sunglasses at the time.

As inquiries continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Premier Chris Minns today announced the appointment of Mr Bola Oyetunji as the next Auditor-General of New South Wales.

Mr Oyetunji will be sworn into office in April, when the current Auditor-General Margaret Crawford concludes her eight-year term.

Mr Oyetunji was appointed following a merit-based recruitment process.

His former roles include Group Executive Director – Financial Statements Audit Service Group and Group Head – Systems Assurance and Data Analytics Group at the Australian National Audit Office. He also had a long and successful period in senior roles at the Audit Office of NSW.

Mr Oyetunji’s extensive executive leadership experience includes strategy development, governance, data analytics, finance, accounting and auditing spanning Commonwealth, State and Local government.

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“I welcome the appointment of Mr Oyetunji as the next Auditor-General of this state.

“His extensive experience across all levels of government will be valued highly in this important role.

“Under Mr Oyetunji, the Audit Office will continue to ensure public money is used to achieve the best outcomes for NSW.

“I’d like to thank outgoing Auditor-General Margaret Crawford PSM for her work over the past eight years, including the many significant reviews conducted by her and her team.”

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:

“Mr Oyetunji’s credentials in auditing, including his roles at the Australian National Audit Office and Audit Office of NSW, will be invaluable to ensuring public money is properly spent to best serve the people of NSW.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Auditor-General Margaret Crawford PSM for her service over the past eight years, working tirelessly to help the Parliament of New South Wales hold governments accountable for their use of public resources.”

Mr Bola Oyetunji said:

“Being appointed as the next Auditor-General for NSW is a great honour.

“I am committed to the integrity and independence required of the role in holding government and state agencies accountable for how they govern and use resources under their management. I look forward to serving the NSW Parliament in this capacity.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met today with the Prime Minister of Singapore, His Excellency Lee Hsien Loong, for the 9th Australia-Singapore Annual Leaders’ Meeting.

Australia and Singapore share a partnership that is remarkable in its breadth and depth, grounded in trust and respect.

The Prime Ministers discussed current regional and global security issues and reaffirmed their commitment to work together to promote peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region. They underlined the importance of an open, inclusive, rules-based and resilient Indo-Pacific region, which promotes free trade and open markets and where differences are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law.

In the lead-up to the 10th anniversary of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025, Leaders discussed initiatives to shape the next phase of the Australia-Singapore relationship.

Under our landmark Green Economy Agreement, Leaders announced agreed principles for cross-border electricity trade. These principles will provide clarity and predictability to businesses and create jobs in the clean energy sector.

Leaders also announced the next step towards a green and digital shipping corridor between Australia and Singapore, an agreement between our respective port authorities. This will ensure our maritime industries are fit for the future and provide an avenue for the export of Australia’s renewable energy.

To support this initiative, Leaders welcomed progress in implementation of the Australia-Singapore Initiative on Low-Emissions Technologies for maritime and port operations.

The two Prime Ministers announced the first group of Australian and Singaporean small and medium-sized businesses to receive grants under the $20 million Go-Green Co-Innovation Program, which will facilitate co-innovation between our two countries and support the development of sustainable products and services.

Additional grant funding was announced to encourage collaborative research between Australian and Singaporean scientists on sustainability, innovation and food technology.

Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Lee also announced a new agreement between border agencies to increase cooperation on border security and help to combat cross-border crime.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“Today, Prime Minister Lee and I charted the course for the next ten years of the Australia Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

“Australia is fortunate to have a strong partner in Singapore, and an ambitious agenda for the future of our relationship.

“I congratulate Prime Minister Lee on his two decades of service to Singapore and to the region, and I thank him for his unwavering support of our bilateral relationship.”

The Australian Government will invest $64 million over the next four years, including $40 million in new funding, to enhance Australia’s Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships.

The new commitment, announced at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2024, will expand Australia’s maritime cooperation with regional partners and contribute to the security and prosperity of the region, consistent with the priorities of Southeast Asian countries.

Australia will expand government and institutional cooperation with Southeast Asian partners through practical maritime activities.

These include skills development, training and the sharing of technology. Examples of current partnerships include:

• conserving coral reefs through the Australian Institute for Marine Science
• maritime law enforcement and domain awareness through the Australian Border Force
• geospatial mapping through Geoscience Australia
• marine environmental governance through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; and
• marine protection through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

This cooperation supports the ASEAN Maritime Outlook and the maritime pillar of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

Australia is working closely with Southeast Asian partners to respond to shared maritime challenges and uphold international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

We will continue to cooperate on those challenges, which include law enforcement, domain awareness, sustainable marine resources, marine protection and conservation, and upholding the law of the sea.

Today, at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2024, I announced Australia is investing a further $222.5 million to support the resilience and prosperity of the Mekong subregion of Southeast Asia through the Mekong-Australia Partnership.

Since its launch, the Mekong-Australia Partnership has supported the subregion’s environmental and economic resilience, leadership and skills, and trade and investment.

This second phase of funding over the next five years will address priorities and shared challenges with a focus on improving water security, responding to climate change and combatting transnational crime.

Australia will contribute to strengthened leadership, institutions, and people to people connections to promote shared prosperity.

The Mekong-Australia Partnership complements Australia’s longstanding bilateral partnerships and ASEAN development cooperation.

Australia will continue to work with our Mekong subregion partners to shape and secure the future of the region and all those who rely on it.

The Prime Minister is prioritising his political interests over the needs of more than 14 million Australians who have private health insurance.

As revealed in the Australian today, the Albanese Labor Government is deliberately hiding how much more Australians will be paying for their private health insurance until after the Dunkley by-election, which would make this the latest premium change announcement in 15 years.

In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, Australians need time to prepare for rises in their out-of-pocket costs. Right now, every dollar counts.

Both the Prime Minister and the Health Minister ran away from transparency this morning as they refused to admit fault. Australians have a right to expect more from their Government.

During the last Parliament, the Coalition was able to achieve the lowest annual premium change for consumers since 2001 and still announce every change in December.

The Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Anne Ruston said that clearly the Albanese Government is prioritising politics over people, and it will hurt hardworking Australians who are already struggling to pay their bills.

“It is astounding that this Government is not providing private health providers or Australians with private health insurance enough time to adjust to possible premium increases, which are due to come into effect in only a months’ time.

“Either the Health Minister has not been able to effectively negotiate with providers, or he has something to hide from the voters of Dunkley and the Australian public.

“It is totally indefensible that the Labor Government is refusing to tell the people of Dunkley the truth this week.

“The Prime Minister needs to be honest with the people of Dunkley – how much more will they be paying for importance services like private health insurance and residential aged care after this weekend?” Senator Anne Ruston said.

The Opposition remains strongly committed to Australians having affordable access to private health insurance.

As another Parliamentary sitting week draws to a close home ownership, especially for first home buyers, has never been further out of reach.

This week, the Albanese Labor Government fiddled while the housing crisis continues to get worse.

The so called ‘Help to Buy’ scheme – a tiny proposal – simply replicates state government shared equity schemes that already exist and have largely been rejected by Australians. For example, 94 per cent of places in the virtually identical New South Wales scheme (Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper) are still unused, such is the lack of demand.

So, it’s no wonder the Government gagged debate of the ‘Help to Buy’ Bill – an election promise which was due to commence on 1 January 2023 – as it was unable to convince its backbenchers to even speak in support of the shambolic proposal.

On top of this, Australia has recently seen the weakest quarter of construction in more than a decade, with forecasts showing housing starts will decline even further over the next two years.

First home buyers are at the lowest level since the Gillard government, new home approvals have dropped to the lowest level in more than a decade, and lending for new homes remains at a shameful 20-year low.

Since the election, national median rents have increased by 26 per cent to $580 per week, Australia is experiencing record migration on Labor’s watch, and it has also been confirmed Labor’s 1.2 million homes promise is officially broken with an estimated 400,000 shortfall.

Labor continues to dodge the Coalition’s questions about the state of the housing crisis, and after 20 months of this Government, things are unfortunately only going to get worse with home ownership and the residential construction industry remaining at the bottom of Labor’s priority list.

Bathurst’s licensed venues can stay open an extra two hours this Sunday so motor sports fans can kick on after the Bathurst SuperFest final.

Eligible venues in the Bathurst Regional LGA can now operate until midnight on Sunday night, 25 February as part of the NSW Government’s trading extensions for special events. 

Under the extensions, venues can open their doors longer for special cultural and sporting events, helping to boost local night-time economies. 

As the year progresses, the NSW Government expects to list additional special events, further enriching NSW’s nightlife and cultural offerings across the regions.

For Bathurst SuperFest, this extended trading applies to all eligible licensed venues in Abercrombie, Bathurst, Eglinton, Kelso, Llanarth, Mitchell, Mount Panorama, Orton Park, Perthville, Raglan, South Bathurst, West Bathurst and Windradyne. 

For the full list of special events and more information on extended trading, please visit: https://www.liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au/operating-a-business/running-your-business/longertrading-hours-to-celebrate-special-events

For more information on the NSW Government’s Vibrancy reforms, please visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/24-hour-economy/vibrancy-reforms

Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham said: “Bathurst is a big moment on the motor sports calendar, bringing more than 18,500 visitors. 

“I am pleased local hospitality venues can welcome visitors later with our extended trading, enabling them to fully reap the benefits and provide the experiences that will keep people coming back next year.” 

Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said: “Local pubs, clubs and bars play a crucial role in the social fabric of regional communities like Bathurst.

“The NSW Government is committed to creating additional opportunities for hospitality venues during special events, like this weekend’s SuperFest final.

“Allowing for extended trading hours across a diverse mix of special events helps locals and visitors to really soak up the atmosphere, delivering a better experience for everyone across our finest sporting and cultural events.”

A new program to boost the bushfire resilience of critical transport corridors by supporting Aboriginal cultural landscape management has been launched at 4 sites across regional NSW.

The $4.5 million Transport for NSW (TfNSW) Aboriginal Cultural Landscapes Project is a land management pilot created in response to recommendations from the NSW Bushfire Inquiry which followed the Black Summer disaster.

The outcome-driven project supports local Aboriginal communities to use traditional land management methods, including cultural burning, to reduce the risk of bushfires impacting key NSW roads.

Pilot sites are located:

• near the Bruxner Highway northwest of Grafton on Bundjalung Country
• near the Oxley and Newell Highways at Coonabarabran on Gomeroi Country
• along the Princes Highway at Bega and Batemans Bay on the South Coast on Yuin Country.

A joint TfNSW and La Trobe University research project will accompany the pilots and explore how traditional and cultural land and water management can be used to build resilience to natural disasters into the transport network.

The Department of Regional NSW Regional Aboriginal Partnerships Program will support Aboriginal groups within a culturally safe environment to ensure their business models can deliver landscape management services to landowners and Government once the pilots conclude in mid-2025.

The pilot is part of the NSW Government’s $28 million Network Resilience Program being delivered by TfNSW over 4 years to improve the State Road network’s resilience to bushfires.

Find out more about the Network Resilience Program.

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Corporation of NSW, NSW Local Land Services, local councils and Local Emergency Management Committees are working on the pilots with TfNSW.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“Hazard reduction and mitigation play a key role in managing fire risk, and we know from the Bushfire Inquiry that there are many different approaches we can take to this to prepare as much as possible for bushfires.

“This project will support Aboriginal communities to carry out and expand cultural landscape management, making our road network more resilient and promoting the use of local traditional knowledge to better prepare our landscape for natural disasters.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

“Aboriginal people have been caring for Country as custodians and knowledge holders for tens of thousands of years.

“It makes sense for Aboriginal people to manage the landscape at these sites now and into the future.

“Through this initiative, we are Closing the Gap by creating jobs and empowering Aboriginal people and communities to be decision-makers.

“The project will strengthen Aboriginal communities and build knowledge and cultural heritage across the generations.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“Having travelled extensively through Bega during the 2019/20 bushfires, I know the first-hand trauma and devastation they caused.

“It’s a win-win situation that could pave the way for this important work to expand after the pilot. It will contribute to a model of closer working with Aboriginal people to build the framework for future land management partnerships with Transport for NSW, other Government agencies, and private landholders.

“This won’t just help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires impacting our transport links, it will also help the Aboriginal communities strengthen their cultural connection with Country.”

Member for Bega Dr Michael Holland said:

“The long-term tragedy and trauma that catastrophic fires bring is fresh in the memory of people who live, work and visit the South Coast. Connectivity is key during times of natural disaster, and I welcome any initiative that will help build the resilience of our key road network.

“The great thing about the pilot is that it has the potential to build future business and employment opportunities for local communities, while uplifting our collective ability to care for Country.

“This will help encourage knowledge of the land to be passed on by Elders, and benefit local communities as well as everyone who relies on the road network.”

A motorcyclist has died and two others were injured following a crash in Cessnock on the Hunter Expressway today.

Emergency services were called to a location just past Hart Road at Loxford, about 9.15am (Friday 23 February 2024), after reports three motorcyclists traveling northbound had crashed.

One of the riders died at the scene. He has not been formally identified.

Two other riders, also males, were injured and treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being transported by road to John Hunter Hospital.

Their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

A crime scene has been established to determine the circumstances behind the crash.

A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

Traffic diversions are in place and motorists are urged to check www.livetraffic.com for the latest information.