January 2019 – Page 2

70,000 CREATIVE KIDS VOUCHERS DOWNLOADED IN FIRST THREE WEEKS

Families have given the NSW Government’s new $100 Creative Kids vouchers a strong endorsement, with more than 70,000 vouchers downloaded since the program went live three weeks ago, with Western Sydney well represented. More than 830 providers have also registered with Service NSW.
Parents can use one voucher for every school-age child per year to help meet the cost of structured creative and cultural activities, such as music lessons, languages, coding, drama and theatre, photography and graphic design.
Minister for Finance, Services and Property Victor Dominello joined Member for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith today at Randwick to release the figures.
The figures speak for themselves – parents simply love the new voucher and have given it the thumbs up, Mr Dominello said.
“The voucher is helping to unlock the creative abilities of young people, with parents in Kellyville, Castle Hill, Liverpool and Camden among those who have claimed the most vouchers so far. Among registered providers, performing arts and visual arts groups are the most represented.
“This program has been made possible due to our strong economic management – we’ve slashed the debt, balanced the books and put the State back in pole position.”
Mr Notley-Smith said: “Creative Kids complements the hugely popular Active Kids voucher, and that Creative and Active Kids vouchers combined will save a family with two children $400 a year.”
“The new school year starts next week and this voucher will help parents plan for creative and cultural activities, which can really add to a household budget.
“It is critical that providers register with Service NSW, so that parents can claim their vouchers with them.”
The following suburbs are among those that have downloaded the most vouchers:

Postcode	Suburb	Vouchers Downloaded
2155	Kellyville	960
2153	Baulkham Hills	673
2145	Westmead	541
2250	Erina	455
2170	Liverpool	448
2154	Castle Hill	447
2259	Tuggerah	440
2077	Hornsby	422
2570	Camden	422
2560	Appin	400

Creative Kids is one of a raft of NSW Government initiatives helping to ease cost of living pressure for households. Others include cheaper Green Slips and refunds, free car registration for regular toll users and the FuelCheck app. Further information on how to register as a provider and the program is at www.service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/creative-kids

City announces Australia Day awards honours

Following journalist and ovarian cancer research advocate Jill Emberson’s recognition as Newcastle Citizen of the Year 2019, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes has named the City’s other Australia Day award recipients at this morning’s Citizenship ceremony.

Jill Emberson was recognised for her tremendous efforts in ovarian cancer advocacy
Junior John Hunter Hospital doctor Bhavi Ravindran was named the 2019 Young Citizen of the Year.
The 24-year-old University of Newcastle graduate has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to the medical profession at such a young age.
Dr Bhavi holds numerous positions on medical boards including the Australian Medical Council and Medical Students Accreditation Committee, which is responsible for the accreditation of the 24 medical schools across Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Bhavi Ravindran’s dedication to charitable health work earned him this year’s Young Citizen of the Year
He has worked with the United Nations and World Health Organisation on a number of leading international population health projects, and in 2016 convened a Global Health Conference in Newcastle.
The conference drew more than 850 medical students from across the world to discuss public health and global governance issues.
“Dr Bhavi is an inspiring young man with an incredible wealth of knowledge well beyond his years,” Cr Nelmes said.
“His dedication to his profession sets a very high benchmark for any young and aspiring doctor or medical professional to work towards and I look forward to following his achievements throughout the rest of his career.”
A trio of Newcastle teenagers was named the 2019 Community Group of the Year for founding the social enterprise known as The Y Project.
Luisa Amosa, Charlotte Boulus and Mae Anagnostis started The Y Project to create safe space events for young people, and to raise awareness about social justice and environmental issues.

The Y Project create safe spaces for young people while raising funds for not-for-profit organisations
The group also raises funds for local and international charity organisations through the delivery of all-age music and art events in Newcastle.
“Through advocacy and educating youth on ways they can interact in their community, The Y Project is encouraging and inspiring young people to become proactive and strive to create a future enthused with empathy, equity and justice,” the Lord Mayor said.
“After forming at high school in 2017, the group has helped engineer some positive momentum for social change among young people at various live music and arts events, and, in doing so, raised thousands of dollars for charity.”
Also at today’s ceremony, which marked 70 years since the Australian Government first introduced Citizenship into Commonwealth law, more than a 160 new Australians from 46 different countries received their Citizenship.
Just seven men were sworn in as new legal citizens in 1949, swearing their allegiance to Australia from Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, Norway, Spain and Yugoslavia.
Today, Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations in the world, having welcomed more than five million new Australian citizens to our shores.

^{Congratulations to the Citys Australia Day Award winners}

Jill Emberson named Citizen of the Year

Journalist and ovarian cancer research advocate Jill Emberson will be named Newcastle’s Citizen of the Year for 2019 at tomorrow’s Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony.
The Newcastle media personality, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016, was recognised for her contribution to journalism and advocacy in the fight against the disease.

Ovarian cancer research advocate Jill Emberson is Newcastle’s Citizen of the Year for 2019
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes commended Emberson’s energy, courage and passion in advocating for more research funding, in the face of great personal adversity.
“Jill has been an outstanding advocate in the fight against ovarian cancer,” Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“Her career in journalism has given her a platform to document the sometimes lonely battle faced by women with this disease, and we as a community are thankful to her for doing so.
“She’s shown great courage and resolve to remain so focused and determined to deliver better outcomes for others, despite her own diagnosis and subsequent relapse which made her cancer terminal.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce her as this year’s Citizen of the Year.”
Having worked in various public and private media roles both in Australia and overseas, Emberson relocated to Newcastle in 2009 to host the Mornings program on ABC Radio.
While there she built a strong audience with popular segments like Meet the Mob, interviewing 100 members of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Her disease abruptly forced her off air in early 2016.

In 2018 Jill returned to work to create the popular podcast Still Jill
While undergoing treatment, Emberson began to advocate for more funding and research into ovarian cancer, and in June last year gained the attention of the nation at the National Press Club with the address ‘The Cancer Down Under Killing Too Many Women’.
In 2018 Emberson formally returned to work to create the popular podcast Still Jill – in which she intimately documents her journey living with ovarian cancer.
“I am humbled and honoured to be named citizen of the year in Newcastle and will use this precious opportunity to raise more awareness about ovarian cancer,” Emberson said.
“About 1500 Australian women are diagnosed with Ovarian cancer each year but our survival rate has stuck at 45 per cent for decades.
“Research is the only solution to bring our survival into line with other more common cancers and for that we need awareness and funding.”
Rare cancers like ovarian account for about 30 per cent of all cancers and about 50 per cent of fatalities but receive less than 20 per cent of research funding.

^{“Research is the only solution to bring our survival into line with other more common cancers”}
The official colour of Ovarian Cancer Australia – teal – will shine from the face of the City Hall clock Saturday night in a public display of support for Emberson and Ovarian cancer awareness.
Also, at Saturday’s Australia Day ceremony, Newcastle’s Young Citizen of the Year and Community Group of the Year will be announced after the City welcomes around 190 new Australians.
Saturday also marks 70 years since the Australian Government first introduced citizenship into Commonwealth law.
Just seven men were sworn in as new legal citizens at a ceremony held in Canberra in 1949, swearing their allegiance to Australia from Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, Norway, Spain and Yugoslavia.
Today, Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations in the world, having welcomed more than five million new Australian citizens to our shores during the past seventy years.

City set to welcome 194 new citizens

Nine years ago Sierra Leone man John Sandy was living in a Guinea refugee camp with 6,000 other men from war-torn countries like his own – seemingly with no future to look forward to.
He was separated from his wife, torn from his family and living in third-world squalor yearning for a better life.
That came in 2011 when he fled to Australia and was re-united in Newcastle with wife Isata after 12 years apart.

_{John Sandy and his wife Isata reunited in Newcastle after 12 years apart}
Fast forward eight years to this Saturday, and Mr Sandy will rejoice when he and 193 other men and women from more than 46 different countries are officially welcomed by Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes as new Australians.
“When I heard the news I was becoming an Australian Citizen, I was just so grateful and proud,” Mr Sandy said.
“It gives hope that people like me who have fled another country in fear of their life can find a new place elsewhere.”
Tomorrow’s 9am citizenship ceremony at City Hall will mark 70 years since the Australian Government first introduced Citizenship into Commonwealth law.
“In 1949, just seven men made history when they were sworn in as the nation’s first official Australians recognised under Commonwealth law,” Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“Tomorrow, in Newcastle alone, that number will be 194 from 46 different birthplaces. This shows just how far we have come as a multicultural inclusive community that welcomes people of all ethnicities and backgrounds.”

Tomorrow’s ceremony will also see local Australia Day awards presented before a range of family activities will be staged in the amphitheatre at the eastern end of Foreshore Park from 10am-2pm.
At 8.30pm, the fireworks postponed from New Year’s Eve will be let off from Stockton, offering a clear view right along the Newcastle Foreshore and from higher vantage points such the Obelisk.
Public transport is recommended on Australia Day, but the Wright Lane, Throsby carpark and The Mall carpark will be free of charge.
For more information, please visit the City’s Australia Day information page online at http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Explore/Things-to-do/What-s-On/Events/Australia-Day-2019

Strong jobs numbers show danger of changing approach

Today’s labour force results, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show unemployment has fallen to 5.0 per cent, down from 5.7 per cent under the former Labor government.
In fact, 2018 has seen the largest decrease in unemployment over a calendar year since 1994, demonstrating the danger of adopting a different approach to managing the Australian economy.
Seasonally adjusted employment increased by 21,600 in December 2018, and has increased by 268,600 over the year, to stand at a record high of 12,714,100. Working age (15-64 years) employment is at an equal record high of 74.0 per cent.
Employment has increased in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia over the past year.
Encouragingly, female full-time employment has increased by 90,000 over the year, to stand at a record high of 3,224,900.
Since the Government came to office in September 2013, a total of 1,239,200 jobs have been created, an increase of 10.8 per cent.
Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, welcomed the figures but warned of the dangers of taking a different approach to managing the economy.
“There are more Australians in work than ever before. While the Coalition Government’s economic plan is working, there is no room for complacency,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
The International Monetary Fund this week provided a timely reminder of what could be around the corner, warning that ‘global expansion is weakening and at a rate that is somewhat faster than expected’.
“Labor’s higher taxing agenda puts the prosperity of all Australians at risk. Labor’s $200 billion of new taxes will hit retirees, homeowners, renters, small business owners, young people and all those aspiring to build a better life for themselves and their families,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
“A country can’t tax its way to prosperity. Economic growth and jobs growth can’t be achieved while punishing aspiration,” Minister O’Dwyer concluded.

EQUIPPING OUR ADF PERSONNEL WITH GREATER CHOICE

A Shorten Labor Government will give our ADF members choice to select their issued boots for service – our ADF members aren’t one size fits all, and their boots shouldn’t be, either.
Our military personnel are our most critical ADF capability. It is vital they are well equipped to perform at their best and deliver on their mission.
ADF members work day in, day out, in their kit and, like us, our ADF personnel are not one-size fits all.
That’s why Labor will recognise the importance of our ADF personnel being fitted with a more individual approach.
Labor’s approach will see Defence provide a greater range of pre-approved boots to fit the needs of the ADF personnel and Defence’s requirements.
Labor will establish a panel of providers to let ADF members choose from a range of pre-approved boots that best meet their individual needs while also meeting the requirements of their service.
This will give members more choice and flexibility to suit their individual needs while maintaining ADF requirements.
The success of the ADF depends, in part, on the quality and appropriateness of personnel clothing and equipment.
Labor is committed to supporting the principle of greater choice for packs. We will work with experts in Government to determine the feasibility of expanding greater access to packs which suit both our ADF personnel and their operational requirements.
Our ADF personnel’s safety and wellbeing is a priority to Labor. That is why we are committed to ensuring our ADF members have the best possible equipment that meets their individual needs, ensures their physical health, and in turn produces better outcomes for the ADF.

LABOR WILL INVEST IN 100 EXTRA JOBS FOR CAIRNS

A Shorten Labor Government will create 100 permanent full time Department of Human Services jobs in Cairns.
These 100 new and secure jobs will inject up to $7.2 million into the local economy each and every year.
This announcement will further cement Cairns as a national hub for Commonwealth Government service delivery and administration.
It is a further example of Federal Labor’s commitment to the decentralisation of Commonwealth Government service delivery.
The 100 jobs will include local service delivery and call centre roles that will provide support for people across Australia.
Regional centres like Cairns have been ignored when it comes to decentralising Government service delivery.
The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government has turned its back on North Queensland, with a campaign of cuts to DHS and Centrelink that are leaving Cairns residents waiting longer to receive support.
Medicare and Centrelink services help the Cairns community when they need it the most – when people are sick, processing aged care pensions, child care support, disability support pensions and carers allowance payments.
These jobs will improve access to Medicare and Centrelink and reduce waiting and processing time for older Australians – important services that have been left to deteriorate under the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government.
Income support is complex and that’s why it is important there are properly trained and permanent staff who are familiar with the personal circumstances facing income support recipients.
There are 13,000 age pensioners in Cairns, who have endured lengthy phone wait times to Centrelink as well as lengthy wait times for their pensions to be approved. There are 1,700 young people on youth allowance, who are studying or undertaking an apprenticeship – all who will benefit from the increased support as a result of these jobs.
The truth is Centrelink is in crisis under the Turnbull Government. It’s under staffed and under resourced.
The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government has cut and outsourced over 1,700 staff from DHS and Centrelink and cut thousands of public sector jobs in regional Australia.
These cuts have coincided with increased Centrelink phone wait times, and income support recipients being pushed to the edge of poverty waiting months for their payments.
These roles will be permanent and full time, and staff will be properly trained to assist Australians on income support.
Labor can afford this because we have made the tough decisions to make multinationals pay their fair share of tax, close tax loopholes used by the top end of town.
We will also clamp down on blowouts in spending on contractors and consultants, and unnecessary and unreasonable travel.
Labor’s focused on Cairns jobs and Cairns services – we’re listening to the local community and making the investments needed to build a stronger local economy and create genuine job opportunities.

LABOR WILL INVEST IN 200 EXTRA JOBS FOR TOWNSVILLE

A Shorten Labor Government will create 200 permanent full time Department of Human Services jobs in Townsville.
These 200 new and secure jobs will inject up to $14.4 million into the local economy each and every year.
This announcement will further cement Townsville as a national hub for Commonwealth Government service delivery and administration.
It is a further example of Federal Labor’s commitment to the decentralisation of Commonwealth Government service delivery.
The 200 jobs will include local service delivery and call centre roles that will provide support for people across Australia.
Regional centres like Townsville have been ignored when it comes to decentralising Government service delivery.
The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government has turned its back on North Queensland, with a campaign of cuts to DHS and Centrelink that are leaving Townsville residents waiting longer to receive support.
Medicare and Centrelink services help the Townsville community when they need it the most – when people are sick, processing aged care pensions, child care support, disability support pensions and carers allowance payments.
These jobs will improve access to Medicare and Centrelink and reduce waiting and processing time for older Australians – important services that have been left to deteriorate under the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government.
Income support is complex and that’s why it is important there are properly trained and permanent staff who are familiar with the personal circumstances facing income support recipients.
There are 15,000 age pensioners in Townsville, who have endured lengthy phone wait times to Centrelink as well as lengthy wait times for their pensions to be approved. There are 2,700 young people on youth allowance, who are studying or undertaking an apprenticeship – all who will benefit from the increased support as a result of these jobs.
The truth is Centrelink is in crisis under the Turnbull Government. It’s under staffed and under resourced.
The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government has cut and outsourced over 2,700 staff from DHS and Centrelink and cut thousands of public sector jobs in regional Australia.
These cuts have coincided with increased Centrelink phone wait times, and income support recipients being pushed to the edge of poverty waiting months for their payments.
These roles will be permanent and full time, and staff will be properly trained to assist Australians on income support.
Labor can afford this because we have made the tough decisions to make multinationals pay their fair share of tax, close tax loopholes used by the top end of town.
We will also clamp down on blowouts in spending on contractors and consultants, and unnecessary and unreasonable travel.
Labor’s focused on Townsville jobs and Townsville services – we’re listening to the local community and making the investments needed to build a stronger local economy and create genuine job opportunities.

Free Higher Education Essential for Jobs of the Future

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has said free higher education is the key to ensuring equitable access to jobs of the future. An Alphabeta ‘Future Skills Report’ has found that Australians will need new skills to adjust to the future of work and will need to spend an additional three hours a week in education and training and that the average Australian worker will likely change jobs 2.4 times over the next two decades.
Details of the Greens free higher education package for universities and TAFEs can be found here.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Technology is rapidly changing the way we work and learn. Students graduating today will be working in industries we haven’t even imagined yet. If we are to take advantage of automation and technological change, we need to ensure that people are able to retrain and re-skill without incurring crushing debts over and over again.
“Automation offers incredible opportunities but if we do not properly plan for it, we are open to the risk of leaving huge numbers of people behind. We know that learning, upskilling and reskilling are essential for workers to be able to thrive in the jobs of the future, particularly those whose industries will be disrupted by technology.
“Removing fees for higher education will mean people will be able to move seamlessly between jobs and careers without the threat of huge debts. It’s time to make education free again,” she concluded.

Lismore Track Reopening Shows Greyhound Racing Reform Is a Farce

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called the reopening of the Lismore racing track a farce. Greyhound Racing NSW closed the Lismore track ‘indefinitely’ on 17 January “as a result of unacceptably high levels of major greyhound injuries and fatalities over the past 12 months. But just one day later, the eighteenth of January, an ‘expert panel’ of three (including two representatives of the greyhound racing industry) declared that the catastrophic injuries and deaths experienced at the track in 2019 were the result of non-track related causes”. Three dogs have been killed racing in Lismore this year already.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The Greyhound Racing industry has again proven how unwilling they are to clean up their act and stop the continued deaths and catastrophic injuries suffered during greyhound racing.
“To have three dogs die on track in a matter of weeks from gruesome fractures and then pretend that it has nothing to do with the track shows that they are living in a parallel universe.
“The reality is that racing dogs always has an inherent risk. If they are not even willing to close their most dangerous tracks, I think it really shows how uninterested they are in reforming the industry.
“The Liberal, National and Labor parties shamefully continue to support the killing and maiming of greyhounds with tens of millions of dollars in public money, while schools, hospitals and community facilities are crying out for funding.
“Just recently we have heard about a vet putting down a healthy greyhound in the back of a trainer’s car while kids were present and not even this is enough for the industry to handout a lifetime ban.
“This isn’t an industry interested in reforming, it is an industry emboldened to continue business as usual.
“We need to cut off the public funding for this so-called sport and ban it once and for all. It more than two years since the racing ban backflip and dogs continue to die on and off the track” she concluded.