admin – Page 1506

Government Pretends Biggest Expenditure Item Is Drought

This Government is loose with the truth.
24 hours after it emerged their dam announcement was based on false figures, they have made up more total fantasy.
Today in Question Time the Treasurer said the drought was the “number one call on the budget.”
This is cold comfort to the thousands of farmers desperately struggling to survive on the land, who are not receiving one cent of direct funding from the Future Drought Fund.
Farmers have been left high and dry by the Morrison Government and now the Government is misleading by suggesting they are spending more money on farmers than anyone else.

Government Runs From Economic Debate

For a second consecutive day Scott Morrison has refused to defend his economic record by debating the state of the Australian economy in the Parliament.
After more than six years in office the Government has produced:

The slowest economic growth in a decade;
The worst wages growth on record;
Almost two million Australians being unemployed or underemployed;
A decline in GDP per capita last year, with flat growth in the last quarter;
Record levels of household debt;
Consumer confidence at a four-year low;
Business confidence well below average; and
Sluggish productivity growth.

In Parliament today we repeatedly invited Mr Morrison to defend his economic record and allow time for a serious debate on the economy.
He ran from the issue.
He is ashamed of his economic record. He should be.
Mr Morrison has no plan to stimulate our nation’s sluggish economy and is so out of touch and arrogant that he believes he is above the scrutiny of the Parliament of Australia.

City unveils new playground

Rankin Park families have a new $150,000 playground on McCaffrey Drive as City of Newcastle continues its rollout of new and upgraded facilities across the local government area.
The Coldstream Reserve facility follows delivery of three other new playgrounds by the City this year in Adamstown, Wallsend, and the incredibly popular Stockton Active Hub on the Stockton foreshore.

“Up to five of Newcastle’s 119 playgrounds are included annually in the City’s asset renewal works program,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“Two more upgrades are set to be delivered in Wallsend at Carrington Street Reserve and Brickworks Park over the next 12 months.”
The Lord Mayor and locals will gather in Coldstream Reserve Saturday to officially open the facility, which was built by City of Newcastle as a replacement for another nearby playground which had to be closed because of mine subsidence.
“I’m delighted to deliver this new playground for the Rankin Park community,” Councillor Nelmes said.
“This is the fourth playground we’ve opened this year and I know how much pleasure they bring for both kids and their families.
“After the forced closure of the Rosedale Crescent playground, the community was consulted to choose a new location, and the consensus was Coldstream Reserve just a few hundred metres away. The feedback so far is that the kids absolutely love it.”
The playground includes a range of options to challenge young bodies and minds, including a rope-based play system, platforms and slide, swing set and balance logs.
Funded by Subsidence Advisory NSW in partnership with City of Newcastle, the playground blends with the slope of the reserve, changing levels via steps in a sandstone retaining wall.
Equipment colours match surrounding eucalypts and the play area, which is fenced off from McCaffrey Drive, is accessible via a path that also leads to picnic tables under a timber shade structure.
Playgrounds earmarked for an overhaul are selected and prioritised from a biennial independent audit that assesses their existing condition against current safety standards and guidelines.
The community is invited to celebrate the opening of the new playground tomorrow, Saturday 19 October 2019 from 10.30am.
Image caption: Two-year-old George Outram with Ari Boorer, 2.

Newcastle leads the way with smart city infrastructure

An advanced network of sensors spread across the city has put Newcastle on the front foot to combat a range of local environmental issues.
The City’s ‘Envirosensing’ network and Internet of Things (IoT) project, which will be officially launched today, is the culmination of three years of work to build one of the most advanced smart city infrastructure systems in Australia.
Capture5-(1).JPG The system is designed to measure a range of environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, wind direction, air quality, water usage, soil moisture and solar irradiance.
The infrastructure also allows for the pilot deployment of smart bin sensors, smart parking sensors and other smart city applications.
Data collected by the sensors can help the City better understand and respond to issues such as urban heat island effect, air pollution, flood management and water sustainability, as well as monitor the performance of urban systems and assets.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Newcastle is leading the way when it comes to investment in and uptake of technology.
“The launch is a significant milestone, marking the completion of the base infrastructure required to start deploying applications that not only solve the city’s challenges but also harness exciting opportunities,” Cr Nelmes said.
“An example of how these sensors can be used is in combatting the phenomenon of higher temperatures in areas with a lot of buildings and pavement, known as the Urban Heat Island effect.
“Studies show that Urban Heat Islands are associated with higher pollution and negative health conditions, especially for the elderly and young children. This technology will be integral to exploring possible actions to mitigate urban warming.”
Today’s launch will also showcase custom-designed adaptable sensor housings developed with local industrial design outfit Design Anthology, which are integrated into the city’s growing smart pole network and can be accessed by the City’s research and industry partners to develop new technologies and help solve city challenges.
Cr Nelmes said this network will establish Newcastle as an experimental testbed for progressing research, prototyping and entrepreneurial activity.
“The scope of this system’s potential is as far-reaching as the imagination of the researchers and entrepreneurs we hope to attract to solve an open-ended range of challenges using sensing and data,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This infrastructure will allow us to focus on optimisation, efficiency and evidence-based decisions in our journey towards becoming a smart, sustainable and liveable global city.”
The NSW Government supported the deployment of smart city infrastructure through a $5 million grant via the Restart NSW-funded Hunter Innovation Project. A partnership with the State Government will see the City of Newcastle invest an additional $2 million over three years.

NEW PARKING APP A WIN FOR DRIVERS

Drivers in parts of Sydney can now pay for parking and top up using their phones, with the launch of the NSW Government’s Park’nPay app.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello was joined by Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance today at The Rocks to announce the new technology, which goes live today in The Rocks, Liverpool Council and parts of Darling Harbour and Pyrmont.
“This app is a game changer for drivers, eliminating the need to search for loose coins and walking to the nearest meter to pay for parking,” Mr Dominello said.
“The technology is hassle free and makes life easier for drivers by putting more power in their hands.”
Mr Constance said the app will help drivers avoid parking fines because they will be notified when their meter is running low or their park is about to turn into a no stopping zone.
“Park’nPay will reduce the stress and pressures of getting a ticket from parking inspectors as you can check your meter in real-time,” Mr Constance said.
“When a meter is about to expire, users simply top up their account through the app so they don’t have to stop what they are doing to rush back to their car.”
The app is free and available on iPhone and Android phones. Drivers simply download the Park’nPay app, create an account with their licence plate and payment details. Users have the option of paying with Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Parking inspectors will check to see if a meter has been paid by searching licence plate details using an app on their phone. Parking meters will continue to accept coins and credit cards.
Drivers have a 10 minute grace period for not getting fined after paying for at least one hour of parking.
The Government will work with local Councils over the coming months to come on board. For more information visit www.parknpay.nsw.gov.au

ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO HELP NSW STUDENTS THRIVE

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is providing more annual funding to schools, with $1.25 billion going to more than 2000 public schools across the State next year – a $60 million increase on 2019.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the funding today, which is provided on top of a school’s base allocation, and can be used for more teachers, literacy and numeracy programs, and teacher training.
“We are unashamedly for lifting standards in our schools and this additional funding is making a real difference in the outcomes of students at the local level,” Ms Berejiklian said
“Schools will consult with the local community to develop a plan for the funding to cater for the specific academic and wellbeing needs of their individual students.”
The funding method, known as the Resource Allocation Model (RAM), recognises the needs of schools across NSW differ and takes into account the socio-economic profile of students, Aboriginal student numbers, disability and English language proficiency.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the funding reports are being delivered earlier than in previous years to allow schools to better plan how the funds will be used, improving outcomes for the over 800,000 NSW public school students.
“We have listened to feedback from Principals – and are releasing the School Budget Allocation Reports ahead of schedule. This will allow schools more time to plan their funding allocations for 2020 – helping them make smarter decisions focused on student outcomes,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We know that Government has an obligation to current and future generations to fund access to a quality education for every child according to a transparent and consistent assessment of their educational needs. That is what the RAM is all about.”
“As part of the 2020 RAM allocations, schools will see the benefit of $433 million to support students through the equity loading for socio-economic background and $201 million through the per capita loading.”
The NSW Government is working towards creating Australia’s best education system and providing students with world-class education no matter where they live.

Woman charged over alleged sale of synthetic cannabis – Mayfield

A woman appeared in court today charged over the alleged supply of synthetic cannabis from a tobacconist near Newcastle.
Officers from the Police Transport and Public Safety Command attached to Newcastle commenced an investigation after receiving information regarding prohibited drugs in Mayfield.
Following inquiries, a search warrant was executed at a tobacconist on Hanbury Street, Mayfield, about 10am yesterday (Thursday 17 October 2019).
During the search, police located and seized 1.25 kilograms of cannabis, 52 glass water pipes, cash and documentation.
A 56-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and taken to Waratah Police Station where she was charged with supply prohibited drug, knowingly supply psychoactive substance for human consumption, knowingly deal with proceeds of crime and display waterpipe in shop.
The woman was refused bail and appeared before Newcastle Local Court today (Friday 18 October 2019), where she was granted conditional bail to appear before the same court on Thursday 19 December 2019.

Major parties tested by introduction of Greens Parliamentary Standards Bill

The introduction of the Greens Parliamentary Standards Bill in the Senate today will be a strong test of whether Labor and the Liberals genuinely want to stamp out corruption and restore public trust in democracy.
The bill creates a binding, independently enforced code of conduct for all Federal politicians and staff.
The Australian community’s trust in politicians and government has plummeted to 31 per cent, with less than a quarter of the community expressing trust in Federal Ministers and MPs [1].
Greens Co-Deputy Leader and spokesperson on democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said the community can no longer tolerate the ongoing scandals and politicians’ misbehaviour.
“Alarming levels of disrespect have been allowed to flourish in the Australian Parliament, from appalling behaviour in the chambers that would not be tolerated in any other workplace to outright corruption and selfish opportunism,” she said today.
“Today the Greens will introduce a much-needed Parliamentary Standards Bill in the Senate to help lift the bar, as a large step towards restoring public trust in democracy.
“The centrepiece of the new bill is a binding, enforceable code of conduct for all Ministers, parliamentarians and senior staffers.
“The Greens bill requires all politicians to respect others, to avoid conflicts of interest, to act with integrity, and to ensure that power and public resources are always used in the public interest.
“It would establish new independent enforcement agent with teeth, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, who can investigate breaches of the code of conduct and take action when politicians’ behaviour fails to meet public expectations.
“For serious allegations, the new Public Standards Commissioner could refer the matter to the Greens proposed National Integrity Commission for a more comprehensive investigation.
“The bill is a large step towards restoring public trust in democracy, but more needs to be done. The bill also sets out a process to review and strengthen existing standards for lobbying, post-parliamentary employment, political donations, and campaign financing,” Senator Waters said.
Full copy of National Integrity (Parliamentary Standards) Bill 2019 available here: http://bit.ly/NationalIntegrity
[1] Democracy 2025’s Trust in Democracy Report, December 2018 https://www.democracy2025.gov.au/documents/Democracy2025-report1.pdf

Greens Slam Labor and Liberal Collusion to Scrap Education Investment

Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has slammed Labor and the Liberals for striking a deal to sell out TAFEs and universities. The two parties voted today to abolish the $4 billion Education Infrastructure Fund, which was focused on building research and education infrastructure.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Labor and the Government have teamed up to stab education in the back by abolishing billions in education funding.
“I don’t expect any better of the regressive Liberals who have cut education funding at every turn, but Labor used to be the party of education. Now they are just selling out communities and young people to remain politically relevant.
“Labor are so eager to please the Liberals they voted to abolish the infrastructure fund they themselves established. The reality is unis, TAFEs and research have all suffered under this Liberal-National Government. Education in Australia is being dangerously underfunded.
“I’ve seen with my own eyes the impact of the fund in Port Macquarie where I lived and worked and where the fund contributed to the Joint Health Education Facility which is training doctors to meet demand for care in rural and regional areas.
“We must fund disaster relief and support communities facing the brunt of the climate crisis, but the Greens will not be party to the Government’s long-running campaign to cut our universities and TAFEs to the bone while their climate inaction endangers all of us,” she concluded.