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City of Newcastle (CN) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure all Novocastrians feel involved in the decision-making process as part of its new four-year Community Engagement Strategy.

Councillors unanimously voted this week to adopt the Strategy, which provides a framework for how CN engages with the community to support the development of its plans, policies, programs and key activities.

Based on inclusiveness, transparency, and responsiveness, the new Strategy will continue to ensure CN delivers genuine, meaningful opportunities for everyone to share their voice and have a say, which in turn delivers better outcomes for the community.

A key focus of this Strategy is ensuring CN hears feedback from all groups within the community, and a diversity of opinions and voices.

It outlines how community members can be involved in local planning and decision-making, as well as how CN will plan and deliver community engagement activities, including the tools and methods that may be used.

The Strategy builds on CN’s current engagement activities, which during the 2022/23 financial year included over 25,000 interactions with members of the community on more than 40 projects. Community input was used to develop a broad range of strategies and plans, events, infrastructure and capital works, facilities and services, parks and recreation, and transport initiatives.

To read the full Strategy visit: http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/about-us/forms-and-publications/strategies/community-engagement-strategy

For the first time in at least eight years a TAFE NSW teacher has been appointed to join the TAFE NSW board, as it helps guide TAFE NSW through recommendations to the Minister on services, priorities, and operations.

Metal Fabrication and Welding Teacher Stuart McKinder’s appointment to the TAFE Commission Board has been welcomed by Deputy Premier, and Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Prue Car.

Mr McKinder has a long affiliation with TAFE NSW after completing a five-year apprenticeship in 1992, and becoming a welding and metal fabrication teacher in 2008. He currently teaches at TAFE NSW in Wetherill Park.

While on the board, Mr McKinder will be supported by a panel of teachers who will act as an advisory group, providing a diverse range of perspectives across regional and industry skill areas to ensure all facets of teaching are considered.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Prue Car said:

“The skills crisis in NSW means there’s never been a more important time to rebuild TAFE NSW. That starts with hearing directly from teachers.

“This appointment will ensure TAFE NSW teachers are empowered to shape the future of Australia’s largest vocational education and training provider.

“I want to ensure the NSW Government benefits from advisors who are at the coalface of helping learners, businesses, and communities to thrive.”

Chair of the TAFE Commission Board Danny O’Connor said:

“This appointment will ensure the advisory board gains a deeper understanding of the things that matter most to the educational workforce.

“Mr McKinder’s appointment will round out the professional depth already on the Board.

“Among the Board, we already have a wealth of diversity and industry experience with members coming from critical skills sectors including IT, construction, hospitality, community services, health, and education.

“Hearing directly from teachers will boost the Board’s ability to advocate on behalf of the teaching workforce, ensuring TAFE NSW can deliver skills-based training that provides individuals with access to meaningful jobs, and which is aligned to the skills needs of industry and communities across NSW.”

A young Chinese-Australian journalist delving into Australia’s Chinese history, a first-person account of faith after the devastating Türkiye earthquakes, a radio veteran whose career spans 40 years on-air and a powerful anti-racism campaign are some of the winning entries at the 2023 Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards (PMCAs) held last night.

More than 130 entries were submitted for the awards, with winners and finalists decided across 12 categories including Best Audio-Visual Report, a Lifetime Achievement Award and Business and Community Campaigns of the Year.

In the marketing realm, 2 anti-racism campaigns have clinched awards. The ‘Racism. It Stops With Me’ campaign developed by Think HQ and CultureVerse and the ‘Stop Racism Now’ community campaign by Moving Forward Together are 2 of the winning entries.

The PMCAs recognise excellence in multicultural media and marketing. These awards acknowledge the important role marketing and media professionals play in communicating to diverse audiences across the state.

This includes journalists, editors, publishers and marketing professionals across text, radio, television and digital media.

They also honour innovative and creative marketing agencies and campaigns that inspire social cohesion and community harmony.

For further information on PMCAs, please visit the Multicultural NSWlaunch website.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“NSW is proud of its record as one of the most successful multicultural states in the world.

“Our people come from all across the globe, with 1 in 3 of us born overseas, 1 in 2 with a parent born overseas and 1 in 4 speaking another language in the home.

“These awards acknowledge that diversity and I commend everyone who entered because providing information in community language is what keeps our society strong.”

NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper said:

“NSW is still the only state in Australia to recognise multicultural communicators with a stand-alone awards program for media presented in community languages.

“Strong, resilient multicultural media and marketing agencies are vital to ensuring everyone has access to information in a language they feel comfortable using.

“I congratulate all the outstanding winners and finalists this year for bringing a voice to such important topics such as fighting racism, connecting communities through sport and celebrating the delicate intricacies of diverse Australian perspectives.”

The media award winners are:

• Best Audio-Visual Report – Sharon Offenberger and Ghousoon Bisharat, Plus61J Media
• Best Audio Report – Stephanie Corsetti, Claire Slattery, Marcus Megalokonomos and Hannah Kwon, SBS
• Best Text Report – Dr Salih Yucel, AMUST
• Young Journalist of the Year – Olivia Yuan, SBS Mandarin
• Publication of the Year – Pawan Luthra and Rajni Anand Luthra, Indian Link Media Group
• Alan Knight Student Award – Suhayla Zahira Sharif
• Public Interest Award – Addison Road Community Organisation
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Haralambos Anargyrou Kritharis, known as Harry Crethar.

The marketing award winners are:

• Agency Campaign of the Year – Think HQ and Cultureverse for the Australian Human Rights Commission
• Business Campaign of the Year – Savings Finder Campaign, Department of Customer Service
• Community Campaign of the Year – Moving Forward Together, Stop Racism Now
• Best Use of Digital or Social Media – Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Minns Labor Government is moving towards extending the established and successful portable long service leave system in NSW.

The government is taking the first step towards fulfilling its election commitment, establishing a consultation process around the introduction of the system in the community service sector.

The move responds to the rise of insecure work in the disability and community sectors and forms part of the government’s commitment to attract and retain key workers in NSW.

Community sector workers are often employed on short-term contracts with multiple employers and don’t have access to long service leave, despite some working in the sector for more than a decade.  

Led by Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis, the government will engage with stakeholders, including unions and employers, about the best way to extend the system to the community service sector.

A portable long service leave system for the community sector could follow the model for NSW contract cleaners, introduced by the previous Labor government in 2010, which provides a portable long service entitlement to workers who have performed work in the NSW contract cleaning industry for 10 years, regardless of whether they have worked for multiple employers or as a contractor, and includes casuals.

Our plan will bring NSW in line with other jurisdictions (ACT, Victoria and Queensland) that have already established portable leave schemes for these sectors. NSW cannot be left behind and must value these essential workers.  

The disability sector has an annual turnover of 25% and the highest levels of casualisation in the care economy.  

It is also experiencing a rise in gig work via platforms and apps that provide no leave provisions for workers.  

And 75% of the 250,000 strong social services workforce in NSW are women.

A recent survey conducted by the NSW Council of Social Service said the care sector in NSW could lose up to 120,000 workers over the next 5 years, with poor pay and insecure work driving staff out.

The Minns Government is looking to find a solution to the high level of churn in these sectors, the cost this high turnover brings to employers and the impact it has on the continuity of care to clients. 

The government will start work on the consultation process immediately and aim to have a bill to parliament in early-mid 2024, subject to the consultation process.

The announcement forms the first step towards the government implementing its broader commitment to introduce portable entitlements, including long service leave, for the community sector and gig economy.

Minister for Industrial Relations Sophie Cotsis said:

“There’s a predicted mass exodus in the community services sector. We are setting up a consultation process that cares about what the industry has to say.

“Workers in these industries have felt abandoned by the former government, which deprived them of basic entitlements, affecting their ability to get a loan, secure rental accommodation and support their families.

“We want to be getting the best out of our workforce, and it’s well known that a portable entitlements system for these industries recognises the service of these workers and helps retain staff.”

Pubs and clubs across the state have less than 1 week left to remove external gambling-related signage, with members of the public encouraged to report venues breaking the rules following the 1 September deadline.

The NSW Government announced in May that all venues must remove, alter or conceal all external gambling-related signs, including fixed unilluminated awning signs and digital video displays. 

The ban will be implemented through a staged approach to ensure pubs and clubs are given the appropriate time to conceal, remove and switch off any illegal signs.

From 1 September, Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) is primed to start rigorous compliance inspections and is asking the community to alert it to any remaining signage from that date.

Enforcement action will be taken in relation to non-compliant signage except where venues can provide evidence that reasonable steps have been taken to remove gambling-related signage and the delay is outside of the control of the venue.

From December 1 there will no exceptions and a zero-tolerance approach to any external gambling-related signage.

Members of the public can report instances of gambling related signage via L&GNSW’s websitelaunch. The maximum penalty attributable for those who fail to remove their signs and breach the Act is $11,000 per offence.

A gambling related sign means any sign (whether consisting of words, symbols, pictures or any other thing) that draws attention to, or can reasonably be taken to draw attention to, the availability of approved gaming machines in a hotel or on the premises of a club.

Terms such as VIP Room/VIP Lounge, Golden Room/Lounge and Players’ Room/Lounge are among those banned, as well as images of dragons, coins or lightning motifs.

L&GNSW will be reviewing instances of external gaming related signage on a case-by-case basis, with consideration to any relevant aggravating or mitigating factors. Any operators identified as wilfully circumventing legislation will be met with an appropriate and proportionate enforcement response.

Since May, L&GNSW has visited and engaged with venues across metropolitan and regional LGAs on the process and scope of removal and briefed local councils, peak industry bodies and police to provide necessary education and support about the changes and written to them on numerous occasions. A reminder communique has been sent to all venues, on 25 August confirming compliance inspections and action will start on 1 September.

For more information on gambling related signage removal, read the L&GNSW’s position paperlaunch. 

Minister for Gaming & Racing David Harris said:

“NSW Government is taking the next step in our commitment to gaming reform, reducing gambling harm and tackling money laundering.

“Pubs and clubs have one week until this ban will take place and we will begin enforcement from day one.

“Let me be clear, if you have gambling related-external signage after September 1 and cannot demonstrate that reasonable steps have been taken to remove it, you will be fined.

“I’m also calling on the community to help us enforce this ban. If you see a sign which may breach the guidelines after September 1, please report to Liquor and Gaming NSW who will investigate further.”

The Labor Government yesterday introduced a regulation providing the Independent Commission against Corruption with extraordinary powers.

Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said the powers that are being granted through the Surveillance Devices Amendment (ICAC) Regulation 2023 will have enormous scope beyond any one set of recordings. The Regulation would allow ICAC, for example, to use or publish existing or new surveillance recordings, made by private citizens without a warrant on any matter, for the next 2.4 years.

There are also questions relating to the ICAC’s conduct with respect to the potentially illegal records. It is unclear how the ICAC could have formed the view that the records are “of interest to an ongoing investigation” (as stated by the Attorney General yesterday in Parliament) without breaking the law.

“This is a case of reckless drafting by the Labor Government, and requires serious repair,” said Mr Speakman.

Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens expressed strong disappointment in the Government choosing to introduce these powers through regulation, rather than putting them into the ICAC Bill which was being debated in Parliament on the same day.

“This approach meant that there would not be any parliamentary debate on powers that have been described in the media as ’incredible’ and robbed the Parliament of the ability to amend and improve the drafting,” said Mr Henskens. “The Government could have easily moved an amendment to incorporate these changes in the ICAC Bill that we were already dealing with in Parliament, which was how the only comparable precedent was dealt with in 2009 by the previous Labor Government.”

The Opposition will support the disallowance motion of this Regulation, but will consider any amendment to the ICAC Bill that puts any new powers in firmer legal context with appropriate thresholds and safeguards. This approach would also allow proper debate in Parliament. Neither the Government nor the ICAC has identified the subject of the investigation in the matter to do with the recording.

“The Opposition will also be writing to the ICAC Inspector, requesting an urgent investigation into the leaking of information about an ICAC investigation reported to be related to this regulation and if the ICAC has dealt with the subject recording in accordance with the law,” Mr Henskens concluded.