Today National Cabinet met virtually to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and receive an update from Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly.
First Ministers agreed to extend the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment (PLDP) at current rates beyond 30 September 2022.
The payment will remain available for as long as mandatory isolation periods are applied by all States and Territories.
First Ministers agreed to cap the maximum number of PLDP claims an individual can make in a six month period to three.
National Cabinet agreed the Commonwealth and States and Territories would continue 50:50 cost-sharing arrangements for the payment.
First Ministers also agreed to a National Cabinet Statement on the National Day of Mourning to honour the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II on 22 September 2022. A copy of the statement is available on federation.gov.au.
The National Cabinet remains committed to working together on national priorities and will meet again in Canberra at the end of the month.
A man has been charged over his alleged involvement in the robbery of a jewellery store in the state’s Hunter last month.
Just before 9.30am on Wednesday 6 July 2022, officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District were called to a shopping centre on Molly Morgan Drive, East Maitland, following reports of a robbery at a jewellery store.
On arrival, police were told a male approached the store and allegedly used an emergency tool to smash the glass of a jewellery cabinet, before fleeing with a number of items.
Initial inquiries were conducted by local police, before detectives attached to the State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad took carriage of the matter under Strike Force Malwood.
Following further inquiries – including public appeals for information – a 38-year-old man was arrested by strike force detectives at a home in Tenambit about 7am today (Wednesday 14 September 2022).
During a subsequent search of that home and a second address at East Maitland, police located a seized several items of interest to the investigation for forensic analysis.
The man was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with steal from the person value more than $5,000, destroy or damage property, and larceny.
The Tenambit man was granted conditional bail to appear at Maitland Local Court on Wednesday 16 November 2022.
Netball NSW is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Netball NSW Judy Dunbar Media Awards.
The Judy Dunbar Media Awards recognise individuals and/or media outlets that have demonstrated an outstanding media contribution to the sport of netball between the period; 1 September 2021 – 31 August 2022.
Judy Dunbar was an avid and long-serving Member of Netball NSW having served on the Board of Directors as well as various committees. Until her passing in July 2002, she was also the Media Officer for the Baulkham Hills Shire Netball Association and was responsible for building the image and increasing the exposure of netball in her local area.
To recognise her dedication to the sport over the years, Netball NSW named its media awards in her honour.
The Netball NSW Judy Dunbar Media Awards are presented annually at the Netball NSW State Dinner, this year to be held on Saturday 5 November at the Waterview in Sydney Olympic Park.
Nominations can be made in the following categories;
Best Overall Media Coverage
Best Feature
Best Photograph
Community Media Excellence
Eligible nominations from accredited media outlets will be accepted whereby the content refers to individuals or teams representing or participating in the following competitions and/or activities:
Netball NSW competitions, programs or events.
Netball NSW affiliated Association (local) netball competitions.
Today, I was pleased to meet with Mongolia’s Deputy Prime Minister, His Excellency S. Amarsaikhan, as Mongolia and Australia prepare to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Our business, educational, and people-to-people ties have grown year-on-year since we officially established relations on 15 September 1972.
Mongolia’s 2007 decision to designate Australia a ‘third neighbour’ was a significant milestone for our relations, which has been reinforced by the opening of the Mongolian Embassy in Canberra in 2008, and the Australian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar in 2015.
Australia has supported more than 650 Mongolians to study under Australia Awards – many rising to leadership positions – which has strengthened our people-to-people ties.
I am hopeful that reciprocal Work and Holiday Maker visas, established this year, will build on these links.
In our meeting today, His Excellency S. Amarsaikhan and I agreed that we look forward to supporting the Australia-Mongolia relationship to grow even stronger in the years ahead.
In a legal first, the Gomeroi Nation is using the public interest test, commonly used by fossil fuel companies to fight native title cases, to prevent Santos’ planned gas project in the Pilliga Forest.
If the argument is successful, it would set a precedent for First Nations people to use climate change as a reason to stop fossil fuel projects on Country.
Greens spokesperson for Resources and Yamatji-Noongar woman Senator Dorinda Cox said:
“The Gomeroi people are co-opting the public interest test – using the fossil fuel industry’s tricks against them. Hopefully this sets a precedent for future native title cases.
“The Gomeroi people are spiritually linked to the Pilliga Forest. It is their lungs, and one of the most spiritually significant elements of their culture. They shouldn’t have to take an energy giant to court to have their heritage and culture protected.
“This is a classic example of a fossil fuel company ignoring the wishes of Traditional Owners in favour of profits.
“The Gomeroi people have chosen Country over profits, declining substantial financial compensation from Santos, proving you can’t put a price on culture.”
The Greens say an interim report by the Productivity Commission into the National Schools Reform Agreement (NSRA) obscures the fact that persistent funding inequity is the main reason why the Agreement is failing to meet its goals.
It’s projected that, until the end of the decade, private schools will be funded over 100% of their Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), while public schools won’t even reach 91%. On average, public school students are missing out on $1800 in funding every year under the NSRA.
The SRS represents the minimum funding level required for students to achieve the minimum standard.
Greens spokesperson on schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:
“The elephant in the room in the national debate on school and student performance is the huge funding gap that exists between the haves and have- nots in our education system.
“If you’re not talking about persistent school funding inequity then you’re not talking seriously about improving outcomes for our students.
“While funding falls outside the scope of the Productivity Commission’s report there can be no doubt from its conclusions that the deliberate underfunding of Australia’s public schools is undermining our children’s education and driving the teacher shortage crisis.
“Inequity in our education system will not be fixed by tinkering at the edges of the next National School Reform Agreement. As negotiations between the Federal and State Governments ramp up, we need to see a wholesale shift away from funding expensive private schools, and reinvestment in our public education system.
“The Productivity Commission is right to highlight the massive administrative workload faced by teachers. We need better conditions, better pay, and better career progression opportunities for public school teachers.
“If we gave less of our money to elite private schools so they can build extra boat sheds, and more to underfunded public schools, we can close the funding gap and lift standards across the board.”
A seven-gun salute, illumination of the City Hall Clock Tower and a condolence book signing are among the events planned by the City of Newcastle to commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Fort Scratchley Historical Society will fire a salute – one for each decade of the Queen’s reign – at 10am on Thursday 22 September as part of the National Day of Mourning.
The clock tower at City Hall on King Street is also set to turn regal purple, while the City Administration Centre will open from 9am to 12pm for those wishing to sign the condolence book.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen encouraged the community to attend the events during the National Day of Mourning.
“Queen Elizabeth II has left an indelible mark on our city and throughout the world, which can be seen in the outpouring of emotion following her passing,” Councillor Clausen said.
“We invite the community to pay tribute to the Queen at these events, and we will continue to fly the city’s flags at half-mast until further notice as a sign of respect.”
City of Newcastle will also host this month’s Ordinary Council Meeting in the former chamber at City Hall in recognition of Queen Elizabeth II’s first trip to Newcastle in 1954.
During that visit, she toured the city with the Duke of Edinburgh, arriving by train at Newcastle Station and being officially welcomed at City Hall before visiting No.1 Sportsground, BHP Steelworks, Stockton, and Newcastle Airport.
Queen Elizabeth II returned to Newcastle in 1970 to open the International Sports Centre and visited again seven years later to open Australia’s first purpose-built regional gallery, the Newcastle Art Gallery, on 11 March 1977.
Her final visit occurred in May 1988 when she opened Queens Wharf, a project spearheaded by former Lord Mayor Joy Cummings.
City of Newcastle will close several of its facilities on the National Day of Mourning, including all libraries, apart from the City Administration Centre, which is open from 9am to 12pm for condolence book signings; the Newcastle Museum; and Beresfield Childcare Centre. Fort Scratchley is set to close for the remainder of the day following the seven-gun salute.
Elsewhere across the city, Port of Newcastle will support the commemorative efforts by lighting up Dyke Point from 5:30pm to midnight during the National Day of Mourning while the Crystalbrook Kingsley hotel will turn purple as a mark of respect.
The community can also attend a memorial service and lay floral tributes at Christ Church Cathedral from 7:30pm tonight (Wednesday 14 September).
For those unable to sign the condolence book on Thursday 22 September, the book will remain at the City Administration Centre until Friday 23 September and can be signed Monday to Friday between 8:30am to 5pm.
Foreshore Park will become home to the city’s largest playground under a draft masterplan for Newcastle’s iconic harbourside precinct, which will be considered by Councillors later this month.
The flagship Livvi’s Place inclusive regional playground and waterplay area form the centrepiece of City of Newcastle’s Harbour Foreshore Masterplan, which is designed to create new connections between the city and the harbour’s edge around Foreshore Park and along the Joy Cummings Promenade.
The Masterplan also includes increasing the amount of shaded canopy within Foreshore Park by 250% from 2,800 sqm to 9,800 sqm.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the draft masterplan will help realise the full potential of one of Newcastle’s most significant open areas and premier event spaces.
“City of Newcastle has worked closely with community representatives on this shared vision for the iconic Harbour Foreshore precinct, which will become a drawcard destination for locals and visitors from across the region,” Cr Nelmes said.
“We have listened to the views of our community and incorporated feedback into the detail of this draft masterplan, including moving the playground to the north-west corner of the park adjacent to the parking area and close to accessible parking spaces, as well as provision for a multi-purpose skating, scootering and performing arts area at the base of the Shortland Lawn amphitheatre. The existing Sandhills Community Garden will also remain in their current location.”
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said green open spaces and connections along with an enhanced urban canopy will make Foreshore Park an even more inviting public place for all Novocastrians and our visitors.
“Extensive tree planting and landscaping throughout the precinct will allow City of Newcastle to fulfill its commitments to significantly increase shade canopy and create greener public spaces, while an expansive cultural walk around Foreshore Park will link back to Newcastle’s rich Indigenous culture and heritage.”
Other features include upgraded amenities and improvements along Wharf Road and Tug Berth Lane, including an iconic destination sign and grassed areas where people can enjoy the spectacle of a working harbour, which will transform this area into a world-class harbourside esplanade.
A tree-lined separated cycleway from Argyle Street to Nobbys Beach and improved cycle crossings at key nodes will also link the Harbour Foreshore to the wider city centre cycleway network.
Concept designs for the accessible playground are included in the draft Masterplan. The fully-fenced space will feature a distinctly Newcastle character and include junior and toddler areas, water-based play, an industrial-themed elevated playground structure, maritime inspired swing sets, accessible flying fox and natured-based play areas, connected via a series of accessible paths, seating, gardens and lawns.
It will be developed in collaboration with Variety – the Children’s Charity, who have provided funding to assist with the design phase of the playground, while City of Newcastle has also secured more than $1 million from the NSW Government to assist with its construction including $730,000 from two rounds of the Newcastle Port Community Contribution Fund and $300,000 from Everyone Can Play and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
The countdown is on to the start of work on the Little Hartley to Lithgow section of the Great Western Highway upgrade with Ausconnex awarded the contract to carry out early works at Coxs River Road.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said a new-look interchange at Coxs River Road, with a road bridge over the upgraded highway will be the first phase of the west section of the upgrade and is set to transform travel in and around the western base of the Blue Mountains.
“The Great Western Highway upgrade is a transformative project that will deliver safer and more efficient journeys for the thousands of people who travel through the mountains every day,” Mr Toole said.
“A better road over the mountains has been talked about for years – and we’re making it a reality with the project on track to see shovels in the ground early next year.
“The NSW Government is working closely with the local community on the final design to deliver a better, safer highway for all users.”
Later this month, work will start at Coxs River Road and involve an upgrade of about 2.4 kilometres of existing highway at Little Hartley to create a four-lane divided carriageway.
A new interchange will carry local traffic over the new highway and work will also include realigning parts of the existing highway to create a local service road and upgrades to the intersections with Browns Gap Road and Baaners Lane.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said early work relocating utility assets is expected to get under way soon.
“The upgrade will undoubtedly make a tangible difference to daily life for the thousands of people living in and travelling through the Blue Mountains on the highway,” Mr Farraway said.
“I’m excited that we have awarded the early works contract for this section and we will soon be a step closer to our first sod turn on this game changing project.
“As part of early works around four kilometres of overhead power lines and underground assets will be moved so we can build the new highway.
“The contract for the major work is currently out to tender and we’re aiming to award in late 2022, with work scheduled to start in early 2023.”
The Australian Government and NSW Government are investing more than $4.5 billion towards duplicating the Great Western Highway between Katoomba and Lithgow.
The NSW Government is embarking on an ambitious plan to cover every road across the state through Live Traffic NSW as the platform celebrates 12 years helping drivers get from A to B safely and on time.
Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said the milestone is a significant reminder of the work undertaken so far to establish a network that provides real-time traffic data, so motorists can plan their daily commutes.
“Live Traffic NSW has played a critical role over the past 12 years in providing real time information to help people move safely around state roads,” Ms Ward said.
“We update Live Traffic NSW 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as we monitor and manage the 18,000-kilometre NSW state road network.
“This includes publishing live shots from 155 cameras every minute, and details of 500 incidents per day on average.
“This has helped state road users and now we’re planning to gather incident data on every road in the state by 2024.
“This update will mean Live Traffic NSW will be able to inform drivers across the state of the best route to take anywhere, any time.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said one of the most important things people need to be able to rely on is accurate and timely road information to make travel easier and safer.
“With a record of up to 660,000 visits a day on the Live Traffic NSW website and apps during the natural disaster events of 2021, a spike in traffic 33 times higher than usual, demand has never been higher for timely and accurate information, and we expect this demand to increase as more councils come on board,” Mr Farraway said.
“Thanks to the upgrade the NSW Government is rolling out, Live Traffic will be a one stop shop bringing all of the state’s traffic information into one central hub.
“Providing a better service for users will be valuable during emergencies like floods or fires, with more detailed information available to help protect communities and save lives.”
All councils in NSW will be given free access to OneRoad, the new backend platform that powers Live Traffic NSW. Data input through OneRoad will also be available on the Transport for NSW Open Data Hub for third-party apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze and TomTom.
New information from 22 LGAs, most from regional Northern NSW, will be available on Live Traffic NSW and third-party apps from October.
LGAs will continue to come on board in stages, with priority given to regional councils most impacted by bushfires and floods. All 128 LGAs across the state will be given the opportunity to use OneRoad by 2024.
