A transition to clean energy, developing solutions to grow a circular economy and connecting refugees to career pathways have received funding under City of Newcastle’s Community Support Grants Program.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the annual grants program will direct much-needed funds into developing opportunities in the local economy as the city emerges from a lengthy COVID-19 lockdown.
“Our community is recovering from the recent lockdown and City of Newcastle’s annual Community Support Grants Program, along with the Infrastructure Grant Program, will inject over $450,000 directly into the local economy including targeted support to create more jobs and build business opportunities,” Cr Nelmes said.
“We’ve supported a number of community-minded projects, including Hunter Jobs Alliance’s clean energy engagement initiative and a unique social inclusion project that will support our community post-lockdown.”
Hunter Jobs Alliance Coordinator, Warrick Jordan, said the Clean Energy Transition Community Engagement Program will prepare the community for the changes and opportunities that will arise as Newcastle transitions to clean energy.
“This financial boost will go a long way towards building understanding of how locals want to create a safe and sustainable future” said Mr Jordan.
Image: (L-R) Global Table Collective Coordinator, Ruth Anagnostis, Circular Economy Coordinator for Go Circular, Bianca Bartlett, Circular Economy Lead for Go Circular, Tim Baker, Hunter Jobs Alliance Coordinator, Warrick Jordan and Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes
The Global Table Collective, which provides opportunities for women from refugee and multicultural backgrounds, has also received grant funding. This initiative builds skills and experience in the catering of food from their countries of origin to build social connections and job readiness for a future career in the local hospitality industry.
Financial support has also been directed to Go Circular’s Hunter 100: Circular Economy Youth Leadership Project which harnesses young people’s passion to protect our climate by providing them with the skills, networks, and confidence to solve problems around transitioning to a regenerative circular economy. The program pioneers career opportunities for emerging students in the Hunter.
In August, City of Newcastle announced the expansion of the Community and Economic Resilience Package, which will see at least $10 million invested into the local economy and the creation of hundreds of local jobs through an expanded capital works program.
City of Newcastle has funded training initiatives across a range of areas through its NewSkills program, which aims to address a wide variety of industry specific skills gaps over the next two years.
To find out more about how we’re responding to COVID-19 visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
Author: admin
Hamilton’s James Street Plaza lights up
Hamilton’s James Street Plaza will be filled with colour and light every night following the installation of an interactive lighting display developed as part of City of Newcastle’s transformation of this much-loved community space.
Construction of the upgrade is now complete with new seating and artworks installed, and new paving, landscaping and tree planting transforming the space.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the launch of the evening lighting display was the final step in upgrading the plaza.
“It’s wonderful to see the way that the lighting display transforms the space at night, bringing colour and activity to this space for locals and visitors to enjoy,” Cr Nelmes said.
In June the community was asked to vote on their favourite of three lighting designs put forward by the University of Newcastle’s Future Art Science & Technology Lab (FASTLab), each celebrating a different aspect of Hamilton’s history and character.
The “Microcosmic Mosaic” concept proved to be the favourite and was developed into a ten-minute animation which will play on a loop to light up the space for four hours each evening, celebrating Hamilton’s unique character and history.
Councillor Carol Duncan said that the lighting display will attract visitors and activate the space at night, improving safety in the area.
“The community told us they wanted a safer, more appealing place for people to spend time during both the day and the night,” Cr Duncan said.
“Once COVID-19 restrictions lift, we look forward to seeing the community come together and activate the space with music, markets and food.”
In addition to the lighting display, the rich history of Hamilton is reflected in artworks in the renewed plaza, informed by the research of local historian Ruth Cotton, author of Hidden Hamilton and through collaboration with the Newcastle Museum.
Construction of the upgrade is now complete with new seating and artworks installed, and new paving, landscaping and tree planting transforming the space.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the launch of the evening lighting display was the final step in upgrading the plaza.
“It’s wonderful to see the way that the lighting display transforms the space at night, bringing colour and activity to this space for locals and visitors to enjoy,” Cr Nelmes said.
In June the community was asked to vote on their favourite of three lighting designs put forward by the University of Newcastle’s Future Art Science & Technology Lab (FASTLab), each celebrating a different aspect of Hamilton’s history and character.
The “Microcosmic Mosaic” concept proved to be the favourite and was developed into a ten-minute animation which will play on a loop to light up the space for four hours each evening, celebrating Hamilton’s unique character and history.
Councillor Carol Duncan said that the lighting display will attract visitors and activate the space at night, improving safety in the area.
“The community told us they wanted a safer, more appealing place for people to spend time during both the day and the night,” Cr Duncan said.
“Once COVID-19 restrictions lift, we look forward to seeing the community come together and activate the space with music, markets and food.”
In addition to the lighting display, the rich history of Hamilton is reflected in artworks in the renewed plaza, informed by the research of local historian Ruth Cotton, author of Hidden Hamilton and through collaboration with the Newcastle Museum.
New Officers Welcomed To NSW Police Force
The NSW Police Force has welcomed 226 police recruits after they were sworn in as probationary constables at a ceremony in Goulburn today.
The new police recruits were sworn in at an attestation parade in Goulburn today, attended by Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller APM and Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman. The probationary officers will be assigned to Police Area Commands and Police Districts across the state after taking their oath of office.
“Congratulations to the men and women of class 349, who graduate today and will join the NSW Police Force at its strongest and most efficient. We wish our newest recruits well for the future as they embark on a rewarding career,” Mr Elliott said.
“After eight months of world-class training, the attesting officers will join their stations next Monday and invigorate the policing capabilities of this state.”
“The NSW Government is investing $583 million to introduce 1500 extra police over four years to enhance community safety and $60 million to upgrade the Police Academy at Goulburn,” he said.
Commissioner Fuller welcomed the latest intake of probationary constables.
“Over the past two years, police have played a vital role in leading the community through the pandemic and I have been extraordinarily proud of the dedication and service of all of my men and women in blue,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“I commend our newest probationary constables for embarking on a career in policing.
“The challenges they will face may not yet be known, but I can assure them that they will part of a large policing family. They have just reached an important milestone in what will no doubt be a very rewarding career,” he said.
Class 349 includes 153 men and 73 women. A total of 34 recruits were born overseas in countries including Brazil, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Iraq, Germany, Egypt, Serbia, Korea and NZ.
Following the attestation parade, the first sod was turned on the site for the new $25 million Goulburn Police Station, which will be located on the ground of the NSW Police Force Academy and will incorporate The Hume Police District offices. The new station is set to be completed by 2023.
NSW on the road to reopening
NSW will take its first steps towards reopening as the State passes the 70 per cent double vaccination target.
With the first vaccination milestone being reached, the NSW Government is also easing a number of restrictions as part of the Reopening NSW roadmap, which will allow fully vaccinated adults to enjoy more freedoms from next Monday, October 11.
The changes to the 70 per cent roadmap will allow up to 10 visitors (not counting children 12 and under) to a home (previously five), lift the cap on outdoor gatherings to 30 people (previously 20), and increase the cap for weddings and funerals to 100 people (previously 50).
Indoor pools will also be re-opened for swimming lessons, squad training, lap swimming, and rehab activities.
On the Monday after the State clears the 80 per cent double vaccination hurdle further restrictions will be relaxed, with people able to have up to 20 visitors (excluding children 12 and under) to a home (previously 10), and up to 50 people will be allowed to gather outdoors (previously 20).
Up to 3,000 people will be allowed to attend controlled and ticketed outdoor events (previously 500), nightclubs will be permitted to reopen for seated drinking only (no dancing), and masks will no longer be required in office buildings. All roadmap freedoms at 70 and 80 per cent will continue to be for fully vaccinated people only.
All school students will also now return to on site learning with a range of COVID-safe measures in place by October 25, with the second and third stages of the return to school plan now combined. Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12 students will still return to face-to-face learning on October 18, with all other years now returning one week later on October 25.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the common-sense changes would help life return to normal as soon as possible.
“Vaccinations are the key to life returning to normal and the changes today will help family and friends reconnect, get kids back to school and get businesses back up and running sooner,” Mr Perrottet said.
“NSW is putting in the hard yards and it’s important people continue to turn out in droves to be vaccinated.”
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said workers in regional areas who have received one vaccination dose will be permitted to return to their workplace from October 11 and will be given a grace period until November 1 to receive their second dose.
Regional areas are those outside Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast.
“This move ensures we get businesses in the regions re-open and local economies buzzing again. It’s about ensuring we make this a roadmap that works for everyone,” Mr Toole said.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said these changes would help get more people back into work, especially in Western Sydney.
“We’re on the road back to normal and most importantly reaching these vaccination targets means people can reunite with family and friends, celebrate key moments in their lives and businesses can open their doors and get back to work in a safe way,” Mr Ayres said.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said NSW residents 12-years-old and over have led the charge to get vaccinated and ensure NSW is among the safest places in the world.
“Getting to 70 per cent double dose is a badge of honour for every fully vaccinated NSW citizen to wear proudly but we can do so much more and 90 per cent is within our grasp,” Mr Hazzard said.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said schools were ready to welcome students back.
“The return remains safe and sensible with enough time for schools to prepare for a faster return of students over two weeks instead of three,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Principals have received detailed guidance and checklists of everything required to ensure COVID-safe settings in their school. Parents and carers will also receive a detailed guide today and more specific information from their school in the coming days.”
If you are not booked in for a COVID-19 vaccine, please book an appointment as soon possible.
Note also that as the stay-at-home orders will be lifted next Monday and replaced by the roadmap settings, the list of Local Government Areas of concern will cease to exist.
For the latest information visit the COVID-19 pages on nsw.gov.au.
Charges laid over alleged sexual assaults – Central Coast
Detectives have charged a man following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of two teenage girls on the Central Coast last year.
In August 2020, detectives attached to Brisbane Water Police District commenced an investigation after reports two girls, aged 17 – were sexually assaulted in separate incidents at a Green Point home in the early hours of Sunday 2 August 2020.
Following extensive investigations, detectives attached to Hunter Valley Police District arrested a 19-year-old man at a home on Ibis Place, Scone, about 10.30am today (Friday 8 October 2021).
He was taken to Muswellbrook Police Station where he was charged with eight counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
The man was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Gosford Local Court on Thursday 11 November 2021.
Australia cannot abandon refugees in PNG
The Australian Government cannot just wash its hands of the people it exiled to Papua New Guinea, the Greens say.
“Today is a day to remember the people who died as a result of being illegally exiled to Papua New Guinea, and the countless other lives that were destroyed,” Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“People who sought asylum in Australia remain Australia’s responsibility under international law, and no amount of bureaucratic maneuvering can change that fact.
“Offshore detention has been a humanitarian calamity at every level, and has cost Australia tens of billions of dollars.
“While offshore detention in Papua New Guinea will end, perhaps its most shameful legacy is the adoption of the same brutal policies and rhetoric in so many other countries around the world.”
“The people remaining in Papua New Guinea should be brought immediately to Australia and allowed to resettle here.”
Greens’ integrity body scores top marks; PM’s model “weakest in country"
The Greens’ model for a National Integrity Commission, which passed the Senate two years ago, has been given top marks by The Centre for Public Integrity, while the Morrison model was judged “the weakest in the country”.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
“This PM’s integrity body proposal has today been given an F for flaccid.
“Under his pathetic proposal many of the misconduct scandals involving current and former government MPs would slip through the net.
“Morrison knows that half of the members of his Cabinet have serious integrity questions to answer, which could explain why his model is deliberately weak. It wouldn’t be able to hold public hearings, initiate its own investigations, act retrospectively, make findings of fact or report publicly.
“It would also only investigate ‘serious’ criminal corruption – such a high bar so as to render it inapplicable to much of the dodgy conduct we’ve seen from federal politicians.
“It’s long overdue, and it’s so undercooked it looks like it’s deliberately designed to fail.
“By contrast, the Greens’ National Integrity Commission bill establishes an effective body that allows for public hearings, retrospectivity and the ability to investigate anonymous tip-offs, balanced with appropriate safeguards and privacy provisions.
“Morrison should listen to the Australian people and bring on the Greens’ bill for debate in the House when parliament resumes. If he doesn’t, the Greens will attempt to force the PM’s hand by moving a concurrence motion.
“The Australian people know that corruption and misconduct are rife at the federal level. It’s time for the PM to restore confidence in our democracy.”
Labor's JobKeeper capitulation
Labor’s decision to let big corporations keep JobKeeper profits is a complete capitulation, the Greens say.
“We know that $13 billion went to boosting the bottom line of profitable companies during the pandemic,” Greens Economic Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“The fact that Labor is happy for big corporations to keep this money just shows that they are far more focused on their big donors than helping people who need it most.”
“JobKeeper turned into one of the biggest rorts in Australian corporate history, and the money that corporations didn’t need should be clawed back and spent on schools and hospitals.”
“This is a shocking capitulation – we’ve got a plan to force large, profitable corporations to pay back JobKeeper – and we’ll keep hammering the major parties on their support for corporate greed.”
“The Greens Bill is currently before a Senate Inquiry and we will keep the pressure on the government, even if Labor won’t.”
Aged care provider reports to strengthen individual care
Food and nutrition for aged care residents across Australia will come into sharp focus as providers deliver their first reports under mechanisms to strengthen individual care.
In a continued response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the online reporting will improve transparency and standards, as providers receive increased funding through the basic daily fee of $10 per resident per day.
Residential aged care providers were required to commit to reporting on their services, in particular food and nutrition, as a prerequisite to receiving the funding boost.
The initiative aims to improve and strengthen one-on-one care for senior and vulnerable Australians in residential aged care settings across the country, and is part of the overall $17.7 billion the Australian Government is providing in response to the Royal Commission report.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said 99 per cent of providers had taken up the 2021 Basic Daily Fee supplement, which requires a commitment from them to provide good quality services with a focus on food and nutrition.
“Such a strong take up must be commended and we now expect that all aged care providers will use these funds to deliver improved care, including food and nutrition, to senior Australians.”
“Food and nutrition is so important to keep our senior Australians healthy. The Department of Health is working with dietitians and nutrition experts to ensure the reports capture useful information, and most importantly improves the health of people living in aged care.”
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the 2021 Basic Daily Fee is part of a $3.22 billion investment by Government into residential aged care which includes the increased supplement.
In the first month alone, the Government has paid out over $53.7 million to support providers through the 2021 basic daily fee.
“This is a significant investment towards improving the care which senior Australians, their families and the community rightly expect in residential aged care,” Minister Colbeck said.
The 2021 basic daily fee reporting process is now open through the My Aged Care portal and must be completed by 21 October 2021, recording expenditure and hours, including spending on food and ingredients.
“We also require providers to detail how they are working to improve their daily living service offerings including food and nutrition, to gauge how the sector is delivering more for the senior Australians in their care,” Minister Colbeck said.
The information will be used to provide insights into sector trends, to inform future policy, and may be used by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission for the purposes of regulatory intelligence. It is intended sector wide information and insights on food and nutrition will be made publicly available.
Providers who do not submit a report by the due date will have their basic daily fee supplements suspended until the report is submitted. Given that there is no option for back-payment, providers are encouraged to submit these as soon as possible.
The Morrison Government is also investing a further $14.2 million to review and strengthen the quality standards in residential aged care, with a focus on governance, diversity, dementia, food and nutrition.
Information about the reforms can be found here.
To have your say on how the reforms are delivered, visiting the Ageing and Aged Care Engagement Hub here.
Nutrition Week will run this year from 10 to 16 October. Find out more here.
Training more doctors in the bush to benefit more rural communities
A program that provides young doctors with the experience of training in a rural general practice or Aboriginal Medical Services and provides more medical care to regional, rural and remote communities is being extended by the Federal Coalition Government.
Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie said extending the Rural Junior Doctor Training Innovation Fund (RJDTIF) for another year will mean 60 fulltime-equivalent rurally based interns and postgraduate doctors can undertake training in country practices.
“This program allows early-career doctors to take the opportunity to train in the rural communities where clinical opportunities are abundant, while also enjoying the benefits of a regional or rural lifestyle,” Dr Gillespie said.
“There is strong evidence that undertaking medical training in a regional or rural setting increases retention rates.
“The program has already benefitted more than 50 towns and 80 sites across regional, rural, and remote locations, such Nhulunbuy in the NT, Goondiwindi in QLD and Bega in NSW with approximately 814 rotations since 2018.”
Dr Gillespie, who worked as a regional doctor for more than 30 years before becoming a MP, said the funding extension is being provided to the 15 organisations currently funded through the program.
“The organisations receiving funding for 2022, will support around 240 rotations in general practices and Aboriginal Medical Services, meaning increased access to health professionals for those in the regions,” Dr Gillespie said.
“The program helps to build our rural health workforce and helps to deliver quality healthcare to regional, rural and remote Australians.
“The Nationals in Government are committed to improving access to quality health care in the bush and helping early-career doctors to gain experience in primary care while they progress their medical training in rural Australia is an important foundation for that.”
The Federal Government is providing $11.7 million to continue the RJDTIF program for the 2022 academic year. The funding is being provided through a closed non-competitive approach and rotation locations will be announced at the conclusion of grant round.
More than $36 million has been provided to the program which assists junior doctors in their first or second postgraduate years to train in rural general practices by the Federal Government since 2018.
The new John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program (JFPDP), announced as part of the 2021-22 Budget, will consolidate the RJDTIF to increase rural primary care rotations for hospital-based prevocational doctors from 440 rotations (100 FTE) in 2022 incrementally to 800 rotations (200 FTE) by 2025. This will enable an additional 360 hospital-based junior to doctors to experience rural general practice.