The NSW Police Force has welcomed 182 police recruits after they were sworn-in as probationary constables at a private attestation ceremony, held in compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, in Goulburn today.
The new probationary constables have been assigned to police area commands and police districts across the state.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott congratulated the recruits who are starting their new careers in times of unprecedented challenges
“Congratulations to the men and women of class 348, who graduate today and will join the NSW Police Force when it most needs versatile, adaptable officers,” Mr Elliott said.
“The career path you embark on today will test your courage, your resilience and your decision-making.
“You are joining a police family of more than 17,000; a modern, well-equipped force focused on driving down crime rates and protecting the community.
“The NSW Government will be there, too, to support you and ensure you have world-class training, and the technology and resources you need to best serve the people of NSW,” Mr Elliott said.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller welcomed the new probationary constables acknowledging they’re commencing a challenging career at a challenging time.
“The pandemic is impacting many aspects of our lives but as police, we have taken an oath – a promise – to protect and serve the people of this state while exercising the highest level of integrity,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“Despite the challenges ahead, our newest recruits can expect a rewarding career and will have the camaraderie and guidance of their new policing family every step of the way.
“I hope these officers are as proud to join the NSW Police Force as I am to swear them in. I’m looking forward to seeing them out on the beat.”
Class 348 includes 121 men and 61 women. Twenty-three recruits were born overseas in countries including Canada, China, Columbia, Fiji, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Syria, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Many are from backgrounds where English is a second language Assyrian, Arabic, Dari, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu.
Six recruits are indigenous, with two recruits joining through the Indigenous Police Recruitment Our Way Delivery (IPROWD) program.
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Land tax relief to help landowners and tenants affected by COVID-19 restrictions
Applications are now open for eligible commercial and residential landowners who provide rental reductions to tenants in financial distress due to COVID-19 to claim land tax relief or a tenancy support payment as part of a suite of measures introduced by the NSW Government to help reduce the stress and financial burden of COVID-19 restrictions.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said the land tax relief and tenancy support payments are designed to make it easier for landowners to support their tenants during this challenging time.
“Many renters, commercial and residential, are doing it tough right now, with reduced turnover or work hours due to the COVID-19 restrictions,” Mr Tudehope said.
“We’ve heard from landowners that they would like to help their tenants, but they also have bills to pay. Providing financial relief will enable them to work with their tenants to offer rent reductions and to alleviate some of the cost-burden during restrictions.
“This new package follows a similar land tax relief program which ran from May 2020 to May 2021, which saw more than 17,200 applications received and $186 million of relief provided to date.
“This land tax relief program is demand driven; there is no limit to the number of landowners that can receive support from the Government.”
Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson said residential landlords can choose between applying for land tax relief or a payment of up to $1,500 per tenancy if they agree to reduce the rent for COVID-19 impacted tenants from 14 July 2021 to 31 December 2021.
“During times like these we need solutions that work for everyone and the NSW Government is committed to supporting tenants and landlords as they get back on their feet, giving people one less thing to worry about,” Mr Anderson said.
“This $1,500 payment means landlords will be less likely to face missing mortgage repayments. Extra protections for residential tenants means they won’t have to worry about being evicted at this time due to circumstances outside of their control.”
Extra staff have been engaged to assist with the high volume of applications.
Eligible NSW landowners may receive a reduction of up to 100 per cent of their land tax liability for 2021. Residential landowners can receive the land tax relief or, may elect to claim a payment of up to $1,500 per tenancy agreement if they provided a reduction in rent from 14 July 2021 to 31 December 2021, to a residential tenant who has lost 25 per cent or more of household income due to COVID-19.
To be eligible for land tax relief, landowners must be leasing to a commercial tenant who has an annual turnover up to $50 million and is eligible for either the 2021 COVID-19 Business Grant, JobSaver or the COVID-19 Micro-business Grant, or leasing to a residential tenant who has lost 25 per cent or more of household income due to COVID-19.
The landowner must have reduced rent for the affected tenant by at least the amount being claimed for any period between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2021. Both commercial and residential landowners cannot require their tenants to repay the reduced rent they claim through the rebates.
Applications for land tax relief can be submitted at: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-covid-19-land-tax-relief
Applications for residential tenancy support can be made at: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-residential-tenancy-support-payment
$3.5 million boost with 20 new advisors to help businesses
Small businesses will have additional support from business advisory service Business Connect with 20 new advisors providing free advice and a range of new resources, as the NSW Government ramps up its support for COVID-19 impacted businesses.
An additional $3.5 million has been allocated to Business Connect to meet the demand from small businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said some of the new advisors were expected to be on board as early as mid-August.
“The funding will go towards a range of support measures including new advisors, more hours for existing part-time advisors and more events and resources,” Mr Tudehope said.
Mr Tudehope said Business Connect had advisors across NSW and all advice related to COVID-19 is free of charge.
“Small businesses affected by the current COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions can seek independent advice from Business Connect and business owners can access a range of webinars and online resources,” Mr Tudehope said.
“The right advice at the right time can be the difference between success and failure for mum-and-dad businesses and entrepreneurs. If we keep businesses in business, we keep people in jobs.
“Business Connect advisors and resources can help you to develop a recovery plan, consider your options, manage change and cashflow and market your business to reach new customers.”
Many of the advisors have run their own businesses in industries dramatically impacted by COVID-19 including retail, hospitality, tourism and the arts and creative industries. Multicultural advisors and translation services are available for businesses from non-English speaking backgrounds.
For more information on the support measures for businesses visit: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/covid-19-help-businesses. For more on Business Connect visit: www.nsw.gov.au/businessconnect
Two women charged with breaching Public Health Orders in the Hunter
Two women have been charged with breaching the Public Health Order after allegedly travelling from Sydney to the Hunter region.
At 9.45am on Thursday 29 July 2021, officers attached to Police Transport Command – North were conducting opal card checks at Cardiff Train Station when they spoke with a 21-year-old woman on board a northbound train.
She told police she had left the Greater Sydney area; the passenger was issued with a warning that she was in breach of the Public Health Order and was directed to return to Sydney.
About 1.45am on Friday 30 July 2021, Newcastle City Police were called to an address on Sandgate Road, Shortland, for an unrelated matter.
Officers approached a vehicle parked nearby and spoke with two women – aged 20 and 21.
Police requested the women to provide proof of identification, and both women provided digital driver’s licences stating addresses from Sydney’s West.
Neither were able to provide police with a reasonable excuse for leaving the Greater Sydney area and they were issued $1000 PINs for breaching the Public Health Order.
Both women were directed to return to Sydney and left the location, indicating they would comply with that direction. However, investigations have revealed they allegedly failed to leave the area.
Further inquiries have also revealed that the 20-year-old woman travelled from Sydney to Newcastle by train on Tuesday 27 July 2021, before the women allegedly attended several other locations whilst in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas. Both women have since tested positive to COVID-19.
Following extensive inquiries, officers from South Sydney and Mt Druitt Police Area Commands issued Future Court Attendance Notices to two women – aged 20 and 21 – for the offence of fail to comply with noticed direction in relation to section 7/8/9 – COVID-19 – individual.
The younger woman is due to attend Mt Druitt Local Court on Wednesday 29 September 2021, while the older woman is due to appear at Hornsby Local Court on the same date.
Investigations are ongoing into further alleged breaches.
Reforms to Australia’s continuous disclosure laws pass Parliament
The Morrison Government has today passed legislation making permanent the temporary changes to Australia’s continuous disclosure laws in May 2020.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Bill amends the Corporations Act 2001 so companies and their officers will only be liable for civil penalty proceedings in respect of continuous disclosure obligations where they have acted with “knowledge, recklessness or negligence”.
Introducing a fault element will more closely align Australia’s continuous disclosure regime with that of the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Government’s reforms follow a review by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services as part of its inquiry into litigation funding and the regulation of the class action industry.
These changes will mitigate the risk of companies and their officers being subject to opportunistic class actions under our continuous disclosure laws and in doing so, will support companies and their officers to release forward-looking guidance to the market.
Importantly, during the period the temporary fault element was in place, Treasury identified that there was an increase in the number of material announcements to the market, relative to the same period last year.
The changes strike the right balance between ensuring shareholders and the market are appropriately informed while also allowing companies to more confidently make forecasts of future earnings or provide guidance updates without facing the undue risk of class actions.
$800 million on offer for major job creating manufacturing projects
Australian manufacturers can now apply for a share of $800 million in funding for major job creating projects under the Collaboration Stream of the Morrison Government’s $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative.
Funding of between $20 million and $200 million is available, covering up to 33 per cent of eligible project expenditure.
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter said the Government will strategically invest in projects that will help manufacturers to scale up and create jobs, with investments targeted at projects within the six National Manufacturing Priority areas.
“As a Government we plan to harness Australia’s manufacturing capability to drive job creation and spur private investment, especially as we chart our economic recovery from COVID-19 and build our future resilience,” Minister Porter said.
“Through the Collaboration Stream, we are determined to co-invest in industry-led proposals that will transform our National Manufacturing Priority areas, by encouraging manufacturers to move up the value chain to higher value, higher margin activities, including drawing on our world class research.
“This is at the heart of our $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy which is all designed to support Australian manufacturers to scale-up, build resilience, become more competitive and create the jobs we need not only now but for generations to come.”
The six National Manufacturing Priority areas are: medical products; clean energy and recycling; food and beverage; defence; space and resource technology and critical minerals processing.
Applications are open until 9 September. More details and the guidelines are available at www.business.gov.au/mmic
Australia playing its part in global effort to reduce emissions
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report on climate science reinforces the need for a coordinated, global effort to reduce emissions.
The report, released today, provides an update on the latest physical science on climate change, including the rates, causes and likely future trajectories of global warming and other changes to the climate system.
Overcoming these challenges is a shared responsibility.
Australia is committed to achieving net zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050, and to meeting and exceeding our 2030 commitment, as we already have with our 2020 targets.
Since 2018, Australia’s 2030 position has improved by 639 million tonnes (equivalent to taking all of Australia’s 14.7 million cars off the road for 15 years). The Government will release updated forecasts ahead of COP26 which are expected to show a further improvement.
These improvements are driven by Australian households and businesses adopting new energy technologies at record rates. Australia now has the most solar per person of any country in the world, the most wind and solar of any country outside of Europe, and the highest uptake of household solar in the world.
The Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap is positioning Australia to be a leader in the next generation of low-emissions technologies that will make net zero emissions practically achievable.
The Roadmap will drive $80 billion of investment in low emissions technologies in Australia by 2030 and create 160,000 jobs.
We are reducing emissions in a way that transforms industries through the power of technology, not through taxes that destroy them and the jobs and livelihoods they support and create.
We are focused on getting low emissions energy sources to commercial parity with high-emitting alternatives to reduce emissions across all sectors of the economy while creating jobs and economic growth. This is a practical approach with global application.
Australia is driving increased global cooperation on low emissions technologies through new international partnerships with Germany, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom and constructive engagement in multilateral forms like Mission Innovation.
When it comes to emissions reduction, our record is one of delivery and achievement that Australians can be proud of.
Our technology-led approach to reducing emissions will see Australia continue to playing its part in the global effort to combat climate change without compromising our economy or jobs.
City support establishment of new COVID-19 testing clinic in Wickham
City of Newcastle has worked with the NSW Government and private operator Medtech Services to quickly establish a new testing clinic in Wickham to meet increasing demand from the community seeking rapid COVID-19 testing.
The new testing clinic will open at Passmore Oval (Wickham Park) on Wednesday 11 August and operate from 7.30am to 4.00pm, six days a week.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said opening an additional testing clinic is a positive step towards addressing adequate COVID-19 testing centres to keep the community in Greater Newcastle safe, but more testing sites are needed.
“Novocastrians should be applauded for taking the current public health orders seriously, and for turning up in droves to be tested for COVID-19, even with the slightest symptoms,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Residents are doing the right thing, then waiting hours to get tested, with reports of people even being turned away due to current testing centres being overwhelmed by demand, which is not acceptable.
“Last week I wrote to the Minister for Health asking for more COVID-19 testing locations, and adequate staffing to conduct the amount of testing being asked of our community.
“Newcastle needs to keep its testing rates high to detect any cases of community transmission. The last thing we need is to deter Novocastrians from coming forward for testing due to long wait times or the fear of being turned away.
“The new Passmore Oval testing clinic in Wickham has the capacity to conduct several thousand tests per day, but we will continue to advocate for more testing sites in Newcastle to meet the increasing demand.
“City of Newcastle have offered the NSW Government access to any of our suitable public facilities to bring more testing sites to Greater Newcastle to keep the community safe.”
Facilities deliver digital experiences to keep community busy
City of Newcastle’s cultural facilities are diving back into the digital world to help keep Novocastrians entertained during the current COVID lockdown.
The City’s facilities were at the forefront of delivering online experiences to keep the community engaged and connected in the midst of the pandemic last year, from live-streamed science experiments to digital art classes and an extensive array of books, films, magazines and music available to download and enjoy.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the snap lockdown across Newcastle and the Hunter announced by the NSW Government last week provided the perfect time to take another look at these fantastic digital resources.
“Navigating the stress and challenges presented by the lockdown is a complex task, which can be exacerbated by feelings of loneliness, boredom or isolation,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Whether you’re living by yourself, trying to keep your children entertained at home or simply missing the sense of pleasure you get from visiting our network of cultural facilities, we’ve got you covered with a wide range of online activities for all ages and interests.
“Budding scientists can still enjoy the hands-on fun of Newcastle Museum with the Museum Express @ home video experiments, while crafty kids can follow the online instructions to build a Model T Ford or mini locomotive.
“Newcastle Art Gallery will also keep the youngest members of the family busy with their Art Cart at Home activities, or downloadable Art Trail activity booklets, while you can also take virtual tours to learn more about their fascinating collections.
“City of Newcastle’s significant investment in expanding our online library services part of our $5.5 million Community and Economic Resilience Package (CERP) last year has also provided a legacy of resources for our community to enjoy, including extensive e-book and e-audio platforms, movie and music streaming platforms, access to online newspapers and e-magazines, as well as online learning modules for both adults and school students.
“There is also an amazing array of children’s activities to watch, listen or read such as the StoryBox Library or National Geographic for Kids, while there are a large number of episodes to enjoy from Newcastle Libraries’ entertaining and informative ‘REAL’ podcast channel.”
To find out more about the digital activities being offered by Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle Museum and Newcastle Libraries visit https://whatson.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Blog/What-s-On-line
Directors reappointed to State Government roles
The Directors of Newcastle’s museum and art gallery will continue to guide the future direction of the State’s cultural sector after being reappointed today for a second two-year term to the Create NSW Artform Advisory Boards.
Newcastle Museum Director Julie Baird and Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton were first appointed to the boards in 2019 in recognition of their leading industry knowledge and expertise.
Ms Baird and Ms Morton’s reappointments are testament to their valuable contributions to City of Newcastle’s significant cultural facilities, and the success they have achieved building on the reputation of these respected institutions both within the region and across Australia.
Ms Baird will continue to sit on the Museums and History Board while Ms Morton retains her position on the Visual Arts Advisory Board.
It has been a landmark year for both City of Newcastle Directors and the cultural institutions they lead.
Newcastle Museum’s innovative social history exhibition, 1X4, which was curated from its own extensive collection, was named the overall winner at the 2021 Museums and Galleries National Awards (MAGNA) in June, while Ms Baird was also appointed as the Vice President of the National Council for the Australian Museums and Galleries Association Incorporated (AMaGA).
Newcastle Art Gallery’s On Stillness exhibition was also highly commended at the MAGNAs, while four years of work culminated in May with the opening of WARWAR: The Art of Torres Strait, a landmark exhibition focusing on the artistic traditions of the Torres Strait Islander culture, which brought together more than 130 works including art never before seen outside of the Torres Strait.
There are 10 Artform Advisory Boards that assess applications to the State’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program, providing recommendations on the strategic directions of the sector to the NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin.