The NSW Government has today announced a $1 million investment to help not-for-profit community education providers upgrade crucial infrastructure and training equipment.
Around 30 Adult and Community Education (ACE) colleges across NSW have received crucial funding from the NSW Government in recognition of the services they deliver to disadvantaged students, communities and regions.
Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said the funding will see students benefit from upgraded resources and industry standard training equipment.
“ACE colleges support the delivery of training to disadvantaged students who face barriers engaging in mainstream vocational education,” Mr Lee said.
“The funding will allow 30 ACE colleges to expand their online delivery by providing IT equipment, laptops and software as well as upgrading industry‐specific plant and equipment for specialist vocational training.”
Mr Lee said the grants had come at an important time and will help community colleges advance their virtual teaching capabilities thanks to the new IT equipment.
North Coast Community College executive officer Kate Kempshall said the funding will allow their not-for-profit college to invest in updated specialised equipment to facilitate vital First Aid, Hospitality and Primary Industries courses.
“The funding will ensure our students are learning with the advanced technology and resources to meet the requirements of emerging industries,” Ms Kempshall said.
“We will be investing in new manikins for first aid, and safer and more reliable chainsaws for primary industries inclusive of up-to-date safety equipment.”
“This funding will also allow us to purchase new video conferencing equipment increasingly more important for today’s learning environment.”
Author: admin
Industrial jobs boom in Blacktown
Up to 500 new jobs will be created in Blacktown thanks to the NSW Government paving the way for a new industrial precinct close to the future Western Sydney Airport.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said a proposal had been approved to rezone nearly 30 hectares of land in Prospect to build the industrial hub south of the M4 Motorway.
“Prospect South will provide plenty of industrial employment opportunities for hundreds of workers in the heart of Western Sydney and on the doorstep of the future airport,” Mr Stokes said.
“Importantly, all 7,000 square metres of Cumberland Plain Woodland on the site will be retained, with a 10-metre buffer to separate and protect it from development on the site.
“It is vital that we strike the right balance between rolling out new infrastructure and job-generating development, while protecting the natural environment, and this project delivers exactly that.”
Minister for Western Sydney and Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres said the project provided much-needed industrial land that was highly accessible to major road and freight routes.
“This rezoning unlocks the future development of a wide range of manufacturing and warehouse related businesses close to major transport links,” Mr Ayres said.
“This is a great outcome for the site and for Western Sydney families as we transform the vacant paddocks into a productive and job-generating development closer to where people live.”
Any development of the site will be subject to development applications, expected to be lodged next year.
CCTV released as police investigate linked armed robberies – Lake Macquarie
Lake Macquarie detectives have released CCTV as they continue to investigate several armed robberies across the region.
Strike Force Woonooka was established in June 2021 to investigate four armed robberies at three service stations in Lake Macquarie last month.
- About 3am on Thursday 10 June 2021, a man armed with a large knife entered a service station on Main Road, Cardiff and threatened an employee. He stole cash and cigarettes before fleeing the scene on foot, last seen headed north on Lowry Street.
- About 10.50pm on Saturday 12 June 2021, a man armed with a large knife entered a service station on Main Road, Edgeworth, and threatened an employee before stealing cash and cigarettes. He was last seen on foot heading south on Garth Street.
- About 3.30am on Tuesday 29 June 2021, a customer was attempting to enter a service station on Main Road, Cardiff, when another man approached him armed with a knife. The armed man attempted to gain entry to the store, however was unsuccessful and fled north on foot on Lowry Street.
- About 7.15pm on Friday 9 July 2021, a man armed with a large knife entered a service station on Collier Street, Redhead, and threatened an employee. He stole cash and cigarettes before fleeing on foot. He was last seen headed south on Woods Street.
In each of the incidents, there were no reports of injuries.
Strike force detectives are investigating whether all four incidents are linked.
As inquiries continue, investigators have released CCTV footage of a man who may be able to assist with their inquiries.
He is described as being of medium build, wearing dark-coloured clothing and a face covering.
Anyone who has information which could assist strike force detectives or who may have CCTV or dashcam footage from the around the times and nearby locations of the incidents is urged to contact Belmont Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Investigations under Strike Force Woonooka are continuing.
Third person charged after East Maitland alleged tomahawk assault
A man will face court today charged over an alleged assault and affray incident in the Hunter region last week.
Just before 8pm on Tuesday (13 July 2021), a 28-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man were inside a home on Alliance Street, East Maitland, when five people arrived at the home and an argument broke out.
Police will allege in court the 28-year-old woman was assaulted and the 35-year-old man was struck several times with a tomahawk.
The injured man contacted emergency services while the group left the scene.
The 35-year-old was later taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment to injuries to his back; he has since been released.
Two people – a 20-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man – have been charged in relation to the incident; they both remains before the courts.
Following further inquiries, detectives from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District, assisted by officers from the Queensland Police Service – travelled to the Sunshine Coast and arrested a 23-year-old man about 3pm on Tuesday (20 July 2021).
He was taken to the Maroochydore Magistrate’s Court where detectives applied for and were granted his extradition to NSW.
Yesterday, he was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and affray.
The Tarro man was refused bail to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court today (Thursday 22 July 2021).
Investigations into the incident remain ongoing.
Australia must implement carbon price to avoid EU tariffs: Greens
Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP has called for the urgent return of the Greens/Labor/Independent carbon price and the lifting of 2030 climate targets, warning that exporters will be subjected to international tariffs beyond our control without it.
A primary condition of the Greens-Labor agreement after Mr Bandt got elected in 2010 and his support was required for Labor to secure government, the carbon price was successfully reducing pollution until it was repealed by Tony Abbott’s Liberal Government in 2014.
“By repealing the Greens-secured carbon price, the Liberals have exposed Australian industry to carbon tariffs and our exporters are going to have a price on carbon whether Scott Morrison likes it or not, but it will be one designed overseas instead of here,” Mr Bandt said.
“To give certainty to our exporters and resource industry, we need to lift 2030 emissions targets and re-establish our own carbon price before we have one set for us in 2023.
“We had a carbon price working as intended until it was torn up by the Liberals in an act of climate bastardry. We should have one again.”
JobKeeper 2.0 and JobSeeker lift needed: Greens
The Morrison Lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne are taking a political toll on the Prime Minister, but the Greens say the long-term damage of the mismanagement will land hardest on young people, and are calling on the Prime Minister to ensure no-one is left behind by lifting JobSeeker back to $1,100 a fortnight and implementing JobKeeper 2.0.
Quotes attributable to Greens Leader, Adam Bandt:
“These Morrison lockdowns are hitting many people just as hard as last year, so the Prime Minister must give people the same level of support as before.”
“The PM might be taking the political hit, but it’s everyone else that’s hurting.”
“The PM’s failures have led to these lockdowns, so now he must make sure no-one is forced to live through them in poverty.”
“If full JobKeeper and $1,100 a fortnight JobSeeker were needed last time, they’re needed again now.”
“Young people are getting hit particularly hard. Scott Morrison’s determination to shortchange young people on everything from superannuation to climate change will drive economic stress for a whole generation.
“The Morrison government is failing young people with housing prices skyrocketing and rents soaring, insecure work and huge student debt growing, all as they watch other countries vaccinating everyone.”
Anti-Muslim racism revealed in AHRC report
Australian Greens Anti-racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that a new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found that 4 in 5 Australian Muslims have experienced discrimination, and a similar proportion feel the Christchurch mosque attacks made them afraid for their community.
Senator Faruqi is the first Muslim woman elected to the Australian Senate.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This report makes for disturbing reading, but I have to say I am not surprised by its findings, and I expect many Muslims would say the same thing. The discrimination is very real and so are its consequences.
“In recent decades, Muslims have experienced substantial discrimination in Australia and have been on the receiving end of serious racism and bigotry in the community, the media and in politics.
“Most catastrophically, anti-Muslim hatred led an Australian man to murder 51 innocent Muslims in Christchurch two years ago. But we can see anti-Muslim hatred and intolerance throughout our community and we must fight it with everything we have.
“Australia urgently needs to recommit itself to anti-racism and fighting Islamophobia, especially in the face of a resurgent far-right. We need to invest in and roll-out a national anti-racism program, stronger laws on extremism and hate speech, and much better representation of people of colour in public life.
“It has not escaped me that this report has recommended better representation of Muslims in the Australian media in the same week it was revealed Channel Seven cast a woman with a history of toxic Islamophobia and racism in an upcoming TV series. This saga was a strong reminder of the sustained Islamophobia and racism in the Australian media,” she said.
Government Inaction Leads to Aboriginal People Dying From Preventable Deaths, say Greens
“Aboriginal people are dying from preventable deaths in police custody because the Morrison government is continuing Liberal and Labors’ legacies of inaction,” said Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai and Gunditjmara woman who is the Australian Greens’ First Nations and Justice spokesperson.
“It’s been 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Morrison government has failed to show leadership and implement all 339 recommendations. What’s the point of a Commission if you ignore its findings?”
As a matter of national urgency, The Greens are calling for the full implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations, a ban on lethal chokeholds, greater transparency around the reporting of deaths in custody and a culturally safe, properly resourced independent prison oversight system.
“This is a matter of life and death, why should our people keep dying in places where they’re meant to be kept safe?” said Senator Thorpe.
Due to our community protocol, we will not comment on the recent death unless permitted to do so from family.
Landmark PBS listing for Australians with bowel cancer
The Morrison Government is providing access to a new treatment through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to support around Australians who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a type of bowel cancer.
In 2020, bowel cancer was the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, with around 15,000 Australians diagnosed with the disease each year. Sadly more than 5,000 lives are lost to bowel cancer each year, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in Australia.
For the first time, Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) will have its listing extended on the PBS to include the treatment of unresectable or metastatic mismatch repair deficient colorectal cancer.
This is the first immunotherapy treatment available to Australians with this type of cancer, which cannot be removed by surgery or has spread to an area outside the colon/rectum.
Keytruda® belongs to a new class of immunotherapy medicines that help the body’s own immune system to detect and fight cancer cells. The drug is already available on the PBS for other types of cancer, including lung cancer and melanoma.
More than 580 Australians a year will benefit from this listing. Without PBS subsidy, patients might pay more than $150,000 per course of treatment. From 1 August, it will be available for $41.30 per script or just $6.60 if they have a concession card.
This listing has been recommended by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.
Earlier this year, the Government announced $9.7 million for a new National Bowel Cancer Screening Program awareness campaign.
The campaign will aim to increase the numbers of Australians taking their free bowel cancer test and will focus on men aged 50 to 59 years, people living in regional and remote Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and individuals from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities.
When detected early, the majority of (around 90 per cent) of bowel cancers can be successfully treated.
Our Government is increasing its efforts on cancer screening to help more Australians to get early treatment and beat the disease.
Since 2013, the Coalition Government has approved more than 2,600 new or amended listings on the PBS.
This represents an average of around 30 listings or amendments per month – or one each day – at an overall investment by the Government of $13.2 billion.
The Morrison Government’s commitment to ensuring Australians can access affordable medicines, when they need them, remains rock solid.’
City of Newcastle creates career opportunities for Newcastle youth
City of Newcastle is continuing its commitment to creating career opportunities for Newcastle’s youth in response to high unemployment rates caused by COVID-19.
Eighteen new trainees, apprentices and university graduates have joined City of Newcastle this month, while a 12-month partnership with Career Links to provide employment and workplace learning opportunities for young people helps fulfil a pledge made as part of the City Taskforce’s Youth Employment Charter.
The COVID-19 economic crisis has disproportionately impacted 18-to-25-year-olds, driving the Hunter’s youth unemployment rate to more than 20 per cent last year, significantly higher than the state’s average.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the COVID-19 City Taskforce, led by City of Newcastle and comprising of 17 local leaders, developed a Youth Employment Charter calling on local organisations to affirm their commitment to maintaining and expanding opportunities for local young people.
“In what is one of the most challenging periods for young people looking for work, City of Newcastle is leading the way in supporting youth employment opportunities and pathways to careers,” Cr Nelmes said.
“By prioritising trainee, apprenticeship, and graduate positions we are ensuring there are quality early career opportunities for young people available in Newcastle.
“City of Newcastle fosters an environment where young staff can learn from experienced professionals. In return these youth employees offer us the passion and enthusiasm that comes with commencing a fulltime work career.
“We’re thrilled to welcome a diverse group of young people who have taken up signwriting, civil construction and horticulture apprenticeships; traineeships in early childhood education and arts administrations as well as engineering and information technology graduate positions – just to name a few. This brings our current number of trainees, graduates and apprentices to 44.”
Twenty-four-year-old Kahli Mortimer has commenced a painting apprenticeship with City of Newcastle as part of the latest intake of apprentices, trainees, and graduates.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to begin an apprenticeship with City of Newcastle, especially at a time when many people my age are struggling to find work. The best part of my job is learning the technical parts of my trade and working in so many different and interesting environments. I can see a career at City of Newcastle because my supervisor supports me to learn and be the best I can be in my job, and I also enjoy being a member of my team,” Ms Mortimer said.
Beyond the recruitment of local youth, City of Newcastle and Career Links have joined forces to establish the Newcastle Youth Industry Partnership Program to deliver on the objectives of the Greater Newcastle Youth Employment Charter at a community level.
The program’s focus is to build partnerships with industry, schools and support services to expand real world employment and workplace learning opportunities for young people.
A range of new programs will provide mentoring, workplace learning, transition support and information-sharing interventions to help build employability skills and wellbeing for vulnerable young people, aged 15 to 25 years.
The programs will foster interventions suitable for young people in the Newcastle in need of assistance, with special attention given to people transitioning from school to work and particularly vulnerable groups.
More information can be found on the Career Links website