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NSW a leading force in Defence industry

The NSW local defence industry will connect with potential customers as 24 co-exhibitors prepare to shine at the 2021 LAND FORCES International Land Defence Exposition with the support of the NSW Government.
The fourth biennial international industry expo will showcase equipment, technology, and services for the defence forces of Australia and the Indo-Asia-Pacific next week, between 1 – 3 June at the Brisbane Convention Centre.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said creating new defence industry opportunities which enhance the State’s contribution to national security was a key priority of Investment NSW.
“Our job as a government is to support the defence industry to develop and enhance its partnerships across the sector, between the Australian Defence Force, SMEs, Australian primes and research institutions,” Mr Ayres said.
“We are home to the largest number of defence bases of any state or territory in Australia. NSW also boasts the largest number of workers, with defence industry skills and world-leading universities and research institutions ready to support the development of defence technology and innovation.
“LAND FORCES is an opportunity for NSW-based defence businesses to pitch to supply chain managers, meet Commonwealth officials, partner with Austrade to create international opportunities and connect with Australian primes.”
Winslow Tam, Defence Program Manager for radio frequency communications business GME, said the business was looking forward to showcasing its manufacturing and radio frequency engineering capability.
“We’re excited to participate in LAND FORCES and take advantage of the opportunity to prove our ability to collaborate with SMEs to manufacture MANET mesh radios in-house and establish a robust Australian supply chain so we can scale our capacity to meet the requirements of the Australian Army,” Mr Tam said.
“GME is also working on developing of a narrow band portable very high frequency radio which is designed and manufactured in NSW.”
The NSW Government will showcase these defence industry innovators and demonstrate the leading edge and talent within NSW to the Australian Defence Force and primes. Growing the entirety of defence industry across NSW will enhance and build upon our already strong contribution to National security interests.
The co-exhibitors on the NSW Government stand are:

  • Adroita
  • Advanced Navigation
  • Air Affairs Australia
  • Austest
  • Australian Aerospace Engineering
  • Bisalloy Steels
  • Burwell Technologies
  • Carbonix
  • Defence Innovation Network
  • DroneShield Corporation
  • EnerSys Australia
  • Global Defence Solutions
  • GME
  • Hunter Defence & Hunter Net
  • Invest Wollongong
  • Jenkins Engineering Defence Systems
  • Mellori Solutions
  • Nupress Tools
  • Phoenx PLM
  • Rojone
  • Shoalhaven Defence Industry Group
  • The Whiskey Project
  • Thomas Global Systems

Further details about Defence NSW are available at www.defence.nsw.gov.au

NSW far north coast benefitting from record school infrastructure investment

NSW Far North Coast public school students are benefitting from more new and upgraded schools than ever before.
More than $409 million is finding its way to local students, with new and upgraded classrooms, playgrounds, canteens, roofing and lights.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell visited the recently upgraded Byron Bay Public School, one of the latest schools to benefit from this record investment.
“Schools across this region are benefitting from an ongoing multi-million dollar investment in education by the NSW Government,” Ms Mitchell said
“Byron Bay Public School is the latest to benefit from our history-making $7 billion school building program, and I’m delighted to be officially opening the $10 million upgrade today.”
“It’s great to meet students and teachers at Byron Bay Public School, and it’s fantastic to be here to see the wonderful new two storey building.
“This is one of the 11 new or upgraded schools being delivered in the region, bringing a total investment of more than $398 million.”
The Byron Bay Public School upgrade delivered a two storey building creating ten additional learning spaces taking the total number of permanent learning spaces to 28 and accommodating up to 650 students.
North Coast based MLC Ben Franklin said it’s great to see the school community benefitting from modern facilities and additional teaching spaces.
“The new facilities and learning spaces, like these at Byron Bay Public School, are putting local students at the forefront of technology and education, as well as allowing teachers to offer more learning opportunities to students,” Mr Franklin said.
“On top of these new and upgraded schools, we are also investing in our existing schools through improvement projects nominated by the school, ranging from playgrounds to canteens, along with a roof and lights program.
“Over 100 schools in the area have benefitted from this $11 million investment which also uses local tradies, helping to stimulate the economy.
“The NSW Government is creating a safer and stronger regional NSW by investing record amounts of funding to help support local jobs, and the wonderful schools in the Far North Coast.”
The NSW Government is investing $7 billion in four years to deliver more than 200 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

Lake Macquarie PD raises first Aboriginal flag at Belmont Police Station

Belmont Police Station will become the first station within the Lake Macquarie Police District to raise the Aboriginal Flag on site today (Monday 31 May 2021).
A ceremony will commemorate the inaugural raising of the Aboriginal Flag and highlight the NSWPF ongoing commitment to foster positive relationships between police and the Aboriginal community.
The local police and community will mark the occasion with a traditional Welcome to Country and saltwater blessing, as well as performances from local school choir and dance groups in the forecourt of Belmont police station.
NSW Police has set a target to fly the Aboriginal flag in all regional NSW Police Districts. There are currently 18 police stations across NSW that permanently fly the Aboriginal flag including Armidale, Albury, Batemans Bay, Broken Hill, Condobolin, Deniliquin, Dubbo, Gosford, Griffith, Gunnedah, Moree, Nowra, Oak Flats, Tweed Heads, Wilcannia, Raymond Terrace, Maitland and Nelson Bay.

Funding boost to heat up Darling Harbour and the Rocks this winter

Sydney’s most-loved CBD entertainment precincts will come to life with dedicated alfresco dining, fireworks, live music and an outdoor cinema to ensure the CBD is this winter season’s hottest spot.
The NSW Government has committed almost $850,000 to support a range of activities in The Rocks and Darling Harbour as part of the CBD Revitalisation Program – which received a $20 million boost as part of the second successful CBD Summit.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said revamping these initiatives for the winter months was vital to build on the success of the September CBD Summit and would ensure the economic recovery continues.
“I said at the second CBD summit in April that we would pull out all the stops to bring crowds into the city – and we’re making it happen,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Sydney has the best restaurants, shopping, cultural institutions and lifestyle in the country and this exciting series of initiatives will encourage people to spend more time in Australia’s best CBD, with more events and activities than ever before.
“This program we’re rolling out will give both The Rocks and Darling Harbour much needed boosts over the cooler months, keeping more businesses in business and people in jobs.”
The Rocks Hidden in Plain Sight program includes a new pop-up speakeasy, art installations, weekend street games and a dinner series which showcases the best of The Rocks dining.
In Darling Harbour, people can enjoy socially distanced lunchtime picnics with live music and $10 lunch deals right through until July, with evening fireworks and light shows from 8 June as part of the Sydney Solstice celebrations.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said as The Rocks was NSW Government land, new agency Placemaking NSW was embarking on a program to revitalise hidden courtyards and laneways that have been forgotten for decades.
“Thanks to the pandemic, The Rocks is ripe for reinvention,” Mr Stokes said.
“It’s been really encouraging to see foot traffic at The Rocks hit 75 per cent of pre[1]pandemic numbers but we’re keen to draw more people back to this part of Sydney which is one of the most historic and beautiful parts of the CBD.”
“We have started a program to upgrade all courtyards and laneways in The Rocks, such as the Nurses Walk, Unwins Courtyard, Well Courtyard and the La Renaissance courtyard.
“While Melbourne has already done their laneways, we will do ours better.” For more details on The Rocks Hidden In Plain Sight program and the Darling Harbour picnic and fireworks events visit www.therocks.com and www.darlingharbour.com

More communities take up the fight against drugs and alcohol

Another 47 communities will take up the challenge of fighting drugs and alcohol in their midst, after being accepted for inclusion in the Australian Government’s innovative Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) program.
The 47 new LDATs bring the total number of active community teams across the nation to a record 280.
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) operates the program for the Government.
The LDAT program emphasises building protective factors in the community. Many of the teams are focused on working with vulnerable groups in their communities to prevent alcohol and drugs misuse, including crystal methamphetamine or ice.
The new community LDATs will each receive $10,000 upfront to help them through the initial phase. During this phase, a member of the ADF will assist them with setting up, undertaking community consultation, and developing a Community Action Plan tailored to their local alcohol and other drug issues.
When this phase is completed, the LDATs can apply for further funding to support delivery of their action plans.
The LDAT Program recognises that every community is different. Its expansion is very positive news, as more communities are joining together to give their people the resources to reduce the misuse of alcohol and other drugs in their communities.
The Government has committed more than $29 million to the LDAT program since it began in 2016-17, as part of the $450 million National Ice Action Strategy.
As part of the 2021/22 Budget, the Government also committed $ 5.9 million to continue the Good Sports Program, which complements LDAT activities.
Good Sports helps community sporting clubs to develop policies on alcohol and other drugs, to reduce their impact on club members and the wider community.
This funding will expand Good Sports to another 400 clubs and support the new consolidated digital delivery platform to improve its efficiency and availability. More than 10,000 clubs are already engaged in the Good Sports program.
LDATs deliver evidence-based information, education and mentoring programs to prevent and minimise the risk of harms related to alcohol and other drugs. A wide range of other grassroots activities may be undertaken to allow people to connect, engage, empower and support each other.
This approach has proven to be successful in heading off the harm that drugs and alcohol misuse bring to individuals, families and across the community.
LDATs are formed from partnerships that can include local government, community groups, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisations, business associations, police, schools, local Primary Health Networks, and other interested not-for-profit organisations.
Organisations that have not been accepted into the LDAT program can deliver alcohol and other drug prevention initiatives in their local area using free resources available on the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website at https://community.adf.org.au/.

Labor's Plan to Beat COVID-19

Yet another COVID-19 outbreak from hotel quarantine has plunged a state into lockdown. Yet another COVID-19 outbreak from hotel quarantine has closed state borders.
The risk to the health and livelihood of Australians has not gone away, and the Morrison Government must get their act together and treat this pandemic with the urgency it deserves.
But because of their complacency, we’ve seen another outbreak stem from hotel quarantine. If Scott Morrison had built a fit-for-purpose national quarantine system – a responsibility that sits squarely with the Prime Minister – then this outbreak would not have happened.
Some of the people at the centre of this current outbreak were eligible for the vaccine. If the Morrison Government hadn’t botched our vaccine rollout, those people would have been vaccinated by now.
Australians want a clear plan for the future – a plan that gives them clarity and certainty.
It’s now clear for everyone to see that Scott Morrison doesn’t have a plan to beat COVID-19. But we do.
If I were Prime Minister, an Albanese Labor Government would:

  1. Build new quarantine facilities and expand existing facilities in every state and territory – because it’s time to end the blame game and be a true partner with the states and territories.
  2. Fix the vaccine rollout and expand mobile and mass vaccination clinics to get as many Australians vaccinated as quickly as possible. We would stop the excuses and get everyone who lives and works in aged or disability care vaccinated. We have the doses and we know where they are. There’s simply no excuse for the delay.
  3. Start a mass public information campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated, and start a process for considering incentives to achieve that aim.
  4. Begin manufacturing mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer, right here in Australia. This virus isn’t going away and when it comes to beating it, we need to be able to stand on our own two feet.

More GPs to join the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

The role of General Practices in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is set to expand, with up to 900 additional general practices to come on board to administer the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as part of a targeted expansion to ensure more points of presence are available across the country.
Through an expression of interest (EOI) process, run in partnership with Primary Health Networks (PHNs), we’re inviting general practices who are currently not participating in the rollout to apply.
The Australian Government has worked closely with states, territories and PHNs, undertaking comprehensive modelling and analysis to identify projected COVID-19 vaccine gaps across Australia.
These new practices will be brought into the program from mid-June to ensure equitable and timely access to COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 50 and above.
More than 4,600 primary care vaccination sites joined the rollout between March and April 2021 – including approximately 4,400 general practices.
Primary care, as the cornerstone of our health system, has played a critical role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout so far, with approximately two-thirds of all the vaccinations administered to date occurring within general practice.
The PHNs will assist the coordination of a short EOI process within their regions, with interested general practices asked to provide details required to be on-boarded to the program.
Beyond the general practices in regions initially targeted, the results of the EOI may be used to bring further practices on board as the rollout progresses and for a future ramp-up of the program later in the year as more vaccines become available.

Weather warning for Newcastle and Hunter coast

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has predicted high ocean swell for the Newcastle’s coastline between Friday 28 May and Monday 31 May. Of concern is the three high tides over this swell event at 2.1 metres on Friday, 2 metres on Saturday and 1.9 metres on Sunday. BOM does not expect this to be a high rainfall event.

As a result, Stockton Beach will be closed from Friday 28 May and Newcastle’s beaches south of the harbour will be monitored and closures will be put in place if necessary.

City of Newcastle is monitoring its facilities and assets along the Newcastle coastline including areas in Stockton which may be impacted by coastal erosion. Following the weekend’s swell event and when safe, the City will inspect all beaches and undertake any repairs required prior to opening the beaches again.
The community is encouraged to stay safe around Newcastle’s coastline, follow the direction of signage and abide by beach and road closures.
To keep up to date with the weather, visit bom.gov.au

Funding boost to heat up Darling Harbour and the Rocks this winter

Sydney’s most-loved CBD entertainment precincts will come to life with dedicated alfresco dining, fireworks, live music and an outdoor cinema to ensure the CBD is this winter season’s hottest spot.
The NSW Government has committed almost $850,000 to support a range of activities in The Rocks and Darling Harbour as part of the CBD Revitalisation Program – which received a $20 million boost as part of the second successful CBD Summit.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said revamping these initiatives for the winter months was vital to build on the success of the September CBD Summit and would ensure the economic recovery continues.
“I said at the second CBD summit in April that we would pull out all the stops to bring crowds into the city – and we’re making it happen,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Sydney has the best restaurants, shopping, cultural institutions and lifestyle in the country and this exciting series of initiatives will encourage people to spend more time in Australia’s best CBD, with more events and activities than ever before.
“This program we’re rolling out will give both The Rocks and Darling Harbour much needed boosts over the cooler months, keeping more businesses in business and people in jobs.”
The Rocks Hidden in Plain Sight program includes a new pop-up speakeasy, art installations, weekend street games and a dinner series which showcases the best of The Rocks dining.
In Darling Harbour, people can enjoy socially distanced lunchtime picnics with live music and $10 lunch deals right through until July, with evening fireworks and light shows from 8 June as part of the Sydney Solstice celebrations.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said as The Rocks was NSW Government land, new agency Placemaking NSW was embarking on a program to revitalise hidden courtyards and laneways that have been forgotten for decades.
“Thanks to the pandemic, The Rocks is ripe for reinvention,” Mr Stokes said.
“It’s been really encouraging to see foot traffic at The Rocks hit 75 per cent of pre[1]pandemic numbers but we’re keen to draw more people back to this part of Sydney which is one of the most historic and beautiful parts of the CBD.”
“We have started a program to upgrade all courtyards and laneways in The Rocks, such as the Nurses Walk, Unwins Courtyard, Well Courtyard and the La Renaissance courtyard.
“While Melbourne has already done their laneways, we will do ours better.” For more details on The Rocks Hidden In Plain Sight program and the Darling Harbour picnic and fireworks events visit www.therocks.com and www.darlingharbour.com

Appeal for dashcam as investigation continues into M1 crash – Lake Macquarie

Police are appealing for dashcam footage as they continue to investigate a multi-vehicle crash, which left a man in a critical condition, near Lake Macquarie earlier today.
About 6.45am (Thursday 27 May 2021), emergency services were called to the northbound lanes of the M1 Motorway at Cooranbong, about five kilometres north of the Mandalong Road exit, following reports of a four-car crash.
The driver of a black Mitsubishi utility, a 72-year-old man, was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital and remains in a critical condition.
The 50-year-old male driver of a black LDV utility and the driver of a white Mitsubishi utility towing a dual axle, a 32-year-old man, were both uninjured and taken to Belmont Hospital for mandatory testing.
The driver of a white Mitsubishi 4WD, a 57-year-old man, was outside his vehicle at the time. He sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash.
Officers from the Hunter Crash Investigation Unit continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
They are appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash – or has dashcam footage – to contact the Crash Investigation Unit on 02 4929 0744 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.