They say every dog has its day, and that is certainly the case for local pooches who can now roam free in the city’s first fenced dog park.
The new facility at Acacia Avenue Reserve, North Lambton was officially opened today with creatures great and small converging on the park to celebrate.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the unveiling of the dog park is fantastic for our dog-loving city and is the culmination of significant community feedback.
“After a strong response to the development of our Dogs in Open Space Plan, including more than 1,000 community submissions, it was clear that catering for our four-legged friends is extremely important to our city,” he said.
“Delivering a fenced off-leash area for the city came through as one of the major pieces of feedback and we’ve worked since then on identifying the best location in consultation with the community.
“The community’s input has been reflected in the unique way the park has been constructed with special areas for both large and small dogs to play in comfort. I’m thrilled with this space and know it will be a vibrant and popular place for people and their pets to be active and play outside.”
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the new park was a premier facility for dog owners wanting their pets to enjoy time off-leash and socialising in a contained environment.
“The dog park is encircled by a 1.5 metre-high chain-mesh fence and contains 452 metres of accessible pathway throughout,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The park is now equipped with two shelters and tables, two dog bubblers and dog dispenser bags, ensuring comfort for dogs and their owners.
“A unique and popular feature of the park is the dedicated areas for small and large dogs to enjoy. The 1.5 hectare fenced area is the ultimate space for pet owners to bring their dogs without the worry of them wandering off into traffic.”
The City of Newcastle has one of the highest rates of dog ownership in the State with more than 44,300 registered dogs calling the city home.
The existing off-leash area at the reserve’s lower level will be retained providing an overflow from the fenced area.
City of Newcastle rangers were on hand at the opening event to provide free microchipping, dog care packs and information on responsible dog ownership.
$4 MILLION IN FUNDING TO ENSURE EVERYONE CAN PLAY
Four million dollars in funding is available for councils to create inclusive playgrounds for their local communities thanks to the NSW Government.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said the funding, which councils match dollar for dollar, comes from the Government’s Everyone Can Play program.
“This government-led initiative is the first award-winning program in Australia dedicated to creating inclusive playgrounds where everyone can play, no matter their age or ability,” Mr Stokes said.
“There are more than 1.3 million people living with a disability in NSW and with an ageing population that is increasingly involved in the daily care of their grandchildren, and it’s important that we create spaces where everyone can play and relax.
“That’s why we’re helping local government to create more safe, accessible and well-designed places for friends and families to play, to exercise and to connect with each other.
“The program is proving to be incredibly popular with mums and dads, grandparents and carers, councils and the community, and most importantly, the kids.”
Wagga Wagga resident Leila Bright and mother of five-year-old Mia and three-year-old Andie said inclusive playspaces allow her eldest daughter a chance to be a kid.
“Other playgrounds are difficult for Mia to get around in with her prosthetic leg but inclusive playspaces like Livvi’s Place mean Mia can make new friends, improve her motor skills and build her confidence,” Ms Bright said.
“With the right design, it’s a place she can be on the same level as all of the other kids.”
This is program is helping the NSW Government deliver on its committment to ensure everyone lives near high quality open spaces.
Councils have until Wednesday, 11 December 2019 to apply for funding.
SYDNEY WINS RIGHTS TO HOST WORLDPRIDE 2023
Sydney has won the rights to host WorldPride 2023, the marquee international LGBTQI pride event.
Minister for Arts Don Harwin said he was incredibly proud that Sydney was selected as the host city, the first destination in the Southern Hemisphere to win.
“I am absolutely delighted that Sydney has been chosen to host this incredible event, which coincides with the 45th anniversary of the first Mardi Gras Parade and the 50th Anniversary of the first Australian Gay Pride Week,” Mr Harwin said.
“This event will attract thousands of international visitors and put Sydney on the world map as a truly inclusive and united global city.”
“I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras team for presenting the winning bid.”
Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said WorldPride 2023 in Sydney will be an experience like no other.
“I am so excited Sydney will host WorldPride 2023, which according to Deloitte research is expected to attract one million visitors to our Harbour City and has the capacity to generate an economic footprint in excess of $664 million,” Mr Ayres said.
“Sydney is a truly cosmopolitan city with an amazing harbour, delicious food and beverage, world-class transport and a proud history of celebrating diversity. This global event undoubtedly belongs in Australia’s global city!”
Sydney was selected as the winner by members of InterPride, the international association of pride organisations, at the AGM in Athens overnight.
The inaugural WorldPride was held in Rome in 2000. Cities which have hosted WorldPride since 2000 include Jerusalem, London, Toronto and Madrid.
The NSW Government supported the bid with $192,000 in funding.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE WESTERN SYDNEY METRO TO START NEXT YEAR
Construction will soon begin on the Western Sydney Metro, with seven station locations confirmed today – a project that will slash travel times between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD down to around 20 minutes.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said construction work will begin next year, commencing at the Bays Precinct, to prepare the site for major tunnelling works.
“The Western Sydney Metro will fundamentally change how we get around our city for generations to come, connecting Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD with fast, safe and reliable metro rail,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We’ve successfully delivered the North West Metro Line early and $1 billion under budget, the next line from Chatswood to Sydnenham and Bankstown is on track to open in 2024, and now the next Metro project is underway.”
The first works in the Bays Precinct will include site surveys, investigations and early works such as road relocation.
The locations of seven proposed Metro stations have been confirmed at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct.
The NSW Government will also fast-track work to investigate the feasibility of building a Metro station in Pyrmont, while also assessing a potential station at Rydalmere. Further work is also underway to determine the location of the new Metro station in the Sydney CBD.
The project team has today started informing affected property owners and tenants. The preference is always to reach a commercial agreement, with compulsory acquisition a last resort.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance said the project team has been talking to communities along the alignment since 2016. Details of the exact station locations are now available on the Sydney Metro website.
“Western Sydney Metro will more than double the existing rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD and slash travel times between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD to around 20 minutes,” Mr Constance said.
With the T1 Western Line and the T9 Northern Line expected to reach capacity within the next decade, the NSW Government’s commitment to fund this project ensures that tomorrow’s Sydney has the infrastructure it needs to keep moving.
“In addition to becoming the easiest and fastest way to travel between these two cities, the project is also anticipated to create approximately 10,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs,” Mr Constance said.
At Parramatta, the new Metro station will serve the commercial core of the Parramatta CBD to the north of the existing train station.
Sydney Olympic Park, which is visited by more than 10 million people each year, will also get a second railway station within walking distance of ANZ Stadium in the heart of the growing town centre, reinforcing its status as Australia’s premier events, sporting and entertainment precinct.
The NSW Government has today also announced that it is kicking off a global search for suppliers capable of building more than 50 kilometres of new Metro railway tunnels connecting the two centres – the longest railway tunnels ever built in Australia, in what is expected to be the biggest tunnelling contract awarded in Australian history.
The community will have the opportunity to provide further feedback as part of the statutory planning assessment process, which will be administered by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
Suppliers wishing to express their interest in the procurement of the tunnelling contract for Western Sydney Metro will be able to register their interest on the eTendering website from tomorrow.
Further detail on station locations: www.sydneymetro.info/west
Greens Slam Labor and Liberal Collusion to Scrap Education Investment
Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has slammed Labor and the Liberals for striking a deal to sell out TAFEs and universities. The two parties voted today to abolish the $4 billion Education Infrastructure Fund, which was focused on building research and education infrastructure.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Labor and the Government have teamed up to stab education in the back by abolishing billions in education funding.
“I don’t expect any better of the regressive Liberals who have cut education funding at every turn, but Labor used to be the party of education. Now they are just selling out communities and young people to remain politically relevant.
“Labor are so eager to please the Liberals they voted to abolish the infrastructure fund they themselves established. The reality is unis, TAFEs and research have all suffered under this Liberal-National Government. Education in Australia is being dangerously underfunded.
“I’ve seen with my own eyes the impact of the fund in Port Macquarie where I lived and worked and where the fund contributed to the Joint Health Education Facility which is training doctors to meet demand for care in rural and regional areas.
“We must fund disaster relief and support communities facing the brunt of the climate crisis, but the Greens will not be party to the Government’s long-running campaign to cut our universities and TAFEs to the bone while their climate inaction endangers all of us,” she concluded.
Murray-Darling Basin Plan in tatters
Legislation tabled in the NSW Parliament last night effectively tears up the Murray-Darling Basin Plan leaving the environment and downstream communities high and dry, the Greens say.
“NSW has been waiting for an excuse to get out of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and they’ve found one,” Greens Spokesperson for Water and the Environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The Nationals are exploiting the drought crisis to blow the Plan up.
“The whole purpose of the MDBP was to manage the River in times of drought. The water sharing arrangements are designed to stop communities being pitted against each other and to avoid water wars in times of crisis.
“When speaking to the Water Supply (Critical Needs) Bill last night, the NSW Water Minister was clear that water would be reallocated at the expense of end-of-system flow requirements.
“The Coalition is putting their corporate mates in charge and they’re not actually doing anything that will put water back into the River system so towns have water to drink and family farms have water for stock and crops.
“Australia’s biggest river system is being destroyed by climate change, coal and corporate greed while the Libs and Nats fight amongst each other about who gets to announce policies that don’t deal with any of these issues.
“Towns need drinking water but it should come from corporate irrigators, not the environment or downstream users. There’s no way South Australians will let NSW and the Coalition get away with this.”
Horse Traceability Scheme Vital Following ABC 730 Horse Racing Cruelty Exposé
Greens Senator for NSW and Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has reacted to a shocking ABC 730 exposé into the abuse and cruel slaughter of race horses at knackeries and abattoirs.
Senator Faruqi said the Federal Government needs to urgently establish a national horse traceability scheme so horses leaving the race industry can be tracked for their whole lives.
Senator Faruqi established an inquiry into horse traceability that is due to hand down its report in the coming months.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The horse racing industry has blood on its hands. I am absolutely sickened and angered by what this footage shows. It is much worse than what many of us had imagined.
“I’m sure people across Australia would be shocked and shattered at the extent and level on animal abuse we saw in the expose.
“The horrific abuse and suffering of horses once they have stopped making a profit shows the callousness of the industry that purports to look after them. They should hang their heads in shame.
“I have long said that when animals and gambling mix, animals always suffer.
“The horse racing industry’s euphemism for horses they can no longer profit from, ‘wastage’, betrays how sickeningly little regard they have for the horses they breed. If the industry wants to breed horses, they must take responsibility for their whole life.
“Part of the solution is transparency. The Federal Government must urgently establish a national horse traceability register which will allow tracking of horses throughout their lives so the industry has no more excuses for not ensuring every horse has a dignified retirement.
“I want to thank the brave activists who risked their safety to expose this barbaric cruelty,” she concluded.
Medevac Repeal report
Evidence heard during the medevac inquiry made an overwhelming case for keeping the legislation in place, Greens Immigration spokesperson Nick McKim says.
“The evidence heard during this inquiry made it clear – medevac has saved lives,” Senator McKim said.
“The government’s refusal to transfer sick people from offshore detention to Australia under previous arrangements caused death, mental anguish and untold suffering among refugees and people seeking asylum.”
“The medevac repeal Bill shows that the government puts political imperatives ahead of people’s medical needs.”
“They have made the crass calculation that some lives are worth sacrificing for broader political outcomes, despite their legal and moral obligations.”
“Decisions about medical care should be made by medical experts, not politicians or bureaucrats.”
“The Greens will oppose the medevac repeal legislation.”
The Greens’ dissenting report can be found here:
https://www.aph.gov.au/
Government Pretends Biggest Expenditure Item Is Drought
This Government is loose with the truth.
24 hours after it emerged their dam announcement was based on false figures, they have made up more total fantasy.
Today in Question Time the Treasurer said the drought was the “number one call on the budget.”
This is cold comfort to the thousands of farmers desperately struggling to survive on the land, who are not receiving one cent of direct funding from the Future Drought Fund.
Farmers have been left high and dry by the Morrison Government and now the Government is misleading by suggesting they are spending more money on farmers than anyone else.
Government Runs From Economic Debate
For a second consecutive day Scott Morrison has refused to defend his economic record by debating the state of the Australian economy in the Parliament.
After more than six years in office the Government has produced:
- The slowest economic growth in a decade;
- The worst wages growth on record;
- Almost two million Australians being unemployed or underemployed;
- A decline in GDP per capita last year, with flat growth in the last quarter;
- Record levels of household debt;
- Consumer confidence at a four-year low;
- Business confidence well below average; and
- Sluggish productivity growth.
In Parliament today we repeatedly invited Mr Morrison to defend his economic record and allow time for a serious debate on the economy.
He ran from the issue.
He is ashamed of his economic record. He should be.
Mr Morrison has no plan to stimulate our nation’s sluggish economy and is so out of touch and arrogant that he believes he is above the scrutiny of the Parliament of Australia.