Sustainability principles with a view to creating less waste are the driving force behind an innovative Newcastle Libraries initiative, which aims to teach people new skills to fix broken or damaged items instead of throwing them away.
Newcastle Libraries has launched the free Newcastle Repair Café with the expertise of providers such as Newcastle Toy Library, Upcycle Newcastle and local repairers, which will operate at the recently re-opened Lambton Library on the last Saturday of each month until June.
Image: Bicycle repairer Nick Grinpukel, Councillor Margaret Wood and City of Newcastle Library Partnerships Facilitator Christina Robberds At Lambton Library
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the emphasis on circular economy principles and sustainability aligns to the community’s vision for Newcastle.
“Creating a sustainable City has been at the centre of all our decisions, which is why Newcastle Repair Café is a great innovative initiative, fixing items are reused ensuring they don’t end up being sent to landfill prematurely,” Cr Nelmes said.
Ward 3 Councillor Margaret Wood said a visit to Newcastle Repair Café is a great way to renew unused household items, with the potential for people to also learn new skills.
“The aim of the repair café is to teach sustainable living skills to our local community through the repair and re-use of old household items, and best of all is that the events are free to attend,” Cr Wood said.
“The Newcastle Repair Cafe is a place where people with items that are in need of repairs can meet skilled repairers to breathe new life into their old items and have the opportunity to learn new skills to use for future repairs.”
The first of four Newcastle Repair Café events at Lambton Library planned for 2022 was held in March, which focused on clothing, small hand tools and bikes. The next repair café on Saturday 30 April will offer repairs for toys, clothing and bikes.
Further Newcastle Repair Café events will be held in May for textiles and clothing, and June for furniture, small hand tools, clothing and toys. The June event will also feature a plant and seed swap to promote the benefits of growing your own produce.
Newcastle Libraries will also commence weighing items presented to the Repair Café, in order to track the volume of items that would have otherwise been disposed of in landfill.
Repair cafés originated in Europe and have since become popular throughout Australia. The Newcastle Libraries initiative is the only free repair café currently offered in Newcastle.
Lambton Library re-opened with extended opening hours in March following extensive renovations including restoration of heritage features and installation of OPEN+ technology.
Bookings are not required for Newcastle Repair Café sessions. For further information on upcoming sessions visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/library
A multi-million upgrade to RSPCA NSW Adoption and Education Centre in Western Sydney has been opened today by Premier Dominic Perrottet, Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman, and RSPCA CEO Steve Coleman.
The new state-of-the-art Sydney Adoption and Education Centre has been jointly funded by the NSW Government and RSPCA NSW’s community of animal lovers, with the State Government investing $12 million in the upgrade to transform the shelter for animals and expand the organisation’s capacity.
Mr Perrottet, the RSPCA NSW Patron, said the investment from the NSW Government demonstrated its ongoing commitment to animal welfare.
“This is the largest animal shelter in NSW, and it’s been helping families find their forever pets for more than 40 years,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The NSW Government is very proud to support the great work being done by RSPCA NSW, and I congratulate CEO Steve Coleman and his team for creating a centre that will continue to strengthen animal welfare standards, following the changes to the law last year meaning NSW now has the strongest suites of penalties for animal welfare in Australia.
“The upgraded facilities at Yagoona will also help them continue their wonderful work caring for animals in need and enable even more families to discover the joy of adopting a pet.”
Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman said the new Education Centre will host veterinary, staff and volunteer training, community events, and school education programs that will benefit future generations by educating them on animal welfare.
“Animals are such an important part of our lives, and each year RSPCA NSW manages the veterinary treatment, care, rehabilitation and rehoming of almost 45,000 cats, dogs, horses, livestock and other animals,” Mrs Tuckerman said.
“Our investment in the shelter also supported local jobs, utilising locally made prefabricated concrete”
RSPCA NSW CEO Mr Steve Coleman said that this would not have been possible without the NSW Government and thanked them for their ongoing support.
“It’s an honour to have the Premier here today opening the centre which is central to our mission, providing a place of refuge for animal and animal lovers alike,” Mr Coleman said.
“The Premier first took an interest when he was Treasurer and ensured funding for animal welfare was a priority. This modern facility is the outcome of hard work by our donors and the State Government.
“Thanks to the support of the NSW Government and the community, we continue to deliver the largest animal welfare enforcement unit in Australia, with a team of inspectors dedicated to investigating instances of animal cruelty across NSW, responding to over 15,000 cruelty complaints per year.”
The $29 million upgrade will assist RSPCA NSW in continuing to prioritise the physical and emotional wellbeing of their animals, with state-of-the-art innovations including acoustic-controlled kennels, hydronic underfloor heating, and environmental enrichment mechanisms in the design.
Animal lovers, neighbours, friends, families, the community at large are welcome to visit RSPCA NSW, meet the animals, adopt or foster care, volunteer, donate, and be a part of creating a better future. For more information visit www.rspcansw.org.au
Thousands of students have returned from the Easter holidays to benefit from a $376.1 million investment in school infrastructure, with five new or upgraded public schools opening their doors today.
Premier Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell officially opened two of the new schools – the relocated Meadowbank Public School and Marsden High School – in the Meadowbank Education and Employment precinct.
Mr Perrottet said the new precinct is an incredible asset for the entire Ryde community and a flagship for public education in NSW.
“This site offers an exciting future for thousands of students, with first-class facilities that can take them from kindergarten to tertiary education at the one location,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This is a result of our historic $15 billion school infrastructure pipeline of projects, which is more than any other government has ever spent building and upgrading schools, to give our kids the best start in life.”
Ms Mitchell said the new facilities are mind blowing and showcase student centred learning by housing primary, secondary and tertiary education on the one site.
“Already this year the NSW Government has delivered an investment of more than $690 million in school facilities with 12 school communities enjoying brand new teaching and learning spaces,” Ms Mitchell said.
“This means we have more than 350 new classrooms, new halls and libraries benefitting more than 10,000 students.
This government has now delivered 125 new and upgraded schools since 2019, and there are more to come.”
Major upgrades to Fairvale High School and Greystanes Public School, as well as a new multipurpose hall at Jamison High School have also been launched today.
The NSW Government is investing $7.9 billion over four years, continuing its program to deliver 215 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW.
Term 1 2022 ($319.1 million) Alexandria Park Community School Croydon Public School Dapto Public School Kyeemagh Public School Lake Cathie Public School Passfield Park School Porters Creek Public School
Term 2 2021 ($376.1 million) Fairvale High School Greystanes Public School Jamison High School Two schools at Meadowbank Education & Employment Precinct
A man has been charged following a two-vehicle crash near Salt Ash earlier this month.
About 3.25pm on Tuesday 5 April 2022, emergency services were called to Nelson Bay Road near Marsh Road, following reports a Subaru sedan and a Honda SUV had collided head-on.
The passenger in the SUV – an 80-year-old woman – was trapped for a short time before being airlifted to John Hunter Hospital suffering serious leg injuries.
Five other people – a 78-year-old man driving the SUV and a 32-year-old man driving the sedan – were taken by road ambulance to John Hunter Hospital for assessment and treatment for minor injuries.
Three passengers in the sedan – aged two, five and 31 – were uninjured.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District established a crime scene, which was examined by specialist police from the Crash Investigation Unit.
Following investigations, a 78-year-old man attended Newcastle Police Station where he was arrested today (Thursday 28 April 2022).
The man was charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, two counts of cause bodily harm by misconduct, negligent driving, and not keep left of dividing line.
He was granted conditional bail to appear before Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 23 May 2022.
The Independent Education Union of Australia expresses its full support for the NSW Teachers Federation and its members who are taking industrial action on Wednesday 4 May. The IEU also supports the Federation’s bans on implementing new government policies.
“It’s time for meaningful action now,” said IEUA NSW/ACT Secretary Mark Northam.
The IEUA NSW/ACT Branch represents more than 32,000 teachers, principals and support staff in non-government schools as well as early childhood teachers.
“Teachers and support staff across the government and non-government sectors are dedicated professionals who have been pushed to breaking point,” Northam said. “The sharply rising cost of living, lack of real wages growth, ever-increasing workloads and global pandemic have led to crippling staff shortages. Our members are exhausted and burnt out.”
The IEU is in the process of negotiating new enterprise agreements for its 18,000 members in Catholic diocesan schools. The union’s campaign, Hear Our Voice, calls on employers to:
· Pay teachers what they’re worth (an increase of 10% to 15% over two years)
· Give support staff a fair deal (pay parity with colleagues in public sector schools)
· Let teachers teach – cut paperwork
· Allow time to plan
· End staff shortages.
To take industrial action, the IEU is bound by federal legislation requiring a formal, complex and time-consuming balloting of its members in Catholic diocesan schools. But this process is well under way.
“The union has obtained a Protected Action Ballot Order in the Fair Work Commission to enable balloting of members,” Northam said. “This will proceed during May and, pending its outcome, will authorise similar industrial action in late May.”
“We urge employers to Hear Our Voice,” Northam said. “It’s time for a fair deal for teachers and support staff – it’s the only way to attract and retain the right people to fix the critical shortages and guarantee teaching and learning for our students now and into the future.”
IEUA NSW/ACT Branch President Chris Wilkinson said: “For too long the needs of teachers and support staff have been ignored, and now increasing workloads, growing class sizes, lack of casual staff and constant data collection requirements have hit crisis point. School staff deserve pay and conditions that reflect the complex work they do each and every day.
“We stand with our colleagues in the NSW Teachers Federation. We all need our voices to be heard.”
The Australian Workers’ Union is today warmly welcoming the new Horticulture Award which introduces an hourly minimum rate for fruit pickers, who will now enjoy the same baseline conditions as all other Australian workers.
In November 2021, the AWU secured an historic industrial win for fruit pickers by successfully arguing the Horticulture Award should be altered to ensure every worker is entitled to take home the minimum casual rate of pay, currently $25.41. The new Award will allow piece rates to continue, but also provide a baseline safety net.
Despite aggressive opposition from the National Farmers Federation and the Agriculture Minister the AWU was able to persuade the Fair Work Commission that it was unfair to allow fruit pickers to be bamboozled and underpaid by the piece work system without a safety net.
“Fruit picking is tough, important work and at the very least those workers deserve to earn the Australian minimum wage. It’s truly amazing that the NFF and David Littleproud can look themselves in mirror after arguing the opposite,” said AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton.
“It’s unfortunate the NFF have decided they want to operate as a mouthpiece for bad farmers instead of representing the good farmers who have been undercut by dodgy exploitation and underpayment practices.
“Of course we’re going to see more scaremongering about consumers prices, despite the fact fruit prices have actually been relatively stable over the past two years when Covid put unprecedented pressure on the labour force.
“But even if we accept the dubious point that prices will go up slightly on average, what’s the argument? That we should encourage an underclass of workers in Australia on third world wages so our supermarket berries cost one per cent less?
“For too long the farmers’ lobby has seen fruit pickers as somehow beneath the usual standards offered to Australian workers. But the hard work of pickers deserves the same minimum wage dignity afforded to everyone else.
“Now at the end of each day every picker should be assured that their work netted at least $25.41 an hour. If not, their employer is stealing from them and breaking the law.
“This ruling is a huge advance for this industry and for all the farmers who are already doing the right thing.”
Can you tell your cats from your dingoes? Your wallabies from your wallaroos? Then Dingo? Bingo! is your chance to identify dingoes (and other wildlife) in photos and help scientists better understand and manage dingo populations in particular.
An online citizen science project Dingo? Bingo! requests the public’s help in detecting dingoes and other animals among images retrieved from a network of camera-traps. Cameras were installed in the Myall Lakes region of NSW, which is home to an important coastal population of dingoes and a long-term study into dingo ecology and management. The Myall Lakes dingo project, supported by the Hermon Slade Foundation and Taronga Conservation Society Australia, aims to develop and test non-lethal management techniques and add to our understanding of dingo behaviour and ecology along the way.
Dingoes are an iconic and valuable part of the Australian ecosystem, but where dingoes co-occur with humans – be it campgrounds, towns, or livestock areas – they can also cause issues, and these conflicts are conventionally managed by lethal means. The question is are there non-lethal alternatives for deterring dingoes from these places?
Researchers from UNSW Science and Taronga Conservation Society Australia are testing whether the dingoes’ own signals can be used to deter them and invasive predators from particular areas. Dingoes use howls and scent marks to communicate ownership of space, and so by simulating their presence in an area the team hope to be able to deter them from specific areas.
As Dr Neil Jordan, lead researcher and Senior Lecturer at UNSW, explains, “In some circumstances, living alongside dingoes can be challenging. This project hopes to develop tools and strategies to limit the negative impacts that dingoes have in specific areas, while still allowing them to perform their ecological role as apex predator across the wider landscape”.
Part of that ecological role may be suppressing invasive foxes, and as Taronga’s Behavioural Biologist and co-lead researcher Dr Ben Pitcher explains, this is also an important part of the team’s work. “There’s good evidence from a number of studies that animals retreat from the sound of their predators. As dingoes sometimes kill foxes and cats, we’re also testing the idea that these smaller carnivores may avoid areas where they believe dingoes are present – where they hear a dingo howl for example”.
To test their idea, the team have set up 12 automated speaker systems, playing back dingo howls intermittently through the night. Over 60 remote camera-traps were also positioned around these sites along the dingoes’ main thoroughfares: trails and roads. And that’s where Dingo? Bingo! comes in.
Sifting through 50,000 images is a tall order for any researcher, and so the team decided to share the load and the joy of participating in this work. Nevertheless, as UNSW PhD student Brendan Alting explains, the team remain active participants themselves, “It’s always awesome seeing an unexpected quoll or koala pop up on an image, and so I wouldn’t say we’ve been 100% successful in passing this on entirely to citizen science– it’s quite addictive!”.
Getting started on Dingo? Bingo!, users are notified of the various animal groups they might observe in the photos (bandicoot, horse, reptiles etc.), instructed how to submit their identification, and, finally, which details they might add. Is it a dingo? Bingo!
To ensure they’re accurately classified, each photo is displayed to 20 users, and only if there is a high degree of agreement are they classified, with the research team reviewing any debated classifications.
As Dr Jordan explains, “You’ll probably see a number of fox, cat and dingo images on the platform, and this doesn’t necessarily mean that the experiment hasn’t worked. To properly test for any effect of the howls we are also playing back control sounds, including ambient noise, and we’ll compare these treatments using the data contributed through ‘Dingo? Bingo!’”.
The entire collection of Dingo? Bingo! photos are now available and ready for public classification, so feel free to dive in immediately and help the research team discover just how effective their deterrents were.
Pending the success of this trial, the team behind Dingo? Bingo! and the Myall Lakes Dingo Project plans on furthering their work on non-lethal management and into dingo behaviour and ecology more broadly.
New data has revealed that a small group of out-of-town property investors own a huge number of dwellings in the Northern Rivers seat of Richmond, taking advantage of Liberal and Labor-backed tax breaks to push locals out of affordable homes in the region.
With rental prices in the area having risen by a mindblowing 20% in a year, double the rate of the rise in Sydney, and secure long-term rentals for locals at crisis point in the holiday rental-heavy region, the new data from the independent Parliamentary Budget Office reveals that:
89 out-of-towners own a massive 889 investment properties in Richmond. These people each have 7 or more properties in the electorate and together get Coalition and Labor-backed tax handouts of $19 million a year. Each one of these property moguls gets an average of $211,236 in public subsidies each year for their Richmond properties;
10,885 properties are owned as investment properties by people who live outside of Richmond, which is a huge 11% of all properties in the electorate; and
Of these, 7,725 properties are owned by 2,705 out-of-area property investors that each have 2 or more investment properties and together get Coalition- and Labor-backed tax handouts totaling $165m per year. On average, out-of-town property investors with 2 or more investment properties in Richmond get a staggering $61,000 per year in tax handouts;
There are 96,778 dwellings in the seat according to census data..
The Greens would scrap the taxpayer handouts going to people who own two or more investment properties, freeing up $63b across the country to invest in affordable housing and tackling the cost of living.
As part of the Greens $21B plan to build 1 million affordable homes, the Greens will also build 15,000 new, climate resilient and affordable homes in Richmond and Page, to fix the housing affordability crisis and help those affected by the floods.
Adam Bandt MP said:
“Liberal and Labor are giving millions of dollars of public handouts to out-of-town property moguls, pushing up housing prices and locking Northern Rivers locals out.
“This is cooked. The Greens will scrap the public handouts to property moguls and make housing affordable for people in the Northern Rivers.
“The Greens will not only scrap these Labor-backed handouts to property moguls, we will build new affordable homes and give renters more rights.
Greens candidate for Richmond Mandy Nolan said:
“This data confirms what many locals have long suspected. A handful of wealthy property moguls from out of town own a huge chunk of the area’s property.
“Locals aren’t just getting locked out, the Coalition and Labor are also making us give handouts to the property moguls buying up our towns.
“Not only are rich investors from out of town driving up the property prices and pushing out locals so they can maximise the cash from holiday rentals, they are getting millions from the taxpayer to do it.
“Our region has been turned into a game of Monopoly, where some people from out of town have lots of our houses and lots of our people have no home.”
The Greens will announce today, at the Screen Producers Australia Federal Election Forum, a commitment to establish a $1billion Australian Stories Fund and impose local content quotas on the global streaming giants, to help secure the future of the Australian screen industry.
The Australian Stories Fund would invest in the infrastructure, crew training and development needs of our screen industry, ensuring a robust and sustainable local industry able to keep creating high quality Australian content and telling our stories.
Greens Spokesperson for the Arts and Communication, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Australian stories on our screens are essential in shaping national identity and reflecting the diversity of our community.
“We are home to some of the most talented filmmakers in the business, and it is high time they were given the support needed to focus on telling quality Australian stories.
“Hollywood discovered Australia as a premier filmmaking destination during the Covid-19 pandemic. After the bright lights and big names have gone home, we need to sustain our local industry to tell local stories.”
In balance of power in the next parliament, the Greens will also push to legislate local content quotas, in a move to regulate the global streaming giants profiting off Australian audiences.
“The Greens have a long history in fighting for stronger local content quotas on our televisions. Now much of viewing has shifted to streaming, regulation is needed to keep up with the nation’s expectation for local faces on our screens,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stan, Disney+ and now Paramount are growing in popularity and making a mint from Australian audiences. We will introduce new laws to require streaming services to invest 20 per cent of their earnings from Australian subscribers into Australian content creation.
“The Greens plan also ensures a sub-quota of 20 percent of the streaming giants’ local content quota to be made for children. It is so important for children to see themselves and their communities reflected on their screens.
“Investing in the screen industry puts Australian stories front and centre in the national conversation about quality film and television. Decades of local filmmaking shows Australia is an untapped talent in the industry on a global scale.”
Investing in Australian stories and regulating streaming services form part of the Greens’ Creative Australia policy, which can be viewed in full here.
The Morrison Government is providing a further boost for a range of school-based, online and community programmes aiming to reduce the risk of suicide and suicidal behaviours among young people across the country.
The funding forms part of the $114 million National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Programme (NSPLSP) grant opportunity, a key pillar of our Government’s historic National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan first announced in the 2021-22 Budget.
The NSPLSP is supporting key suicide prevention activities across several significant themes, including national leadership, research and training, education and awareness, lived experience in suicide prevention, youth suicide prevention, Indigenous suicide prevention, men’s suicide prevention and veteran’s suicide prevention.
The youth suicide prevention component announced today provides more than $13 million over three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 for key organisations to deliver national services to support the mental health and wellbeing of younger Australians.
Successful organisations include:
ReachOut Australia, which will receive $1.17 million to develop and deliver two evidence-based national digital media campaigns focussed on supporting young people aged 16 to 25. The campaigns will raise awareness of suicide and the help available, and will deliver a suite of digital information, resources, and interactive content;
Orygen, which will receive $1.35 million to extend its #chatsafe program to include updated guidance on safe online communication about suicide and self-harm for young Australians, families, educators, Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and the social media industry;
MacKillop Family Services, which will receive $4.89 million to support young people at risk of suicide by building the capacity of leaders and educators in schools and communities to deliver the Seasons for Growth evidence-based education programs;
Youth Insearch Foundation, which will receive $4.74 million to pilot a youth lived experience workforce program in rural communities; and
Youth Live4Life, which will receive $0.87 million to build on their successful, locally-driven, evidence-based program for improving youth mental health and reducing suicide, and expand it into new rural communities.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the Morrison Government recognised how important it was to give young people extra support at crucial times.
“Every life lost to suicide is a terrible tragedy and has a devastating impact on families, friends and communities,” Minister Hunt said.
“By developing and delivering support that works for young people we can save precious lives and protect our communities from enormous suffering.”
The projects focus on supporting young Australians, as well as those who work with, care for and support them.
Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, David Coleman, said the grants supported existing and successful programs as well as new and innovative approaches.
“The program reflects our multifaceted approach to suicide prevention which aims to ensure that every Australian can be supported in the way that works best for them,” Assistant Minister Coleman said.
“Youth mental health is a key commitment for our Government and we are prioritising mental health education, support and research to protect young Australians and help them reach their full potential.”
Suicide prevention is a key pillar of the Government’s landmark $3 billion National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.
The Plan recognises Australians deserve a system that acts early to help people before mental health conditions and suicidal distress worsen, and that whole-of-government and whole-of-community changes are needed to deliver preventative, compassionate, and effective care.
Since 2012–13, the Coalition Government’s investment through the Health portfolio in mental health and suicide prevention has more than doubled, growing from $3.3 billion to an estimated $6.8 billion in the 2022–23 Budget.
This is in stark contrast to Mr Albanese’s time in Cabinet, where Labor cut funding for mental health.
In the 2011-12 Budget, Labor announced a $580 million cut to Medicare subsidised mental health services, including a reduction in the number of Medicare sessions available under Better Access from 18 to 10 per year and a reduction in Medicare rebate for preparation of mental health treatment plans by GPs.
Anyone experiencing distress can seek immediate advice and support through Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), or the Government’s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health.
If you are concerned about suicide, living with someone who is considering suicide, or bereaved by suicide, the Suicide Call Back Service is available at 1300 659 467 or www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au.
Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Recipients
ReachOut Australia
Develop and deliver two evidence-based national digital media campaigns targeting broad and at-risk youth populations (16–25) across Australia. Each campaign will be supported by a suite of digital assets including social media tiles, videos and a campaign landing page that will host dedicated web-based information, resources, and interactive content.
$1,170,000
Orygen
Extend the #chatsafe program to include: updated guidance on safe online communication about suicide and self-harm, social media campaigns targeting the general youth population, at-risk groups and school-aged young people, web-based resources and social media campaigns for families, educators, Primary Health Networks and the social media industry, webinars, training sessions and Facebook Live event.
$1,350,375
MacKillop Family Services
Support young people at risk of suicide by building the capacity of leadership and staff in Australian schools and communities to deliver the Seasons for Growth evidence-based change, loss and grief education programs.
$4,895,919
Youth Insearch Foundation (Aust) Inc.
Pilot development of a youth Lived Experience Workforce in rural communities to reduce suicide risk in at-risk youth.
$4,742,860
YOUTH LIVE4LIFE LTD
Build on the development of Live4Life, a successful, evidence-based, evaluated community impact model for improving youth mental health and reducing suicide across rural communities called. Expand to more communities and include an evaluation.
Image: Bicycle repairer Nick Grinpukel, Councillor Margaret Wood and City of Newcastle Library Partnerships Facilitator Christina Robberds At Lambton Library