Liberal candidate for Maroubra Bill Burst has welcomed the announcement that a re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will invest $10 million over four years to boost safety and security for faith communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Burst said the funding would be put to good use for various faith communities who make a valuable contribution to the Maroubra area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is a long history of many faith communities making valuable and significant contributions to the Maroubra area,\u201d Mr Burst said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis investment in community safety will be put to good use to boost security and support religious institutions. We have a thriving community in Maroubra and cultural diversity is a big part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through a $10 million grants program, faith organisations will be supported to strengthen safety and security at religious institutions where there is a demonstrated risk, including places of worship, schools, community centres, and buildings with religious symbols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premier Dominic Perrottet said everyone across NSW should be able to follow and practice their faith freely and without fear or concern for their safety and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo matter where you\u2019re from, what language you speak, or the faith you follow, everyone deserves tolerance and respect in our state,\u201d Mr Perrottet said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis commitment will build on this principle to protect communities, increase tolerance and ultimately help people feel safer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The $10 million program will provide capital and operational funding for a range of safety measures to strengthen preparedness and response to safety risks, including security and detection software and systems, communal security services, lighting, fencing, CCTV, training staff, and well-being programs for community members. Importantly, support for guards and management of security at high-risk venues or particularly at-risk sites will also be eligible for funding, as assessed by NSW Police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said this investment will empower faith groups and organisations to do what they need in order to keep their communities safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have worked incredibly hard over the years to foster a multicultural and multi-faith society built on mutual respect, understanding and harmony. This investment forms part of our vision to ensure that continues,\u201d Mr Coure said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Welcoming the announcement, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Darren Bark said anti-Semitic incidents are at their highest levels NSW has ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn attack on one faith is an attack on us all, and this much-needed funding will go a long way to keeping all communities in NSW safe from harm,\u201d Mr Bark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHate leads to violence, and today\u2019s announcement ensures faith communities are equipped to deter violent attacks, and assists authorities with the prosecution of the offenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We thank the NSW Government and the members of the Religious Communities Advisory Council, who have made this a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australian National Imams Council President Sheikh Shadi Alsuleiman also welcomed the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIslamophobia and other faith-based hate is on the rise, and all of our institutions need ongoing support in order to be protected,\u201d Mr Alsuleiman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSafety and security was identified as a priority when the Council was formed, and with increasing threats to our communities from right-wing extremists. We are very grateful to the NSW Government for this important funding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This commitment complements a range of measures implemented by the NSW Liberals and Nationals to improve community safety and social cohesion, including prohibiting the public display of Nazi symbols and creating a new offence of publicly threatening or inciting violence against people on several grounds, including race and religious affiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NSW Government consulted with the new Religious Communities Advisory Council on safety and security during its inaugural meeting on Monday, 23 January 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Liberal candidate for Maroubra Bill Burst has welcomed the announcement that a re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will invest $10 million over four years to boost safety and security for faith communities. Mr Burst said the funding would be put to good use for various faith communities who make a valuable contribution to the … Continue reading “Greater security for faith communities in Maroubra”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20378"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20379,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20378\/revisions\/20379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}