And in Other News…

14 new prosecutors
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is to receive 14 extra lawyers following the release of funding as part of the Mini-Budget.
   Attorney General, John Hatzistergos, said the lawyers would be located in Sydney, Penrith, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Newcastle, Gosford, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo and Lismore.
   The new Executive Director of the ODPP, a position created on the recommendation of the NSW Auditor General, will work towards enabling the ODPP to fund the new positions itself.

Air-Cranes here for summer
Emergency Services Minister, Tony Kelly, has announced that two Erickson Air-Cranes would be based in NSW this bushfire season to provide aerial support.
   NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons welcomed the specialist helicopters, which would work from Bankstown Airport and be available for deployment within the State and across State borders.
   Mr Kelly said the helicopters could hold 9,000 litres of water each, which would help firefighters during the coming season which was expected to see more fire activity than last year.

Treasury’s Pierce moves on
The State’s longest-serving Treasury Secretary, John Pierce has resigned three days after Treasurer Eric Roozendaal handed down the recent mini-Budget.
   Mr Pierce had been in the role for the past 12 years.
   Michael Schur has been appointed to act as Treasury Secretary until a permanent replacement is found.

Part-time firefighters wanted
The NSW Fire Brigade is looking for community-minded people from all walks of life to join it as part-time firefighters.
   The NSWFB said part-time, or retained, firefighters were 'on-call' from home or work rather than being on duty at a station.
   It said retained firefighters played a vital role in regional and rural communities, fighting fires and attending other emergencies, but also ensuring that the local residents had the knowledge they needed to protect themselves against the threat of fire.
   For more information contact www.fire.nsw.gov.au

JecCat has claws clipped
Manly JetCat services have been cancelled from 31 December 2008, as part of the Mini-Budget cost cuts.
   Sydney Ferries said it was now working on timetable changes to meet the needs of its passengers.

Mini-Olympics a ringer
The annual Aunty Jean’s Good Health Team – Koori Mini-Olympics has been held at Shellharbour City Stadium and provided participants with the opportunity to improve their health and well-being.
   South East Sydney Illawarra Aboriginal Health Services developed the first Aunty Jean’s program from an Aboriginal Chronic and Complex Care Pilot to provide exercise, education and support for Aboriginal people with chronic illness such as diabetes, respiratory conditions and heart disease.
   It first ran in 2003 and was named after well respected local elder, Aunty Jean Morris.

Clinic to be thriller
The NSW Film and Television Office’s Regional Filming Fund has provided support for the filming of a new “commercial thriller”, The Clinic.
   The film, written and directed by James Rabbitts and produced by Samuel Pinczewski, is set to begin filming in Deniliquin in regional NSW.
   Chief Executive Officer of the FTO, Tania Chambers, said the film would inject around $100,000 each week into the local economy of Deniliquin.

Performers show off
A group of performers with disabilities is to celebrate International Day for People with a Disability by performing “A Moment to Shine” at Merrylands this week.
   The 15 men and women who make up the group live in large residences operated by the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care and have an intellectual disability.
   DADHC’s Executive Director, Peter Gardiner, said the group had been performing since 2005.
   Other events to celebrate the day would be held by the Parramatta City Council on 2 December and the Blacktown Council on 3 December.

Safety program at parklands
Vehicle and bicycle safety is being targeted within the Centennial Parklands as a part of stage four of its Visitor Safety Program.
   The stage has been focusing on people who failed to comply with stop signs, sped, rode their bike on footpaths or without helmets and cyclists that travelled contra flow to vehicle movement.
   The initiative would involve educating park uses about regulations and a cautioning phase for those who failed to adhere to rules.

More buses to beach
New bus services for the Northern Beaches have been announced by the Minister for Transport, David Campbell.
   Mr Campbell said the upgraded network would be operational from 24 November and the changes followed extensive community consultation.
   He said changes included better links to the major centre at Macquarie Park, strengthening the Warringah Mall to Chatswood bus corridor, and the extension of Sydney Buses Route E83 providing four AM and four PM peak hour express services to the CBD via Pittwater Road, among others.
   More information could be found at www.sydneybuses.info or by calling 131 500.

Eye project looking good
With the help of the Government and philanthropic supporters, the University of New South Wales has joined an Australian consortium to develop the world's most advanced bionic eye.
   The consortium, Bionic Vision Australia, has been set up to develop technology to improve the lives of people suffering severe vision loss.
   Bionic Vision Australia hope to have an advanced prototype of a bionic eye ready to implant in 2009, with a functional bionic eye ready by 2012.

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