SearchArchives for November 2008
26 November, 2008DPC scouting for girls’ guides
The Department of Premier and Cabinet has launched a new e-mentoring program for women in an effort to attract, develop and retain skilled female employees in the NSW Public Service as a way of meeting current and emerging service delivery needs.The Department said the program represented a new approach to mentoring and had been designed for women building careers in rural and regional areas (grades 1-8), in senior positions (grade 12 and over) and in non-traditional roles.
It has invited all Public Servants to nominate as mentors and to share their experience through the new program.
“Mentors gain as much from the program as the mentees,” the Department said.
“Men and women working in any area in the NSW public sector are invited to nominate to be mentors to share their experience through this new program.”
It said the program would be delivered to up to 15 women in each of the target groups who:
- held a substantive position in one of the program’s target groups;
- would commit to the six month program;
- were motivated to develop capabilities in communication, building strategic partnerships, taking ownership and technology to develop their career in the NSW public sector; and
- had demonstrated a capacity and desire to progress in their chosen profession in the NSW public sector.
It said the program would be delivered primarily through telephone, email and on-line learning and development activities.
DPC said the program comprised of an initial half-day workshop to be held in three locations and 12 modules to be delivered electronically each fortnight throughout the program.
The modules would cover mentoring skills, techniques and associated activities.
More information, including application forms, are available at www.dpc.nsw.gov.au
26 November, 2008
Feds in hard drive for computer sales
The Federal Government has invited local Councils to reduce the costs of their Information and Communications Technology equipment and services by taking part in the Commonwealth’s whole-of-Government procurement arrangements.Federal Minister for Finance, Lindsay Tanner said the Government’s ‘holistic’ approach, had already been partially adopted by some NSW Government Agencies and took full advantage of the public sector’s buying power.
Speaking at a meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government, Mr Tanner said he expected significant advantages would flow to Councils who accepted the invitation.
“There is no barrier in principle to Councils in a sense piggy-backing on our collective buying power and our ability to drive a good deal,” Mr Tanner said.
ICT Industry Publisher, Intermedium said this was not a new position as Government Agencies have been able to buy off whole-of-Government contracts in place in other jurisdictions for some time.
It said NSW schools and not-for-profit organisations, amongst others, bought from a wide range of Period Contracts (also known as Standing Offer Arrangements).
Intermedium said that by registering with State Contracts Control Board (SCCB), a large number of Government and non-Government organisations, both within NSW and outside, could purchase from the contracts, including:
- Government trading authorities
- Public sector agencies of the Commonwealth or any other State or Territory Agencies
- Local Government bodies
- Schools, colleges and universities – public or private
- Hospitals – public or private
- Other approved users such as community-based non-profit organisations or charities.
Intermedium said Agencies would rather the supplier offered a 3% discount rather than pay the levy to Commerce, while for suppliers, the levy eroded margins in an already competitively priced market.
Mr Tanner said in some cases, Councils would want to buy locally or the potential savings were not justified in resorting to a national scheme, and he conceded there was still much thought to be put into how the plan would work.
26 November, 2008
WA gropes at savings by cutting back PS
The Western Australian Treasurer has set up a committee to slow the growth of the State’s Public Service which he said was increasing by 5,000 new Public Servants a year.Treasurer, Troy Buswell, said the new Economic Audit Committee had been established to identify ways to cut recurrent expenditure in the PS.
He would not say if it was a ‘razor gang’ or not.
“We can't continue to employ 20 full-time equivalent staff every working day,” Mr Buswell said.
He would not confirm whether Public Servants would face job losses or if Agencies would be closed, but said he would wait until the Committee released their report in March next year before commenting.
“For too long now the Public Sector of WA has effectively been gathering moss,” he said.
“It's time to take a serious look at how public services are delivered in WA.”
Mr Buswell said the committee would help conduct a four-month review of finances and the processes of Government.
“It's important we act now so we don't find our State in three or four years time in the situation that States like New South Wales are in today,” he said.
“It's about doing the responsible thing, no matter how hard, and taking the steps necessary to keep our heads above water in difficult times ahead.”
Mr Buswell said initial State Government cuts of 3 per cent across the Public Service were “belt-tightening”.
“There will need to be subsequent rounds of belt-tightening to help Western Australia deal with the financial issues which currently confront the State,” he said.
Opposition leader, Eric Ripper, said Mr Buswell had inherited one of the “strongest set of finances that any incoming Government had inherited in the past”, and needed to do his job to ensure money was spent wisely.
26 November, 2008
Compo kicks bucket for death benefit
Legislation to increase the death benefits in workers compensation, including a 23 per cent increase in lump sum payments and broadening the circumstances where a lump sum payment was available, is to go ahead despite the economic crisis.Premier, Nathan Rees gave the undertaking, saying he was committed to increased workers’ compensation death benefits regardless of the tough times.
“We will introduce legislation in the Parliament… to ensure that the families of people who die as a result of a workplace injury or illness are provided with greater certainty and financial security,” Mr Rees said.
“The reforms will also be extended to cover non dependent relatives, such as widows who may be earning an income, and parents.”
Mr Rees said the increase in death benefits was about providing financial certainty for grieving families.
“I know that nothing we do can ever bring back a loved one but at least we can get on with the job of delivering greater financial certainty for these families,” he said.
“They are practical reforms which will give families one less thing to worry about.”
Mr Rees said in 2006/2007 NSW experienced a six per cent decline in employment fatalities over the previous year.
He said there had also been a 14 per cent decline in employment fatalities involving workers under the age of 25.
“NSW remains on track to meet the national target of a 20 per cent reduction in work-related fatalities by 2012,” he said.
“Whilst fatality rates are declining, it is cold comfort for the families who have lost loved ones as a result of their employment.”
Mr Rees said the benefit reform package would apply to workers who died as a result of their employment on or after 24 October 2007 and would include:
- An increase in the lump sum payment by about 23% to $425,000
- Broader circumstances in which the lump sum death benefit was available by making it payable to the worker’s estate;
- Weekly payments for dependent children of deceased workers not to be reduced on the grounds of their having been only partially financially dependent.
“It is also a key motivator behind our efforts to improve the State’s occupational health and safety performance,” Mr Rees said.
“Recent uncertainty in international financial markets has had a negative impact on the Workers Compensation Scheme, however thanks to responsible financial management, reforms to death benefits remain fiscally responsible and sustainable,” he said.
26 November, 2008
Ombudsman’s Taser report a knock-out
The NSW Ombudsman has called for a two-year moratorium on the roll-out of Taser stun-guns to Police and for the introduction of better safeguards against their misuse.The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour released a report which analysed the use of Tasers by specialist Police units between 2002 and 2007 during which there had been 48 uses.
He outlined some of the risks posed by the recent roll-out of Tasers to senior Officers in 80 commands across the State and called on police to update their standard operating procedures.
“Police need to be extremely careful using Tasers” Mr Barbour said.
“They are not a non-lethal weapon – they are just a less-lethal weapon.”
He said Tasers should only be used to deal with extreme situations and the real danger was that they would be used in more commonplace situations to deal with minor acts of non-compliance.
He said his investigation found that Tasers helped resolve a number of dangerous and high risk situations when used by highly trained officers in specialist units.
“But even those officers did not rate as effective over 25% of firings,” he said.
“Tasers are not infallible and with their use come significant safety risks.”
Mr Barbour said the two year moratorium on the roll-out should be put in place pending a further independent review.
He said this would allow for a proper evaluation of their use by General Duties Officers, as well as safety considerations for Police and the public, and it would allow Police time to upgrade their training, relevant policies and accountability measures.
“Current Police standard operating procedures relating to Taser use are inadequate,” Mr Barbour said.
“There are known risks with using Tasers, and Police must receive clear, comprehensive and consistent guidance to ensure safe and effective use of this weapon.”
He said that since the recent roll out, four of the first five uses were in stun mode, where the Taser was driven into the person’s body to inflict pain, but stun mode had rarely been used in the five years before.
“This rings alarm bells for me, as we are already seeing a completely different type of use by General Duties Officers” he said.
In his report, Mr Barbour noted the conflicting medical and scientific opinions around whether Tasers could cause irregular heart rhythms including the life-threatening ventricular fibrillation.
“While it may be relatively safe to use a Taser on a healthy adult, the jury is still out on their use on a range of other people who police typically encounter in serious situations,” he said.
The Ombudsman made 29 recommendations to improve the safety, effectiveness and accountability of Taser use, which included greater guidance for Officers on the risks Tasers posed, medical assessments for anyone stunned with a Taser, and audio-visual recording devices to improve accountability.
26 November, 2008
School software making it hard
The Public Service Association of NSW has reported that cost cutting in the State’s public schools has created a crisis in student enrolments due to a lack of proper training for office staff.The union said that software supplied to schools to manage student enrolments was delivered without any training for staff and that bans had been placed on processing enrolments and transfers until the Department delivered adequate training to all school administration staff.
According to the President of the PSA, Sue Walsh, the Department of Education and Training had told the union it had forgotten to factor staff training into the budget.
"Administration staff in schools have been thrown in the deep end with this new software, given no ongoing training and virtually no support when they need it,” Ms Walsh said.
"The Department has made this dodgy software on the cheap and distributed it to schools without any thought to the training and support that staff require.”
She said school enrolments had been made more difficult due to the new software, which the Department was constantly changing and attempting to upgrade.
"Without face to face training for all staff delivered by professional trainers, and improved response to help-desk requests, staff will continue to impose the bans,” Ms Walsh said.
"Student enrolments and annual reports will not be processed until the Department delivers effective training and troubleshooting assistance.”
The PSA said the bans would affect new student enrolments and the implementation of other administrative processes.
The Daily Telegraph reported that school office managers and staff have struggled with the new software rollout to schools and TAFE colleges for the past three months.
The newspaper said office staff also claimed the software ERN (Enrolments Registration Number) was faulty and there were over 3,000 complaints sent in to DET from office staff since its instigation.
26 November, 2008
Water market plan to make big splash
CSIRO economists have called on people from Sydney and southern NSW to join the Australian Knowledge Exchange (AKX) – an online water prediction market that aims to forecast water availability.Modelled on the futures markets for commodities like oil, the AKX has been set up by CSIRO to test whether trading knowledge online could work for natural resource management.
CSIRO economist, Dr Stuart Whitten encouraged water managers, farmers, people with rain gauges or anyone with a passing interest in the weather to join the trial.
“The AKX works like a futures market,” Dr Whitten said.
“This study has been set up to find out whether traders can combine their knowledge to predict dam levels in the region, in much the same way as stock market traders predict future prices of commodities like oil.”
He said interested people could register online, get A$100,000 play money and start trading predictions.
Dr Whitten said the trader who predicted the dam levels most closely for each month during the three months would win a small cash prize.
“We want all sorts of participants to take part in this trial,” he said.
“The results will be used to test the effectiveness of knowledge markets as predictive tools for natural resource management.”
Dr Whitten said knowledge markets worked by providing incentives for people to disclose information essential to the market.
He said they had great potential in natural resource management, where information was widely dispersed and held by many different people with competing needs.
“In the case of natural resource management, knowledge markets could be used for things like accurate forecasting of crop production, water availability or pest pressure,” he said.
“As well as enabling better management of our environment, such markets would provide a hedging tool for businesses exposed to risks like water availability, allowing them to share and profit from information as well as offset risks.”
The call for volunteers was limited to people in the Sydney, Canberra and Southern NSW areas and more information could be found online at akx.csiro.au
26 November, 2008
Tourism awards just the ticket
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has won three awards and a commendation at the NSW Tourism Awards.Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Carmel Tebbutt, congratulated Montague Island Conservation Tours, the Lane Cove River Tourist Park and the NPWS Blue Mountains Region who all won awards for their services .
Ms Tebbutt said the success was a spectacular achievement for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
“Our national parks are a wonderful natural resource that offer a great range of recreational opportunities. These three award winners are just one example of the best practice tourism programs offered by the NPWS,” Ms Tebbutt said.
She said the Montague Island Conservation Tours would enter the ‘Hall of Fame’ after its third successive win in the eco-tourism category, with its program partner Conservation Volunteers Australia.
“This is a fabulous achievement that acknowledges a very successful joint program with Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA),” she said.
“The tours are a sensibly managed tourism experience which benefits the island, not only through the contribution people make by undertaking active conservation initiatives, but the money they pay for staying overnight helps to fund additional conservation initiatives.”
Ms Tebbutt said the Lane Cove River Tourist Park won two awards: the inaugural Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism, and Best Tourist Park.
“This is the second win for the carbon neutral Lane Cove River Tourist Park which offers a unique and low-cost eco-tourism experience only 10kms from the Sydney CBD in the Lane Cove River National Park,” she said.
“More than 10 hectares in size it is a popular tourist destination for both Sydneysiders and visitors attracting over 120,000 visitors each year.”
The NPWS Blue Mountains Region was commended as a project partner to Blue Mountains Tourism Ltd who won for the Greater Blue Mountains Drive in the New Tourism Development category.
Ms Tebbutt said the Greater Blue Mountains Drive offered tourists a unique experience with a breathtaking touring route through the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
26 November, 2008
NPWS hatches plan for bird volunteers
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is urgently seeking volunteers to help in the protection of shorebird species which are starting to nest on the Far South Coast.NPWS Shorebird Recovery coordinator for the Coast, Amy Harris said volunteers were needed during the nesting season to set up fenced off areas, post signs and watch over nesting groups of birds to ensure their survival.
Ms Harris said volunteers had been the backbone of the Shorebird Recovery effort for the past decade and had made a huge impact in helping to stall the decline of species such as the threatened Little Tern.
"The nesting season is well and truly underway in this part of the world with Pied Oystercatchers and Hooded Plovers already breeding along many beaches and within a number of key estuaries," Ms Harris said.
"Some already have hatchlings though many eggs are yet to hatch."
She said the shorebirds breed in the same space that people like to play and at around the same time of the year - on beaches and sand spits.
Ms Harris said they lay eggs which are speckled and really well camouflaged to blend in with the shell grit, seaweed and debris that washes up on the shoreline, and often people and their pets can interrupt nesting on a beach or sand spit without really knowing.
"With people, dogs, foxes, crows, gulls, storms and big tides the challenges for shorebirds are significant," she said.
"The beaches are just going to get busier in the weeks ahead so volunteers play a critical role in helping shorebirds have a successful breeding season."
Ms Harris said Little Terns were just starting to arrive from South East Asia and northern Australia to start breeding, with sightings already occurring at numerous sites along the South Coast including Congo Creek, Tuross Lake, Mogareeka and Wallagoot Lake with nesting likely to occur at these sites within the near future.
She said the NPWS was looking for as many people as possible because the shorebirds needed all the help they could get.
More information about the threatened shorebirds and volunteering could be obtained by contacting Amy Harris on 4476 0834 or Jodie Dunn on 4454 9516.
26 November, 2008
Sydney Water laps up diversity awards
Sydney Water has won Awards for its ‘Work/Life Balance’ and the ‘Employment and Inclusion of Women in Leadership.’The awards were presented by consulting company Diversity@Work.
Managing Director of Sydney Water, Kerry Schott said the awards acknowledged individuals and organisations that encouraged diversity and inclusion in their workplace.
Dr Schott said for Sydney Water to win a Women Leaderships award, in an industry that was male dominated, was exceptional.
She said Sydney Water’s Women@Work Program recognised the importance of matters that affected women, ensured employment equity and provided information and development opportunities for women.
“The program has been run for two years and it is very popular amongst the female staff.,” Dr Schott said.
“Most events also attract male staff members, which is a good example of the supportive environment that is provided at Sydney Water,” Dr Schott said.
Dr Schott said 26 six per cent of staff at Sydney Water were female, while 30 per cent of General Managers, 20 per cent of level three managers and 27 per cent of level four managers were women.
She said acceptance of the program and opportunities for women in the workplace was strong at Sydney Water.
Dr Schott said the ‘Work/Life Balance’ Award recognised the range of benefits and conditions that allowed staff to balance the demands of work and personal life.
“By providing these benefits, we are able to attract and keep good staff, which is extremely important with the skills shortage facing the water industry in coming years,” she said.
“But most importantly, the benefits provide staff, especially those with young families or with other parenting responsibilities, with opportunities to continue to develop their careers.”
Sydney Water was among 110 nominees for the awards which were judged by some of Australia's leading diversity and corporate experts.
26 November, 2008
Recyclers plug in to computer waste
A waste recycling plant capable of processing electronic waste such as computers and televisions has been opened in Villawood by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett.Mr Garratt said the new e-waste recycling facility would divert as much as 20,000 tonnes of electronic waste from landfills when it operated at full capacity, which meant it was a great start to boosting Australia’s ability to effectively manage e-waste.
“The Government welcomes the development of recycling plants capable of processing electronic waste such as computers and televisions, which have been recognised as a priority waste by all levels of Government in Australia,” Mr Garrett said.
“Recycling delivers important environmental benefits, including energy and water savings, and a reduced demand for landfill space.”
Mr Garrett said the plant would be operated by Sims Recycling Solutions, the largest electronics recycler in the world.
He said Sims expected the plant would divert up to 20,000 tonnes of material from landfill per year and recycle up to 98 per cent of the material that passed through its front gate.
“We know that e-waste is a growing problem as Australians embrace newer technologies across a range of electrical and computing goods, and it is an issue that I am closely examining with my State and Territory colleagues through the Environment Protection and Heritage Council,” he said.
“A recent snapshot of waste and recycling trends in Australia showed the amount of waste Australia generates has increased by 28 per cent between 2003 and 2007.”
Mr Garrett said a national waste policy would provide much-needed clarity on what is appropriately dealt with at each level of Government, and would improve economic efficiencies by better harmonising waste policies between jurisdictions.
He said the policy would also afford a timely opportunity to revisit waste policy in the context of broader Government policies on climate change and sustainability.
“The development of the policy will be informed by a comprehensive report on waste, ensuring that policy development is informed by a detailed analysis of action currently being undertaken and emerging issues, including e-waste,” he said.
Federal MP for Blaxland, Jason Clare, said the opening of the plant was a positive and practical step to find lasting and effective solutions for waste problems, and it demonstrated the economic opportunities available in the area.
26 November, 2008
Drinks all round for drought workers
A team of drought support workers from the Department of Primary Industries have won top honours at the recent Premier’s Awards for their Farm Family Gathering initiative which has helped drought affected communities since 2002.The team took out the major award, the State Plan Award, for its Drought Related Workshop program and also won a gold award in the category of Delivering Locally.
Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald congratulated the team for their efforts, which included running more than 2,290 gatherings and workshop events since the current drought began in 2002.
"This team of dedicated men and women have spent hours travelling to some of the hardest hit drought communities in NSW to run these farm family gathering events which have provided important relief from the stress and heartache of drought," Mr Macdonald said.
"Through their networks, they have also ensured a range of other Agencies are on hand at these events to offer farming families a range of information to help them access assistance and other support measures.”
He said the State Plan Award was a worthy recognition for a team of staff who had worked tirelessly to coordinate the Farm Family Gathering events in the communities that needed them most.
Mr Macdonald said DPI staff also took out prizes in three other categories, with recognition going to the equine influenza response team, Forests NSW and an aquatic habitat rehabilitation team.
Director-General of DPI, Dr Richard Sheldrake said the Department’s Equine Influenza Eradication Campaign won a gold award in the category of Growing Prosperity Across NSW for successfully eradicating EI from NSW.
“This award recognised the whole-of-Government response which was coordinated by DPI,” Dr Sheldrake said.
“The speed and effectiveness of the NSW eradication campaign has been credited with reducing this pain - by up to $590 million."
He said the Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation Program won a gold award in the category Environment for Living, which recognised their achievement of on-ground improvements in native vegetation and biodiversity associated with rivers and coastal waterways throughout the state.
Dr Sheldrake said the Tumut Containerised Seedling Nursery Facility won a silver award in the category of Growing Prosperity across NSW, for planning, designing and constructing the first stage of the new nursery.
26 November, 2008
New lines of control for Wires Down Plan
A new emergency response plan, designed to improve the safety of personnel responding to fallen power lines, has been released by the Minister for Energy, Ian Macdonald.Mr Macdonald said the Wires Down Plan, developed by the Department of Water and Energy in accordance with the NSW State Disaster Plan arrangements, had the support of all emergency services organisations and electricity network businesses.
He said it would improve coordination and communication between all organisations involved in responding to fallen power lines, particularly during large storm events.
“If Fire Brigades or Police officers are safeguarding fallen power lines, they generally wait until power workers arrive to ensure the area remains safe for the public, which is not the most effective use of our emergency services personnel,” Mr Macdonald said.
“Through the Wires Down Plan, our emergency services and electricity retailers will agree on a better way to manage fallen power line incidents to ensure a faster, more efficient response.”
He said in the case of a wind storm, instead of a Fire Brigade officer standing guard until the line was repaired, the local electricity network operator could do this, and allow the Officer to get back to rescue work.
Mr Macdonald said it was a commonsense approach to making better use of Government resources and he congratulated the NSW State Emergency Management Committee on proposing the changes.
“The severe storms in June 2007 resulted in a significant number of downed power lines across densely populated areas and really brought home the need to improve communication and response protocols,” he said.
Acting NSW Fire Brigades Commissioner, John Benson, said the agreed framework for the reduction in time spent at wires down situations would be of great benefit to the community of NSW.
26 November, 2008
Vegetation program grows on trees
A new supercomputer system that uses satellites to monitor changes in native vegetation was expected to revolutionise natural resource management across NSW according to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Carmel Tebbutt.Ms Tebbutt said the Spatial Monitoring and Analysis Computer (SMAC) was able to store and analyse high resolution satellite images and was so powerful that individual trees could be identified and monitored.
“NSW has used satellites for several years to monitor change in the extent of woody vegetation and to detect illegal clearing,” Ms Tebbutt said, “and now we have invested $24 million over four years to upgrade to high-resolution imaging, such as Spot 5, across all of NSW.”
She said SMAC would be the powerhouse of the satellite monitoring and reporting program and NSW was the first place in the world where high resolution imagery would be used for monitoring vegetation over such a large area.
She said SMAC had enough electronic storage to house more than 50 years worth of continuous DVD movies, and would allow the DECC to interpret the images and prepare reports on vegetation change.
Ms Tebbutt said the new system would be used in collaboration with other Agencies to develop bushfire management programs, protect threatened species, better plan urban developments and assist in water compliance programs.
She said the software was also expected to help the Department of Environment and Climate Change model for climate change.
“From the end of next year we hope to be able to produce scientifically validated reports of what’s happening to the native vegetation of NSW based in the high resolution imagery,” Ms Tebbutt said.
“We are now adding to our knowledge base with the recent completion of the 2007/08 image capture of NSW which will be repeated annually for the next three years. With the help of SMAC, we’ll then compare and identify any changes to the vegetation extent.”
She said satellite imagery and aerial photography had already been used as evidence in several prosecutions for illegal land clearing.
“The vast majority of landholders are responsibly managing their vegetation on their properties and they have nothing to fear,” Ms Tebbutt said.
“However, we won’t tolerate illegal land clearing and the Department of Environment and Climate Change will continue to investigate allegations of illegal activities.”
26 November, 2008
Study finds drink drivers falling off
A new study by the Judicial Commission of NSW has revealed a fall in the number of offenders sentenced before the Local Court for high and mid-range drink driving.But it also revealed they were receiving harsher penalties.
The Commission’s study examined sentencing patterns for the 20 most common proven offences decided by the Local Court in 2007 and how they differed from previous studies in 2002 and 1992.
The study found that since 2002, the proportion of drivers sentenced for high-range PCA (prescribed concentration of alcohol) had fallen by 20 per cent and mid-range PCA also fell by 7 per cent.
It found the severity of penalties handed out to drink drivers had increased with more offenders disqualified from holding a licence and for longer periods than in previous studies.
Chief Executive of the Judicial Commission, Ernie Schmatt said the study provided a good insight into contemporary sentencing practice in the Local Courts.
"The findings confirm the results of a 2005 Judicial Commission study which found that there has been a decline in the use of non conviction orders for high-range PCA offences and a general increase in the severity of penalties," Mr Schmatt said.
The study found that low range PCA had increased and drink driving in general remained the most common offence on the 20 most common proven offences list.
It found motor vehicle offences continued to dominate Local Courts, with half the offences on the list of 20 related to driving, licensing, vehicle registration and prescribed PCA offences.
It found the 20 most common offences remained fairly stable over the last five years, with 18 offences appearing in the 2007 list also on the 2002 list.
26 November, 2008
PSM Nominations open
Nominations for the Public Service Medal are being accepted by the NSW Public Service Medal Committee which is administered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Nominations can only be made by Chief Executive Officers, and the award was designed to recognise Public Sector Officers who had made a contribution to the community through the outstanding performance of their duties.
Nominations close on Friday 30 January 2009 and more information could be found at www.itsanhonour.gov.au
PS Corruption Conference on
The 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference (APSAC) is to be held in Brisbane between 28 and 31 July 2009.
The conference, jointly hosted by the anti corruption agencies of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, aims to enhance the knowledge and understanding of corruption risks by Public Officials and other external stakeholders.
More information could be found at www.apscc.com.au
Car rego split to help families
NSW motorists can now split their annual car registration and CTP insurance costs over two payments.
Minister for Roads, Michael Daley said the new short term option could help families on a tight budget and would take the pressure off people who couldn’t afford a whole year’s registration in one go.
He said the six-month option would only be available online at myRTA.com or by calling
1300 360 782.
Hospitals catching up
The quarterly performance report on the State’s public hospitals has shown that waiting times for elective surgery have fallen.
According to the Minister for Health, John Della Bosca NSW public hospitals now lead the nation in both emergency department performance and elective surgery.
He said in the three months to September, 91 per cent of elective surgery patients were treated within the recommended timeframes – a four per cent improvement over the same period last year.
FTO hosts screen pros
Screen professionals from Australia and South-East Asia have travelled to Sydney to take part in the innovative Asia-Australia Media Executive Leadership Program, hosted by the NSW Film and Television Office.
The five day course was designed to develop entrepreneurial, strategic leadership and management skills to enable participants to strengthen their companies and to better meet the challenges of the evolving global marketplace.
Stolen Generation on film
A photographic exhibition dedicated to the memory of the Stolen Generations has been opened in Armidale.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Paul Lynch said the In Living Memory exhibition would be on display at the Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place until 30 January 2009.
He said the exhibition featured black and white photographs from the former Aboriginal Welfare Board, taken over about 47 years.
"These photographs show the poverty and hardship of children's homes and the hard labour of boys and men working on the land," Mr Lynch said.
"It also shows children from the bush visiting Sydney for annual summer camps, wedding photographs of couples on reserves and stations and studio portraits of young Aboriginal women.”
Bus planning proceeds
The Ministry of Transport has applied for development approval from the City of Sydney to construct a multi-million dollar bus layover at the Domain Car Park forecourt.
If approved, the Ministry hoped the new infrastructure would help improve bus reliability in the CBD, with benefits for routes running into Sydney's suburbs from the city as well.
Happy Feet 2 sold on Sydney
The film Happy Feet 2 is to be made in Sydney and the local film industry has received a major boost with the establishment of a world class digital movie production facility.
According to the Minister for State Development, Ian Macdonald it was expected the digital production facility would bring 400 jobs to Sydney as work on Happy Feet 2 got underway in the next three years.
Carer’s research to find needs
A three-year research project has been launched to identify the needs of young carers .
Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, Paul Lynch said Professor Bettina Cass from the University of New South Wales’ Social Policy Research Centre would lead the research effort and the findings would assist the Government understand better how to support young carers as they sought to combine caring with school, further education or employment.
Community Centre opened
The new Hunter Community Services Centre has been officially opened by the Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney, and the MP for Charlestown, Matthew Morris.
The new Centre would bring community services teams under the one roof after they had been scattered across different locations for many years.
Ms Burney said the Centre featured enhanced facilities such as increased security and improved meeting rooms for families, as well as a space for an additional 16 case workers.
New engine for firefighters
NSW Fire Brigades Acting Chief Superintendent David Felton has met with Bathurst firefighters to officially handover their new $500,000 fire engine.
Acting Chief Superintendent Felton said the new fire engine was a boost for firefighters and the community alike.
"This fire engine has been specifically designed for firefighting in built-up areas and will ensure that firefighters can continue to provide an outstanding service to the Bathurst and surrounding communities,” Acting Chief Superintendent Felton said.
19 November, 2008
Ice cold reception to PS staff freeze
The Public Service Association of NSW has slammed the Government’s Mini-Budget, saying it will have a devastating effect on the Public Service workforce with 2,000 jobs expected to vanish immediately.
In his reply to the Mini-Budget, General Secretary of the PSA NSW, John Cahill labeled it a “complete disaster” and said the four privatisation areas – Pillar Administration which looked after PS superannuation, State Lotteries, Waste Services and Parklea and Cessnock jails – would drive the job cuts.
“It [the Mini-Budget] uses weasel words like ‘We will make Government Departments and Authorities more efficient’,” Mr Cahill said.
“What that really means is that there will be job cuts across the board, across the Public Sector.”
Mr Cahill said the freeze on recruitment of new staff meant another 2,000 staff would exit the Public Sector, meaning there would be less support for the Government’s frontline workers.
He said the Public Sector could not sustain the job cuts.
“The Government expects those workers remaining in the Public Sector to get by and to do the work and provide the services they currently do,” he said.
“We don't believe the Public Sector can sustain job cuts of this magnitude and we are going to do something about it.”
Mr Cahill said the PSA would re-launch its ‘Job Cuts = Service Cuts’ campaign that was used last year, which reinforced that every job that is cut out of the Public Sector meant a cut in services to the public.
He has urged all Public Servants to get in touch with their Local Member of Parliament.
“We will continue that campaign for as long as it takes to hold this Government accountable and to have those jobs restored,” he said.
“I urge you all to get in touch with your Local Member, let them know just how hard you work and just how valuable your job is.”
“The only thing that politicians understand is political pressure so the more pressure we can put on politicians, the better it is,” he said.
19 November, 2008
Premier chills out on staff freeze rules
More information about the Government’s “staff freeze” have emerged with Premier Nathan Rees issuing a Memorandum to all Agencies calling for restraint in the advertising and filling of vacancies.
The staff freeze was imposed in the recent mini-Budget and will be in place until June next year.
In his Memorandum, Mr Rees said the Government’s current budget position meant that Agencies needed to find a balance between ensuring that savings measures were identified but without impacting on the delivery of front line services.
He said only “critical positions” should be filled.
“Public sector agencies must exercise restraint in the advertising and filling of vacancies to ensure that we can deliver the required budget savings,” Mr Rees said.
“Agencies should be reviewing all vacancies as they arise to identify and fill only critical positions.”
In the Memorandum Mr Rees said:
- External recruitment to all positions, other than front line service delivery positions, apprenticeships, traineeships and graduate positions was to be suspended.
- Agency CEOs should approve recruitment to all positions (including front line positions) at or above $95,000 (Clerk Grade 11 or equivalent).
- Contractors and temporary employees (direct employment through s27 of the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 2002) were not to be used as a substitute for recruitment action.
- All agencies were encouraged to use excess staff to fill short term vacancies.
“I have asked the Public Sector Workforce Office to monitor the advertising of all positions submitted to jobs.nsw,” he said.
“I would generally expect to see a 20% reduction in advertising expenditure by the end of the first quarter of 2009.”
Mr Rees said the provisions would be reviewed in early 2009 in the lead up to the 2009/10 Budget.
19 November, 2008
Packaged advice on excess staff
Premier Nathan Rees has released a policy on how Government Agencies should manage excess employees, just days after the Mini-Budget was delivered.
In the policy Managing Excess Employees in the NSW Public Sector, Mr Rees said he was committed to the fair and transparent management of employees who become excess as a result of organisational change.
Mr Rees said organisational changes would result in some Public Sector employees becoming excess, and the Government was conscious of its responsibilities as a major employer of the community.
“The NSW Government values the skills and experience of excess employees by giving them access to appropriate sector-wide redeployment opportunities,” Mr Rees said.
“Excess employees should also be supported with retraining opportunities, counselling, career transition services and, where appropriate, offers of voluntary redundancy.”
He said as a last and unavoidable resort, an Agency may make an excess employee redundant where an alternative position could not be found within 12 months.
He said the Public Sector Workforce Office was committed to the effective implementation of this policy and would monitor arrangements to ensure they were applied fairly.
“This policy brings together the Government’s current policy on managing excess employees into a single up-to-date and user friendly document,” Mr Rees said.
He said further consultation was taking place with Unions NSW and the Public Service Association to resolve two outstanding issues in relation to a revised voluntary redundancy scheme and “meaningful work” as it related to the retention period.
“If the matters are unable to be resolved by negotiation, they will be referred back to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission for resolution,” Mr Rees said.
“The Public Sector Workforce Office will shortly be contacting Agencies to attend a briefing session.”
He said issues concerning the implications of redundancy payments on superannuation were still being resolved and supplementary advice would be provided on the issue.
Mr Rees said the policy applied to all Public Sector Agencies and employees in the Government Service such as Public Service Departments, Non-Public Service Divisions and Special Employment Divisions but did not apply to State Owned Corporations, the Teaching Service, the NSW Police Force (i.e. police officers), Railcorp, the Rail Infrastructure Corporation and Health Services.
19 November, 2008
Funds and games in union election
Charges that the Public Service Association has improperly supported political candidates with financial donations have been raised as the union heads towards its 2008 internal elections.
PSA Vice-president and member of the Progressive PSA Reform Team, Paul Petersen, has laid the charges saying contributions made to prominent Labor candidates for State Government elections dating back to 2003 were made at a time when PSA rules did not allow them.
Mr Petersen, a candidate for Assistant General Secretary in the coming union election, accused the current management group of breaching the union rules.
His claims were dismissed by the General Secretary of the PSA, John Cahill who said the payments were simply expenses run up as part of the union’s normal course of business.
Mr Petersen said it was good policy of the union to refrain from supporting political parties.
“While there’s nothing unusual about unions making donations to the Labor Party,” Mr Petersen said, “the PSA has had a long standing ban on donations and endorsements because those parties have the potential to become our employer.”
He said the Progressives believed some PSA senior officials were close to the current Government which could threaten their effectiveness when defending NSW PS jobs.
He said the union office had already come under fire for failing to put up a fight over 5,000 PS jobs lost in the past year.
“We’ve now discovered that they have been making secret donations for several years in contravention of PSA rules,” Mr Petersen said.
“So all this money has been handed over and the NSW Government is still walking all over our members. It’s not what you’d call good value.”
Mr Petersen said such figures as Linda Burney, John Aquilina, John Watkins, Paul McLeay and Phil Koperberg had received financial support from the union when it was union policy not to support anyone.
General Secretary John Cahill said he knew of no political donations made to any candidate by the PSA although its rules had been changed recently to allow it to participate in the ‘Your Rights at Work’ campaign.
“I can’t recall making any donations to any political party and I don’t see us making any to the Labor Party in NSW any time soon,” Mr Cahill said.
He said some of the supposed donations were in fact simply payments for tickets to political functions the union was expected to attend.
“We have to keep on side with Ministers and the Government if we’re to work with them,” he said.
“You’ve got to be a bit sensible about it.”
Mr Cahill accused the Progressives group of deliberately misconstruing the payments and of “making stuff up.”
19 November, 2008
Ombudsman signs up with no complaints
NSW Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour has played a leading role in the establishment of a new alliance of Ombudsmen from 11 South Pacific countries.
Mr Barbour and the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Professor John McMillan, are the Australian members of the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance which includes Ombudsmen from the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and New Zealand.
Professor McMillan was elected inaugural Chair of the alliance at its first meeting in Brisbane.
The Alliance was established as part of the Pacific Islands Forum ‘Pacific Plan’ initiative, which was put in place to promote good governance.
Professor McMillan said a part of that aim included strengthening ombudsmen services throughout the region.
“A key aim of the Alliance is to support the development of legislation and programs that recognise the right of citizens to transparent and accountable Government services,” he said.
“The Alliance aims to foster integrity in the delivery of Government services by supporting the creation and maintenance of strong ombudsman and allied institutions in the Pacific.”
He said Alliance Membership was to expand beyond Ombudsmen’s offices, to any statutory or constitutionally-based organisation protecting people from maladministration, violation of rights, unfairness, abuse of power, corruption or any injustice or lack of procedural fairness by a public authority.
The Alliance has been providing advice and support to Palau, Nauru, and Niue as they consider establishing Ombudsmen’s offices.
Professor McMillan said the Alliance would be supported by a small secretariat initially located in his office.
He said the secretariat would report to a board predominantly made up of Pacific Island representatives.
The launch of the Alliance was assisted by funding from the Australian Agency for
International Development, AusAID and it hoped to attract further funds from Australian and New Zealand development agencies to allow it to carry out work in the Pacific over the next five years.
19 November, 2008
DPI puts offices out to pasture
Eight Department of Primary Industries’ offices are to be closed over the next three years and staff offered voluntary redundancies as part of a Departmental restructure towards a more regional, rather than district based, Agency.
Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald said the facilities at Alstonville, Berry, Condoblin, Glen Innes, Gosford, Griggith, Jindabyne Hatchery and Temora would be closed because they were no longer needed by the DPI.
“Most of these are smaller offices – Glen Innes for example has one researcher – that will be shut down as the Department re-focuses its efforts on different priorities,” Mr Macdonald said.
“These changes will not happen overnight, but instead will be managed over a three year period and we will also endeavour to work hand in hand with those staff and communities affected.”
Mr Macdonald said DPI would also conduct a general voluntary redundancy program as part of the organisational restructure.
“NSW DPI will remain strong, with a critical mass of more than 3,000 people supporting primary industries,” he said.
“The final numbers will depend on how many people actually opt to take a VR package, whilst still having a strong regard to protecting essential frontline services.”
He said the aim was to build better jobs with wider breadth and more varied functions to develop a multi-skilled workforce that was able to adjust to changing priorities and had expertise in a range of industries, disciplines and technologies.
Mr Macdonald said changes to frontline services would be minimised.
“There will be no forced redundancies and the drought will remain a key priority – the Government has committed more than $450 million in drought assistance measures and we will continue to support farmers until the rains come,” he said.
“The purposes of these changes are to give DPI the opportunity to maintain our quality of service delivery, but in a more efficient way.
“For example, DPI will continue to conduct extension and research and development activities, but will rely more on the latest available technology, and less on outmoded methods of management based solely on location.”
He said there would be no transference of regional positions into the city and the DPI would remain a regional Agency.
Mr Macdonald said the restructure was part of a comprehensive review of science and research to determine the most efficient way of servicing rural communities and to make sure priorities, such as climate change, were met.
“Over the past few years considerable demands have been placed on DPI resources as the Department has dealt with the Equine Influenza crisis, locust plagues and the worst drought in living memory,” he said.
“The Government is making the tough decisions now to set DPI up for the future.”
19 November, 2008
Fee increases judged fine for Courts
Fee increases have been announced for the Supreme Court of NSW in an effort to raise additional revenue for the Courts system.
Attorney-General John Hatzistergos, said the Court would increase its Civil Litigants fee and the Victims Compensation Levy.
Mr Hatzistergos said the Supreme Court would charge civil litigants a daily hearing fee if their case ran for two days or more, while currently the fee was imposed after 10 days.
He said the changes were in line with the Federal Court.
“We welcome businesses and other civil litigants who regard Sydney as a centre of excellence for commercial law,” Mr Hatzistergos said.
“But at the same time we recognise that NSW taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear an excessive burden due to the conduct of those cases in this State.”
Mr Hatzistergos said in the past, the fees imposed on civil litigants only covered 25% of the cost of hearing the cases.
He said the fee would now be $345 for a half day or $690 for a full day of Court time.
“The new fee structure brings NSW in line with other Australian jurisdictions that have long recognised civil litigants should contribute to the cost of resolving their commercial disputes,” he said.
“In recent years the Supreme Court has heard many large commercial cases, commonly referred to as mega-litigation, as a number of high profile defamation matters, yet until now we were charging less than other jurisdictions.”
Mr Hatzistergos said the Victims Compensation Levy paid by people convicted of offences would double to $140 for people convicted of serious offences and $60 for less serious offenders.
He said increasing the existing levy was expected to raise an additional $2.4 million per year.
“The Victims Compensation Fund ensures much needed support services are available to victims of crime throughout the state to help them with their recovery,” he said.
“Victims can receive assistance with counselling, medical costs, loss of earnings and loss of personal effects.
“This is an important part of the healing process,” he said.
19 November, 2008
Railway renovations on the right track
Sydney’s Central Railway Station is to be redeveloped to allow passengers to interchange between different modes of transport, as part of the Government’s platform for smarter public transport.
Minister for Transport, David Campbell said the Government made some tough decisions as part of the Mini-Budget, but transport was a key priority with the redevelopment of Central Station, new buses, commuter car parks and the Sydney Metro System.
“These are realistic transport solutions that will secure transport networks for the future,” Mr Campbell said, “while delivering extra capacity that will make a difference to commuters in the short term.
“Tough decisions have been made as part of this Mini-Budget process and what we now have is an affordable and achievable timetable for improvement.”
Mr Campbell said the Mini-Budget focused on increasing capacity and delivering better services for people who used the transport network.
He said key investment included:
- A Sydney Metro system, including the redevelopment of Central Station;
- $370 million for additional outer suburban carriages;
- 300 new buses to be rolled out from next year;
- 150 articulated buses;
- Commuter car parks to be delivered at train stations across suburban Sydney, the Central Coast, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains.
“This Budget is not only about delivering better transport services, it’s also about injecting investment and boosting the economies of regional communities,” he said.
“The short term gains are obvious, with more buses, more train carriages and more commuter car parks to ease crowding on our busy public transport routes and reduce the number of cars travelling into the CBD,” Mr Campbell said.
He said widening the Iron Cove Bridge would feed more buses along Victoria Road into a new transport hub at Rozelle which would connect with the CBD Metro to transport commuters into the city.
He said the Rozelle hub would ease traffic congestion and free up space on peak hour CityRail services into the City.
19 November, 2008
Tourism plans are just the ticket
Tourism NSW has announced a plan to create three industry reference groups in a bid to work more closely with the Tourism industry and set up a new era of tourism growth across the State.
Minister for Tourism, Jodi McKay said the Government’s support of the NSW Tourism Strategy as part of the Mini-Budget, would create thousands of extra jobs, deliver a significant increase in visitor spending and provide a substantial boost to the NSW economy.
“This is a true partnership involving all sectors of the industry,” Ms McKay said.
“Together we have set new goals to increase tourist spending in NSW by an extra $1.7 billion a year by 2016 and create more than 23,000 extra direct jobs for workers and families.”
Ms McKay said industry wanted greater involvement with Tourism NSW and this would be achieved through the creation of three new industry reference groups to be set up under the auspices of the Tourism NSW Board, to work on Sydney, International and Regional tourism
She said the funding package included additional support to regional tourist organisations which served communities that depended on tourism to sustain their economies.
“While NSW still holds the number one position in Australia for both international and domestic visitors, we are facing real challenges and strong competition from the other states and New Zealand,” Ms McKay said.
“This investment will allow us to set a new target of 160.6 million visitor nights by 2016, an increase of 25.5 million from the original target.”
She said there would also be new initiatives to ensure NSW was positioned to benefit from the strong growth of emerging markets such as India and China.
Ms McKay said the Government’s increased funding would be tied to strict performance targets and improved efficiencies within Tourism NSW
“We want to make sure that we are getting maximum benefit and return for our investment and that the programs will be driven by industry and those with the best knowledge of their local markets,” she said.
19 November, 2008
Pirated films flop in destruction epic
The ritual destruction of over 230,000 pirated DVDs and related equipment and burners was witnessed by Fair Trading Minister, Virginia Judge, and the Commonwealth Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, as a way of drawing attention to the problem.
Mr Debus said the illegal DVDs had been seized by State and Federal Police, and were crushed under supervision.
“While many people view this as a less serious crime, police intelligence shows that criminals use movie piracy to fund a range of criminal activity like drug trafficking and money laundering,” Mr Debus said.
“Those issues are worth considering by any member of the public who thinks purchasing counterfeit DVDs is a victimless crime.”
He said the purchases also resulted in the loss of around $1.7 billion of revenue each year due to copyright infringements.
“This is a crime that’s on the increase and if we work together to take appropriate action its attractiveness will be reduced,” Mr Debus said.
Ms Judge congratulated the NSW and Federal Agencies on their efforts, saying if consumers did not buy their DVDs from reputable traders, they could get more than they bargained for.
“I don’t want consumers to be burnt by pirated DVDs,” she said.
“There are no quality controls, no refunds and you could wreck expensive home entertainment systems.”
Mr Debus said maintaining a strong Intellectual Property enforcement system was required under international treaties and was crucial for future trade and investment in the Australian economy.
“The AFP hosts a quarterly Intellectual Property Enforcement Consultative Group meeting which brings together a range of Commonwealth Agencies and industry groups to discuss emerging issues and current investigations,” he said.
“The Government would like to encourage all Police jurisdictions to attend this forum and it’s an issue I raised at this week’s Police Minister’s meeting in Sydney.”
From October 2007 to October 2008, the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft helped police seize 967,500 pirated DVDs and 741 burners capable of producing over 18 million copies a year.
19 November, 2008
ICAC wagon train visits wild west
Government Agencies and Local Councils in Western Sydney are to be trained in corruption prevention by the Independent Commissions Against Corruption.
ICAC Commissioner, Jerrold Cripps QC, said the outreach program would visit Greater Western Sydney this month for the first time, as part of its anti-corruption outreach program.
Commissioner Cripps said the visit, to be based at Rooty Hill, would give Agencies and Councils the opportunity to experience hands-on corruption prevention workshops with ICAC’s highly-skilled staff.
"The ICAC has undertaken several visits to areas across NSW, and is looking forward to sharing the corruption prevention skills and tools it has developed with agencies based in Greater Western Sydney," Commissioner Cripps said.
"Our activities will include workshops on protected disclosures, training for State and Local Government managers on corruption prevention and a session on conducting fair and effective internal investigations.
Commissioner Cripps said he had already met with senior Public Officials and talked about policies and approaches that reduce opportunities for public sector corruption.
He told them the ICAC was keen to share its corruption prevention skills and resources across metropolitan, regional and rural areas.
“We also acknowledge that different areas are unique and are keen to tailor our visit to suit the local community,” he said.
“For example, as western Sydney is home to Australia’s most diverse population, this particular Outreach visit will include a number of multicultural interagency meetings.”
He said Agencies expected to attend the outreach activities included the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the NSW Police Force, TAFE NSW, the Department of Corrective Services, Ambulance Service of NSW, Sydney West Area Health Service, Housing NSW and the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
"The visit will also include the NSW Deputy Ombudsman Chris Wheeler, who will speak about protected disclosures, and Police Integrity Commissioner John Pritchard will speak about the role and functions of the Police Integrity Commission,” he said.
“Their presence will certainly enrich the experience for participants.”
Commissioner Cripps said participating Councils would include Blacktown, Auburn, Liverpool, Baulkham Hills, Campelltown, Camden, Wollondilly, Fairfield and Blue Mountains.
He said the ICAC outreach program had proved highly successful since its inception in 2001 and had included visits to the Illawarra, New England, the Hunter, Mudgee, the Far West, the South East, the Riverina, the Central Coast, the Central West and the North Coast.
19 November, 2008
Environment plan gets green light
A project to help Murray and Murrumbidgee Councils better manage development impacts on the environment has been awarded the Rural and Regional Planning Achievement Award by the Planning Institute of Australia.
The Local Government Spatial Data project, a joint effort by the Departments of Water and Energy, Environment and Climate Change, and Primary Industries, won the NSW Division of the Awards and would now be considered for the national Award.
Project manager, Darren Wallett said the project helped Councils needing to consider a broad range of information on the environment in order to assess development applications and prepare local environment plans.
“This information is held by a number of different Government Agencies and it’s a lot of work for Local Councils to hunt around for the right data sets and maps,” Mr Wallett said.
“We wanted to make it easier for Murray and Murrumbidgee Councils to access the information they need to make wise environmental planning decisions.”
He said a Local Government Data Access website for the Murray and Murrumbidgee region was created, which enabled the Councils to search, preview and request information from the relevant Agency
Mr Wallett said the project had been widely embraced by Councils in the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys and plans were underway to extend the service to the Lachlan and Macquarie valleys.
“The award winning project has three distinct components; the Local Government Data Access website; land, water and biodiversity maps; and “how to notes” to complement and explain the data sets available online,” he said.
“The project is a one-stop-shop for environmental and land use planning data in the Murray and Murrumbidgee region,” he said.
19 November, 2008
Parking plan to woo passengers
Approval times for the development of commuter car parks near railway lines were expected to be slashed by by-passing the Council approval process and transferring their ownership, operation and maintenance to RailCorp.
Premier Nathan Rees said the changes would mean 3,000 extra car park spaces announced in the Mini-Budget would be delivered quicker and more people would park their car and catch a train to work.
Mr Rees said the reforms would speed up the delivery of commuter car parks by:
- By-passing Council approval processes with the Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation to be responsible for designing, approving and delivering all projects;
- Amending local Councils’ authority to erect and change parking control signs on local roads in areas around new commuter car parks to allow the RTA to approve on-street parking to ensure there was real growth in parking spaces.
- Transferring responsibility for ownership, operation and maintenance of commuter car parks to RailCorp and therefore removing lengthy negotiations with councils.
“Park and ride facilities are essential to delivering a smarter public transport system for NSW,” Mr Rees said.
“We announced in the Mini-Budget that an extra $56 million was being put towards building more commuter car parks and today we’re ensuring that these are done quickly and efficiently.”
Minister for Transport, David Campbell said while the Government was yet to allocate the new commuter car parks, it was already in the process of delivering 4,000 commuter car park spaces under the Urban Transport Statement.
“This will bring the total commitment to 7,000 extra car park spaces, which will make life easier for train commuters and encourage more people to use the rail system,” Mr Campbell said.
Mr Rees said the Government was committed to providing greater services for rail commuters and more parking options at railway stations was a big part of doing this.
“These car park spaces allow commuters to park and ride the train, supporting the Government’s policy of better utilising our road and rail network to get people around efficiently and comfortably,” Mr Rees said.
“Key to the reform is by-passing Council approval processes for new commuter car parks, with the Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation to be responsible for designing, approving and delivering all commuter car parks, preventing endless delays while Councils review the proposals.”
19 November, 2008
Drug Court facts are smoked out
The NSW Drug Court is more cost-effective at reducing the rate of re-offending among drug-related offenders than sending them to prison, according to a study by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Director of BOCSAR, Dr Don Weatherburn said that when BOCSAR and the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) first looked at the cost effectiveness of the Drug Court in 2002, it found it to be slightly more cost-effective than prison.
But according to Dr Weatherburn now, the latest study showed that significant changes to the Court that were designed to improve its cost-effectiveness, had been effective.
“Amongst other things, sanctions for non-compliance with program conditions have been made more flexible, participants are now given formal warnings if they fail to progress, police have a greater role in screening for eligibility and the threshold for program termination has been reduced,” Dr Weatherburn said.
“The results of the present re-evaluation by BOCSAR and CHERE show that, controlling for other factors, participants in the NSW Drug Court are significantly less likely to be reconvicted than offenders given conventional sanctions which were mostly imprisonment.”
He said offenders accepted onto the Drug Court on an intention-to-treat basis were 17 per cent less likely to be reconvicted for any offence, 30 per cent less likely to be reconvicted for a violent offence and 38 per cent less likely to be reconvicted for a drug offence than those imprisoned, at any point during the follow-up period.
He said those who were as-treated were 37 per cent less likely to be reconvicted of any offence, 65 per cent less likely to be reconvicted of an offence against the person, 35 per cent less likely to be reconvicted of a property offence and 58 per cent less likely to be reconvicted of a drug offence.
“The economic analysis conducted by CHERE showed that the total cost of the Drug Court program is $16.376 million per annum,” Dr Weatherburn said.
“The largest drivers of this final cost are the cost of final imprisonment for those who do not complete the program successfully and the cost of staffing and running the Court.”
He said CHERE found that the estimated cost of dealing with the same offenders via the conventional system would have been almost $2 million more.
BOCSAR also released research that showed most categories of crime had fallen in Kings Cross since the Medically Supervised Injection Centre (MSIC) was established in 2001.
The study showed that over the period January 1999 to December 2007, Kings Cross Police experienced significant declines in robbery without a weapon, robbery with a weapon not a firearm, break and enter (dwelling), break and enter (non-dwelling), receiving/handling stolen goods, motor vehicle theft, stealing from a motor vehicle, stealing from a dwelling, stealing from the person, other theft and arrests possession and/or use of narcotics.
19 November, 2008
Garden competition plants seeds of fun
A new competition to inspire younger people to develop a love of plants and conservation has been launched by Environment Minister, Carmel Tebbutt.
Ms Tebbutt has invited Australian artists to create a centre piece for a new children’s garden at the Mount Tomah Botanic Garden in the Blue Mountains.
She said the Breen Sculpture Competition, a Botanic Gardens Trust initiative, would award the winner with $20,000, with an additional $30,000 available for producing the centrepiece.
“A series of four themed children’s gardens, each with a sculpture and integrated landscaping, will be designed as fun and educational places for children to play,” she said.
“Deep habits are developed in childhood and a pattern of visiting gardens at this time can have life-long benefits.”
Ms Tebbutt said the first of the gardens would be called the ‘Garden for Laughing Children’ and aimed to stimulate natural curiosity and make learning fun.
She said the theme for the first garden was Exploring – getting close to nature and looked at nurturing a love of nature in children and adults.
Ms Tebbutt said competition entrants must follow the Botanic Garden’s mission – to inspire the appreciation and conservation of plants.
The competition has been supported by Tom Breen, Managing Director of Breen Holdings, who said the new garden would provide the perfect backdrop for children to play, have fun and learn to value the environment.
“As a father and grandfather myself, I can say with certainty that our children must be given every opportunity and encouraged at an early age to enjoy and relate to the beauty and spirit of the natural world,” Mr Breen said.
“Historically my family has a significant and ongoing commitment to the creation of ‘sustainable beauty’ in the region, as expressed in the creation of our garden estate, Breenhold, at nearby Mount Wilson.”
Executive Director of the Botanic Gardens Trust, Dr Tim Entwisle said the initiative would encourage more children to become excited about plants and to learn about their importance to life on Earth.
“I’m thrilled that thanks to the generosity of the Breen Family we can add to the magic of the Mount Tomah Botanic Garden,” Dr Entwisle said.
The competition was open to artists 18 and over, and would close on 27 February next year.
Further information was available from www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
19 November, 2008
Mayor has numbers in museum display
The contribution and commitment of NSW’s first Aboriginal Mayor, Brewarrina’s Ted Simpson, are being commemorated in a display at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program at the Museum, Michael Pickering, said Mr Simpson had helped make history without realising it.
“Local stories and local lives are all part of the Nation's history,” Dr Pickering said. “Ted Simpson is one such story of one such life. The National Museum is privileged to share it.”
Mr Simpson become Mayor of Brewarrina in 2004, over 40 years after his political career began in the shearing sheds of rural Australia.
He was involved in Aboriginal politics and organisations such as the Aboriginal Development Commission and the Aboriginal Legal Service.
During 1977 to 1985 Mr Simpson was on the National Aboriginal Conference, where he advised the Prime Minister andFederal and State Government Agencies on Aboriginal issues.
Members of Mr Simpson’s family have travelled to Canberra to see the display.
His eldest daughter, Liz Simpson, thanked staff at the Museum for their hard work in including her Father’s story among their collection.
“As Dad was not one to blow his own trumpet as he was a humble man, it’s such a privilege for him to be recognised at this level,” Ms Simpson said.
The display featured objects from the National Museum’s Edward Simpson Collection, including Ted Simpson’s 2007 Mayor on duty outfit, images of Mayor Simpson in Brewarrina and a commemoration plaque.
The display also included some objects on loan from the Simpson family such as the Murdi Paaki Citizen of the Year 2004 Cup which was awarded to Mr Simpson in recognition of his life’s work in serving his community and achieving representation for Aboriginal people in mainstream political processes.
Mr Simpson died last year at age 63.
19 November, 2008
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.
12 November, 2008
Mini-Budget warms to PS staff freeze
A staff freeze to cover all non-frontline services, a major shake-up of Departments and sell-offs of assets have been announced by the Treasurer in this week’s mini-Budget.
Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal said the measures were necessary to shrink the size of the Public Service and reduce the State’s budget deficit.
Mr Roozendaal made his strategy clear.
“We are cutting the bureaucracy,” he said. “And a staff freeze ensures it will not grow by stealth.”
He said the freeze on appointments would be in place until the end of June next year but would not affect staff on the front line of service delivery.
“Our target has been bureaucratic waste and inefficiency,” he said.
“We have chosen bus drivers over bureaucrats, teachers over technocrats, and front line jobs over junkets.
“Apart from the front line, all levels of Government, including the Cabinet, must shoulder their fair share.
Mr Roozendaal announced that Agencies will also be expected to become more efficient. He said RailCorp’s maintenance performance would be monitored as would Sydney Ferries.
“If there are not substantial improvements these functions will be out-sourced.”
He said Government advertising would be cut by 25 per cent to save $31 million, and MPs would no longer be entitled to free public transport passes.
“I also announce the abolition of overseas Ministerial State tours and the enforcement of an air-travel policy requiring the cheapest available fares be taken by Members of Parliament and Public Servants.”
Mr Roozendaal also flagged “substantial” changes to a number of PS Agencies and Departments
“At a minimum there will be mergers of back office functions of some Area Health Services, a restructure of the Department of Juvenile Justice and a rationalisation of some Agencies.
“We have also identified efficiency savings in many Agencies across Government, including the Departments of Planning, Housing, Commerce, the RTA and others.”
He said NSW Lotteries, WSN Environmental Solutions, the Superannuation Administration Corporation, the RTA’s personalised number plate business ‘Pillar,’ and other programs would be sold off or leased out and the Government’s entire property portfolio would be reviewed for conversion to cash.
“We have made a decision to put the money where it is needed in frontline services, not running commercial car parks and souvenir shops.”
The measures have been criticised by union representatives with the Vice-President of the Public Service Association, Paul Petersen saying the whole exercise should be condemned for its anti-bureaucrat sentiment.
“PSA members know from experience that a jobs freeze will lead to a blow out in the use of temp agency staff,” Mr Petersen said.
Assistant General Secretary of the PSA, Steve Turner also criticised the freeze saying a decrease in back-office staff would ultimately affect frontline workers.
“If these support jobs are not replaced, then we’ll have frontline staff doing the admin work and less services in total,” Mr Turner said.
He said this could particularly impact on caseworkers in the Department of Community Services as well as teachers, nurses and police.
12 November, 2008
Paying out on pay case facts
The General Secretary of the Public Service Association of NSW, John Cahill has acted to set the record straight about the union’s alleged role in a Government job-cutting exercise reported to be targetting 5,000 NSW PS positions.
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported last week that the PSA had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government to allow the cuts as part of its settlement of a 4% pay claim.
In an email to PSA members, Mr Cahill said there was a “great deal of misinformation” being circulated about the pay deal and it was not unrelated to the PSA election currently being held.
“It has been claimed that the PSA agreed to forced retrenchments and significant job cuts,” Mr Cahill said.
“This is not true.”
He said the Government had had a policy of forced retrenchments since 2003 but the MOU actually made the process harder by putting eight steps in place that must be followed before a forced redundancy could be imposed.
“This can only happen at the end of 12 months and following the eight steps if a person cannot be placed,” he said.
“No PSA member has ever been forcibly retrenched, and the Memorandum will ensure that this record continues.”
Mr Cahill said the union resisted a number of cuts to entitlements and conditions proposed by the Government including a reduced payment package for retrenchments, abolishing compensation for some transferred officers, stricter sick leave evidence requirements and scrapping GREAT.
He said however that the negotiation process had led to some improvements in conditions including modernising recruitment processes, updating the rules for flexible working hours, introducing a purchased leave scheme, enhanced maternity leave provisions, reductions in accumulated annual leave entitlements and better management of workers compensation cases.
Mr Cahill said the fine details of the pay case were available on the PSA website www.psa.labor.net.au and the union’s industrial staff were fully informed and could answer questions.
“I am concerned to ensure that members receive factual information and not election propaganda,” he said.
12 November, 2008
Audit does number on key Agency books
The Auditor General has released a report commenting on financial audits of Government Agencies, Statutory Bodies and State owned Corporations.
The Volume Four Report to Parliament for 2008 covered key Agencies such as the
Treasury Corporation and those in the rail, education, and energy sectors.
Auditor General, Peter Achterstraat, said the report highlighted the dissatisfaction of over 50 per cent of NSW rail commuters with increased crowding on Sydney’s aging trains.
Mr Achterstraat said commuters’ primary concern was the increased crowding and that trains travelling on the south and main north lines experienced an average peak hour load of 140 per cent of seating capacity.
“Nearly one in three of all rail carriages in service are more than 30 years old and almost 60 per cent of carriages are more than 20 years old,” he said.
“Compounding this is that all projects to replace or update carriages are late or behind schedule, and almost one in four of all CityRail carriages fail every month.”
Mr Achterstraat said other projects designed to free up the rail network had also been delayed, with commissioning of some Clearways projects two years behind and the Epping to Chatswood rail line already six months behind.
He also said the Lidcombe and Homebush turn backs, which were completed in April 2008, could not be used until 2010.
“Patronage is expected to increase adding to already crowded trains,” Mr Achterstraat said.
“In 2007/08 passenger journeys increased by approximately 5.2 per cent.”
His report found State Government expenditure per primary student was below the national average and second lowest in the country, despite its recent increase.
Mr Achterstraat said it was positive that he did not have to qualify any of the financial reports of Agencies included in Volume Four.
His report outlined how school maintenance backlogs were being reduced and it commented on electricity supply, pricing and financial performance.
12 November, 2008
Building downturn is worrying development
A 4.6 per cent drop in the number of development applications in NSW last year has been revealed by a Performance Monitoring Report on NSW’s 152 Councils and Shires.
Minister for Planning, Kristina Keneally, released the annual performance statistics, saying it was also likely the global economic crisis would impact on the development industry.
“It’s no secret we’re in hard economic times and that’s being felt across the State, including in the development industry,” Ms Keneally said.
“Last year there was a 4.6% drop in development applications determined and complying development certificates issued, but at the same time the value of the DAs increased $600 million to $22.3 billion.”
She praised the work of Councils in the planning system and said they processed over 82,000 development applications last year.
“The State’s 152 Councils and Shires really are to be commended for the great job that they do in helping the State Government work to build a better State,” she said.
“The NSW Government is continuing to work closely with Councils to deliver local services and local infrastructure.”
Ms Keneally said Councils were more important than ever as NSW’s population was expected to grow by 33 per cent in the next 30 years.
She said the fastest Council took an average of just seven days to process planning applications, with the other top four averaging between 10 and 20 days.
“Temora, Hay, Broken Hill, Murrumbidgee and Berrigan Councils are to be congratulated for being the five fastest Councils in NSW, each processing development applications in less than 20 days on average,” Ms Keneally said.
“There are also a number of Councils in NSW which have significantly improved their performance, including Mosman, which has slashed its development application processing time by 41 per cent, as well as Strathfield, Holroyd, and Inverell Councils which also stepped up to the plate.”
She said some Councils needed to improve their performance, including the State’s slowest, Ashfield Council, which took an average of over five months to determine development applications.
Ms Keneally said around 97 per cent of development applications were for works of less than $1 million in value.
“Two-thirds of DAs last year were valued under $100,000, these are working families building and renovating houses, and small businesses expanding their workplaces,” she said.
“In fact 59 per cent of the development applications lodged this year were for new single dwellings or residential alterations and additions.”
Ms Keneally said further reforms to the planning system should speed the applications process up even more.
“In particular, a revised housing code will mean that simple housing projects could be approved after they pass a checklist rather than a complicated development application process.”
12 November, 2008
Liquor inspectors in night on the town
Staff from the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing have posed as patrons during covert audits of pubs and clubs around Sydney City.
Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene, said the undercover inspectors found a number of problems in the George Street entertainment precinct, Surry Hills, Kings Cross and Darlinghurst.
“Some licensed venues are failing to meet basic responsible service of alcohol requirements and the operators are showing a total disregard for the responsible service and consumption of alcohol,” Mr Greene said.
“Two venues where multiple serious breaches were detected will now have their liquor licences reviewed.”
He said the Government was moving to impose new licence conditions to improve their operation and for the safety of patrons and staff.
Mr Greene said nine licensed venues were issued fines totalling $20,900, while in one Kings Cross hotel, on-duty staff were actually drinking shots with customers and a patron was found asleep inside.
He said six intoxicated patrons were found in another nightclub in Darlinghurst, while four drunks were detected in a Kings Cross hotel.
“Liquor laws are designed to reduce the impact of alcohol consumption on local communities and increase public safety,” Mr Greene said.
“Licensees must ensure high levels of compliance to reduce intoxication levels and the associated community impacts such as assaults, malicious damage and offensive conduct.”
He said 14 drunk patrons were found inside five licensed venues during the audit with on-the-spot fines of $1,100 issued for each offence.
Mr Greene said a George Street bar was fined $1,100 for breaching a licence condition requiring all glass to be removed from midnight, while a Goulburn Street hotel was fined $1,100 for having a gaming machine in a non-restricted area.
He said three nightclubs were fined $1,100 each for failing to have food available to patrons.
12 November, 2008
Residents come clean for CleanOut
The Department of Environment and Climate Change collected and safely disposed of over 750 tonnes of chemical waste in 2007/08 through resident participation in its CleanOut program.
Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Carmel Tebbutt, said a record-breaking 22,711 households in the Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter regions had participated in the program, removing potentially hazardous chemicals from their households.
“These outstanding results represent a 20 per cent increase on the amount of household chemicals collected the previous year,” Ms Tebbutt said.
“The results demonstrate a fantastic effort by the Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter communities to protect the environment and reduce hazardous waste around their homes.”
She said the top three items collected were paints, oils and batteries, which was consistent with the previous year.
Ms Tebbutt said the CleanOut program had collected over 3,000 tonnes of household hazardous waste since it started in 2003.
“Many common household chemicals that may seem harmless can in fact be dangerous to human and environmental health,” she said.
“In conjunction with Local Councils, the CleanOut program offers regular free events where people can drop off and safely dispose of their household chemicals.”
Marrickville Mayor, Sam Iskandar, said the success of the program was a great example of how Councils and the Government could work together for the environment.
“The ongoing success of the program is making homes healthier and minimising chemical contamination of the environment,” Mr Iskandar said.
More information on the CleanOut program was available from www.cleanout.com.au
12 November, 2008
Migrants protected in anyone’s language
A new partnership between the Office of Fair Trading and the NSW Adult Migrant English Services (AMES) has been developed to give migrants a better understanding of State consumer protection laws.
Minister for Fair Trading, Virginia Judge, said the partnership was part of the Government’s Think Smart program, an education initiative for consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
“Consumer rights are basic human rights impacting almost every aspect of our daily lives,” Ms Judge said.
“Legal safeguards protect consumers in a wide range of situations, from obtaining refunds for defective goods through to buying a car, renting a house, building a home, setting up a business and making investments.”
She said the program taught migrants where to go if they experienced any fair trading problems.
Ms Judge said Think Smart partners worked with Fair Trading to enhance consumer protection and ensure information and advice from the Department was as accessible, appropriate and as practical as possible.
“Think Smart helps consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to exercise their fundamental consumer rights,” she said.
“I’m delighted to welcome NSW AMES as the 36th Think Smart partner and believe they will play a valuable role in preventing vulnerable people from falling prey to misleading and unethical consumer practices.”
Ms Judge said AMES was the leading publisher of Australian language and literacy resources and delivered high quality services to its students using face-to-face and online language and literacy courses.
She said under the agreement, the Office of Fair Trading would supply AMES with information on consumer protection issues including publication stands for six Centres in Bankstown, Burwood, Campsie, Chatswood, Hornsby and Sydney City.
She said the publications would be in English, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese and Italian and would feature consumer advice on issues such as renting; refunds, shopping and warranties; credit problems; buying a used car; buying a mobile phone; and Fair Trading services and case studies.
AMES Director, Helen de Silva Joyce, said many AMES students did not know there were laws in Australia to protect them as consumers, or that they could get assistance if they had been unfairly treated as a consumer.
“They may not have had access to such protection in their home countries,” Ms de Silva Joyce said.
“When our students settle in Australia they will be entering into contracts such as rental agreements, hire purchase or mobile phone plans and buying various goods and services.”
She said migrants were particularly vulnerable because they could also be trying to cope with a new language and legal system.
12 November, 2008
Court trainee wins case for excellence
An Aboriginal student on a school-based traineeship at Belmont Courthouse has been named Student of the Year at the Vocational Educational and Training Workplace Excellence Awards.
Jade Luke, 18, from Belmont high School, received the award for Excellence following her 18-month traineeship in Business Services at the Courthouse.
Attorney General, John Hatzistergos, said Ms Luke was a worthy recipient.
“Staff and clients of the Court have been impressed by Jade’s strong work ethic and her desire to strengthen programs that assist the Aboriginal community,” Mr Hatzistergos said.
“She has developed a reputation as a fast learner and has been rewarded with additional responsibilities that include handling counter enquiries, the sound recording of Court proceedings and even training other work experience students.”
Belmont Court Registrar, Jeff Reid, said Belmont Courthouse also won an award for Excellence as an Employer in Business Services.
“The Court’s Aboriginal school-based traineeship program is a great way for Indigenous school students to learn career skills and to prepare for the next stage of their lives,” Mr Reid said.
“Court staff have invested a significant amount of time training Jade and it has been extremely rewarding to see her develop into an efficient and meticulous worker and a valued member of our team.”
Ms Luke, who was midway through her HSC, said she would be sorry to complete the traineeship program.
“Everyone at Belmont Courthouse has been really supportive and it will be sad to say goodbye,” Ms Luke said.
“But I am interested in studying law at university, so who knows, maybe one day I will come back to the Court.”
The Vocational Educational and Training Workplace Excellence Awards recognised Newcastle and Lake Macquarie students and employers who had delivered outstanding results in structured workplace learning or school-based apprenticeships and traineeships.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Career Links, a Local Community Partnership between schools, TAFE and industry and was funded by the State and Federal Governments.
12 November, 2008
Full-bodied pilot for disability protection
The Office of Fair Trading has launched a pilot program to prevent people with disabilities from being ripped off.
The pilot program, Reaching Out, has been planned for the south of the State and would help support people with a disability by educating carers and support workers about consumer protection issues.
Fair Trading Commissioner, Lyn Baker, said one in five people suffered from a disability and there were challenges in providing them with equitable services and support.
“People with a disability are vulnerable members of our community, often isolated and unable or unwilling to access mainstream services,” Ms Baker said.
“Reaching Out is designed to break through communication barriers by educating carers and disability support workers about consumer protection issues and the full range of services and information provided by Fair Trading.”
She said people with a disability were particularly susceptible to scams and could have difficulty understanding mobile phone and internet contracts, finance, banking, insurance, funeral funds and direct commerce issues.
Ms Baker said Fair Trading staff members were already working with disability service providers including Vision Australia, Anglicare, the Spastic Centre, advocacy and information services and employment agencies to understand better and respond to the specific needs of people with a disability.
“There are particular problems for people depending on their disability, that can include an inability to detect fraudulent information or to read the fine print in contracts, a lack of skills required to obtain redress when problems occur, a tendency to accept poor consumer outcomes, and an uncritical acceptance of advertisements,” she said.
Ms Baker said Fair Trading officers were delivering the program to communities south of Wollongong to the Victorian border and west to Balranald.
She said the program would be evaluated next year and could be extended to other parts of the State.
12 November, 2008
Precinct planners to draw on expertise
The Minister of Planning has announced a new Authority to oversee and manage the $2.5 billion redevelopment of Barangaroo in Sydney’s CBD.
Ms Keneally said the Barangaroo Delivery Authority would bring together experts to design and construct the important redevelopment.
She also said the Government would no longer fast-track the construction of the Headland Park, as originally announced in April.
“Since taking charge of the planning portfolio in early September, it’s become clear to me that the Barangaroo project must be delivered in a more co-ordinated manner,” Ms Keneally said.
“Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority has done a very good job on the initial planning phase, but Barangaroo is now too significant to the city’s economic future to be one of many projects juggled by an organisation.”
She said Barangaroo was a unique project and involved the redevelopment of a 22 hectare waterfront site in the heart of the CBD.
She said the project would deliver significant commercial and residential space and a new Headland Park for the western side of the Harbour.
“Barangaroo will set Sydney up to be the financial services capital of the Asia Pacific, underpinning our economic growth for years to come,” she said.
Ms Keneally said the Park would be funded by project revenue from the sale of development rights at Barangaroo.
Plans to fast-track the development by around three years had been put on hold due to changing economic circumstances.
“Given the current economic climate and demand on portfolios like health and transport, the Government cannot and will not outlay $150 million, plus up to $25 million in interest, for the sake of having a park which will be an asset for over 100 years in place three years early,” Ms Keneally said.
“The Government is returning to the original plan, where the Headland Park will be funded and built at the same time as the southern commercial precinct, with construction to start in late 2011 and the park to be opened in late 2014.”
Ms Keneally said she would make the project’s transition to the new Barangaroo Delivery Authority as smooth as possible by extending the deadline for the design of the southern commercial precinct; ensuring the new Authority consulted with shortlisted proponents on international finance markets; and suspending the current Expression of Interest process for the design of the Headland Park and public domain.
“The delivery of Barangaroo is also the delivery of the future of the Sydney Central Business District,” she said.
Ms Keneally said the Chairman of Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, Mike Collins, would play a key role in the new Barangaroo Delivery Authority.
12 November, 2008
ASIC banks on money guide
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has unveiled a new financial literacy program to help young people make decisions about insurance and superannuation.
Launched by the Chairman of ASIC, Tony D’Aloisio, and Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, Senator Nick Sherry, the program Your Money Starter - Insurance and Super: a financial literacy resource for secondary schools, would be distributed to every secondary school in Australia and included interactive online games.
Senator Sherry said the program had been designed to enhance financial literacy across a range of areas and provided opportunities for curriculum links in all States and Territories.
“We believe financially literate young Australians are more likely to become informed adult consumers and investors,” he said.
“Young Australians who understand insurance as a way to protect their assets, and superannuation as an effective way to save for retirement, will get a head start on two key areas of personal finance.”
Senator Sherry said young people looking to buy a car or go on a holiday needed to think about the insurance they might require and should look at their superannuation needs.
Mr D’Aloisio said ASIC was committed to improving financial literacy for all Australians, young and old.
“Using innovative models to deliver information is essential to encourage engagement with young Australians,” he said.
“Your Money Starter includes a variety of innovative classroom materials, activities and multimedia elements designed to make learning about financial services relevant and attractive to teenagers.”
According to research by the Financial Literacy Foundation, almost 80 per cent of Australians aged 12 to 17 recognised the need to learn more about insurance and 85 per cent recognised the importance of planning for their financial future.
Your Money Starter includes an animated movie about superannuation, an interactive game about buying a car and choosing insurance cover, fact sheets and teaching units and investigations.
The financial literacy resource as available free of charge from the ASIC website www.fido.gov.au
12 November, 2008
Koalas branch out into ANSTO trees
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation has teamed up with the Sutherland Shire Council and students and scouts from the region to help feed Koalas at the Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh.
ANSTO staff have planted Eucalyptus trees donated by the Sutherland Shire Council for the Wildlife Park, which needed more trees to feed the koalas in their captive breeding program.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of ANSTO, Ron Cameron, said they were more than happy to provide space to grow the trees.
“Koalas are important for the Australian environment and heritage so it's very important that these types of breeding programs are supported,” Dr Cameron said.
Park Manager, Matt Radnidge, said the breeding program introduced sustainable genetics into the species and was helping to save the koalas who were fussy eaters and would not feed on all kinds of gum trees.
“Koalas like to eat only certain species of gum, which can be hard to find in the wild,” Mr Radnidge said.
“Each koala will get through one kilogram of leaves or a branch a day, which amounts to 1,000 trees in their lifetime.”
He said the Park had asked ANSTO to help supply more branches.
“The new trees will add to a number of gum trees already grown at ANSTO for Symbio's koala food, so these new trees will give us a greater resource,” Mr Radnidge said.
“The first trees planted at ANSTO were originally for Taronga Zoo but when Symbio lost its entire plantation in the Black Christmas 2001 bushfires, Taronga offered us their trees.”
He said in the several years that had passed since the fires the koala population had grown larger and the demand for food stores had increased.
Mr Radnidge said Symbio had a widely respected koala breeding program which regularly introduced new bloodlines from other zoos to maintain genetic diversity.
“In the last 85 years, 99 per cent of the wild population of koalas has been lost and the only way they will continue to survive is through captive breeding programs like ours,” he said.
Symbio currently has nine koalas, three of which were babies.
12 November, 2008
Rescue ambulance hops in for chopper
The Ambulance Service of NSW is to receive three new $15 million helicopters to enhance its emergency and patient transport services.
Premier Nathan Rees said the first of the new Augusta AW139 helicopters had been presented to Illawarra and would form part of the Greater Sydney Helicopter Network.
Mr Rees said the new helicopters would have more space to treat patients, improved reliability and a cruise speed 25 to 30 per cent faster than their nearest rivals.
“It is a phenomenal aircraft which will allow our expert paramedics the greatest chance of saving lives and helping patients to make a full recovery,” he said.
“For every two hours of flying time, patients will get to hospital nearly 30 minutes sooner.”
Mr Rees said the helicopters were more powerful than an Army Blackhawk, quieter than the ones they replaced and were expected to fly 30 to 40 patient missions each month.
The Minister for Health, John Della Bosca, said Ambulance Officers would appreciate the new helicopters.
“We are fortunate to have highly skilled and dedicated personnel who will get the most out of these aircraft,” Mr Della Bosca said.
“It can travel at more than 300 kilometres per hour at lower levels and even faster at higher altitudes resulting in fewer flight hours, fewer regular periods of scheduled maintenance, reduced downtime and quicker response times.”
He described the helicopters as “the closest thing we have to a flying intensive care unit”.
Minister for the Illawarra, David Campbell, said the aircraft’s commissioning was good news for the Illawarra region.
Mr Campbell said Illawarra residents now had one of the best emergency medical helicopters in the world to service Wollongong and surrounding areas.
“It’s a safer aircraft for patients and paramedics, with full collision avoidance systems and instruments capable of operating in non-visual conditions at all hours of the day and night and offshore,” Mr Campbell said.
“A six tonne helicopter is never going to be silent, but residents of the Illawarra will appreciate that its high technology rotor blades mean it’s actually quieter than the craft previously operating here.”
The AW139 could transport two patients or one intensive care patient with medical equipment at high speed across NSW.
It was capable of being tasked for missions including rescues from mountains, cliffs and canyons, sea rescues, and car, pedestrian, motorbike and cycle accidents.
12 November, 2008
Coast planners draw line in the sand
The Government and Gosford City Council have called for design proposals for a new city centre for Gosford and the Central Coast.
Minister for Lands, Tony Kelly and Minister for the Central Coast, John Della Bosca along with MP for Gosford, Marie Andrews, and Gosford Mayor, Chris Holstein, said the upgrade would drive economic growth and include improved public infrastructure, new job opportunities and as well as cultural and residential growth.
“As part of the Gosford Challenge, we are inviting urban planners, architects, developers, local businesses and all parties interested in the future of Gosford to respond to this exciting challenge,” Mr Kelly said.
“Gosford is an important urban centre with a remarkable waterfront but it faces significant challenges as a legacy of the past piecemeal approach to planning.”
He said the Department of Lands and the Council had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to commit to the development of a Master Plan and the call for proposals.
Ms Andrews said the Master Plan would see the community work alongside planning professionals to produce a vibrant and sustainable city centre.
“Gosford is the regional capital for the Central Coast,” she said.
“This plan dramatically charts a way forward for Gosford to meet the challenge of providing a city centre that contributes to the economic health and social well-being of the entire region.”
Ms Andrews said the development was an opportunity for the Government and the community to work together to “take advantage of this magnificent location and finally have a connection between the natural and built environment”.
Mr Holstein said the Gosford Challenge was to revitalise the urban centre and waterfront and to provide the community with a waterfront that could be utilised and enjoyed.
“This is a rare opportunity to redesign and renew a whole city centre,” he said.
Mr Holstein said as partners, the Department and the Council combined separate parcels of land to make comprehensive urban renewal possible.
Mr Kelly said the Department of Lands would act as the conduit for other State Government Agencies to encourage investment and spending on public domain improvements in Gosford City.
“Together we will ensure the revitalisation complements the overall planning framework for the city, takes into account the needs of harbour users and the broader community, and delivers the Central Coast a sustainable economic future,” he said.
“There will be an extensive consultation process where the community will be able to meet developers and designers face-to-face to exchange ideas.”
Mr Kelly said proposal submissions would close on 29 January 2009, with more information available from www.thegosfordchallenge.com.au
12 November, 2008
Windpower turbines go with the blow
The first group of 67 wind turbines has been built on the Capital Wind Farm at Bungendore in the State’s south, charged with producing power for the water desalination plant due to open late next year.
Water Minister, Phil Costa, said the turbines were a significant construction milestone and plans for renewable energy to power the desalination plant was on track.
“The green power generated from this wind farm will be used to ensure the desalination plant is fully powered by renewable energy,” Mr Costa said.
“Last week three propellers were successfully fitted to complete the first few of 67 turbines in total.”
He said when construction at the Bungendore farm was finished it would produce 140 megawatts of wind energy, which was more than enough to operate the desalination plant.
Mr Costa said the Capital Wind Farm would increase the supply of wind energy in NSW by over 700 per cent.
“It’s a massive boost to the renewable energy sector and a very environmentally sensible way to offset the power needs of the desalination plant,” he said.
Mr Costa said approximately 60 kilometres of underground cable had been installed since construction at the farm started last year.
He said more than 34 kilometres of on-farm road had been constructed and work continued to pour the concrete foundations for the 67 turbines.
“It’s quite a building feat, and I take my hat off to Babcock and Brown Wind Partners who are delivering the construction and operation of the farm,” Mr Costa said.
“Each propeller is lifted into position in sections by a 650 tonne crane, bringing each turbine to a total height of 124 metres.”
He said construction of the wind farm was expected to be completed in mid 2009, with the owners of the desalination plant signing a 20-year contract with Babcock and Brown Power to purchase energy at a fixed price.
He said renewable energy from the wind farm would be put into the existing supply grid from which the desalination plant would draw its power.
12 November, 2008
Emergency database no website disaster
A new internet database to allow emergency services organisations to share community education programs is to be set up under the Australian Disaster Information Network.
Established with the agreement of the nation’s emergency services Ministers, the new database would enable the States and Territories to share their knowledge about emergency education programs.
Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, said the initiative was practical and would make community resilience more effective.
He said by freely sharing education initiatives across the country, State and Territory Governments would be able to utilise resources more efficiently.
“This project is particularly important because many Australian families move around the country every year, with their children changing schools,” he said.
“We can’t afford to keep these very worthwhile education programs just in the one State. We require a more cooperative and national approach.”
Mr McClelland said when the website was developed, it would be “an excellent resource for teachers, students and parents.”
He thanked the States and Territories for their work in improving community education and said the website would help apply it as broadly as possible.
Mr McClelland said some outstanding projects developed in different regions of Australia would be highlighted at the annual National Safer Communities Awards, which he would present.
He said nominated projects included a fire education program for remote community school children, an interactive game to encourage learning about natural disasters and a DVD of disaster stories narrated by teenagers to help others learn about cyclones, bushfires and floods.
12 November, 2008
Clouds over pay deal
Candidates running for office in the Public Service Association elections have questioned the validity of the recently concluded 4% PS pay deal with the State Government.
Progressive candidate and PSA Vice-President, Paul Petersen said the deal had yet to be approved by the general membership of the union or its governing body, and if the Progressives won, the new management of the union might not sign off on it.
“The entire package of efficiency savings and conditions trade-offs associated with the pay deal may not stand,” he warned.
DoCs staff honoured
Thirty-eight Community Services staff have been recognised for working for the Department for 20 to 30 years.
Community Services Minister, Linda Burney, said children often had no voice, no power and no control, which was why staff had a long-term commitment to protect them from abuse and neglect.
“It is these individuals’ collective wisdom that helps Community Services stand strong in the face of many challenges,” Ms Burney said.
OFT in Christmas blitz
The Office of Fair Trading has started blitzing retailers and markets, raiding shelves for dangerous toys and Christmas products.
Fair Trading Commissioner, Lyn Baker, said inspectors from Fair Trading’s Product Safety Unit would visit hundreds of stores and markets, inspecting thousands of products over the next few weeks.
Ms Baker said Officers identified 147 dangerous products and toys and took action against 42 traders during the corresponding crack-down last year.
Councils warned on dogs
A Circular has been sent to all Local Councils reminding them of their obligation to provide accurate and timely information to the Department of Local Government regarding dog attacks.
The Circular said the information provided by Councils on dog attacks was critical to the formulation of policy in relation to dog management within the community.
It said a further Circular to Councils would be issued providing details of an online dog attack reporting system.
IPART explores Council costs
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal has conducted a number of public workshops as part of its review of the revenue framework for Local Government.
IPART has been investigating an approach to setting Council rates and charges that would facilitate the effective and efficient provision of Local Government services and has been considering whether it should be involved in setting rates and charges in future years.
It released an issues paper in July which received over 60 submissions.
Shoalhaven water ban
The Minister for Water, Phil Costa, has placed a three year ban on water being transferred from the Shoalhaven River to Sydney.
Mr Costa said Sydney’s water catchment was holding steady at around 65 per cent following good rainfall this year, and there was no need to transfer any more water for the time being.
He said the boost to dam levels, water recycling projects and the commissioning of the new desalination plant next year had all been factors in his decision.
Gilligan takes out award
The Director of the NSW Geological Survey, Lindsay Gilligan has received the Outstanding Contribution to Mining Award at the 5th Annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
The award is presented to an individual from industry or Government who has significantly influenced positive change in mining or minerals processing in Australia.
Deputy Director General of the Department of Primary Industries, Alan Coutts congratulated Mr Gilligan, saying his award recognised his distinguished career and outstanding service to geoscience, mineral resource assessment and enhancing mineral exploration in NSW.
Street names invited
Greater Hume Shire Council is preparing a list of potential street names to be used in future developments within the townships of Greater Hume Shire.
It has invited residents to participate by forwarding suggestions based on historical events or people within the township to: Greater Hume Shire Council, PO Box 99, Holbrook NSW 2644
Disaster practice on Central Coast
The Department of Community Services arranged for over 150 disaster recovery experts to practice setting up evacuation centres in Woy Woy on the Central Coast in anticipation of potentially devastating disasters.
‘Evac 08’ was based on a worst possible scenario of a fire ripping through the coast on a scorching Christmas Day.
The trial run involved staff from the Department of Community Services, the Department of Primary Industries, NSW Health, Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol, Gosford Council, the Ministry of Transport, Anglicare, the Australian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paula and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.
Inspectors hit Murray
Federal Workplace Ombudsman inspectors are set to hit the road next week for a series of face-to-face visits with employers in the NSW Murray Region.
Four inspectors will visit businesses in Howlong, Corowa, Mulwala, Barooga and Tocumwal between 18 and 20 November.
The blitz follows field audits of over 50 companies in Deniliquin, Balranald, Hay and Moulamein which recovered $23,000 in underpayments for workers.
North Coast tourism bid
A new ‘Nature’s Playground’ tourism campaign has been launched to promote the Mid-North Coast.
The campaign would tap into the popularity of nature based tourism experiences and encourage conservation in the region’s National and Marine Parks.
Minister for Tourism, Jodi McKay, said the rich natural heritage of the Mid-North Coast already drew millions of visitors from Australia and overseas.
“This Campaign showcases the unspoilt beaches, hinterland landscapes and more than 25 National Parks and Reserves in the region,” Ms McKay said.
Fire recruits graduate
Twenty Fire Brigade (NSWFB) recruit graduates have taken up their new firefighting careers at stations across Sydney, after successfully completing 16 weeks of intensive training.
Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services, Phil Koperberg, and NSWFB Commissioner, Greg Mullins, presented the recruits with their graduation certificates at a ceremony at the NSWFB’s State Training College in Alexandria.
The graduates came from backgrounds as diverse as police officers, landscapers, bakers, accountants and construction workers.
Climate change funding
The Government has announced $17.7 million in funding to assist Local Councils with coastal, estuarine and flood risk management projects to help them adapt to climate change and rising sea levels.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Carmel Tebbutt, said 374 projects would be funded.
“These grants will also help communities improve the quality of their coastal waterways and the infrastructure around them,” Ms Tebbutt said.
5 November, 2008
New blueprint for Planning Department
The Department of Planning is to extend its power and influence following the passage of a number of important reforms.
Minister for Planning, Kristina Keneally, said the Department would now take responsibility for all planning and land release functions previously managed by the Growth Centres Commission, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Office of Strategic Lands.
Ms Keneally said the Department would merge with the Growth Centres Commission to “unlock” its expertise.
She said the Department’s restructure would cut bureaucratic red tape and help NSW build the million new dwellings it was forecast to need in the next 25 years.
She said improving the efficiency of land delivery systems in NSW was critical to meeting the State’s housing targets.
The reforms were expected to save $3 million which would be reinvested into the Department to hire a team of specialist project managers to speed up the time it took for land to be rezoned and released for new housing.
“The time it takes to assess major development projects has increased in the last few years, which is unacceptable given the current economic climate,” Ms Keneally said.
“During these tough economic times we need to keep the economy of Sydney and NSW moving.”
Ms Keneally said the average time taken to assess a major project was nearly six months, which blew out to eight months for complex projects such as commercial or manufacturing industry applications, or where major land rezoning was required.
“These turnaround times need to be improved and that’s why I’ve decided to overhaul the way major development applications and rezoning applications are processed,” she said.
“The new managers within the Department of Planning will be responsible for early identification of any issues relating to land release or major projects, and will double up as a one stop shop for inquiries from applicants, developers, and Local Government.”
Ms Keneally said the project managers would work to shorter deadlines with 85 per cent of major project approvals to be finalised within three months, 95 per cent to be finalised within five months, and no project assessment to exceed eight months.
She said the Growth Centres Commission had been useful in kick-starting planning and development in Sydney’s north west and south west, but would only help provide 28 per cent of Sydney’s land supply.
“The Department of Planning will be restructured to have a stronger focus on the State-wide accelerated release of land in Greenfield areas and the redevelopment of existing urban areas,” Mr Keneally said.
5 November, 2008
Lobbyists nobbled with lobby code
The Government is set to introduce a Register of Professional Lobbyists and a Lobbyist Code of Conduct.
The new Register and Code would mean from February 2009, only registered lobbyists would be able to lobby Government representatives.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet said the Lobbyist Code of Conduct would only allow Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Ministerial staff, staff working for a Parliamentary Secretary and Public Servants to be lobbied about potential policy matters, and then only by registered lobbyists.
In a statement, the Department said Government Members of Parliament would also be required to comply with the Code.
“The Code will operate from 1 February 2009, allowing time for development of an online register and website, registration of professional lobbyists, and training of Government representatives,” the statement said.
It said the Government would launch an online registration system on the DPC website by no later than 1 January 2009.
“This will enable professional lobbyists to apply for registration online,” the DPC said.
It said professional lobbyists would be required to disclose in the register details of who was working for them, their clients and their business registration details.
It said they would also be required to observe ethical standards when lobbying Government representatives.
“For the purpose of the register of lobbyists, a professional lobbyist is any person or organisation whose business includes being contracted or engaged to represent the interests of a third party to a Government representative,” the statement said.
It said the definition did not include an organisation constituted to represent the interests of its members; a religious or charitable organisation; or businesses that were recognised technical or professional occupations with staff acting on behalf of clients.
5 November, 2008
Big BRO review finds licences to kill
A review of trade licences by the NSW Better Regulation Office could result in the some occupations not needing any according to Federal Small Business Minister, Craig Emerson.
Dr Emerson welcomed the review, saying it could result in the removal of red tape and create a “seamless national economy”.
He said removing the 11 occupational licenses under review by the Office could make NSW more attractive to qualified people from interstate.
“The NSW Government has shown leadership to reform occupational licensing systems that are considered cumbersome, expensive and time consuming,” Dr Emerson said.
He said there was a need to ensure people had the proper skills to do their job, but “unnecessary red tape” imposed significant compliance costs that would only hinder the State’s productivity and restrict service supply.
NSW Regulatory Reform Minister, Joe Tripodi said the Better Regulation Office’s reforms were aimed at attracting tradespeople to the State and came in response to a request from the Council of Australian Governments’ Skills Recognition Taskforce.
“We want tradespeople to come here and work without red tape locking them out,” Mr Tripodi said.
“Requiring a licence for your trade in NSW alone stops interstate tradespeople from working here.”
He said while the licences did have benefits, they were not necessary as the occupations were not licensed in other States.
“Licensing can impose costs on licence holders in terms of fees and compliance costs and on the community by restricting supply of particular services,” he said.
Mr Tripodi said the 11 licences under review were entertainment industry agent/manager, venue consultant, floor finisher and coverer, kit home supplier, lift mechanic, motor vehicle repairer, optical dispenser, property inspector (pre-purchase), strata manager, structural landscaper and wool, hide and skin dealer.
He called for public comment saying submissions could be made until 28 November. He said further information was available at www.betterregulation.nsw.gov.au
5 November, 2008
Privacy boss goes public on policies
The NSW Law Reform Commission's proposal to overhaul NSW privacy laws to achieve national consistency has been welcomed by the Australian Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis,
Commissioner Curtis said it made no sense for overlapping privacy laws with differing privacy standards between jurisdictions to exist.
“This situation simply increases the burden on Agencies and organisations in meeting their privacy obligations,” she said, “as well as making it difficult for the public to understand their privacy rights.”
“It is for this reason that there should be uniformity in privacy regulation across the country.”
Commissioner Curtis said her position on the NSWLRC's proposal was made in a submission on its Consultation Paper 3, Privacy legislation in NSW, and was consistent with her submissions to the Commission’s recently completed privacy law inquiry.
She said her submission to the proposal also supported private sector health information being solely regulated by the Federal Privacy Act.
“At present, it is not unimaginable that private medical practitioners in border towns such as Albury and Wodonga may need to be across three differing sets of health privacy law - Federal, NSW and Victorian - when treating local patients,” Commissioner Curtis said.
“This inconsistency causes uncertainty and complexity in the health sector, as well as being a challenge to developments on e-health.”
She said other issues the submission supported included State-owned corporations being covered by privacy law and limiting NSW privacy law to NSW Public Sector Agencies.
5 November, 2008
The jury’s out on juror knowledge
A survey by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has found jurors had significant differences of opinion about the meaning of the phrase ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.
The survey of 1,200 jurors in criminal trials found around half (55.4 per cent) believed the phrase ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ meant ‘sure [that] the person was guilty’; 22.9 per cent believed that the phrase meant ‘almost sure’ the person was guilty; 11.6 per cent believed that it meant ‘very likely’ the person was guilty; and 10.1 per cent believed it meant ‘pretty likely’ the person was guilty.
But 94.9 per cent of jurors said they understood all or most of the Judge’s instructions on the law and 85.3 per cent also said they understood either ‘everything’ or ‘nearly everything’ the Judge said during the summing-up of the trial evidence.
The Bureau’s Director, Don Weatherburn, said generally the results provided reassuring evidence of the effectiveness of the jury system.
“It is occasionally suggested that jurors do not understand what is going on in criminal trials,” Dr Weatherburn said.
“This study indicates that the overwhelming majority of jurors have little or no problem understanding judicial instructions on the law or the Judge’s summing-up of evidence at the end of the trial.”
He said there was one area of the law where reform was badly needed – the area that concerned the phrase ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.
Dr Weatherburn said Appeal Courts had traditionally argued there was no need to clarify the meaning of this phrase ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ because everyone understood its meaning.
“This is plainly wrong,” he said. “Jurors would benefit from some clear instruction on its meaning.”
The survey found 81.7 per cent of jurors thought the Judge’s summing-up of the trial evidence was ‘about the right’ length, and 97.1 per cent said the Judge used words that were ‘easy to understand’ in summing up the evidence.
It found the Judge’s summing-up of evidence was more helpful to jurors than the closing addresses given by defence and prosecution, with 67.2 per cent of jurors saying it helped ‘a lot’ or ‘quite a bit’, while only 55.6 per cent said the same of prosecution and defence counsels’ closing addresses.
5 November, 2008
ICAC pleads guilty to very busy year
The Independent Commission Against Corruption has released its 2007/08 annual report, which indicated it investigated more complaints, held more public hearings and received more reports from Public Sector Agencies than it did in 2006/07.
The ICAC reported several achievements in 2007/08 despite the increased workloads, including a 10 per cent improvement in finalisation times.
ICAC Commissioner, Jerrold Cripps, said the results published in the Annual Report showed the Commission had had a busy year.
“There are several results this year that show that the ICAC continues to be a real force in fighting and preventing corruption in this State,” Commissioner Cripps said.
The Annual Report found the Commission conducted 11 public inquiries over 51 days in 2007/08 compared to four over 24 days in 2006/07. It also published seven investigation reports. The Report said during 2007/08, the Commission received and assessed 2,702 matters (an increase of more than 550 on the previous year), including 579 reports from Public Sector Agencies (compared with 522 in 2006-07).
It said Local Government was the most frequently represented Government sector for allegations from the public, with 41 per cent of complaints, most of which related to building and development applications and rezonings.
It said the ICAC made corrupt conduct findings against 51 people in 2007/08, compared with 17 in the previous year, and referred 23 people to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration of prosecution proceedings, which was a 44 per cent increase on 2006-07.
“The Commission also continued to fulfill its equally important role of providing education and advice to help State and Local Government Agencies in NSW to minimise corrupt conduct,” Commissioner Cripps said.
“A major highlight of our corruption prevention was hosting the inaugural Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference in October 2007,” he said.
5 November, 2008
Water stirrer is dam good idea
A floating, solar-powered device that continuously circulated to disrupt still water would be Sydney’s latest drinking water guardian, according to Water Minister, Phil Costa.
Mr Costa said the four new ‘SolarBees’ would help protect Warragamba dam from blue-green algae blooms in what was a first for Australia.
“This is the first time SolarBee has been trialled in a major water storage catchment in Australia,” Mr Costa said.
“The devices are about 200 metres apart creating a circulation system covering more than 700,000 square metres of the dam’s surface.”
He said the four units cost around $500,000 and had been deployed next to the dam wall which was a main source of water for Sydney.
Mr Costa said the algae were most likely to bloom during the warmer months and the Government had moved to have the initiative up and running as the temperature rose.
“I’ll be keeping a close eye on the results and looking at other areas in the catchment where this technology could be used,” he said.
“It’s important to have this new technology operating now so we are on the front foot in protecting the quality of our water.”
Mr Costa said other measures taken to reduce and manage future blue-green algal blooms included fast-tracking $37 million of sewerage treatment plan upgrades to reduce phosphorous and nitrogen entering the rivers and lakes; a new water filtration process at the Warragamba and Orchard Hills plants; and additional trials to gain further understanding about algae.
He said the Sydney Catchment Authority and Sydney Water would continue to work to reduce and manage any algal blooms and to supply high quality drinking water to customers.
5 November, 2008
Minister reconciles on Aboriginal jobs
Community Services Minister, Linda Burney has called on her Department to hire more Aboriginal staff in a bid to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.
Ms Burney’s call followed a meeting with 300 Aboriginal specialists that explored the best ways to protect Aboriginal children.
She said around 30 per cent of all children in out-of-home care were Aboriginal, despite them making up less than four per cent of the population.
“I am committed to reducing this staggering figure; one way to do this is by encouraging more Kooris to work for the Department,” Ms Burney said.
“I will take every opportunity to support Aboriginal people in gaining employment in Community Services, and urge Aboriginal school-leavers to consider tertiary study in this field.”
Ms Burney said the Department’s recent caseworker recruitment program had already attracted more than 1,300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and by June 2008, seven per cent of the Department’s staff were Indigenous.
But she said there was more room for improvement.
“Placing Aboriginal children with Aboriginal carers is a requirement of the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle in the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act,” Ms Burney said.
“In 2006/07, 85 per cent of Aboriginal children were placed according to this principle but I know we can do better if we had more Aboriginal carers on board.”
The Minister planned to launch a campaign entitled ‘Do something deadly for our kids – become a carer’, with a range of colourful posters, brochures and calling cards for staff to use to encourage people in the Aboriginal community to become carers.
“I cannot stress how important it is that Aboriginal kids taken into care are able to maintain their cultural identity and connections,” Ms Burney said.
“I want our kids to be proud of who they are and where they come from, regardless of why they may have come into care.”
Ms Burney said the kit was developed after research and consultation with the community showed that local knowledge, community networks and word of mouth were more successful for recruiting Aboriginal carers than other methods.
5 November, 2008
Centrelink antidote for poison scare
Senior management at Centrelink has defended its actions following a health scare at a call centre in Tweed Heads.
PS news reported last week that the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) had called for staff to be housed at alternative accommodation after renovations to the Centre’s kitchen led to a staff member being diagnosed with poisoning from toxic fumes.
According to Centrelink General Manager, Hank Jongen, management acted swiftly when the situation arose, encouraging staff to leave the building while the problem was investigated and granting them paid leave until mid-afternoon when they were recalled to work.
“The safety of our staff, and having a safe working environment, is of paramount importance to Centrelink,” Mr Jongen said.
He said external doors were opened and extractor fans were used to ventilate the building.
“Independent air quality tests were also undertaken and subsequent results showed that no airborne contaminate exceeded Worksafe Australia’s permissible levels.
“In fact, the results were less than half the permissible eight-hour exposure standard. Our decision to ask staff to return to work was based on this technical advice.”
Mr Jongen said of the 130 staff scheduled to work in the Tweed call centre that day, only a “very small number” could still smell the odour on their return.
“Staff could also elect not to return to work if they were at all concerned,” he said.
Mr Jongen said since the incident had occurred, Centrelink had spoken to the Community and Public Sector Union and responded to its questions.
He said the Agency had also checked air conditioning ducts and cleaned carpet and chairs to ensure the odour was gone.
“The incident has been reported to Comcare and Centrelink will cooperate fully with the Agency,” Mr Jongen said.
“We will also assist any staff member who lodges a compensation claim with Comcare, as per our normal procedures.”
5 November, 2008
Water company sucks in HR award
Sydney Water has won the ‘2discover Award for Best Graduate Intake Program’, recognising its success in attracting staff through its graduate recruiting program.
The Australian Human Resources Award was voted by the readers of the Human Resource Industry’s fortnightly publication, Human Resources magazine.
Acting Managing Director of Sydney Water, Paul Freeman, said Sydney Water had beaten a number of finance and law industry giants to win the award, which recognised excellence across the entire spectrum of human resources.
Mr Freeman said Sydney Water’s graduates worked hard to develop industry best practices to provide essential and sustainable water services.
“Sydney Water is a world leader in an industry that is as essential to the community as the water it delivers,” he said.
“Receiving industry recognition for our program is a wonderful acknowledgement that Sydney Water is a great place to work and what we do is meaningful.”
Mr Freeman said research had shown 50 per cent of all water utilities staff would retire over the next five to 10 years and projected industry replacement rates were sharply below the numbers required.
He said the graduate program was aimed at ensuring the organisation’s ongoing success.
“With a skills shortage forecast across Australia's entire water industry, our graduate program is an investment in the future by developing future industry leaders,” he said.
Mr Freeman said the three-year graduate program allowed graduates to be rotated every six to 12 months, and gave them a wide range of experience across different areas.
He said Sydney Water would take on 18 new graduates next February in engineering, science, marketing, business, finance and IT, which would take the total number of graduates at Sydney Water to 85.
“In the last year, 90 per cent of eligible graduates secured permanent positions in Sydney Water, while an additional 5 per cent found roles in the water industry,” Mr Freeman said.
“This excellent employee retention rate is a result of the interesting work and job opportunities offered by Sydney Water.”
5 November, 2008
Graffiti crackdown sees writing on wall
Tough new measures to tackle graffiti in local communities have been introduced into Parliament, according to Attorney General, John Hatzistergos.
Mr Hatzistergos said the new Graffiti Control Bill would merge all existing graffiti laws under one Bill to make it easier for Police and Courts to sentence more offenders.
He said the Government was taking “affirmative action” against graffiti, labeling it a “pointless and costly crime which impinges on a community’s sense of safety and wellbeing”.
Mr Hatzistergos said the reforms would make it illegal to possess marker pens, etching instruments and other implements with the intention of using them to deface premises or property. This previously applied only to spray paint cans.
He said new powers to issue on-the-spot fines to retailers who sold spray paint to people under 18 or who failed to secure their spray paint effectively would also be included under the reforms.
Mr Hatzistergos ruled out banning spray cans, saying the Government would consult with the paint manufacturing industry to develop a spray paint can that was more difficult for graffitists to misuse.
“Banning spray cans would unfairly punish legitimate users and would simply encourage more vandals to find alternative tools,” he said.
“We will continue to work with industry to ensure spray paint cans stay out of the wrong hands.”
Mr Hatzistergos said reforms had standardised the maximum penalties for graffiti offences, with fines of $2,200 or 6 months jail for defacing premises or property and fines of $1,100 or 3 months jail for possessing any instruments intended for creating graffiti.
“Offenders who inflict serious damage on property will still be able to be charged with malicious damage under the Crimes Act, which carries a maximum jail term of five years,” he said.
Mr Hatzistergos said the new measures complemented laws introduced last year to prevent people under 18 defacing property.
He said the laws included requiring young people with spray paint to prove it was for a legitimate purpose and gave police the power to confiscate spray cans from young people without legitimate reasons for having them.
Mr Hatzistergos said the Government would examine extending the laws to adults and to cover other graffiti tools.
5 November, 2008
Disability envoys ready and able
Twenty-one ambassadors have been chosen to promote the Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign over the next two months.
Minister for Disability Services, Paul Lynch, said the ambassadors were from the sport, arts, education and business sectors and were inspirational role models for people with disabilities.
“People with a disability lead productive and exciting lives,” Mr Lynch said.
“By sharing their stories, our ambassadors will help break down barriers and dispel the myths around disability.”
He said the ambassadors included Paralympians Tracy Barrell and Kurt Fearnley and yachtsman Tony Purkiss.
Mr Lynch said more than 150 events were planned across NSW over the next two months as part of the campaign, which coincided with the lead-up to the International Day of People with a Disability on 3 December.
He said about 1.2 million people in NSW had a disability.
“The chances are that you will know at least one person with a disability – probably more,” Mr Lynch said.
“Whether they are family, friends or neighbours, they are the reason we celebrate on 3 December each year.”
He said highlights of the Don’t DIS My ABILITY program included the Access All Areas Film Festival and a fully choreographed demonstration of the skills of assistance dogs, both of which were planned for Martin Place on 3 December.
“I encourage the community to join in the celebrations and meet our inspirational ambassadors,” Mr Lynch said.
He said ambassadors included:
Adam Thomson (writer)
Alex Jones (actor)
Caroline Conlon (director, actor, translator and presenter)
David Gwilliam (student)
Dr Mark Bagshaw (Managing Director of Innov8 Consulting Group)
Dr Ruby Langford-Ginibi (elder of the Bundjalung people)
Janel Manns (teacher and sportsperson)
Jessica Irwin (photographer)
Kurt Fearnley (teacher and sportsperson)
Lindy Hou (sportsperson)
Mash Ferris (audio engineer)
Matt Laffan (lawyer)
Michael Bartels (Deputy Chairperson of the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability)
Nathan Johnston (surfer)
Phillip Coster (artist)
Professor Ronald McCallum (Professor of law)
Ros Sackley (teacher)
Ruth Cromer (actor and bank worker)
Sarah Tracton (writer and filmmaker)
Tony Purkiss (banking and finance professional)
Tracey Barrell (sportsperson)
5 November, 2008
Pointed warnings in points system
New laws introducing the demerit point system to learner drivers would see learners suspended for three months for accumulating four or more demerit points.
Minister for Roads, Michael Daley, said the laws would better equip young drivers with the skills required to drive unsupervised and would help lower the number of deaths on NSW roads.
He said while learners were previously fined for committing an offence they would now also face suspension.
“It’s clear that the community wants reforms to young driver rules to ensure potentially dangerous and irresponsible drivers are kept off our roads,” Mr Daley said.
“We’ve listened and acted by introducing tougher penalties for learners who fail to comply with their licence conditions and the road rules.”
Mr Daley said the legislation brought the learners in line with provisional drivers (P1 drivers) and created further incentives for young drivers to comply with the road rules.
He said offences which carried four or more demerit points included speeding, driving with one or more unrestrained passenger or riding a motorbike with a capacity in excess of the allowed limit.
“Young drivers who commit these serious offences need to know they are not above the law which is why we want to extend to learner drivers the zero tolerance approach to speeding,” Mr Daley said.
“Zero tolerance legislation for P-Plate speeding offences introduced a year ago is already helping to reduce the road toll with a 21 per cent drop in P1 drivers killed on NSW roads.”
Mr Daley said the four demerit point system gave new drivers some leniency with the majority of driving offences carrying fines of up to three demerit points.
“New drivers trying to do the right thing won’t lose their licence and will have the right of appeal if they are suspended or refused for demerit points,” he said.
He said the scheme should be in place by the end of 2009.
5 November, 2008
Families program is daddy of them all
An early intervention program run by the Department of Community Services has seen a dramatic increase in enrolment numbers over the last year.
The Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney, said in the past 12 months, the number of families supported by the Brighter Futures voluntary early intervention program had more than doubled, from 1,000 in September 2007 to 2,707 in June 2008.
“This means that 6,515 children are now benefiting from Brighter Futures,” she said.
“This number is set to increase dramatically, with 4,000 families expected to benefit by 2008/09.”
Ms Burney said Brighter Futures supported and helped vulnerable families to address problems before they became child protection concerns.
“Families benefiting from early intervention are often struggling with drug and alcohol misuse, mental health issues, domestic violence and lack of social support – the very complex social issues that underlie much of the child abuse seen in Community Services,” she said.
Ms Burney said the program was a “fantastic” example of how Government and non-Government sectors could work together to achieve results.
“Brighter Futures is a true partnership, with 14 lead Agencies and more than 440 local community partners providing case management, home visiting, parenting programs and access to quality child care,” she said.
Ms Burney said her Department had developed strategies to encourage Aboriginal families to enroll in Brighter Futures, and that 22.6 per cent of families involved in the program were from Aboriginal backgrounds.
“I am particularly pleased with this result,” she said.
“In the past, many Aboriginal families have expressed reluctance to work with Community Services due to the legacy of past Government practices.”
“The Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Strategy (AMIHS) has played an important role in Aboriginal participation in the program.”
Ms Burney said Community Services had formed a partnership with NSW Health to expand the AMIHS and link it to Brighter Futures.
“AMIHS workers now have ‘preferred referrers’ status, meaning that families they refer receive priority entry into the Brighter Futures Program,” she said.
5 November, 2008
Chinese TV show steams into Sydney
Sydney’s shopping and tourist experiences are to be showcased next year on a prime time Chinese reality TV series, according to the Minister for Tourism, Jodi McKay.
Ms McKay said the four-episode “Do It Yourself” TV series would begin taping in February and feature Chinese tourists competing against each other to accomplish tasks in and around Sydney.
“This campaign is a creative way to show Chinese visitors that Sydney is a welcoming and easy city to experience,” Ms McKay said.
“It is an important milestone in successful co-operation between NSW and China to jointly promote tourism.”
Ms McKay said China was Sydney’s fastest growing tourism market and Tourism NSW expected an average 12 per cent growth in Chinese tourists each year over the next nine years.
She said the series would reach around 300 million people, and showed contestants travelling around Sydney armed only with clues, their wits and a bank cards from sponsor China UnionPay (CUP).
“In addition to iconic Sydney landmarks and venues, the production will include footage of Sydney merchants, hotels, attractions, food and beverage outlets and other entertainment establishments that are part of the CUP payment network,” Ms McKay said.
She said the campaign was a co-operative effort by Tourism NSW, its key China partners and Qantas and was one of several initiatives to extend NSW’s reach in the Chinese market, particularly among “experience seekers” who wanted a richer travel experience.
The launch of the reality show was held at the Sydney Opera House and was attended by
Chinese dignitaries including the Acting Chinese Consul General in Sydney, Li Yan Duan and Chen Xian Ming, Chief Financial Officer of China UnionPay (CUP).
5 November, 2008
Minister shows hand on gambling reforms
The Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene, has announced reforms to gaming laws that would reduce the number of poker machines and decrease problem gambling.
Mr Greene said the impacts problem gambling had on families and communities could be devastating and lead to depression, anxiety, financial and legal problems and family breakdown.
“These reforms balance the need for community protection with the need to maintain the integrity of the gaming industry,” he said.
Mr Greene said the Government would cut red tape and encourage poker machine forfeitures to reduce the number of poker machines by around 3,000 over five years.
He said the reforms would include a reduction in the Statewide cap on poker machines by 5,000; banning credit card cash withdrawals in gaming venues; restrictions on poker machine increases; advertising bans; a community fund for unclaimed prizes; and measures to ensure cheques were cashed only by financial institutions.
Mr Greene said Local Government Areas (LGAs) would be categorised into three bands based on local poker machine density, usage, health and social data.
He said under the new rules, it would be difficult to increase the total number of gaming machines in communities designated at Band 3, the highest density, with larger clubs being able to acquire more than 450 gaming machines, subject to the LGA band they fell in.
Mr Greene said the reforms followed a review of The Gaming Machines Act 2001 which was tabled in Parliament late last year.
He said the reforms built on the already strong harm minimisation measures in the Act by maintaining forfeitures and the ban on Multi-Terminal Gaming Machines in hotels and maintaining the maximum betting limit of $10 and the compulsory six-hour shutdown of machines.
Mr Greene said the Gaming Machines Amendment Bill 2008 was developed after consultation with problem gambling counsellors, community groups, and industry participants.
5 November, 2008
DSRD presents technology award
The Department of State and Regional Development's Australian Technology Showcase Patrons’ Award has been won by North Ryde company, Peptech Animal Health, for its innovative technology to assist the horse breeding industry.
Peptech had export market success with its innovative drug, Ovuplant, which helped mares ovulate and increased breeding certainty in the industry.
NatStats08 to meet
The inaugural NatStats08 Conference, to be held in Melbourne from 19 to 21 November, is expected to attract experts to discuss the impact of climate change projections on the environment, the economy and society.
Key speakers at the Conference would include Dr Martin Parkinson, Secretary of the Department of Climate Change; Ken Matthews, CEO of the National Water Commission; Dr Kerry Schott, Managing Director of Sydney Water; Peter Cosier, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists; Dr Andrew Ash, Director of Climate Adaption Flagship, CSIRO; and Greg Bourne, CEO of the World Wildlife Fund.
Firefighter killed
One of the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s most experienced fire-fighters, Bryce Laut, has been killed trying to contain a wildfire in Kumbatine National Park at the weekend.
Mr Laut was one of four officers working to contain the fire west of Kempsey when a burnt out tree fell on him.
He had worked for the NPWS for 10 years and the NSW Rural Fire Service beforehand.
Carer’s guide launched
An Aboriginal Carers’ Support Guide has been launched by the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Paul Lynch.
Mr Lynch said the guide offered tips on how to access respite services and carer support groups and focused on the health and well-being of Aboriginal carers.
He said the guide provided carers with information on how to improve their physical and emotional well-being.
Employer awards handed out
Medicare Australia and the University of Technology Sydney have been awarded Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service (CRS) Employer Awards for their commitment to giving all Australians the chance to work.
The Awards recognised employers who provided job opportunities to people with disabilities, injuries or health conditions.
The Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig, congratulated the winners, who included Warringah Council for Injury prevention, Tracey Crump from the Chief Ministers Department, ACT and a number of small, medium and large businesses.
Cookery teacher hot stuff
TAFE NSW Riverina Institute teacher, David O’Dea has been selected as the Institute for Trades Skills Excellence National Commercial Cookery Teacher of the Year, and short-listed for the Overall 2008 Trades and Skills Teacher of the Year.
Mr O’Dea was selected from a field of applicants across Australia for his work at the Riverina Institute Albury Campus' Hospitality Department.
He said he was “absolutely thrilled” about his selection.