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$15 MILLION AWARDED TO FURTHER SPINAL RESEARCH IN NSW

Seven cutting-edge NSW research projects have been awarded almost $15 million in NSW Government grants to improve the health of people with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard today announced the grants at the opening of the Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) Spinal Cord Injury Research Centre at Randwick where three of the projects will be carried out.
“The investment of close to $15 million over four years was a centrepiece of our last Budget and it’s exciting to see the range of research projects now underway,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This is about improving the health and wellbeing of people with spinal cord injuries, and these projects could help people not just in NSW but right around the world.”
Minister Hazzard said every one of the innovative projects holds tremendous promise to improve treatment for people living with spinal cord injuries, giving back muscle function, sense of touch and other abilities that most of us take for granted.
“A spinal injury brings very substantial life challenges, but advances in research now mean survivors can have a better quality of life – and even the hope of a cure,” Mr Hazzard said.
“These projects have great scope, from investigating ways to restore touch sensation through immersive virtual reality through to using electrical stimulation to improve breathing for people affected by the most severe form of paralysis.”
The following grant recipients will conduct their research at the new NeuRA centre:

Associate Professor Sylvia Gustin, The University of NSW, Neuroscience Research Australia – received $2.5 million for her research project on using virtual reality training to restore touch sensation;
Professor Jane Butler – Neuroscience Research Australia, The University of NSW, received $1.5 million to develop a treatment to restore voluntary function after spinal cord injury; and
Dr Euan McCaughey, Neuroscience Research Australia, The University of NSW, received $2.4 million for his research into using muscle stimulation to improve respiratory function for people with tetraplegia.

The projects have been awarded through the NSW Government’s Spinal Cord Injury Research Grants program, launched in November 2019, with guidance from an advisory committee of spinal cord injury experts.
NeuRA CEO, Professor Peter Schofield, said the range and scope of the funded research projects held exciting promise for health related outcomes.
“Neuroscience Research Australia is at the forefront of spinal cord injury research in Australia. Our new Spinal Cord Injury Research Centre and these research projects will dramatically improve Australia’s understanding of how to best treat people with these life-long injuries,” Professor Schofield said.
“NeuRA thanks the NSW Government for funding the Spinal Cord Injury Research Grants Program, and SpinalCure Australia for its tireless efforts in campaigning for more research funding to improve the quality of life for people with a spinal cord injury.”
Information on grant recipients and their research projects is available here.

$4 MILLION FOR OUR SURF LIFE SAVING

4 million in funding will improve the facilities of Surf Life Saving Clubs across NSW with clubs in bushfire and drought affected areas prioritised for assistance.
26 clubs have secured funds for upgrades, restoration or construction as part of the NSW Government’s Surf Club Facility Program.
Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said NSW is so grateful to our amazing volunteers and their clubs which supported the community during the recent bushfires.
“Surf club volunteers provided refuge to thousands of people who were evacuated from the fires and those images of courage and selflessness epitomised the Australian spirit,” Mr Lee said.
“These men and women always put their bodies on the line to save us from danger and this funding is essential to keep their facilities updated for future generations.”
Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh joined Minister Lee at Coffs Harbour Surf Life Saving Club which received over $30,000 to upgrade its security system and replace clubhouse roller doors. Sawtell SLSC received over $58,000 to construct a waste management compound.
“North Coast Surf Life Saving clubs play a vital role patrolling our beaches and keeping us safe in and out of the water,” Mr Singh said.
“The drought and bushfires have had a devastating effect on North Coast communities but our local volunteers never wavered in their commitment to ensuring our safety.”
CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW Steven Pearce said the latest funding would ensure facilities remained rescue ready, safe, accessible and secure.
“Surf Life Saving Clubs are often the hub of communities and our volunteer lifesavers need fit-for-purpose facilities so they can focus on saving lives,” Mr Pearce said.
“These grants allow significant upgrades to facilities at 26 surf clubs to improve amenities for members who perform these lifesaving roles.”
For a full list of funding recipients visit: https://sport.nsw.gov.au/clubs/grants/SCFP

Ride-share driver stabbed – Merewether

Police are appealing for public assistance after a ride-share driver was stabbed in Merewether this morning.
About 2.35am this morning (Thursday 23 July 2020), a 22-year-old driver picked up a group of people at Windale before travelling to William Street, Merewether.
Police have been told one of passengers threatened the 22-year-old with a blade and demanded his car keys, wallet and phone.
The driver resisted before he was stabbed in the upper arm and leg.
The group fled the scene in the man’s vehicle before the driver called emergency services.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District attended and established a crime scene.
The driver was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before he was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment to non-life-threatening injuries.
The vehicle is described as a 2010 silver-coloured Ford Focus, with NSW registration plates BPX 15C.
Anyone with information about the incident or about the whereabouts of the vehicle is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Two further Penalty Infringement Notices (PINs) issued under the Public Health Act

Two further people have been issued Penalty Infringement Notices for failing to self-isolate as per their obligations under the Public Health Act (COVID-19 Border Control).
In the first instance, a 39-year-old woman was granted a permit from Service NSW to travel from Victoria to NSW last Monday (13 July 2020). The woman arrived at Sydney Airport on Monday (20 July 2020) and was made aware of the directions in relation to self-isolation, meaning she was to remain at her residential address until Tuesday 4 August 2020.
Police conducted a compliance check at the woman’s Redfern address on Tuesday evening (21 July 2020) and found the woman was not at home. She returned home while police were at her address and was warned in relation to the breach.
About 2.30am the following morning (Wednesday 22 July 2020), officers were patrolling the Redfern area when they stopped a vehicle in order to breath-test the driver. When officers approached the car, they immediately recognised the woman as being the person they had warned only hours before.
She was returned home and issued with a $1000 Penalty Infringement Notice for failing to comply with a requirement of the Public Health Order.
In the second incident, officers from Riverina Police District attended a holiday apartment on Parkes Street, Temora, about 5pm yesterday (Thursday 23 July 2020), after receiving information in relation to breaches of self-isolation directions.
Police spoke with two Victorian men, who arrived under a permit in NSW on Tuesday 14 July 2020, and planned to move to Queensland, so were staying at the location in NSW for their self-isolation period.
It was established one of the men had gone to a local gym for a workout and attended a chemist earlier that day.
Following inquiries, officers issued the 37-year-old man with a $1000 Penalty Infringement Notice for failing to comply with noticed direction in relation to section 7/8/9 – COVID-19.
Anyone who has information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of a COVID-19-related ministerial direction is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

Teenagers charged over fast food restaurant fire – Cessnock

Four teenagers have been charged over allegedly lighting a blaze at a fast food restaurant in the Hunter at the weekend.
About 3.30am on Sunday (19 July 2020), emergency services were called to a fast food restaurant on Allandale Road, Cessnock, after reports of a fire within the external playground area.
Crews from Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the flames a short time later.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District commenced an investigation into the cause of the blaze.
Following extensive inquiries, about 9am yesterday (Thursday 23 July 2020), police attended a high school in Cessnock, and arrested a 15-year-old boy.
Then about 2.40pm, officers attended another high school in Cessnock, where they arrested a 14-year-old boy.
Later that evening, two teenage girls – aged 16 and 17 – attended Cessnock Police Station where they were both arrested.
All four teenagers were charged with damage property by fire and were all granted conditional bail to appear at a children’s court on Monday 11 August 2020.
Inquiries are continuing into the incident.

Greens will oppose Liberal & Labor agreed cuts to low-income JobKeeper and JobSeeker

Greens Leader Adam Bandt and spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert have responded to today’s announcement that the government has agreed to Labor’s proposal to cut JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments, even as unemployment soars and the Covid outbreak continues in Victoria and NSW.
This is being billed as an extension, but the reality for millions of Australians, many of whom are still under lockdown, is that this is a cut in vital income support.
“Disappointingly, the Liberals have listened to Labor’s call to cut JobKeeper support for low-income earners,” Bandt said.
“These cuts will see push part-time and casual workers closer to poverty. Many casual workers are young, insecure, low-paid and underemployed workers desperately seeking more work & higher wages.
“With JobKeeper, many workers were getting something close to a living wage but the Liberals and Labor are readying to throw these vulnerable workers off a financial cliff.
“It’s deeply disappointing to hear Anthony Albanese describe a living wage for the lowest income earners as ‘waste’. It is the sell-out of the century.
“The ACTU, the Victorian Trades Hall Council and the United Workers Union have all rejected cuts to JobKeeper and the do Greens too. The extended scheme is still $44 billion under budget and there is no excuse for this targeted attack. We should be expanding the payment to all workers who need it, not cutting it.
“The Greens will fight every attempt by the Liberals and Labor to cut support for low income and unemployed workers.”
Senator Rachel Siewert said:
“A temporary arrangement on JobSeeker is a mistake. We are deeply concerned that this payment will take people below the poverty line and the impact this will have on their lives. We have to give the community and businesses confidence for the long haul.”
“The Government recognises the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 by taking Jobkeeper through to March, why haven’t they done the same for Jobseeker?
“We are in a recession. Not only is it cruel to keep people living with uncertainty and in poverty, we need people spending to stimulate our economy.
“Claims that the Jobseeker rate is discouraging people from working is a regression to myths and tropes used to demonise people who are accessing income support.
“It should not be Government policy for those without work to live in poverty. The higher level of Jobseeker has enabled many people to get out of poverty or stay above the poverty line, which is a key barrier to finding and maintaining employment.
“The employment services system was already not fit for purpose before the COVID-19 pandemic and somehow the Prime Minister expects the system to manage with the huge increase in caseload.
“The jobs are simply not there and it is absolutely senseless to deny people adequate support in the midst of a recession,” Siewert said.

Millions more for Murdoch while ABC funding gets cut

The Greens have slammed the Morrison Government‘s decision today to give another $10million of public money to Fox Sports, taking the total amount of corporate welfare under this program to the Murdoch company to $40million.
Greens Spokesperson for Media and Communications Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Another day, another public hand-out to the Morrison Government’s Murdoch mates.
“Giving tens of millions to Fox Sports while cutting funding to the ABC really is the height of arrogance.
“This is corporate welfare, plain and simple; under this Government corporate welfare to Murdoch is fine, but Australians who have lost their job due to Covid19 get their payments cut.
“This funding program for Murdoch’s Fox Sports says everything about the priorities of the Morrison Government. The Morrison Government is handing out millions of dollars of taxpayer money to a private, corporate broadcaster while slashing funding at the public broadcaster.
“It would be great if the PM genuinely cared about the broadcast of women’s sport, but given taxpayers have to also pay Murdoch for the privilege of watching a broadcast they’ve already funded through this program, that’s obviously not the case.
“Any support for the broadcast of women’s sport should be going to the public broadcasters which fans can watch for no further cost.
“Australians were outraged by the last $30million handed out under this program and will be disgusted the Morrison Government has seen fit to hand out even more cash to Murdoch.
“The ABC has suffered from repeated budget cuts under the Coalition Government, some $783million since 2014, and is now cutting jobs and news services to stay afloat. If there is money to go round for broadcasting, it should go to the ABC and SBS.
“The PM needs to reverse the funding cuts to the ABC. He can easily find the first $10million by taking it back from Murdoch and putting it where it will be the most benefit to broadcasting and promoting women’s sport and where fans can actually watch it without forking out more money.”

City updates Gallery expansion plans to include more exhibition space

City of Newcastle will shortly lodge an amended development application to further increase exhibition floor space for an expanded Newcastle Art Gallery.
Earlier this week the Lord Mayor and Gallery Director Lauretta Morton presented the revised plans to Federal Senator Hollie Hughes and NSW Upper House Member Taylor Martin MLC, along with the Newcastle Art Gallery Working Party Chair Cathy Tate and the Board of the Art Gallery Foundation.
Newcastle-Art-Gallery-(Large).JPG ^{(L-R): Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation Chair Suzie Galwey, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, Senator Hollie Hughes and Taylor Martin MLC at Newcastle Art Gallery.}
The expansion will see the 43-year-old building extended east along Darby Street and Queen Street with an eye-catching glass façade, a street-level café and retail shop, with overall exhibition space expanded by 250% which will include a dedicated display of the Gallery’s permanent collection. The additional exhibition space has in part been created by the removal of two shopfronts that were previously proposed in the approved DA.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the State Government had previously endorsed the project in its Cultural Infrastructure Plan 2025, which identified the Newcastle Art Gallery redevelopment as a regional opportunity.
“An expanded Newcastle Art Gallery would further develop the Civic Precinct and provide a wide range of benefits to the community including increased exhibitions, events, educational programs and upgraded facilities,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This is particularly important as a mechanism to help stimulate the NSW economy and create 170 jobs during this time of uncertainty. The annual impact on regional revenue would be more than $1 million, with 14,116 additional local visitors and tourists exploring what the gallery and the city has to offer.”
Senator Hollie Hughes said Monday’s meeting was positive and demonstrated a collaborative approach to the Gallery expansion.
“Newcastle Art Gallery is well supported by the local community and it was useful to hear more from the City’s representatives about plans for this project and how a collaborative approach may help bring it to life.”
Taylor Martin MLC welcomed the opportunity to be briefed on plans for the site.
“City of Newcastle has presented a well-considered proposal for its Art Gallery expansion including its recent amendments which will ensure the maximum exposure of its collection through more exhibition space.”
Chair of the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation, Suzie Galwey, said she was pleased to see plans progress.
“The Foundation’s mission is to build and nurture our highly acclaimed Newcastle Art Gallery collection, and this expansion is key to that.”
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said the redeveloped Gallery would be a major drawcard for the city.
“As Australia’s first purpose-built regional Gallery, Newcastle is custodian to a nationally recognised permanent collection of over 7,000 works of art, providing a time capsule of Australian art dating back to the earliest days of Newcastle more than 200 years ago when it became Australia’s second city to be settled,” Ms Morton said.
“The long-awaited expansion of the Gallery, which our Foundation, Society and the community have worked tirelessly towards, will offer the ability to share more of the City’s collection, displaying works of art of local, national and international importance for visitors to view and enjoy.
“This makes the Gallery one of the City’s biggest cultural assets, located in the heart of the city centre’s revitalisation directly across from the new 5-star Kingsley Hotel.”
City of Newcastle has committed more than $10 million to the project and to date invested $3.6 million towards the Art Gallery expansion.
Based on a 2019 quantity survey, $35.6 million is required to complete the construction of the expanded Newcastle Art Gallery.
BIS Oxford Economics completed a Preliminary Cost Benefit Analysis in March 2019 demonstrating that the benefits of the expansion proposal far outweigh the costs with a Benefit-Cost Ratio of 1.77 and a Net Present Value of $24.1 million, including 170 new jobs during its two year construction.
Benefits to the NSW Economy:

The Cost Benefit Analysis by BIS Oxford Economics positively demonstrates that the benefits of the proposal far outweigh the costs with a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.77 and a positive Net Present Value (NPV) of $23.8 million.
The expanded NAG would further develop an arts and culture precinct within walking distance of the Civic Precinct: Newcastle City Hall, the Civic Theatre, Newcastle Library and Newcastle Museum.
The estimated job creation from the expansion project has been estimated by Prosperity Consulting at 170 jobs; comprising 152 temporary jobs during the construction phase and 18 ongoing FTE jobs post completion.
The 152 jobs compromise 76 direct jobs directly generated in the region in the areas of construction and consultancy from the project. An additional 38 jobs will result from additional production and an additional 38 jobs will be generated from the additional consumption.
The redevelopment of NAG would provide a wide range of benefits to society associated with increased exhibitions, events, expansion of educational programs and upgraded facilities.
The annual effect on regional revenue attributable to the Gallery’s expansion/ redevelopment is estimated at $1,099,830 with 14,116 additional local and tourist visits.
Further additional visitation is estimated at 73,590 in relation to use of the additional Gallery facilities outside of exhibition spaces; generating revenue of $2.7 million in relation to the use of these facilities.

$4 MILLION FOR OUR SURF LIFE SAVING

Police urge community to avoid travel across NSW/Victoria border unless essential

The NSW Police Force is reminding the community that new border restrictions are in place and only valid permit holders will be allowed to enter NSW from Victoria.
The amendment to the Public Health (COVID-19 Border Control) Order 2020, under section 7 of the Public Health Act 2010, directs that as at 12.01am today (Wednesday 22 July 2020), entry into NSW from Victoria is not permitted unless strict exemption criteria can be met.
All permits approved under the previous order have expired and anyone eligible to travel into NSW must apply for a new permit on the Service NSW website.
A high-visibility operation remains in place, with police from across NSW working alongside Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to facilitate safe and lawful crossings along the border.
Operation Border Closure Commander, Assistant Commissioner Scott Whyte, urged the community to avoid travelling during the morning and afternoon peaks.
“Since the commencement of this operation, we have been working with the community and industry to minimise delays at checkpoints, and our best advice is not to travel unless it’s essential,” Assistant Commisisoner Whyte said.
“For those who must travel, they can help reduce overall delays by avoiding peak times, particularly at the major checkpoints.”
The major checkpoints are located at Albury/Wodonga, Moama/Echuca and Buronga/Mildura.
Assistant Commissioner Whyte added that being prepared to produce documentation and identification will also assist in reducing individual interaction times at checkpoints.
“As both police and the community adjust to the new permits, there will be delays in reviewing and clarifying details at checkpoints,” Assistant Commisisoner Whyte said.
“By having the paperwork ready to go, we can all save valuable time, which will add up if we can save a minute when facilitating each of the hundreds of crossings each hour.
“Finally, if you don’t have a permit, don’t come to the border. You will be turned around and if you don’t comply, we will take action.”
More information about the restrictions is available at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/what-you-can-and-cant-do-under-rules/border-restrictions.
The Public Health Act 2010 (NSW) provides police with the power to enforce Public Helath Orders. It is an offence for a person to fail to comply with an order, and severe penalties apply, which include a maximum penalty of up to $11,000 and/or six months imprisonment for individuals.
The standard penalty will be a $1000 fine by way of a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN).
It is an offence to provide false information when applying for exemptions, with a maximum penalty of up to $22,000 and/or two years imprisonment for individuals.
Police continue to appeal to the community to report suspected breaches of any ministerial direction or behaviour which may impact on the health and safety of the community.
Anyone who has information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of a COVID-19-related ministerial direction is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au or 1800 333 000. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.