MORE MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE FOR BUSHFIRE RAVAGED COMMUNITIES

The NSW Government today announced it will boost the number of specialist mental health bushfire recovery clinicians recruited since the crisis by nine, taking the total to 30 across the state.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Bushfire Recovery John Barilaro said as our immediate response efforts now transition to the next stage of recovery, the ongoing effects of the bushfire crisis will also change the way people require mental health assistance.
“The bushfire clean-up and recovery is well underway across the state, but this is an emotional and trying journey for many,” Mr Barilaro said.
“As our immediate response efforts now transition to the next phase of recovery, the ongoing effects of the bushfire crisis will require mental health support now and for a long time into the future.”
Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor said the positions will be spread across all bushfire affected local health districts, as communities work towards stability.
“Nine new fulltime specialist mental health clinicians will now join the 21 currently being recruited to bushfire affected communities to make sure we are continuing to address those specific needs, now and into the future,” she said.
“We will not stop, as our attention now turns to targeting people and groups at risk, and those who need specialist care,” she said.
The total NSW Government investment for bushfire mental health stands at $15.3 million to support hard hit communities across the state.
People suffering from trauma or stress as a result of the State’s bushfire crisis should contact their local health service via the NSW Mental Health Line on 1 800 011 511
The Disaster Welfare Assistance Line is staffed with counseling support and can be accessed by phone on 1800 018 444

Man dies following crash – Tomago

A man has died following a crash in the state’s Hunter region yesterday.
About 12.40pm (Sunday 8 March 2020), emergency services were called to Tomago Road, Tomago, after reports a Mitsubishi ASX had crashed into a tree after colliding with an Izuzu D-Max.
The Mitsubishi driver, a 75-year-old man, died at the scene.
The Izuzu driver, a 32-year-old man, sustained serious internal injuries and was airlifted to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
The passengers, two women aged 66 and 26 and a 2-year-old boy, suffered minor injuries.
All were transferred to John Hunter Hospital for treatment.
Officers from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command established a crime scene, with the Crash Investigation Unit to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Any witnesses or anyone with dashcam vision who were in the area at the time are urged to come forward.
 

Aboriginal ingenuity on exhibition at Museum

The skills, culture and adaptability of First Nations people will be showcased at Newcastle Museum when the improvisational genius of the famous Bush Mechanics is complemented by a display of locally made possum skin cloaks and weaving. 
The hit ABC documentary series Bush Mechanics, which combined the mechanical resourcefulness of Central Australia’s Walpiri men with their humour and music, was a TV phenomenon in 2001.  
Four episodes in which they replaced car parts with tree boughs and cleverly used other bush resources, such as mulga, spinifex and sand, as tools and spare parts, were watched by more than 3 million viewers.  
An EH Holden they cut the roof off to use as a makeshift trailer, a Ford Fairlane adorned in a water-dreaming painting and a driver-simulator cobbled from random machinery and a computer monitor, feature among their handiwork in the Bush Mechanics exhibition from the National Motor Museum. 
Roofless-Holden-inside.jpgThe old Holden lopped by the Bush Mechanics.
Specially commissioned art, displays showing their clever “nyurulypa” (good bush tricks) and an augmented reality app that explains the Ford Fairlane painting, feature among the exhibition’s interactive components. 

“The City of Newcastle invests around $15 million in delivering cultural facilities in our city year in year out, and our Newcastle Museum plays a vital role in telling our stories and showcasing wonderful Australian talent like the Bush Mechanics,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.  
Joining the Bush Mechanics display, Cultural Resurgence will showcase woven and possum skin works created by local Aboriginal community groups, such as the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal lands council, the Awabakal Elders group and various school groups with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and their teachers with local organisation Speaking in Colour.  
“In all of these programs cultural enrichment is paramount,” Managing Director of Speaking in Colour Cherie Johnson said“In all of these programs cultural enrichment is paramount. 
“The diversity of individuals’ knowledge and abilities vary; however, we have found the hunger to learn and create is shared by all. Over the course of this program it is beautiful to watch the students become the teachers, sharing what they have learnt with their friends and family. We have witnessed generations share and work together on projects that many have not had the chance to do before.” 
Driver-simulator-inside.jpgWalpiri-style driver simulator.
Newcastle Museum Director Julie Baird said she was excited to have the two exhibitions on display together.  
“Bush Mechanics, with its desert mob Walpiri way of solving problems and the local Speaking in Colour weaving and possum skin cloaks created by both young and old, allows us to celebrate the culture and ingenuity of our First Nations people,” Ms Baird said.

Bush Mechanics and Cultural Resurgence are free at Newcastle Museum until 30 May.

LOCAL SCHOOLS LOCAL DECISIONS TO BE FINE TUNED

Local Schools Local Decisions will be improved with schools earning the autonomy to make decisions around the allocation of funds and learning programs by hitting a range of numeracy and literacy targets.
There will also be changes to alleviate the administrative burden for principals as a matter of priority. This will allow schools to focus on what they do best – educating children.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said there is room for improvement when it comes to our student’s performance across NSW.
“To ensure students receive the best education we must be able to enforce best teaching practice consistently across our schools,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Local Schools Local Decisions is a sound policy but we need to make sure it works as it was intended. Adjustments will make it easier for the NSW Government to provide support to schools that are underperforming.”
Schools will earn the autonomy to make funding, and educational decisions by hitting a range of targets, using criteria such as Bump It Up, HSC results and NAPLAN results.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the NSW Government is investing a record amount in education and the improvements to Local Schools Local Decisions will strike the right balance between autonomy, accountability and support for schools.
“Improving Local Schools Local Decisions is unashamedly about lifting performance in NSW through supporting evidence based best practice teaching and learning, Ms Mitchell said.
“It is fantastic that many schools have been able to excel under Local Schools Local Decisions, but other schools need more attention when it comes to improving outcomes. These changes to the policy will enable us to provide the support that these principals and teachers need.
“We want to help principals by removing unnecessary administration burdens and allowing them to spend more time leading their schools and supporting their students.”
The NSW Government will consult with education stakeholders on the reforms and will agree on targets with schools by the end of Term 4 2020. The changes will be implemented on Day one Term 1 2021.

Man charged after child abuse material found – Lake Macquarie

A man has been charged with possessing child abuse material in the Lake Macquarie region yesterday.
About 9.30am (Thursday 5 March 2020), detectives from Lake Macquarie Police District executed a search warrant at a home on George Street, Holmesville, following reports a man was allegedly disseminating child abuse material over the internet.
Detectives spoke with a 49-year-old man and allegedly found child abuse material on his phone.
Following inquiries, computers, computer storage devices and mobile phones were seized by police.
The man was arrested and charged with one count of possess child abuse material.
He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Toronto Local Court on Tuesday 24 March 2020.

Stolen laptops, jewellery, car seized; two in court – Lake Macquarie PD

Police have charged two people and recovered jewellery, laptops and housebreaking implements when a stolen car was spotted in the Lake Macquarie area yesterday.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District had been investigating the theft of a Kia Cerato from a Newcastle shopping centre on 24 February 2020, when the vehicle was spotted in Speers Street, Speers Point, about 11.30am (Friday 6 March 2020).
A 30-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man were arrested in the stolen car and were taken to Belmont Police Station.
When police searched the vehicle, they recovered jewellery and laptops, alleged to have been stolen, as well as housebreaking implements.
The woman has been charged with enter enclosed land and be carried in conveyance without consent.
The man has been charged with trespass, be carried in conveyance without consent, possess housebreaking implements, and goods in custody suspected of being stolen.
Both have been refused bail to appear in Newcastle Local Court today (Saturday 7 March 2020).

Officer injured following large party; man charged – Lake Macquarie

A man has been charged after a police officer was injured while dispersing a large party at Lake Macquarie last night.
About 10.15pm (Friday 6 March 2020), officers from Lake Macquarie Police District were called to a large party at a home on Bridgewater Close, Eleebana.
On arrival, officers located more than 100 people in the street, and a number of people proceeded to throw glass bottles at police.
One officer was hit by a bottle, sustaining minor injuries, and a police vehicle was damaged. Additional police attended and dispersed the crowd.
A man is alleged to have harassed a police dog, and attempted to incite the crowd to further attack officers.
The 21-year-old was arrested after allegedly failing to comply with a police direction. He resisted before being restrained and taken to Belmont Police Station.
He was charged with fail to comply with direction, behave in offensive manner in/near public place/school, and resist or hinder police officer in the execution of duty, and granted strict conditional bail to appear at Belmont Local Court on Wednesday 8 April 2020.
Police are investigating the incident and as they continue their inquiries, they would like to speak to anyone who has information on attendees of the party.
 

Increased funding vital for improving police responses to domestic violence

Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters, has written to Minister for Women Marise Payne ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of Women’s Safety Ministers asking for additional funding and national coordination to improve frontline police services available to people reporting domestic and family violence.
“Women who have survived domestic violence won’t seek police help if they think they will be disbelieved or exposed to more danger,” she said.
“The reported cases of leaking survivors’ details, failures to prosecute, unfortunate remarks and under-enforcement of DVO breaches are extremely concerning and show more police training and cultural change is required within the Queensland Police Service.
“The Federal government can’t continue to say police matters are a state issue, when they could improve frontline police services on family violence through federal funding for training, enforcement and harmonisation.
“Women’s services also tell us of the urgent need for more funding for the Family Court, prevention and early intervention programs, specialist legal and support services, crisis accommodation and housing support to improve the family law system.
“We need an urgent investment of $5.3 billion for a new 10-year National Partnership Agreement on Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women between state and Federal governments.
“Governments must listen when these front line services say more funding will make a difference and invest to fix the domestic violence crisis.”
View the full letter here: https://www.facebook.com/larissawaters/photos/a.420965439098/10158087809434099/?type=3&theater

SCOTT MORRISON AGAIN MISLEADS PARLIAMENT OVER SPORTS RORTS

Scott Morrison has again misled Parliament by claiming all projects bankrolled under his infamous Sports Rorts program were eligible for funding despite a clear finding to the contrary by the independent Australian National Audit Office.
Last month the ANOA ruled that 43 per cent of grants made ahead of last year’s election under the $100 million Community Sport Infrastructure Grant scheme were ineligible for funding.
Despite this formal finding, Mr Morrison has claimed at least 16 times, including in the House of Representatives on February 5, that no ineligible projects were funded.
This is simply not true. Indeed, the inaccuracy of this comment was confirmed at a Senate inquiry hearing on February 13 by ANAO official Brian Boyd.
Today, in Parliament I offered Mr Morrison the opportunity to correct the record.
But instead of recognising the truth Mr Morrison doubled down, claiming “The comments that I made on that matter were made on the basis of the information that was available to me from the ANAO report.’’
For the record, the ANAO Report says:
4.31 … In this context, there were increasing risks that approved projects could have commenced works or been already delivered (in both instances, resulting in them being no longer eligible under the CSIG guidelines).
4.32 These risks were realised, with October 2019 data from Sport Australia’s grants management system indicating that:

  • eight projects were completed by the time funding agreements were executed by Sport Australia; and
  • 272 projects out of the 684 approved (or 40 per cent) across all three rounds had already commenced by the time funding agreements were executed.

4.33 In addition to program ineligibility, this situation suggests that — particularly in respect of the eight completed projects — those selected for funding under the program may not have required Australian Government funding in order to deliver their projects.
Public confidence in our political system requires that political leaders be honest, particularly before the Parliament.
Mr Morrison needs to be straight with the people of Australia.
He must correct the record when Parliament sits tomorrow.

AROUND 140,000 APPRENTICES AND TRAINEES GONE: SCOTT MORRISON’S TRADIE CRISIS HOLDING AUSTRALIA BACK

New education department data shows around 140,000 apprentices and trainees have been lost under Scott Morrison’s third term Liberal Government, and it’s holding our nation back.
Scott Morrison created this tradie crisis.  It’s hurting our economy, and denying Australians jobs.
As a result, we now have shortages of bricklayers, plumbers, hairdressers, bakers, electricians, mechanics, panelbeaters, and other critical trades.
No part of Australia is safe.  Every state and territory has lost apprentices and trainees.

We’ve had many businesses, big and small, tell us that they’d love to grow, to take on more staff, but that they can’t find people with the right training.
In fact, the Australian Industry Group says 75 per cent of businesses report they are struggling to find the qualified workers they need.
At the same time, there are almost two million Australians crying out for work or looking for more hours.
Scott Morrison’s failure is criminal.
The Liberals have cut around $3 billion from TAFE and training.
Australia has fewer apprentices and trainees today than when the Liberals first came to office.
There are more people dropping out of vocational education and training courses than finishing them.
By locking Australians out of education and training, the Liberals are locking Australians out of jobs.