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Baulkham Hills and Penrith will be at the heart of the NSW netball community this weekend when they host the 2019 HART Junior State Titles from Saturday to Monday, 6-8 July.
Formerly known as the Netball NSW State Age Championships, the three-day event, which is one of the largest female sporting competitions in the southern hemisphere, will see teams play in three age-groups (12U, 13/U and 14/U) and across four divisions (1, 2, 3 & 4).
In order to accommodate the sheer size and scope of the State Age Championships, Netball NSW undertook a detailed review to find out how the organisation could make them run in the most efficient and sustainable manner.
After five decades of success it involved some shuffling, and a little rebranding, but in the new HART Junior State Titles the organisation has strengthened the event’s solid foundations as it looks to the next 50 years and beyond.
In 2019 Baulkham Hills Netball Association will play host to divisions 1 and 2 of the age-groups, while Penrith District Netball Association will welcome participants from divisions 3 and 4.
State Champions will be crowned on Monday with the Division 1 winners in each respective age-group taking the mantle of State Champions.
In total 2,347 players from 232 teams, representing 85 Associations, will hit the courts with almost 400 (395 to be exact) umpires officiating.
Netball NSW President Louise Sullivan said she was looking forward to one of the busiest, but best, weekends on the calendar.
“In terms of players alone, thousands will descend on both venues this weekend,” she said.
“Add onto that the hundreds of officials, coaches, team managers and thousands of supporters, and you have a pretty special gathering.
“Every one of our players should take a moment to acknowledge and be proud of their achievement to be here, and to thank all those in their life that made that success possible.
“At the elite level we currently have some of our NSW Swifts and Giants away with the Australian Diamonds for the Netball World Cup in England.
“Those players came through competitions such as the HART Junior State Titles. For those that aspire for that same journey, or to enjoy their netball in
other ways, I hope your dreams come true.”
She also paid tribute to netball’s volunteer workforce, who will be out in numbers this weekend.
“Of course, we are only ever as strong as our volunteer base and I want to make special mention of those who give up their spare time to instill a love of netball in the next generation. This weekend simply would not happen without you.”
As well as our volunteers and staff, Netball NSW would also like to thank HART Sport, the naming rights partner of the Junior State Titles, and extend those thanks to the following official partners of the event: QBE, TAFE NSW, BBX and The Kids Cancer Project.
 

Light Rail Vehicle testing is ramping up along George Street, with the vehicles expected to reach Circular Quay by August and the line to open to customers before the end of the year.
Premier Gladys Berejikilian and Minister for Transport Andrew Constance today inspected a new Light Rail Vehicle parked outside Town Hall during the day for the first time.
“It is great to see light rail back on George Street and the progress which is being made on this gamechanging project,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We can expect to see a lot more light rail vehicles making their way through the CBD from now on.
“Day testing is underway between Randwick and Central. It will be extended to Town Hall soon and the vehicles will reach Circular Quay within months.
“When it opens the line will deliver high capacity services from the heart of the city to Moore Park, Randwick Racecourse and the University of NSW.”
Mr Constance said with testing becoming more frequent the NSW Government has today launched the new “Heads Up, Play it Safe around Light Rail” safety campaign.
“We remind the community to be aware of the changed environment and keep their “Heads Up” around the light rail,” Mr Constance said.
“Trams are quieter than people expect and cannot stop easily or quickly.
“We need pedestrians to look up from their phones and for cyclists and drivers to be aware and remember that tracks are for trams.”
The campaign features former and current rugby league legends as part of Transport for NSW’s road safety partnership with the NSW Rugby League and is aimed at raising awareness about being safe around light rail.
New trams hold up to up to 450 passengers, equivalent of up to nine standard buses.  This means the new light rail network will have the initial capacity to move up to 13,500 commuters per hour during peak times (7am – 7pm).

NSW will be a safer State with 450 additional police to be assigned to local stations and specialist areas over the next 12 months to protect communities and fight crime.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is investing $583 million to provide 1500 additional police over the next four years, the single biggest investment for the NSW Police Force in more than 30 years.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW Government was delivering record investment to frontline services for schools and hospitals, as well as police and emergency services.
“Our frontline police officers put their lives on the line to protect the community. These additional police officers will be sent to stations where they are needed the most to ensure the safety and security of the local community,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“In addition to more local police, the NSW Police Force will boost the ranks of high-visibility teams, as well as specialist crime fighters devoted to strategic intelligence and cyber crime.”
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said NSW has some of the lowest crime rates in 20 years, and the changing nature of crime meant it was vital more police were introduced into the ranks.
“This a major boost to ensure police have the resources they need to protect the community. These officers include specialist police to deal with aged crime prevention, where an elderly person is the victim of a crime, and to monitor offenders on the Child Protection Register. Every police area or district in NSW will receive these additional officers across four years,” Mr Elliott said.
NSW Police Force Commissioner Mick Fuller said new positions will be created in the areas most in need.
“These fully funded positions are the resource boost we need to continue to drive down crime and protect the community,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“Positions are being placed in the areas most in need across the state. We will see more officers in police area commands and police districts as well as in specialist commands, such as our Strategic Intelligence, Rural Crime and Cyber Crime Squads.
“By 2023, we will have a child protection register coordinator and aged crime prevention officer at each police area command and police district across the state.
“We know we will face emerging threats in the future. With the structure in place and our strong position, we’ll be able to allocate resources where they’ll make the greatest difference.”
Areas of NSW receiving police in the first batch during 2019-20 include:

• Nepean PAC and Hunter Valley PD (11 each)
• Mid North Coast PD (10 each)
• Monaro PD and South Coast PD (nine each)
• Coffs-Clarence PD and Richmond PD (eight each)
• Central West PD, Mt Druitt PAC (seven each)
• Camden PAC, Cumberland PAC, Newcastle City PD, Orana Mid Western PD, Riverina PD (six each), and
• Chifley PD, Hume PD, Lake Illawarra PD, Lake Macquarie PD, New England PD, Oxley PD, Port Stephens-Hunter PD, The Hills PAC and Tuggerah Lakes PD (five each).

An additional 38 police will go to high visibility policing, with 20 for Central Metro, eight for North West Metro, six for Northern, eight for South West Metro and six for Southern.
Other highlights include 10 new police to be allocated to cybercrime, nine in surveillance, and six each in strategic intelligence and rural crime.
Future allocations of positions will be determined based on resource requirements and how best to prevent, disrupt and respond to emerging crime issues.

Three Sydney men were arrested this morning as part of a NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) investigation targeting a group of people alleged to support the Islamic State terrorist organisation.
Police executed a total of six search warrants this morning in the western Sydney suburbs of Greenacre, Toongabbie, Chester Hill, Ingleburn, Green Valley and Canada Bay. Activity at a number of these locations may continue throughout today and into tomorrow.
The NSW JCTT comprises representatives from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police Force, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the NSW Crime Commission.
A 20-year-old man from Greenacre is expected to be charged with one count of acts in preparation for a terrorist act, contrary to section 101.6 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth), and one count of engage in preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, contrary to section 119.4(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment.
It will be alleged in court that the man had made early-stage preparations and had expressed an intention to carry out a terrorist attack in Australia. The man allegedly indicated a range of targets, which included prominent Sydney landmarks and locations, but had not selected a specific target or time to do so.
NSW JCTT investigators and partner agencies worked diligently during this investigation to ensure the safety of the community, and did not identify any specific and impending threat. It will further be alleged that the Greenacre man had indicated a willingness to travel to Afghanistan to fight with Islamic State.
The Greenacre man and a 23-year-old from Toongabbie are expected to be charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation, namely Islamic State, contrary to section 102.3 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 10 years imprisonment.
It will be alleged in court that both men identified as members of Islamic State to other like-minded people. It will also be alleged the Toongabbie man was prominent in the global online extremist community.
A 30-year-old Chester Hill man – an associate of the other two men – is expected to be charged obtaining a financial benefit by deception, namely fraudulently claiming Commonwealth unemployment benefits, contrary to section 134.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 10 years imprisonment.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney, National Manager Counter Terrorism, said this investigation highlighted the effectiveness of law enforcement and intelligence agencies working together.
“The JCTT is committed to using the powers of all partner agencies to target people whose criminal activities pose a threat to the Australian community,” he said.
“The tireless efforts of the JCTT members over the past 12 months have allowed us to collect evidence of the activities of two men, who will now face serious terrorism charges, and ensure that any possible threat to the community was safely mitigated and disrupted.”
NSW Police Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Commander, Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing, said the primary threat of terrorism comes directly from individuals with extremist ideologies, but the secondary threat is their ability to influence others – particularly through the internet.
“The online environment provides fast and easy access to information and, unfortunately, those benefits are also being exploited by extremists, who use digital technologies to exist ‘virtually’ if their physical existence is under threat,” Assistant Commissioner Willing said.
“Much of the NSW JCTT’s work includes investigation into online activities, and while we have seen success – including today’s arrests – we continue to appeal to the community for assistance to ensure the safety of all Australians.”
All three men are expected to appear before Parramatta Local Court today or tomorrow once charging processes are completed. Further updates will be provided as they become available.

Three Sydney men were arrested this morning as part of a NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) investigation targeting a group of people alleged to support the Islamic State terrorist organisation.
Police executed a total of six search warrants this morning in Sydney’s western suburbs.
The men – aged 20, 23, and 30 – are expected to be charged with criminal offences later today.
 

NSW kids are keeping active while their parents are keeping the cash, with each school-enrolled child now able to access two $100 Active Kids vouchers from July 1.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the money helps parents pay registration costs for sport and recreation, so our kids can participate and stay active all year-round.
“Families across NSW keep telling me how much the Active Kids Vouchers help them manage the cost of living. Now with two per school enrolled child, parents keep even more money in their back pocket while their kids stay happy and healthy,” said Mr Perrottet.
Since the Active Kids program was launched in 2018, more than one million vouchers have been redeemed and more than $100 million saved by NSW families.
Minister for Sport John Sidoti said it is a big win for NSW when more kids can participate in sport because of the Government’s drive to take down the barriers to expensive registration costs.
“Whether it is soccer, scouts, AFL, rugby, netball, golf or volleyball, you’re sure to find an activity kids will love. Active Kids really is making a difference to children’s participation in sport and active recreation in NSW,” Mr Sidoti said.
From January – June there was an overall increase of 13 per cent in the number of Active Kids’ vouchers created, including a 17 per cent rise in vouchers created for girls following an influx of registrations for dance, gymnastics, tennis and swimming Active Kids providers.
“These are incredible results and demonstrate why the NSW Government is investing an additional $40 million this year to expand the Active Kids program.”
From today, parents of school-enrolled children can access a second $100 Active Kids voucher to use towards registration and membership fees for sport and active recreation each year. For further information visit sport.nsw.gov.au/activekids or call 13 13 02.