A man will face court next year after a mobility scooter was used to tow a motorboat along the M1 Pacific Motorway.
On Friday 19 October 2018 police responded to reports of a mobility scooter being used to tow a 17-foot boat along the Pacific Highway at Belmont.
Police attached to the Lake Macquarie Highway Patrol made a number of inquiries in relation to the matter.
Yesterday (Tuesday 13 November 2018), a 35–year-old man was charged by way of a Future Court Attendance Notice for driving whilst disqualified, use unregistered vehicle on road, use uninsured vehicle on road, and use unregistered trailer on road.
The man is due to appear in Belmont Local Court on 9 January 2019.
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Man charged over firearm and drug offences – Strike Force Raptor North
Strike Force Raptor North have charged a man following a Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) search in the state’s Hunter region today.
About 6.30am (Wednesday 14 November 2018), the Criminal Groups Squad’s Strike Force Raptor North served an FPO on a 56-year-old man, who is a member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG), at a home in Kitchener.
During a subsequent FPO search of the home, investigators seized a semi-automatic pistol, a firearm barrel, and a quantity of methylamphetamine and cannabis.
Following inquiries, a 33-year-old man was arrested at the property and taken to Cessnock Police Station.
He was charged with possess unauthorised pistol, possess a barrel for a firearm unless authorised by licence, two counts of possess prohibited drug, and outstanding warrants.
The man was refused bail to appear at Maitland Local Court tomorrow (Thursday 15 November 2018).
Finalists announced for 2018 Rotary Police Officer of the Year Awards
Thirty-three NSW Police officers have been announced as finalists for the prestigious 2018 Rotary Clubs of NSW, Police Officer of the Year awards.
The category winners and overall Police Officer of the Year will be announced at a special dinner held at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney, this Friday (16 November 2018).
The finalists for each category are as follows;
Metropolitan Field Operations Police Officer of the Year Award
- Leading Senior Constable Daniel Glenn – North Shore Police Area Command
- Senior Constable Rahsan Keles – Auburn Police Area Command
- Senior Constable Steven Day – Blue Mountains Police Area Command
Regional NSW Field Operations Police Officer of the Year Award
- Inspector David Maher – Orana Mid-Western Police District
- Detective Sergeant Justin Marks – South Coast Police District
- Senior Sergeant Lisa Westwood – Wollongong Police District
Investigations and Counter Terrorism Police Officer of the Year Award
- Detective Sergeant Jay Locke – Child Abuse & Sex Crimes Squad
- Detective Sergeant John Edwards – Criminal Groups Squad
- Detective Sergeant Joseph Maree – Homicide Squad
Specialist Support Police Officer of the Year Award
- Sergeant Gregory Moon – Forensic Evidence & Technical Services Command
- Senior Constable Katherine Emerson – Traffic & Highway Patrol Command
- Senior Sergeant Raymond Cameron – Police Prosecutions
Corporate Services Police Officer of the Year Award
- Senior Sergeant Barry Cash – Workforce Safety Command
- Sergeant Janelle Widders – NSW Police Academy
- Senior Constable Sascha Benn – Education & Training Command
Employee of the Year Award
- Darryl Hamilton – Mt Druitt Police Area Command
- Lisa Gardner – NSW Police Academy
- Scott Mieni – Mid North Coast Police District
Volunteers in Policing Award
- Harry Scope – Tuggerah Lakes Police District
- Helen Chapman – Kings Cross Police Area Command
- Glen Fanning – Riverina Police District
Rotary Community Award
- Leading Senior Constable Bianca Williams – The Hume Police District
- Chief Inspector Guy Guiana – Hunter Valley Police District
- Chief Inspector Robert Fitzgerald – Blacktown Police Area Command
Customer Service Excellence Award
- Sergeant Aaron Greenwood – Richmond Police District
- Senior Constable Draz Brkljac – Youth & Crime Prevention Command
- Sergeant Scott Mostran – Kings Cross Police Area Command
The Irene Juergens (IJ) Fellowship Award – Sworn Category
- Sergeant Kelsey Priestley – North Shore Police Area Command
- Senior Constable Raffaelle Frisina – Liverpool City Police Area Command
- Senior Constable Sam Donni – Kings Cross Police Area Command
The Irene Juergens (IJ) Fellowship Award – Unsworn Category
- Kim Fenwick – St George Police Area Command
- Patricia Owen – Newcastle City Police District
Knife seized, man charged after attempted robbery – Mayfield West
A man has been arrested after a service station employee was allegedly threatened with a knife during an attempted robbery at Mayfield West this morning.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District were called to the service station on Maitland Road after a man entered the business and threatened the console operator about 12.20am (Wednesday 14 November 2018).
Police have been told the employee retreated to a back room after being threatened with a knife. The man initially left the store but returned when he saw the staff member return to the console. He again threatened the employee before leaving empty-handed.
Police patrolling were alerted and arrested a 30-year-old man in nearby Hanbury Street. A knife was seized and has been taken for forensic examination.
He has been taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with assault with intent to rob armed with offensive weapon, and custody of knife in public place.
The man, from Surry Hills, was refused bail to appear in Newcastle Local Court today.
Juvenile justice officer charged with assault – Central Coast
A juvenile justice officer has been charged after a detainee was allegedly assaulted at a Central Coast facility.
On Monday (12 November 2018), officers from Brisbane Water Police District attended a juvenile justice centre at Kariong, after reports a 17-year-old detainee had been assaulted.
Police were notified after the teen suffered facial injuries when allegedly assaulted by an officer on Saturday (10 November 2018).
Following inquiries, investigators arrested a 54-year-old man at Tumbi Umbi today (Tuesday 13 November 2018).
He was taken to Wyong Police Station and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The man was granted conditional bail to appear at Gosford Local Court on Tuesday 4 December 2018.
Police appeal after armed robbery – Forresters Beach
Police have released a CCTV image and are appealing for public assistance to help identify two men who might be able to assist with inquiries into an armed robbery on the Central Coast last month.
About 3:20am on Thursday 11 October 2018, two men armed with hammers, smashed through the entrance of a service station located on the corner of Bellevue Road and The Entrance Road, Forresters Beach.
Fearing for his safety a station attendant on duty locked himself in a rear office and called 000 for assistance.
Once inside the two men climbed over the front counter and stole cigarettes, and money from the till.
Officers from Brisbane Water Police District commenced inquiries and have released a CCTV image of one of the two men who they believe may be able to assist with their inquiries.
The man in the image is described as being approximately 160 -170 cm tall, wearing a black mask with white dots, black hooded jumper and long black pants/jeans.
The second man is described as being approximately 160 – 170 cm tall, wearing a black mask, and a hooded jumper (colour unknown).
The men fled on foot and were last seen on Bellevue Road.
Detectives from Gosford Police Station are undertaking the investigation and are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.
Olsen Ormandy's creative force hits Newcastle Art Gallery
OLSEN ORMANDY: a creative force, a new exhibition from artists Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy, opens at Newcastle Art Gallery on Saturday 17 November.
Featuring a series of more than 50 works of art and sculptures, the exhibition celebrates the pair’s three decades of creative partnership and evolving artistic practice.
This vibrant creative tour de force showcases individual works of art from each artist alongside pieces made in collaboration, drawing on Olsen and Ormandy’s substantial archive, but also incorporating new paintings and large-scale sculptural installations.
“For more than 30 years, Louise and Stephen have built a reputation as the artists behind one of Australia’s most iconic brands – Dinosaur Designs,” said Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton.
“An earlier significant touring exhibition The Art of Dinosaur Designs showcased the couple’s work in the context of their design success. This summer in Newcastle, we will look closer at these two artists and their bodies of work.
“Paintings, tapestries and sculptures in marble, aluminium, wood and resin – many of these new works yet to be exhibited – showcasing new mediums or new directions the artists have been exploring.
“This nationally relevant exhibition tells the next chapter for this artist duo – partners in life, art and work.”
OLSEN ORMANDY: a creative force features joint commissions such as Series 8: Movement (2011), a set of eight disks in dazzling colours commissioned to mark the fifth anniversary of Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), and Collar Bone (2014), a wall hanging characterised by chroma clashes from orange to blue rendered in a painterly application.
A highlight of the exhibition is a new expression of Ormandy’s life-sized totems, rendered in signature resin. First shown at London Design Week 2016, these larger sculptures are formed from interconnected pieces to create extraordinary silhouettes and bold interplays of solid colours. Also on display is a series of mesmerising, never-before-seen watercolours by Olsen, exploring in two dimensions many of the themes of her decades of design and sculpture work.
“I have a fascination with balance and the relationship between being bold and the sensitivity of the delicate,” Olsen said.
“I’m constantly inspired by nature; there is something beautiful about the time things take to evolve and perfect in the natural world. Resin, one of the materials we have worked with in this exhibition, has a wonderful viscous fluidity that allows us to cross the boundaries of sculpture and painting.”
Ormandy said that his work is born of the subconscious mind.
“I’m looking for vibration and rhythm, the play of line creating positive and negative space, searching for tonal balance through contrast or harmony, while developing chroma relationships that hug or repel,” he said.
OLSEN ORMANDY: a creative force is on exhibition at Newcastle Art Gallery, 1 Laman Street Newcastle, from 17 November 2018 to 17 February 2019. The Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm (open seven days during school holidays) and entry is free.
Street Party and opening celebration
Join us for a fantastic, artistic street party and outdoor celebration in Laman Street for the opening of OLSEN ORMANDY: A creative force, 5-9pm, Friday 16 November.
Bring your picnic blanket and settle in for a great night. We’ll have art, music, food and wine, and you can get a sneak peek of the exhibition before its official Saturday opening.
ART: The individual and collaborative works of Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy.
MUSIC: Funk, soul, disco and jackin house DJ set by STEPHEN ORMANDY; eclectic blend of heady, dream pop textures from I KNOW LEOPARD; punk-pop-meets-riot-grrrl tunes of BLOODS; and vintage inspired, experimental local act LACHLAN X. MORRIS.
FOOD & WINE: STREET FEAST joins the party with their delicious range of food trucks, sweet treats and alcoholic beverages. An outdoor night food market presented by HUNT & GATHER.
A full event schedule is available online.
$2 billion fund to transform small business access to funding
The Liberal National Government will significantly enhance access to funds for small business across the country through the introduction of a $2 billion Australian Business Securitisation Fund and encourage the establishment of an Australian Business Growth Fund to provide longer term equity funding.
Small businesses find it difficult to obtain finance other than on a secured basis – typically, against real estate. Small businesses that have already obtained finance secured against real estate, but wish to continue to grow, also fin d it difficult to access additional funding.
Even when small businesses can access finance, funding costs are higher than they need to be.
To overcome this and ensure that small businesses are able to fulfill their potential and continue to underpin economic growth and employment, the Australian Business Securitisation Fund will invest up to $2 billion in the securitisation market, providing significant additional funding to smaller banks and non-bank lenders to on-lend to small businesses on more competitive terms.
The Australian Business Securitisation Fund will be administered by the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM), consistent with their prior involvement in the Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Market in 2008.
The Government is also in consultation with APRA and a number of financial institutions in regard to the establishment of an Australian Business Growth Fund that would provide longer term equity funding to small businesses. Many small businesses find it difficult to attract passive equity investment which enables them to grow without taking on additional debt or giving up control of their business.
The Australian Business Growth Fund is expected to follow similar international precedents. By way of example, since its establishment in 2011, the United Kingdom’s Business Growth Fund has invested some $2.7 billion in a range of sectors across the economy.
A similar fund has not emerged in Australia, in part, as a result of the unfavourable treatment of equity for regulatory capital purposes. APRA has indicated that it is willing to review these arrangements to assist in facilitating the establishment of the Australian Business Growth Fund. To fast track its establishment, the Government will host a meeting of key stakeholders in Canberra during the next sitting period.
With more than three million small businesses employing around seven million Australians, enhancing small business access to funding is part of the Coalition Government’s plan for a stronger economy.
LNP say new laws will deliver a fairer and more sustainable GST system
Every state and territory will be better off under new laws passed by Parliament today that will deliver a fairer and more sustainable distribution of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Under our reforms to the GST, an additional $9 billion in extra untied funding will be delivered to the states and territories over 10 years and an additional $1 billion in perpetuity once fully implemented.
The former GST distribution system was not working as intended, with Western Australia recently receiving just 30 cents in the dollar, while other states and territories with far smaller populations received more.
This was not only unfair and unsustainable, but it threat ened the integrity of the GST system. That’s why we asked the Productivity Commission to review the GST distribution system.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Making Sure Every State and Territory Gets Their Fair Share of GST) Bill 2018 that was passed by the Senate today will:
- Establish a more stable and predictable equalisation standard, based on the fiscal capacity of the stronger of New South Wales or Victoria;
- Introduce a GST relativity floor, initially set at 70 cents and ratcheting up to 75 cents in 2024-25;
- Permanently boost the GST pool with direct Commonwealth cash injections; and
- During the transition period between 2021-22 and 2026-27, states and territories will get the better of the old or the new system over the period, and the Productivity Commission will conduct an inquiry at the end of the transition period to assess whether the updated system is working efficiently, effectively and operating a s intended.
Payments will be verified annually by the Commonwealth Grants Commission over the transition period and any adjustments made accordingly. The Government’s additional contribution to the GST pool will not be offset or partially offset by a decrease in other grant funding to the States and Territories.
Delivering a fairer and more sustainable GST distribution system is part of our plan for a stronger economy, helping to deliver the essential services Australians rely on.
Victoria needs real investment in public transport to fight congestion, say Greens
Following publication of a report by the Public Transport Users Association, the Greens are calling on Labor and Liberal to get serious about investing in public transport.
“We’ve seen mega freeways and toll roads prioritised over real congestion-busting solutions for decades,” said Sam Hibbins, Victorian Greens transport spokesperson.
“It’s time Labor and Liberal get serious about investing in public transport. While it’s great the Victorian government is finally building much-needed public transport projects like Melbourne Metro, the reality is that projects like this are only catching up with past demand.”
“The Greens have a real congestion-busting plan that includes extending Melbourne Metro, planning for Melbourne Metro 2 and providing 30 new high-capacity trams every year for the next 10 years. This will get Melbourne moving again and free up our roads for those that have to use them.”
“The solution is simple – we need our state and federal governments to be investing in transport solutions of the future, not the past,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.
“How will Melbourne cope once we get to 8 million people, as is currently projected, if Labor and Liberal keep throwing billions of dollars to build expensive and polluting toll roads?”
“A high-capacity train line carries the same amount of people as 10 lanes of traffic and doesn’t clog our street with cars or pollute the air we breathe. This is what we need, not more roads.”