A Victorian man who allegedly attempted to enter NSW using an invalid permit last night has been charged after police also located a knife, cash and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle.
Officers from Operation Border Closure were conducting permit checks at a checkpoint on Wodonga Place, South Albury, when they stopped a Holden Captiva about 6pm (Tuesday 4 August 2020).
Police spoke with the 36-year-old male driver who produced a permit but was unable to provide any documentation or evidence relating to the essential work he would be conducting in NSW.
When questioned further, the man allegedly became aggressive towards police and refused to cooperate.
It’s alleged the man wound his window up and attempted to drive off before officers were able to stop the vehicle, but the man refused to get out or comply with police directions.
After further officers came to assist, the man opened the driver’s door and was arrested.
During a subsequent search of the man and his vehicle, police located a knife, $1600 cash and a bag containing items consistent with the supply of illicit drugs.
He was taken to Albury Police Station, where he was charged with not complying with noticed direction – COVID 19, goods in custody and having custody of a knife in a public place.
The Rutherglen man was granted strict conditional bail and returned to Victoria. He is due to appear at Albury Local Court on Monday 21 September 2020.
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. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Month: August 2020
Man charged over sexual assault of young girl met through social media
Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad detectives have charged a man over the alleged sexual assault of young girl he met on social media in the state’s north.
Last month, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation following reports a 12-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted earlier this year by a man she met on social media.
Following extensive inquiries, investigators executed a search warrant at a home at Cardiff about 8.40am yesterday (Tuesday 4 August 2020).
During the search, officers seized mobile phones and other electronic devices.
A 19-year-old man was arrested and taken to Toronto Police Station, where he was charged with intentionally sexually touch child (between 10 and 16 years), five counts of have sexual intercourse with child (between 10 and 14 years), produce child abuse material and disseminate child abuse material.
Police will allege in court that the man used social media to communicate with the girl, before sexually assaulting her at a park at West Wallsend in April this year.
It will be further alleged the man shared recordings of the incident on social media.
He was refused bail to appear at Toronto Local Court today (Wednesday 5 August 2020).
Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, said the incident is a timely reminder for parents and carers to speak with young people about potential dangers online.
“While social media apps allow us to be better connected with people we know, they also provide opportunity for people we don’t know to connect with us – and this includes strangers talking to our children,” Det Supt Kerlatec said.
“For young people, any online platform that allows them to be in contact with people they do not know – and have only met in the online environment – can put them at risk.
“We know that sexual predators may use the online environment to target children, so it is imperative that all young people know what to do if they are exposed to explicit or inappropriate conversations.
“It is common for young people to feel uncomfortable reporting these types of conversations, so I urge parents and carers to make sure they’re assured that they don’t need to be embarrassed or upset.
“From a police perspective our priority is protecting children from any type of harm, and we will track down anyone who uses the internet to groom and/or procure children for sex.
“Finally, I want to remind everyone to be careful about providing personal details on social media, especially to someone they only know online, and take extreme caution if making plans to meet up – consider whether you really know who it is you are meeting,” Det Supt Kerlatec said.
More information can be accessed via the eSafety website: https://www.esafety.gov.au/
Police appeal for witnesses after fatal crash at Charlestown
Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal crash at Charlestown last week.
Emergency services were called to the Pacific Highway at Charlestown about 9.25pm last Thursday (30 July 2020), following reports a car collided with a telegraph pole.
Police have been told a red Mitsubishi Lancer was travelling northbound when the vehicle left the road.
A 47-year-old male driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene.
Police are appealing for any vehicles who may have been driving along the Pacific Highway at the time of the crash and may have witnessed the incident or have dashcam footage to contact Belmont Police on 4922 8899 or to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Border checkpoint police arrest man trying to cross in stolen ute
A man has been charged after police at a border checkpoint at Albury discovered he was trying to cross into NSW driving a stolen ute.
NSW Police manning the checkpoint stopped the utility on the Hume Highway at Albury about 7am today (Wednesday 5 August 2020).
The 27-year-old driver was unable to produce permits or ID, and further checks revealed the ute had been reported stolen from a business in West Melbourne yesterday (Tuesday 4 August 2020).
The man was arrested and was taken to Albury Police Station where he was charged three offences
• Receive property stolen outside NSW
• Not comply with noticed direction – COVID-19, and,
• Drive conveyance taken without consent of owner.
The man, of no fixed address, appeared in Albury Local Court today, where he was refused bail to re-appear in the same court on Friday 11 September 2020.
No More Band-Aids: Reinstate Free Childcare and Fund ECEC Properly
The Greens have responded to the government’s package for childcare in Victoria, saying that it is unnecessarily complicated and austere. The government should guarantee free childcare permanently and extend JobKeeper for all early learning workers.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens Education spokesperson, said:
“This package doesn’t work for families, who may still have to pay gap fees. It doesn’t work for educators, who don’t have a wage guarantee. And it doesn’t work for centres, who won’t get the funding they need.
“The time is up for impromptu band-aids and ad-hoc fixes. We need to extend the wider JobKeeper scheme to all early learning workers and guarantee proper relief payments for centres.
“The government must recognise that our early learning system is completely broken. It needs an overhaul and childcare needs to be made free permanently.
“We would not be in this situation if early childhood education were properly funded and fee-free to begin with.
“This saga of stop-gap payments and packages through Covid-19 can be resolved through investing in early education, making it fee-free for families, and considering it an essential service with a properly compensated workforce. This is good for families, good for women, good for children and for our society and economy.
“I want to particularly acknowledge ECEC workers. They have been on the frontline and they should be commended for what they continue to do,” she said.
Prohibited Items Bill
The Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 is irredeemable and must be rejected by the Senate, the Greens say in their Dissenting Report to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry.
”The amendments proposed by this Bill are punitive, disproportionate and contrary to Australia’s international human rights commitments,” Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“This Bill would give detention centre staff greater powers with less oversight than police have when they deal with the general public.”
“The Liberals have shown for years that they are prepared to deliberately harm innocent people in immigration detention, and this Bill gives them yet more power to ramp up their human rights abuses.”
“This Bill is a deliberate attempt to silence legitimate dissent and political expression.”
“It is unconscionable to deny people in immigration detention proper contact with their legal advisors and support networks in the community.”
“This is especially true in the midst of a pandemic.”
“The Bill is irredeemable and cannot be fixed by amendment.”
“The Senate must reject this legislation.”
The Greens’ dissenting report on the Bill can be found here.
Historic Gregson Park fig preserved for the future
City of Newcastle has developed a plan with expert arborists to save a historic 100-year-old Port Jackson fig tree in Gregson Park that was facing the chop.
A recent branch break, which typically would have led to the tree being removed, will instead be saved by installing a cable system in the canopy of the tree later this month. Works will include planting a small fence and garden underneath the tree’s drip line, turning it into a special feature piece of Gregson Park. The initial pruning of the tree will start in the next few days.
A successional tree will also be planted close by to ensure the continuity of tree canopy cover in the park in decades to come.
Councillor Carol Duncan said it was crucial that the city’s natural heritage and historic flora and fauna were protected where possible.
“Gregson Park has a rich history as one of Newcastle’s most loved parks, with some trees dating back to the late 19th century,” Councillor Duncan said.
“Preserving Gregson Park’s trees is important because they not only hold sentimental value to us, they also provide habitat for native wildlife such as the threatened Grey-headed Flying Fox, which is the case with this tree.
“City of Newcastle is also excited about the opportunities that will come out of the Gregson Park Masterplan and is looking forward to putting it to the Newcastle community so that they can have their say on the future of the park.”
The park is a locally significant landscape heritage item with a strong sense of identity and has been a popular part of the city for well over a century. City of Newcastle has a positive long-term vision for the space and is in the process of developing the Gregson Park Masterplan, which will be open for community input later this year.
It’s expected the work carried out for this historic fig will extend its life by an extra 20 years. Work will be completed by the end of September.
During construction you can send words of support directly to the staff working to save the tree by visiting our Tree Map (newcastle.nsw.gov.au/tree-planting) and searching for Tree ID 43327.
$250 MILLION BOOST FOR PUBLIC SPACES
Councils across NSW will have the opportunity to deliver new and improved public spaces for their local communities thanks to a $250 million program announced today, as part of the NSW Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said local councils that focus on fast-tracking development assessments for projects that deliver much-needed jobs and housing will be eligible for up to $5.5 million each in funding for parklands, town squares and main streets.
“As part of the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program, councils that push forward with assessments of job-creating projects will be incentivised with funding for more, and better, public spaces,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This program will unlock construction jobs across the State helping combat the economic shocks of COVID-19 while making communities a better place to live.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the program would create a lasting community benefit across the state.
“In NSW, we’ve already fast-tracked the determination of 67 projects since the pandemic began – creating opportunities for 40,000 jobs, 18,000 homes, 400 hectares of open space and $17.7 billion in economic benefit through our Planning System Acceleration Program,” Mr Stokes said.
“Now we’re helping councils to prioritise local planning projects that will boost jobs and investment in their communities with a $250 million incentive to create new and improved public spaces.
“We want councils to think big and bold and deliver legacy projects – new parks, new walking trails, more walkable and inviting streets and open spaces for their communities.”
Mr Stokes added that the program will drive more efficient local development and support the delivery of the Premier’s Priorities to increase the amount of green, open and public space.
“It builds on the success of the Planning System Acceleration Program to bring greater benefits to neighbourhoods and streets by providing councils the funds to create new or improved public space, as well as encouraging more efficient planning processes.”
This new program is only available to the 68 councils currently participating in the e-planning system.
For more information about the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program and to see if your council is eligible visit www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/publicspaceslegacy
SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM READY TO RISE
Construction of the new Sydney Football Stadium site is powering on through the COVID pandemic with contractor John Holland laying the first concrete building slabs at Moore Park today.
Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said development hasn’t stopped during COVID, providing job security for workers, boosting NSW’s COVID-19 recovery and ensuring the project remains on schedule.
“The Sydney Football Stadium project is investing in local companies during the pandemic with a Western Sydney business providing the concrete for today’s pour,” Mr Lee said.
“Over 150 cubic metres of concrete will be poured this week, over an area that will be part of the new stadium’s player and coaching facilities.
“This is another exciting milestone setting the foundations for the stadium to start rising from the ground.”
To complete the stadium, a further 40,000m³ of concrete will be poured which is the equivalent of 16 Olympic swimming pools.
The project will utilise as many local suppliers and subcontractors as possible through to completion.
Over the next two years, the Sydney Football Stadium Redevelopment will create over 800 jobs and inject hundreds of millions into the NSW economy through the procurement of construction materials and labour.
“Our stage two contractor John Holland has already safely logged over 140,000 hours by workers on site since the beginning of the outbreak and there has been an average of 180 workers on site in July alone,” Mr Lee said.
“We have extended hours on weekends to enable work to continue safely with social distancing, no job losses or reduced hours for employees.”
The new Sydney Football Stadium will be a modern, world-class sporting and entertainment precinct to ensure NSW remains the number one choice for the best events. The stadium remains on track to be ready to host the 2022 NRL Grand Final.
MANDATORY HOTEL QUARANTINE FOR RESIDENTS RETURNING FROM VICTORIA
Following updated health advice, NSW residents returning from Victoria must go into mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.
This regime, designed to protect the wider NSW community from the escalating COVID-19 situation in Victoria, will come into effect at 12.01am this Friday.
All returning NSW residents, unless they live within the NSW border regions, will only be allowed to return to NSW through Sydney airport.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this new line of defence would further reduce the risk during this critical time in the pandemic.
“I realise this may be difficult for some people, but the changing situation in Victoria means we must exercise extreme caution,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The health of our citizens and economy must be protected – and the health advice says this is the best way to do it.
“We will also further limit the reasons Victorians can seek exemptions to come into NSW.”
There is no change to existing arrangements for border communities.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said a robust health screening process will continue at the airport to protect the NSW community.
“NSW Health staff will continue to rigorously screen incoming passengers from Victoria, doing health and temperature checks, ensuring masks are worn and checking their permits,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Our staff will also continue to ensure that anyone who is unwell or showing symptoms is shuttled safely to our quarantine health hotels for care under isolation.”
Dr Kerry Chant said this latest change would reduce the number of people entering NSW from Victoria, and reduce the risk of community transmission.
“This is a critical time in the NSW response and we need to reduce any further risk of seeding of cases from Victoria,” Dr Chant said.
The cost of hotel quarantine will be the same as for returning international travellers.