Month: August 2020

COVID-19 SUPPORT COURSES HIT 115,000 ENROLMENTS

The NSW Government’s fee-free COVID-19 support short courses passed 115,000 enrolments before closing last month, with medical administration the most popular area.
The suite of online courses provided an opportunity for NSW residents to gain new skills at the height of the pandemic, and were fully funded by the NSW Government.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said people who enrolled in a TAFE NSW short course during the pandemic were putting the skills to good use.
“We know how important skills training is for driving the State’s economy and it will play a crucial role coming out of the COVID pandemic,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The NSW Government’s COVID-19 fee-free short courses have delivered an opportunity to upskill during COVID-19 as well as deliver a meaningful boost to workplaces across the State.”
Achievements of the COVID-19 support fee-free short course program include:

  • A total of 115,537 enrolments;
  • 27 per cent of students were studying with TAFE NSW for the first time;
  • Between 10 and 15 per cent of first time TAFE NSW students intend to undertake further study with the public training provider; and
  • The most popular course in the first tranche was the Statement of Attainment in Medical Administration Skills.

Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee praised TAFE NSW for its seamless delivery of the program.
“I want to congratulate TAFE NSW for the way they delivered this initiative. To hit more than 115,000 enrolments in a single program in such a short time is truly a remarkable result. I hope the courses have assisted people during this difficult time.” Mr Lee said.
The program closed to new enrolments at the end of last month.

Woman charged over alleged hoax kidnapping prank – Maitland

A woman will face court today charged over an alleged hoax kidnapping in the Hunter overnight.
Police will allege in court about 10.40pm yesterday (Tuesday 18 August 2020), a 20-year-old woman was on a video call with relatives when she was handcuffed and appearing to be held against her will by a man.
Relatives contacted police shortly after the call was terminated.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter and Newcastle City Police Districts commenced inquiries into the whereabouts of the woman.
About 1.30am (Wednesday 19 August 2020), police attended a hotel on High Street, Maitland, and located the 20-year-old and another woman.
She was arrested and taken to Maitland Police Station and charged with conveying false information that a person/property is in danger.
She was refused bail to appear at Maitland Local Court today (Wednesday 19 August 2020).
Police are conducting inquiries into the whereabouts of the man.
He’s described as being of Caucasian appearance, between 160cm to 170cm tall, with a solid build, brown hair and brown eyes.

Murder charge over Hunter Valley waste-facility death

A man has been charged with murder following the death of a man at a rubbish tip in the Hunter Valley last month.
About 5pm on Sunday 5 July 2020, emergency services were called to a waste management facility on Old Maitland Road, after a 54-year-old man was found critically injured. He died at the scene.
Detectives from Hunter Valley Police District, assisted by the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad, established Strike Force Nargal to investigate the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
On Wednesday 8 July 2020, officers attended a property at Lovedale where they arrested a 30-year-old man and seized a Toyota Landcruiser.
Police will allege in court that the man was driving the Toyota Landcruiser when he struck the 54-year-old – who is known to him – at the waste facility.
At that time, the man was taken to Cessnock Police Station and charged with dangerous driving occasioning death-driver manner dangerous, negligent driving (occasioning death), fail to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death and driver not disclose identity of driver/passenger as required.
Yesterday (Thursday 20 August 2020), the same man was served with two additional charges at a correctional facility in Parklea, including murder and aggravated break/enter, and commit serious indictable offence.
The Aberdare man will next appear at Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday 26 August 2020.
Investigations continue.

Nearly $8 million of cannabis and 12 large-scale industrial grow houses dismantled near Muswellbrook

Drug and Firearms Squad detectives have charged two people after dismantling 12 large-scale industrial grow houses in the state’s Hunter Region and seizing cannabis with a street value of nearly $8 million.
In November last year, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad established Strike Force Harthouse to investigate the cultivation and supply of cannabis across NSW.
Their inquiries uncovered a remote property near Muswellbrook being used for the large-scale cultivation of cannabis.
Following extensive investigations, strike force detectives executed a crime scene warrant at a property on the Golden Highway at Gungal, about 58km south-east of Muswellbrook, from 9am yesterday (Thursday 20 August 2020).
During the search, investigators seized 2628 cannabis plants with an estimated potential street value of $7.8 million.
Officers also located equipment consistent with the cultivation of cannabis within 12 large-scale industrial grow houses, which were subsequently dismantled.
Two men – aged 24 and 29 – were arrested at the property and taken to Muswellbrook Police Station.
The Cabramatta men were both charged with cultivate prohibited plant (large commercial quantity).
Both men were refused bail to appear at Muswellbrook Local Court today (Friday 21 August 2020).
Investigations by the Drug and Firearms Squad are continuing.

Man charged following alleged arson attacks – Wallsend

A man has been charged after several alleged arson attacks at a Wallsend home earlier this year.
Detectives attached to Newcastle City Police District commenced an investigation in relation to three separate arson incidents at a home on Metcalfe Street, Wallsend, on Wednesday 24 June, Saturday 18 and Thursday 30 July 2020.
During these incidents, a house, carport and vehicle were damaged.
An elderly woman was inside the home at the time of all three incidents, but she was uninjured.
Following a public appeal for information and ongoing inquiries, officers arrested a 37-year-old man on Harriet Street, Waratah, and took him to Waratah Police Station.
He was charged with three counts of destroy/damage property with intent to endanger life, two counts of destroy or damage property and one count of common assault.
Police will allege in court the man had an ongoing dispute with a former resident of the property and assaulted him at the home on Sunday 21 June.
He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Friday 21 August 2020).

COVID-19 update: Man charged with drug possession at Barham, man charged over failure to comply at Unanderra

A man will face court after police discovered a prohibited drug in a car while carrying out border operations.
About 10.20pm on Wednesday 19 August 2020, police were conducting border checks on Thule Street, Barham, as part of Operation Border Closure when they stopped a Toyota Echo, driven by a 47-year-old man.
While carrying out permit checks, officers observed a woman in the front passenger seat allegedly under the influence of drugs.
The woman was treated by ambulance paramedics before being taken to Cohuna Hospital in Victoria.
During a search of the vehicle, officers allegedly located and seized drug-related items including a jar containing a clear liquid believed to be Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB).
The driver was issued a Field Court Attendance Notice for possess a prohibited drug.
He will appear at Moama Local Court on Wednesday 9 September 2020.
In a separate incident, a man was charged after allegedly failing to comply with a direction on the state’s south coast.

About 8.30pm on Friday 7 August 2020, a 31-year-old man was refused entry to a club on Hargreaves Street, Unanderra.

The man allegedly became argumentative with staff and refused to leave the premises, before moving towards staff and coughing into his hands, saying he had COVID-19. The man left the scene and the incident was reported to police.

Following inquiries, licensing officers from Lake Illawarra Police District arrested a man in a car outside a house on Moran Street, Dapto, about 7.45am yesterday (Wednesday 19 August 2020).

He was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station, where he was charged with not comply with noticed direction re spitting/coughing – COVID-19, stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (personal), excluded person fail to leave premises when required.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday 30 September 2020.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or 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.

New Deal Secures Potential COVID-19 Vaccine For Every Australian

Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the Australian Government and UK-based drug company AstraZeneca.
Under the deal, every single Australian will be able to receive the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for free, should trials prove successful, safe and effective.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Oxford University trial was in a phase three stage and more work was needed to prove its viability.
“The Oxford vaccine is one of the most advanced and promising in world, and under this deal we have secured early access for every Australian,” the Prime Minister said.
“If this vaccine proves successful we will manufacture and supply vaccines straight away under our own steam and make it free for 25 million Australians.
“However, there is no guarantee that this, or any other, vaccine will be successful, which is why we are continuing our discussions with many parties around the world while backing our own researchers at the same time to find a vaccine.
“We are taking advice from Australia’s best medical and scientific expertise to ensure that the Government’s work to select, produce and purchase COVID-19 vaccines and treatments is based on the best available knowledge.”
The Prime Minister also remains committed to ensuring early access to the vaccine for countries in our Pacific family, as well as regional partners in Southeast Asia.
The Government has also released Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Strategy, guided by a group of medical and industry experts.
The Strategy sets out Australia’s approach to acquire doses of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines based on:
1. Research and development
2. Purchase and manufacturing
3. International partnerships
4. Regulation and safety Immunisation administration and monitoring
The first announcements under the strategy are the signing of a Letter of Intent with AstraZeneca to supply the University of Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate to Australia and a consumables contract with Becton Dickinson for the supply of needles and syringes.
The Letter of Intent covers vaccine development, production and distribution. It commits to production of the vaccine in Australia, subject to safety and effectiveness.
A final formal agreement will include distribution, timing and price of the vaccine.
Becton Dickinson has been contracted to supply vital consumables, such as needles and syringes, to ensure that we can deliver vaccine doses as soon as we have them.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said “From early on Australian officials led by my department has been meeting with developers and manufacturers of a number of promising vaccine candidates, both domestic and international, over recent months.
“We are confident these actions and targeted investments will put us in the best possible position to secure early access to safe and effective vaccines for Australia.”
The country’s most experienced scientists, biotech and pharmaceutical experts have been brought together to provide advice on acquiring a portfolio of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations.
The COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments for Australia – Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group met for the first time earlier this week.
The advisory group is led by Professor Brendan Murphy, Secretary of the Department of Health, who has a leading role in managing the Government’s pandemic response.
The group will also provide advice on implementing Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Strategy that drives the Government’s work with the states and territories, research organisations, industry, regulators and other countries.
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said Australia’s manufacturing capability is a huge asset in the push to deliver a COVID vaccine.
“The Australian pharmaceutical industry and its ability to produce vaccines is already among the best in the world and that puts us in a strong position to be able to roll out a COVID vaccine as quickly as possible,” Minister Andrews said.
“Through a coordinated approach and strategic investments we can also improve our knowledge and strengthen our manufacturing capability to respond in the future.”
Australia is contributing significantly to vaccine development work both in Australia and around the world, investing $333 million in vaccines, therapeutics and COVID medicines – including $256 million in vaccines.
This includes $5 million for the University of Queensland’s innovative “molecular clamp” COVID-19 vaccine. This Australian vaccine has commenced trials here in Australia.
The University of Queensland has partnered with CSL to manufacture its vaccine here in Australia. CSL has made a commitment that its dose allocation of the University of Queensland vaccine will be used, at a minimum, to support its long-standing public health commitment to the Australian community
More information is available on:

COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments for Australia – Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group Membership

Name Organisation
Dr Brendan Murphy
(Chair)		 Secretary, Department of Health
Prof Paul Kelly
(Deputy Chair)		 Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health
Mr John Anderson Independent Advisor
A/Prof Chris Blyth Co-chair, Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation
Prof Allen Cheng Co-chair, Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation
Dr Alan Finkel AO Australia’s Chief Scientist
Mr Rob Hetherington Independent Adviser
Dr Larry Marshall Chief Executive, CSIRO
Ms Sue MacLeman Chair, MTP Connect
Ms Kirsten O’Doherty Independent Adviser
Dr Felicia Pradera Program Manager for Medical Countermeasures Development, DMTC
Mr Mark Sullivan Managing Director, Medicines Development Ltd
Prof Andrew Wilson Chair, Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee

Capital works focus drives record investment

A record capital works program has seen more than $93.7 million invested in projects across the Newcastle local government area (LGA) in the past 12 months, according to preliminary figures.
Mid-year additions to the works program saw the City’s expenditure increase by around 16 per cent on the adopted capital works budget for last year, while also surpassing the previous year’s record investment by more than $2.1 million.
Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the capital works spend has risen by almost 200 per cent during the past decade, demonstrating the City’s commitment to supporting our growing population with key infrastructure renewal and revitalisation projects.
“Newcastle’s population has grown substantially during the past decade and we have responded to that growth with our own significantly increased investment in infrastructure projects,” Cr Clausen said.
“This program of works will continue to enhance our city now and into the future, ensuring Newcastle remains a wonderful place in which to live, work and visit.”
Key projects delivered during the past 12 months have included the $3.3 million replacement of the Tyrrell Street bridge to help address flooding in Wallsend, the next stage of rehabilitation works at Ironbark Creek and the replacement of the Brickworks Park and Carrington Reserve playgrounds, as well as the $3 million renewal of the Beresfield Local Centre.
Completing the five-megawatt solar farm at the Summerhill Waste Management Centre has also proved to be a huge success, generating almost twice the revenue it was expected to make annually in just its first six months of operation.
Cr Clausen said the record capital works program was testament to the hard work and commitment of the City’s employees.
“Delivering these projects has required an immense effort from everyone involved and is an achievement to be celebrated, especially when you consider the additional challenges we have all faced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“Our investment will hit new heights this year as we bring forward further capital projects to provide a stimulus to our recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19.”
Cr Clausen said prudent financial management has given the City the capacity to fund a record $116 million COVID-19 stimulus budget from its existing reserves, without the need for borrowing.
“Governments at all levels have a responsibility to accelerate investment to help keep people employed and uplift economic activity during major economic downturns,” Cr Clausen said.
“Our record $116 million local infrastructure works program forms the centrepiece of our efforts to stimulate the local economy in the wake of the unprecedented effects of COVID-19.
“It is projected to create up to 700 local jobs and increase total economic output in our local government area by up to $275 million during the next 12 months.”

FREE PRESCHOOL IN NSW CONTINUED FOR TERM 4

The NSW Government today announced an extension of the COVID-19 relief funding for community and mobile preschools to the end of Term 4.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the continued funding recognises the importance of helping families keep children engaged in preschool education.
“Research clearly demonstrates children who attend 600 hours of preschool in the year before they start school have better outcomes throughout their lives,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Extending this relief funding will help families keep their children attending this critical year of early education.
“COVID-19 has already caused disruption to all of our lives, so it’s more important than ever to ensure families are supported to keep children in quality education and care.”
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the NSW Government is committed to ensuring children have access to vital early education, particularly in the year before school.
“We know these are testing times and that’s why we continue to offer this  vital support to ease cost-of-living pressures and ensure children right across the State have access to the education they need and deserve,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This funding will ensure community preschools remain open and will not be forced to close their doors if enrolments fall.
“Eligible services can opt in for the relief funding to allow them to provide fee relief and maintain staffing levels. Services will be contacted directly with information on how to opt in and access payments for Term 4.”
While the NSW Government provides ongoing funding for preschools, this package provides additional funds to cover parent fees and the impact of falling enrolments.

NEW JOBS AT KANGY ANGY RAIL MAINTENANCE FACILITY

Ninety new jobs are on offer after major construction finished at the NSW Government’s multi-million dollar Kangy Angy Rail Maintenance Facility.
The purpose-built facility will service and maintain the New Intercity Fleet trains, with around six kilometres of electric rail lines – seven-tracks across at its widest point – a new rail bridge, access roads, offices and amenities.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance says testing of the facility will continue ahead of the introduction of the New Intercity Fleet later this year.
“The Maintenance Facility has created employment, skills development and business opportunities on the Central Coast during construction and that will all continue into operation,” Mr Constance said.
The facility will be operated by UGL Rail, which is part of the RailConnect consortium contracted to design, build and maintain the new fleet.
“UGL is currently recruiting for roles in engineering, supply chain, supervision, planning, quality and asset management, with more than 90 positions to be filled over the next 18 months,” Mr Constance said.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said substantial landscaping had taken place around the development.
“An important part of the construction phase is the revegetation work with a number of Central Coast native species being planted on-site, including 950 trees and more than 200,000 juvenile grasses, shrubs and trees,” Mr Crouch said.
“It’s fantastic to see that within the vegetation being retained, 30 nest boxes were installed to provide habitat for native animals.”
The design and construction of the facility was delivered by John Holland on behalf of Transport for NSW.