Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to the Education Minister’s latest attempt to whitewash Australian history and pressure the independent curriculum authority to sanitise what’s taught in our schools.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Alan Tudge’s ever-escalating culture war is offensive, pathetic and ahistorical. It should be challenged by everyone who cares about the integrity of our education system.
“Students should be learning critical thinking, not a sanitised version of history. Tudge clearly sees it as his mission as Education Minister to fight what he considers a ‘woke’ agenda in education. This is an alarming approach to say the least.
“The Education Minister’s obsession with the national curriculum reflects several of his Liberal predecessors. But if Christopher Pyne was famously ‘hands-on’, Alan Tudge is ‘gloves off’.
“Right-wing politicians the world over are currently waging these wars. The confected outrage over ‘critical race theory’ in the United States is a case in point. It can escalate and infringe on the civil liberties of teachers and school communities.
“I worry about the effect this has on the independence of ACARA. It’s their job to dispassionately draft the curriculum in consultation with experts. Tudge’s ideological campaign of parliament speeches, TV interviews and newspaper op-eds is unprecedented and puts pressure on them.
“Of course, the great outrage is that while the Education Minister has been fighting this history war, universities have continued to lose thousands of jobs. Schools are grappling with immense challenges in the pandemic. Education is in crisis and the Minister is missing in action.”
Month: October 2021
$85 million to explore Australian and global health challenges
Seventeen multidisciplinary research teams will each receive $5 million in funding from the Australian Government to find solutions to major questions in human health that cannot be answered by individual investigators.
The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, today announced the award of $85 million for 17 projects through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grant scheme.
“Collaboration is at the heart of science today,” said Minister Hunt. “Many of our greatest health challenges will only be solved by collaboration between people with different skills and different perspectives.
“These grants bring together teams of Australia’s best health and medical researchers from across disciplines to address health issues as diverse as the link between the gut microbiome and lung inflammation and creating new drugs to fight the emerging viruses and antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
“One project at WEHI will support an exceptional team of experts in computational protein design, structural biology, immunology and brain surgery who will together help achieve better outcomes for those Australians facing the devastating diagnosis of brain cancer.”
The research team at WEHI, led by Associate Professor Misty Jenkins, aims to have one or more novel CAR T-cell therapies to take into clinical trials in Australia to treat glioblastoma, which is the most common primary brain tumour and has a low survival rate.
The team aims to develop cell-based immunotherapies that will potently and specifically eliminate tumours with minimal damage to healthy tissue and will support long-term remissions.
Each Synergy Grant team receives $5 million over 5 years, with funding commencing in 2022.
The Synergy Grant scheme was introduced in 2019 and is designed to support highly collaborative teams of diverse researchers to work together to address major problems in any area of human health and medical research, from discovery to translation. Notably, over 50 per cent of the Synergy Grants awarded in this round are led by women.
NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso said the success of female lead investigators in the latest Synergy Grant outcomes was encouraging for all as well as for many other women starting out on their research careers.
“The projects funded today are exciting examples of what is possible when different disciplines and perspectives are brought together to solve a problem. While the Synergy Grant outcomes for female lead investigators are significant, NHMRC continues to work on ways to ensure women are equally represented at all careers levels and across all our grant schemes,” Professor Kelso said.
Today’s announcement includes funding for research at:
- The University of Queensland where Professor Kate Schroder will lead a multidisciplinary team to create new drugs to fight the emerging viruses and antibiotic-resistant superbugs that are major challenges for human health in the 21st century
- The University of Melbourne where Professor Ingrid Scheffer will lead a team bringing computational expertise to integrate multiple biological measurements from patients with severe forms of epilepsy, revealing underlying disease dynamics and targeting new treatment approaches
- The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute where Professor Jonathan Carapetis will bring together a diverse team of experts to tackle the social determinants that underlie rheumatic heart disease – a serious disease caused by preventable Strep A infections and disproportionately affecting Indigenous Australians – by investigating how environmental health and housing interventions can stop Strep A spread
- The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) where Professor Alex Brown will lead a national consortium to build Indigenous leadership in genomics through empowering communities to understand genomic variation, identify multi-omic signatures of disease and translate these findings to health care, ensuring Indigenous people can lead genomic research on their terms
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS) where Professor Philip Hansbro will lead a team that will examine the link between gut disease and emphysema and how the altered microbiome can be modified with dietary interventions, with the most effective to be tested in clinical trials.
| Chief Investigator Name(s) | Application Title | Administering Institution | Budget ($) |
| Professor Kate Schroder |
Mining the host-pathogen interface to deliver a drug pipeline for treating intractable and emerging infections | University of Queensland | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Paul Haber |
Linking clinical and basic science discovery to find new treatments for alcohol use disorder | University of Sydney | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Monika Janda |
Roadmap Options for Melanoma Screening in Australia (Melanoma-ROSA) | University of Queensland | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Mark Jenkins |
Tackling Australia’s low screening participation to prevent bowel cancer morbidity and deaths | University of Melbourne | 5,000,000 |
| Associate Professor Kate Sutherland |
Improving outcomes for lung cancer patients: Discovering targetable vulnerabilities in lung cancer | The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Philip Hansbro |
Defining the role and therapeutic manipulation of the gut-lung axis in respiratory disease | University of Technology Sydney | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Anne Kavanagh |
Interventions for better life-time mental health outcomes for young Australians with disability | University of Melbourne | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Ingrid Scheffer |
“Integrative-omics” for precision medicine in the epilepsies | University of Melbourne | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Jonathan Carapetis |
STopping Acute Rheumatic Fever Infections to Strengthen Health (STARFISH) | University of Western Australia | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Roslyn Boyd |
Cerebral Palsy SYNERGY Network to Protect, Repair and improve Outcomes | University of Queensland | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Mark Parsons |
SERPICO Stroke: Synergistic Enhancement of Research design with Precision analytics to Improve Clinical Outcomes in Stroke. | University of New South Wales | 5,000,000 |
| Associate Professor Misty Jenkins |
Rational design of novel CARs for safe and effective brain cancer immunotherapy | The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Monica Slavin |
Improving patient outcomes through implementation of digital and diagnostic innovations for infections in cancer | University of Melbourne | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Andrew Roberts |
Understanding and averting blood cancer resistance to therapy | The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Patrick Brennan | IMPACT: IMplementation of x-ray PhAse-Contrast Tomography to transform cancer diagnosis | University of Sydney | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Alex Brown |
Respecting the Gift – Empowering Indigenous Communities in Genomic Medicine | South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute Limited | 5,000,000 |
| Professor Melissa Southey | National Precision Health Research Translation for Breast and Prostate Cancer Prevention and Early Detection | Monash University | 5,000,000 |
| Total | 85,000,000 |
Grants open today to boost organ and tissue donation
Community groups and organisations with innovative ways to encourage more people to sign up as an organ donor were launched today on Saffron Day, an event that honours seven-year-old organ donor Deyaan Udani.
Saffron Day, organised by Deyaan’s family and friends, received funding through the 2021 Community Awareness Grants program. Deyaan suffered a brain haemorrhage while on holiday with his family in India in 2016, his organs went on to save four others.
The national day, held on 22 October each year, aims to encourage multicultural communities to talk about donation with their family and register to be an organ and tissue donor.
“To know that Deyaan and his sister had learnt about organ donation at their school in Sydney and discussed it with their parents, before he tragically passed away, highlights the importance of having a family discussion,” Dr Gillespie said.
“Deyaan’s family knew he wanted to be an organ donor and his family were able to fulfill his wishes and save the lives of others. It would have been a very difficult decision for the family to make if they hadn’t already spoken about it.
“Saffron Day, like all of our community grant recipients, offer a unique opportunity to increase reach and engagement about organ and tissue donation with key target audience groups – both a national and more local level.”
Applications are now open for up to $750,000 for community-based initiatives in 2022 including up to three-years of funding for national events to encourage more Australians to say “yes” to organ donation.
Dr Gillespie said the 2022 criteria favoured organisations that can develop and implement either broad-reaching national events, media, public relations or digital activities, research/behavioural change projects or the development of education resources.
“It’s important we continue to build a broad and diverse network of organisations and community groups that can provide new and creative ways of raising awareness about organ and tissue donation across Australia,” Dr Gillespie said.
“We’re looking to target organisations that can engage key audience groups who have low representation on the Australian Organ Donor Register, including young people, First Nations Peoples and multicultural groups.”
Saffron Day is just one of many examples of grant recipients since the program’s inception in 2009.
Other recipients from 2021 include the development of First Nations Peoples videos, a Valentine’s Day campaign targeting young men, a national Gift of Life walk, the production of new education resources for Year 9 and 10 students and radio broadcasting into First Nations communities.
Minister Gillespie said it only takes one minute to register as an organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au or through myGov or the Medicare Express Plus app when downloading your COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
Applications for 2022 funding open today, Friday 22 October 2021 and close at 10:00am AEDT, Wednesday, 17 November 2021. Multi-year funding of up to three years is available for national events applications. Successful applicants will be announced in February 2022.
For more information about the 2022 Community Awareness Grants, including the assessment criteria and the application process, visit donatelife.gov.au/grants.
Call for new advisers on mental health research
The Australian Government is calling on the nation’s best and brightest mental health researchers, clinicians, implementation experts, and consumer and carer representatives to help inform the future of research in this vital area.
Expressions of interest are invited for the next Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) for the Medical Research Future Fund’s Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission.
The Government is seeking a diverse panel with a range of skills and backgrounds to meet the objectives of the Million Minds Mission.
The Mission’s aim is to identify – through research – new approaches to prevent, detect, diagnose, treat, and recover from mental ill health.
Mental health issues take a huge toll, individually and collectively, across the country. Almost half of all Australian adults will face mental ill health at some point, and the estimated cost to Australia’s economy is up to $220 billion each year.
The Million Minds Mission is a $125 million 10-year initiative which has already provided almost $65 million for a diverse range of mental health research projects, including eating disorders, suicide prevention and the impact of COVID-19.
The EAP will advise how the remaining $60 million will be focused on research that can address gaps in knowledge to support mental health care to provide better outcomes for individuals and communities, taking into account the outcomes already delivered.
The panel will refresh the Mission’s existing Roadmap and develop an Implementation Plan to clearly identify priorities for research investment.
The Government is seeking Australian applicants from a variety of backgrounds including mental health researchers, mental health clinicians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with mental health expertise, rural and remote mental health researchers and clinicians, consumer representatives with lived experience of mental ill-health and those involved in translating mental health research into practice or policy.
Expressions of interest open on 22 October and close on 26 November. The EAP will be appointed from 2022. Instructions on how to apply are available at https://health.gov.au/resources/publications/expression-of-interest-mrff-million-minds-mental-health-research-mission-expert-advisory-panel
Taking the pressure off high blood pressure
The Morrison Government is investing $40.5 million for a new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item to improve the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure).
From 1 November, Australians will be able to claim rebates for ambulatory blood pressure measurement, which monitors a patient’s blood pressure continuously over 24 hours through a wearable device to diagnose if they are hypertensive or not.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is the best available test to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension and more effective than in-clinic blood pressure monitoring. It will save lives and improve lives.
In Australia, about 1 in 3 people aged 18 and over have high blood pressure. Men are more likely to have uncontrolled high blood pressure. 1 in 4 men have uncontrolled high blood pressure, compared with 1 in 5 women.
It is a risk factor for chronic conditions, including stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said, the Morrison Government was committed to ensuring Australians can access the latest in health care diagnosis and treatment.
“This is a significant development in hypertension awareness and care in Australia and we anticipate that this listing will benefit more than 400,000 Australians in the first 12 months,” Minister Hunt said.
“The Morrison Government’s commitment to Medicare is rock solid and we will continue to ensure that Australians have access to access to new medicines and treatments.
“Australia has a world-class health system and our government will continue to ensure it remains that way.”
The new MBS item includes consultation, fitting of the device, analysis of the data, generation of a report and development of a treatment plan.
The Government agreed to add Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring to the MBS following recommendations from the independent Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC). We’d also like to acknowledge the work of the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia, including Professor Geoffrey Head, Dr Anastasia Mihailidou, Professor Michael Stowasser and Professor Markus Schlaich.
A number of new MBS items are expected to be available from November 1 2021.
Sporting facilities set for upgrades thanks to City of Newcastle grant funding
Sporting facility upgrades for Alder Park in New Lambton, Empire Park opposite Bar Beach, Cook Park in Shortland and Hamilton Park Tennis Club are among 59 projects awarded a combined $450,000 in funding from the City of Newcastle.
Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz, who is a member of the City’s Liveable Cities Advisory Committee, said the grant funding is eligible to projects that improve sportsgrounds used by grassroots sporting clubs.
“Novocastrians love their sport, which is why City of Newcastle is committed to assisting local clubs with projects that will benefit the region’s players for years to come,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.
“Grant funding provides clubs the opportunity to enhance the facilities they use on a weekly basis, without impacting upon the cost of playing.
“The injection of $450,000 of grant funding into the local economy will also assist in the creation of jobs as Newcastle recovers from COVID-19 and the recent lockdown.”
Image: Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz and New Lambton FC President Clayton Harrison at Alder Park, which will benefit from new seating thanks to City of Newcastle grant funding.
New Lambton Eagles Football Club President Clayton Harrison said that the grant funding secured through City of Newcastle’s Infrastructure Grants Program will be used to enhance spectator experience with new seating at Alder Park.
“We’re grateful for the financial support from City of Newcastle, which will allow our club to install tiered seating at Alder Park in New Lambton,” Mr Harrison said.
“The seating will not only benefit New Lambton FC spectators throughout the winter season, but also the athletics community which operates from the park during summer.”
Financial support has also been provided to Wallsend Football Club for playing surface improvements at Cook Park, Hamilton Park Tennis Club for electrical upgrades and Merewether District Cricket Club for irrigation upgrades at Empire Park.
The Community Support and Infrastructure Grants assist a wide variety of projects across diverse funding streams including arts, culture and heritage projects, environmental programs and social inclusion initiatives. Façade improvement projects and sustainability initiatives have also been funded through the program.
New plan to ensure Newcastle is an inclusive community for all
City of Newcastle has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring Newcastle is an inclusive community via an updated Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) to be presented to Councillors at Tuesday’s Council Meeting.
Councillor Carol Duncan, who is a member of the City’s Access Inclusion Advisory Committee, said that City of Newcastle’s DIAP helps ensure that people living with disability can access services and facilities.
“City of Newcastle is committed to making our city more liveable for all people who live, visit and work in Newcastle by taking action that will lead to a more inclusive and equitable society,” Cr Duncan said.
“An estimated 30,000 Novocastrians are living with a disability and the DIAP acts as a roadmap to guide City of Newcastle’s actions and establish strategies to ensure Newcastle is an inclusive community for all.
“City of Newcastle’s first DIAP achieved many positive outcomes including the establishment of the Access Inclusion Advisory Committee to provide people with disabilities a stronger voice to Council. Committee members have also been consulted and co-designed a number of major projects for the City of Newcastle including the planned revitalisation of Newcastle Ocean Baths, and inclusive play spaces for Stevenson Park and Harbour Foreshore.
“The DIAP and the Advisory Committee have initiated the establishment of the inclusive Count Us In Festival and improved accessibility to Nobbys Beach and Newcastle Museum through the installation of an adult lift and change facilities.
“I look forward to the achievements that will come to fruition as a result of the new DIAP over the coming years and thank the community members who participated in the consultation which informed the new Plan.”
The City’s first DIAP 2016-2019, was developed in 2016 and included 57 actions, of which 55 were significantly progressed or completed across the four-year period.
Community engagement including in person consultation sessions, focus groups, online survey and staff consultation was undertaken to guide the development of the DIAP 2021-2025.
Under the new DIAP, key actions will be carried out to achieve the community’s vision for Newcastle in line with the City’s Community Strategic Plan and pave the way for City of Newcastle to become a more inclusive organisation by championing inclusion.
Actions and strategies presented in the draft DIAP 2021-2015 are categorised within four themes prescribed by the NSW Disability Inclusion Act including Attitudes and Behaviours, Liveable Communities, Systems and Processes and Employment.
On Tuesday night Councillors will vote to place the DIAP on public exhibition throughout November. Accessible and easy-read versions of the draft DIAP will be available for comment during the public exhibition period.
Highlights achieved as a result of the DIAP 2016-2019:
- Establishment of the Access Inclusion Advisory Committee
- Count Us In Festival, a month-long program of events and activities focussed on disability inclusion
- Installation of accessible adult lift and change facilities at Nobbys Beach and Newcastle Museum
- Access Inclusion Advisory Committee co-design of major projects
- Inclusive design and consultation incorporated in City of Newcastle’s Local Centres Upgrade Program
- Inclusion of accessible activities in events at New Year’s Eve celebrations
- Training provided to external event organisers on how to run inclusive events
- Disability awareness staff training to create more accessible content, programs and built environments
- Delivery of new and improved infrastructure in the public domain, including accessible and inclusive playground features
- Facilities improvements, such as the introduction of wedge mats for better seating options at Civic Theatre for wheelchair users and improved access to City Hall via automatic doors
- Improved program planning and inclusive customer service delivery at City of Newcastle facilities including Newcastle Art Gallery, Libraries, Newcastle Museum and Civic Theatre
- Data sharing to assist with better orientation and mobility across the city
- Online map of accessible parking published on City of Newcastle website
- Development of an Inclusive Sports and Cultural Activities Guide
South Newcastle Beach stone shelter stands the test of time
When the stones were set in the arches at South Newcastle Beach, horse and carts filled the streets of Newcastle and beach attire consisted of three-piece suits and ankle length dresses.
Fast forward more than 113 years and the historic structure still stands as one of the oldest European hand-crafted structures on the New South Wales coast.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle has embarked on work to shore up the foundations of the historic beach shelter to ensure the iconic arches are preserved for decades to come.
“The foundations of the stone shelter have deteriorated over time. This was revealed during work on the Bathers Way revitalisation project at South Newcastle Beach, so City of Newcastle has developed a solution to strengthen the structure.
“The stone shelter and its foundations have been surveyed and stabilisation works, that honour the original structure while allowing construction activities to continue safely, are underway.
“This is a fantastic outcome for the City. It’s important we prioritise this historic feature in its existing location so people can continue to enjoy the shelter along Bathers Way, as have countless beachgoers since 1907.
“Significant progress has been made on the Bathers Way revitalisation project at South Newcastle beach since August 2020, with the piling to create a strong foundation and protect the coastline now complete and the majority of the bleachers constructed. The foundations for the skate bowl are in place, with the surrounding skateable surfaces due to be constructed in the coming months.”
Image: Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Hunter Regional Committee of the National Trust Co-chair Mark Metrikas onsite at the Bathers Way revitalisation project at South Newcastle Beach
Hunter Regional Committee of the National Trust Co-chair Mark Metrikas said the stone shelter holds significant heritage value and has been an enduring feature of Newcastle Beach for more than 113 years.
“National Trust is delighted that City of Newcastle is preserving the South Newcastle stone beach shelter by integrating it with the new skatepark and Bathers Way extension.
“We appreciate that City of Newcastle reached out to the National Trust to discuss options to stabilise the shelter when recent excavation revealed some issues with the rubble stone foundations.
“The stone shelter was built in 1907 as part of beach improvement works. In that era, most of the bathing and picnicking took place at South Newcastle.
“The arched stone shelter harks back to the time when promenading was popular, and people wore their Sunday best clothes to be seen near the beach.
“The shelter is the last of several pavilions and shelters in New South Wales.”
The Bathers Way revitalisation project at South Newcastle Beach is part of City of Newcastle’s Coastal Revitalisation Program and is partly funded by a $5 million grant from Round Five of the Resources for Regions program, part of the NSW Government’s Restart NSW Fund.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the NSW Government is supporting mining related communities through the Resources for Regions Program with 149 projects totalling $345 million already delivered since 2012.
“Mining makes a significant contribution to the NSW economy, supporting more than 100,000 jobs across the State, and this program helps provide crucial funds to maintain community facilities and roads,” Mr Toole said.
“I’m thrilled to see this project progressing, not only is it helping create new jobs and driving economic growth, but it’s also delivering lifestyle improvements that will enrich the wellbeing of the Newcastle community for generations to come.”
The project is scheduled for completion in Spring 2022 and will feature a shared path from Shortland Esplanade to King Edward Park, improved access to South Newcastle Beach and King Edward Park, new skatepark and bowl, parking, landscaping, lighting and accessibility improvements, new fitness equipment, shade, seating, viewing areas, and a new café/kiosk and accessible amenities.
Newcastle benefits from record infrastructure spend to buffer impact of COVID on local economy
Audited financial statements for the last twelve months show that the City of Newcastle lifted its infrastructure spend by more than ten percent, to a record $102.4 million, to counter the impact of COVID-19 on the local economy.
The record infrastructure spend, combined with a decision to put more than $10 million away for the future remediation of the long closed Astra Street waste facility meant the City of Newcastle’s operating result from continuing operations was a cash reserves funded deficit of $4.4 million compared with a forecast surplus of $1.6 million.
The deficit with income from grants and contributions for capital purposes, was a cash reserves funded deficit of $32.5 million compared to a budgeted deficit of $22.7 million.
Despite the COVID-19 hit budget, CN remains in a strong financial position on the back of long-term prudent and progressive economic management, with total cash and investment reserves of $366 million, including unrestricted cash reserves of $22.6 million.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle made a conscious choice during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 to support the community with a $5.5 million Community and Economic Resilience Package and increased capital works budget.
“During COVID-19, Council decided to provide financial relief and support for vulnerable groups and business, and to expand existing services, while increasing investment in projects to stimulate the local economy and support jobs,” Cr Nelmes said.
“This included investing a record $102.4 million across the city through our capital works program in 2020/21 to provide upgraded or new community infrastructure that delivers real benefits for our community in their everyday lives.
“These crucial decisions were only possible due to our strong financial sustainability, a legacy of six consecutive surplus Budgets prior to the pandemic.
“We expected COVID-19 to place further strain on our community and our budget, however as a Council we understand the importance of providing targeted responses and support for those in need and our local economy.
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said six years of consecutive budget surpluses had provided Council with the cash reserves to run a stimulus program during the worst of the pandemic.
“It’s been an extraordinary 18 months for the City of Newcastle. Despite the repeated hits from having to close down so many of our income generating services, we were able to avoid laying off staff, cutting community grants or suspending infrastructure projects.
“With the city now almost at 80% fully vaccinated, we can look forward with real optimism to Newcastle bouncing back to a stronger position than before the pandemic struck. For City of Newcastle, it will be a gradual return to profitability given the impact of the recent lockdown. Despite this we have set ourselves the challenge of lifting our infrastructure spend even higher over the coming year to ensure the local economy rebounds as quickly as possible”, he said.
In 2020/21 City of Newcastle also committed an additional $10 million to remediation work at Astra Street which will include final capping and reprofiling of the site, drainage improvements to aid in management of surface water and sediment runoff, followed by revegetation and landscaping.
Street verge to become the next frontier for city's gardeners
Green-thumbed residents are being given the opportunity to transform Newcastle’s street verges into flourishing road-side gardens.
The new Street Garden Initiative will be launched by City of Newcastle this summer, providing keen gardeners with the guidelines they need to develop attractive, safe and appropriate green spaces on the city’s verges.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the city’s verges have long been limited to formal street tree plantings and complicated arrangements with footpath, overhead and underground utilities. However, Novocastrians are increasingly looking to this roadside space as a location for new gardens.
“Newcastle is one of only a handful of local government areas across the nation that have tackled this issue to enable our community to assist in greening the city and enhancing our urban forest,” Cr Clausen said.
“Whilst home during COVID, many within our community have taken a new interest in our local parks and their own gardens, and our city has never looked better. Getting outside in the garden has proven health benefits, improves our local biodiversity and helps make our region more resilient to the effects of urban heat island and storms.
“City of Newcastle’s new Street Garden Initiative provides gardeners with clear guidance on what can be grown in their verge, how to go about approaching neighbours, and registration requirements before gardening commences.
“The City has worked through the challenging parts of this equation – such as mitigating impacts to utilities, road users and pedestrians – and the easy-to-follow guidelines ensure that gardening can be undertaken safely on the verge.”
The best-practice suburban street garden program will begin with a 12-month trial to inform the rollout of a long-term initiative, which will add to the health and vitality of street trees planted in conjunction with the street gardens.
Comprehensive guidelines provide clear direction on every aspect of establishing a verge garden, including information on the positioning of gardens to allow for pedestrian access, a setback from the gutter for garbage truck access and to assist people accessing cars.
Appropriate plant species selections including maximum plant height, a standard planter box design for those wishing to use the space to grow food and registration of gardeners to provide workplace health and safety information for those working near the road reserve also form part of the guidelines and application process.
Newcastle gardeners should keep an eye on City of Newcastle’s website for further information, with the Street Garden trial to begin in December 2021.