September 2022 – Page 9

First look at final stage of East End revitalisation

City of Newcastle, together with Iris Capital, have unveiled the winning designs of an architectural design competition to complete the $880 million redevelopment of its award winning East End development.

A three-member independent competition jury unanimously selected the architectural design submitted by SJB, Durbach Block Jaggers and Curious Practice for stage three and four of Iris Capital’s development of 3 Morgan Street and 22 Newcomen Street.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen, Iris Capital CEO Sam Arnaout, and SJB director Adam Haddow.

The winning design features 235 dwellings across five buildings, as well as 1,731 square metres of retail floorspace and approximately 300 parking spaces, with an estimated overall construction cost in excess of $150 million.

Strong design elements supported by the jury include a Market Square public space concept and perimeter colonnade, multiple public viewing corridors to the harbour, integration of green spaces, and a distinct character for each building.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes congratulated SJB, Durbach Block Jaggers and Curious Practice on their stand-out design and commended Iris Capital for their ongoing commitment to the revitalisation of Newcastle’s East End.

“Newcastle’s East End is transforming before our eyes, with architectural design excellence bringing the history and heritage of this harbour precinct into the modern era,” Cr Nelmes said.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the city was a step closer to seeing the complete vision for the East End precinct come to life.

“The architectural design competition presented an exciting opportunity to bring together a shared vision between City of Newcastle and Iris Capital to complete the final stages of the city’s revitalised East End including the vision for a public corridor to connect the Harbour to Cathedral Park,” Cr Clausen said.

“The East End will become a landmark urban precinct for the enjoyment of residents and visitors for generations to come.”

The architectural design competition was run by an independent jury process under the governance of City of Newcastle and the NSW Government Architect’s Office. It was administered by consultants Urbis on behalf of Iris Capital.

Iris Capital’s CEO Sam Arnaout complemented the competition process and expressed his gratitude at the high quality of design that all the architects displayed.

“This is a critically important and significant development for the city, that will bring to life across Iris’ land, a long-held vision to connect Newcastle Harbour to Cathedral Park,” Mr Arnaout said.

“The winning design has unquestionably delivered on its purpose to achieve design excellence and has maintained the Christ Church Cathedral as the city’s prominent landmark structure with a family of beautiful buildings that follow the topography and mesh with the built form of the hill.

“Like stage one, which has been embraced by the community and is critically acclaimed, the final stages will be similarly recognisable though the adaptation of designs that draw inspiration from existing Newcastle architecture and retention of key heritage buildings.

“The competition has been the catalyst that will enable Iris Capital to deliver a truly world-class amenity through an efficient design that future residents will be proud to call home.”

SJB director Adam Haddow said the SJB team are over the moon to once again collaborate with Durbach Block Jaggers and Curious Practice to deliver the final stage of this once-in-a-lifetime project.

“SJB has been investigating this unique precinct in Newcastle since 2013, having worked on the original masterplan as architect and collaborator for the East End’s stage one development,” Mr Haddow said.

“Our vision for the East End is rooted in a fine grain response that reimagines the retail offering and pedestrian activity of Hunter Street. The new public Market Square has great potential to connect into Council land creating the link with Christ Church Cathedral and Newcastle Harbour – to become the centre of the East End.

“We truly hope that this new connection will enable Indigenous planting to thrive along the north-facing slope of the East End, once again cradling the silhouette of the Cathedral in a green skirt when seen from the harbour.

“We love the city and people of Newcastle. With the support of Sam Arnout and Iris Capital, and in collaboration with City of Newcastle, we’re confident that as a design team will be able to renew this part of the East End for the entire community to be proud of.”

A development application for the site will be lodged by Iris Capital by the end of this year.

$100 million to help primary producers recover from floods

Primary producers affected by the February-March flooding event in New South Wales this year can now access additional funding of up to $100,000 thanks to a jointly funded program developed by the Commonwealth and NSW governments.

The $100 million Critical Producer Grant Program will provide primary producers hardest hit by floods with support to restore production systems and rebuild essential infrastructure to a standard that will better withstand future disasters.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management Senator the Hon Murray Watt said the Australian and New South Wales Governments remain committed to the recovery of flood-affected primary producers.

“We recognise that the farmers and individual families who put food and fibre on our plates have been significantly impacted by these immense flood events,” Minister Watt said.

“These grants will help play an important role in supporting those in the sector who are trying to rebuild and continue producing after overwhelming losses.

“We will continue to work with and listen to all levels of government to provide support where and when it’s needed over the time it takes to recover.”

NSW Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders said the grants will help primary producers in the key agriculture, horticulture, forestry and aquaculture industries get their businesses back on track.

“This package is part of more than $3.5 billion committed by both governments to help communities and industries recover from the devastation of repeated flooding events over the past year,” Mr Saunders said.

“The grants will provide the direct and much-needed assistance many primary producers need to recover, so they can get on with producing the vital products that Australia and the rest of the world relies on.

“Our state’s agriculture, horticulture, forestry and aquaculture industries have played an essential role in building a strong and thriving economy, and we are committed to keeping our farmers and key regional industries in business.”

Funding is available to primary producers for:

Dairy – up to $100,000;
Extensive livestock, broadacre cropping, turf production and perennial tree crops – up to $75,000;
Apiary, poultry and pork – up to $50,000;
Aquaculture, commercial fishers and other horticulture such as berries, vegetables, vine crops, cut flowers and nurseries – up to $30,000, and
Private native forests and timber plantations – up to $10,000.

The Department of Regional NSW has comprehensively reviewed the impacts from the floods and consulted with industry to ensure this funding meets the unique recovery needs of each of the impacted sectors.

Applications for the Critical Producer Grant program are now open. For more information and to apply, visit: nsw.gov.au/criticalproducergrant

The Critical Producer Grant Program is designed to complement existing flood-recovery measures for individuals and businesses in disaster-declared regions, many of which are co-funded by the Australian and NSW governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Further funding for projects to honour veterans

Communities from across the State are encouraged to recognise and support their local veterans through the $100,000 Anzac Community Grants Program.

Minister for Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney David Elliott today announced an increase to funding available to local community groups to apply for a grant, worth up to $3,000.

“The NSW Government has increased funding available to honour former and current serving personnel. I encourage anyone who is interested in the service and sacrifice of veterans in New South Wales to apply for an Anzac Community Grant,” Mr Elliott said.

“We’re looking for projects that honour and support our veterans and those who currently serve, and that broaden our understanding of their military efforts and peacekeeping contributions. This is an opportunity to get projects off the ground, at a local community level across the entire State.”

Applications are open to individuals and not-for-profit organisations, including local government authorities, ex-service and non-government organisations and educational institutions.

Grants cover four categories: local community historical research and education; preservation or display of war memorabilia; public commemorative events; and support to members of the NSW veteran community.

Minister Elliott said the program, which delivered more than 50 projects across the State last year, helps address key concerns for veterans including wellbeing, education and recognition already highlighted in the NSW Government’s submission to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

“We are committed to supporting the more than 1,200 veterans that transition into NSW communities from the Defence Force every year, and to honour their service,” Mr Elliott added.

Details on how to apply for the Anzac Community Grants Program can be found here. The grant round closes at 5pm on 11 November 2022.

Third teenager charged following skatepark assault – Charlestown

A third teenager has been charged over the alleged assault of a teenager in the state’s Hunter region last week.

On Thursday 8 September 2022, officers from Lake Macquarie Police District commenced an investigation after receiving information regarding a serious assault at a skatepark in Charlestown.

Police were told a 14-year-old male was allegedly assaulted by a group of males, causing him serious facial injuries. The teenager underwent treatment at John Hunter Hospital and has since been discharged.

Following inquiries, two males, aged 14 and 12, were arrested and charged respectively by detectives on Friday (9 September 2022) and Saturday (10 September 2022). They were both refused bail and now remain before the courts.

Investigators arrested a 16-year-old boy at Belmont Police Station about 9am yesterday (Thursday 15 September 2022).

He was charged with assault with intent to rob in company cause grievous bodily harm and granted bail to appear before a children’s court on Monday 10 October 2022.

Destructive ‘Burrup Hub’ finally under investigation

Save Our Songlines, a grassroots campaign led by Murujuga Traditional Custodians, remains vigilant in its fight to protect their sacred rock art and song lines from the ‘Burrup Hub’, which includes Woodside’s Scarborough gas project and Perdaman’s urea plant.

Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, has bowed to pressure from the campaign and granted a full assessment of the impact of all industry in the Burrup Peninsula on cultural heritage, under Section 10 of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act (ATSIHPA).

Although welcome news, the Minister’s denial of a Section 9 application from the group last month, means work can commence as scheduled and the movement of the rock art will take place while the Section 10 assessment is being completed.

Yamatji-Noongar Senator Dorinda Cox, the Greens spokesperson for resources said:

“If Labor wants to meet their climate targets, they can’t allow the Burrup Hub to continue producing some of the dirtiest LNG in the world to fire the Perdaman plant.

“The North West Gas Shelf, and now Perdaman, will make their huge profits off the back of destroying First Nations’ cultural heritage while setting off a climate bomb that will cause irreversible damage to the environment.

“This Labor government can not talk about recognition, they are silencing the voices of traditional owners and ramping up another Juukan Caves. When Traditional Owners say no, governments need to listen. None of this work has ever received free, prior informed consent and this is why our grassroots organisations need to find legal assistance to make them listen.

“Murujuga National Park is due to bid for World Heritage listing in February next year, we need this fast-tracked to protect it from destruction. Murujuga contains the world’s largest collection of rock art, one of the oldest women’s law grounds in the world, as well as the Seven Sisters dreaming song-line linking stories across Australia and the world.

“We cannot continue to allow projects to go ahead that wreck the climate and destroy cultural heritage. We need investment in cleaner, greener renewable energy sources now, and for this Government to stand on the right side of history and protect Australia’s First Peoples stories and sacred places.”

Refugee kids kicking goals thanks to increased grants and sponsorships program

Refugee children will be supported to play sport and feel welcome throughout the community after receiving a share of City of Newcastle (CN)’s almost $1 million grants and sponsorships funding.

CN’s funding, which includes community support, infrastructure grants, economic development and events sponsorship and partnerships, has increased tenfold since 2014 in response to growing needs in the community and the success of sponsorships driving city activity.

Initiatives ranging from a learn to swim program for refugee women, an Indigenous and disability sports clinic, through to workshops teaching Auslan to the community using popular songs are just some of the programs to be delivered under CN’s community support grant funding.

Budding footballers Mohamed Dia, 11 and Daniel Zanganeh, 9 (front) with Joseph Wright from Northern NSW Football, Newcastle Councillor Dr Elizabeth Adamczyk, and representatives from the Afghan Association of Hunter Mohammad Nasir, Sajad Ahmad, Jawid Ahmad and Fardin Rahmani.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said community grants and sponsorship funding is vital to enhancing community wellbeing and contributing to our city being a great place to live, work, play, visit and invest.

“Whether its funding for a program to help refugees engage with the community or an event to bring thousands of people to the city centre, City of Newcastle’s grants and sponsorships program is helping build a more liveable and inclusive community,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We have significantly boosted grant and sponsorship funding to support the needs of our ever-changing community from almost $130,000 in 2014 to almost $1 million in 2022, representing a tenfold increase.

“Our funding program is targeted to help provide opportunities for locals to reach their full potential, take an active part in our community and live in a more vibrant city.”

Ward 4 Councillor Dr Elizabeth Adamczyk, who joined Northern NSW Football, the Treasurer of the Afghan Association of the Hunter and refugee families to help launch the refugee football initiative, said social inclusion, recreation participation and economic development were at the heart of CN’s grants and sponsorships program.

“Through the City’s financial assistance, we are seeing a wide range of wonderfully inclusive and progressive initiatives aimed at supporting our culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities right across Newcastle, with a strong focus on our western suburbs,” Cr Adamczyk said.

“I’m also thrilled to see such a wide-breadth of local sporting facilities receive funding to support facility upgrades while local businesses at Shortland and Stockton are set for a refresh to their shopfronts through the Façade Improvement Scheme initiative.”

Among the community support grant initiatives to have been allocated funding in this round are a multicultural inclusion program delivered by Northern NSW Football for local refugee students and a sports program run by the Afghan Association of the Hunter for newly arrived Afghan refugees.

“Newcastle has a large number of newly arrived refugee youth and football is a universal language that unites people,” Northern NSW Football Legacy Development Officer Joseph Wright said.

“Thanks to this grant funding, Northern NSW Football will be able to provide player, coach and referee scholarships to children from refugee backgrounds to help them continue their football journey and integrate into the community.”

Forugh Dorani from the Afghan Association of Hunter Incorporated said their sports program and the football program delivered by Northern NSW Football will help Afghan refugees feel welcome and supported across Newcastle.

“Sports programs provide a wonderful opportunity for Afghan refugees that have newly arrived in Newcastle to connect with others in the community through a game that they love,” Mr Dorani said.

$1.1 million bill to repair City’s southern beaches

City of Newcastle is commencing works to reinstate safe access to beaches from Bar Beach to Merewether, following storm damage earlier this year.

The stretch of beach, and the Cooks Hill Surf Lifesaving Club, suffered significant damage from huge swells in April, leading to the temporary closure of facilities.

Since then, City of Newcastle has been working with structural and coastal engineers to assess the damage and develop options for the restoration of the pedestrian and vehicle accesses, buildings and promenade areas leading into the busy summer period.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the reinstatement of safe access for the community is a priority for the months ahead and will enable the Cooks Hill Surf Lifesaving Club to return to operation.

“We know how much the community values these beaches, and with summer not too far away, we are spending over a million dollars along this stretch of beach now so that locals and visitors can get back to the activities they love,” Cr Nelmes said.

“In addition to those more immediate actions, we are also looking ahead to the future to understand what these beaches may look like in decades to come.”

Cooks Hill Surf Lifesaving Club President Michael Clancy said these works are an important step in returning to activities for the summer period.

“We are looking forward to seeing these works underway so that both our members and the broader community can safely get back to the beach this season,” Mr Clancy said.

Initial works leading into summer have already commenced including the installation of temporary stairs at Bar Beach, which are now complete to allow lifeguards direct access from the viewing tower and promenade direct to the beach, as well as improving access to amenities and upgrades to access for lifesaving vehicles.

Following the busy summer period, further works are planned and include improvements to accessways at four points between Bar Beach and Merewether Beach.

The Bar Beach promenade area will also be upgraded including construction of a new disabled access ramp, new stairs, upgrades to seawalls and the installation of new handrails.

Looking ahead, City of Newcastle is working with coastal experts to develop a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for the stretch of beaches between Nobbys and Burwood Beach, which will consider the increasing exposure to coastal hazards and explore long-term management options for this highly valued stretch of coastline.

The CMP will ultimately be placed on public exhibition and then brought to the Council for support. It will then be forwarded to the NSW Minister for Local Government for certification.

Time to ‘Get Ready’ for bush fire season

Rural Fire Brigades across NSW are gearing up to host more than 500 community awareness events on Saturday as part of the annual Get Ready Weekend.

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke is reminding people to prepare their homes and ensure their bush fire survival plan is up to date.

“Wet weather may have reduced the immediate risk of fires but it only takes a few days of hot, dry and windy conditions for vegetation to dry out and the fire danger to return, which is why it’s so important to get ready now,” Ms Cooke said.

“Grass fires move three times faster than bush fires and are our greatest threat across the State this summer.

“Get Ready Weekend is an ideal opportunity to find out more about making a plan for your family, and preparing for bush and grass fires. It’s also a chance to learn about the new Fire Danger Rating System which has now been rolled out across NSW.”

Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Rob Rogers said Brigades will be holding events at their local stations, shopping centres and other public spaces like parks to share information about how to stay safe.

“Four out of five households in bush fire-prone areas have some form of plan for what to do during a fire, and it’s important that people review their plan now so they know what to do if threatened by a fire,” Commissioner Rogers said.

“This year’s Get Ready Weekend allows residents and landowners to meet their local volunteer firefighters, learn more about what they do and get tips on how to stay safe.”

The RFS’s top four tips to get ready for the bush fire season are:

Discuss what to do if a bush fire threatens your home;
Prepare your home by cleaning leaves and twigs from gutters, keeping lawns and gardens well maintained, cutting back trees and shrubs overhanging buildings, cleaning up fallen vegetation, and having hoses long enough to reach around your house;
Know the bush fire alert levels; and
Keep all the bush fire information numbers, websites and the Fires Near Me app handy.

More young people empowered to stand against hate

The NSW Government’s flagship program helping empower young people to fight racism and hate has nearly doubled in size, with ten new partnership projects joining the initiative.

Each of the new partnership projects have been awarded a share in $1.6 million through the Community Partnership Action (COMPACT) program, to run projects specifically designed to help young people combat hate, racism, and divisive attitudes.

Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said each partnership is made up of a collection of community groups and organisations wanting to work together in their local area to help young people fight hate and division.

“We now have 24 COMPACT partnership projects involving over 80 organisations who are willing to stand up and stand united as champions for community harmony,” Mr Coure said.

“There will always be individuals who want to threaten and divide our society by inciting fear and hatred along racial or religious lines.

“COMPACT is all about denying these negative forces what they want, and we see young people as the key to achieving this. We do this by working with grassroots organisations to draw on the strength of our unity and foster a sense of connectedness among young people.”

Mr Coure said many of the new partnerships are in regional NSW, including Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Shoalhaven, and Wagga Wagga.

“Our multicultural society is not confined to one area or city, it extends right across NSW,” Mr Coure said.

“It is really promising that we have so many community organisations rallying together to create projects that will benefit young people in their local areas.”

Among the 10 new partnership projects joining the program are:

Cohesive Communities: Building social cohesion through youth agency: a project led by the Institute for Economics and Peace and partnership with PCYC NSW and Rotary International in Sydney, particularly South-West Sydney.
Mount Druitt Youth for Peace and Understanding: a project led by Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency (MECA) in partnership with Blacktown City Council, The Street University (Ted Noffs Foundation) and Settlement Services International.
Stand Up – Multicultural Youth Conference: a project led by Queanbeyan Multilingual Centre bringing young people from across regional NSW together to stand united against racism and hate.

Established in 2015, COMPACT has engaged over 50,000 young people, inspiring a new generation of community leaders, critical thinkers and champions for community harmony to stand united against hate. It is a proven model for building social cohesion and community resilience. The NSW Government is investing $3 million each year for three years through the NSW Countering Violent Extremism Program to expand the COMPACT Program from 2021 to 2024.

For more information, visit https://multicultural.nsw.gov.au/compact/

MEETING OF NATIONAL CABINET

Today National Cabinet met virtually to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and receive an update from Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly.

First Ministers agreed to extend the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment (PLDP) at current rates beyond 30 September 2022.

The payment will remain available for as long as mandatory isolation periods are applied by all States and Territories.

First Ministers agreed to cap the maximum number of PLDP claims an individual can make in a six month period to three.

National Cabinet agreed the Commonwealth and States and Territories would continue 50:50 cost-sharing arrangements for the payment.

First Ministers also agreed to a National Cabinet Statement on the National Day of Mourning to honour the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II on 22 September 2022. A copy of the statement is available on federation.gov.au.

The National Cabinet remains committed to working together on national priorities and will meet again in Canberra at the end of the month.