Month: November 2022

Newcastle Ocean Baths turns 100

Newcastle’s much-loved ocean baths will notch up another significant milestone tomorrow with the 100th anniversary of their official opening.

While swimmers have made the most of the popular ocean-front facility since as early as 1912, the pools, promenade and pavilion were not completed and formally opened until 25 November 1922.

Day at the baths, Wilfred Goold Collection, Newcastle Libraries Hunter Photo Bank.

Described at the time as “the finest in the Commonwealth”, Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the Newcastle Ocean Baths remain one of the city’s crowning coastal assets, playing an integral role in the recreational pursuits of locals and visitors alike.

“The Newcastle Ocean Baths have been a treasured part of our community for the past 100 years, creating lasting memories for generations of Novocastrians and visitors who have flocked to swim, sunbath or simply relax and take in the spectacular views off our coastline,” Cr Nelmes said.

“They have played host to countless swimming carnivals, life-saving demonstrations and learn to swim lessons, and like so many Novocastrians, I hold wonderful memories of spending my childhood with family and friends at these beautiful baths.”

Construction of Newcastle Ocean Baths,1912, Joe Palmer Collection, Newcastle Libraries hunter Photo Bank

Historic records show that the Baths were initially leased to an operator, with an entrance fee charged from 1918 until 1953, when Council took back control of the Baths.

“City of Newcastle is committed to revitalising this iconic facility to ensure it remains a free asset, and vital part of Novocastrian life for generations to come,” Cr Nelmes said.

Stage one of City of Newcastle’s upgrade to the Newcastle Ocean Baths is well underway focusing on the pools, lower promenade and pumping system to provide improved safety and accessibility.

City of Newcastle worked closely with the Newcastle Ocean Baths Community Reference Group and other stakeholders during the planning and design phases of the stage one upgrade and will meet with community representatives in the coming weeks for a tour of the site and discussion on the project’s progress.

The $9.5 million recovered from the sale of City of Newcastle’s Fred Ash building is helping fund the $15.8 million Newcastle Ocean Baths Stage One upgrade along with $3 million in funding from the NSW Government’s Public Spaces Legacy Program. The NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program is an investment in high quality public open space, and delivers vital infrastructure for communities to love the place they live.

The second stage of the Newcastle Ocean Baths upgrade will focus on the pavilion and surrounding public areas. This phase is subject to community consultation, which will continue over the coming months.

Removing sand at Newcastle Ocean Baths, 1953, Newcastle Libraries Hunter Photo Bank

Tackling complex challenges with technology

NSW businesses seeking to commercialise their innovative ideas can now help tackle some of the State’s most complex challenges through the second round of the NSW Government’s Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program.
 
As part of the program, NSW Government agencies outline specific problem areas that need to be addressed, with small business given the opportunity to propose solutions.
 
Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology Alister Henskens said the $12 million program would provide small businesses with grants of up to $100,000 as part of the first phase, to work alongside government and undertake feasibility studies into their proposed solutions.
 
“This program is about leveraging our incredible local businesses to improve social, environmental, health and economic outcomes while also creating high-value jobs, which will help grow the economy and secure a brighter future for NSW,” Mr Henskens said.
 
“The SBIR program has already seen 10 exciting new technologies, addressing a wide range of issues, progress to a proof-of-concept phase. This next round of the program will deliver more solutions and outcomes for our community.”
 
Challenge areas outlined for round two of the program include:
 

  • Biosecurity Surveillance Challenge – NSW Department of Primary Industries is seeking innovative technology solutions that leverage the power of citizen surveillance to more accurately identify and validate threats to the biosecurity of primary industries and the environment in NSW.
  • School Zones Alerting System Challenge – Transport for NSW is seeking innovative solutions to improve the existing School Zones Alerting System to further improve road safety around schools.
  • Vital Sign Monitoring Challenge – Corrective Services NSW is seeking non-invasive technology solutions to monitor the vital health signs of inmates while in their cells. This technology will be used to monitor ‘at-risk’ inmates and help prevent inmates committing self-harm, which could result in suicide.
  • Recycled Content Verification Challenge – The Office of Energy and Climate Change is seeking a solution that could trace and verify recycled material to help NSW Government agencies procure local recycled products.
  • Waste Recovery and Management Challenge – NSW Health is seeking resource recovery technologies and waste management solutions that: offer an innovative design for new facilities; redesign and reconfigure existing facilities; and uncover ways of modernising our waste collection and processing systems separation and collection of waste that can be implemented across NSW Health.
  • Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Services Challenge – NSW Health is seeking Artificial Intelligence powered solutions to support the delivery of health services to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities. 
  • Urban Heat Island Challenge – the Greater Cities Commission is seeking innovative solutions that could be trialled at the Westmead Health and Innovation District to mitigate urban heat island effects and/or improve the resilience of our systems in response to extreme heat events.

 
Minister for Small Business Victor Dominello said the program is harnessing the power of local innovation and supporting small businesses by investing in ideas to grow high-tech industries now and into the future. 
 
“Small businesses are a vital pillar of our economy, and this funding will help many SMEs to realise their potential and make the difficult leap from great ideas to commercial products and services that meet critical needs,” Mr Dominello said. 
 
Proof-of-concept grants will be available to businesses that complete a successful feasibility study. Full details of the program and how to apply can be found online.

$7.9 million boost for NSW dairy industry

A $7.9 million investment will help the dairy industry recover and rebuild from floods, and better prepare for future natural disasters.
 
The Dairy Sector Recovery Strategy will help the dairy industry recuperate and build long-term resilience after the February-March flooding event earlier this year.
 
Funding provided from the jointly Commonwealth and NSW Government-funded Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program (Sector Recovery and Resilience Grants) under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and $1.6 million from industry co-contributions will help the sector get back on its’ feet.
 
The funding will deliver 12 projects across three working packages focusing on:

  • Better Response and Short-Term Recovery
  • Better Preparedness, Lower Risk and Improved Resilience
  • Supporting Industry Development


For more information about the Dairy Strategy for Sector Recovery Program, please visit: www.nsw.gov.au/regional-nsw/regional-recovery-programs/storm-and-flood-recovery/sector-recovery-and-resilience-grant

Record investment keeping schoolkids cool

More students than ever before are set for a cooler summer as the rollout of the first dedicated school air-conditioning program continues to deliver for public schools across NSW. 
 
The $500 million Cooler Classrooms Program, which began in 2018, is being rolled out to 1,000 NSW public schools and prioritising those in the hottest parts of the state. 
 
Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell joined Member for Holsworthy Melanie Gibbons at Lurnea High School, which was added to the program earlier this year. 
 
Ms Mitchell said the five-year program has prioritised some of our hottest schools, improving the learning environments for both students and teachers. 
 
“So far through our Cooler Classroom Program we’ve delivered air-conditioning to more than 7,100 learning spaces and 460 libraries,” Ms Mitchell said.  
 
“We know how important it is to provide students with a comfortable learning environment and this investment has seen works completed at more than 570 schools, with another 420 underway.” 
 
Ms Gibbons said this ensures that students in Lurnea, and right across NSW, are benefitting from this investment.
 
“Students at Lurnea High School students will soon have to access to more comfortable learning spaces in the summer and winter. 
 
“It’s all thanks to the Liberals and Nationals in government, investing in every aspect of our public schools. From fresh paint jobs to air-conditioning and security fencing to accessibility works, this government understands the importance of maintaining and upgrading our schools.” 
 
The program also improves the air quality of indoor spaces and libraries with “smart systems” that offer heating, cooling and the provision of outside fresh air to ensure adequate ventilation at all times.  
 
Where feasible, solar PV systems and battery storage technology is being installed to offset energy usage. More than 210 systems have been installed with a further 460 underway. 
 
The NSW Government is investing $8.6 billion in school infrastructure over the next four years, continuing its program to deliver 160 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This builds on the more than $9.1 billion invested in projects delivered since 2017, a program of $17.7 billion in public education infrastructure. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW. 

VISIT TO AUSTRALIA BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland, Sanna Marin, to Australia next week. This will be the first visit by a Finnish Prime Minister to Australia.

Prime Minister Marin will be accompanied on her visit to Australia by a business delegation. She will also address the Lowy Institute.

Australia and Finland share a common vision based on equality, trust and shared values. In addition to enjoying warm bilateral ties, Australia works closely with Finland in multilateral forums and through engagement with the European Union.

Australia appreciates Finland’s strong support in seeking to finalise the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement – a key priority for the Australian Government.

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has permanently altered the geopolitical landscape, culminating in Finland’s historic decision to seek NATO membership.
As an Enhanced Opportunities Partner of NATO, Australia recognises the strong capabilities Finland will bring to the alliance.

Russia’s actions only seek to reinforce the importance of likeminded partners working together to defend the international rules-based order.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Marin to Australia on Friday.”

“Although a world apart geographically, Australia and Finland are united by shared values and a strong desire to uphold the international rules-based order.”

“Australians and Finns have a mutual appreciation for fostering sustainable growth, investing in clean energy and resilient supply chains and social and political stability.”

Executive Positions Balloon While Teacher Shortages Remain

Documents reveal executive positions within the Education Department has ballooned from 305 in 2019 to 354 in 2022 – a 16 per cent increase in the last 3 years, at the same time as they are unable and unwilling to deal with the teacher shortage crisis and teacher pay.  
 
The number of executive directors increased from 34 to 58 in the span of three years, while there has been an additional Deputy Secretary added since 2019. The midpoint salary of an Executive Director is $324,250 while the midpoint for a Deputy secretary is $435,275.
 
The ballooning bureaucratic team contrasts with Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell and her department’s teacher recruitment program. The number of teachers in schools grew just five per cent, from 66,801 to 70,279.
 
In September 2021 the NSW Government promised under their Recruitment Beyond NSW that “460 teachers will be recruited between 2022-23”.
 
However as of Term Four 2022, only three teachers had successfully been recruited.
 
As at 10 October 2022 (start of Term 4, 2022) there were 2,458.70 FTE vacant permanent teaching positions.
 
In Parliament, the Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell defended the program saying: “The reality is that this is a good program.” 
 
In fact, Sarah Mitchell even tried to refute her own Government’s data saying: “For Labor to use these to claim that there is some kind of shortage of thousands and thousands of teachers is just not true. The data doesn’t stack up”
 
Well, as they teach you in school, the numbers don’t lie.
 
Only 27 teachers have been hired across all 2,216 public schools under the entire Teacher Supply Strategy. We now also know that:

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns:
 
“This is just proof that after 12 years in power the Perrottet Government has run out of ideas on how to fix the teacher shortages.”
 
“The Perrottet Government has been great at recruiting department staff, and abysmal at getting teachers into classrooms.”

NSW Labor has a plan for a better NSW education system for a better future for our kids.

 “Labor will stop the class cancellations by making 10,000 existing casual teachers permanent to give them the security of job they are asking for to stay in teaching.”And we’ll reduce the admin burden of teachers by 5 hours a week to ensure teachers are in classrooms not bogged down by paperwork.”

NSW Deputy Labor Leader and Shadow Minister for Education Prue Car:
 
“The results speak for themselves – this tired  12-year-old government has become internally focused and lost sight of the severity of the teacher shortages”
 
“Every day across NSW classes are being merged or cancelled and children are sitting on playgrounds instead of learning maths or English – yet Minister Mitchell and her bureaucratic team continue to oversee an exodus of teachers from classrooms.”
 

‘Transgendering our children’ says Pauline Hanson

In her proposal for the bill in 2020, Pauline Hanson said that banning curriculum materials which mention gender diversity would prevent children from becoming trans or non-binary.

‘The preoccupation with gender identity by some teachers and schools is correlated with an increase in children identifying as transgender, which is why I say these educators are transgendering our children,’.

World Trade Organization Director-General visits Australia

This week we welcome the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to Australia.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and first African to hold the position of Director-General of the WTO.

We were very pleased to work with Dr Okonjo-Iweala in delivering significant outcomes at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June this year in Geneva.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s visit is an opportunity to discuss how we can continue to work together to implement those outcomes, including investing in reforms to ensure the WTO can respond more effectively to the challenges facing the multilateral trading system.

In recognition of the importance of the WTO to Australia’s economic resilience, we will commit $5 million over four years for targeted capacity building to assist developing countries and least developed countries implement the outcomes of MC12 and access the benefits of WTO membership.

This includes $2 million to help developing countries implement the landmark WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. This is the first global set of rules that curb subsidies for illegal and unsustainable fishing, and an important step towards promoting the sustainability and economic viability of fisheries globally, including in the Pacific.

This commitment also includes $3 million over three years to support legal advice and training on WTO Law for developing and least developed countries through the Advisory Centre on WTO Law. This will help these countries understand and comply with WTO obligations, and participate more fully and effectively in the WTO.

These investments will help our regional partners better integrate into the global and regional rules-based trading system, implement domestic reform, and improve the lives of their citizens.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong said:

“The World Trade Organization is central to the rules-based order.

“Australia supports Dr Okonio-Iweala’s leadership and the WTO’s work with developing countries to enhance their ability to export, their international competitiveness, and their engagement in the global economy.

“This is fundamental to the stability and prosperity of our region and the world.”

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell said:

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to Australia for important discussions on international trade, the WTO’s central role in the rules-based international trading system and how we can work together to implement the historic outcomes we achieved in June.

“The strength of Australia’s economy relies on an open and rules-based global trading system.”

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said:

“The Fisheries Subsidies Agreement represents a significant and meaningful contribution to the sustainability of our oceans and major milestone for the WTO, and we’re pleased to be working with Pacific partners to support its implementation.”

Assistant Minister for Trade said:

“I was pleased to work with Dr Okonjo-Iweala in delivering some truly significant outcomes at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference.

“The WTO is fundamental to Australia’s interests – providing a stable and predictable framework for trade with the world and enabling all Members to hold others to account when the rules aren’t respected”.

GREENS SAY NO TO HANSON’S HATEFUL BILL

I rise to speak on the Australian Education Legislation Amendment (Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children) Bill 2020. I feel like I’m uniquely placed to speak to this bill. I’ve been a state secondary school teacher for nearly 30 years. I started out my career as a health and physical education teacher, and I also taught sexuality, human relationships and sexual education. I’m also qualified to teach secondary school science as well as humanities. When I left the department, I was a head of humanities and languages.

This bill seeks to put restraints on what teachers of health and physical education, sexual education, and science and humanities can teach in their classes. It’s not about balance. It’s about hate and propaganda. We, as teachers, teach to the curriculum that we are provided. It is a curriculum that is grounded in truth and science. We don’t cherry-pick the bits of science that we agree with or disagree with, we don’t cherry-pick the bits of history that we like and are hard to face and we don’t discriminate against the children who are in front of us in our classes. During this debate, I’ve watched people on the other side of the chamber laughing when we’ve spoken about education around students’ gender. I invite you to come into a school and sit in front of a student who has made several attempts on their life because they have been subject to hate and transphobia. How dare you use our young people as political footballs. They are not wanting anything except to be accepted for who they are.

We teach a curriculum that is grounded in human rights and science. Young people are generous of spirit, they are accepting of others and they care about the planet and their future. They are critical thinkers, they are problem-solvers and they deserve an education that is grounded in truth, justice and human rights. They deserve an education that is grounded in science.

It is not teachers in schools who are attempting to indoctrinate our young people. They are professionals that work hard to give every young person in this country the positive future that they deserve. It is the people on the other side of this chamber who are seeking to indoctrinate people with their hateful and bigoted views in our schools. I will not subject young people in this country to your bigotry and hate. I will stand up every time I see it, and the Greens will call it out.

This bill isn’t about critical thinking; this bill is about legislating a far-right curriculum. Individual senators and parties interfering in what is taught in our schools instead of leaving it to the education experts is a very slippery slope. In the US, we see some states banning teachers from teaching about racism or sexuality, and some are even banning books. This bill is dangerous. As a teacher with over 30 years of experience in our schools, I know it is an injustice to the young people in our schools, and it is an insult to teachers.

GOVERNMENT DENIES YOUTH ALLOWANCE, JOBSEEKER AND DSP RECIPIENTS THE RIGHT TO EARN MORE AMIDST THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS

Labor has voted down Greens amendments to the workforce incentives bill which would have extended the work bonus to jobseeker and DSP recipients in addition to aged pensioners, enabling them to  earn more before their payments are cut.

Greens spokesperson for social services and government services, Senator Janet Rice, said: 

“We all know the rate of income support is too low. People are being forced to survive on starvation payments below the poverty line. If Labor isn’t going to raise the rate, the least they could do is allow people to work more before losing their income support. 

“Poverty is a political choice, and in a cost of living crisis, Labor has refused to make a concrete difference to the lives of those struggling the most.

“If Parliament can enable those on the aged pension to earn more before losing their income support, then why can’t we do it for people on Youth Allowance, Jobseeker and the DSP?”