Editors Picks
20 October 2020
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TRAINING FOR LEADERS
COMMUNITY and religious leaders will be empowered to respond to domestic and family violence through a new training program to begin next month. Attorney General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Mark Speakman said the accredited course, run by TAFE NSW, will give participants the tools and resources to help people who seek their guidance. Mr Speakman said the training aimed to strengthen victim support while encouraging increased reporting across the state. For more information, or to register interest contact diversity-services@justice.nsw.gov.au For confidential advice, support and referrals related to domestic and family violence, contact: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), The NSW Domestic Violence Line (1800 65 64 63) or Men's Referral Service (1300 766 491).
18 October 2020
COUNCIL AWARDS $380,000 TO GROUPS
MORE than 100 small businesses and community groups across the City of Parramatta have been awarded with over half a million dollars in grants as part of Council’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Council has provided 36 local not-for-profit and social enterprises with Community Resilience Grants, totalling over $380,000, to help them adapt and diversify during the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional $150,000 was provided to set up the new Small Business COVID-19 Response Grant program, which has aided 85 businesses to pivot, expand, or digitise their operations amid public health restrictions.
12 October 2020
POP-UP PARKS COME TO BLACKTOWN
SPRING has well and truly sprung in Blacktown’s city centre with a pop-up park in the Patrick Street Plaza. The new pop-up park can be found outside Westpoint Blacktown at the bottom of the travelators. The portable garden features natural lawn, wooden tree and flower planters, and fixed seating across four sections. Mayor of Blacktown City, Tony Bleasdale OAM, recently visited the Patrick Street Plaza for the launch of the pop-up park. “As the weather begins to warm up, Blacktown City Council wants to encourage locals and visitors to the area to enjoy the public space on offer in our city centre,” Mayor Bleasdale said. “With the ACU’s Blacktown campus to open in February, thousands of students are expected to fill the city centre. “We want the Blacktown CBD to continue to develop and grow, to be a vibrant place with thriving businesses, and this pop-up park is just one of the positive steps Council is taking towards creating a modern City.” Hills Daily Grind Coffee handed out free cups of coffee to people who took part in a Community Development survey. Feedback on the pop-up park was overwhelmingly positive, with participants noting the installation was “beautiful”, “relaxing”, “accessible”, a “good waiting space”, and “has improved the area”. The temporary pop-up park will be in place until March 2021 and will host events such as Blacktown City Council’s Beats and Bites program.
10 October 2020
MORE COUNSELLORS TO BE APPOINTED
THE NSW Government will provide additional school counselling staff in public schools over the next three years. Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said NSW public schools will have a strong pipeline of trained and qualified school counsellors and school psychologists to draw on over the next few years. "Through the NSW Government's sponsorship and scholarship programs, we will be training up to 328 people to join the school counselling workforce between 2020 and 2023," Ms Mitchell said.
10 October 2020
ADOPTED PEOPLE NOW HAVE CHOICE
FOR the first time in NSW history adopted people will have the option to have both their birth and adopted families included on a birth certificate. Attorney General Mark Speakman said this is a significant milestone for adopted people in NSW, as yesterday the Parliament passed legislation enabling a person’s history before and after adoption to be recorded on an integrated birth certificate (IBC). Connections between birth and adopted families are encouraged under modern practices so that children are able to better understand their background and heritage. For information on adoption visit www.facs.nsw.gov.au/families/adoption.
10 October 2020
EARLY BIRDS VS NIGHT OWLS
EARLY to bed, early to rise…while the old saying promises health, wealth and wisdom, new research confirms part of the adage holds true, as a world first study shows that people who go to bed early are more likely to be in better health and more physically active compared tonight owls. Conducted by the University of Leicester and the University of South Australia, the study assessed the bedtime preferences (sleep chronotypes) of people with Type 2 diabetes, identifying a connection between bedtimes and healthy, active lifestyles.
10 October 2020
MICHELLE GARRARD SETS A RECORD
MICHELLE Garrard has set a record by being re-elected to her fourth term as deputy Lord Mayor of Parramatta. No other councillor has served a full term of council in that position, Cr Garrard said. While the deputy comes up for election by fellow councillors every year, the Lord Mayor serves a two-year term. Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer’s term ends at the local government election next September. The council elections were due this September, but Covid-19 pushed it to next year. Cr Garrard was elected as part of the Our Local Community (OLC) team on council in 2017. The only other nominee for the deputy’s position was Labor’s Patricia Prociv.
