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To find out more, make a booking or provide your feedback online, visit https://yoursay. lismore.nsw.gov.au/ before October
CALL FOR THE LABOR GOVERNMENT TO PUBLICLY REBUKE THE CFMEU ON TRADE
Shadow Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism Kevin Hogan and Anne-Marie Trevelya
Shadow Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism Kevin Hogan is calling on the Labor Government to publicly rebuke the comments yesterday from the CFMEU on Australia’s free trade agreement with the UK.
The call follows comments by the CFMEU at yesterday’s Joint Standing Committee on Treaties that the agreement should be scrapped.
“Australia’s FTA with the UK is a job creating FTA”, Mr Hogan said.
“One in fve jobs in Australia is trade related so boosting Australian trade with the UK and other nations is in the interests of jobs in this country.
“On average, businesses that export employ more staff, pay higher wages, and achieve higher productivity compared to non-exporters.
“The agreement will make Australian exports to the UK cheaper, create new opportunities for workers, young people, and businesses.
“Exporters by years end can beneft from the immediate elimination of tariffs on over 99% of Australian goods exports to the UK, valued at around $9.2 billion.
“Australian businesses will have the guaranteed right to bid for a greater variety of UK government contracts in a procurement market worth an estimated half-a-trillion dollars annually.
“Australia’s FTA with the UK is the most comprehensive and ambitious free trade agreement that Australia has other than with New Zealand.
Mr Hogan reiterated his concerns that the Government was not moving fast enough to get the FTA with the UK into force this year.
“The Government has until 30 November 2022 – only 5 weeks away – to complete the treaty process including passage of any domestic regulation to bring it into force this year.
“There is too much beneft waiting to fow to exporters, particularly our farmers, to miss the deadline for 2022.
“I urge the Trade Minister and the Prime Minister to stay strong against union bullying on Australia’s trade agenda and focus on delivering the FTA with the UK as well as India and the EU in Australia’s broad interests.”
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Award winners to be announced on huge opening night
New biennial award exhibition to open to full house in October
The Wollumbin Art Award (WAA) and Wollumbin Youth Art Award (WYAA) will have a full house on opening night as anticipation grows over winner announcements.
If you missed out on a ticket to the opening, don’t despair – the exhibition is on offer to the public until 20 November. Youth Artworks will be on show until 27 November.
Winners of the WAA and WYAA will be announced on Saturday 1 October at the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, showcasing all the finalists’ works. Guest judges Alison Kubler (WAA) and Hiromi Tango (WYAA) will reveal their choices on the night in front of finalists, their families and friends.
The inaugural WAA awards have garnered a dynamic array of finalists’ works to display at the state-ofthe-art Gallery, already a mainstay for visitors to the region and art lovers nationwide.
Works traverse a range of artistic styles and mediums with judges welcoming a number of contemporary experimental artists to the fold, along with more traditional works from celebrated and emerging local artists.
“We are beyond excited to finally bring this exhibition to life and showcase the immense talent we have across the region,” said Gallery Director Susi Muddiman OAM.
“We are fully aware of what an incredible artistic hub this area is – and these awards will let visitors to the region see this too.”
The winner of the Wollumbin Art Award will receive $15,000 plus a 2-week residency at the Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.
The $10,000 Bundjalung Award for First Nations artists includes an exhibition at the Gallery. This award is sponsored by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd.
The Emerging Artist Award is $5,000 and is supported by Leanne and Greg Tong-Lyon.
Whilst the exhibition’s opening is fully booked, winners will be announced live via the Gallery’s Instagram channel from 5.45 pm on the night.
The WAA exhibition will run until Sunday 20 November.
The WAA Youth awards will be shown from Friday 23 September – Sunday 27 November 2022.
For what’s on at the Tweed Gallery & Margaret Olley Centre, visit: gallery.tweed.nsw. gov.au/whats-on.
The Wollumbin Art Award exhibition is currently being installed for opening on 1 October. Gallery installers with WYAA fnalist artwork ‘Dream beach’ by Tiana Grundy.
Byron Music Society’s Big Sing – A big choir and orchestra event
Byron Music Society will perform ‘A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms’ (Ein deutsches Requiem), recognised as one of the greatest choral works every written, at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre for one show only on Sunday 16 October 2022.
The Big Sing Choir is an annual event showcasing 100 singers, predominately from across the region, joined by a 40-piece orchestra to perform this towering masterpiece of romantic music for audiences in Lennox Head.
This will be Byron Music Society’s frst Big Sing performance in two years following COVID. It will be conducted by Nicholas Routley, a local musician and founder of the Sydney Chamber Choir, along with international soloists Gaynor Morgan (soprano) and Patrick Donnelly (baritone), both from the Gold Coast. Singers are also coming from Bellingen, and some are travelling from Sydney to perform at this event.
“The Big Sing events were established in 2016 as an annual concert for singers to perform in a big choir, and the orchestra is made up of local musicians too,” said Nicholas Routley, President of Byron Music Society.
“It was intended to be a concert by the community for the community. The concept was such a huge success it has now become a major event in the community music calendar for our region.
“We are excited to be coming together after a two-year break, with such a touching and moving piece. I encourage music lovers to come along for a wonderful afternoon to enjoy an experience like no other at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre.”
A bar serving beverages and refreshments will operate for this event. Tickets are $53 - $59 (including ticketing fee) and available via communityspaces.com. au/tickets
These structures are playing an important role in stabilising the riverbanks Richmond River continuing to prosper following on-ground works
Richmond River continuing to prosper following on-ground works The Richmond River and local environment is enjoying the benefts from the latest round of on-ground projects to prevent sediment and nutrients from entering the river from the Emigrant Creek Catchment area.
The on-ground projects, which have been delivered by North Coast Local Land Services through the Marine Estate Management Strategy initiative, include the installation of wave defecting mangrove nursery structures and reinforced large woody debris revetments.
These structures are playing an important role in stabilising the riverbanks and are complementing previous projects that have been undertaken in the area. Shaun Morris, Senior Land Services Offcer with North Coast Local Land Services, said the results continue to provide improvements to water quality, the local environment and local communities. “By delivering 750 metres of bank stabilisation on sensitive eroding riverbanks we are preventing a further 660 tonnes of sediment from entering the marine estate per food event,” Mr Morris said. “Over the past four years, almost three kilometres of innovative habitat enhancing structures have been installed, preventing nearly 2,000 tonnes of sediment from entering the Richmond River estuary following each major food.
“Monitoring of our sites by Southern Cross University has shown that our mangrove nursery structures are also continually contributing to improved water quality, with research suggesting that over the previous two years, our corrugated log fllets have captured a further 733 wet tonnes of sediment that would have otherwise travelled downstream and impacted the marine estate.”
The structures promote
‘slack water habitat’ or low energy fows behind the corrugated log fllet which in turn promotes sediment that is transported in foods and tidal changes to be captured and held in place by young mangrove seedlings who also prefer low energy environments to grow in. For further information on the Marine Estate Management Strategy, visit www.lls.nsw.gov. au/mems. This project is part of the NSW Government funded Marine Estate Management Strategy which aims to increase water quality and improve the natural environment.
SECURING A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR YOUTH
Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh encourages all eligible Coffs Coast students to apply for the 2023 Youth Development Scholarships.
“This scholarship will give a fnancial boost to disadvantaged young people to give them the tools they need to fnish their studies,” Mr Singh said.
“I encourage all eligible youth to apply for the $1000 grant that will be sure to make a difference in their school year.
“Past scholarship recipients have undertaken further study to become doctors, architects and teachers.”
Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services Natasha Maclaren-Jones said that doing well in school will open up incredible opportunities for disadvantaged youth and provide them with the strong foundation they need to reach their full potential.
“The scholarships aim to remove some of the fnancial burdens that students face so they
Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services Natasha Maclaren-Jones
can focus on achieving greater results and fnish their studies,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
“From textbooks to internet access, the scholarships will ensure our young people are well equipped to reach their full potential.”
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be living in social housing or on the housing register, receiving private rental subsidy from DCJ, or living in supported accommodation or outof-home care.
The Youth Development Scholarships are open to students studying Years 10 to 12 at high school or TAFE equivalent. Students who received a scholarship previously may be eligible to reapply.
More than 4700 students have been supported by the scholarship program since it was established in 2017.
For more information on how to apply, visit Youth Development Scholarships dcjnsw. info/YDS2023.
DISASTER ASSISTANCE EXTENDED FOLLOWING FLOODING IN NEW SOUTH WALES
More assistance will be provided to New South Wales communities, with 25 local government areas (LGAs) across the State’s south and Central West now able to access disaster assistance, following the flooding which began on 4 August 2022.
The 25 LGAs are Albury, Bland, Cabonne, Carrathool, CootamundraGundagai, Gilgandra, Goulburn Mulwaree, Griffith, Gunnedah, Hilltop, Junee, Leeton, Moree Plains, Murrumbidgee, Narrandera, Narromine, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Temora, Wagga Wagga, Warren, Warrumbungle, Weddin and Yass Valley.
Assistance is being provided by the Australian and New South Wales governments through the jointly funded Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Murray Watt, said damages to areas within the LGAs had been significant.
“The intense floods occurring from early August have left councils with major repair works,” Minister Watt said.
New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said it may take some time to understand and calculate the impacts of this latest flood event.
“Multiple flood warnings still remain in place and while we focus our efforts on the immediate response phase it’s important we also make recovery support available,” Ms Cooke said.
Assistance available under the DRFA may include: • Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply); • Support for local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets; • Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations; and • Freight subsidies for primary producers.
For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
To apply for a concessional loan, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa. nsw.gov.au.
