More train chaos could be the way for New South Wales residents as the transport union vows to hold more strikes over the next month.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) announced there will be rolling strikes through August to voice their demands to the government over safety concerns on the New Intercity Fleet.
Here is what we know about the upcoming strikes.
More train chaos is headed for Sydneysiders (Janie Barrett)
When are there planned train strikes?
There are nine different strikes planned throughout August, some of which will impact the regularity of train services and others won’t.
On August 7, transport officers will be banned from issuing fines and cautions.
On August 10, train services will be impacted in area one which covers the T4 Illawarra and South Coast line and some Sydney services.
These trains will be impacted from 10am to 4pm.
On August 12, cleaners are banned from using vacuum cleaners or scrubbing machines.
On August 13, station staff will leave all gates open at all times.
On August 15, train crew will only operate trains that meet “minimum standards” of the maintenance center.
This means not all trains will be operational however it is unclear which trains do not meet these standards.
On August 17, services in area two which covers the T3 Liverpool line and T2 Campbelltown line.
Suburbs from Campbelltown to Goulburn and Albury will be affected.
This area will be impacted from 10am to 4pm.
Different train lines are expected to be impacted on different days. (9News)
On August 23, train services in area three including the T1 Blue Mountains line and Newcastle line will be impacted.
Stops from Newcastle to Lithgow will be affected.
This area will also be impacted from 10am to 4pm.
On August 25, train services in area four including inner city services at Central, St James, Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, Redfern and Museum will be impacted.
This will be from 10am to 4pm.
On August 31, there will be a ban on operating foreign made trains which makes up 70 per cent of the fleet.
This will cause significant delays for commuters similar to those seen in previous strikes when only 30 per cent of the fleet was operating.
Why are transport staff striking?
Transport staff are walking off the job again as they claim the NSW government has failed to meet their safety demands relating to the New Intercity Fleet.
The union has been concerned about crucial blind spots in surveillance on the new fleet due to it relying solely on monitoring from CCTV cameras mounted on the sides of the trains, which have no audio and restricted line of sight because of the design of the carriages.
The union wants the government to fix safety issues around surveillance black spots on the New Intercity Fleet. (9News)
RTBU secretary Alex Claassens said rail workers have no choice but to take further action.
“The NSW Government is essentially holding the people of NSW to ransom in order to make a political point which is as bizarre as it is bitterly disappointing,” he said.
“We’ve done everything by the book in order to get these vital safety changes, but the government is refusing to listen.
“This is our only way of making sure that the safety changes that need to be made will actually be made.
“We’ve had plenty of verbal promises before which is why this time we need to see it committed to in a binding document.”
The strikes are over the New Intercity Fleet. (9News)
What lines will be affected by train strikes?
Different train lines will be impacted on different days in the upcoming strikes.
August 17: T3 Liverpool line and T2 Campbelltown line.
August 23: T1 Blue Mountains and Newcastle line.
August 25: Inner city services including the city circle.
August 31: the majority of train lines.
Commuters are urged to leave extra travel time. (Kate Geraghty)
Buses will be running normally on the days of the strikes.
What to expect on strike days?
Commuters are urged to leave extra travel time or to avoid trains if a strike is planned on their line.
The union did however say there should be little impact on the public.
“There’s no reason why, with some planning and common-sense, trains cannot continue to run relatively smoothly while our actions are happening,” Claassens said.
As the cost of living continues to bite, the Greens Party is increasing pressure on the government to introduce new measures to further help households.
Key points:
The Greens are expected to argue making child care and dental free would save households thousands
The federal government has promised to reduce child care costs from July next year
The measures would cost $182 billion over the next decades
In an address to the National Press Club today, Greens Leader Adam Bandt will call on the government to make childcare and dental healthcare free, arguing it would provide thousands of dollars in long-term support for families who are struggling to pay bills.
“These would be long-lasting changes that would deliver real relief to everyday people battling with high inflation and low wages and incomes,” he is expected to say.
“Better than a short-lived cut to fuel excise that can be wiped out by a profiteering petroleum corporation, these measures would mean people were better off not just right now, but next month and next year, year after year.”
The federal government has promised to reduce childcare costs from July next year, estimating 96 per cent of families will be better off.
Under the proposal, the childcare subsidy rate will be lifted to 90 per cent for the first child and the means taper will be less steep than the current system.
For example, a family earning $75,000 will be eligible for a 90 per cent subsidy, while a family earning $120,000 will receive an 82 per cent subsidy.
Families with a combined income of up to $530,000 will receive some level of support.
Mr Bandt will today declare the July start date is too far away and instead call on the government to go one step further and make child care free for all in the October budget.
The government also plans to ask the Productivity Commission to review the child care sector, with the aim to provide 90 per cent subsidies for all families in the future.
Mr Bandt will argue there is no need for a review and the government should move quickly towards free child care for all and not a heavily subsidized program.
“Make child care free and support the workforce,” he is expected to say.
“We don’t need to wait for another review to tell us that child care is in crisis.”
Dental support would save hundreds
The Greens have long called for universal access to free dental care and Mr Bandt will again ramp up the party’s calls for the government to consider the measure.
Medicare does not subsidize dental check-ups for all Australians. About $9.5 billion was spent on dental services in 2019-20, with the majority paid in out-of-pocket costs.
In his speech, Mr Bandt will refer to figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that estimate each household spends on average $960 every year on dental care.
“The government should also put dental into Medicare, delivering real cost-of-living relief to everyone in the country,” he is expected to say.
The government has previously indicated it wants to expand Medicare so dental care is covered but it is yet to specify a time frame.
The Greens estimate free dental and healthcare would save a family of four about $7,000 a year.
Both measures would cost $182 billion over the next decades. The Greens believe that money could be found by taxing gas companies and extremely wealthy Australians.
A security camera has captured the moment a police officer opened fire at a young father in Western Australia.
Coen Rogers’ mother is seen in the footage of her Pingelly front yard early on Sunday as she quietly tells a senior constable why she raised the alarm.
“He was just drinking and I told him to keep the noise down. Then he went off,” his mother said.
Security cameras have captured the moment a constable opened fire at a young father in Western Australia. (9News)
“He started grabbing knives and saying lots of stuff like he’d cut my throat and everything.”
Her 28-year-old son then emerges, allegedly armed with two knives.
While most of the incident plays out off camera or on the very edge of the vision, the camera picked up the audio.
Rogers is accused of storming toward the officer, who draws and fires a Taser but fails to stop the man.
The officer then appears to fire a single shot, hitting the young father-of-one in the torso.
The officer immediately questions his move.
Coen Rogers is accused of storming toward the officer, who drew a Taser, which failed to stop the man. (9News)
“What have I done?” the constable can be heard saying, before he calls for an ambulance.
“Ambulance, he’s bleeding, I shot, I shot someone.”
The constable was responding alone, with his partner on sick leave and back-up 20 minutes away.
The incident sparked controversy about regional police resourcing.
Rogers’ cousin revealed the normally gentle FIFO worker snapped after he received news his grandmother had suffered a stroke.
“Coen is such a happy go lucky person,” Kellee Gillespie said.
Rogers’ cousin Kellee Gillespie revealed the normally gentle FIFO worker snapped after he received news his grandmother had suffered a stroke. (9News)
“He’s never been a violent person, he’s just always the party.”
Both Rogers and his grandmother are recovering in Royal Perth Hospital.
Surgery is needed for his bullet wound, while an inquiry determines whether the officer did the right thing.
The family believes he did.
“The police and the town is just so understanding and we all get along,” Gillespie said.
Chinese police will be invited to Solomon Islands to provide training in management and leadership to senior officers, under the new security deal signed between the two countries.
Michael Aluvolomo, the transnational crime unit inspector for the Royal Solomon Islands police force, also did not rule out having Chinese police officers embedded within the force, saying it was up to the government to determine whether that was appropriate.
“China is new to us. There are plans with our commissioner on how we can strengthen our police activity. Now, they are very much focused on our capacity building in terms of our management and leadership,” said Aluvolomo, who was speaking to the Guardian on the sidelines of the Pacific regional law enforcement conference in Fiji.
When asked whether there would be Chinese law enforcement officers embedded in the Royal Solomon Islands police, Aluvolomo said this was yet to be confirmed but insisted Solomon Islanders had nothing to fear.
“It is for the government of the day to accept Chinese police working within our local police. For the time, there [are] no Chinese police working with us but they are coming with a program on capacity development,” he said.
Last month, in his first interview since signing the controversial security deal with China, Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare told the Guardian that there would be no Chinese military base in his country as it would make Solomon Islands an “enemy” and “put our country and our people as targets for potential military strikes”.
Sogavare said that while Australia remains the “security partner of choice” for Solomon Islands, he would call on China to send security personnel to the country if there was a “gap” that Australia could not meet.
Aluvolomo said that Solomon Islanders with concerns about China’s presence in the country should communicate that with the government.
“The public should work along with us and provide us with much information so that we can build on that and come in to create inclusive intelligence information.”
The Pacific regional law enforcement conference, currently under way in Nadi, is organized by the Australian National University’s Australia Pacific Security College and is an attempt to create networks to help Pacific law enforcement deal with drug trafficking and other transnational crimes, which present an increasing problem for Pacific countries.
While there is existing regional security architecture to combat transnational crime, including through the Pacific Island Chiefs of Police, which is made up of 21 members including Australia and New Zealand, there are concerns that China’s increased focus on the Pacific could disrupt or undermine these security arrangements.
In May, China presented a sweeping economic and security deal to 10 Pacific countries that would have seen increased ties between them, including in the area of policing.
The China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision draft document, which was rejected by Pacific countries, proposed to “expand law enforcement cooperation, jointly combat transnational crime and establish a dialogue mechanism on law enforcement capacity and police cooperation”.
China proposed to hold “intermediate and high-level police training” for Pacific island countries and as a matter of urgency to “hold the first China-Pacific islands countries ministerial dialogue on law enforcement capacity and police cooperation”, as well as helping to construct laboratories for fingerprint testing, forensic autopsy, drugs, electronic and digital forensics.
Ewen McDonald, the head of the Pacific Office in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told the security conference on Monday that increased geopolitical tensions in the region representeda “strategic challenge” for law enforcement.
“Increasing external interest in the Pacific will bring benefits but also challenges to our hard-earned interoperability, our shared doctrine and our Pacific way of conducting law enforcement operations,” he said.
“At no time has a strong, unified [Pacific Islands] Forum been more important in addressing the threats and challenges we face together.”
A father of two is suing one of Australia’s biggest engineered stone manufacturers after contracting the deadly lung disease silicosis.
Nic Lardieri loved his job as a stonemason, when he helped manufacture kitchen and bathroom benchtops made from engineered stone.
But now the 38-year-old is suffering from the life-limiting lung disease silicosis. It’s caused by inhaling silica dust, which is released during stone cutting and drilling.
The 38-year-old is suffering from the life-limiting lung disease silicosis. (9News)
“I guess it’s hard for the family, you know, you try to be as strong as you can,” Lardieri said.
“There was no protocol, no one came out to talk to us, to tell us you know this stuff is harmful.”
Shine Lawyers’ Dust Diseases National Special Counsel Roger Singh is seeking compensation on Lardieri’s behalf.
The claim, lodged in the Victorian Supreme Court, lists several of Lardieri’s former employers and major engineered stone benchtop manufacturer Caesarstone.
Nic Lardieri loved his job as a stonemason, when he helped manufacture kitchen and bathroom benchtops made from engineered stone. (9News)
“Silicosis is an irreparable lung disease which can be terminal,” Singh said.
“It’s our view that Caesarstone knew – ought to have known – about the deadly product.”
Last year, there were more than 400 silicosis claims by Australian tradies against various companies.
“I just wish I could have my health back and live a normal life and do the normal things, kicking a footy and that sort of stuff,” Lardieri said.
A system under which workers could be banned from the sector would discourage people from coming to work in aged care, he said.
“We support registration that would encourage and promote training and enhancement of skills,” Hayes said.
The HSU argued in its submission to a Senate inquiry examining the former government’s bill that banning orders were “likely to cause serious financial and reputational harm to an individual” and constituted “serious and extensive” powers.
“HSU is opposed to exclusion and individual blacklisting as a default,” the submission said. “We advocate for a regulatory authority that is empowered to consider individual worker actions and organizational practices and systemic issues.”
Aged & Community Care Providers Association interim chief executive Paul Sadler said the association supported “taking more time to get worker registration processes right”.
“Interaction with nursing and allied health registration and interface with the NDIS registration process need to be resolved,” he said. “We need to take time to support personal care staff to get prepared for a transition to a registration model.”
The bill also contains a provision that will give aged care providers immunity from prosecution for using physical and chemical restraints. The government will release an exposure draft of the quality of care principles that will guide the consent process for restrictive practices in the coming weeks.
The Greens have tabled an amendment seeking to delete this provision but it is not expected to succeed.
Aged Care Matters’ Dr Sarah Russell, who unsuccessfully ran as an independent in the seat of Flinders at the federal election, said the Albanese government “will be remembered as the one that stripped many older Australians of their fundamental legal and human rights” if the bill passed unamended.
Joseph Ibrahim, a geriatrician and head of Monash University’s health law and aging research unit, said workforce registration was a complex area and would cost money to set up and run.
loading
“It’s a key step towards strengthening the workforce capability, training and being able to ensure we have workers with the skill sets required for the care required in a contemporary system,” he said.
“The worker registration is only the first step – in and of itself, it is not enough. Setting a minimum standard and stipulating the qualifications needed for workers is part of this concept, which creates pressure to improve pay and access to formal training.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.
While little remains known about Saudi-born sisters Asra and Amaal Alsehli, the pair were “scared of something”.
Their tragic deaths continue to be shrouded in mystery as more questions than answers remain.
But as bizarre twists begin to emerge, it is growing clearer the two young women were worried.
Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
If someone knocked on the door of their Canterbury unit in Sydney’s inner west, the sisters were reportedly reluctant to answer, instead staying “tucked in the corner like two little sparrows”, according to one person who tried to help.
From their nervousness about visitors to a tradesman’s “uneasy” feeling while working in the unit, there were signs something was wrong.
Here are eight of the strangest twists in the case so far.
Crucifixes found inside
Two crucifixes were found inside the Sydney unit after the sisters’ bodies were removed, a worker with access to the apartment claims.
The worker said the religious symbols were discovered on the floor of one of the bedrooms, the ABC reports.
7NEWS.com.au was unable to independently verify the claim, with NSW Police unable to comment.
It has also been reported the pair renounced Islam and changed their names after arriving in Australia.
It is not clear whether the crosses were a sign the pair had converted to Christianity or if they belonged to the women at all.
Younger sister Amaal Abdullah Alsehli. Credit: NSW Police
Their car had been keyed
Those who knew the sisters say they seemed to live in fear and were “very afraid of something”.
Apartment building manager Michael Baird, of Transparent FM, said his first interaction with the women was when their car was keyed earlier this year.
“We believed that it was not a personal attack on them because they’d parked their car in an unusual position. And somebody’s obviously taken offense to it,” Baird told the ABC.
He said he was aware the sisters were concerned about their safety.
“I think the girls were very, very scared,” Baird said.
“And we’re not sure whether it was something or someone, they didn’t tell us.”
Older sister Asra Abdullah Alsehli. Credit: NSW Police
a strange man
The women had claimed a suspicious man had been lurking outside their unit in the months before their deaths.
“They made a report that they saw a man ‘acting weird’ outside the building – standing between two cars and acting strange,” an employee from the building management company told The Daily Mail.
“We checked the CCTV and saw there was a man there.
“But that spot is busy. There is a burger shop there and Uber Eats drivers coming and going all the time. He could have been anyone.
“We couldn’t determine why he was there, but he didn’t look like he was doing anything untoward, so there was no need to chase it up further.”
The sisters also had concerns someone was tampering with their food deliveries and contacted building management in January, but surveillance cameras again found no evidence.
The plumber’s bad vibe
The eerie reports continue, with a plumber who attended the apartment also raising concerns about the sisters.
“When (he) came out of that unit, he said that he was concerned that there was something untoward happening in the apartment. He got a very bad vibe,” Baird told the ABC.
“He was pretty shaken up. He said, ‘I’m never coming back to that apartment again’.”
Baird asked the local site manager to reach out to police, adding that he understood the women subsequently told officers they were fine.
“The girls did not want to open the door; they did not want to participate in any sort of conversation,” another worker told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“The cops said, ‘We’re worried. Can we help you?’ They said no.
“I took one look at those girls, and thought, ‘You are hiding something.’ These girls were very secretive. They kept a very low profile.”
A police van is seen near an apartment block where two women were found dead in Canterbury, Sydney, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) NO ARCHIVING Credit: BIANCA DE MARCHI/AAPIMAGE
A mysteriously dropped AVO
The eldest sister Asra had applied for an apprehended violence order against a man in 2019, but it was withdrawn and dismissed.
The man at the center of the AVO told The Daily Telegraph he had a “small fight” with the sister, which caused her to be fearful and contact police to take out an AVO.
“We went to court, the three of us and I told the judge what happened. Amaal explained it was just an argument and Asra was frightened but there was no problem anymore,” he said.
He said he was not romantically involved with Asra and had not been in contact with the sisters for about two years, and was “shocked” to hear of their mysterious deaths.
Family’s photointervention
At a press conference last week, Burwood detective inspector Claudia Allcroft said police were in contact with the women’s family, who was cooperating with authorities.
She said there was “nothing to suggest” the family were suspects, nor that the women had fled Saudi Arabia.
But it has since been revealed the sisters were asylum seekers who each had an active claim for ongoing asylum with the Department of Home Affairs and had engaged with settlement service providers in Sydney.
In another bizarre twist, the sisters’ family did not want police releasing images as part of their appeal for information.
Police contacted relatives in Saudi Arabia asking for permission to release images of the sisters, but they refused, according to The Telegraph.
However, a coroner investigating the deaths overruled the decision.
Forensic finger print dust is seen on an external door frame at the alleged apartment where two women were found dead in Canterbury, Sydney, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) NO ARCHIVING Credit: BIANCA DE MARCHI/AAPIMAGE
Shrouded in secrets
When the sisters arrived in Australia in 2017, they lived in Sydney’s western suburbs for about 18 months while they attended the local TAFE.
Rita was their neighbor and shared an insight into the sisters.
“(Amaal and Asra) were just really good people. They did nothing harmful,” Rita told the ABC.
“They moved to this house because it was like closer to their TAFE. And they usually stayed up all night and only slept in the morning.”
A man who had developed a friendship with Asra conceded he knew very little about the woman he “met on the street” in 2019, despite them hanging out together.
“She told me nothing about her life like that… I did not go to her home, I meet her out, you know, not in the house,” the man told The Telegraph.
By 2020, the sisters decided to move out and relocated to their Canterbury apartment.
The sisters lived in this apartment building in Canterbury. Credit: domain.com.au
The neighbors at the sisters’ Canterbury address also knew very little about the pair, telling 7NEWS they kept to themselves.
One neighbor said they “feel a bit scared” not knowing what happened to the pair so close to their own home, despite not knowing the women well.
“Every time when I walk past here, it’s always on, it’ll always be on my head,” another said
Police said the pair lived a quiet life since arriving in the country and did not have many known connections in Sydney.
The women do not appear to have been a part of any Saudi dissident networks and had almost no online presence or public photographs.
They stopped paying rent
As the tragic tale deepens, it has also been reported an eviction notice was filed weeks before the sisters’ bodies were discovered in June.
Rental agent Jay Hu said the women had been good tenants since they began the lease two years ago, but something changed earlier this year.
“They stopped paying rent, so my colleague contacted them… they said the money would be coming soon,” Hu told The Telegraph.
“But it still didn’t come… a few more weeks went by and still not paid.”
Hu said the sisters were given a notice to vacate the unit around May.
Burwood detectives have established Strike Force Woolbird to investigate the women’s deaths.
“As the investigation is ongoing, police continue to appeal for information in relation to the death of the two women,” NSW Police told 7NEWS.com.au on Tuesday.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Indigenous community leaders on the New South Wales far north coast say the emergency response to this year’s flooding disaster ranged from unprepared and uncoordinated to non-existent.
The Bundjalung Nation Flood Response Report was released to the public today after earlier being submitted to the Independent Flood Inquiry.
Some of the community leaders’ key findings included:
The emergency response was under resourced, unprepared, uncoordinated, and simply non-existent for many,
Woefully inadequate planning and environmental systems were not informed by First Nations science, cultural knowledge, and data; and
There was a lack of First Nations people and voices in government structures.
Currie Country Group’s report co-author Arrabella Douglas.(ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
Report co-author Arrabella Douglas from the Tweed-based Currie Country Group was among those to speak at the release ceremony today.
“We have come together because we are black first,” she said.
“We are worried and concerned about our Aboriginal communities, and we are prepared to stand up and do it because if we don’t we know we will be overlooked.”
CEO of the Bogal Local Aboriginal Land Council Rebecca Woods.(ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
Rebecca Woods from the Bogal Local Aboriginal Land Council struggled to contain her emotions as she spoke about the situation in nearby Coraki where about 60 people are still living in tents after their homes were inundated.
“We’ve still got people living in temporary accommodation solutions with no real strategy,” she said.
Dale Bolt cleaning up inside a house after floodwater damage at Cabbage Tree Island.(ABC News: Rani Hayman)
The community’s report made more than a dozen recommendations including:
Improve planning, flood mitigation, and environmental mapping processes by incorporating local First traditional Nations owners’ knowledge,
Improve emergency responses during and after natural disasters, and ensure First Nations voices are driving decisions,
Ensure crucial infrastructure is disaster-ready for future events; and
Build the capacity of Aboriginal organizations to function and respond in times of natural disaster.
Chris Binge, CEO of the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council.(ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
Chris Binge, who helped to rescue more than 200 people from Cabbage Tree Island at the peak of the crisis, urged the government to take note.
“If government can’t keep up with us we will do what needs to be done because that’s the sort of people we are,” he said.
“Leadership is about listening, it’s about learning from what’s happened and also what didn’t happen.
“Don’t feel sorry for us, stand beside us.
“Walk with us, let us guide you on a journey that will change your lives, because we want to be the people changing our lives for us.”
no release date
The final report from the NSW Independent Flood Inquiry was handed to the state government on Sunday.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said today there was no firm date for its public release.
“I want to see that report released as quickly as possible,” he said.
“But it’s also important that we see what is in that report to be able to release it and talk about what actions the government is going to do.”
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Flood inquiry hears growing calls for SES shake up(bruce mackenzie)
A parliamentary inquiry recommended redeveloping The Block under Aboriginal ownership and control.
In 2006, the ILSC – set up to help Indigenous people acquire land after the Mabo judgment – bought the old Redfern Public School from NSW for $16 million. A few years later it opened the NCIE to create a place where “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples can access opportunities to achieve excellence”.
As Redfern gentrified, the center has become a hub for the local Indigenous community.
It’s home to Redfern Youth Connect, Tribal Warrior and the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy, to name just a few. Elders use the pool and gym alongside kids learning to swim. Teens are given tutoring and taught hospitality skills. Parents rely upon it for out-of-hours care.
One estimate found that, for every dollar spent on the centre, it created three times as much value for local Aboriginal people.
Shane Phillips, the chief executive of Tribal Warrior, which empowers the community through connection to culture and family, said the hub had changed lives. He has watched it help young men, who were at risk of a life of crime, embrace work and sport.
“This has given us a place to come to,” he said. “And what happened was, organically, other stuff grew. Kids became employed. Kids became invested in it. There are so many other spinoffs. Ace [Redfern] gentrified, the footprint of our people has been diluted out.
“This is the last bastion. We don’t want to be diluted out of here, too.”
Local children rely upon the National Center for Indigenous Excellence for after-hours careCredit:Rhett Wyman
But the corporation, which has struggled with its own internal turmoil in recent years, must divest the land it buys to Indigenous communities. The NSW Aboriginal Land Council approached it, unsolicited, about the Redfern site a few years ago.
An agreement was made to divest the land to the council. That has angered members of the local Redfern community such as Margaret Haumono, the co-founder of Redfern Youth Connect, who said local organizations should have been allowed to make a pitch, too.
But the chief executive of the land council, Yuseph Deen, told the rally that the council had only intended to take on the property, not the business, which makes a loss of more than $2 million a year. From April, however, it was clear the ILSC wanted to divest both.
Deen said the council could not afford to cover the losses. It pushed for a three-year period in which the corporation would subsidize the business until the council could work out a better business model.
“Unfortunately after the last meeting we had here last week, the negotiations with the ILSC broke down over what an adequate envelope of funding would keep the doors open,” Deen said.
He wanted to keep the center open and would call for expressions of interest for “a reputable and capable delivery partners to take over the running of the fitness and aquatic center… we’ll move heaven and earth to keep this space open for community ”.
A former chief executive of the National Center for Indigenous Excellence, Clare Ingrey, described what the center meant to the community. “A big beautiful space where Aboriginal people… could come and see and feel Black excellence around them”.
“You did not need to achieve Blak excellence at the NCIE because you were already Blak and deadly when you walked through those gates.”
loading
However, Ingrey was critical of the corporation’s management. “It became apparent that despite every effort by the NCIE, the parent company that gave it life was intent on winding it down and handing over the site to NSWALC as an empty space void of the soul that is the NCIE,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
“As sad as I am to learn of the fate of the NCIE I am not shocked. The ILSC’s handling of the divestment of NCIE is deserving of an independent inquiry so that the lessons learned are never repeated.”
Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, described the center as the beating heart of Redfern’s Aboriginal community. “I strongly encourage the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to work together to find a solution,” she said on Twitter.
The political stench emanating from Macquarie Street over the past several weeks has reached a stage where the glue that binds governments together – trust – has all but disappeared. It is symptomatic of a government that has reached its use-by date, run out of ideas and is festering in its own arrogance. Time for the other mob to have a go. Grahame Riethmuller, Redbank
Senator has every right to shun oath to Queen
Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens in the Senate, Senator Lidia Thorpe, approaches the table to be sworn-in, in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra.Credit:alex ellinghausen
The absurdity of requiring citizens of this sovereign country to swear allegiance to Britain’s monarch was never more apparent than during the swearing in of Lidia Thorpe as a senator of the federal parliament (“Thorpe stirs debate with ‘coloniser’ Queen”, August 2). As a person of Aboriginal heritage, she took exception to that requirement, and rightly so. But whether of Aboriginal heritage or not, we should all take exception to such a requirement. For goodness sake, let’s get on with it and sever our constitutional links with Britain, not so much by becoming a republic but by simply cutting those legal ties, remaining the Commonwealth of Australia and keeping our de facto head of state, the governor-general , in much the same fashion as we have today. BrianRoach, Westleigh
I’m with Thorpe. What next, swearing allegiance to King Charles, that bastion of fidelity and faithfulness? This country was invaded, and it is well beyond the time we get behind the prime minister and the government to reaffirm this fact and give the original inhabitants of this wonderful land their rightful place and heed their Voice. Al Clark, Belrose
Thorpe has convinced me that, whether new or old elected representatives, they need to take a deep breath before diving into controversy. Grandstanding will not win votes from a cynical population of voters. This stunt does not help our Indigenous friends. John Dear, Mt Kuring Gai
The expression for reconciliation of Indigenous people is commendable (Letters, August 2). However, we need to be careful. Inserting a Voice into the Constitution is a step too far. If it fails it may be extremely difficult to remove it and the Constitution is binding. Parliament should implement a Voice by legislation. Barry O’Connell, Old Toongabbie
The opponents to the proposed Voice to parliament amendment to the Constitution are mainly those who voted no in the republic referendum of 1999. These people seem to regard the Constitution as a sacred document. The reality is that it is a century-old set of words arrived at by a bunch of white male politicians. It was written at a time when Britannia ruled the waves, women couldn’t vote and Aboriginal people weren’t counted in the census. While the Constitution has served us well for 121 years, there are bits of it that are no longer fit for purpose. Just as Australians since 1901 have accepted plans, computers, open-heart surgery, and an Aboriginal Australian of the Year, they need to accept that the proposed amendment to the Constitution will make it more reflective of contemporary Australia and the attitudes of most Australians. Mike Reddy, Vincentia
Dutton doesn’t cut it on fuel excise
Peter Dutton is playing politics again in “holding the government to account”, aka taking a fighter’s approach rather than a sensitive collegial one, regarding the ending of fuel excise cuts that the Coalition only now decides they want to continue (“Dutton braces for fight to keep fuel excise cut”, August 8). Isn’t that the sort of political politics his side played that sent government debt on its downward spiral even before the pandemic hit? Have Dutton and co also failed to note that their embarrassing result in May was the electorate holding them to account for just this sort of destructive politics? Charmain Brinks, newcastle
How quickly the Coalition has reverted into opposition mode. While voters question what the Liberals stand for or believe in, they oppose the climate change bill that Australians clearly want and gear up for a fight on continuing fuel excise cuts, despite voting only recently for them to end on September 28. Any hope that they might act in the best interests of the country seems to be fading away, as they slip back into opposing anything and everything that the government proposes. Alan Marell, North Curl Curl
Turn off the gas
The negotiations over securing gas supply seem to be ignoring the climate-driven renewable solution to the whole issue; we need to use less gas and this is a prime time for massive government investment to do so (“Gloves are off: Government versus the gas giants”, August 2). Negotiations between politicians and corporations around the edges of gas pricing will not reduce the use of this dangerous fossil fuel that is causing global warming. We are less than six months past the terrible signal of the Lismore floods, that climate change must drive economics; there is no other option. The focus of the negotiations has to be the big picture of preventing the climate catastrophe by shifting to renewables or we will get deeper into troubles much greater than gas bills. Barry Laing, Castle Cove
China winning economic war
You’ve got to love analysis such as Senator Jim Molan’s second Pearl Harbor (“Preparing for the wrong war?”, August 2). And the best part is that it could always happen tomorrow, so you can never be wrong. But my simple question is: do you really believe that President Xi and his entire backing group of him are complete psychopathic megalomaniacs to carry out such destruction? In addition, what would be the point? Surely one of the economic lessons of World War II is that what Germany and Japan could not achieve by military means, they did by economic means after 1945. China doesn’t have to use its military to achieve hegemony in its own “sphere of influence”. ”, it has and it will inevitably continue by economic power. Tony Mitchell, Hillsdale
Ignore at your peril
Good luck to Ernie Merrick in his wide-ranging job (“Merrick to work as Australian football’s key disruptor”, August 2). He would be aware it is not a soccer-friendly world out there in Australia. The recent 2022 European women’s football championship, the gripping final of which was played to a packed Wembley Stadium and a huge global TV audience, was a superb tournament though largely ignored by mainstream media in Australia. Women’s sport in general, and soccer in particular are, of course, used to this domestic tunnel vision. Hundreds of thousands of girls are registered to play despite scarce funding for grounds, change rooms and coaching. The World Cup’s next year… go Ernie. David Payne, Hurlstone Park
Liberal MP Alex Hawke and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrive for Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.Credit:alex ellinghausen
do the maths
Scott Morrison has finally been sworn in to the 47th parliament, having failed to attend the first sitting week. His excuse from him was that he accepted an invitation to attend a conference in Japan, before he knew the sitting dates of the new parliament. Section 5 of the constitution states that parliament must be agreed no later than 30 days after the last date appointed for the return of the election writs. For the 2022 federal election that date was June 28. New parliaments invariably open on a Tuesday, so to meet the 30-day constitutional deadline, it was clear that the opening of parliament would be on July 26. Morrison only had to do the arithmetic to know he would be absent from the opening ceremony if he accepted the invitation. Norman Monshall, Allambie Heights
Class dismissed
When did the minister last teach a class, if ever (Letters, August 8)? I have been teaching for more than 45 years and it is not possible to repeat lessons like a formula that fits all. Teachers not only teach content but they need to take into account the individuality of students and vary their lessons according to their needs, cognitive levels and classroom dynamics. Stop finding inane fixes for teacher shortages. Identify the problems and consult teachers across all sectors and socio-economic areas to arrive at solutions that are best for our children, our future. Rita Zammit, Concord
Bingo! Swap three hours a week for a complete NAPLAN-driven system, start to finish. Who needs the dedication of those inspired teachers, leaving in droves, and those who would have been teachers but have seen the writing on the wall? Kate O’Rourke, Elizabeth Bay
Too old to be saved
Yes, you can be screened for various life-threatening diseases and, if seen, treatment can start and your life is saved (“Lung cancer screen can save lives”, August 2). But it seems that health departments only value your life to age 74. Older than that, you must ask for, and pay for, those screenings. Is this a form of ageism? Yes, it is. Marjie WilliamsonBlaxland
No polite term
I am no lawyer, but the misuse of public money to benefit the least-worthy recipients has to be called something stronger than “could be corrupt” (“Pork barreling could be crime, declares ICAC”, August 2). Greg Thompson, Bega
sunburnt country
Your correspondent is right to commend the current prime minister for wearing a broad-brimmed hat (Letters, August 2). Given the rate of skin cancer and the vulnerability of exposed faces and ears, I am surprised that former PM Scott Morrison was not called out years ago for setting a bad example by wearing a baseball cap, particularly in the Australian summer.Brian Kidd, Mt Waverley (Vic)
yacht snub
More than Dutch courage, the request to dismantle a decommissioned bridge to accommodate the passage of another Jeff Bezos’ vanity projects provided a bridge too far for the egalitarian Dutch – a win for a principled population (“Bezos’ yacht left stranded after bridge row” , August 2). Janet Argall, Dulwich Hill
Put up, and park the lot
Why not move all statues to a purpose-built statue museum? Then charge the people a dollar and a half to see ’em, as the song goes (Letters, August 2). Ted RichardsBatemans Bay
The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au. I was a banker, now I’m on welfare – I had no idea how hard it would be desde be: “Agreed. I was made redundant in my 50s which gave me no amount of stress and humiliation. I was lucky enough to be able to start my own business and I am now earning more than I ever did on a salary. But not everyone can do that so I can understand how difficult it could of been for me. We as a nation need to treat all with dignity and give those on JobSeeker enough to sustain their lives.”
To submit a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald, email [email protected]. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.
