Albanese Government proposes new rules to improve mobile coverage in new developments

The Albanese Government has today opened consultation on draft planning rules to include consideration of mobile coverage in new housing developments.
 
The proposed amendments to the Telecommunications in New Developments (TIND) policy would place an expectation on developers to actively consider the inclusion of mobile infrastructure in new developments, in a similar way as other services – such as water and electricity – are currently considered.

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Sara Johnston
A new home for Pro Patria Centre - Wagga Wagga

In late August 2023, the Pro Patria Centre secured the use of a former monastery in Wagga Wagga. The property is a unique, peaceful, family-friendly location and the newly elected Board of Directors and committee are aiming to develop it into a hub for serving and ex-serving and their families.

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Sara Johnston
$10 million for Aboriginal organisations to Close the Gap

Expressions of interest are now open for Aboriginal organisations to apply for the next round of Community and Place Grants.

$10 million funding for the grants, to deliver immediate and tangible on-ground activities to support Closing the Gap, were confirmed in the NSW budget handed down on Tuesday 19 September.

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Sara Johnston
Trial grants program launched to improve flexibility in early childhood education and care

The NSW Government has launched a $20 million trial grants program aimed at improving working families’ access to early childhood education and care when and where they need it most.

Offering providers a pool of up to $20 million over two years, the Flexible Initiatives Trial will provide grants to support existing ECEC services to expand and innovate, to better meet the needs of children and families and allow parents to enter the workforce or increase their hours.

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Sara Johnston
Fire and Rescue NSW works with multicultural communities to deliver key fire safety messages

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is continuing to work with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities to deliver key home fire safety messages as the weather warms up.

FRNSW attended the Canterbury-Bankstown Safety Expo on October 7th, with firefighters from Arabic, Greek and Vietnamese backgrounds spending time with locals to discuss fire safety in their native language.

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Sara Johnston
Turning up the volume - on Live Music Australia funding

The Live Music Australia program aims to bring music to more Australians, supporting organisations and businesses to professionally stage original live music in regional communities. Round 7 is now open for applications and Australian live music festivals presenting home-grown music can apply for assistance towards a range of activities and equipment.

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Sara Johnston
Facilitating safer trucks in Australia

The Australian Government has made changes to the national road vehicle standards to facilitate the supply of safer trucks in Australia, to help reduce road trauma while bolstering freight productivity.

It is estimated the changes will provide a net benefit of over $500 million to the Australian economy.

The Safer Freight Vehicles package includes an increase to the overall width limit from 2.50 to 2.55 metres for new trucks that are fitted with a number of safety features.

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Sara Johnston
A roadmap for the oil and gas infrastructure industry

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) is undertaking consultations to develop a roadmap for an oil and gas infrastructure decommissioning industry, with the key objectives of:

 

  • growing a decommissioning industry in a safe and ethical way, which also benefits adjacent industries

  • creating a safe and high skilled jobs environment which supports indigenous opportunity and gender equality

  • creating a shared long-term vision between Government, industry and workers.

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Sara Johnston
Taskforce to drive high tech communications for first responders

Australia’s first responders are now one step closer to improved communications during an emergency, following the establishment of the Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) Taskforce. The announcement of the Taskforce comes ahead of the National Bushfire Summit, being held in Canberra today (Monday). The PSMB Taskforce will be responsible for laying the groundwork for the long-term public safety communications infrastructure, prioritising the partnerships with state and territory governments to ensure they have a voice in its design.

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Sara Johnston
Regional Emergency Road Repair Fund (RERRF)

The Regional Emergency Road Repair Fund (RERRF) is supporting regional councils to continue vital repair and maintenance work needed following the devastating effects of severe weather and natural disasters. The RERRF will help regional councils to fix the damage and keep communities and industry connected and able to move to, from and through regional towns and centres across NSW.

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Sara Johnston