NRMA Community Road Safety Grants on Offer
NRMA Community Road Safety Grants on Offer
The NRMA is now accepting applications from community groups for the 2006-07
round of NRMA Community Road Safety Grants. The grants of up to $5000 are
distributed for programs and solutions that address local road safety problems.
The grants can be for stand alone projects or to enhance an existing roads
project. To be eligible for funding community organizations must demonstrate the
project will benefit the local community, reduce crash risk, have clear goals,
outcomes and performance indicators and must include a clear outline of how the
money will be spent.
Applications are available from my office and must be submitted by 24 April
2006.
Taking a Stand Against Scams
The 2006 Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce is campaigning to increase the
community's awareness of scams with the message "delete it, destroy it or hang
up." Scams come in many forms, they can include; telephone calls, mail or e-mail
or SMS. Some recent examples include;
The Spanish Lottery Scam- you are told you have won the lottery without even
entering! All you need to do is send $50 overseas.
Financial Chain Letters- by forwarding a letter to 200 people and sending $10
to the first person you can make up to $70,000.
Bogus Banking Institution E-mails- e-mails request your banking details and
password to help upgrade security.
Stockbroking Offers- fraudulent brokers call and offer an investment
opportunity with high returns.
Each of these are scams which are best dealt with by hanging up, deleting the
e-mail, or destroying the letter. Further information about the campaign is
available by contacting my office or for those with access to the Internet by
visiting www.scamwatch.gov.au
New Bordin Brothers Shed
Last weekend I had the pleasure of opening the new Bordin Brothers shed in
Kyogle. The opening also incorporated an information session on the National
Livestock Identification System as well as live demonstrations and talks. Its
great to see a Kyogle business expanding and I wish the Bordin Borthers all the
best for their enterprise.
FirstFarmer Program Funds Still Needed
The FirstFarmer program, first announced by the State Government in July last
year, is yet to be funded leaving young farmers without the opportunity to
introduce sustainable agriculture practices. Some young farmers have been left
waiting for the funding to help with the purchase of their first property.
The FirstFarmer scheme is supposed to provide concessional finance to help young
farmers establish viable and sustainable farming properties and to encourage
them to introduce cutting edge management practices and technology. It was
announced as a means to address the decline in the number of young people
entering farming.
It appears the $1 million FirstFarmer scheme was stalled whilst an external
consultant was engaged to review the merits of the scheme. It is a shame such a
worthwhile scheme has been announced, but not delivered.
Support for Lifeline Telephone Counselling Essential
Whilst the recent announcement of $500,000 for Lifeline counselling is welcome,
it falls short of the total needed to support Lifeline Counselling across the
State. In contrast, the National/Liberal Coalition has pledged $1.5 million
annual recurrent funding for Lifeline's telephone counselling service if elected
in March 2007.
Lifeline provides an essential service to the community and deserves financial
support. In this area alone, the service takes 5000 calls a month and across NSW
there are 15 Lifeline centres which last year took over 200,000 calls through
the 24 hour telephone counselling service.
Lifeline desperately needs additional funding to support and train its
counsellors to meet growing demand for its services. Mental health services are
in desperate need of support and it is shortsighted to underfund a valuable
service like Lifeline.
Clubs Tax Freeze
Unlike the current NSW Government which plans to continue increasing clubs tax,
effectively forcing them out of business, the Coalition has committed to
freezing the tax. This is an important issue for the Lismore Electorate, because
our local clubs provide generous support to many local sporting groups and
community organisations. Without this support many of these organisations and
groups would struggle to survive.
Already the clubs tax has forced the closure of some smaller clubs and the loss
of an estimated 2,000 jobs across the State. A report by the Allens Consulting
Group found the clubs tax will cost more than 24,000 jobs state-wide by 2010,
including 3,500 jobs in country areas. The current State Government needs to
understand that long term stability for the clubs industry is essential to
maintaining their support for the local community.
It is essential that all NSW businesses are given the tax relief they need to
operate and compete effectively against businesses in other States.
The FirstFarmer scheme is supposed to provide concessional finance to help young farmers establish viable and sustainable farming properties and to encourage them to introduce cutting edge management practices and technology. It was announced as a means to address the decline in the number of young people entering farming.
It appears the $1 million FirstFarmer scheme was stalled whilst an external consultant was engaged to review the merits of the scheme. It is a shame such a worthwhile scheme has been announced, but not delivered.
Lifeline provides an essential service to the community and deserves financial support. In this area alone, the service takes 5000 calls a month and across NSW there are 15 Lifeline centres which last year took over 200,000 calls through the 24 hour telephone counselling service.
Lifeline desperately needs additional funding to support and train its counsellors to meet growing demand for its services. Mental health services are in desperate need of support and it is shortsighted to underfund a valuable service like Lifeline.
Already the clubs tax has forced the closure of some smaller clubs and the loss of an estimated 2,000 jobs across the State. A report by the Allens Consulting Group found the clubs tax will cost more than 24,000 jobs state-wide by 2010, including 3,500 jobs in country areas. The current State Government needs to understand that long term stability for the clubs industry is essential to maintaining their support for the local community.
It is essential that all NSW businesses are given the tax relief they need to operate and compete effectively against businesses in other States.