Monday 5 March 2018

Centennial Park Plan, Late Trading Review, Circus Animals, International Women’s Day, Cyber Risks, Christmas in Pyrmont & Strata Matters Forum

CENTENNIAL PARK PLAN

The Centennial Park Plan of Management is being updated and you can make a submission on the draft plan for the next 10 years until Friday 16 March HERE.

LATE TRADING REVIEW

The City of Sydney is reviewing planning controls for late trading under its Development Control Plan and you can provide and suggest amendments. Comment is open until Friday 30 March HERE.

CIRCUS ANIMALS

I will sponsor an Animal Justice Party bill in the lower House to restrict the types of animals that can be used in circuses. Forcing animals to undergo a lifetime of travelling long distances, being trapped in tiny cages and subjected to harsh training regimes so they can do tricks on command is a cruel and archaic form of entertainment. Making wild and non-domestic animals perform unnatural stunts is fast becoming unacceptable in society and it’s time the Parliament put an end to this cruelty.

Sign the petition to show your support for reform HERE.  

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

I’m proud to announce the 2018 Sydney electorate Woman of the Year is Myra Demetriou, long term inner city resident who has been a key advocate for inner city low cost housing and the campaign to save the Sirius building. Myra will join me at the Minister for Women’s International Women’s Day breakfast.

International Women’s Day on Thursday 8 March honours the social, economic, cultural and political achievements women make. The annual march is on Saturday 10 March 10am Archibald Fountain Hyde Park North HERE. 

SYD Urbanistas in association with UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion is again celebrating International Women's Day with a fundraiser for the Robyn Kemmis Scholarship. It’s on Thursday 8 March 6.30-9pm at UTS Business School Ultimo and funds go to support an Indigenous woman to complete a three-year UTS undergraduate degree. Information HERE.

Woollahra Council is holding a free event with Salam Zreika-Drennan, the first female, hijab-wearing Muslim police officer in NSW 6-8pm at the council offices. Free, bookings essential HERE. City of Sydney events HERE.

CYBER RISKS 

The Minister for Finance, Services and Property’s December response to my questions about protection of personal information held by government agencies states that the government is working to meet current cyber security challenges. Information HERE. However the NSW Auditor General has raised concerns about State agencies’ protection of personal information, reporting no whole‑of‑government capability, very limited sharing of incident information amongst agencies and some agencies have poor detection and response practices and procedures. The report is HERE.

CHRISTMAS IN PYRMONT 

Local community efforts to support each other and those in need are always inspiring and Pyrmont residents raise significant funds and provide great opportunities for building stronger communities. In Parliament, I commended this impressive venture, which last year donated to Freedom Hub’s work to stop human trafficking, Pyrmont Cares’ furniture and whitegoods recycling to help people in need and Barnardos’ Aboriginal Early Years Service. My speech is HERE.

STRATA MATTERS FORUM

The Owners Corporation Network has a forum 10 March Saturday 10 March 10am-3pm  with MC Flat-Chat’s strata guru Jimmy Thomson and the Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation. Sessions include short-term letting, noisy neighbours, building defects and flammable cladding. Information HERE.

There has been a strong supportive response to my petition calling for owners corporations the authority to control short term letting in their building, including to place limits beyond state controls or to ban the practice outright. If you support this approach, please sign and collect signatures. Print petition HERE.