To prevent the unnecessary loss of life

This year is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate and reflect on Joseph, described by Pope Francis in his apostolic letter, Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), as a beloved father, a father who is creatively courageous, a father in the shadows. Francis names Joseph specifically in his letter as “the special patron of all those forced to leave their native lands because of war, hatred, persecution and poverty.” To honour and acknowledge this, a coalition has come together to initiate 150 days of action across Australia, to engage with people of goodwill, and advocate to change our country’s attitude and policies towards those seeking protection in Australia.

Implementing FOGO will help council rates stay as low as possible. In addition it will deliver environmental benefits as methane gas (a significant contributor to climate change) is released when food scraps are included with general rubbish. This project is a win-win....a win for your hip pocket as well as the environment. Tell Mayor Khal Asfour that you want FOGO implemented in Canterbury Bankstown Council

Families and children and the broader community should not have to cross the main road to facilitate their child or person they are assisting to access adequate public facilities. Toilets are crucial to this park being accessed in a meaningful way by all community members!

My son got concussion at one of his games and he got sent to hospital. I was waiting beside his hospital bed and it's not until we go through things like this that you realise how important it is. If I can make a change and not let any other parent go through what I did then that to me means everything in this world. I have two sons and I've made the change for them to wear head gear and mouth guards

The skate community is deprived of a quality skate rink that is easily accessible for ALL people. Midnight Star is located 5 minutes walk from Homebush train station, this allows for everyone to safely get to and from the rink without relying on cars. Community is important, and with the skate community growing daily, especially since lockdown, we need a safe place to skate that is dedicated to roller skating and uplifting the whole community, skaters or not skaters.

Many of us will be affected by the cuts. It will mean it's harder to get to the airport without paying through the roof for limited train options, it will mean less connections between the Eastern Suburbs and the rest of Sydney, and it will mean longer wait and transit times. These cuts are being rammed through for 2 reasons: to pay for the light rail they're trying to force people into using, and to further their privatisation agenda. But just relying on light rail will mean longer trips and more transfers for many residents. And privatising the remaining and modified bus routes will be bad for transport workers and bad for us, like it's been in the Western Suburbs. It's also important we take a stand against these undemocratic changes that barely any of us were consulted on. It's our lives that are being affected, not the rich politicians who can pay for drivers to take them where they want. Bus routes that will be cut include: 300, 301, 302, 309X, 310X, 314, 316, 317, 338, 353, 357, 372, 373, 376, 377, 391, 393, 394, 395, 400, 400N, L94, X40, X93, X99. We need to stop this assault on our public transport! References: Dozens of Sydney bus services cut in eastern suburbs transport overhaul, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 2021 Outrage as popular bus routes used by thousands are SCRAPPED to pay for Sydney's $3billion Light Rail project, Daily Mail, 7 May 2021

The Kurri Kurri gas plant is a waste of public money. It’s expensive, climate polluting, and it fails to deliver the long-term jobs that were promised to the local community. Right now it’s planned to run on gas, a fossil fuel that contributes to worsening floods and fires caused by climate change. The new Labor Government promised to support the project on the condition that it ran on 30% hydrogen from the day it is operational and 100% by 2030. But energy experts are saying that this won't be possible. The Kurri Kurri gas plant fails to deliver the long-term jobs our community was promised. We need the new government to invest long term, in the technologies of the future and not waste a billion dollars of public money and instead invest it in the Hunter to keep our region as a powerhouse for generations. We know battery storage is a cheaper way to firm the electricity grid and bring down electricity prices for people doing it tough. It’s clear too that we need to move away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels like gas and coal, and towards cleaner, cheaper alternatives like solar, wind, and batteries. So all in all, a pretty shocking idea. But that didn’t stop the Morrison Government throwing public money at the project last year. It didn’t make sense then, but it makes even less sense now. The global price of gas and coal has shot up since the start of the year, meaning new power plants that run on fossil fuels won’t help bring your electricity bills down. It would be a backward step. Our country is lucky to have huge resources of sun and wind, and backed up by batteries these resources are going to power our houses and businesses into the future with cheap, clean electricity. We need our leaders and local MPs to see that this is the future we want for the Hunter, not expensive fossil-fuel powered plants that will soon be irrelevant. People in the Hunter deserve proper investment in jobs and industries that will be around for a long time.

The 'Sports Rorts' saga surrounding the 2018 Community Sport Infrastructure grant program led to the Senate Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants. The final report of the Committee has been released with nine sensible recommendations. The recommendations outlined improved communication, transparency & integrity when Government bodies are administering grants. These recommendations were made in response to findings of "overt and organised practice by the Government of inappropriately using Commonwealth grants for partisan political purposes, and a failure to act transparently and accountably in relation to the expenditure of public monies". The recommendations also included that "the Australian Government immediately fund in full all projects that were assessed as meritorious and recommended by Sport Australia, but dismissed in the final ministerial funding decisions." This is vitally important to restore trust and faith in the Australian Government, by the not-for-profit organisations who rely on these programs, to improve the facilities they offer to their members and their communities.

The Burleigh Swimming Centre is declared a landmark facility in the City of Gold Coast Council's document titled 'Burleigh Heads Heritage & Character Study'. The idea of a salt water 'ocean pool' was conceptualised in 1935 by the legendary Jim Cavill, (as in Cavill Avenue) who operated the Surfers Paradise Hotel and Zoo. It would be reasonable to assume the rock pool was based on the renowned Bondi Icebergs. The ocean rock pool was subsequently constructed in 1953 by another Gold Coast legend, Jack (Sharkey) Evans who went on to construct and operate the renowned Snapper Rocks Porpoise Pool. In 1983 the Burleigh Swimming Centre was redesigned and a pavilion erected above the swimming venue for a restaurant(s) to financially contribute to maintenance of the swimming centre. Protection of the swimming centre was contained in the term lease. The current lessee seeks to eliminate the swimming centre in favour of an entertainment venue, in contradiction of the term lease. Residents passionately insist the government uphold the lease, but most importantly respect and retain our city's small selection of historical landmark facilities by ensuring the swimming centre continues as our forefathers decreed.

Ease of access to the Harbour Bridge cycleway for all cyclists is urgently needed, which does not exist with the current stairs access. Older and less able cyclists are unable to negotiate the stairs, and are using public transport as an alternative. The minister has been urging more people to cycle and walk to work, to take the pressure off public transport, but despite 20 years of lobbying, a cycle ramp has yet to be built.

Our town desperately needs a safe secure modern pound facility, our town is growing, so naturally more pets will be part of the community. Currently the outdated facility we use is not safe, as cats escape in to the bush- and dogs can be stolen from there.