Building A Fairer NSW
There is no doubt that a focus of the previous NSW Government was to sell off assets and to make cuts across the public services to fund the build of new train systems in Sydney – Light Rail and the Metro (driverless trains that are underground).
Unfortunately, what was not spoken about at that time was that the cuts to public services affected regional communities just as much as they affected Sydney based communities. Equally, the sale of public assets like electricity, our ports and of course our land titles office also added prices to the goods and services that the people right across NSW buy.
At the end of this massive sell off and cut to services, some communities in Sydney were rewarded with shiny new trains, while others in Sydney and all regional areas of NSW got no benefit of improved train services.
Right now the new NSW Government is doing what it can to repair some of the damage. Most of that work comes in the form of fixing the public services that every community right across the State relies on.
Thousands of additional health workers have been employed; school teachers have been made permanent and given the chance to become a long term part of their communities; TAFE campuses are getting upgrades and teachers are being employed as full time teachers again; we are helping people that want to join our Police Force by paying for their training; and we are training more Ambulances officers than ever before.
After 12 years of the previous Government being really focused on new trains for Sydney while making life harder for everyone else, the list of things to do for the new Government is long, but progress is being made.
16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence
The 16 days between 25th November and 10th December are internationally recognised as being a time for all people to take action against domestic violence. Right here in our community we recognised this moment with the Kawuma Walk along the Cessnock main street and down to the TAFE grounds.
The Kawuma Walk attracted hundreds of supporters, including hundreds of school children. The importance of the young people cannot be over-stated. Domestic Violence, like many other behaviours of violence and anti-socialism, are “learnt” during childhood based on what the young people see, hear and experience themselves. In simple terms, these young people grow up knowing no other way.
Changing the attitude to domestic violence will require everyone to be aware and focused on a behaviour that is not acceptable. Taking action can be simple things like listening to a friend talk about what is happening in their life, or making sure that your social groups all talk about how wrong domestic violence is, or calling the Police if you see/hear domestic violence happening.
Unfortunately, in this middle part of the Hunter Valley, domestic violence rates are some of the worst in the state. There is so much that needs to be done. But I do believe that we all have the ability, in little and big ways, to make sure that we spread the attitude that DV is not ok.