Hi there listeners

Jacqui here, just thought I’d say hi from the Indonesian city of Jakarta will I have been for the past two days and will be for the next seven weeks doing a journalism internship.
Happy New Year.
Jacqui

Crime prevention; CCTV in central Wollongong

Another 40 CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras have been activated in Wollongong. 40 have already been operating since January 2007.

The cameras record 24 hours a day 7 days a week and can be viewed and monitored by Wollongong police. Funded by the federal government as part of the National Community Crime Prevention Program, the cameras are a crime prevention tool and are intended to promote safer public spaces.

Crossfire spoke to Senior Lecturer Mark Loves of the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention to get an insight into crime prevention using CCTV.

The Road Home; reducing homelessness in Australia

Kevin Rudd has released his second white paper in as many weeks, but this time he has been met with little objection to his policies.

The White Paper on homelessness aims to halve the number of Australians sleeping on the streets and in rough conditions by 2020 with an injection of $1.2 billion. Roughly 105 000 people in Australia sleep rough every night.

The Road Home, sets out a commitment to improving services and housing with funds form the $6.1 billion affordable housing program. The funds and program will be monitored by the Council to Homeless People.

Council to Homeless Persons CEO, Deb Tsorbaris said “The Australian government has made this significant commitment to people experiencing homelessness…we are impressed with the outcome focussed approach of the White Paper”.

$800 million of the funds will provide new support services and $400 million will go towards housing the homeless.

Crossfire spoke to Southern Youth and Family Services CEO Narelle Clay about homelessness and how the governments goals can be achieved.

 

 

Read the White paper: The Road Home

New planning rules from Wollongong Council

The new draft Land Environment Plan (LEP) is now on show at Wollongong City Council.

The LEP controls building heights, floor space ratios, subdivision standards, heritage items amongst other development technicalities. The councils intentions are to simplify the LEP; the new LEP will replace the Wollongong City Centre LEP 2007 and the current city wide Wollongong LEP 1990.

This plan will be on exhibition until and open for community input March the 13th 2009.

View the draft LEP

Comments from Director of Planning, Andrew Carfield

Death Toll now at 5

The NSW holiday tool is now at five after two deaths on the roads over the weekend in separate accidents.

A 38 year old man from Lemon Tree Passage was killed when his motorbike collided with a bus in Boolambayte in the early evening.

Police are still investigating the incident but believe the two vehicles collided when the motorbike rider attempted to over take the bus as it was turning right. The rider dies at the scene, no one on the bus was hurt.

In the second accident, a truck rolled killing the driver late on Sunday night. The accident occured on th ePacific Highway in Coffs harbour, near the Big Banana. The 34 year old from Queensland was trapped and died at the scene.

Police are reminding people to slow down and be cautious on the roads during the Christmas/New Year period.

Shuttle bus route still unknown

So far, no more information about the free shuttle bus service coming to Wollongong early next year has been able to be tracked down. NSW Minister for transport David Campbell announced the State funded bus service a few weeks ago but has yet to determine the exact route that the bus will take around Wollongong. So far only the stops the bus will make have been determined.

The service will travel in a 14.7km loop which visits the University and the Innovation Campus, Wollongong hospital, Wollongong train station, the Mall, the beach front and Wollongong TAFE.

In an email from the Ministers office, Crossfire were told no more information about the service was available at the time. Wollongong City Council said they had little to nothing to do with the State Governments shuttle bus service and did not know and more details.

Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme White Paper links

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally launched the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme White Paper this week.

 

Essentially, Kevin Rudd’s scheme is about emissions trading; the concept of selling and buying carbon credits. By charging companies for their pollution output the government can force then to be more responsible and pro-active about cutting down their output.

 

Companies will purchase permits in balance to how much pollution they produce. This extra cost to the companies will however, be passed onto consumers with increases in the price of products and services. When the scheme commences in 2010, so will the Climate Change Action Fund. This is an initiative by the Rudd government that passes on funds to eligible Australians who need assistance coping with the increased cost of every day living.

 

Not everyone agrees with Kevin Rudd’s target of a 5% reduction by 2020. Protesters say the target should be higher, closer to 20%. 

 

Even at 5% Australians in the lower socioeconomic population will feel the burden of price increases. To find out more and just how much you will be affected by the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, visit the Governments Carbon Reduction Scheme and you paper.

The White Paper can be viewed online.

A short video by the Prime minister can also viewed online.

 

Bulli Hospital’s surgery ward in limbo

A survey of Bulli hospital facilities conducted by the Parliamentary secretary for Health recommends that elective surgery continue after the Christmas; but not indefinitely.

 

Dr Andrew McDonald MP conducted the investigation under the instruction of the Minister for Health, John Della Bosca.

 

Bulli Hospitaloffers elective surgery for ear, nose and throat patients. When the surgery ward is closed, patients will have to travel to Shellharbour or Wollongong hospital for these services.

 

Mr Della Bosca says Bulli hospitals facilities’ will “re-open after the holiday period” and that the decision was good news for the residents. The distant future of the surgery ward is still not known.

 

Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner says it’s obvious the state government is planning to cut the service eventually. “This is simply another delaying tactic by the Health Minister” Mrs Skinner said.

 

Mr McDonald spoke to surgeons and nurses when compiling his report for the state government. “After speaking with surgeons and medical staff, it became clear to me that eventually Bulli Hospital’s elective surgery will be transferred to Shellharbour and Wollongong Hospitals” Dr McDonald said.

 

Mr Della Bosca has said he will determine the future of the surgery ward in the medium term after the Christmas break.

Funding for infrastructure nation wide

On Friday the Federal government officially announced a $4.7 billion Nation Building Package focused on infrastructure. The investments are another economic crisis combat tool from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Labor Government.

 

The package will be divided between road, rail and education infrastructure; in many cases bringing already approved and future projects forward. Tax changes for Australian businesses will also be implemented.

 

$1.2 billion of the package will be put into the nation’s rail network. $580 million of that will go towards the railway connecting the Hunter Valley coal mines and Newcastle Port.

 

$711 million will be put towards road construction and improvement projects and will push funding for the Black Spot Program to $110 million from $50 million.

 

Four NSW road projects have been fast tracked in the package. The Woomargama Bypass and Tarcutta Bypass on the Hume Highway and the Bulahdelah Bypass and Sexton’s Hill, Banora Point projects on the Pacific Highway.

 

No funding has been put towards the Princess Highway and local Liberal members have criticized this decision by the federal government.

 

In education, $1.6 billion will be invested in Universities and TAFE’s nation wide. The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard announced a new Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for Higher Education which will inject $500 million into universities.

 

NSW universities will receive $153 million of this fund; Wollongong University is to receive $10.1 million. Wollongong University will also receive its already secured $35 million from the Higher Education Endowment Fund for the SMART Infrastructure facility (Simulation, Modeling, and Analysis for Research and Teaching).

$500 million will also be delivered to public skills and training through The Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for Vocational Education and Training.

 

Questions have been raised by the federal opposition about the possibility of the budget being dimished and put into deificit by Mr Rudd’s investments and rescue packages. Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull described last weeks cash handouts as a “sugar hit” and suggested that tax cuts would have been the better defence against recession.

Kevin Rudd says this latest national investment package will not put the budget into deficit.

Man drowns at Mollymook Beach

A man has drowned at Mollymook Beach after entering the water in an attempt to assist his two teenage sons, 19 and 17.

The two boys got into trouble in the water sometime after 4pm. Their 50 year old father was trying to rescue them.

Other members of the same family called  the police for help and two surfers managed to pull the teenagers to safety.

Attempts to revive the father were fruitless. A report is being prepared for the coroner by police.