News in brief

Lest We Forget

Hundreds of thousands of people around Australia took part in commemoration services this morning (Thursday, April 25) to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) during World War I. The event, which has become a wider day of remembrance for Australian servicemen and women in all conflicts, was also observed at Gallipoli itself amidst a somewhat tense atmosphere due to reported security and terrorism threats. In Sydney, the focal point was Martin Place, where dignitaries and members of the public gathered at the Cenotaph for the annual dawn memorial service.

Amalgamation a hot topic

The Local Government Review Panel yesterday (Wednesday, April 24) released its ‘Future Directions for NSW Government’ report, which calls for the amalgamation of Strathfield with Burwood, Ashfield and Canada Bay – as well as potentially Marrickville and Leichhardt. If enacted, the proposal would see Sydney managed by 15 “super councils”. Announced by Chairman of the panel, Graham Sansom, the review recommended the adoption of a new “global city” of Sydney. This would require the amalgamation of Botany Bay, Randwick, Waverley, Woollahra and the City of Sydney councils.

“Both parties illegal” on asylum seekers

Greens Candidate for the federal seat of Sydney, Dianne Hiles, has slammed the Federal Government’s plans to detain children indefinitely in the remote Curtin Immigration Detention. Ms Hiles said: “Labor treating vulnerable children so harshly and exposing them to risks of mental harm is appalling but its continued failure to stand up to the Coalition’s blatant politicisation of the issue is unforgiveable.” She said Labor was elected in 2007 with a clear mandate to close Nauru, abolish Temporary Protective Visas and efficiently assess asylum claims.  Last month, Ms Hiles said her main impetus for running against Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek was Ms Plibersek’s “back flip” on supporting asylum seekers.

Clarification – homelessness unit

City Hub wishes to clarify that in last week’s article ‘Homeless anger over boarding house treatment’, we did not contact the City of Sydney Council for a response to various claims. City News apologises for this oversight. This week, a City of Sydney media spokesperson issued a response to the article, which states:

“The article ‘Homeless anger over boarding house treatment’ is inaccurate and fails to recognise the work the City’s Homelessness Unit does for people experiencing homelessness.

While homelessness is a key responsibility of the NSW and Federal governments, the City is going above and beyond its scope of responsibility with the only council-run Homelessness Unit in Australia.

The unit works with community partners to ensure homeless people in our city have access to the support and services they need.

We hold two street counts every year to track changes in the numbers of people sleeping rough and to monitor the success of inner-city homelessness initiatives, including the City’s own programs.

The numbers are also used to lobby the NSW and Federal governments for the necessary resources, to ensure that every person experiencing homelessness is able to access a home of their own.

We also run the Homeless Persons Information Centre (HPIC), a telephone service that provides a lifeline to people in desperate need of emergency accommodation. It is used by 160 on average each day.

Last year, HPIC helped more than 15,000 people from across the country – many of them single parents with children – connect to health services, emergency accommodation and other social agencies.

A key focus of our Homelessness Strategy is to reduce the risk of homelessness occurring in the first place.

The Homelessness Brokerage Program, operated by YWCA NSW, is focussed on preventing homelessness by providing emergency assistance to pay for transport fares, rental or utility arrears, storage for personal belongings, or short term emergency accommodation.

We will continue to provide funding and support to programs such as the Way2Home assertive outreach service, which uses the housing first approach and recognises a person’s most basic need is to have a roof over their head combined with a mix of other supports.

Once a home for someone is found, other support services can then be introduced to ensure that other needs are being addressed. This way we’re looking beyond just the symptom, we’re also addressing the causes of homelessness.”