Post by Flash on Dec 21, 2007 10:06:27 GMT -5
THIS WEEK:
* Season’s Greetings & Holiday Hiatus
* Your Say on Inclusion Action Plan
* New Year’s Eve: the Time of Our Lives
* Spectacular First Night to Launch Sydney Festival
* Busking Policy Adopted
* Event Alert, web links & eNews subscription
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SEASON'S GREETINGS & HOLIDAY HIATUS
I wish you a joyful Christmas and a peaceful and fulfilling New Year.
Thank you for your support this year and I look forward to working
with you again in 2007.
My Parliament House and Sydney Electorate offices will be closed
until Monday 7 January 2008. My electorate office staff will be back
refreshed to help you with any state issues after that.
The Office of the Lord Mayor will be closed only on the weekends and
public holidays, 25 and 26 December 2007 and 1 January 2008. For
urgent matters, you can contact the City of Sydney on 9265 9333.
Details of the City's holiday operating hours for Neighbourhood
Service Centres, libraries, children's services, activity centres and
recreation centres are from www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. Click on the
link from the home page under "Highlights".
eNews will take its usual two week holiday break, with the next issue
on Friday 11 January, 2008.
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YOUR SAY ON INCLUSION ACTION PLAN
An Inclusion Advisory Panel; key documents in alternative formats on
request; continued disability awareness training for City staff, and
more kerb ramps are among an extensive list of initiatives in the
City’s draft Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan 2007-2011, on
exhibition until 25 January 2008.
Last year, the City completed an Inclusion (Access and Equity) Needs
Study to review current practices, policies and procedures,
documenting our areas of good practice and identifying gaps.
Our current commitments include regular disability access forums and
disability awareness training with staff. We consider accessibility
requirements for new private developments and for our own projects;
and in May 2006 we appointed our first Inclusion Project Co-ordinator
(Disability) to promote inclusive practice and ensure policies are
effectively implemented.
Building on the Needs Study, the new draft Action Plan identifies
ways to build on our strengths and address the gaps. It addresses
issues of inclusion and access in the built environment and public
domain; the provision of services and facilities; communication and
advocacy; at City events and in the City’s own employment practices.
The draft Action Plan is available on the City’s website in a range
of formats (Acrobat PDF, Word, RTF and MP3 Audio), as well as in
E-text, Braille and large print versions upon request. I invite you to
comment on the draft to help ensure the inclusion of people of all
abilities in City life.
Information
* www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/OnExhibition/
DraftInclusionDisabilityActionPlan2007-11.asp and at the One Stop Shop
and the City’s Neighbourhood Service Centres.
* Joanna Nicol, Inclusion Project Co-ordinator (Disability),
telephone 9265 9333 or at jnicol@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
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NEW YEAR’S EVE: THE TIME OF OUR LIVES
This year’s New Year’s Eve promises to be "The Time of Our Lives",
with the celebrations beginning at 1pm with "Every Hour on the Hour",
first introduced for New Year’s Eve 2005.
Events will occur each hour as the countdown to midnight, and include
the firing of the Harbour canon on Fort Dennison; Flyovers by Tiger
Moths, Boeing Stearmans, Beechcraft Staggerwing and a Pitt Special; an
Indigenous Welcome Ceremony on Sydney Harbour; the 9pm Family
Fireworks and the Harbour of Light Parade, the unveiling of the Bridge
effect, leading up to the spectacular Midnight Fireworks and bridge
effect which showcase our City and Harbour to the world.
Earlier on New Year’s Eve, I will host the 11th annual Lord Mayor’s
picnic in the Botanic Gardens for 2,000 disadvantaged children and
children with a disability, their families and carers. This year’s
picnic is in keeping with the "Time of Our Lives" theme, featuring
entertainment and characters from "Once upon a time".
More than 40 charities, hospitals and other organisations across
Sydney receive invitations to the picnic, who then distribute them.
Volunteers from the Guides and Rovers give up their time to cook the
sausages, serve the food, hand out show bags and assist in the
activity tents.
While New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate with friends and family
and reflect on our achievements, it is also a time to think about
working together to protect our world and create a better future and
it is a time to think about giving.
This year, the official 2007 New Year's Eve charity is World Wildlife
Fund (WWF-Australia), part of the world’s largest and most
experienced
independent conservation organisation. WWF-Australia works to address
Australia's leading environmental challenges, such as climate change,
species loss, and land clearing, and aims to protect our unique
terrestrial and marine environments.
I encourage you to be generous in your support for our charity
WWF-Australia, organisers of Earth Hour and champions for the future
of our precious planet.
Public transport is the only way to travel on New Year’s Eve, so
leave your car at home and visit www.131500.info for public transport
information. If you can’t avoid driving, remember that there will be
parking restrictions, special event clearways and road closures,
including the Harbour Bridge, CBD, Darling Harbour, Royal Botanic
Gardens and North Sydney.
Information
* New Year’s Eve information, including vantage points, events and
tips for planning your night: www.sydneynewyearseve.com.au
* Traffic arrangements:
www.rta.nsw.gov.au/newsevents/new_years_2007.html
* WWF-Australia: www.wwf.org.au
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SPECTACULAR FIRST NIGHT TO LAUNCH SYDNEY FESTIVAL
On Saturday 5 January, streets, laneways and parks in the City Centre
will become the focus of First Night, a spectacular new event to
celebrate the beginning on the 2008 Sydney Festival.
With over 200 artists and musicians performing in five different
precincts there will be something to suit all tastes.
During the afternoon central Sydney will come alive with
family-friendly events, with children having the opportunity to
present their ideas on how Sydney can be made into a better place for
all. These ideas will contribute to Sustainable Sydney 2030 project,
the major project the City is undertaking to plan the Sydney we want
in 2030 and beyond.
In the evening, the city will come alive with music, entertainment
and dancing across five precincts: Angel Place, The Domain, Hyde Park,
Macquarie Street and Martin Place. Hotels, bars and restaurants will
present live entertainment before, during and after Festival First
Night.
Hyde Park will be festooned with coloured lights and a huge dance
floor will be built around the Archibald Fountain. From 7pm to 7.30pm,
Swing Patrol will hold a massive group dance class to get everybody in
the mood for a night of dancing round the Fountain, to the strains of
the samba, waltz, salsa, rumba and more.
A highlight of First Night in Macquarie Street will be the weddings
of three couples, with over a thousand people looking on.
Festival Director Fergus Linehan has developed a program including
long established favourites, Symphony in the Domain, Jazz in the
Domain and the Ferrython, and the more recent "About an Hour" program.
First introduced in 2006, "About an Hour" involves performances around
60 minutes long that do not readily lend themselves to large venues,
high ticket prices or even conventional starting and finishing times.
All tickets are $25. This year the emphasis is on dance.
The 2008 Festival features a strong indigenous presence, including
Big hART’s Ngapartji Ngapartji and Cannot Buy My Soul, a tribute
concert to Kev Carmody.
A new event this year is Free Haircuts by Children in Darlinghurst
and Parramatta. A team of children aged between 10 and 12 will be
trained by local professional stylists to give haircuts. Created by
the Canadian company, Mammalian Diving Reflex, the event pits our
trust in the younger generation against our personal vanity.
Sydney Festival is Australia’s largest annual cultural event,
involving the City working with the State Government, the corporate
sector, and public, private and cultural institutions. The City is
contributing over $1.2 million toward the 2008 Sydney Festival,
including $200,000 towards First Night, to enliven our city, celebrate
our rich cultural life and enhance our international reputation.
Information:
* Sydney Festival: www.sydneyfestival.org.au
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BUSKING POLICY ADOPTED
Council has endorsed some changes to its long-standing Busking Policy
to better support buskers trying to make a living from their work and
to limit intrusive late night noise in residential areas.
The policy aims to promote busking, which provides entertainment and
helps performers hone their skills and earn income, while managing
potential negative impacts.
Community comment received during the public exhibition period
generally supported the changes, which include:
* buskers can now sell CDs or DVDs of their original work. Only one
CD or DVD may be on display a maximum of 50 copies available for
purchase.
* Busking is restricted to two hours in any one location between 7am
to 10pm Monday to Thursday; 7am to 12 midnight on Fridays and
Saturdays; and 9am to 10pm on Sundays.
* Additional "Special Permit Busking Sites" are available for
potentially dangerous acts, such as juggling knives, once City staff
have viewed the act and issued a special permit.
The Policy was modified to incorporate community feedback, with new
provisions including permit conditions requiring buskers to ensure
adequate space on the footpath for disabled access around their act
and disallowing discriminatory material.
Information
*
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Business/ApprovalsPermitsAndNotifications/Busking.asp
* Report to Committee, including the policy:
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/MeetingsAndCommittees/2007/
Committees/031207/cultural.asp
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EVENT ALERT!
* LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY: The Legislative Assembly resumes 26 February
2008. For sitting days, see www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/web/
common.nsf/key/HHBSitDay2008.
* CITY OF SYDNEY: Committees and Council meet Monday evenings and the
Central Sydney Planning Committee meets Thursdays, generally every
three weeks, in the Council Chamber, Sydney Town Hall. Council is now
in recess. The first Committee meetings for 2008 will be on Monday 11
February and the first Council meeting on Monday 18 February.
* ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION: For Council proposals on public exhibition
over December/January, visit www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au (scroll down
to "Have Your Say"). Where possible, exhibition periods have been
extended to help avoid proposals being missed during the holiday
period.
* DRAFT INCLUSION (DISABILITY) ACTION PLAN 2007-2011: Submissions
close Friday 25 January 2008 on draft plan, which seeks to reinforce
the City’s commitment to equitable inclusion of people of all
abilities in the widest possible range of the city activities.
* DRAFT CODE OF MEETING PRACTICE: Submissions close on 1 February
2008.
* DRAFT PLAN OF MANAGEMENT LILLIAN FOWLER RESERVE: Submissions close
Friday 15 February 2008.
* DRAFT CULTURAL DIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN: Submissions
close Monday 18 February.
* WATERSHED SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOPS: Worm Farming, Composting,
Natural Cleaning, and Eco Choices Workshops are held at the Watershed
Sustainability Resource Centre, 218 King Street, Newtown, or at
Rosebery Community Centre, 78 Harcourt Parade Rosebery. Information:
phone 9519 6366, email watershed@marrickville.nsw.gov.au or web
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Environment/
TheWatershedSustainabilityResourceCentre.asp
* BIKESYDNEY TWILIGHT RIDES: Every second Tuesday of the month from
Martin Place, between Castlereagh and Elizabeth Streets, meet 5.45pm
for a 6pm departure. Two hour rides from 10 to 20km. Contact
BikeSydney for details: email cityride@bikesydney.org or web
bikesydney.org/new.
* PACT MEETINGS: All Police Commands appoint a Police Accountability
Community Team to improve communication and accountability of local
police. Reports are listed on the NSW Police website at
www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/pact/central_metro. Clover is
represented at each Sydney Command and can take up crime, policing,
and safety concerns there. For information, contact Roy Bishop,
telephone 9360 3053 or email sydney@parliament.nsw.gov.au.
* COMMUNITY CENTRES & LIBRARIES: City community centres and libraries
present a range of events and activities for people of all ages and
backgrounds. Information is published on the City's website
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au under the Community menu.
* EVENTS IN THE CITY: For more events in the City of Sydney area,
visit www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOn. You can subscribe to email
alerts to let you know about events, Development Applications and
announcements from the City of Sydney.
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Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Clover Moore
Independent Member for Sydney
Lord Mayor of Sydney