A summary of the business case can be found at www.water.nsw.gov.au

Domestic and family violence victims living in the Barwon Local Area Command (LAC) will soon have a single contact point to access the support they need with the commencement of a new Safer Pathway site in March next year.Created by the NSW Government, Safer Pathway puts the safety of victims and their children at the centre of the response. Safer Pathway aims to ensure victims receive a consistent and effective response by bringing together local representatives including Police, Health, Corrections, Family and Community Services and Education along with local specialist non-government domestic and family violence services. The NSW Government has committed more than $50 million over four years for Safer Pathway.

Safer Pathway creates a coordinated response where agencies work proactively to provide victims with the support they need. This is about supporting the most at-risk victims in our community and giving them the best possible support.

For more information on Safer Pathway, visit the Women NSW website www.women.nsw.gov.au

The second annual NSW Rural Crime Week officially commenced today just days after the Liberals & Nationals Government introduced a Bill to strengthen legislation regarding stock theft, trespass and illegal hunting with the establishment of rural crime prevention teams for regional NSW. I welcome the operational reforms proposed by the NSW Police Force, in response to the NSW Government’s Bradshaw Review. Farmers and property-owners right across regional NSW can be assured that we are working closely with police to stamp out rural crime. The NSW Police Force takes rural crime very seriously, and today’s announcement regarding the introduction of rural crime prevention teams highlights this. The reforms currently before the NSW Parliament are designed to give officers the legislative framework they need to solve these crimes and give farmers the confidence to report criminal activity. More specially trained rural crime officers will be clustered in our regional centres to respond quickly and efficiently to rural crime as part of the re-engineering process. As part of 2017 Rural Crime Week, NSW Police will run a campaign to raise awareness and facilitate community engagement. Each day this week will have a particular focus on a different aspect of rural crime, including illegal hunting and trespass, firearms theft and safekeeping, livestock theft, and crime prevention.

The passage of legislation for a tougher and smarter justice system will provide a significant boost for community safety in Barwon. The NSW Government is investing $200 million to reduce undue stress on victims, strengthen parole decision making and recruit extra Community Corrections’ staff to supervise more offenders. The comprehensive package will also enable better management of high risk offenders and help reduce court delays in Barwon. People are entitled to feel safe, and these reforms are exactly what our community needs. They will drive down crime, protect victims, hold offenders to account and help create a more efficient criminal justice system in Barwon and across NSW.

For more information, visit: www.justice.nsw.gov.au/reform

NSW is officially the first state in Australia to pass legislation through Parliament acknowledging the value and importance of language to our country’s First Peoples and to the cultural heritage of NSW. This is a historic event for Aboriginal people in our Barwon communities. The NSW Government has worked tirelessly alongside Aboriginal communities, Elders and language experts to develop legislation that acknowledges the importance of Aboriginal languages for past, current and future generations. I am proud of how far we have come and I’m committed to working alongside Aboriginal people from right across our electorate as we continue on this journey to promote and reawaken languages. The Legislation was developed following extensive consultation at 32 workshops held across NSW. The legislation establishes an Aboriginal Languages Trust made up of Aboriginal community leaders to oversee the development of a strategic plan that will protect and strengthen Aboriginal languages.

I congratulate all Barwon communities who are getting involved in the ‘Love Where We Live’ campaign by getting involved in Graffiti Removal Day 2017 on Sunday 29 October.  Graffiti vandalism costs the NSW Government, councils, local businesses and households over $300 million each year. People who volunteer on the day at their local site will be supplied with free cleaning material, paint, safety equipment and training on how to safely remove graffiti.” For more information, or to register and suggest a clean-up site, go to www.graffitiremovalday.org.au