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I encourage community groups and not-for-profit organisations to apply for funding through the Community Building Partnership.
The Lake Macquarie electorate will be eligible for $400,000 and I will be involved in selection the successful applicants.
If your group has a project that needs funding you can find out more by following the link here.
LOCAL EO VISITS
I would like the opportunity to meet residents of the southern area of the electorate and to hear of any State issues with which I may be able to assist. Recognising the significant distances and difficulties that would be imposed by travel to Toronto, my staff and I will visit the southern-most areas of the electorate including those below, on the following dates:
If you live in or near any of these areas and wish to arrange an appointment, please ring my office on 4959 3200 as soon as possible.
 If you need to be appointed as a JP, either within your local community or in your employment, click here to download an application form. 
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Posted 4 August 2009
Community support for Lockyer-Dunstan Children
In the wake of a tragic house fire on the Morisset Peninsula Greg Piper, Mayor and Member for Lake Macquarie, has teamed up with Bonnells Bay Progress Association to offer long-term support for four orphaned brothers, all under 10. The aim is to encourage members of the public to make tax-deductible donations.
According to Mr Piper, there has been a strong outpouring of support for the boys after the tragic loss of their father, Mark Dunsdon.
"The community has been quick to offer support for Zacharia, Talon, Marcus and Solomon," Mr Piper said. "I'm investigating how this good-will can be maximised and channelled to provide the greatest benefit."
"I would like to see a trust fund established so that members of the public can make tax deductible donations," Mr Piper Added. "I've been told that the Bonnells Bay School and local businesses have already started collecting donations for the boys. I'm sure that many in the community would like to help if it can be made easy for them."
"The Bonnells Bay Progress Association is looking for assistance with establishing a trust fund and I am keen to see this happen," Mr Piper said. "As soon as the trust fund is established I'll have the details on my website at www.gregpiper1.com"
Current options for donations are:
Other options will become available in coming days. Posted 24 July 2009 Greg Piper wants Open Cut ban made clearer In the wake of the dumped Olstan auger mining proposal Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, has asked for strengthening of the State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) that prohibits open cut mining in Lake Macquarie. In a letter to the Minister for Planning, Mr Piper has asked for the SEPP (Mining, Petroleum Production and Extractive Industries) 2007 to be modified so that proposals for unusual mining projects such as Olstan will not rely on legal and technical arguments to determine their permissibility. According to Mr Piper, a clearer distinction must be drawn between surface and underground mining methods so that there can be no doubt about what can be included in any new proposals. "I have no doubt that the implicit intention of the SEPP was to exclude high impact surface mining techniques within the city," said Mr Piper. "With the Olstan proposal now withdrawn I believe it is timely and imperative to support the spirit of the SEPP by further clarification." "The Olstan proposal generated a lot of concern in the community," Mr Piper added. "If there is a clear indication that communities will be protected from the impacts of surface mining this need not happen again." "I believe that the community generally accepts underground mining, but sees proposals such as Olstan inappropriate in a populated and developing area." Posted 22 July 2009 Pollies for small business Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, will once again be doing his bit to promote small business in the area. In previous years he's worked in a legal practice, a health food shop, a home lender and a newsagency. This year he will be at Brumby's Bakery at Morisset and Simply Pharmacy (formerly Amcal) at Toronto. While he's there he will be learning more about what it takes to run small businesses and looking for ways to help. Your chance to be served by your local MP will be from 9am to 10am on Tuesday 28 July at Brumby's Morisset and from 2pm to 3pm on Wednesday 29 at Simply Pharmacy Toronto. According to Mr Piper, small business makes a huge contribution to the state's economy and is a major generator of employment. "Small business in Lake Macquarie deserve the support of politicians and the community alike," said Mr Piper. "I've been a small business operator and I know how much effort it takes and what the risks are." "I hope that Pollies for Small Business is a success this year, but mostly I hope that all of our local businesses survive these tough economic times." According to Stephen Cartwright, CEO of NSW Business Chamber, "Pollies for Small Business puts our politicians at the coalface and gives small business operators the chance to raise their concerns directly with their local MP. "During a global recession that opportunity has never been more important." Mr Cartwright said. Posted 22 July 2009 Greg Piper to ask Government to slow down on sand quarry Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, has agreed to support the Somersby Action Group in its call for further air quality tests to be considered before the Minister for Planning announces a decision on the Somersby Fields project. The proposed sand quarry would produce up to 450,000 tonnes/year and operate for up to 18 years. Residents are concerned at the health risk from respirable silica dust that may spread from the site. Mr Piper says he will raise the matter in Parliament and ask the Government to delay a decision until a benchmark for safe exposure to respirable silica dusts is established. "I will remind Parliament that independent tests at Somersby have found excessively high levels of silica dusts," said Mr Piper. "This dust is known to cause silicosis and cancer, but the application doesn't include enough information on how much dust there would be and how far it would spread." "A number of residents of the Lake Macquarie electorate would be affected, including pupils of Somersby Public School." According to Mr Piper, the World Health Organisation says that occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica is associated with silicosis, lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis and airway diseases. "The World Health Organisation and the International Labour Office say that managing workplace hazards should also consider possible impacts on surrounding communities," Mr Piper said. "I think that this project can't be approved without considering the existing dust levels, what the increase would be and what is a safe level of exposure to silica dust." Posted 24 June 2009 Main Road 217 Toronto Still Waiting Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, today asked the Minister for Roads about the RTA's plans to improve Main Road 217 in central Toronto. In Parliament, Mr Piper asked the Minister about the plans and time frame for property acquisition, road widening and traffic management on the section of Carey St Toronto between the Boulevarde and Bay St. In his reply, Roads Minister Michael Daley confirmed that the RTA has plans to widen this stretch of road, but it is not included in the RTA's current forward program. He advised that there would be interim improvements to the existing roadway when investigations are finished later this year. According to Mr Piper, the steadily increasing development of western Lake Macquarie means that this section of road is a growing problem. "Carey St is a terrible bottle-neck in peak hours," Mr Piper said. "It needs a proper solution." "This part of the main road is a problem for traffic merging or turning." Mr Piper said. "Main Road 217 is the most important road in the electorate and it needs to be treated as a high priority." According to Mr Piper, the Minister acknowledged that most of the properties required for road widening have already been acquired and the land has been rezoned for the road. The Minister also pointed out that the roads budget for the Lake Macquarie electorate is $14.3m this year, up from $12.6m in 2008-9. Mr Piper has welcomed this increase and stresses the importance of road improvements keeping up with increases in population. "With so much growth happening around Morisset and Cooranbong Main Road 217 is becoming increasingly important and needs to be improved to a suitable standard," he said. AUGER MINE PROPOSED FOR LAKE MACQUARIE Centennial Coal's proposed Olstan project near Blackalls Park would extract coal by auger mining, which is a process of drilling into coal seams often associated with open cut mining. The current proposal is based on a possible interpretation of underground mining operations allowable under the State Environmental Planning Policy prohibiting open cut mining in the city of Lake Macquarie. There has been a strong reaction from the local community over issues such as dust, noise, loss of bushland and damage to creeks. Information on the proposed auger mine is here. An example of an auger mining operation is at http://www.coalaugering.com/fassifern.pdf |
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