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The CDSE scheme allows clubs to claim a tax deduction of up to 1.5% on gaming machine revenue over $1 million for monies spent on community support. Grants are made to community groups for projects on: Applications for the current round of funding close on 30 April MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FROM CLUBS NSW HERE 
Tickets to these concerts, which are held each December, and in March during Seniors' Week, are available to seniors 60 years and over. Tickets, which are free, may be obtained through Ticketmaster in person by visiting any of the outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com.au, or by phoning 1300 855 501 (expect delays).
Tickets are strictly limited to a maximum of four per person.
Members of Parliament are offered a limited number of tickets to distribute to seniors in their electorate. If you would like to enter a ballot to receive any surplus tickets, please contact my office.
Are you interested in attending events, which are cost-free, for people aged 55 years and over? Bookings are required for the events listed in Lake Macquarie Seniors Program February 2010.
Are you a member of a club, or a community / Interest group operating in the Lake Macquarie electorate (eg pensioners, Probus, Lions, RSL etc)?
If so, by ensuring my office has your organisation's contact details your group can be kept up to date with information which could be of assistance. 
If so, are you or your group aware that there is new legislation governing community groups - the Associations Incorporation Bill 2009 which was introduced on 7 April this year.
The new laws improve accountability and financial stability governing community services and groups. Incorporated groups can include community groups such as sporting and interest clubs, service clubs and non-government organisations.
Click on the link to view the Explanatory Notes and to view the legislation click on Associations Incorporation Bill 2009
The Public Consultation Draft Retirement Villages Regulation 2009 and the Regulatory Impact Statement will be of interest. Click on Retirement Villages.
You can also comment on the Regulation. Comments close 4 November 2009.
 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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Legend of ANZAC
Last year I produced and distributed to households in the Lake Macquarie electorate a booklet to commemorate our ANZACS. The publication was very well received and so I have decided to do this again this year. Last years booklet focussed on the role of the flying boat base at Rathmines. While this theme is also included in this booklet we have included information specific to the role of our women who served at Rathmines as well. There are many interesting stories, stories that deserve to be told and this booklet aims to recall at least a few of those.
The booklet will be distributed by Australia Post in the week leading up to ANZAC Day but can also be downloaded here. The file is almost 2 mb in size so if you don't have broadband and would like it sent as a smaller file please contact my office at
lakemacquarie@parliament.nsw.gov.au Posted 20 April 2010 Opposition vs Transport Minister - No Winner Here Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, tonight criticised both the Minister for Transport and the politics around the Opposition's censure motion over the F3 fiasco and other transport disasters. According to Mr Piper, the F3 fiasco is one of the greatest failures in providing the most basic public services - freedom of movement. It is matched by other blunders such as the Cross-City Tunnel and the North West Metro. "There is no doubt that the Minister ignored his responsibility to act during the F3 crisis," Mr Piper said. "Minister Campbell's failure to act during the 12-hour debacle deserves universal condemnation, but a motion of no confidence in the Minister only rehashes what we already know and won't survive the Government's numbers in the Legislative Assembly." "I can't vote in support of the Minister, but I can't be enthusiastic about a politically motived no-confidence motion that can only fail," Mr Piper said. "This is just one more example of Parliament being usurped for party political purposes." "I will vote in favour of tonight's no confidence motion to register my strong view that the F3 fiasco placed at risk and inconvenienced so many people that it warranted Ministerial intervention," Mr Piper added. Posted 16 April 2010 Toronto travel times unnacceptable Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, has declared travel times through Toronto unacceptable. In response to questioning by Mr Piper, the Minister for Transport has admitted that during the morning peak it takes on average 3½ minutes to travel the 800 metres along Main Road 217 between Excelsior Parade and Bay St. "This is an average of less than 14km/hr," Mr Piper said. "At that rate the 28 km trip to Newcastle would take two hours!" "The Toronto section of that trip is totally unacceptable." According to Mr Piper, traffic is held up at the short stretch between Thorne St and Bay St. There are five intersections within 400 metres and it becomes congested due to the merging of lanes, the lack of dedicated turning lanes and apparently the poor phasing of traffic signals. In peak periods and at many other times this strip is subject to gridlock, with the intersections holding up enough traffic to block one another. "This section of road has a very bad accident history because of its poor capacity and layout," Mr Piper added. All but one of the properties on the western side of this strip have been acquired for road widening. The one remaining property has been redeveloped to allow for the new lanes. "It would be very simple to fix this problem once the decision is made," Mr Piper said. "This is the main road used by thousands of commuters and the reality is that the problem doesn't need to exist." Posted 9 April 2010 Electricity Increases to Pay for Labor Re-Election Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, has warned that the current round of price gouging has much to do with selling the state's electricity industry to pay for a pre-election spending spree. "The higher costs to consumers will be turned into profit for private operators and provide the Government cash for spending splurge in key electorates prior to the election in 2011" Mr Piper said. "I warned in September and December last year that these price rises would be a rip-off," Mr Piper said. "The cost of producing electricity actually reduced 6.7% in 20091, so an increase of over 60% just can't be justified." "It's a cynical move for the Government to start charging for the Federal Government's emission trading scheme when it hasn't been introduced and is looking increasingly unlikely," Mr Piper added. "Will the extra money collected from consumers go to the buyers of the electricity systems or to an unofficial Government re-election campaign?" "Families who struggle with food and power bills this winter will have good reason to complain." 1 Auditor General's report to Parliament (2009) Vol3 p6 Posted 24 March 2009 Gas the way to go ... NOW! Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, has called on the NSW Government to make a commitment to gas rather than coal for new base load power stations. Through questions in Parliament and letters to Ministers, Mr Piper has championed the call for gas as a transitional energy source and is vindicated by the Minister for Energy's statement yesterday that NSW needs to change to gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to Mr Piper, Energy Minister John Robertson told the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia yesterday that NSW needs to do more to attract investment in gas-fired generation. "The Minister appears to have accepted the valid and significant reasons for switching to gas," Mr Piper said. "I have long argued this point and I'm glad that the Government now agrees." "The hypocrisy is that just this month the Minister for Planning gave concept approval for two base load power stations that can be fuelled by coal," Mr Piper said. "With the Minister for Energy now acknowledging that gas emits less than half of the carbon dioxide of coal, we need to see the coal option ruled out." "The Government can't hide its head in the sand while private operators choose the cheapest and dirtiest fuel," Mr Piper said. Mr Piper has written to the Premier asking for a commitment that the approved developments sites in the Hunter Valley and at Lithgow will only be sold to private investors prepared to develop the gas option. "This will undo the recent folly of approving coal as an option," Mr Piper said. According to Mr Piper, there are ways for the Government to ensure gas supply to the new power stations, including the proposed Hunter gas pipeline that already has approval to run within 7km of the Bayswater site. "In response to my questioning, Parliament has been told that a plan to secure additional gas supplies for New South Wales is the major element of the Government's clean energy policy," Mr Piper said. "This policy is useless if it's not brought into practice." Posted 22 February 2010 HUGE BOOST FOR RAINFOREST PROJECT Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, today made a formal presentation to Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare Group to mark the commitment of $97,600 from the NSW Environmental Trust. The funding application was made jointly by the Landcare group, the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Wyong Shire Council. According to Mr Piper, the lowland gallery rainforest at the Ourimbah Creek site is a valuable remnant is and habitat for seven threatened species. The Landcare project will see the rehabilitation of 1.7km of creek-side vegetation and will greatly improve wildlife corridors linking reserves to the north and south of Ourimbah. Wyong Shire Council owns the 8.8Ha site. The region currently has no areas of lowland gallery rainforest in local or state reserves. The original vegetation has been affected by clearing and weed invasion. "This is a great project and I thank the Government for their support, particularly Minister Sartor," said Mr Piper. "I commend the Palm Grove Ourimbah Landcare Group for its commitment to the rehabilitating and regenerating of this important rainforest site." "The group has been working there twice every week for more than eight years." "This site deserves protection and it's good to see the council and the community working together on it." Posted 12 February 2010 GREG PIPER WELCOMES NEW HOUSING FOR TORONTO Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, is pleased with the completion of a new public housing project at Milford St Toronto. The development, containing five "Seniors Living" dwellings, was funded through the Commonwealth Government's Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan. According to Mr Piper, the new social housing development was under way when the stimulus package was announced and the timing allowed it to benefit from the Federal funding. This project was built for Compass Housing Services, which operates in Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and other areas. "These new Seniors Living units are greatly needed in Toronto," Mr Piper said. I'm pleased to see the project finished and welcome the new residents." "Compass Housing has done a great job and these units suit the neighbourhood." According to Mr Piper the five new dwellings will provide housing relief to seniors and local residents with disabilities who are in 'housing stress' and qualify for social housing. Posted 3 February 2010 NEW LAWS FOR RETIREMENT VILLAGES Greg Piper, Member for Lake Macquarie, is encouraging residents of retirement villages to attend an information session being held at Cardiff RSL from 10:30 to 12:00 on Thursday 18 February. According to Mr Piper, the changes under the new laws will include: According to Mr Piper, this is the only information in the Newcastle/Lake Macquarie area. |
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