Tuesday, 17 January 2017
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Premier and Tourism Minister Colin Barnett said the festival was now recognised as the third largest Fringe Festival in the world and had grown to become the biggest annual event in WA. "The Liberal National Government has been a proud supporter of FRINGE WORLD since its inception in 2011. It has helped Perth stand out on the international map of festivals and certainly sets our city buzzing during the summer period," Mr Barnett said. This year's festival follows a record-breaking year for FRINGE WORLD. The 2016 festival achieved ticket sales of more than $9 million, making it the biggest box office earner of any arts festival in the State, and nearly 990,000 people attended FRINGE events. "FRINGE WORLD continues to stimulate and grow an audience and appetite for the arts in Perth that didn't exist before," the Premier said. "Last year, attendances at free and ticketed events reached almost one million and I am sure this year will once again attract huge crowds. "It is also a significant tourist drawcard attracting up to 15,000 visitors to the State last summer, plus almost 1,000 performers from outside WA." Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said that State Government support through Lotterywest and the Department of Culture and the Arts had allowed FRINGE WORLD to keep ticket prices down and reach regional audiences through the 'Outer Fringe' touring program, which this year will travel to Esperance, Hopetoun, Northam, Karratha, Port Hedland, Carnarvon, Exmouth and Broome. "In addition to the return of Fringe Central at the Perth Cultural Centre and The Pleasure Garden in Russell Square, 2017 will introduce the Cathedral Square precinct as yet another Fringe hub," Mr Day said. "Cathedral Square's heritage buildings will complement the new Edith Spiegeltent, which will house sell-out show La Soiree." For the full FRINGE WORLD Festival program and ticket information, visit http://www.fringeworld.com.au Fact File
Saturday, 14 January 2017
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Racing and Gaming Minister Brendon Grylls today announced changes to liquor regulations which allow a business to sell Western Australian wines online without a physical storefront, while geographical restrictions on farmers markets across the State have been abolished. Mr Grylls said the introduction of a new category of special facility licence would allow a business to sell wines produced by the holder of a WA producer's licence, online. "Currently, no licence category exists whereby a business can sell liquor online without having a physical premises available to the public," he said. "The amendment will allow for this growing consumer need to be catered to and allow for increased exposure for WA wine producers to sell their products to the public, particularly smaller producers that do not have a retail presence." The Minister said red tape would be further slashed as licensed Western Australian wine producers would now be able to sell and supply their product at farmers markets held anywhere, not just in agricultural regions and not just by producer's associations as the regulations previously stipulated. "This will allow producers the freedom to travel throughout the State to sell their wines, particularly those small producers who do not have cellar doors," he said. "Importantly, this includes farmers markets in Perth where producers will find a bigger and more diverse customer base willing to buy their product." Another change to the regulations will see the amount of wine that can be provided to each customer at a farmers market increased from 2.5 litres to nine litres. "The nine-litre figure is significant as it represents the volume of a standard 12-bottle case of wine," Mr Grylls said. "Many producers prefer to sell their wine in 12-bottle cases and it represents greater value for the consumer." Fact File
Saturday, 14 January 2017
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Deputy Premier and Police Minister Liza Harvey said the new drug transit route laws would make it easier for WA Police to target and detect meth being distributed through the State's regional road network and freight system. Ms Harvey said under the new laws, a road suspected of being a drug transit route could be declared a search area for a limited time by a senior police officer, allowing police to search any vehicle travelling through it. "Meth is rarely manufactured in Western Australia since the State Government cracked down on backyard laboratories. However, we believe an amount of meth and other drugs are being transported through WA undetected because WA Police must build a case of reasonable suspicion for every individual vehicle before they can search them," she said. "The new laws mean police have to have a reasonable suspicion the road network, such as interstate border crossings or roads into remote communities, is being used by drug traffickers." The Deputy Premier said the legislation also targeted freight and courier distribution facilities. "A senior officer will be able to authorise the search of a freight or courier distribution facility for a maximum period of 24 hours," she said. Ms Harvey said the Government had consulted with major freight and courier companies, who strongly supported the legislation. "The initial searches on vehicles and freight facilities could include officers, drug detection dogs and electronic equipment. If these methods result in a reasonable suspicion drugs are present, further searches, such as opening packaging, could then occur," she said. "While WA Labor doesn't believe drug dealing is a serious offence, the Liberal National Government does and that's why we have introduced tough legislation and increased police resources to detect and punish them." Fact File
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Friday, 13 January 2017
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Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the project at Koombana Bay would create hundreds of jobs as part of the Liberal National Government's commitment to decentralise public sector agencies and stimulate economic growth in regional areas. "The construction phase alone will create 135 direct and indirect jobs and when the building becomes operational, 100 Parks and Wildlife staff will permanently move to Bunbury. Within 10 years, the number of Parks and Wildlife staff in Bunbury is expected to be 300," Mr Jacob said. The first of three stages of works includes landscaping, creation of a corridor to link Leschenault Inlet with Koombana Bay, walkways, car parks, interpretive works, a new lookout and an education centre. "This new centre will be a state-of-the-art visitor gateway for the South-West," Mr Jacob said. "The project highlights the importance the State Government places on encouraging people to visit national and marine parks and other natural attractions of the greater south-west region." The development has been made possible with an investment of $28.9 million from the State Government's Royalties for Regions. Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said BCL had extensive experience in the delivery of regional public works and landscaping projects. "The influx of specialist staff at the new headquarters and the ability to recruit additional staff from the local workforce will assist in the attraction and retention of regional residents," Mr Redman said. "Economic modelling shows positive growth from the project, with a total population benefit for the region estimated at 1,545 people, providing an economic output of $75 million a year. "This development, when added to the redevelopment of Koombana Bay and the Dolphin Discovery Centre, will support the transformation of the region and contribute towards an engaging tourism precinct to welcome visitors to our magnificent South-West." Fact File
Happy New Year all,
Please clink on the link below to access this article regarding FREE after hours GP phone services over the summer period. Tuesday, 10 January 2017
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Announcing the grants at the Melville Bowling Club today, Acting Premier Liza Harvey said the latest round of the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund went directly to grassroots sport. "As part of this funding, $700,000 will go towards three new bowling greens, lighting and the refurbishment of the change rooms at new bowling facilities, which will make a huge difference to the bowlers at the Melville Bowling Club and the Mount Pleasant Bowling Club when they co-locate to this site," Ms Harvey said. "Sporting clubs are often the life blood of local communities and bring people together, which is why the Liberal National Government has made an unprecedented investment in grassroots sporting facilities, making a difference to people's everyday lives." Since coming to office in 2008, the Liberal National Government has supported sporting facilities through more than 1,000 projects totalling more than $169 million. Sport and Recreation Minister Mia Davies said sport and recreation was one of the most effective investments a government could make. "A community can come together around sport where clubs, recreation centres and pools provide a hub for social connection," Ms Davies said. The Liberal National Government's commitment to a stronger sporting system has included investing in more than 46 sporting ovals; 43 swimming pools; 92 clubrooms; 300 tennis, basketball and netball courts; 90 bowling greens and 171 floodlighting developments. Netball Built the new State Netball Centre in Wembley and upgraded 59 separate netball centres across Western Australia. Football Building Perth Stadium; supported the redevelopment of facilities in Cockburn and Lathlain that will house our football teams and support local communities; and upgraded 74 community football facilities. Soccer The Government upgraded nib Stadium for Perth Glory and upgraded lights at 49 soccer clubs throughout WA. Fact File
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
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Education Minister Peter Collier said the remarkable improvement was captured in the results of Western Australia's Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA). "The OLNA was introduced as part of wider WACE reforms and is designed to raise the bar in senior secondary education," Mr Collier said. "Through the assessment, students who are struggling with reading and writing are identified early and receive tailored help to ensure they are prepared for life beyond secondary schooling." Western Australia is leading the nation by being the first State to introduce this minimum standard. New South Wales is following our example from 2018 with other States likely to follow. "Today's results show the value-adding schools have put in place to ensure their students leave school with the best possible opportunity for success," the Minister said. Year 9 NAPLAN results have improved significantly since the implementation of OLNA, with Mr Collier attributing the success to the requirement for students who do not reach minimum standards at that time to sit the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment. "Other States are envious of the exponential improvement achieved by Western Australian Year 9 students in NAPLAN," he said. Fact File
Friday, 6 January 2017
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Acting Premier, Police and Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey said the new laws, which come into force on January 14, responded to community frustration and fears of dangerous hoon drivers on their streets. Ms Harvey said under the new laws, courts could order permanent vehicle confiscation on a first offence if a motorist did any of the following:
"The new laws mean if you put our schoolchildren and residents in danger with your irresponsible and dangerous driving, you could lose your car for good." The Acting Premier said the new laws would remove the red tape which tied up the permanent confiscation process and the resale or scrapping of uncollected hoon vehicles, saving taxpayers money. Ms Harvey said the new laws would also give police the power to seize unlicensed motorcycles such as trail bikes, if they reasonably suspected they had been illegally ridden on the road. The new laws come as the State Government revealed the worst hoon suburbs for 2016 after police seized a total of 1,674 vehicles. The highest hoon vehicle seizures were from:
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