Questions & Answers Paper No. 158 - Parliament of New South ...

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7050 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2009 Sydney Water does not deny responsibility for the road collapse at Victoria Road Bellevue Hill and in fact has accepted that a leak in its water main is likely to be the primary cause of the subsequent failure of the main and the road collapse. To the extent that Sydney Water is responsible for the incident, the cost of repairs will be met either from its insurers or from Sydney Water's own budget as appropriate. No funding will be required from the State budget for this purpose. Sydney Water has completed its work to replace the water main in Bellevue and Victoria Roads, Bellevue Hill. Woollahra Council has arranged for the road and footpaths to be fully restored. This work is also finished. Sydney Water continues to work closely with Woollahra Council, local businesses and the community to finalise all issues arising from the incident. *7356 NEW LAWS FOR GRAFFITI OFFENDERS—Mr Peter Debnam asked the Premier, and Minister for the Arts— (1) Given the NSW Graffiti website says "NSW Premier Nathan Rees announced on 29 June 2009 that the NSW Government would introduce tough new laws to force young graffiti offenders to clean up their mess", what are these "tough new laws" and when will they be introduced? (2) Given the NSW Graffiti website also says "the NSW Government will amend the Young Offenders Regulation to mandate outcomes for graffiti offenders" when will the NSW Government amend the Regulation and what outcomes will be mandated? Answer— The Government is strongly committed to combating graffiti and continues to consider measures that may be effective in tackling this problem. It has introduced a number of laws such as the Graffiti Control Act 2008, which sets out a range of offences such as intentionally damaging or defacing property with a graffiti implement. The Honourable Member is also referred to Clause 20A of the Young Offenders Regulation 2004 which was inserted into the Regulation on 31 July 2009. Clause 20A requires graffiti offenders who undergo a Youth Justice Conference under the Young Offenders Act 1997 to take remedial action, such as removing graffiti or paying compensation. *7357 SUICIDE PREVENTION—THE GAP—Mr Peter Debnam asked the Premier, and Minister for the Arts— What funding has been provided to Woollahra Council in the last two years for suicide prevention measures at The Gap in Watsons Bay and what additional funding has been allocated in forward estimates? Answer— The NSW Government currently targets funding at helping people at risk of suicide through a comprehensive range of early intervention and prevention programs. Services include both inpatient and community-based care for people with a mental illness as well as preventative health measures such as education, early intervention and support for at risk individuals. This includes: • Specialist Mental Health training for School and TAFE counsellors to help them better identify at risk youths and link them with local mental health services, • Universal depression screening for every mother within 12 months of the birth of their child • The Early Psychosis Program, which provides intervention for young people experiencing psychosis. Woollahra Council's proposed improvements to the Gap address a different sort of public safety issue, the responsibility for which lies principally with the local council itself. The Department of Planning has, however, provided a grant of $50,000 under the Metropolitan Greenspace Program for specific works contained in the Masterplan. The Gap Park Masterplan includes suicide prevention measures, however funding from Greenspace Program was provided to improve the physical appearance of Gap Park including a new entry, ramp, signage, and bushland restoration, in line with the Program's criteria. This funding was in addition to $31,000 previously allocated to Council in 2006 via the Metropolitan Greenspace Program to assist in the preparation of The Gap Park Masterplan. Applications for funding under the Program for 2009 have closed. It is expected that 2010 Metropolitan Greenspace Program will open in April 2010. Produced by Altsoft Xml2PDF
7051 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2009 *7358 INCREASE IN MINISTERIAL STAFF—Mr Peter Debnam asked the Premier, and Minister for the Arts— Why has the number of ministerial staff increased by 13 from 228 in December 2008 to 241 as at June 2009, and what is the increased cost of the additional staffing? Answer— Staff numbers reflect the addition of two Ministers to the Ministry in January 2009 and were funded within existing budget allocations. *7359 EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN IN CARE—Ms Pru Goward asked the Minister for Community Services— (1) How many children aged between 11 and 15 years inclusive and who are in Out of Home Care in the care of the Minister for Community Services do not attend full-time school? (2) If children in the care of the Minister do not attend school full-time, why not? (3) What other education packages are offered by DOCS to school age children who do not attend school full-time? Answer— (1) to (3) Issues around schooling are generally addressed by Caseworkers in conjunction with Education and Training Home School Liaison Officers who deal with issues of school attendance on a case by case basis. No consolidated data is held by Community Services. Community Services and the Department of Education and Training have a Memorandum of Understanding that provides a framework for a coordinated approach in responding to the needs of children and young people in out-of-home care. When school attendance is identified as a concern, every effort is made to engage the child or young person, together with their carer and caseworker and school staff, in planning to develop strategies to address the issues underlying the attendance problem. *7360 EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN CARE—Ms Pru Goward asked the Minister for Education and Training, and Minister for Women— (1) How many children aged between 11 and 15 years inclusive and who are in Out of Home Care in the care of the Minister for Community Services do not attend full-time school? (2) How does the Department of Education monitor the attendance of children who are in Out of Home Care? Answer— (1) The data on school attendance collected centrally by the Department of Education and Training does not identify individual students or their care status, so information on the attendance of children in out of home care is not available. (2) Schools monitor the attendance of all students including students who may, or may not, be known to the school as being in out of home care. The NSW Government's Keep Them Safe: A Shared Approach to Child Wellbeing initiative, establishes Out of Home Care Coordinators to work with human service agency and regional staff to improve the educational outcomes for children and young people in out of home care. All children and young people entering out of home care in government schools will be required to have a learning plan developed for them. If attendance is an issue for a student in out of home care, strategies to address this, and to monitor attendance, would be part of the student's learning plan. Learning plans will be reviewed annually. *7361 HELPLINE CHILD PROTECTION CASEWORKERS—Ms Pru Goward asked the Minister for Community Services— (1) Do all the Helpline Child Protection Caseworkers receive formal monthly professional supervision in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Risk Management Policy? (2) If not, why not? (3) If not, how is this situation being rectified? (4) If formal monthly professional supervision is not offered to all Helpline Caseworkers, is "informal" supervision offered as an alternative? (5) If so, please define "informal"? Produced by Altsoft Xml2PDF
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Questions & Answers Paper No. 158 - Parliament of New South ...

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