News in brief
Whitlam Square commemoration gets go-ahead
City of Sydney Councillor Linda Scott has secured an agreement from other councillors to recognise the contributions of former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, “within or close to the square bearing his name”. At the March 25 Council meeting, councillors unanimously agreed to Ms Scott’s proposal, which will see the square at the intersection of Oxford, Liverpool and College Streets rejuvenated, and some form of signage or commemoration of Mr Whitlam installed. “Gough’s contribution to public life and the pursuit of social justice cannot be overstated. I am glad my colleagues were unanimous in support for my proposal to commemorate this record at Whitlam Square,” said Ms Scott.
Waverley DAs go electronic
Waverley Municipal Council has received funding from the NSW Government to participate in the Electronic Housing Code Project, to allow residents and developers to lodge building and development applications (DAs) online. The Council received $30,000 from the State Government, which will be used to implement the online infrastructure by mid-2013. Waverley Mayor Sally Betts said Council was “proud of this great improvement project” to give greater flexibility in lodging and tracking DAs. The move follows an initiative by Randwick City Council last year, which saw online DAs introduced for Randwick residents.
GetUp gives birth to Get Together
Eight residents from Glebe, Annandale and Camperdown, who had never met before, have come together for an initiative developed by activist group GetUp, called ‘Get Together’. The inner west Get Together, held on March 21 over pizza, wine and cake, was one of many held around Australia to discuss the nation’s most pressing problems and support a people-powered agenda for the upcoming Federal Election. Organiser Kara Beavis said: “It was such a great experience to meet with people in my neighborhood who want to build a better future. We call on [political parties] to pay urgent attention to our international human rights obligations and reputation, to ensure media diversity and accountability, and ‘de-friend’ the mining industry.”
