22 APRIL 2020
ISSUE 187
YOUR REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWS
Work on The Entrance Channel continues
News
One of the driving forces for the rights of people with a disability, is disbanding. See page 3
News
Environmental Justice Australia (EJA) has reported a “shockingly high” increase in fine particle emissions. See page 5
N
SW Roads and Maritime Services are working on a barge under The Entrance bridge until the end of May, to replace power cables. Meanwhile,
Central
Coast Council is working on the next phases of the 2020 dredging program following initial works completed earlier in April under the advice and guidance of expert coastal engineers engaged by council. About 5,000 cubic
metres of sand have been removed from the eastern reaches of the channel and used to repair eroded banks on the southern side of the channel. The works were also designed to discourage further outflow from
the channel along the southern side and sustain the current flow of water through the northern channel for a longer period of time. Central Coast Mayor, Lisa Matthews, said that during the February flood event, a lot of erosion
occurred on the southern banks of the channel. “Repair of this foreshore will improve the safety of the beach area and protect nearby infrastructure such as council’s lifeguard tower,” she said. Continued page 6
Call Centre closed after employee tested positive for coronavirus F
ederal Member for Dobell, Emma McBride, has called on the Minister for Government Services, Stuart Robert, to assure her constituents about the welfare of employees of the Services Australia Centrelink call centre at Tuggerah. McBride’s call comes
after NSW Health confirmed that a call centre worker had tested positive for coronavirus on April 19. The centre, which employs several hundred people, was subsequently closed for an extensive cleaning and a site risk assessment, while health authorities investigate the worker’s source of infection and begin tracing their close contacts.
It’s believed at least five other employees have since undergone testing after exhibiting COVID-19 like symptoms, but this has yet to be confirmed by health authorities. According to McBride, reports of substandard physical distancing at the centre had been coming into her office for close to a month prior to the positive diagnosis. “It is almost a month since I first heard
concerns about the lack of physical distancing at the Services Australia call centre in Tuggerah,” McBride said. “I have written to Minister Robert twice since then, seeking information about support to work from home and the safety of employees working in the centre, and am yet to receive a response. “Employees, their families and our
Business
community need to know that the situation is under control. “It is my understanding that very few people have been given the option to work from home during the pandemic. “They are essential workers, supporting hundreds of thousands of Australians through the economic shutdown and immense job losses. Continued page 4
Commercial tenants across the Central Coast significantly impacted by COVID-19. See page 9
Sport
Mannering Park Sailing Club has received a $197,800 government grant for its boatshed extension See page 30
Puzzles page 24
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