Ten more speed cameras are to be removed across NSW under the State Governments commitment to remove any speed camera lacking a proven road safety benefit.

Locations where cameras are to be ripped out include Delhi Road at Macquarie Park, General Holmes Drive at Botany, the Hume Highway at Burwood and the M4 at Wentworthville. Visit nsw.gov.au for a complete list of locations. 

Safety works such as additional signage, barriers and markings are carried out before any camera is removed, and all revenue from speed camera fines is directed back into road safety programs.

This year’s Speed Camera Performance Review found fixed speed cameras have saved 53 lives and prevented 919 people from being injured in the last five years.

Official figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show housing approvals in NSW are at their highest level since the 12 month period ending in May 2000. 

In a major boost to housing affordability, more than 52,000 housing approvals have been recorded in the twelve months to August 2014 - around 1,000 new homes per week.

With another two million extra people expected to be living in NSW by 2031, the State will require about a million additional homes.

The NSW Government has already started work on delivering the homes needed for the future with more than 4,200 dwelling approvals in August.

An extra 520 weekly bus services for Sydney’s North West will take the total number of weekly public transport services introduced by the NSW Government to more than 9,500. 

The latest boost to bus services will benefit customers in the growing Hills district, including Baulkham Hills, Kellyville, Beaumont Hills, Rouse Hill, Seven Hills, Pendle Hill and Bella Vista. 

The number of customers catching buses in the North West is increasing at a rapid rate. The increase in bus services has been made possible by our multi-million dollar investment in brand new accessible buses.

Since March 2011, the NSW Government have delivered more than 8,200 extra bus, 1,190 extra train and 220 extra ferry services.

Visit transportnsw.info to find out more about extra services and timetable information.

Signs of a turnaround, albeit a fragile one, among SME manufacturers have come out of the MYOB Business Monitor report for September.

The national survey, conducted quarterly, of owners and directors found that 21 per cent of all SMEs reported increased revenue, though this figure was higher among manufacturing and wholesale businesses at 29 per cent.

A revenue decline was reported by 32 per cent of those in the sector, far better than the 43 per cent in the results for SMEs overall.

Optimism among SME manufacturing and wholesale businesses was also slightly higher than other SMEs, with 35 per cent predicting revenue increases in the next year compared to 32 per cent overall.

Tim Reed, the CEO of MYOB, said that manufacturers had struggled with issues including around currency and international trade in recent years, but there were signs of a turnaround in the sector.

“It’s extremely pleasing, therefore, to see the sector turning a corner in this latest Business Monitor survey – demonstrating both the resilience and the productivity gains seen in the sector,” he said in a statement.

The growth was fragile though, said Reed.

There were also five areas cited where manufacturing/wholesale businesses were feeling more pressure than other SMEs. These were:

1. Attracting new customers – 47% (32% for all SMEs)

2. Price margins – 39% (28% for all SMEs)

3. Fuel prices – 39% (33% for all SMEs)

4. Timing of customer payments – 38% (27% for all SMEs)

5. Competitive activity – 37% (26% for all SMEs)

Post your feedback or view by clicking on Add Comment below.

Source: Manufacturers Monthly by Brent Balinski

Click here for original article.

Parramatta City Council last night elected Cr Scott Lloyd as the new Lord Mayor, with Cr Steven Issa elected as Deputy Lord Mayor.

Cr Lloyd, 36, was first elected to Council in 2008 and serves the Caroline Chisholm Ward. He replaces outgoing Lord Mayor Cr John Chedid, who has held the position for the past two years.  

 “I am honoured to have been elected as Lord Mayor of Parramatta,” Cr Lloyd said. “It’s a great city and I’m passionate about leading a strong team to achieve solid outcomes for our residents.”   

“I would like to thank my colleagues for putting their faith in me to continue Parramatta’s exciting journey. I thank Cr Chedid for the fantastic work he has done in the role over the past two years, and he can be proud of the many achievements of our Council under his strong leadership.

“I congratulate Cr Steven Issa on being elected Deputy Lord Mayor and I am looking forward to working closely with him and all of the other Councillors over the next year. 

“It is a pleasure to be part of a team committed to see this City become an even greater place to live, work and play. As I have lived in Parramatta all my life, I am passionate about this great City and will relish the chance to play a key role in furthering its enormous potential.   

“My new role has so many challenges, from continuing to work on planning for the new Western Sydney Light Rail Network to developing our Parramatta Square urban renewal project and building on our strategic alliances with education providers such as UWS and UNE.     

“I would like to continue our partnerships with our national sporting teams and events with the Eels, Wanderers, Rams, Golden Slipper and open the door to GWS Giants and the Sydney Thunder.   

“I am committed to continuing the Healthy Generations initiative and encouraging more people to become volunteers for the many valuable charities we have in our community.

“I will also push for improvements for the Westmead Hospital medical precinct and continue our upgrades of parks and public spaces.

“As Lord Mayor, I am here to serve our community members. If any residents or business owners have any ideas on how we improve our great City, I would love to hear from them. I encourage them to write to me or email me at scottlloyd@parralordmayor.com.au.”

I have run my own companies, worked for large multi nationals as well as smaller boutique firms and during my 30 years of business it has come to my attention that businesses are very similar to a sports team. In fact I would go as far to say they are exactly like a sports team…

When establishing a football team, different skills are required depending on the position in the team. Some players are more flexible than others in the positions they can play in, others are not so good. Some train harder than their team mates, some want to win, some don’t want to lose and a few are not concerned about their team or winning.

Similarly, if you are unable to look after your sports ‘stars’ you will lose them; individuals who feel their talent is wasted in the team will look for new team to play for. The best option would be for them to talk to their manager and explain how they feel; a resolution to their problem may be found enabling them to stay within their current team. If this solution suits the team, player and manager, it’s a win win situation for all parties.

A TEAM / COMPANY MUST SCORE MORE GOALS THAN IT LETS IN
Every day is a new game, whether sales, marketing, finance, etc, we all strive to be better today than we did the day before; our knowledge and experience of the day before will assist us to work more effectively today.

Smaller teams tend to rely on the job share whereby one person may cover several roles. A football player is not given a job spec. They are required to perform at their best on the field as well as cover others when necessary.

SPORT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND TEAM INVOLVEMENT
Does your company play as a team or as individual primadonnas?
We could say that the goalkeeper represents the Chief Financial Officer; no money should slip through their fingers, the Salesman is the centre forward, the goal scorer, they need to score as many gaols as possible creating money into the business. But they both need support from their team mates.

The coach could therefore be referred to as the Managing Director or the Chief Executive Officer. When a player is not performing to their best potential they may have to substitute them or re-train.

An employee is an expense to a company similarly to a football player; sales must be made in order to cover these expenses, if the sales (goals) are not made, players may not be able to keep their positions. When this happens teams may become disgruntled.  An unhappy team may never win because working together is unlikely to happen.

TRUST
If trust is not present, a team cannot be formed; we must trust that all players are capable of fulfilling their own roles.
When a player calls for the ball we must trust and pass to him/her.

HONESTY
Tell the truth, be honest, explain what you can’t do in your position in the team; encourage others in the team even if they are not playing that well. People generally perform better when motivated and the smallest of things can often motivate. Communicate with your team members; do not whisper (through e-mails) they won’t hear you. The midfielders do not text or e-mail the winger, they communicate quickly and precisely what he wants and adapts to the pass he receives.

ONE DAY YOU MAY LOSE
‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again’. Don’t worry about the loss; it should always be a concern but never a loss of sleep. Learn from it and look to get a win next time. Learn to adapt to produce better results next time.

Just understand the need for team spirit and work as a unit

- See more at: http://pendragon.net.au/company-like-football-team/#sthash.LHUUHa6r.dpuf

More than 200 extra bus services have started in Western Sydney. 

We are investing in extra public transport services right across the state. We have introduced more than 9,000 extra train, bus and ferry services, since March 2011.

The latest bus services would benefit customers in suburbs including Liverpool, Elizabeth Hills, Edensor Park, South Wentworthville, Cecil Hills, Parramatta, Pemulwuy, Cabramatta, Bonnyrigg and Greystanes.

Work is also underway on a new multi-storey car park at Canley Vale, which will provide more than 120 commuter parking spaces.

Clr Andrew Jefferies has been elected as the new Mayor of The Hills Shire.

Mayor Jefferies thanked outgoing Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne for her outstanding leadership and engagement with the community over her two years as Mayor. Clr Byrne decided not to run for Mayor but was elected to the role of Deputy Mayor.

Mayor Jefferies said he’s proud of the way The Hills has been turned around from a Council in financial ruins to becoming one of the strongest Local Government Areas in the state.
“Despite the challenges that we face with future growth and development, we are now the envy of every other Local Government Area in New South Wales,” Mayor Jefferies said.  

“More importantly however, I believe that our ratepayers respect this Council for its financial conservatism and its recent record of infrastructure delivery.”

Mayor Jefferies said that six key priorities would form the focus of his term as Mayor – light rail, local infrastructure, the Hills visitor economy, knock down rebuilds, commuter car parking and Council amalgamations.

Read the Mayor’s full speech here…

WSBC in collaboration with Sydney Hills Business Chamber and WSBC Platinum Partner Deloitte, invite you to the annual Small Business Summit for Greater Western Sydney. 

For further information click on the image below.