Parra News March 14 2023

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Issue 115
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Editor’s Note
troy.dodds@parranews.com.au
Index
Troy Dodds
@troydodds
Life bans not the answer to racism
Now that emotions have been tempered a
little in the wake of last week’s racism drama
surrounding South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell
at Penrith, can we accept that banning a
teenage boy from rugby league games for life
would be over the top in the extreme?
There is no place for racism in rugby league,
or in any area of life for that matter. It continues
to baffle me that we deal with such matters
in 2023, yet here we are.
Indeed, Mitchell should not come to Penrith
and be subjected to what is alleged to have
happened last Thursday night. That, surely, we
can all agree on.
And it is understandable that emotions were
Guest Columnist
Liberal Candidate for Parramatta
My name is Katie Mullens and I’m the local
Liberal Candidate for the state seat of Parramatta.
I have lived in Parramatta most of my adult
life.
Parramatta is my home and I am passionate
about this electorate.
I am the first person in my family to get a
university degree. I grew up in a small country
town and moved to Parramatta to study law
at our local university and build my future.
Since graduating, I have worked as a lawyer
at a North Parramatta firm, helping local residents,
families, and small businesses. Working
to help the local community has been
really inspiring, and helped motivate me to
put my hand up as the Liberal candidate for
Parramatta.
My desire is to be a true advocate and representative
for the community. Working as a
lawyer has given me a lived grass roots experience
in the community and I know this will
translate well to representing the community
on as broader scale.
Parramatta is a wonderful place to live and I
have seen the transformation of this city and
electorate since it became a Liberal held seat
in 2011. Our current local Member Geoff Lee
through the NSW Liberal Party has delivered
News...........................................................1-14
Business.......................................................15
Travel........................................................16-17
high in the 24 hours that followed the incident
at the foot of the Mountains.
On the night, Souths coach Jason Demetriou
erupted in support of his player, and called
for a life ban for the individual who allegedly
made the remark.
The next day, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo labelled
the incident unacceptable and said action
would be taken.
The rugby league fan base, and the wider
community, also piled on, with this ‘life ban’
term continually thrown about.
A ‘life ban’ is the easy way out of the scenario
and a robotic response to dealing with such
issues.
Katie Mullens
record billions of dollars in transformative
projects and infrastructure to Parramatta,
including things like the Stadium which is
bringing crowds and business to Parramatta.
The Liberal Party continues to deliver to the
community in an exciting and innovative way.
There are so many works in the pipeline that
I am excited to see completed, such as Parramatta
Light Rail Stages 1 and 2, the Metro,
Powerhouse, investment into Westmead Hospital,
upgrades to the Riverside Theatres and
more.
One of the greatest things about Parramatta
is our community. It’s warm and welcoming,
embracing so many who come here from all
over Australia and the world. Our diversity is
something to be celebrated and a re-elected
Liberal government will be doing just that. We
have announced $10 million dollars in additional
security for places of worship, schools
and other buildings that display religious
icons. We will invest $5 million to assist the
Maronite community by supporting the continued
refurbishment and upgrade of Our
Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral precinct! We
will invest into the Maronite College will also
receive an additional $100,000 for the installation
of solar panels.
A re-elected NSW Liberal Government will
Horoscopes..............................................18
Entertainment................................19-29
Business Directory.....................30-31
This is a sport that welcomes back into its
fold convicted criminals, and bans drug users
who impact the integrity of the sport for just a
few years, not life.
It would be hypocritical then, surely, to issue
a life ban to a spectator for a remark he allegedly
made; a remark that is disgraceful in the
extreme, but certainly not up there with some
rugby league ‘crimes’ of the past.
Rugby league is a sport that prides itself on
education and second chances.
Just because a ‘life ban’ sounds like the right
language to use to make it loud and clear
you’re against what happened, does not mean
it’s the right course of action.
Why you should give me a chance
work to recognise and revitalise Little India
Harris Park as a cultural precinct through a
$1 million investment. As part of this commitment
a NSW Government application will be
made to the Geographical Names Board to officially
recognise Marion Street, Wigram Street
and Station Street East as ‘Little India’ in the
first month of a new term. I am excited to be
part of a team that places value on our multicultural
society and invests in it.
The top issue that comes up most of the time
when I’m out in the community is people’s
worries about their economic security. Increasing
rates, inflation and global economic
uncertainty is having an impact on our businesses
and family budgets. This is why I think
one of the most important challenges facing
the Government is steering our economy and
keeping it strong. The Perrottet Government
has introduced a range of practical support
to ease pressure on family’s budgets, including
Toll Relief, Back to School vouchers and
an energy saver scheme that will reduce your
electricity bill by $250.
On March 25 2023 I seek your support to give
me the opportunity to continue the good work
of Geoff Lee, and also to be a new strong advocate
for the community. Give me a chance – I
will not let you down.
Sport..............................................................32
Whatever you are looking for you will find it at
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At the Plaza you can shop for groceries,
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also have a mobile phone shop
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The Plaza also accommodates a
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4 parra news » Tuesday, March 14, 2023