Road upgrade begins
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and Roads Minister Duncan Gay have hit go on the upgrade of a key arterial road to support new housing and jobs in western Sydney.
The premier turned the first sod on the Richmond Road upgrade between Bells Creek and Townson Road at Marsden Park.
Londonderry MP Bart Bassett welcomed the upgrade t and said it would be a boost will be a boost for the region and provide welcome relief for motorists.
Boys get HPV vaccination
Western Sydney Local Health District's public health unit will visit western Sydney high schools from this week to administer the first of three human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations.
More than 280,000 schoolboys across Australia will join more than a million girls aged 12 to 16 who have already been fully vaccinated against HPV under the school vaccination program.
The vaccination, called Gardasil, is highly effective in preventing infection with the four most common strains of HPV infection, including the strains that most commonly cause cancer. Most people who are sexually active will have a genital HPV infection during their lifetime. Many will suffer no symptoms and the virus will go away by itself, but in some cases, the infection can cause cancer.
Deeming rate goes down
Federal Chifley Ed Husic welcomed news the federal government will reduce the pension deeming rates for those receiving a part pension from March 20.
Deeming rates are used to determine how much pensioners receive under means testing rules.
"For part-rate pensioners in Chifley, this decision will provide them with an average increase of $6.80 per fortnight," Mr Husic said.
The lower deeming rate will go from 3 er cent to 2.5 per cent for financial investments up to $45,400 for single pensioners or $75,600 for a couple.
The upper deeming rate will decrease from 4.5 per cent to 4 per cent for balances over these amounts.
The change in deeming rates will coincide with the latest rise in the pension rate.