With the introduction of the State Government’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP) template for every Council in NSW, the NSW Department of Planning removed a specific zoning for places of worship, thereby allowing places of public worship for every residential zone, and set a maximum limit of 250 worshippers per piece of land. 

Following my letter to the Prime Minister Rudd and Federal Minister Albanese about why Parramatta was not mentioned in their State of Australian Cities 2010 report, I have been invited by the Lord Mayor to attend the Federal Community Cabinet meeting held on Thursday, 15 April 2010 at Epping Boys High School.

How many times have you heard stories about western governments and community institutions blocking Christian groups from publicising Christian events or stories? We don’t hear much of that if it were Buddhist, or Muslim, but you would if it were Christian.

As a pluralist society, I would have thought all faiths, including those without any faith, are to be treated equally. And yet, at this year's 2010 Easter Show, the Royal Agricultural Society refused the NSW Bible Society from having a stall to promote Easter! How ridiculous!

With Parramatta being the defacto capital of Western Sydney, Australia’s third largest economy, it became a coup when China offered Parramatta to be associated with its trading city, Yiwu, the world’s largest consumer goods market.

No longer are the compulsions strong for local Councillors wanting to create sister city relationships. Being the already culturally diversed community that we are, existing sister city relationships are maintained but not expanded.

Since late 2008, the Federal Government’s Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan invited state and territory governments to propose infrastructure projects for federal financial assistance. Presumably the NSW State Government had submitted a number of rail infrastructure projects for the Federal Government’s consideration for funding.