Have you ever felt unjustly fined for parking just a little too long? Did you have a good reason but you didn’t have an opportunity to voice them? Have you found it too daunting to front up in court to challenge a parking infringement?

Your prayers have been heard. Parramatta City Council will be the first to introduce its local appeals panel (formally known as the Parking Infringements Adjudication Panel). This Panel has been set up to hear genuine grievances from the public who has received a Council fine.

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!