By Di Bartok, Parramatta Advertiser, 3 October 2010

CRAIG Michie ``made a few blues’’ in his initial business dealings with the Chinese but doors opened for him when he attended the Parramatta Council China trade mission recently.

Mr Michie runs Taurus Trade Finance, which has offices in Parramatta, Melbourne, Brisbane and Guangzhou in southern China.

But establishing the China office was not easy as his company was unknown to the Chinese who need to build a level of trust with companies before accepting them.

MEDIA RELEASE - 29 SEPTEMBER 2010

Upon a unanimous vote, Deputy Lord Mayor Chiang Lim gets Parramatta’s nod to begin dialogue with electric vehicle infrastructure providers for Western Sydney and New South Wales.

“We’re not talking about hybrids that still rely on petrol. The electric car is the future. They are inevitable and production electric vehicles have already begun to arrive on Australian shores.  NSW needs to work quickly to prepare for the mass adoption of electric vehicles. We need to collaborate with electric vehicle infrastructure providers to solve questions such as: Where and how do we re-charge them? How will our homes and workplaces be built or retrofitted to be electric car ready? How and where will we re-charge them while we’re on the road?” said Clr Lim.

MEDIA RELEASE - 28 SEPTEMBER 2010

With the NSW building industry experiencing stunted growth, a number of developers have sought to capitalise on the NSW State Government's new State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009. This SEPP, also known as the SEPP for boarding houses, is designed to increase the amount and diversity of affordable housing across NSW.

Historically, boarding houses have too often attracted great notoriety. The public’s general experiences of boarding houses are usually connected with individuals who bring criminal elements into the local neighbourhoods as well as their disregard for the local environment.

MEDIA RELEASE - 28 SEPTEMBER 2010

For most Australians, Kfarsghab in Lebanon is not well known. Yet their peoples are one of the very first wave of Lebanese migrants to call Australia home since the late 1800s. In Parramatta, Kfarsghab descendants have lived in Parramatta for almost 130 years, are one of the largest Lebanese-Australian communities locally, and are exemplary Australians.

On Monday, 27 September 2010, Parramatta City Councillors unanimously agreed to Deputy Lord Mayor Chiang Lim’s request to begin the formal processes of renaming a small part of Amos Street, east of Good Street, to be Kfarsghab Place. With the written support from almost all landowners who would be affected, and also with 389 petitioners with hundreds more anticipated, the renaming to Kfarsghab Place appears to be broadly supported.

MEDIA RELEASE - 28 SEPTEMBER 2010

Despite not being in the 2010 NRL finals, the name Parramatta, derived from its Aboriginal name ‘Burramatta’ which means “where eels lie down”, Parramatta Eels fans will not lie down and their loyalty and support for the Parramatta Eels continue unabated.

On Monday night, 27 September 2010, Deputy Lord Mayor Chiang Lim received unanimous support to begin the process of renaming a small part of Grose Street, west of O’Connell Street, Parramatta, to Eels Place.