Red Leather #61 - now available

On Monday I will be attending Senator Kate Lundy's second Public Sphere Gov 2.0 event in Canberra. Through an open and collaborative process there will be a day of discussion that will have between 400 and 600 participants both on and offline.

In NSW there have been huge improvements to the way the government information can be accessed.  This week the Premier also introduced the new Information Commissioner  and far reaching reform of Freedom of Information laws.

Check out the following :

• NSW.gov.au - an easy-to-use map which provides details about infrastructure projects funded by the NSW Government. 
• budget.nsw.gov.au - information on the NSW Budget including all the media releases
• communitybuildingpartnership.nsw.gov.au  - information on the new Community Building Partnership program - up to $400,000 for community projects in every electorate in NSW - gives you the info on how to apply
• savepower.nsw.gov.au  - information for households and businesses on practical ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 
• nsw.gov.au/nationbuildingtaskforce - which provides information on the NSW Government's delivery of the Nation Building and Jobs Plan 
• premier.nsw.gov.au - which provides information on what the Premier is up to - you can follow him on twitter and send direct feedback.

While there has been saturation coverage of the budget I would like to highlight three initiatives that you may not have seen:

1. CountryLink Pensioner Booking Fee Abolished  - this means that pensioners will be able to use regular economy class CountryLink services free of charge up to four times a year.  In addition the $1 fare deal for children travelling with adults will become a year-round offer.  
2. $22 million for Western Sydney Parklands - includes improvements throughout the park - including new cycle and walking loops with links to current tracks, upgrade of playing fields and improvements to recreational facilities.
3. $16 million rental assistance scheme for women and children escaping domestic violence - a new $16 million rental subsidy initiative to help women and children into private accommodation.

Website of the week: nominations are now open for the Top 10 Websites that are Changing the World. Nominate your favourite before 23 June. Previous Australian winners have included GetUp, eGov Victoria, and the Your Rights At Work website.

Regards
Penny

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