Latest news with #WaggaWaggaCityCouncil
ABC News
11-07-2025
- General
- ABC News
Traditional textile skills provide work opportunity for Afghan refugees
Hakimeh Rahimi has always wanted to be a fashion designer. "My mum was always encouraging me … [and] I learnt to make clothes and dresses and things like that," she said. Ms Rahimi grew up in Afghanistan, but her family was forced to flee to Iran when the Taliban took over in the 1990s. Still a child when she fled as a refugee, she was unable to attend high school, limiting her opportunity to pursue the career she longed for in textiles. Despite this, she continued her craft and brought it with her when she and her husband came as refugees to Australia in 2014. Ms Rahimi now lives in Wagga Wagga, in southern New South Wales, and has made curtains and blinds for a local business, but an injury means she can no longer use scissors. She still aspires to open a sewing shop, and is hopeful treatment will mean she can work with her hands again. Ms Rahimi said the language barrier impacted on the confidence of many Afghan women, while other people with a similar background dismissed their skills as common because sewing was a significant part of their culture. "Some people think because in Afghanistan, everybody knows how to do embroidery, it's not that important. So when I ask, 'Can you do embroidery?' They ask, 'Who's going to buy it?'" A new initiative run by the Wagga Wagga City Council hopes to answer that question, while boosting language skills and fostering work opportunities. The Mending People project seeks to unite refugees with others in the Wagga community based on a common love for stitchery. Participants collaborate to make blanket banners and learn mending and stitching skills from cultures all around the world. Ms Rahimi is hopeful the project will give other refugees the confidence to pursue careers in textiles, because it connects them with the broader community over a shared love. Afghan refugee Rogayeh Uzbak is teaching others stitchery through the project. She also grew up in Iran after her family members fled their homeland. Speaking through an interpreter, she said she grew up in a "misogynistic" family that would not allow her to pursue her interest in stitching, weaving and knitting. She said at the age of 13 she was forcibly married to a 50-year-old man who would not allow her to work, but she was able to hone her skills and sell some of her work. After emigrating to Australia in 2023, Ms Uzbak continued to use her craft and now teaches others through workshops, which makes her "very excited". Migration researcher at the Universities of Melbourne and Wollongong Eliza Crosbie said language was a barrier for refugees looking for work when they arrived in Australia. "Often not being able to communicate is a barrier, which can see people entering into roles where the language isn't as important," she said. "We conducted a survey with 600 former refugees and found that primarily a lot of them were working in meatworks and cleaning." Dr Crosbie said while some refugees came to Australia with skills, they might not be recognised. "They are not often either given the opportunity to demonstrate their skills or given the help to get the certification or transfer their skills," she said. Dr Crosbie said the Paw Po textiles social enterprise at Nhill, in regional Victoria, had been successful in helping refugees transfer their skills. Founded in 2015, Paw Po began teaching English to Karen refugee women from Myanmar, before moving to sewing. "The women started to express that they wanted to learn skills that would give them further opportunities," Paw Po program manager Annette Creek said. The business produces a range of practical products ranging from bags to oven mitts, cushions, backpacks and face masks. Ms Creek said they kept connections with the Karen people by sourcing fabrics from Thai refugee camps. "Often these women have come straight from refugee camps, and this is a really incredibly valuable way to incorporate them into the community," she said.
The Advertiser
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Premier's ex-partner spun 'deviated' yarn on $48m deal
Former state MP Daryl Maguire created an inaccurate story about an expected cut from a multi-million property deal days before facing a corruption inquiry, a court has revealed. The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, gave his altered evidence during a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in July 2018. After Maguire was found guilty on Friday of misleading ICAC, details about Magistrate Clare Farnan's verdict were released on Tuesday. The Local Court judgment reveals that the ex-MP knew he would be asked about expected financial benefits but knowingly misled the corruption probe. At ICAC, Maguire was questioned about what he expected to get out of the sale of an estimated $48 million property development in Campsie in Sydney's southwest. ICAC grilled Maguire and others in 2018 under Operation Dasha, which probed allegations of corruption at the local Canterbury council. At a criminal hearing earlier in 2025, crown prosecutors estimated that the former MP would have gained $720,000 from the deal had it gone through. At ICAC, he initially denied expecting a cut but then changed his evidence after covertly recorded telephone conversations showed he wanted a financial benefit at the time. Three days before being grilled at the corruption probe, he spoke to former Wagga Wagga City Council general manager Alan Eldridge about what he would say. "I never asked for a dollar, they never offered a dollar nor would I take a dollar," he said. Ms Farnan noted evidence he had never asked for money then "deviated" when faced with phone calls where he had. This change in evidence was not done out of inadvertence, carelessness or a misunderstanding, the magistrate said. Three days earlier, his mind had been focused on what he would say about the proposed property deal, she found. "He clearly had a recollection of it. He had thought about it. He had developed a story about it that was not accurate," Ms Farnan said. "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Maguire gave the evidence I have found to be misleading knowing that it was misleading and not believing it to be true." The Wagga Wagga MP resigned from the Berejiklian government after giving evidence, before succumbing to pressure and quitting parliament altogether. ICAC opened a further probe into Maguire, exposing his secret romantic relationship with Ms Berejiklian in 2020. She also stood down from her role and was later found by ICAC to have breached public trust in failing to disclose the relationship, spanning at least five years while she was transport minister, treasurer and then premier. Former state MP Daryl Maguire created an inaccurate story about an expected cut from a multi-million property deal days before facing a corruption inquiry, a court has revealed. The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, gave his altered evidence during a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in July 2018. After Maguire was found guilty on Friday of misleading ICAC, details about Magistrate Clare Farnan's verdict were released on Tuesday. The Local Court judgment reveals that the ex-MP knew he would be asked about expected financial benefits but knowingly misled the corruption probe. At ICAC, Maguire was questioned about what he expected to get out of the sale of an estimated $48 million property development in Campsie in Sydney's southwest. ICAC grilled Maguire and others in 2018 under Operation Dasha, which probed allegations of corruption at the local Canterbury council. At a criminal hearing earlier in 2025, crown prosecutors estimated that the former MP would have gained $720,000 from the deal had it gone through. At ICAC, he initially denied expecting a cut but then changed his evidence after covertly recorded telephone conversations showed he wanted a financial benefit at the time. Three days before being grilled at the corruption probe, he spoke to former Wagga Wagga City Council general manager Alan Eldridge about what he would say. "I never asked for a dollar, they never offered a dollar nor would I take a dollar," he said. Ms Farnan noted evidence he had never asked for money then "deviated" when faced with phone calls where he had. This change in evidence was not done out of inadvertence, carelessness or a misunderstanding, the magistrate said. Three days earlier, his mind had been focused on what he would say about the proposed property deal, she found. "He clearly had a recollection of it. He had thought about it. He had developed a story about it that was not accurate," Ms Farnan said. "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Maguire gave the evidence I have found to be misleading knowing that it was misleading and not believing it to be true." The Wagga Wagga MP resigned from the Berejiklian government after giving evidence, before succumbing to pressure and quitting parliament altogether. ICAC opened a further probe into Maguire, exposing his secret romantic relationship with Ms Berejiklian in 2020. She also stood down from her role and was later found by ICAC to have breached public trust in failing to disclose the relationship, spanning at least five years while she was transport minister, treasurer and then premier. Former state MP Daryl Maguire created an inaccurate story about an expected cut from a multi-million property deal days before facing a corruption inquiry, a court has revealed. The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, gave his altered evidence during a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in July 2018. After Maguire was found guilty on Friday of misleading ICAC, details about Magistrate Clare Farnan's verdict were released on Tuesday. The Local Court judgment reveals that the ex-MP knew he would be asked about expected financial benefits but knowingly misled the corruption probe. At ICAC, Maguire was questioned about what he expected to get out of the sale of an estimated $48 million property development in Campsie in Sydney's southwest. ICAC grilled Maguire and others in 2018 under Operation Dasha, which probed allegations of corruption at the local Canterbury council. At a criminal hearing earlier in 2025, crown prosecutors estimated that the former MP would have gained $720,000 from the deal had it gone through. At ICAC, he initially denied expecting a cut but then changed his evidence after covertly recorded telephone conversations showed he wanted a financial benefit at the time. Three days before being grilled at the corruption probe, he spoke to former Wagga Wagga City Council general manager Alan Eldridge about what he would say. "I never asked for a dollar, they never offered a dollar nor would I take a dollar," he said. Ms Farnan noted evidence he had never asked for money then "deviated" when faced with phone calls where he had. This change in evidence was not done out of inadvertence, carelessness or a misunderstanding, the magistrate said. Three days earlier, his mind had been focused on what he would say about the proposed property deal, she found. "He clearly had a recollection of it. He had thought about it. He had developed a story about it that was not accurate," Ms Farnan said. "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Maguire gave the evidence I have found to be misleading knowing that it was misleading and not believing it to be true." The Wagga Wagga MP resigned from the Berejiklian government after giving evidence, before succumbing to pressure and quitting parliament altogether. ICAC opened a further probe into Maguire, exposing his secret romantic relationship with Ms Berejiklian in 2020. She also stood down from her role and was later found by ICAC to have breached public trust in failing to disclose the relationship, spanning at least five years while she was transport minister, treasurer and then premier. Former state MP Daryl Maguire created an inaccurate story about an expected cut from a multi-million property deal days before facing a corruption inquiry, a court has revealed. The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, gave his altered evidence during a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in July 2018. After Maguire was found guilty on Friday of misleading ICAC, details about Magistrate Clare Farnan's verdict were released on Tuesday. The Local Court judgment reveals that the ex-MP knew he would be asked about expected financial benefits but knowingly misled the corruption probe. At ICAC, Maguire was questioned about what he expected to get out of the sale of an estimated $48 million property development in Campsie in Sydney's southwest. ICAC grilled Maguire and others in 2018 under Operation Dasha, which probed allegations of corruption at the local Canterbury council. At a criminal hearing earlier in 2025, crown prosecutors estimated that the former MP would have gained $720,000 from the deal had it gone through. At ICAC, he initially denied expecting a cut but then changed his evidence after covertly recorded telephone conversations showed he wanted a financial benefit at the time. Three days before being grilled at the corruption probe, he spoke to former Wagga Wagga City Council general manager Alan Eldridge about what he would say. "I never asked for a dollar, they never offered a dollar nor would I take a dollar," he said. Ms Farnan noted evidence he had never asked for money then "deviated" when faced with phone calls where he had. This change in evidence was not done out of inadvertence, carelessness or a misunderstanding, the magistrate said. Three days earlier, his mind had been focused on what he would say about the proposed property deal, she found. "He clearly had a recollection of it. He had thought about it. He had developed a story about it that was not accurate," Ms Farnan said. "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Maguire gave the evidence I have found to be misleading knowing that it was misleading and not believing it to be true." The Wagga Wagga MP resigned from the Berejiklian government after giving evidence, before succumbing to pressure and quitting parliament altogether. ICAC opened a further probe into Maguire, exposing his secret romantic relationship with Ms Berejiklian in 2020. She also stood down from her role and was later found by ICAC to have breached public trust in failing to disclose the relationship, spanning at least five years while she was transport minister, treasurer and then premier.
Perth Now
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Premier's ex-partner spun 'deviated' yarn on $48m deal
Former state MP Daryl Maguire created an inaccurate story about an expected cut from a multi-million property deal days before facing a corruption inquiry, a court has revealed. The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, gave his altered evidence during a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in July 2018. After Maguire was found guilty on Friday of misleading ICAC, details about Magistrate Clare Farnan's verdict were released on Tuesday. The Local Court judgment reveals that the ex-MP knew he would be asked about expected financial benefits but knowingly misled the corruption probe. At ICAC, Maguire was questioned about what he expected to get out of the sale of an estimated $48 million property development in Campsie in Sydney's southwest. ICAC grilled Maguire and others in 2018 under Operation Dasha, which probed allegations of corruption at the local Canterbury council. At a criminal hearing earlier in 2025, crown prosecutors estimated that the former MP would have gained $720,000 from the deal had it gone through. At ICAC, he initially denied expecting a cut but then changed his evidence after covertly recorded telephone conversations showed he wanted a financial benefit at the time. Three days before being grilled at the corruption probe, he spoke to former Wagga Wagga City Council general manager Alan Eldridge about what he would say. "I never asked for a dollar, they never offered a dollar nor would I take a dollar," he said. Ms Farnan noted evidence he had never asked for money then "deviated" when faced with phone calls where he had. This change in evidence was not done out of inadvertence, carelessness or a misunderstanding, the magistrate said. Three days earlier, his mind had been focused on what he would say about the proposed property deal, she found. "He clearly had a recollection of it. He had thought about it. He had developed a story about it that was not accurate," Ms Farnan said. "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Maguire gave the evidence I have found to be misleading knowing that it was misleading and not believing it to be true." The Wagga Wagga MP resigned from the Berejiklian government after giving evidence, before succumbing to pressure and quitting parliament altogether. ICAC opened a further probe into Maguire, exposing his secret romantic relationship with Ms Berejiklian in 2020. She also stood down from her role and was later found by ICAC to have breached public trust in failing to disclose the relationship, spanning at least five years while she was transport minister, treasurer and then premier.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Fresh blow for disgraced cricket star Michael Slater who is set to be stripped of honours after domestic violence charges
Former Australian Test opener Michael Slater is facing the complete dismantling of his cricketing legacy following disturbing domestic violence convictions. Cricket NSW has confirmed it is reviewing Slater's inclusion in the Hall of Fame and his Life Member status after he pleaded guilty to a string of serious offences. The 55-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Glen Cash in Maroochydore District Court, although the term was fully suspended due to time already served in custody. Slater had spent over a year in jail after being refused bail in 2024. The charges against him included two counts of choking, stalking, assault, burglary, and unlawful striking, all linked to a woman in the Noosa region between December 2023 and March 2024. In court, horrifying details of a months-long campaign of abuse emerged. On December 10, 2023, after a night of drinking, Slater accused the woman of infidelity before seizing her phone, kicking her, and unleashing a stream of slurs. He then wrapped his hands around her neck, shaking her violently, and struck her face, causing visible injuries. Just over two weeks later, on Boxing Day, he again attacked her - this time slamming her into a washing machine and choking her until she cried out that she couldn't breathe. Judge Cash told the former Test star, 'It's obvious, Mr Slater, that you are an alcoholic… Your rehabilitation will not be easy.' Court documents revealed Slater also sent hundreds of abusive messages, threatened suicide, and shared non-consensual intimate images. In one message, he wrote, 'You f***ing killed me.' In another, he threatened, 'I'll hang [my] skull at the front of [my] house.' On March 13, the woman's security camera captured Slater smashing a window and entering her home while yelling profanities and pouring himself a drink. Alarmed neighbours called police, and Slater was arrested at the scene. He was also fined $900 and disqualified from driving after pleading guilty to separate charges of drink driving and having cannabis in his system. While the court acknowledged his struggle with mental illness, prosecutors argued for a five-year sentence with parole after three years. His lawyer, Greg McGuire, urged the court to consider time served, saying Slater wished to return to New South Wales and had been alcohol-free for a year. Slater's fall from grace has shocked many, including his hometown of Wagga Wagga. The Wagga Wagga City Council voted 4–3 in favour of renaming the Michael Slater Oval, though the final decision has been delayed for nine months. Disgruntled locals vandalised the sign last year and later covered it with a sticker reading 'End Domestic Violence.' The council removed the sticker promptly during International Women's Week, drawing criticism from the community. Wagga councillor Jenny McKinnon acknowledged public sympathy for Slater's mental health struggles but stressed the seriousness of the convictions. 'People are sympathetic about the mental health issues he's had,' she said. 'At the same time, the convictions he has are for very serious matters.' Meanwhile, Estella Public School in Wagga Wagga is considering renaming its 'Slater House' after feedback from concerned parents. The house name was chosen in 2021 before Slater's criminal charges became public. A local reporter and parent, Chris Roe, said the backlash was swift and strong. 'It kicked off quite a furore,' Roe said. 'Maybe it's time we change the name… Who would it hurt to do that anyway?' Slater played 74 Tests and 42 ODIs for Australia from 1993 to 2001, scoring over 5000 Test runs and 14 centuries. He retired in 2004 and became a high-profile cricket commentator, working for Channel 9, Channel 7, Fox Sports, and Star Sports.
