$2.2 million government grant for NSW security
The Liberal candidate for Wentworth in the upcoming by-election Dave Sharma visited the Community Security Group where he announced the federal government’s $2.2 million grant for The Council for Jewish Community Security in NSW.
Peter Wise, Lesli Berger, Dave Sharma, Peter Wertheim and David Rothmann Photo: Henry Benjamin/J-Wire
Dave Sharma said: “The grant is to provide for critical security upgrades for Jewish institutions predominantly in Wentworth. $1.685 is for backbone security structure, connectivity and the command centre and a further $500,000 will allow individual institutions to upgrade their own security infrastructure to plug into the command centre. This is a response to individual requirements which have been certified and approved by security agencies in Australia.”
Sharma added that the amount does not cover the total requirements which have been sought but this grant is expected to meet urgent needs.
He added: “This is not contingent on being elected. However it allows to spotlight what a local member of parliament can deliver.”
Chair of The Council for Jewish Community Security Peter Wise said: “Our mantra is protecting Jewish life but it really is protecting the Jewish way of life.”
David Rothmann [rt] explains the control room to Peter Wise, Lesli Berger, Peter Wertheim and Dave Sharma
“This is a much-needed initiative to assist the Jewish community to meet its ever-increasing security costs, which the ECAJ has been advocating for some time”, said the ECAJ’s co-CEO Peter Wertheim.
“There are two key aspects of the announcement which are especially welcome”.
“Firstly, a large proportion of the allocation, some $1.685 million, will be earmarked to upgrade the vital security infrastructure which is operated by the NSW Community Security Group and serves the whole of the NSW Jewish community. A further $515,000 will be allocated to specific Jewish community institutions in NSW with the most urgent needs”.
“Secondly, the allocation will be made by the Jewish community itself through the Council for Jewish Community Security (CJCS) in NSW. The CJCS (NSW) operates in tandem with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and has an excellent track record in ensuring that the community gets the optimum security outcome”.
The CJCS is constituted under the aegis of the ECAJ to assist in the provision of security and protection for members and institutions of the Australian Jewish community. This security is in the main provided by the respective Community Security Groups which operate in all regions in which there are major Jewish communal centres.
“Ensuring the safety and security of all citizens is the first duty of any government”, Wertheim added. “Dave Sharma is to be congratulated for pursuing this matter so energetically with the Federal government. We thank him and the Federal government for recognising the importance and urgency of this issue for our community.”
The president of The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies Lesli Berger said: “All Australians have the right to feel secure and to observe their faith in safety and security.
“We warmly welcome the Federal Government’s decision to allocate $2.2 million to upgrade the vital security infrastructure of the NSW Jewish community and specifically of key communal sites.
“The Federal Government’s grant will help ensure that the security risks faced by the Jewish community are reduced so that we can all feel safe and secure living our daily lives as Jews.
“We thank Dave Sharma for his advocacy in securing this grant and we thank the Federal Government for understanding the fundamental needs of our community, which will go a significant way to ensuring that Jews can live their lives in safety and continue to contribute productively to Australia.”
