#parramatta — Public Fediverse posts

@gnoll110 @vandenberglegs @ajsadauskas More shenanigans at ICAC (the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption).

This time, it called up Anita Perrottet, who's the wife of Charles Perrottet, and the sister-in-law of former NSW State Premier Dominic Perrottet. (For anyone reading this outside Australia, a premier is our equivalent of an American state governor.)

Charles was allegedly one of the recipients of $2 million in bribes from failed property developer Jean Nassif.

Again, at this stage, I think Dominic should be called to explain what he knew abd when ge knew it.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

"[Anita Perrottet's] evidence was so thoroughly unconvincing, and the corruption watchdog’s case against her so comprehensive, that it was tempting for a brief moment to feel sorry for the mother of two.

"However, the sheer volume of implausible claims uttered while twisting and contorting her way through a two-day appearance ultimately made it difficult to have much sympathy.
...
"She was paid $660,999 between July 2020 and December 2022 – a figure almost exactly one-third of the $2 million bribe that Nassif is alleged to have agreed to pay her husband and two other Liberal Party operatives.

"There is no written record of any work Anita did to warrant the payments. She repeatedly insisted that she was paid such a huge amount to be a “sounding board”.
...
"Anita Perrottet is no fool. She has a degree in marketing and communications from the University of Canberra. She has worked at global asset management company Fidelity International, the so-called “millionaire’s factory” Macquarie Bank, investment firm Magellan Financial Group, and funds giant Australian Unity. Perrottet agreed with Dwyer’s assessment this week that she was a “pretty astute businesswoman”.
...
"If her version of events is to be believed, Perrottet’s marketing knowledge is so good that she earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for nothing other than giving verbal advice to Jeremy Greenwood, a close friend of her family and the owner of two lobbying firms named Beckington and JPG Advisory.

"Greenwood, Charles Perrottet and Liberal operative Christian Ellis are the three men the ICAC alleges were to be the recipients of the $2 million Nassif bribe.
...
"It is not disputed that Beckington and JPG Advisory paid Perrottet the $660,999 in various invoices over 2½ years. She also concedes there is not one scrap of written evidence that she actually did any work.

"Pressed on what sort of advice she gave, Perrottet said that Greenwood at one point sought her counsel on behalf of a vaping client. Who was the client? She didn’t know. Did she do any research? No, but she did read news articles that had popped up on her social media feeds.

"What strategic advice did she provide in relation to the black market for vaping? “That there needed to be better regulation.” What did that advice include? “Like, you know, minors shouldn’t be able to be buying vapes, essentially.” For good measure, she also apparently advised Greenwood that kids would vape less if fun flavours were banned."
...
"But the problems with her evidence didn’t end there. On Friday, she said she knew tax deductions listed by her business could only be made for legitimate business purposes. She said she would have only claimed travel for meetings she had held in Sydney with Greenwood.

"But she was soon presented with evidence that her husband had actually undertaken the regular travel to Sydney while she stayed at home in Melbourne. During the travel, Charles met with Nassif. Whoops, that must have been an error, Anita explained."

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/stop-stop-she-s-already-dead-how-the-icac-nailed-anita-perrottet-s-absurd-excuses-20260828-p60sj7.html

#auspol #nswpol #politics #news #capitalism #Sydney #Parramatta #NSW #Australia

Probably not ideal to have the boss of a new museum stand down 72 days before it opens, due to an investigation into "governance and procurement practices":

"The opening of the billion-dollar Powerhouse Parramatta has been plunged into controversy after its chief executive stepped down 72 days before the opening of the state’s biggest cultural infrastructure investment since the Sydney Opera House.

"In a shock development, staff were alerted on Thursday afternoon that Lisa Havilah had stood aside from her role of seven years pending completion of a departmental investigation into “governance and procurement practices”. Only five days earlier, the museum had announced its first five exhibitions for the November 7 opening to much fanfare."

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/powerhouse-parramatta-chief-lisa-havilah-departs-just-weeks-from-opening-20260827-p60s1t.html

#parramatta #NSW #Australia #Powerhouse #auspol #nswpol

Here's a fun one for you. The City of Parramatta is looking to name a new central park in an urban renewal precinct. What do you think they should call it?

https://participate.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/unnamed-central-park?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

The names they've come up with so far as Whistling Kite Park, Factory Green, and Wilsonia Park.

But Fedi brains trust, I think we can do better than that!

Details below:

"Covering approximately 30 hectares, the new Melrose Park Precinct is located north of the Parramatta River and south of Victoria Road. The precinct is currently undergoing a major transformation from an industrial area into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood. When complete, it will include around 6,000 homes, a new town centre, community facilities, and approximately five hectares of public open space and parkland.

"As development progresses, Council has been working with developers and the community to name new streets and open spaces throughout the precinct. Many of these names have already been formally adopted through the official naming process, with valuable input from the local community.

"This consultation seeks feedback on the name of a new park located in the heart of the precinct. Three carefully researched name options have been shortlisted for community consideration, reflecting themes of local history, heritage, and biodiversity. Scroll down to explore the proposed names and learn more about the stories behind them."

Submissions here: https://participate.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/unnamed-central-park/userinfo/unnamed-central-park

#Parramatta #NSW #Australia #askFedi #FediHelp #askMastodon #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #cities #auspol

Everyone's favourite Greek festival is back for 2026.

165 George St, Parramatta, Sunday 13th September 2026, 11am - 9:30pm

https://letsgogreekfestival.com.au/

"Let’s Go Greek Festival Parramatta returns in September for a full day of Greek food, music, dancing and family entertainment.

"Taking place on Sunday, September 13 at the grounds of St Ioannis Greek Orthodox Church, the popular community festival will bring the sights, sounds and flavours of Greece to Parramatta, with Greek singer Giorgos Tsalikis set to headline this year’s celebrations alongside his band, live from Greece.
...
"This year, the festivities will step up a notch with Tsalikis bringing the atmosphere of a Greek concert to the heart of Western Sydney.

"Known for hits including To Ravasaki, Eimai Mia Hara and Apagorevmeno, Tsalikis has enjoyed a career spanning more than two decades and remains a popular name in Greece’s live music scene."

https://greekherald.com.au/community/come-hungry-leave-dancing-your-favourite-festival-is-back-at-lets-go-greek-parramatta-2026/

#parramatta #WesternSydney #NSW #Australia #Greece #greek

The Parramatta Zone Fair is back for 2026!

This event is a great opportunity to support grassroots independent artists, journalists, and activists.

The zine creators range from migrants, to young queer and gender diverse folks, to people who are neurodivergent or have disabilities, to committed activists. And there's a broad array of topics and experiences covered in their work.

I went along and ended up picking up some super cute mini cat zines and stickers: https://pixelfed.social/p/ajsadauskas/875287724442803161

Mr Snowy Tanowy agreed they were great: https://pixelfed.social/p/ajsadauskas/875287724442803161

"Parramatta Zine Fair is a vibrant and creative celebration rooted in Burramattagal country. Over the course of a weekend, the fair will spotlight different voices, languages and communities of Greater Western Sydney through the work of local zine-makers, artists, designers, photographers, writers and independent publishers.

"This year, the School of Zines will be celebrating its second birthday with a special exhibition of artworks and publications from the workshop alumni!

"PZF is a family-friendly, community-focused event with FREE admission. All are welcome!

"Event Details

"When: 26-27 September 2026, 10am – 4pm
Where: Arts & Cultural Exchange, 8 Victoria Road Parramatta NSW 2150.

"The Parramatta Zine Fair is a family-friendly community event. Entry is FREE.

"Expressions of interest for zine-makers to showcase their work are open! Click the link below to apply."

https://www.schoolofzines.com.au/parramatta-zine-fair

#zine #zines #selfpublishing #art #artists #activism #events #community #WesternSydney #Parramatta #NSW #Australia

The Parramatta Powerhouse Museum now has an official opening date: Saturday 7 November.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/parramatta-powerhouse-opening-date-revealed-20260815-p60okh.html

"Most of the exhibitions held at the new museum will be free, with the opening program of five including a celebration of the world’s aviation and space history, and a major exhibition chronicling the evolution of shopping centres.

"With a construction price tag of $915 million, plus pre-opening expenses including a documentary on its opening costing about $1.7 million, the building on the banks of the Parramatta River is one of the most significant new museum projects in the world. The opening comes more than a decade after plans for the western Sydney museum were announced in 2015."

#Parramatta #NSW #Australia #Museum #art #culture #WesternSydney

Heads up to vinyl collectors around Parramatta and in Western Sydney.

There's a vinyl and retro market in Parra Square, on Saturday 15 August, from 10am to 4pm:

"Bringing together the best collectors, dealers and creatives for a one-day celebration of all things retro and collectable, right in the heart of Parramatta. A must for music and vintage lovers, this market is packed with vinyl crates, rare retro finds, music memorabilia and delicious food, with live DJs spinning tracks across the day in a buzzing, high-energy atmosphere."

https://atparramatta.com/whats-on/parramatta-vinyl-retro-market

Parra Square is also home to Beatdisc Records, which is definitely worth checking out for anyone coming along....

#vinyl #CD #music #audio #DVD #Sydney #Parramatta #NSW #Australia

Tickets are now on sale for Parramatta Open on 29 August, and the list of buildings that are open to the public has been officially announced.

And it looks like an especially great day out for anyone interested in Australian history:

https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/

First, there's an impressive list of all-day events, as well as talks and experiences that are planned.

They include the chance to ring the church bells at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, tours of the holding cells at the Sydney West Trial Courts, a Fijian choir performance, tours of one of Australia's oldest colonial cemeteries, and history talks:

https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/talks-tours/

Given Parra is Australia's second-oldest colonial settlement after Sydney, and Australia's original seat of colonial government, there's a *lot* of early colonial buildings to explore (along with some newer ones).

The buildings that will be open to the public include:

Governor Lachlan Macquarie's dairy: https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/building/the-dairy-and-rangers-cottages/

The home of Australia's early colonial governors, including Captain Arthur Philip: https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/building/old-government-house/

The 44th floor showroom at LG's Australian headquarters: https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/building/6-8-parramatta-square/

One of Australia's oldest boarding schools for girls: https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/building/brigid-shelly-building-our-lady-of-mercy-college-parramatta/

The Lancer Barracks and Museum, home to the famous WW1 light horse brigade: https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/building/nsw-lancer-barracks-and-museum/

The Parramatta Female Factory, which was a labour site for female convicts who were sent to Australia. It was later repurposed as one of the country's first asylums:
https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/building/parramatta-female-factory/

And also St John's Anglican Cathedral, which is Australia's oldest currently-used church:
https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/building/st-johns-anglican-cathedral/

There's a host of other buildings on the program here: https://www.parramattaopen.com.au/program/

#aushistory #history #Parramatta #NSW #Australia #events #auspol

Looks like Parramatta is getting its own open day event this year, following similar successful events in the Melbourne and Sydney CBDs:

"The one-day event will take place on Saturday 29 August, offering visitors rare access, expert insights and new ways to experience the places that have shaped Parramatta’s past, present and future.

"Sixteen buildings and spaces will be open across the Parramatta CBD and surrounds, including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Government House, Australia’s oldest surviving public building.

"Architectural highlights in the program include award-winning buildings Phive, designed by Design Inc, and Lacoste and Stevenson, with French firm Manuelle Gautrand Architecture, and Parramatta Aquatic Centre, designed by Grimshaw with Andrew Burges Architects and McGregor Coxall."

https://architectureau.com/articles/new-parramatta-open-event-set-to-debut-in-august/

Tickets available here on Tuesday 21 July: https://www.sydneyopen.com.au/

#Parramatta #NSW #Australia