Clr George Zakhia | Public figure
Clr George Zakhia
Phone: 0439724557
Reviews
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24.01.2022 An important health alert for Bankstown and surrounding suburbs from NSW health. Residents who caught a taxi on September 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 in th...e following suburbs Moorebank, Bankstown, Chipping Norton, Liverpool, Lidcombe, Warwick Farm, Milperra must monitor for symptoms, if you have any of the following symptoms Fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches and pains please get tested immediately. See more
23.01.2022 Last night, I joined leaders and ministers from over 30 countries in a virtual conference to discuss what support can be given to Beirut and the Lebanese people... following the explosion disaster last week. As part of a broader global response Australia lifted our commitment $5 million to support relief efforts in Lebanon. This will be delivered through longstanding international partners including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Red Cross. It’s to help ensure food, medical care and essential items are provided to those affected by this tragedy. Australia is home to a large Lebanese community, with more than 230,000 Australians having Lebanese heritage. Our hearts go out to them, the people of Lebanon and all those affected by this disaster. Thank you to President Macron and the UN Secretary-General for hosting the conference. I’ve joined with them and others calling for a full, impartial and credible investigation into the explosion.
23.01.2022 Wishing all the fathers a happy Father’s Day. Thank you dad for always teaching my brothers and I the value of family.
21.01.2022 Today we mourn the loss of the Honourable John Fahey AC, Premier of NSW from 1992 to 1995, who dedicated almost two decades of his life in service to NSW and Australia.
21.01.2022 Great news from our Prime Minister, the job keeper will be extended till March next year with minor changes please read below.
20.01.2022 Customers at Punchbowl Station will have a new air-conditioned metro train every four minutes in the peak that’s 15 trains an hour. Punchbowl Station is curre...ntly serviced by 8 trains an hour in the morning peak. The station will be upgraded with new lifts for the first time, level access between the platforms and trains and platform screen doors to keep people and objects away from the tracks. A draft Station Design and Precinct Plan (SDPP) has been prepared for Punchbowl Station that shows how the new station design has developed and how it will integrate with the surrounding precinct. You’re invited to provide feedback on the SDPP, available here. Please provide your feedback via e-mailto:[email protected] (link sends e-mail) by 5pm Friday 28 August 2020.
19.01.2022 It’s hard to find the right words to acknowledge 200 of our community members on their Selfless contributions, you are the greatest asset to our community. Not only do you generously dedicate your time and labor to help others but you also risk your own life to help and serve our community during this global pandemic.well done.
19.01.2022 Australia Day Awards 2021 Nominations are now open, please forward the below link to your contact list and encourage them to nominate! Want to thank a local? Nominate them for a City of Canterbury Bankstown, Australia Day Award 2021.... http://cb.city/australiadayawards
18.01.2022 Helping You, Help Others. In response to COVID-19 Council ran "Helping You Help Others" which was an advance of the 2020-21 grants program provide flexible fina...ncial assistance to eligible not for profit community groups to support the provision of programs and services they provide 55 applications have been adopted to receive $221,668, congratulations to all recipients. See more
16.01.2022 I would like to thank the State Government for funding this project under the NSW Government’s Noise Abatement Program to reduce noise for local residents. Tran...sport for NSW is building a noise wall along Fairford Road between Stacey Street and Macauley Avenue in Bankstown. Work will start on Monday 7 September 2020. The wall is about 495 metres long and 4.5 metres high. The noise wall’s finish, texture and colour will be selected to fit in with the local landscape, be low maintenance and discourage graffiti and vandalism. See more
15.01.2022 Wishing all my friends and our local community who are celebrating today’s Moon Festival a Happy And Joyful Day.
15.01.2022 As the Chairman of the safety committee in our LGA, I had the opportunity this week to address our youth on the effects of drugs, and speeding in motor vehicles. The meeting was a refreshing success in terms of those present relating strongly to the devastating effects of such issues and strongly agreeing, that in order for our community to win the fight against drugs and fatalities on our roads, we must all work together. Thanks to Elmina association, President and members also to our speaker Joe Ibrahim.
13.01.2022 2020 has been a year like no other everything we came to rely on has changed, but the promise of God will never change. Merry Christmas everyone.
12.01.2022 The Round 3 grant is available through a streamlined application process. Applications open Monday 19th October 2020 and must be submitted online via https://cb.city/grants If you are an eatery, I encourage you to consider applying for the use of the footway in front of your business ... Round 3 grants can also be used to go towards the purchase of outdoor furniture for your restaurant. If you require assistance, contact me directly via email or sms.
11.01.2022 Visiting my local Condell Park shops where interesting happens, and Voila!!!!! Only in my LGA.
11.01.2022 Maintenance and works at Birrong Leisure & Aquatic Centre are extensive, the work is scheduled from Monday 5 October to Sunday 25 October, the Aquatic and leisu...re center will be closed for this period. The centre will re-open in line with our COVID-19 Safety Plan on Monday 26 October 2020. Our Canterbury, Max Parker, Roselands and Wran Centres are not impacted. See more
08.01.2022 When we promise we deliver, the all new Bankstown emergency department is in full operation. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard MP, Wendy Lindsay MP.
08.01.2022 The NSW Government will tighten COVID-19 restrictions around higher risk activities as the pandemic enters a new phase of community transmission. From 12:01am... Friday, 24 July 2020 the following rules will be in force as NSW enters a state of ‘COVID normal’. * Compliance measures introduced to pubs will be extended to restaurants, bars cafés and clubs. This includes: * 1. limiting group bookings to a maximum of 10 people * 2. mandatory COVID-Safe plans and registration as a COVID-Safe business * 3. a digital record must be created within 24 hours. * Weddings and corporate events will be limited to 150 people subject to the four square metre rule and registration as a COVID-Safe business. Strict COVID-Safe plans must be in place and high-risk activities including choirs and dancing must not occur. * Funerals and places of worship will be limited to 100 people, subject to the one person per four square metre rule and a COVID-Safe business registration. The rules on gatherings remain the same: 20 guests inside the home and 20 for gatherings in a public place. However, as the home is a high transmission area, the NSW Chief Health Officer strongly recommends a COVID-Safe precautionary approach of limiting visitors to the home to 10 people as a general principle. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this tightening was to reduce the risk of uncontrollable break-outs and ensure NSW stays open for business. Unfortunately we must live with COVID-19 and the way it has changed our lives, Ms Berejiklian said. See more
08.01.2022 My response last night on Chester Hill’s Planning Proposal. Since this proposal was considered by the Local Planning Panel last month, Chester Hill residents h...ave been reaching out to me with their concerns. Last week I visited Chester Square to hear more, and I spoke to people who live, work and shop in Chester Hill. It was great to talk to people who are as passionate about this place as I am, and I thank each of them for making the time to share their thoughts with me. While a range of issues were mentioned, the concerns that consistently came up were about the height of the proposal and also the traffic and parking problems that already exist. Some were also upset at the lack of consultation to date. I share these concerns, and I want to make sure they’re thoroughly investigated so that we can make sure we get the planning settings right for this important site. I don’t see value in simply saying no to change, no to investment in our city.. it needs it now more than ever and I believe the proposal should be given the opportunity for the community at large to have its say. These are all very important matters that we must get right. I have read the officers report and I see it raises the same issues and concerns. acknowledging the proposal is not perfect and requires: more work to be done more analyses more consideration a greater public benefit to be realised to satisfy Council before the proposal is exhibited and then reconsidered by Council. In relation to height, I agree that the proposed 18 storey tower will be much taller than the surrounding buildings, and I’m concerned about how it will fit in. The report by Council recommends both the applicant and Council need to do more work in this space, which may result in a reduction to the height and density controls. Of course this must be carefully considered, we can’t just make number up based on what we think might be popular, otherwise we could create unintended bad outcomes for Chester Hill. The report also recommends that the planning controls for the rest of Chester Hill are reviewed in the future. I fully support this, and I will be reviewing this information closely once it comes back to Council. I am also very supportive of the design excellence clause that staff have recommended to make sure that the development is high quality. This must be a non-negotiable element should the proposal progress. On traffic, I know Waldron Road is already very busy and this proposal would make that worse if we don’t make the right adjustments to the road network. The applicant has proposed a number of traffic upgrades to address this and Council would also need to engage with Transport for NSW about infrastructure upgrades and incorporate any works they might require. I personally saw last week that there isn’t enough parking isn’t convenient. While everyone that complained to me about parking had parked close by its not the best carpark at all. I see the proposal would provide approximately 1,200 additional parking spaces on site and the level of car parking would need to meet our planning rules. I see similar pressures in other parts of our city such as Punchbowl however parking has considerably improved with the parking made available at Broadway Plaza at the corner of Broadway and The Boulevarde. This development now provides a safe and accessible parking option for shoppers and visitors to the centre. I see the same opportunity for improvement here at Chester Hill with this proposal. Lastly, regarding community engagement, I understand we have to follow the State Government’s process for planning proposals, which stipulates that public exhibition occurs after a Gateway Determination has been issued, not before. In my view that part of the process will be critical, and if we get to that point, we must focus on getting feedback from as many people as possible so that we can take those views into account before we make a final decision. There is a long way to go in this process before we decide what the new community space will contain, what the infrastructure upgrades will be, and what the planning controls will allow. I believe the redevelopment of the site will bring about much needed investment and renewal and for that reason I support this proposal proceeding to Gateway subject to one change to the recommendation: That Council’s exhibition notifications are available in the top 5 languages for our City on Councils website and that this notification provide detailed information on the proposal including the key changes to planning rules and how to access more information and assistance in any language.
07.01.2022 The DRAFT Paul Keating Park 2020-2040 Master Plan is out on exhibition, this has now commenced and will run until 5pm on Sunday, 18 October 2020. I have attache...d some pics to give you some ideas about the exhibition, In addition you can Have Your Say on council’s website ( cb.city/pkp )also there will be a planned community engagement over the coming weeks will include on-site signage, focus group, public Q&A on Facebook, youth workshop, local business visits, phone outreach, a letterbox drop and a number of other methods. Given COVID-19, we are taking care to prioritise our face-to-face engagement where it is most needed, such as engaging adjacent businesses and young people. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me or Email me on [email protected] See more
07.01.2022 My motion for last month was to support and raise fund for the National Breast Cancer Foundation I invite everyone to get involved in the 10km Bridge Run for b...reast cancer fundraiser taking place on Sunday, November 8. This year, 3,000 women will lose their battle with breast cancer that is eight women every day, with 55 women hearing the dreaded news today that they have the disease. the National Breast Cancer Foundation has a very simple but very important mission of achieving zero deaths from breast cancer by 2030. It’s exciting because the foundation is planning a future where there will be no more chemotherapy as immunotherapy will take over as the new, less painful treatment but more funds need to be raised to help us get there. I have registered the running group under the ‘Canterbury Bankstown Local Government’ banner and Mrs Wendy Lindsay MP, Clr Charlie Ishak, Clr Philip Madirazza are going to join me as well. Thanks to Canterbury Bankstown local government at last week’s meeting and securing $2,000 in sponsorship. We have all been touched by the devastation of breast cancer and this is something positive we can do to help make a difference. For more info, go to sydneyrunningfestival.com.au to join the local team or click below to donate.
06.01.2022 Great to see most of our local constituents practicing good Hygiene and social distancing as I was handing out sanitisers and face masks at our local train station. Please keep up the good work and stay safe.
05.01.2022 I har the pleasure to join Rev Gaby Kobrossi and others of the Bankstown District Uniting Church to mark this special occasion, by revealing the new remembrance stone monument and flagpole.
05.01.2022 A message from our treasurer. Dear George, In 2020, Australians have been tested like never before, with flood, drought, fires and a global pandemic....Continue reading
05.01.2022 A small team of #YourADF specialists have moved to #Beirut to provide medical and communication support to the Australian Embassy. The Defence Attache in Amman... and a small team will also move to Beirut to bolster embassy staff capacity. Our hearts go out to the people of Lebanon and to those worried for friends and family. Defence Australia
04.01.2022 Lebanon bleeds With COVID19 and the down-turn of the Lebanese economy, where citizens lost 80% of their life savings, today came a massive blast that marked ...4.5 on the Richter scale. The explosion devastated Beirut this morning with 135 people dead leaving 5000 injured with numbers mounting. Our prayers and thoughts are with the Lebanese people. See more
04.01.2022 A quick curtesy notification a pop up COVID drive through clinic at the Roselands Shopping Centre, off Roselands Avenue. This has been organised and managed by ...Sydney Local Health District (SLHD). Dates and operating times: Starting today Monday 13 July to Sunday 9 August. Clinic is open Mondays to Saturday 1000-1600hrs.
04.01.2022 Wishing all my friends and our Islamic community in general a happy and safe Eid. Eid Mubarak.
03.01.2022 Remembrance Day falls on the 11th of November each year. On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes' silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation. On this solemn occasion, let us come together and commemorate the sacrifices and contributions of our brave men and women of the Australian Armed Forces.
02.01.2022 My motion for last month that was carried unanimously was, REMEMBER playing street cricket all summer long or being the best in the street at hula hoop, handbal...l or hopscotch? Canterbury Bankstown children could now get the chance to have those memories, friendships and more opportunity to be active after Cr George Zakhia moved a motion for council to adopt how street play can be incorporated into the future development of strategies and plans for vibrant and liveable neighbourhoods. Cr Zakhia had already brought together about 70 of his neighbours when he conducted a full Anzac Day service in his Condell Park street a couple of months ago and wanted to take the initiative further. The idea has been successfully trialled overseas and the 1000 Play Streets is a national movement encouraging local streets as places to come together with neighbours for socialising and play, he said. I can’t think of a better way to get kids off their devices and computers and outside enjoying the sun and exercise while building friendships, he said. I’m sure we all remember playing on the street as kids, with footy, cricket and riding our bikes always popular. Unfortunately this has largely disappeared. Once the council’s 2020-21 Operational Plan is finalised later in the year, residents will be able to apply for a permit to temporarily close streets to through traffic, making street play safe. Whether it runs once, over school holidays or say every Wednesday after school, a closed street for play can work for your neighbourhood, Cr Zakhia said. Think about how awesome this will be for our children.
01.01.2022 The economy of our city thrives on small business, during October which is the small business month, I managed to visit a large portion of our small businesses In Canterbury Bankstown and listened to their concerns so I can deliver their concerns to our local government during this pandemic.
01.01.2022 I hope we all stay united as Australians to resolve all issues that will face our community and our beloved country, I Wish you and your families a healthy and safe new year.
01.01.2022 Thank you premier, a true leader indeed.
