Wallsend MP Addresses Parliament about Fence at Glendore Public School

BY HANNAH-LOUISE ANDERSON

State Member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery will address parliament today and request that the long-awaited security fence for Glendore Public School is built as soon as possible as it "isn't secure" for the staff or the students.

The school which has been broken into three times since November last year has experienced $100 000 dollars worth of damage and can no longer afford to fix the property that is continuously damaged or to clean-up the vandalism that occurs. Glendore is the only school in the area yet to receive a security fence.

"This is the only school in the area that doesn't have a security perimeter fence and it's the only school being broken into and vandalized," says Ms. Hornery, "the community and school are sick and tired of having to replace items on a regular basis with anyone free to roam through the school grounds."

Five-hundred concerned parents have signed a petition calling on the Minister for Education to prioritize building the school a fence so that the students of Glendore Public can feel safe and secure when trying to learn.

"I am hopeful that now we have a new Minister, that the government might be willing to listen to the community concerns," claimed Ms. Hornery, "the school isn't secure and a perimeter fence around the school would really help that."

Photo belonging to the Newcastle Herald

Renewed Calls for Additional Hospital Security

BY ALICE PEART


Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery has renewed her calls for additional security guards to be employed across NSW hospitals following an attack on a staff member by a patient early yesterday morning at the Mater Hospital.

A 22-year old male patient attempted to stab a security guard with a pair of scissors who suffered cuts and scratches to the face.

Ms Hornery has called for an additional 250 security guards across NSW, with some of those allocated to the John Hunter and Mater hospitals, better training for those staff and for security guards to be given authority to detain violent patients.

"It is about making sure we have adequate security guards on deck to protect one another and to protect the staff and patients", she told 2NURFM today.

The issue of security in NSW hospitals has been reviewed multiple times in recent years.

The latest findings however make no explicit reference to increasing the number of security guards nor the detaining of patients. The review by former police and health minister Peter Anderson made 48 recommendations, particularly highlighting the importance of changing the culture around security services including clothing, punitive attitudes and refraining from acting as a "nightclub bouncer".

Contrary to the call for the detaining of violent patients, NSW Health has advocated for the minimising of patient seclusion and restraint. Changes which have been implemented successfully in the Creating Positive Cultures of Care program at the John Hunter NEXUS facility.

The attack at the Mater follows others on local emergency service workers in the past fortnight.

Ms Hornery says the priority should be keeping patients and staff safe, "Our staff go to work everyday and they deserve to be kept safe and in a position where they are not threatened by violence".