Fish lock tender readvertised

Parramatta City Council has readvertised the tender for the construction of a vertical fish lock and associated works, at the Marsden Street Weir, on the Parramatta River in the CBD. The so-called fish lock, one of several already constructed, allows fish to swim up river the breed. Council hopes to have it competed by September. Tenders close on May 20.

Controversial planning proposal

A controversial proposal in new planning reform legislation appears to allow NSW councils to compulsorily acquire land for major development projects. The proposal was reportedly driven by Parramatta City Council, which has been unable to come to agreement with owners of holdings, in Darcy Street, that form part of the $1.4 billion Civic place project, a public-private partnership approved by council and the NSW government.

UWS in a bionic-eye project

The University of Western Sydney is involved in a bionic eye project which has been developed on the “smell of an oily rag”. Professor John Morley, professor of anatomy and cell biology, at the UWS school of medicine is part of a team led by Professor Minas Coroneo, an ophthalmologist and researcher, at the Prince of Wales and Sydney Eye Hospitals; it also includes Jim Patrick, chief scientist, of Cochlear, and then doctoral students Gregg Suaning and Vivek Chowdhury. Professor Coroneo, who claimed the team developed the implant for less than $100,000, predicts a bionic eye capable of allowing users to see large objects and navigate independently could be ready next year

UWS approves a retail training course

The University of Western Sydney (UWS) has approved a retail training course that aims to train staff and improve their skills. The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has announced a joint initiative with Westfield that offers retailers a comprehensive suite of training programs through the Seed online training platform, which will be delivered by the online training and compliance management centre, Learning Seat. Using the retail experience of Westfield and the ARA, alongside the learning expertise of UWS and Learning Seat, the ARA said Seed was the first retail training of its kind. UWS has approved articulation of the Seed Diploma of Retail Management into their Bachelor of Business and Commerce Degree, specialising in Retail Management.

$2 million digital studio at UWS

The University of Western Sydney’s school of communication arts has constructed a $2 million convergent media studio complex, on its Penrith campus, with new high-tech facilities providing postgraduate students with a learning environment that is very similar to the multimedia workplaces being used in the industry today. UWS consulted experts from the BBC in London, SBS Television, the Seven Network, the ABC, Global Television, Sony and Ninemsn, to create a full digital studio complex. Students will have access to an outside broadcast (OB) van. Some undergraduate communication students could make use of the facilities.