Month: June 2025

On World Refugee Day, the Minns Labor Government has announced the creation of the NSW Settlement Advisory Council to improve the settlement experience for people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds living across the state.

The Council – NSW’s first – will be chaired by Professor Peter Shergold AC, the NSW Coordinator General for Settlement.

It will put refugees and people at the heart of policy and process, working to ensure a smoother settlement experience and a better connection to services in their new NSW home.

The Council will provide expert advice and policy support to Multicultural NSW, while championing the NSW Settlement Strategy.

A formal consultative mechanism to Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper and Multicultural NSW, the Council will focus on:

• complex settlement policy challenges and targeting improvements
• contributing to the success and evaluation of the NSW Settlement Strategy
• ensuring a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to delivering settlement services
• identifying opportunities for better alignment between the NSW and federal governments on settlement.

The CEO of Multicultural NSW will soon appoint the members of the Council with an announcement to follow.

Multicultural NSW provides independent advice to the NSW Government on settlement-related issues. The NSW Settlement Strategy brings together new and existing government programs to improve the lives of people coming to NSW through humanitarian programs.

The strategy is informed by the lived experience of refugee communities in NSW.

Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper:

“This announcement builds on the fantastic work we’ve done through the NSW Settlement Strategy.

“A first of its kind, the NSW Settlement Advisory Council is illustrative of the Minns Labor government’s commitment to improving the lives of different people and communities across our state.

“The Council will hold this state to account in supporting people seeking safety and a new start in our great state and ensure refugees start their new beginnings on the right foot.

“I look forward to the valuable work of the Council under the strong leadership of Professor Shergold.”

CEO of Multicultural NSW Joseph La Posta:

“People from refugee backgrounds have made an enormous contribution to our vibrant multicultural state.

“This is a significant step forward in improving our response in NSW so these communities can thrive.   

“The formation of this Council ensures the government’s approach to settlement is continually improving—guided by real insights and lived experiences.”

Professor Peter Shergold AC:

“A key focus of the Council will be to create stronger collaboration with the Australian Government, and other states and territories we’re working with to drive better outcomes.

“By bringing all these pieces together, we can create better opportunities for refugees to find their feet and become full and active participants in our community.

“This is great for everyone – refugees can realise their potential, and the people of NSW benefit from their skills and expertise.”

The Minns Labor Government’s 2025-26 Budget will deliver a record $3.4 billion investment in TAFE and skills funding, as part of its plan to tackle the housing crisis by building the skilled workforce needed to construct more homes across the state.

The Government is investing $40.2 million over two years towards fee free apprenticeships and traineeships which will fund an additional 23,000 construction apprenticeships, providing people with access to free training for jobs including plumbing, carpentry and electrotechnology.

These investments are complemented by $13.8 millionConstruction Workforce Package, designed to upskill and support 4,800 workers into residential construction jobs over the next two years—boosting the number of tradies on job sites and accelerating the delivery of much-needed homes.

Together, these initiatives aim to fast-track a new pipeline of skilled workers ready to meet the housing challenge head-on.

The Construction Workforce Package will aim to train people already in the workforce, support career changers and skilled migrants, and engage young people considering careers in the building trades. It includes: 

• $7 million for 800 existing workers and skilled migrants to gain formal trade qualifications through tailored assessment, training and trade testing.
• $4.8 million to support 4,000 existing workers to upskill or transition into trades, providing training for labourers, semi-skilled workers, and those changing careers, helping them move into higher-skilled construction roles or retrain in new technologies and methods.
• $2 million to fund school careers fairs, industry school partnerships, try-a-trade opportunities for up to 3,000 school students to pursue a career in the construction workforce through programs including Tiny Homes and Girls Can Too. 

In addition to the targeted Construction Workforce Package, the Minns Labor Government is delivering broader reforms to strengthen TAFE NSW and ensure it remains a modern, accessible, and high-quality training provider.

This year’s record $2.8 billion investment includes critical investments to upgrade facilities, secure teaching staff, and support strategic campus relocations—laying the groundwork for a more skilled and future-ready workforce.

Key measures include:

• $121 millionto repair TAFE NSW campuses statewide, including modernising learning and teaching spaces and investing in digital equipment ensuring teachers and students benefit from state-of-the-art facilities and technology.
• $78 million to continue to convert eligible teachers from casual to permanent roles, strengthening job security and helping TAFE NSW attract and retain high quality educators to shape the future workforce.
• $100 million to support the strategic relocation of teaching operations from TAFE NSW Bankstown to Western Sydney University Tower and TAFE NSW Padstow to facilitate construction of the new Bankstown Hospital while ensuring continuity in education delivery.

This is a record investment in TAFE NSW and skills funding, reversing over a decade of underfunding by the former Liberal-National Government and re-establishing vocational education as a key solution to the housing and workforce challenges facing NSW.

We know there’s much more to do, but we’re continuing to rebuild the sector by:

• Establishing three Manufacturing Centres of Excellence at TAFE NSW campuses in the Hunter, Illawarra and Western Sydney, in partnership with the federal government.
• Providing 85% of the TAFE NSW teaching workforce greater job security by converting approximately 3000 casual teaching staff into temporary and permanent positions, ensuring a stable and experienced workforce.
• Upgrading 129 campuses across the state by providing new air-conditioning, lights, 15,300 new smoke detectors and Wi-Fi upgrades.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:  

“This Budget brings together housing and skills to meet the state’s future needs.

“You can’t build homes without workers and this Budget delivers both. It ensures our investment in housing is backed by an investment in people. 

“It’s a targeted investment that delivers immediate benefits while building long-term capacity in the NSW workforce.” 

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said: 

“TAFE NSW is crucial to delivering the skills we need now and, in the future, and this landmark investment will ensure TAFE continues to meet the needs of industry and the community.

“Whether you’re already working in construction, new to the industry, or just starting out at school – the Construction Workforce Package will open new pathways into construction for thousands of people across the state.  

“This government is funding the training and skills development needed to grow our construction workforce and help tackle the state’s housing challenges.” 

The Victorian Greens have welcomed news that the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) will investigate the Labor Government’s $875 million in native timber transition payouts, which the Greens say should have gone to support workers into sustainable jobs but are alleged to have been exploited to log Tasmanian native forests.

In their 2025-26 annual plan tabled yesterday, VAGO announced that an audit of Victoria’s Forestry Transition Program will provide transparency on whether funds used to transition the timber industry from native timber logging have been used appropriately.

The news comes after Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell, referred allegations of misused funds to VAGO in March 2024.

Emphasising the importance of supporting former forestry workers into sustainable jobs – such as plantation timber, disaster prevention and reforestation – Ms Sandell raised allegations that funds from the program instead went to companies that moved to native forest logging in Tasmania, then shipped native timber back to Victorian mills for processing.

Since May 2023, there have been several reports of native timber being shipped to Victorian timber mills via the Spirit on Tasmania and Searoad Mersey.

Ms Sandell said the audit is important because Victorian taxpayer funds should not be used to destroy ancient native forests in Tasmania. Former Tasmanian state MP for Lyons John Tucker alleged in July 2023 that Victorian companies had begun undercutting Tasmanian contractors and forcing them out of business.

In May 2023 the Victorian Labor Government announced an additional $200 million to help transition timber workers out of native forest logging by the end of that year, bringing targeted support since a 2019, long-term package to more than $875 million (while additional programs put the final figure at $1.5 billion).

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell MP:

“Make no mistake, the Greens agree with supporting forestry workers through this transition, but this Victorian taxpayer money was not supposed to be taken and used to continue to destroy native forests in another state.

“Victorian Labor gave $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to the logging industry to stop logging in Victoria – it is outrageous if that money has just been taken and used to destroy ancient forests in Tasmania and then ship the logs back to Victoria.”

More than 30 forest defenders have been escorted from Orara State Forest this morning as the NSW Police move in to guard loggers from peaceful members of the community who are determined to prevent more extinction logging. The latest show of force from the NSW Police caused most community members to voluntarily leave the forest, although some community members were later issued with fines despite complying with directions.

Sue Higginson, MLC:

“The extinction logging in Orara State Forest will continue today after the NSW Police moved in, threatening to arrest and imprison some 30 peaceful members of the community who were on public land.”

“It is incredibly telling, that the state-owned Forestry Corporation must deploy armed police on public land so that they can continue their profitless destruction of our public native forests. It’s sickening that this forest is now being destroyed, under police guard given it is part of the promised Great Koala National Park.”

“That this logging will continue today under martial law should be cold comfort to the Forestry Corporation and Premier Chris Minns with more and more members of the community joining the opposition to their often illegal native forest logging.”

“It is a tremendous credit to the peaceful forest defenders that they continue to put their lives on hold and their bodies on the line to protect these natural treasures from wanton destruction by the Forestry Corporation, and it is a crying shame that the Police are misleading these community members and taking punitive actions even where official directions have been complied with.”

“What has happened in Orara State Forest today is state violence against a peaceful community. The NSW Police are more interested in protecting a criminal corporation than they are in protecting the community from having their natural spaces destroyed for no good reason.”

“The Police cannot arrest their way out of this, the community will continue to stand up for the forests. What we all need now, is for the Minns Labor Government to take a stand and end the profitless logging of our public native forests,” Ms Higginson said.

Thursday 19 June, the Supreme Court of NSW will hear the case of Josh Lees, on behalf of Palestine Action Group, to challenge the constitutional validity of the most recent anti-protest laws passed under the NSW Minns Labor Government earlier this year.

Lees will be represented by barristers Craig Lenehan SC, Felicity Graham, Thomas Wood, and O’Briens Solicitors.

Plaintiff Josh Lees will speak to press alongside spokespeople from previously successful anti-protest challenges, including Rising Tide, and civil society organisations.

Plaintiff Josh Lees, PAG:

“Chris Minns’ anti-protest laws are based on lies, as the Minns Government exploited the Dural caravan hoax to rush them through while keeping the public and the parliament in the dark about the reality of this hoax. He exacerbated and exploited community fears to try to silence our protest movement against the genocide in Gaza.”

“The right to protest is a fundamental democratic right, and these laws are an unconstitutional attack on those fundamental rights. They must be overturned and repealed.”

Amal Nassar, PAG:

“As a Palestinian activist, I am deeply disturbed by the government’s increasingly authoritarian response to peaceful protest. From day one, our rallies have been unfairly targeted, surveilled, and suppressed, while the atrocities in Gaza escalate with horrifying intensity.”

Sue Higginson, Greens MLC:

“The draconian anti-protest laws in NSW are a blight on our democracy. Successive Governments have acted to criminalise peaceful assembly and protest, the latest of which were introduced by the Minns Labor Government under a shadow of lies told to the community about the true nature of the Dural caravan hoax.”

“The constitutional challenge to these harsh and undemocratic laws is a critical step in the defence of democracy in NSW. We have already seen the Supreme Court rule some anti-protest laws to be unconstitutional in 2023, rather than listening to that decision, the Minns Labor Government has continued to target legitimate protests in a clear attempt to suppress the voices of the community.”

“It is a disgrace, that the NSW Labor Party is continuing the work of the former Liberal Government, and is punishing the NSW community for speaking out against injustice and genocide.”

Timothy Roberts, President of NSW CCL:

“The people of NSW deserve a responsible government that is not reckless with their democratic rights and in the drafting of legislation. We have Chris Minns and a government that rushed through legislation by fear-mongering about protest.”

Quotes attributable to Dr Max Kaiser, Executive Officer, Jewish Council:

“These laws were sold as protecting Jewish communities and places of worship—but they do nothing of the sort. Using antisemitism as a cover to criminalise protest is cynical and dangerous. We reject this misuse of our identity and support the legal challenge to restore basic democratic rights.”

Plaintiff Alexa Stewart, Rising Tide 2024 challenge:

“Rising Tide’s Supreme Court challenge overturned an illegal exclusion zone placed by the Minns government on the entirety of Newcastle harbour last November, to attempt to prevent a peaceful protest advocating for a safe climate and funding for our regions.”

“Time and time again, Chris Minns has tried to arrest his way out of legitimate protest action. It’s a failing strategy.”

The Australian Government has directed the departure of all Australian officials and dependants and suspended operations at our Embassy in Tehran, based on advice about the deteriorating security environment in Iran.

Australia’s Ambassador to Iran will remain in the region to support the Australian Government’s response to this crisis.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is deploying consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossing, to support Australians departing Iran.

We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe. Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place.

We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries. At this stage, our ability to provide consular services is extremely limited due to the situation on the ground. The airspace remains closed.

DFAT will also continue to provide support through the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre, direct contact with Australian citizens who have registered on our crisis portal and updates to travel advice.

The suspension of Embassy operations is consistent with steps taken by other countries, including New Zealand and Switzerland.

Australians in Iran seeking consular assistance should call the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia and 1300 555 135 (in Australia).