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The NSW Government will today introduce two bills to protect places of worship and further criminalise Nazi symbols, as part of a crackdown on recent racial hatred and antisemitism.

The Crimes Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill 2025 is part of a package of reforms announced last week to give police additional powers and resources to respond to acts of racial violence and hatred.

The latest proposed changes to the Crimes Act create two new offences to ensure people of faith can attend their place of worship in safety:

• Intentionally blocking, impeding or hindering a person from accessing or leaving, or attempting to access or leave, a place of worship without a reasonable excuse; and
• Harassing, intimidating or threatening a person accessing or leaving, or attempting to access or leave, a place of worship.

The maximum penalty for the new offences is 200 penalty units and/or two years’ imprisonment.

The Bill will also amend the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 to authorise a police officer to issue a move on direction to a person who is participating in a demonstration, protest, procession or assembly occurring in or near a place of worship. This would not apply in circumstances where the relevant action is within an authorised public assembly.

The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill also:

• Clarifies that graffiti is a “public act” for the purposes of the offences of threatening or inciting violence and displaying Nazi symbols;
• Provides for tougher sentencing for displaying by public act a Nazi symbol on or near a synagogue, the Jewish Museum or a Jewish school; and
• Aggravates sentences when a person’s conduct is partially or wholly driven by hate.

These reforms provide greater protection to the community against public displays of hate and crimes that may be partially motivated by hate and prejudice.

The Department of Communities and Justice held targeted consultation on the legislation, including with faith institutions, key legal stakeholders and relevant government agencies.

The NSW Government is currently finalising new laws on hate speech.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“Disgusting acts of antisemitism and intimidation have no place in NSW – acts designed to divide will not work.

“Our package is a strong response to recent antisemitism, but will also protect any person, of any religion.

“We are sending a clear message that these disgusting attacks have to stop.”

Attorney General Michael Daley said:

“People of faith have the right to attend their place of worship without fear or obstruction.

“Blocking access to a church, mosque, synagogue or other holy building is a completely unacceptable behaviour that has no place in our society. These proposed changes provide strong penalties and expand police powers to ensure people can practice their beliefs in safety.

“The NSW Government is also expanding the criminal law to send a clear message that inciting hatred is not just unacceptable, it will soon be criminal.

“We believe these proposed reforms strike the right balance between protecting people of faith and the community’s right to protest.”

The Minns Labor Government is today launching a new evidence-based Pave app to help more young people quit vaping.

It comes as new data shows NSW Health’s youth-targeted campaign has supported or persuaded almost 40,000 young people in NSW to quit vaping.

Meanwhile, the latest seizure data suggests a severe disruption to product availability following the introduction of laws stopping vapes at the border.

New Pave app to support quitting vaping

The new Pave app being launched today will provide users with helpful tips, motivation, tracking tools, distractions for when cravings hit, as well as activities and information to navigate common barriers to quitting vaping.

It provides a daily check-in feature supporting users to reflect on their progress and a click-to-call function to connect with Quitline counsellors.

The app was developed by the Cancer Institute NSW, and designed together with young people who vape or had recently quit vaping.

Their experiences informed the content and user interface of the app.

It’s free and available to download on iOS and Android.

Campaign supports or persuades 40,000 to quit

In January 2024, we launched the ‘Every vape is a hit to your health’ behaviour change campaign to reduce the health impact of vaping among 14 to 24 year olds in NSW – the campaign running across TV, public transport and social media.

The campaign connects young people to information about vaping and quit support, including telephone support through the Quitline, general practitioners and now digital apps such as Pave.

New research shows the campaign motivated 24,000 young people in NSW to quit vaping, and persuaded a further 15,000 to consider quitting.

Research also shows that 80 per cent of young Aboriginal people who vape felt motivated to try to quit after being exposed to the campaign.

The campaign is now entering a new phase which will highlight the health harms of vaping including nicotine addiction, lung damage, breathlessness, nicotine poisoning and burns from exploding vapes.

These health materials are available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Nepali and Arabic, and can be accessed here.

Tens of thousands of illegal products removed from community

Between 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024, over 47,000 vaping products were seized from 300 inspections.

This is compared to the same period the previous year, when just under 80,000 vaping products were seized from 238 inspections.

Despite the higher number of inspections, the lower number of products seized is likely the result of the disruption in product availability in the market following the introduction of the commonwealth vaping laws.

Health Minister Ryan Park:

“I am very concerned about the prevalence of illegal vapes in our community.

“In particular, I’m worried about the impacts it will have on the community’s health, and ultimately, our health system, long into the future.

“This is a once-in-a-generation moment to prevent a ticking timebomb in public health.

“Our efforts against vaping cannot be solely about enforcement – we’ve got to persuade young people to take ownership of their health, as well as clean our streets of illegal products.

“I am encouraged by our efforts to create awareness among young people of the dangers of vaping, as well as to instil in them a desire to say no, or to quit.

“What I’m determined to see as minister is the requisite supports to help them do it.”

Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW Professor Tracey O’Brien AM

“It’s encouraging to see that tens of thousands of young people are trying to quit vaping or thinking about doing so.

But vaping remains a significant public health issue and the new Pave app is another option we can provide to encourage young people to seek help and stay on track on their quit journey.

“Vaping can cause significant health harms and can be highly addictive.

“Like cigarettes, vapes are also full of harmful chemicals that have been known to cause cancer and there is growing evidence that young people who vape are more likely to take up smoking, which can significantly increase their cancer risk.”

“It’s important that people avoid taking up vaping or seek help to quit. While quitting can be hard, with support, taking that first step can be life changing.”

former vaper Jillie Clarke

“The craziest thing about vaping is that I genuinely don’t believe anyone wants to be a vaper.

“I didn’t realise I was addicted until I tried to quit and I couldn’t.

“But quitting vaping is 100 per cent possible, it’s a journey but every step is progress and you can do it.

“Vaping had a noticeable impact on my breathing, it felt like my lungs were working harder than they used to and I ended up getting really sick with a lung infection.

“What was really scary for me was learning that the impacts of vaping go beyond respiratory issues, with other damage not being felt until it’s too late – I didn’t want to risk getting to that stage.”

Thirteen highly skilled design practices have been commissioned by the Minns Labor Government to contribute additional low and mid rise designs to the NSW Pattern Book.

This is the second tranche of designs to be added to the NSW Pattern Book to make the delivery of homes in NSW faster, providing more homes for those who need them.

Six designs for terraces, semi-detached dual occupancy and manor houses or low-rise apartment buildings will be produced alongside six designs for mid-rise residential flat buildings.

Additionally, one landscape design practice has been commissioned to develop design guidance for the low-rise and mid-rise patterns, for both private and shared open spaces.

Once complete, these designs will become part of the NSW Pattern Book alongside the five winners from the professional category of the NSW Housing Pattern Book Design Competition that were announced in November last year.

The NSW Pattern Book will provide families, builders and developers with a collection of pre-approved, architecturally designed and cost-effective patterns to choose from. Those that use the designs will have access to a fast-tracked planning pathway.

Restoring choice and diversity is at the centre of the Minns Government’s housing reforms. This means building more homes that offer people at different stages of life more options.

The Pattern Book builds on the Minns Government recent reforms to the planning system to speed up the delivery of more homes, including:

·       Establishment of the Housing Delivery Authority to allow for major housing projects to be prioritised by being assessed directly by the NSW Government.

·       The largest rezoning in NSW history around transport hubs.

·       The largest ever investment in the delivery of social and affordable housing in NSW.

·       $200 million in financial incentives for councils that meet the new expectations for development applications, planning proposals and strategic planning. 

·       $450 million to build new apartments for essential workers including nurses, paramedics, teachers, allied health care workers, police officers and fire fighters. 

For more information on the Pattern Book please visit https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/government-architect-nsw/housing-design/nsw-housing-pattern-book.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Sydney is currently the second most expensive city in the world and has less housing diversity than it did a century ago. This means less optionality and less opportunity for our families, young people, workers and downsizers to live in NSW.

“As we see the average household change and evolve, we want to make sure there are homes to suit everyone, and this means more than just single dwellings and high-rise apartments.

“We’re not sacrificing quality for quantity as we deliver more homes, the NSW Pattern Book will have the stamp of approval from the NSW Government Architect.

“We want new homes to be built faster, but the Pattern Book will mean those homes are good quality, sustainable and cost-effective.”

Northwest communities around the Lightning Ridge opal fields are now better protected from bushfires following the Minns Labor Government’s completion of more than $1.35 million in fire trail upgrades and other protection works.

At Lightning Ridge, a network of 34 fire trails spanning approximately 28 kilometres has been established through upgrades to existing access tracks on a Crown land reserve managed by the Lightning Ridge Area Opal Reserve.

A further 6 fire trails at Grawin covering about 6.7 kilometres, and 13 fire trails at Glengarry covering about 17 kilometres upgrades were also undertaken.

Work included hazard reduction burns, the removal of excess vegetation, and improving fire trails to meet Rural Fire Service standards. Upgrades involved grading, drainage improvements to prevent erosion, and compacted gravel surfacing of some trails for year-round access. Turning and passing bays were also installed to support firefighting efforts. 

Separately, Crown Lands and the Rural Fire Service collaborated on a $34,500 project to install and fence a 110,000-litre water supply tank to support firefighting at Grawin and surrounds.

These critical upgrades undertaken by Crown Lands, with the support of the Soil Conservation Service, Rural Fire Service, Lightning Ridge Area Opal Reserve land manager, Walgett Shire Council, and community members will improve emergency access and help safeguard residents, businesses, and the local environment from the threat of bushfires.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“These critical fire trail upgrades enable firefighters to do their job battling bushfires.

They are imperative to improving emergency access to help keep communities protected against bushfires.

There are over 1,180 fires trails on Crown land across NSW covering over 2,120 kilometres and over 660 hectares of bushfire asset protection zones, with Crown Lands delivering projects each year to help guard against bushfires.”

Member for Barwon Roy Butler said:

“Following the recent bushfires in the Lightning Ridge area and the massive effort from firefighters to contain it, this is incredibly welcome news from the NSW Government, and I hope this work continues throughout NSW.

Firefighters rely on a network of roads, trails, and tracks to prevent, manage, and contain bushfires. Maintaining NSW’s fire trails by removing excess fuel loads is critical to keeping firefighters safe and helping them reduce the risk and impact of fires on people, property, and the environment.

Reducing fuel loads also significantly reduces the severity and impact of bushfires and assists emergency services in controlling and managing them.”