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The NSW Government is reminding consumers to behave respectfully towards retail workers as shoppers and retailers prepare for the rush ahead of stores closing on Good Friday (March 29).

A 2023 survey of more than 4600 retail workers reported 87% of workers experienced verbal abuse from a customer, 12.5% reporting physical violence, and 52% reporting they had the same customer act abusive or violent on more than one occasion.

Workplace violence can be via a threat or action which causes either physical or psychological harm or injury.

In the retail industry workplace, this includes intimidating behavior which creates a fear of violence such as verbal threats, throwing objects or shoving, spitting or other physical contact.

Retailers should have systems and policies in place to help staff respond when faced with violence and aggression from customers.

SafeWork NSW is continuing to respond to an incident on February 18 where a 64-year-old worker was allegedly assaulted at a supermarket in Western Sydney. While NSW Police are investigating matters related to alleged criminal conduct, SafeWork NSW are reviewing the incident to see if there are breaches of WHS laws.

Tougher penalties for assaulting retail workers were introduced by the NSW Government last year with some offences receiving a maximum penalty of 11 years.

For further advice and resources relating to safety in the retail trade please visit the SafeWork website.

Minister for Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis, said:

“Easter is a great time of the year – it’s a major religious event, a public holiday and a major shopping opportunity for people of this state who are preparing for community celebrations, hosting guests at home or just trying to get away for a break.

“Let’s all remember – the people who are serving you this Easter are from our local community and they are the relatives of the people who live and work around you.

“If 1 person gets agitated while shopping it is hard enough on staff members, but when you are dealing with hundreds of customers a day the agitation absorbed by front line workers accumulates.

“Whatever pressure you may feel when going shopping please respect every retail worker who serves you.

“Retail workers have the right to feel safe when they go to work and there are now strong laws in place to protect them.”

Head of SafeWork NSW, Trent Curtin, said:

“Workers’ compensation data over the last 3 years shows us most claims in the retail sector are made by sales assistants at fuel retailers, supermarkets and retail department stores – and around 60% are made by female workers.

“We are asking customers to maintain appropriate behavior when interacting with retail workers, and to have a little patience and understanding this Easter. We are asking employers and managers to notify SafeWork NSW of any incidence of violence in the workplace.”

Secretary of SDA NSW, Bernie Smith, said:

“Customer abuse is rife in Australian shopping centres, with 87% of workers being subjected to abuse including physical violence, with 1 in 10 reporting being spat on. This must change. Everyone has a right to feel safe at work.

“We ask customers to stop, reflect and do the right thing in shops this Easter so everyone including retail workers can feel safe and celebrate this special time.”

CEO Australian Retailers Association, Paul Zahra, said:

“This Easter, in NSW, criminals will face jail time if they assault or harass our frontline workers.”

“No one deserves to be spat on, threatened with weapons, intimidated or harassed for simply doing their job. So let’s shop up big this Easter but let’s shop respectfully.”

The NSW Government is meeting the growing demand for construction courses in the Bathurst region with an investment of $1.5 million for TAFE NSW Lithgow. 

This investment is part of a $300 million statewide program delivering upgraded facilities and equipment to 120 TAFE NSW campuses across the state by June 2024.

Carpentry will be offered at TAFE NSW Lithgow for the first time in 2024, with an $80,000 investment towards a workshop for carpentry apprentices. A further $119,000 has been allocated to new equipment for welding and metal fabrication courses.

NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steven Whan said these facilities will help meet the growing demand for construction and manufacturing workers in the region.

“TAFE NSW is providing learners with the skills needed for the next generation of construction and manufacturing workers in Lithgow.

“Construction and manufacturing are 2 of the top 5 most in-demand industries in the region and the NSW Government is investing in TAFE NSW to provide the facilities, training, and industry standard equipment to meet this workforce demand,” Mr Whan said.

With the demand for construction courses increasing across Western Sydney, Mr Whan said the creation of a construction hub at TAFE NSW Lithgow would save local students significant travel time to surrounding campuses.

“Local students won’t need to travel up to 40 minutes to Bathurst or 1.5 hours to Nirimba to complete their carpentry course. With our investment in the assets here at TAFE NSW Lithgow, we’re establishing Lithgow as a hub for industry and manufacturing,” he said.

TAFE NSW is also partnered with local employers, Thales, Energy Australia, and Centennial Coal to deliver training to apprentices through its Skills Centre. Skills Centre students get accelerated learning in their trade as well as developing foundational knowledge in a range of other trade skill sets, boosting their versatility as workers, and improving job prospects.

“Through our investment in TAFE NSW, the NSW Government’s commitment to delivering a workforce with the skills Lithgow needs,” Mr Whan said.

More than 50 years of service to the community has earned Father Nicolaos Zervas OAM the honour of becoming the 17^th Freeman of the City of Newcastle.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes bestowed the award on the 90-year-old today during the Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church’s annual celebration for Greek Independence Day.

Father Nicolaos Zervas wearing his medal with wife Nina, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, Sharon Claydon MP, Tim Crakanthorp MP and CN Councillors.

Cr Nelmes said Father Nicolaos’ selfless acts have benefitted multiple generations, from teaching scripture to children, through to volunteering with senior citizens.

“Father Nicolaos’ list of achievements spans decades, with a remarkable breadth of service to the community,” Cr Nelmes said.

“He has contributed to initiatives that not only advanced his local Greek community, but also across sectors of health and wellbeing, peace and justice, sport, and aged care, for all Novocastrians.”

Born in Greece in 1934, Nicolaos Zervas came to Australia in 1955. He initially opened a restaurant in Victoria, then one in Sydney, but his real dream was to become a priest.

After marrying his beloved wife Christina (Nina) in 1965, he was given an opportunity to move north where he was ordained by the Newcastle Greek community in 1973.

Twenty years later he was awarded the Order of Australia medal for his spirit of giving, volunteering with Meals on Wheels at Hamilton, the Northern Settlement Services, the Ethnic Communities Council and Lifeline.

Father Nicolaos is a founding member of Greek Day Care and a life member of Hippocrates Aged Care, Fronditha Aged Care Nursing Home and Newcastle Olympic Football Club.

Despite retiring from his role with the Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in July 2021 he still regularly visits people in nursing homes and hospitals.

Father Nicolaos said he was proud to receive the honour of being named Newcastle’s 17^th Freeman of the City, a place he has called home for over 50 years.

“I was living in Sydney when I was given the option to relocate to Newcastle,” Father Nicolaos said.

“As soon as we arrived, I felt very at home, and I knew it was the place I wanted to work and raise my family in. 

“It is emotional to be recognised by the City of Newcastle in this way. The support of my wife Nina, my four children and 10 grandchildren has enabled me to keep giving back to the community of St Demetrios and the people of Newcastle and now, even in retirement, it has been my absolute privilege to do so.”

Father Nicolaos joins an impressive list of fellow Novocastrians to be awarded the Freeman of the City honour including former Lord Mayor Joy Cummings, Surfest co-founder Warren Smith and writer, philanthropist and passionate historian, Vera Deacon.

The Housing and Homelessness Ministerial Council will meet today to discuss the Commonwealth’s contribution to the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement.

Ministers from the Commonwealth and all States and Territories will press their case for an increase in Commonwealth funding to support building more social housing and bolstering support for homelessness services who are facing unprecedented demand.

Our state is grappling with a housing and homelessness crisis. Every part of our housing system is under pressure and every lever must be pulled to meaningfully address the crisis.

The NSW Government stands ready to work with the Commonwealth as an equal partner but funding trends over the last 10 years need to be turned around if that hope is to become a reality.

Commonwealth funding has fallen from 0.52% ($2.08 billion) of the 2013-14 Commonwealth Budget ($398.3 billion) to be only 0.28% ($1.9 billion) of the 2023-24 Commonwealth Budget ($684.1 billion).

To retain the same relative share of the Commonwealth Budget as 2013-14 for 2023-24, that would require a 90% increase on the 2023-24 allocation.

Recent investments in social housing from the Commonwealth Government are a welcome start to help confront the housing crisis, but the job is far from done.

NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Rose Jackson, will attend to advocate for more Commonwealth funding and resources to help NSW address the housing crisis and work toward the National Housing Accord target.

Last month, the Productivity Commission reported that Sydney was at risk of becoming a city with no grandchildren, whilst an analysis by Homelessness NSW showed that homelessness has risen across 58 of the state’s 128 local government areas in the past year alone.

The face of homelessness is changing. We have people with jobs, long rental histories, and no previous history of homelessness unable to get access housing. This is the harsh reality that thousands of people across NSW are experiencing right now.

More people are facing a disproportionate amount of housing stress. Thousands of people across the state are grappling with the reality of being locked out of the housing market. Not only unable to buy their first home, but also struggling to secure or sustain a rental.

The NSW Government reaffirms its commitment to deliver more and better homes and increasing access to comprehensive housing and homelessness support services as a core priority.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:

“Since December we have seen a steady increase in people needing help to secure a safe home. There are more than 57,000 people currently on the social housing waitlist. We need to drive this number down by getting the delivery numbers up.

“Every report, every analysis, and each statistic say the exact same thing – NSW is grappling with a housing crisis. People are being priced out of their community, unable to live near their jobs or struggling to even secure a roof over their head.

“Access to housing is a basic need. I will continue to fiercely advocate for our fair share of Commonwealth funding programs. We need immediate action and bold reform to support the people of NSW.

“The best way to reduce homelessness is by building houses. But building houses takes time. NSW has a large number of people who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness. We need funding to help those people.”

The NSW Government today released the Interim NSW VET Review into the state’s vocational education and training sector.

A key election commitment of the NSW Labor Government, the Interim Report makes seven recommendations for rebuilding TAFE NSW and strengthening the wider vocational training sector.

The report is an important step in restoring TAFE NSW which has been badly neglected for more than a decade by the previous government.

Chaired by Dr Michele Bruniges AM, with the valuable support of Professor Verity Firth AM and Jason Ardler PSM, the Panel conducted an extensive consultation process over four months seeking input from registered training organisations, teachers, students, government agencies, peak bodies, industry representatives, local businesses, councils, and universities.

The Interim Report contains recommendations which the government will seek to immediately implement, including the development of a TAFE NSW Charter which will set clear expectations as part of the process of TAFE reform. The panel is expected to submit its final report to the government by the middle of 2024 when the NSW Government will consider all recommendations in full.

A copy of the Interim NSW VET Review can be accessed online: NSW vocational education and training (VET) review.

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

“The NSW Labor Government knows that to address the critical shortage of skilled workers, NSW needs a strong and sustainable vocational training system.

“Over the next decade, NSW will need thousands of skilled professionals across healthcare, hospitality, construction, and burgeoning sectors like renewable energy.

“This report underscores the pivotal role of TAFE NSW in helping meet the skills needs of the NSW economy.”

“I want to thank the VET Review Panel for its tireless work in leading this once-in-a-generation review of the NSW vocational training sector. This report sets the direction for an exciting future where TAFE – as Australia’s biggest training provider – rebuilds and provides the core for meeting our need for skilled workers.

The former Liberal National Government had an ideological fixation with running down TAFE and privatising training. Labor has stopped this, stabilised funding and will now embark on the rebuild. This report is the next stage in the NSW Labor Government’s plans to place TAFE NSW at the heart of the vocational training system.

“The NSW Government will consider the panel’s recommendations alongside the final report mid-year. Meanwhile, the government has begun work on crafting a new TAFE Charter, and I’ve asked TAFE NSW to fast-track work on a revised operating model that aligns courses with industry needs, enhances support for teachers and puts TAFE at the heart of communities.”

Chair of the NSW VET Review, Dr Michele Bruniges AM said:

“I’m proud of the extensive consultation process conducted by our panel, which ensured diverse perspectives were heard and considered in shaping these recommendations.

“I would like to thank the Stakeholder Reference Group for its continued support in working with the panel to improve the quality and accessibility of vocational training in NSW.

“As we move forward, our focus remains on delivering a final report that provides a roadmap for a robust and responsive VET sector.”