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Residents and visitors have had safe road access restored after the NSW Government completed more than $85,000 in flood repairs on 2 Crown roads in the Ballina and Lismore regions.

Crown Lands invested $60,000 to repair a damaged road and bridge abutment at Coopers Lane West at Main Arm, near Mullumbimby, which were heavily damaged during last year’s floods, restricting vehicle access.

Flooding eroded the road, blocked and damaged drains, and scoured the bridge abutment. Repairs included fixing the road, cleaning out and repairing drains, and reinstating the bridge abutment with rock fill and geotextile fabric.

More than $25,000 has also been invested to repair a flood damaged section of Cawongla Road at Larnook, in the Lismore area. 

Work included filling a gully caused by flooding which made driving conditions unsafe, constructing a new vehicle crossing, cutting approach ramps and batters along the creek, and importing rock to construct a basin to control water flow and protect against erosion.

The projects are part of ongoing work Crown Lands is undertaking across the State in response to the 2022 February flood event.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“Crown roads provide important access links for many regional areas so repairing these roads will deliver immediate benefits for residents and visitors.”

Minister for the North Coast Rose Jackson said:

“Residents on the North Coast have suffered immensely over the past 12 months because of flooding so these are the sorts of community projects that are small in stature but big on impact.”

Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:

“As we continue our long recovery, projects like these are critical in moving the dial and helping our communities get back to normal life.”

Keen local anglers, farmers, land managers and community groups are invited to apply for the latest round of the Habitat Action Grants to see their local waterways flourish with more than $850,000 available, Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty announced today.

Habitat Action Grants are open from 8 August 2023 to 29 September 2023. 

Ms Moriarty said that recreational fishing groups, community organisations, local councils and natural resource managers across the state would have until September 29 to apply for funding for their projects to improve habitat for native fish.

“These grants will see up to $40,000 awarded per project for both our inland waterways and our coastal systems,” Ms Moriarty said.

“The Habitat Action Grant program is a fantastic opportunity to improve your local creek, river, estuary or surrounding area to promote healthy waterways and to encourage more native fish, naturally.

“I encourage as many submissions as possible – so we can improve fish habitat to give our local fishers some great opportunities to make a difference in their area.

“As locals, you know your waterways better than anyone, so it’s time to float your ideas and come up with some fantastic ways to enhance our aquatic environments. We are particularly interested in your concepts for rehabilitating Trout cod and their freshwater habitats.”

Habitat Action Grants are supported by the Recreational Fishing Trusts, with funds being raised by the NSW Recreational Fishing Fees.

“This is your opportunity to put your recreational fishing fees to work to make more fish”

In the past, habitat rehabilitation projects which have been funded have included:

• removal or modification of barriers to fish passage
• rehabilitation of riparian lands (riverbanks, wetlands, mangrove forests, saltmarsh)
• re-snagging waterways with timber structure
• the removal of exotic vegetation from waterways and replacement with native plants
• bank stabilisation works
• fencing to exclude livestock.

“There are some long-term benefits for completing this work and ultimately, it’s about making sure we have functional fish habitat and happy native fish here in NSW.”

Since 2009, the Recreational Fishing Trusts have invested nearly $8 million into the Habitat Action Grants program, seeing significant improvement to fish habitat across NSW.

Find out more about applying for the Habitat Action Grantslaunch

Residents living in aged care facilities across the Illawarra can now get more tailored and timely medical care in their home environment and avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency department, with the launch of the Aged Care Outreach Service.

The Aged Care Outreach Service (ACOS) will help ease pressure on the Illawarra’s busy emergency departments by providing in-home medical care and clinical support to elderly people living in residential aged care facilities.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the new service will enable aged care residents to access timely, effective assessment and appropriate clinical care in the comfort of their own environment.

“The outreach service allows a team of specialist clinicians to attend residential aged care facilities and provide direct intervention to residents with acute illness,” Mr Park said.

“The service will run from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week, and means many aged care residents will avoid having to attend a hospital emergency department and can instead receive the care they need at home.

“This model not only provides faster care to older people in aged care facilities, but also helps maintain their health and independence by enabling them to remain in an environment that is more comfortable and familiar.”

Patients will be referred to the Aged Care Outreach Service by their residential aged care facility or NSW Ambulance, where clinically appropriate.

They will then be linked with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, including registered nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse consultants and a geriatrician who can provide the care they need.

The Aged Care Outreach Service is currently operating in 10 aged care facilities in the Illawarra, after being launched in July.

The service is being rolled out across the Illawarra Shoalhaven in a staged approach and is expected to be operating in all 42 residential aged care facilities across the region by the end of the year.

Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Chief Executive Margot Mains said, “the service is already seeing great results and feedback from residents, their families and aged care operators has been extremely positive.”

“In the first 35 days, the Aged Care Outreach Service team saw 117 aged care residents, with only 8 needing transfer to hospital for a higher level of care,” Ms Mains said.

“By increasing the number of aged care residents able to receive medical care in their aged care facility and not requiring transfer to hospital, this service enables emergency department staff to focus on patients who require more complex emergency care.”

There were 42,714 attendances to emergency departments across the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District in the first quarter of 2023, with a record number of patients in the 2 most urgent triage categories.

Minister Park said models of care like the Aged Care Outreach Service will help reduce the number of patients unnecessarily presenting to emergency departments.

“This offers our elderly patients a fantastic alternative, in many cases, to the stress of a trip to an emergency department,” Mr Park said.

“It also frees up our emergency departments to deal with critically unwell patients, ensuring everyone in our community can access better, faster medical care when they need it.”

The new service is modelled on South Eastern Sydney Local Health District’s Geriatric Flying Squad, which has been operating successfully for over a decade.

The landmark new Martin Place metro station is taking shape with the construction of the new station precinct nearing completion ahead of world-class metro services starting on the Sydney Metro City & Southwest line next year.

The metro platforms located 25 metres below ground level are almost complete. The tiles and wall panels are in place, with the finishing touches now being made, as workers install signage and seats on the 170-metre-long platforms.

The 25 escalators that will take commuters to their train are undergoing testing and commissioning, while the 14 lift shafts are ready to be fitted with elevators in October.

The new metro precinct has a footprint of more than an entire city block and will include 3000sqm of retail, dining and beverage outlets over three floors. Station shopfronts have been installed and tenants will be handed the keys to start their fit-out in early 2024.

Changing trains at Martin Place will be seamless, with direct access from metro platforms to the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line. A new all-weather pedestrian walkway will link Martin Place station with Hunter Street.

Above the station, the 39-storey building above the northern entrance topped out at the end of June 2023 and the 28-storey office building above the southern entrance is due to top out in September.

In the coming months, Metro’s construction partner Lendlease will focus on building the station entrances. Sections of Martin Place Plaza used during construction will start reopening to the public early next year.

When Sydney Metro services start running under the harbour and through the city, passengers will be able to travel from Martin Place to Central in four minutes, Victoria Cross in 5 minutes, or to Sydenham in just 11 minutes.

Read more information about Martin Place Stationlaunch.

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:

“It’s full steam ahead to complete work at Martin Place as we work towards the opening of the new line between Chatswood and Sydenham to passengers next year.”

“50,000 people have worked on this project from start to finish, so the state-of-the-art station we’re take shape is a testament to their brilliant work.

“Metro will be a transformative project for Sydney, and this landmark station will offer passengers an incredible new transport hub, coupled with commercial, retail and dining options.”

Three thousand students will be able to attend two brand new schools from 2025 as the Minns Labor Government gets on with the job of fast-tracking schools in Sydney’s north-west growth area.

Local Elders officiated a smoking ceremony on Friday, to cleanse the area and commemorate site establishment works for Melonba High School, Melonba Public School and a temporary high school.

A temporary high school in Melonba will open on Day 1 of Term 1 in 2024, as an urgent stop-gap measure to meet north-west Sydney’s enrolment demand.

Contemporary facilities will be available in early 2025, including flexible learning spaces, specialist support class areas, multi-purpose halls and sporting amenities for both the high school and primary school.

The school is also set to host its first Parent and Community Meeting this Tuesday, August 15, with newly appointed Principal Leon Weatherstone.

Planned schools in Melonba will complement a series of other upcoming projects in planning and construction being overseen by the Minns Labor Government in north-west Sydney, including upgrades at John Palmer Public School, The Ponds High School, and the new Nirimba Fields Public School, Tallawong Public School and Tallawong High School.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“I am so grateful to the members of the local First Nations community, who officiated the smoking ceremony so we can begin works on these new schools.

“Building these two new schools will bring certainty to Melonba families, who badly needed investment in their educational future, but were neglected by the former Liberal National government.

“With room for 2000 students at the high school and a further 1000 at the primary school, we are committed to giving children in Sydney’s north-west world-class facilities, close to their homes, providing them with the best opportunities possible.”

The NSW Government is delivering on its promise to improve transparency of the social housing waiting list by providing up-to-date data.

Under the previous government, information about the number of people on the social housing waiting list was published on an annual basis.

This made it incredibly hard for the community to understand the extent of the crisis as often the data was out of date by the time it was published.

The current published data is more than a year old. Data covering both the general and priority waiting list will now be published monthly to give stakeholders, the sector and people waiting for social housing a clearer picture of need.

This means the NSW Government to identify trends over time to meet the demand for social housing.

Median waiting times for priority and general applicant households will be published on a quarterly basis to provide an accurate indication of how long applicants can expect to wait for housing in certain areas.

Previously, median waiting times were only published on an annual basis.

This initiative is part of a suite of NSW Government reforms to improve the social and affordable housing sector and address homelessness and housing insecurity.

Minister for Housing Rose Jackson said:

“Providing accurate and timely data about the number of people on the social housing waiting list and the median waiting times for particular locations is critical to understanding current and future demands.

“This is part of our commitment to transparency and being open with the community about the problems with the current social housing system.

“This is the harsh reality of our housing crisis. Everyday thousands of vulnerable people wait for the day they have a secure roof over their head. The only way we’re going to get them off the housing waitlist is by getting people into homes.

“Delivering more housing is crucial we’ve introduced as suite of planning reforms and commitments to deliver more social and affordable housing as a start, but there is so much more to do.

“Everyone deserves access to safe and secure shelter. We need to highlight the depth of housing crisis we’re in to keep the pressure on for the need to deliver more homes.”

See the social housing waiting list datalaunch.

A comprehensive review of the state’s vocational education and training (VET) sector has kicked off today with the launch of public consultation around the state.

The launch of the VET Review delivers on a key election commitment of the Minns Labor Government to rebuild TAFE.

The Reviewlaunch will address how to put TAFE at the heart of a thriving VET system in NSW. It will also identify strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement in skills development and training and look at ways of attracting, retaining and supporting the VET workforce.

The expert Review panel, comprising chair Dr Michele Bruniges AM, The Hon. Professor Verity Firth AM and Jason Ardler PSM, will embark on a series of roundtables and a regional tour to ensure it is hearing all voices and seeing the breadth of VET provision across NSW.

The first roundtable will run in Tamworth today at the Bush Summit, bringing together community leaders and policy makers to discuss challenges and opportunities facing regional and remote communities.

Further roundtables will be held in Wollongong, western Sydney, Dubbo, Cobar, Hunter/Central Coast, Ballina, and Albury throughout August and September.

The expert panel will also visit Coffs Harbour, Moree, Moruya, Bega and Sydney during the regional tour in September.

The panel has launched a discussion paper that will guide the consultation, posing questions to prompt feedback and engagement across four key themes:

• Boosting student success
• Placing TAFE NSW at the heart of the system
• Delivering VET in NSW
• Preparing VET for the future

Consultations will also focus on five industry areas:

• Primary industries
• Care economy
• Manufacturing, construction and engineering
• Educators
• Digital

The consultation period will be open to the public, who can take part in a ‘Have Your Say’ survey or make a written submission in response to the discussion paper through an open submission process.

Stakeholders can learn more about the Reviewlaunch, the consultation approach, read the discussion paper and share their experiences.

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Prue Car, said:

“A strong TAFE makes for a strong VET Sector, better skills and an economy better prepared for the future.

“One million learners enter the NSW VET Sector every year through more than one thousand registered training organisations. Getting this system right is vital for our State.

“We’ve made a commitment to rebuild TAFE and fix the system. TAFE is the country’s leading provider of vocational education and must be at the heart of a future workforce that is highly skilled and competent. We must secure TAFE’s future to boost future opportunities for the community.

“We want to hear every voice, from industry leaders to past and current students, educators, employers and other key stakeholders to discuss their concerns and insights.”

“Listening to the people at the heart of the vocational education and training sector will equip us with the tools to deliver the best results for our learners and the economy.”

Chair of the VET Review panel Dr Michele Bruniges AM said:

“Public consultation is key to informing the Review’s recommendations about how to improve equitable access to VET and support for learners across the state.

“The Review is looking at everything that creates a vibrant VET sector in NSW and what needs to be done now to help address skills shortages.

“Stakeholder consultation is critical to make sure we put in place the right settings to attract, support and retain our valuable VET teachers, while providing students and trainees with the best possible opportunities to achieve rewarding outcomes.

“As a panel, we particularly want to hear your practical ideas and solutions to the challenges we have outlined in the discussion paper.”

The Minns Labor Government will overhaul the former government’s changes to casino taxes to prevent The Star Sydney turning into an unviable operation.

The new arrangement will see the introduction of a ‘transitional’ levy for the next 7 years. Star will be required to pay more tax on its poker machines as its gaming revenue rises until the new duty regime commences from 1 July 2030.

Changes to the table game rates will proceed as proposed in December 2022.

Star will also be required to protect more than 3000 jobs at The Star for the next 6 years as it transitions to a sustainable business model.

Under the revised approach:

• Transitional tax arrangements on poker machines will apply until 1 July 2030.
• The final poker machine duty rates will then be set to the same effective rates as in Victoria.
• If The Star’s financial performance before 1 July 2030 is stronger than assumed in its forecasts, adjusted rates will result in the government collecting more taxes.
• The Star will be legally bound to maintain more than 3000 jobs between now and 2030.
• The Star will participate in the NSW cashless gaming trial, with 50 poker machines and eight gaming tables in high traffic areas to go cashless by 31 October 2023.
• All gaming machines at The Star will be cashless by 30 August 2024.

The overall casino duty rates are expected to generate $2.7 billion over 10 years from The Star, more than $529 million than would be generated under the existing rates.

The increased casino duty rates are forecast to raise an additional $54 million over four years compared to current casino duty revenue. 

The NSW Government and The Star will finalise the agreement over the next few weeks.

The agreed jobs guarantee will be overseen by the United Workers Union and monitored closely by the government.

The government will seek agreement with Crown to ensure parity on table gaming rates with The Star. If the government is unable to reach an agreement with Crown, it has the option of legislating changes to table gaming duties.

The Minns Government has been in talks with The Star since being sworn in after the March election.

The negotiations for this successful result have been led by Ron Finlay AM, one of Australia’s leading infrastructure and governance specialists.

Mr Finlay has provided advice and services on major projects to the NSW, Tasmanian, Victorian and Federal Governments as well as to major private sector owners.

He also serves as the independent chair on the WestConnex board.

The former government had made the surprise announcement in December 2022 of a planned hike on poker machine duties at The Star to match rates applied in Victoria.

The Star said this posed a significant threat to its business.

It was later revealed Mr Kean had not consulted with The Star on the plan.

Subsequently, The Star announced a $1.3 billion write down on 23 February 2023 indicating they were in financial difficulty.

As well, the former government failed to legislate the increases as required, despite writing an anticipated $360 million in subsequent revenue into the budget.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:

“The Government has listened to workers, unions and management and has negotiated an agreement that will protect the jobs of thousands of workers while also seeing The Star pay more duty.

“The previous government’s casino duty hike was unrealistic, poorly developed and put thousands of jobs at risk. It was announced without consultation or consideration for the viability of the business and the thousands of workers they employ.

“The advice I received from NSW Treasury is that absent this agreement, if the Government proceeded with the announced rates, The Star would be unviable.

“The Star now also has an opportunity to demonstrate that it has an ongoing role to play in the NSW business community.”

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen has been accused by the Opposition of showing remarkable arrogance, as she defends the appointment of Josh Murray as Secretary of Transport for NSW.

“Despite the Government making integrity in politics a key election commitment, we’ve seen a string of broken promises and now a breathtaking case of jobs for the boys which the Government has tried to cover up,” Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said.

“Labor argued against releasing key documents that would shine light on Mr Murray’s appointment. The Premier must explain why he thinks it’s ok for a Minister to handpick a candidate and manipulate a recruitment process to get her way – is this an acceptable standard in the Minns Labor Government?”  

It has been revealed that Mr Murray was not shortlisted for the position until Minister Haylen’s Chief of Staff added Mr Murray’s name prior to his appointment by the Minister.

“The new Minister met with Mr Murray within days after taking office and then appointed her underqualified Labor mate to one of the most senior public sector roles in NSW,” Shadow Transport Minister Natalie Ward said.

“When trying to defend her decision to overlook multiple qualified candidates, Minister Haylen arrogantly declared that she could have appointed him without even conducting a process –this is a government handing out jobs for the boys.”

“If this Government is going to have any credibility when it comes to integrity in politics, then the Premier and Minister Haylen must front up and explain how this appointment was allowed to happen.”

Despite Labor’s attempts to withhold key information, documents will be presented to Parliament next week.

With reports today that the Government is granting an exemption for increased BASIX standards for contracts signed before October 1, Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Scott Farlow, has re-iterated the calls of the NSW Opposition for the Government to defer the introduction of increased BASIX standards for twelve months in line with other States.

“Industry and the Opposition have called on the Government to defer the implementation of increased BASIX standards for twelve months, in line with other States, because both Industry and the Government are simply not ready for this to roll out on 1 October” Mr Farlow said.

“Reports that the Government will exempt contracts signed before 1 October from the higher standards is half-baked and simply won’t address this fundamental problem.”

“A twelve-month deferral will allow supply chains sufficient time to adjust and for the most cost effective solutions to be achieved for purchasers and it would bring NSW into line with other States and not jeopardise home construction in NSW.“

“The DIY tool from the Department of Planning is still not available to industry to be able to properly cost and design the right materials to comply with the regulation with the increased standards seven weeks out from the Government’s planned implementation.”

“The feedback from industry is clear – if these changes are implemented on 1 October they will threaten the supply of housing and add significant additional costs to purchasers at a time when they’re already being impacted by the largest interest rate rises in a decade.”

“The construction industry has seen costs escalate by more than 12% in the last year, if these changes are implemented on 1 October, purchasers will be footing additional bills that they simply can’t afford, all at a time when the Government has just introduced a new tax on the construction of new homes.”

“This is in addition to some first home-buyers having to foot additional stamp duty costs of up to $66,000 on median priced houses as a result of Chris Minns’ repeal of the First Homebuyers Choice scheme.”

“The Opposition remains committed to the Sustainable Buildings SEPP but call on the Government to defer its implementation to ensure these reforms will be achievable and not jeopardise new homes in NSW,” Mr Farlow said