Category: NSW News

The Minns Labor Government has strengthened the independence of integrity agencies and expanded Parliament’s role in independently overseeing their funding.

These changes, which passed in Parliament on Wednesday night, build upon last month’s Treasurer’s Direction that codifies special budget arrangements for the state’s five integrity agencies.

The amendments reinforce the independence of the NSW Audit Office, Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, NSW Electoral Commission and the Ombudsman’s Office.

The changes to the Government Sector Finance Act 2018 (GSF Act) require integrity agency budgets to be reviewed by Parliamentary oversight committees.

The Parliamentary committees will examine and report on the agencies’ budgets, with the Treasurer then required to respond to the Committee reports.

The Treasurer will also be required to detail the reasons for any variations from agency budget proposals.

In addition to the above, the Government is setting aside $20 million in contingency funding for these integrity agencies for unexpected matters that require urgent attention.

The contingency funding system will also be subject to Parliamentary committee oversight.

The legislation complements a Treasurer’s Direction published on 6 August 2024 – which outlined the Charter of Independence for NSW Integrity Agencies.

This fulfils a request from the Chief Commissioner of the ICAC that the Government formalise the budget management model using a Treasurer’s Direction.

This direction, made under the GSF Act, is unprecedented and provides access for these agencies direct to the Cabinet itself during the preparation of each year’s budget.

The five agencies will be able to submit advice directly to the Cabinet’s Expenditure Review Committee (ERC).

In addition:

• The integrity bodies are quarantined from central agency financial management requirements.
• Integrity agencies will not have efficiency dividends imposed upon them.
• A specialist integrity agency unit within Treasury manages representations for budget funding and ensures that the independence of integrity agencies is preserved during the budget process.

This represents the latest milestone in the Government’s significant reform agenda aimed at helping restore public trust and improving public integrity, transparency, and accountability, which includes:

• The commitment of an additional $228.6 million in new expenditure over 10 years, commencing in the 2023-24 Budget, to ensure integrity agencies remain adequately resourced.
• Amendments to the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988 to make it a legislative requirement for the Government to respond to recommendations of the ICAC directed to the Government.
• The implementation of recommendations made by the ICAC in relation to Operation Witney and Keppel.
• The landmark ban on political parties accepting donations from clubs which have gaming machines.
• A significant tightening of grants regulation to ensure the highest possible standards of grant administration.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“We are ensuring our integrity agencies are best placed to hold public officials and government departments to the highest standards.

“The additional checks we are introducing safeguard the funding of these independent agencies.

“We will continue to focus on strengthening our critical public institutions for the long-term benefit of New South Wales.”

Special Minister of State John Graham said:

“Integrity agencies must be allowed to get on with their essential work of investigating and preventing corruption and maladministration. The NSW Government is committed to supporting this work.

“Safeguarding their funding and enhancing transparency around funding to integrity agencies, including the ICAC, delivers on this commitment.”

The Minns Labor Government is continuing its commitment to boost economic development and services for regional NSW with the announcement today of the first seven low interest loans to regional food and beverage manufacturers.

The loans, delivered as part of the Government’s Regional Development Roadmap will help boost productivity, create jobs, and deliver advanced manufacturing capabilities.

The loans have been made to businesses in Dubbo, Byron Bay, Wagga Wagga, Wauchope, Bathurst, the Central Coast and Southern Highlands.

Under the $5 million pilot program, low interest loans can be used for projects such as installing automated production lines, upgrading bottling lines, or buying equipment that will enable products to be exported more efficiently.

Loans are available of between $100,000 and $1 million, and interest is charged monthly at a fixed rate of 2.5 percent for the life of the loan. Loan repayments are interest only for the first two years. The maximum loan term is seven years.

Unlike a commercial loan, these loans do not require family homes to be put forward as security,

In a series of Ministerial Roundtables with regional businesses this year, food and beverage industry leaders indicated they needed assistance to adopt new technology to increase productivity and expand their market opportunities.

The NSW Government is assisting good businesses grow so they can increase demand for local produce, add value to their products, boosting revenue and creating jobs into their regions.

Businesses receiving a low interest loan include:

• Little Big Dairy Co in Dubbo will use funding to install automated technology to reduce waste and increase capacity and improve energy efficiency creating job opportunities and opening new markets.
• Byron Beef Jerky will convert existing areas into cool rooms and food preparation spaces, upgrade power supply, and improve production and storage leading to higher demand for local beef and job growth.
• East Coast Beverages on the Central Coast will upgrade its production capacity by installing automated technology including high speed conveyors, bottling equipment, and advanced line cleaning systems to increase production and reduce waste.
• Ezy Fresh in Wagga Wagga who supply processed vegetables to manufacturers will invest in diversifying their product range and enable a more efficient production process that enables upskilling of staff, doubling of their capacity, which will increase demand for local grown vegetables.
• Timber Town Pies in Wauchope can now invest in upgrading equipment to double their production capacity, create new jobs plus increase demand for local beef..
• McDowells Herbal in Bathurst will invest in specialist equipment to increase their product line and significantly increase their output which will multiply job opportunities and revenue.

For more information on each of the companies receiving low interest loans click here.

The food and beverage manufacturing sector is a major employer in regional NSW, which is already home to companies such as Nestle, Ferrero, Stone and Wood, Sanitarium and Simplot Foods.

The food and beverage manufacturing sector across NSW had an annual turnover of $42.5 billion in 2022-2023 and employed more than 66,000 people as of May 2024.

For more information, go to: nsw.gov.au/regionaldevelopmenttrust

Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said:

“The NSW Government is changing the way it invests in regional NSW, and this investment package supports our regional food and beverage manufacturers to grow, create more jobs and benefit local producers.

“The NSW Government is committed to strengthening the farming sector and regional economies by encouraging and assisting local businesses that add value to local produce, expand their production capacity and product offerings so they can employ additional local people, compete against imported products and bring revenue into the region.

“This pilot package has demonstrated there is high interest in the low interest loans for food and beverage businesses, just as we were advised in my Roundtable listening tour through the regions. I look forward to considering the pilot review so we can evaluate this work and propose next steps.”

David Harding, Executive Director Business NSW said:

“The take up on this attractive low interest loan pilot from the NSW Regional Development Trust is encouraging but not at all surprising.

“Enabling regional businesses to invest in themselves and scale is exactly what is needed, especially with a loan focus on automation, efficiency and export potential.

“I look forward to seeing these regional backbone enterprises grow and flourish, and expect the pilot scheme to be a great success.

“I thank the Minister for Regional Development and Primary Industries, Tara Moriarty for initiating this smart and valuable initiative”

Emma Elliot, Director, Little Big Dairy Company said:

“As business owners we should all be taking up the opportunities that are put in front of us and I think it’s a really good scheme to borrow cheap money, and the interest only at the front of the loan is really attractive.

“We really love being a regionally based business and it’s really cool to see the state government looking for ways to support us to continue to be our community doing the roles we love and sharing the product that we make here into the future.

“It enables us to embark on projects sooner than we would without the scheme and I think it’s really exciting for us a family as because it works towards our sustainability in terms of being in business into the future.”

CASE STUDY

Little Big Dairy Company (Dubbo)

The Little Big Dairy Co. is one of the first businesses supported by the NSW low interest Food and Beverage Manufacturing loan program under the Regional Development Roadmap

The business was established in 2012 by the Chesworth family in Dubbo NSW and is family-owned and operated dairy business.

The Little Big Dairy Co specialises in producing high-quality, single-source milk which is traceable back to the family dairy farm located west of Dubbo

The company delivers over 100,000 litres of fresh bottled milk each week direct to customers across NSW and the ACT

Their product line also includes flavoured milk, butter and cream, which is free from permeates and additives

The farm hosts over 1,000 Holstein cows and is committed to employing sustainable and innovative practices to minimise their environmental impact

The company carries a legacy of over 100 years in the dairy industry, spanning five-generations of the family,

Dubbo Base Hospital has achieved accreditation as a regional trauma service, allowing more seriously injured patients to be treated closer to home.

The accreditation follows four years of work to demonstrate the clinical standards required to function as a service that can manage trauma injuries assessed as minor or moderate.

Previously, these patients would have been transferred to a metropolitan facility for treatment by air or road. Patients experiencing major trauma will continue to have their care initiated at Dubbo Hospital prior to transfer.

Dubbo Base Hospital was assessed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Institute of Trauma and Injury Management before being designated as a regional trauma service by NSW Health.

The trauma team at Dubbo includes nurses, doctors, surgeons, anaesthetists, pathology technicians, and radiographers.

Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park:

“Dubbo Base Hospital continues to build its services and reputation as a rural referral facility, and this elevation in status is a credit to the team who have worked to achieve accreditation.

“Dubbo is more than 400km from Sydney and has a huge catchment in the north-west of the state. Being able to treat more people with traumatic injuries closer to where they live is hugely important as we know staying connected to family and community is a vital factor in recovery.”

Labor Spokesperson for Dubbo Stephen Lawrence MLC:

“The fantastic trauma team in Dubbo is made up of a number of disciplines who all play a part in caring for someone who has a traumatic injury.

“Dubbo Base Hospital is the referral hospital for patients from all over the north-west of the state, where we see patients who have sustained injuries from activities such as motor vehicle accidents, sporting injuries, falls, assaults and farm accidents.”

Dr Simon Heppell, Director of Trauma, Dubbo Base Hospital

“Achieving accreditation as a regional service is really important for our local population because patients with traumatic injuries need to be assessed and treated as quickly as possible. Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in younger age groups and is an increasing burden on our older citizens due to falls.

“We are a long way from Sydney and its vital that we are able to treat patients locally whilst at the same time stabilising the very sickest trauma patients and transferring them to Sydney for ongoing care.

“Dubbo is now verified as a Level 3 trauma service which means we are able to provide high quality care locally for minor to moderate trauma patients, whilst stabilising major trauma patients prior to their transfer to a higher level service.”

Midwives who choose to relocate and start work in rural, regional and remote NSW will be eligible for a $20,000 sign-on bonus, as part of an innovative trial starting later this month.

The trial, which forms part of the NSW Government’s Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme, will run for six months from 30 September 2024 to 31 March 2025, and is aimed at boosting the regional midwifery workforce to better support mothers, their babies, and families.

The one-off payment will be available for midwives relocating and starting new roles in Modified Monash Model level three to level seven facilities.

Attracting health workers to regional, rural and remote locations is a challenge for all health jurisdictions and governments.

The Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme is supported by a broad suite of initiatives introduced by the Minns Labour Government to further strengthen the state’s health workforce, including:

• Implementing the Safe Staffing Levels initiative in our emergency departments
• Providing permanent funding for 1,112 FTE nurses and midwives on an ongoing basis
• Abolishing the wages cap and delivering the highest pay increase in over a decade for nurses and other health workers
• Beginning to roll out 500 additional paramedics in regional, rural and remote communities.
• An investment of an additional $200.1 million to deliver more health worker accommodation in regional, rural and remote communities.

For more information on eligibility for the sign-on bonus and to apply for a midwifery position, visit the NSW Health website.

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“This Government is committed to attracting and retaining more healthcare workers to regional, rural and remote areas to ensure people living in these communities can receive high-quality, timely care close to home.

“I’ve said this countless times, worker shortages in our regional, rural and remote communities is the biggest single challenge facing our health system.

“Midwives support the birth of almost 100,000 babies right across our state each year, regardless of where a family lives the importance of providing women, their partners and families with high quality, compassionate care cannot be underestimated.

“With this innovative trial, we are looking at new ways to fill critical vacancies in our regions so we can build a stronger and more supported regional health workforce.”

With the rise of social media fuelling increasing levels of cyberbullying, anxiety, depression and even suicide among teenagers, the NSW Opposition remains committed to supporting raising the minimum age for social media use from 13 to 16.
 
In August, the NSW Opposition endorsed the 36 Months campaign, which spotlighted the critical dangers social media poses to children during the most vulnerable stage of their psychological development, between the ages of 13 and 16.
 
The Legislative Assembly carried the motion of the Leader of the NSW Opposition Mark Speakman to support raising the legal age of access to social media from 13 to 16 and to call on the NSW and Federal Governments to work together to implement this much-needed change by July 2025.
 
Mr Speakman said our children are facing a mental health crisis driven by the unchecked influence of social media.
 
“Parents feel powerless, watching their kids struggle under the pressure of a digital world they’re not ready for. By raising the social media age to 16, we’re giving families back control and protecting our young people when they need it most,” Mr Speakman said.
 
New data from the eSafety Commissioner revealed that 84% of children aged 8 to 12 have accessed social media platforms. Alarmingly, 1.3 million Australian children under 13 are currently using social media, exposing them to risks such as cyberbullying, online predators and harmful content that severely impacts their mental health.
 
Peter Dutton, Leader of the Federal Opposition, has also committed to raising the national minimum age for social media use to 16 within his first 100 days in office, ensuring that this critical change is implemented nationwide.
 
Parents, community groups and mental health experts have repeatedly called for stronger safeguards to protect young people.
 
We’re not just talking about numbers—these are real lives, real families, and real tragedies. It’s time to stand up to the tech giants and put our children’s futures first.
 
The NSW Opposition is committed to standing alongside parents and families across the state, ensuring that governments act now to safeguard the mental health and well-being of young Australians.

Public consultation is underway on the form and scope of a new register in NSW to monitor and track the health of at-risk workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) – otherwise known as silica dust.

Silicosis is a preventable occupational disease caused by inhalation of very fine silica dust particles, with workers at greatest risk in mining and construction including the engineered stone industry. 

Eliminating the risks associated with silica is a high priority for the Minns Government and a number of initiatives have been introduced including:

• a ban on engineered stone, including a federal ban from 1 January 2025 on its importation.
• tougher safety laws to protect workers
• increased SafeWork NSW inspector presence to enforce regulations
• funding for a SafeWork NSW Silica Team.

The new silica worker register will be used to ramp up health screening services for at-risk workers, minimise the impacts of silica dust exposure and prevent illness.

The NSW Government on Have Your Say is seeking feedback from the community, including from past and present workers and employers in construction, manufacturing, mining and tunnelling.

The feedback will help ensure the silica worker register reflects industry needs and protects workers and the community.

SafeWork NSW is conducting the consultation and will carefully consider all feedback received.

The closing date for submissions is Sunday, 3 November 2024.

For more information, visit: https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/silica-worker-register

Minister for Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis:

“The Minns Government is committed to ensuring workers across the state are safe at work and the new silica worker register is an important step in the fight against silicosis.

“Silicosis is entirely preventable and feedback from past and present workers, unions and employers will help to ensure the new register protects workers.

“The new register will help us to ramp up and target health screening services, minimise the impacts of silica dust exposure and prevent illness.”

NSW Ambulance will roll out eight specially designed vehicles known as Hazardous Area Rescue Ambulances (HARA), the first of their kind in the world, optimising response capabilities during natural disasters and in difficult terrain.

Minister for Health Ryan Park said the community will benefit from the specialist capabilities of the HARA Mercedes-Benz Unimog vehicles, as part of a major $14.8 million funding package by the NSW Government to further build the state’s flood rescue capabilities.

The HARAs are designed to drive through flood waters up to 1.2 metres and are equipped with safety features for operation in hazardous environments. The vehicles have also been made to operate around fire grounds, with the inclusion of a burn-over crew protection system, replacement of flammable components, and by wrapping critical vehicle infrastructure in fire-retardant material.

The rear of the vehicle is a fully operational ambulance, with a specially designed stretcher loading system to assist paramedics in patient handling and for patient comfort.

The HARAs are equipped with the latest technology and purpose-built features, improving the organisation’s capability to deliver the very best outcomes for patients.

The vehicles have been purpose modified by NSW Ambulance to withstand harsh environments with enhanced safety features including a reinforced exoskeleton to protect paramedics and patients from falling trees.

HARAs will be rolled out over the coming months, with the vehicles proposed to be strategically stationed at NSW Ambulance heavy rescue stations based in Tamworth, Rutherford, Cowra, Wagga Wagga and Bomaderry, as well as special operation team locations in Point Clare and Sydney.

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“I’m so pleased our Ambulance service will be the first in the world to get these vehicles.

“These high-tech vehicles, will mean our world class clinicians will be even better prepared for any scenario they face – which could include floods or bushfires.

“Once they’re rolled out these vehicles will be an invaluable addition to NSW Ambulance.”

Member for Heathcote, Maryanne Stuart:

“I am proud to join the Minister for Health, Ryan Park MP in Heathcote today and see these innovative vehicles ahead of the rollout. They are long overdue and I’m so appreciative that a Minns Labor government has delivered on these essential vehicles. 

“They will ensure communities across Heathcote with our challenging landscape and right across NSW receive world-class care and will be an invaluable resource during natural disasters.”

NSW Ambulance Chief Executive Dr Dominic Morgan:

“The HARA vehicles are the first of their kind and an essential addition to our fleet giving clinicians greater access to patients during natural disasters, such as in fire grounds and floods.

“The 4WD vehicles will be operated by our highly trained special operations paramedics and have been specifically modified by NSW Ambulance to withstand harsh environments.”

The Mid North Coast Local Health District will benefit from a $410,000 funding boost from the NSW Government to upgrade health facilities in the region.

The Minns Labor Government is investing a total of almost $12 million in 61 projects as part of the Regional Health Minor Works Program.

Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Kempsey District Hospital and Macksville District Hospital will share a $235,000 allocation to replace outdated waste management systems in each facility’s operating theatres.

Wauchope District Memorial Hospital will also receive $175,000 to replace the decking structure between the main building and the hospital’s rehabilitation unit, improving accessibility for patients and staff at the facility.

NSW Regional Health Minister Ryan Park:

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to investing in health infrastructure to support better health outcomes for rural and regional communities.

“This investment will allow Mid North Coast Local Health District to upgrade equipment and health facilities to enhance the working environment for health staff and improve patient experiences.

“The program is one of a number of investments our Government is making to strengthen rural and regional health services, so people have access to the best possible care close to home.”

Labor Spokesperson for Port Macquarie, Cameron Murphy MLC:

“I’m proud to be part of a government which is making this important investment in regional health facilities.

“This funding will benefit staff and patients, and it means we can upgrade outdated systems in operating theatres in Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Macksville and also improve accessibility for patients in Wauchope.”

Labor Spokesperson for Oxley, Anthony D’Adam MLC:

“Through investments like this one, our government is improving access to care in our regional, rural and remote communities.

“The replacement of outdated waste management systems at Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Macksville hospitals will ensure that we can continue to safely remove surgical waste at each of the facilities in an appropriate manner.

“The upgrade to the deck structure at Wauchope District Memorial Hospital will enable patients, staff and visitors have improved accessibility when moving between the main building and the rehabilitation unit.”

The Minns Labor Government is investing $7.5 million into Multilingual NSW which will deliver the new Multilingual NSW Academy for translators and interpreters to further strengthen NSW’s linguistic diversity and government services.

The Multilingual NSW Academy will support the development and sustainability of translating and interpreting services across the State and fulfil a 2024-25 Budget commitment.

The Academy will explore new opportunities for partnerships and collaborations with leading training organisations, including University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, Western Sydney University and TAFE NSW. The Academy aims to increase the specialist and digital competency of Multicultural NSW’s more-than 1,000 language professionals by providing them with skills to work more effectively on NSW Government assignments.

Digital uplift through technology and training will be a key feature of the Academy supported by an investment in new technology. Additionally, the Academy will embrace the customer-centric way of working as championed by the Department of Customer Service.

At a recent event to recognise the work of NSW Government translators and interpreters and launch the new Multilingual NSW academy, three long serving Multicultural NSW employees were recognised for their 40-year professional commitment to their communities.

Polish translator Czeslaw Olechnowicz, Hindi interpreter Neena Sinha and Thai translator and interpreter Songsri Foran were recognised with medals to commemorate their service.

Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper said:

“Translators and interpreters have a crucial role in ensuring everyone in NSW has access to important information and services, which is why we’re investing in our people.”

“Multilingual NSW is focusing on building the skills and capabilities of our translators and interpreters so that language is no longer a barrier to our multicultural community accessing government services.”

“This significant investment delivers on the government’s plan to build strong, diverse communities and a better NSW for everyone.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“With almost 1 in 3 people living in NSW born overseas and more than 280 languages spoken in homes across the state, it is essential we deliver the resources and services our communities need to stay connected.”

“We are working on a Digital Inclusion Strategy which puts people at the centre of how we roll out technological innovations and develop solutions which focus on diversity and accessibility and bridge the digital divide.”

“This digital funding will support the rollout of new technology which will support more effective translation and interpreting services to benefit our linguistically diverse residents.”

“This is about delivering digital for people, with the needs of the community being considered at every step.”

The NSW Government is improving access to healthcare for people living in rural and regional communities, providing financial assistance to more than 41,400 patients in the past year through the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS).

IPTAAS provides financial assistance to patients who need to travel long distances for specialist healthcare, not available locally.

NSW patients have also received more money back in their pockets thanks to increased subsidies, with the average reimbursement per patient higher than ever before at $482.

In 2023-24, 99,600 applications were approved, an increase of 21,200 applications from the previous year.

The number of IPTAAS applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients has also increased, up by 2,200 to 8,500 in 2023-24.

IPTAAS is reducing the financial burden on rural NSW residents like Noeline Nicholls who lives in Pilliga, almost 100 kilometres west of Narrabri. Noeline regularly visits Aboriginal Health Worker Jacob Shanley at Tamworth Hospital’s Healthy Deadly Foot Clinic to receive essential medical care.

In the 2023-24 financial year, $48,885,696 was provided in IPTAAS claims across NSW, helping  41,417 patients access specialist health treatment.

IPTAAS payments for 2023-24 by local health district are:

• Central Coast: $339,168
• Far West: $3,613,345
• Hunter New England: $12,757,239
• Illawarra Shoalhaven: $1,297,680
• Mid North Coast: $4,764,257
• Murrumbidgee: $7,961,022
• Nepean Blue Mountains: $345,373
• Northern NSW: $3,243,997
• Northern Sydney: $66,629
• South Eastern Sydney: $50,996
• South Western Sydney: $327,845
• Southern NSW: $5,274,675
• Sydney: $13,672
• Western NSW: $8,517,565
• Western Sydney: $53,516
• Outside of NSW: $258,716*

*Applications from locations outside of NSW are patients who reside in another state and are donating an organ or tissue to a NSW resident, or patients who reside on Lord Howe Island.

Reducing the financial burden for country patients to travel for their healthcare is just part of a comprehensive range of measures the NSW Government is embracing to improve access to care in our regional, rural and remote communities, including:

• Delivering more health worker accommodation in the bush;
• Doubling rural health worker incentives for the most critical and hard to fill positions to improve recruitment and retention;
• Boosting doctors in our regional GP surgeries as well as hospitals through the single employer model; and
• Deploying an extra 500 regional paramedics.

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“We’re making it easier for regional people to access healthcare through the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS). More people are accessing IPTAAS than ever before and they’re getting more money back in their pocket thanks to increased subsidies.

“We know that people living in rural, regional and remote NSW sometimes have to travel a long way for specialist care. The financial assistance they get through IPTAAS not only helps cover the costs of travel and accommodation, it can mean the difference between seeking care or not.

“Pleasingly, we’re seeing big increases in the number of people accessing IPTAAS, including those using the scheme for the first time, which means the money we’re providing is getting straight to the people who need it the most.

“Through important initiatives like IPTAAS, we will continue to support residents of NSW to access high-quality, timely and appropriate healthcare, particularly those living in rural, regional and remote communities.”

Pilliga resident Noeline Nicholls:

“If it wasn’t for IPTAAS, I wouldn’t be here.

“Where we live, we travel to get food, petrol and medical. If I didn’t have IPTAAS, I wouldn’t have been able to receive the medical care I needed.”