Category: NSW News

Recruitment is now underway for six positions on the Disability Council NSW, the official advisory group to the NSW Government on all matters related to disability.

People with lived experience of disability, particularly those from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The Council is seeking applications from people with the skills to support the group’s executive, especially in undertaking research, collaborating with stakeholders, and drafting position papers.

The Council meets four times a year in Sydney, but members can attend meetings online. There is some work outside of the meetings, including reading papers and preparing reports, as well as representing the council at events and other committees.​

The Council’s responsibilities under the Disability Inclusion Act 2014 include:

• Monitoring the implementation of Government policy
• Advising the Minister for Disability Inclusion on emerging issues relating to people with disability
• Promoting the inclusion of people with disability in the community
• Consulting with similar councils and bodies, and people with disability.

Being on the Disability Council NSW is not a ‘job’, but members are paid sitting fees to attend meetings and for travel, accommodation, and other reasonable requests as part of the role.​

For more information about the Disability Council NSW and to apply, visit the Disability Council NSW website. Applications close on 29 September 2024.​

Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said:

“The Disability Council NSW plays a vital role in helping make our state more inclusive and accessible.

“This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in shaping disability inclusion policy in NSW and I encourage people to apply.

“If you’re passionate about disability rights or policy and want to live in a more inclusive community, this is your chance to be at the heart of change for people with disability in NSW.”

Disability Council NSW member and elite para-athlete Julie Charlton said:

“Living with a disability, you constantly have to advocate for yourself because the world’s not made for you. So, you have to make the world realise that, and then change it.

“Being on the council has given me the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other members and their professional expertise. It’s also been a chance to learn about sectors I’ve never advocated for or worked in, such as transport and housing, and how to interact with people in decision-making positions.

“It’s so nice to have a group of people with a common interest all working together for the greater good of our community. I highly recommend that anybody with a lived experience of disability, has interactions with people with disability or cares about community, apply for the Disability Council NSW.”

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After the successful opening of the Sydney Metro City line, the Minns Labor Government is today announcing the closure of the T3 Bankstown line for metro upgrade works will begin on Monday 30 September 2024.

When the conversion is complete, passengers will have access to a 21st century high-tech metro line with a train every 4 minutes during the peak, along with fully accessible stations and services.

The NSW Government is also announcing the travel on replacement bus services, known as Southwest Link, will be free for all passengers.

We are also acknowledging that the conversion period will be difficult and disruptive for many passengers, and we thank the community for their patience as we work as quickly as possible to covert the line to a transformative metro.

Fare free travel on Southwest Link buses will begin on day one and continue for the entire conversion period, until the estimated completion date of late 2025.

The program of works to transform the 130-year-old line, between Sydenham and Bankstown, for modern metro trains is a complex and difficult task, meaning it could take longer than 12 months to complete.

Major work includes:

• Installing platform screen doors at all stations between Marrickville and Bankstown  
• Installing the remaining 81 (of 170) gap filler between platforms and trains across eight stations 
• Refurbishing station buildings and platform surfaces  
• Installing new security barriers at 81 locations along the alignment
• Removing and replacing fencing
• Final platform works including installation of signage
• Final adjustments to overhead wiring and tracks to metro standards 
• Station services and systems installations such as help points, CCTV cameras and passenger information displays  
• Public domain finishes including landscaping, footpath rectification works, bike parking and new lighting
• Heavy vehicle management bollard installation for station security at station entrances  
• Finishing works at stations including painting and repairs to refresh stations 
• Rigorous testing and commissioning of the metro trains and station equipment. 

Southwest Link is a key part of the interim transport plan to help the tens of thousands of impacted commuters move around during this disruptive time.

All bus driver positions have been filled to support the 100 buses that will run from early in the morning to late at night seven days a week. The timetable aims for a service every 2-4 minutes in the peak.

Fare free travel will apply on the three dedicated bus routes known as SW1 (all stops), SW2 (limited stops) and SW3 (limited stops), which passengers will be able to catch from their local station:

• SW1 – Sydenham, Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Canterbury, Campsie, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Bankstown.
• SW2 – Sydenham, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Bankstown.
• SW3 – Sydenham, Canterbury, Campsie.

The T6 train line will also become available at the same time as Southwest Link, to support passengers during the conversion. However, preparatory works will begin on 21 September, meaning part of the line between Campsie and Bankstown will be shut from then. The T6 will connect Bankstown to Lidcombe Station via Yagoona, Birrong, Regents Park and Berala.

Once complete, this final section of the metro line will eventually be known as the M1 Northwest & Bankstown Line, completing the 30km alignment between Bankstown and Tallawong.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen:

“We absolutely acknowledge this is going to be disruptive time for the people of Canterbury Bankstown and for the Inner West but there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

“When this section of the metro is complete, they will get a train every four minutes. That’s a massive increase in train services, because right now there are stations on the T3 Line that only receive four trains an hour in the peak.

“The fair thing to do is not charge a fare on our dedicated Southwest Link bus services because this will be a really tough time for passengers in Canterbury Bankstown and the Inner West.”
Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins:

“Our pink Southwest Link buses will be easily recognisable services with plenty of signage and our ‘pink shirts’ will be on the ground to help people get on the right, fare-free service.

“We expect the free Southwest Link services will be in high demand, while our bus marshals will work very hard to assist with a smooth service, we do anticipate there will be some delays and longer wait times.

“Metro needs to install mechanical gap filler, improve and heighten pedestrian fences around 15 bridges, install platform screen doors and security fencing along the entire line, and then test and commission a new railway, all on an existing corridor that’s 130 years old.”

Metro Southwest Project Director Alia Karaman:
“The disruption on the Bankstown line is going to be really hard, but when the work is complete, south west Sydney will be connected to the CBD like never before.

“What we’re seeing now with Metro from Sydenham is 5 minute journeys into Central Station and a train every 4 minutes. With the Metro conversion, those benefits will be shared along the line to Bankstown.

“A train every 4 minutes in the peak so you’re not waiting on the platform, fast travel times so you get where you want to go sooner and safe, gap-free boarding. That’s what passengers have to look forward to when this challenging and disruptive work is complete.”

Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1 will open to traffic early Thursday, with 10,000 vehicles a day expected to use the new road, saving local motorists up to 15 minutes to and from the Hume Motorway.

After two years of construction, the new connection between Menangle Road, the Hume Motorway and Menangle Park was officially opened on Wednesday before first traffic in the early hours of Thursday.

The new four-lane divided road forms part of a vital east west link that will support future residential growth in the Macarthur region, which grew by more than 25% between 2016 and 2021.

Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1 opens up easier access to Greater Sydney through an interchange with the Hume Motorway, meaning motorists heading north bound from Campbelltown and Menangle Park no longer have to navigate local streets, saving 15 minutes in travel time.

Stage 1 has been delivered on time and on budget by Transport for NSW and its delivery partner, Georgiou Group, and construction involved laying more than 24 bridge girders, 4.5 kilometres of guard rails and 17,000 cubic metres of asphalt.

A shared path on the southern side of Spring Farm Parkway provides a safe route for pedestrians and bike riders, including students heading to and from Broughton Anglican College on Menangle Road.

More than 12,500 trees and shrubs have been planted along the roadside.

As Stage 1 opens to motorists, the NSW Government is continuing early design work on Stage 2, which will connect to Liz Kernohan Drive and onto the Camden Bypass, giving motorists a direct line from Campbelltown to Camden.

For further information on Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1, go to Spring Farm Parkway, Menangle.

Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“Sydney’s Macarthur region is growing quickly and families are moving in, which is why we’re building road connections with the future in mind. We want infrastructure that supports development not follows it.

“The opening of Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1 today unlocks a faster connection to the Hume Motorway and onto Greater Sydney for families and communities in south Campbelltown. This interchange is expected to save people in this region up to 15 minutes a day. Based on 10,000 cars using it a day, that’s 2500 hours saved each day.

“As we welcome the first motorists on Stage 1, the NSW Government is continuing to work on Stage 2. Once complete, Spring Farm Parkway will give motorists a direct line from Campbelltown to Camden.”

Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren MP said:

“Spring Farm Parkway will be a time-saving addition to the road network for our community now and into the future, and I want to thank all the workers involved.

“It’s fantastic to cut the ribbon on Stage 1, which improves connections between the Hume Motorway, Menangle Road and Menangle Park.”

Member for Camden Sally Quinnell MP said:

“I’m thrilled to officially open Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1, which, along with Stage 2, will form a much-needed cohesive link between our growing communities.

“Once the Spring Farm Parkway corridor is complete, motorists will have a new route between the Camden Bypass, the Hume Motorway and Menangle Road, making travel around Sydney’s south-west easier.”

As part of the Minns Government’s plan to build disaster-resilient housing in the Northern Rivers, a new agreement to progress the delivery of up to 1,000 homes for families in the Grafton area through one of Australia’s largest flood-resilience programs is now underway.

This is the seventh land release of the $100 million Resilient Lands Program (RLP), which is being delivered alongside the joint State and Commonwealth funded $790 million Resilient Homes Program, providing safer choices for people to live in the Northern Rivers after the 2022 floods.

Junction Hill has been released alongside sites in East Lismore, Goonellabah, North Lismore, Brunswick Heads, Casino and Lennox Heads-Ballina already identified. Combined, the current RLP sites will see potentially more than 4,300 homes delivered across the region.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA), Transport for NSW and the Clarence Valley Council will identify transport infrastructure improvements for the Junction Hill site near Grafton, a vital step to supporting growth and more homes for the region.

The NSW Government also announced the details of the Resilient Lands Strategy which includes additional sites in Murwillumbah, Goonellabah and Kyogle and underpins the NSW Government’s commitment to provide more housing choices by accelerating the supply of land for residents impacted by the 2022 floods in the Northern Rivers.

The Resilient Lands Strategy involved a process of community consultation and expert peer review, which began in late 2022 with more than 300 potential housing sites identified under an EOI process. The Strategy has been designed to complement, not replace, current land releases and other housing developments in the region.

The RA is now working with Councils, landowners, infrastructure providers and a range of delivery partners to accelerate land and housing developments as quickly as possible.

For more information, visit the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“It is critical that communities are assisted in building resilience to natural disasters. 

“The release of land at Junction Hill and the release of the Resilient Lands Strategy demonstrates the Minns Government is serious about properly planning for the future.

“In the Northern Rivers, housing stress and homelessness remains high. More than 16,000 households are paying more than 30% of their gross income on housing.

“With this land release up to 4,300 flood resilient home sites are being created and are in the planning pipeline across the Northern Rivers.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“The Resilient Lands Program will accelerate the delivery of new land and housing to provide locals with more options in safer locations.

“Clarence Valley becomes the fifth council to be announced for assistance under the Resilient Lands Program, while work with other councils will continue.

“We know this requires a team effort, and I am pleased to see the collaboration between government agencies and councils to bring the reality of more housing closer for people in the Northern Rivers.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to collaborative development through the Resilient Lands Strategy to ensure people in the Northern Rivers have safer homes, that are connected to health services, education, jobs and other opportunities.

“Good transport infrastructure and connectivity is vital for the success of new housing developments, particularly in the regions, and the release of land at Junction Hill will provide that.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin said:

“Flood-affected communities across the Northern Rivers region have been keenly interested in safer land and housing options being identified.

“I’m pleased to see the Clarence Valley LGA, which I used to represent as a Federal MP and where I still have strong connections, added to the councils receiving support under the Resilient Lands Program, and there is more to come.”

Member for Clarence, Richie Williamson said:

“This site has been zoned for development for some time. It’s flat, flood free and has services available and is within a few minutes of town, a rarity in the Northern rivers.

“The only thing holding back development is the upgrades needed to transport infrastructure. This is a great initiative of the NSW Government which is working collaboratively with the partners involved.”

Electricians who fail to properly supervise apprentices will lose their licence under changes designed to protect young workers and make sure electrical work meets quality standards.

Electrical-related workplace fatalities remain the second leading cause of fatalities in the NSW construction industry.

SafeWork NSW was notified of 1708 incidents in construction industry workplaces from January 2020 to the end of April this year, with eight electrical-related workplace fatalities recorded between July 2022 and June 2024.

New practice guidelines will require sparkies to consider the competency, knowledge, and skills of their apprentices before giving them any work task and any new type of task. They also spell out specific obligations that supervisors must meet every day, particularly around the work health and safety of their apprentices.

The guidelines also detail suitable levels and ratios of supervision for apprentices tackling different tasks.

The safe and reliable supply of electricity is a critical component of building construction. In a recent incident in southern Sydney, a young trade assistant carrying out electrical wiring work without a qualified supervisor present received an electric shock.

While the worker wasn’t seriously injured, the supervisor and director of Siasax Pty Ltd, Bram Earl Penberthy, was found guilty of improper conduct, fined $1500 and ordered to complete a Construct NSW course in Supervisor Responsibilities.

Building Commission NSW will enforce the new, higher standards governing the way electricians supervise apprentices from 1 September.

The standard was released in December 2023 following extensive consultation and will now be mandated as a condition of licence for electricians.

The supervision practice standard sets out obligations licensed electricians must meet when supervising apprentices, as required in building and work, health and safety legislation.

Businesses that fail to comply with the new practice standard may face on-the-spot fines and disciplinary action, such as a licence suspension or cancellation.

For further information, please see: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/trades-and-businesses/construction-and-trade-essentials/electricians/supervision-practice-standard-for-licensed-electricians-supervising-apprentices

Minister for Building Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“Building quality and worksite safety go hand in hand. Sites with poor supervision don’t just leave workers at risk, they’re often responsible for defective building work. 

“Experienced electricians are on notice -they must properly supervise their apprentices or face the risk of fines, license suspension or cancelation.”

Minister for Work, Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:

“We continue to see multiple and dangerous examples of poor supervision.

“New or inexperienced apprentices need to be properly supervised and guided on how to complete work they can be proud of in a safe and compliant manner and the new standard aims to help all parties do this.”

“Every worker deserves to return home safely at the end of the day.”

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

“The NSW Government is committed to upskilling the industry and best supporting young workers entering the industry.

“All electricians and electrical apprentices should be safe at work.”

Acting Building Commissioner Matt Press said:

“Building Commission NSW has zero tolerance for any employer who places apprentices at risk or does not ensure they have the best on-the-job training possible. Inexperienced apprentices need to be out of harm’s way and properly supervised.

“By enforcing this new standard, we aim to improve the quality of electrical work and help ensure that all electrical workers are operating safely.”

The NSW Government has responded to the Birth Trauma Inquiry and has supported 42 of its 43 recommendations to improve the experience and wellbeing of all pregnant women and their families across the state.

The experiences of women heard throughout the Birth Trauma Inquiry highlighted the critical importance of respectful, compassionate, trauma-informed and culturally safe maternity care.

It’s why the NSW Government is announcing today that NSW Health is accelerating five initiatives over the next 12 months in response to the Birth Trauma Inquiry, to ensure women and their families receive compassionate, respectful, evidence-based and equitable maternity care.

The five initiatives to be accelerated are:

• increasing access to maternity continuity of care models;
• embedding trauma-informed maternity care;
• improving the way information is provided to women;
• improving consent processes in maternity care; and
• supporting women who experience pregnancy complications.

What was shared through the inquiry also amplified what NSW Health heard through consultation with more than 18,000 women, their partners and families in the development of Connecting, listening and responding: A Blueprint for Action – Maternity Care in NSW (the Blueprint), published in March 2023.

The Blueprint was also informed by extensive consultation with clinicians about what matters to them. Local health districts across NSW are using the Blueprint to guide redesign and improvement of maternity services.

Considerable commitment has been made or is in progress to improve NSW maternity care including:

• Brighter Beginnings – a $376.5 million cross-agency collaboration to improve outcomes for NSW children and their families in the first 2000 days, from pregnancy to school age.
• A $130.9 million Family Start Package to boost lifelong maternal and child health, which includes the Waminda Birth Centre and Community Hub.
• Pregnancy Connect – a $6.19 million investment to improve access to specialist maternity care and the safe transfer of women who require higher levels of care.
• A review of the SAFE START policy to ensure evidence-based psychosocial and mental health screening and referral of women to specialist support services as required.
• Development of a guideline, Perinatal Loss, to strengthen bereavement support to parents who experience pregnancy or newborn loss.
• Establishment of the Maternity Co-Leadership Model to ensure senior midwifery and obstetric leadership in each local health district.
• Provided $10,000 to the Gidget Foundation Australia, from the Premier’s Discretionary Fund, to enable the development of a training program and new tools to assist the health workforce with supporting expectant and new parents.

The NSW Government is also taking steps to strengthen the health workforce, to ensure ongoing delivery of high-quality and culturally responsive care by:

• Providing more than $2.5 billion over four years in the FY2023-24 NSW budget to recruit and retain more skilled nurses, midwives, allied health workers and clinicians including $419.1 million to recruit an additional 1,200 nurses and midwives by 2025-26 to implement Safe Staffing Levels in our public hospitals.
• Investing $121.9 million over the next five years to provide healthcare students with study subsidies.
• Doubling the incentives available to healthcare workers when relocating to remote and rural areas from $10,000 to $20,000 and
• Delivering a boost to take home pay for more than 50,000 healthcare workers through increased salary packaging benefits.

Minister for Health, Ryan Park:

“We apologise to women who have not received the high standard of maternity care they should have.

“We also recognise and are grateful for the courage of the thousands of women who shared their deeply personal and difficult experiences with the Select Committee on Birth Trauma.

“The NSW Government supports in full or in principle 42 of the 43 recommendations, noting that the other recommendation is for the Chair to action. We have heard what matters most to women, and their families, to meet their diverse needs.

“The Government Response outlines our ongoing commitment and the actions underway to improve their experiences and health and wellbeing outcomes.”

NSW Health Deputy Secretary, System Strategy and Patient Experience, Deb Willcox AM:

“We recognise pregnancy, birth and the transition to parenthood are profound life events.

“NSW Health is committed to strengthening and improving maternity care for women and their families.

“We will continue to listen to and learn from women about their birth experiences in order to deliver the best possible maternity care that improves experiences and health and wellbeing outcomes for women, babies and families in NSW.”

A new report by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) delivers a damning indictment of the Minns Labor Government, revealing that NSW is set to fall 40% short of its National Housing Accord Target. The “UDIA National Housing Pipeline” report highlights a staggering shortfall of 150,600 homes over the next five years, with only 3% of the pipeline development ready.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said the Minns Labor Government is not just out of touch, it’s out of its depth.
 
“Labor is big on rhetoric and hopeless on delivery. Their failure to deliver on housing is a failure to deliver on a most basic human need,” Mr Speakman said.
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Scott Farlow said Chris Minns and his union mates haven’t just dropped the ball, they’ve shattered it.
 
“This is an unforgivable betrayal of over 150,000 families left in limbo. Labor’s failure to heed industry warnings is driving us into a housing catastrophe, with building approvals at their lowest level in 12 years,” Mr Farlow said.

“With 30% of planned homes stalled by infrastructure delays, Chris Minns stands by as the ETU block power connections, driving up costs and threatening the entire housing pipeline. Instead of addressing the crisis, Labor cuts essential services, forcing families into overcrowded schools and hospitals. This is a catastrophic betrayal of every family in NSW.”

Tens of billions of dollars’ worth of essential infrastructure projects have stalled, leaving NSW businesses, workers and communities to suffer due to the Minns Labor Government’s capitulation to the Electrical Trades Union (ETU).

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the Premier needs to explain why he won’t use the legal powers available under section 424 of the Fair Work Act to seek a halt to the ETU’s disruptive campaign.

“The former Coalition NSW government successfully used these laws to prevent a train strike in 2018, and the Albanese government used them in 2022 to stop Svitzer’s lockout of critical port workers. Why can’t Chris Minns and Sophie Cotsis do the same?”

“Under a Labor Government, the unions will always run the show. Chris Minns has the power to seek an end to this chaos and get NSW moving again, but instead he’s chosen to let the ETU call the shots,” Mr Speakman said.

Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Damien Tudehope, said the NSW Government has no regard for the economic damage being caused by their inaction.

“The ETU has been allowed to run riot, and it’s NSW that’s paying the price. Labor’s failure to stand up to the unions is costing us billions in stalled projects, thousands of jobs, and the livelihoods of countless businesses. This is what happens when unions are allowed to run the state,” Mr Tudehope said.

Shadow Minister for Roads Natalie Ward said the delays to the $1.7 billion M7-M12 Interchange, a project critical for Western Sydney’s growth, is testament to Chris Minns’ failure.

“The Albanese Government cut funding to the M7-M12 Interchange and now the ETU are using the project to cut into the future of Western Sydney roads. This is what happens when the government is more interested in pleasing unions than delivering for the people of NSW. Our roads are stuck in gridlock, just like this government,” Ms Ward said.
 
Shadow Minister for Health Kellie Sloane said it is appalling the $940 million redevelopment of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is on hold because of Labor’s weakness.
 
“The people of NSW are paying the price for Labor’s unhealthy relationship with the unions,” Ms Sloane said.
Chris Minns and Sophie Cotsis have allowed the ETU to bring NSW to its knees. It’s time they stepped up, invoked section 424 of the Fair Work Act, and put an end to this madness.

Projects affected –

●        Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital Redevelopment – $940 million

●        Snowy Hydro Gas Power Station – $950 million.

●        M7-M12 Interchange – $1.7 billion

●        Western Sydney Aerotropolis – Over $20 billion

●        Deicorp Housing Developments

Affordable and essential housing projects in Sydney’s Inner-West, including 108 apartments, 176 apartments in Rothschild Roseberry, and 120 apartments in Zetland, remain unfinished, exacerbating the housing crisis.

●        Goodman’s Oakdale Industrial Estate

A multimillion-dollar industrial project critical for supporting business operations and creating jobs is at a standstill due to the ETU’s disruption and the government’s inaction.

●        Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre

●        Telstra Mobile Blackspot Site in Western Sydney

Connectivity across Western Sydney is compromised as this project remains incomplete, leaving residents and businesses in the dark.

●        Mater Hospital – North Sydney

●        Wentworth Point Public School

●        Cedar Pacific Kensington Trust (UniLodge Kensington)

●        Karimbla Construction Services (Meriton Construction Arm) Developments – Various Locations

●        Greenfields Housing Developments – 408 Lots

●        Lendlease Housing Developments – 450 Lots

●        Mirvac Warehouse Developments – Kemps Creek

●        Goodman and Brickworks Warehouse – Oakdale East Industrial Estate

●        Frasers Property The Yards – Multiple Lots.

●        Charter Hall Light Horse Logistics Hub

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has today joined other Pacific leaders to endorse the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI), a major regional initiative to strengthen collective peace and security throughout the Pacific.

The PPI will boost the capability of Pacific nations to meet law and order and internal security requirements, and to support each other in times of need. The PPI has three pillars:

• Up to four regional police training Centres of Excellence, located in the Pacific, to enhance policing capabilities through specialist training and operational support for Pacific police personnel.
• The Pacific Police Support Group (PPSG) – a multi-country police capability, with a ready pool of trained Pacific police to deploy in response to Pacific country requirements, such as for major event management or additional capacity in times of crisis.
• A PPI Policing Development and Coordination Hub to be hosted in Brisbane – including access to state of the art AFP facilities for training and to prepare for any PPSG deployments.

Australia will commit approximately $400 million over five years to ensure the PPI delivers on the aspirations of Pacific countries. Australia’s contribution will include infrastructure costs associated with new policing Centres of Excellence in the region.

The PPI is a practical contribution to the Pacific Islands Forum’s peace and security vision outlined in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and it builds on the recent experience of the Solomons International Assistance Force.

Discussions on an integrated regional policing capability were first held at the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police meeting in 2023. Pacific police are finalising a PPI design process that ensures this initiative will be by the Pacific and for the Pacific.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“This policing initiative continues a long history of Pacific police forces working together to strengthen regional peace and security, and to support each other in times of need.

“Pacific leaders are working together to shape the future we want to see – improving capability, cooperation and interoperability among Pacific police forces benefits all Pacific countries and the security of our communities.

“This is a Pacific-led, Australia-backed initiative, harnessing our collective strengths. We are stronger together.

“The security of the Pacific is the shared responsibility of the Pacific region and this initiative benefits each of our nations.”

Teacher vacancy numbers in NSW public schools have fallen to a three-year low under Labor as the Minns Labor Government works to address the teacher shortage, with 24 per cent fewer vacancies at the start of Term 3 than the same time last year.

The continuing improvement in teacher numbers comes alongside new data indicating resignations and retirements have dropped, as changes made by the Minns Labor Government stem the flow of teachers leaving NSW schools.

It follows a 20 per cent drop in teacher vacancies at the start of this year compared with the previous year, indicating a firm downward trend.

With teacher vacancies across the state’s 2,200 schools now numbering 1,698, there is more work to do to turn the shortage around – but it’s a 35 per cent drop in vacancies compared to the same time in 2022 when the Liberals and Nationals were in office, and the lowest number since 2021. 

At the height of the teacher shortage crisis under the former Liberal National government, vacancies rose above 3,000 and resignations outstripped retirements for the first time. Now, the rate of attrition is trending down for both as more teachers – including those with decades of experience – see the value of remaining in the profession.

The numbers also reflect the success of the Government’s election commitment to provide permanent roles to more than 16,000 temporary teachers and support staff, who were left with insecure work by the Liberals and Nationals.

Permanent teachers now make up 72 per cent of the teaching workforce, up from 64 per cent in 2022.

The Minns Government is pulling out all the stops to address the teacher workforce shortage, including by:

• Delivering NSW public school teachers the biggest pay rise in a generation.
• Improving teachers’ workload and conditions, including by making more than 16,000 teachers and school support staff on temporary contracts permanent.
• Attracting and retaining teachers through programs such as the Grow Your Own Teacher Training program, which supports aspiring teachers to study while working in a local public school, and the Teachers in the Field program, which supports regional, rural and remote schools to access teacher relief cover.
• Expanding the department’s Priority Recruitment Support model from 79 to more than 110 schools, including an additional 26 in regional, rural and remote areas, providing targeted support to fill vacancies.

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

“Labor was elected to rebuild essential services after a decade of neglect under the former Liberal National government, and while we still have much to do to turn around the teacher shortage, we have seen a sustained drop in vacancies since the start of this year.

“These further improved figures show the steps we are taking to address the teacher shortage crisis, ignored by the former Liberal National government, are making a difference.

“These include delivering a once-in-a-generation wage rise to NSW public school teachers, focussing on easing teacher workload, and improving student behaviour.

“The drop in resignations and retirements shows teachers are hearing that we value their work and are supporting them to focus on delivering quality teaching and learning.

“Having a qualified teacher at the front of every classroom is vital to delivering improved academic outcomes for our students.”