Category: NSW News

The NSW Government and the South Australian Government are partnering to deliver a first of its kind two-day, two-state Social Media Summit to be held in October this year.

The summit comes amid mounting concern among experts and the community more broadly about the adverse impact of social media on children, including exposure to inappropriate, illegal and restricted content, cyber bullying and negative impacts on children’s mental health and development.

The NSW Government will host the first day of the summit at the ICC Sydney on Thursday 10 October, with the South Australian Government hosting the second day of the Summit in Adelaide on Friday 11 October.

The two-day summit will bring together a diverse group of experts, policymakers, academics, young people, and the wider community to explore key areas including the impacts of social media on children and young people, online safety, social media’s role in disinformation and misinformation, addressing online hate and extremism, and how social media is changing the way government delivers services.

The two-day summit will explore themes including:

• Formulating a public health response to social media harm minimisation
• Opportunities to address social media harms within educational settings
• Understanding the role of social media in identity, belonging and worldviews
• Unpacking links between extremism, misogyny and social media
• Reclaiming the digital town square – creating positive digital communities

The summit will help inform the design and delivery of a range of policies, programs and resources to address the challenges posed by social media.

Further details on keynote speakers, panellists and detailed event schedules will be released later in the year.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“The parents I speak to and increasingly the evidence internationally, is that we’re doing an enormous amount of damage to young people as a result of them being on social media.

“It seems to be this giant global unregulated experiment on children, and we have to change that.

“This really is an opportunity for the NSW and SA Governments to lead the country on this and hear from experts including internationally, as well as young people and the community to look at the impact of social media on our young kids.”

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said

“We know that social media is causing our children harm, and we’re determined to make a difference.

“At my request, former Chief Justice of the High Court Robert French is conducting a significant legal examination into banning children under the age of 14 from having social media accounts, and requiring parental consent for 14 and 15 year-olds.

“This summit will present a significant opportunity for parents to understand the scientific evidence underpinning our decision, and hear ideas on how to improve the wellbeing of our most important resource – our children.”

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment to improve rental laws and help make renting fairer, announcing new laws to end no-grounds evictions.

This change will be the one of the biggest reforms to the rental market in a decade and will help to ensure we get the balance right between renters and homeowners.

We have a housing crisis in NSW. In fact, housing is the largest single cost of living issue facing the people of NSW.

More people are renting than ever before, with around 33 per cent of the NSW population renting, an increase of 17.6 per cent since 2016.

However, the current rental market in NSW is the toughest that renters have seen for decades with historically low vacancy rates, median rent prices increasing by around 7 per cent over the last 12 months, and a system that leaves them vulnerable to eviction at any time.

These changes bring NSW into line with other states including the ACT, South Australia and Victoria who have legislated their own model to end no grounds evictions.

Ending no grounds evictions

Under the existing law, the owner of a rental property can choose to end a residential periodic lease at any time for any reason or no reason at all.

This creates insecurity and financial pressure for renters whose lives can be upended at any time.

Under our proposed reforms, homeowners will now need a reason to end a tenancy for both periodic and fixed term leases.

These will include commonsense and reasonable reasons such as:

• The existing rules where the renter is at fault, because of a breach of lease, damage to the property, or non-payment of rent.
• Where the property is being sold or offered for sale with vacant possession.
• Where significant repairs or renovations make inhabiting the property too difficult or it will be demolished.  If a homeowner seeks to renovate or repair a home, it cannot be relisted for a period of at least 4 weeks.
• If the property will no longer be used as a rental home, i.e a change of use.
• Where the owner or their family intend to move into the property.
• If the renter is no longer eligible for an affordable housing program or if the property is purpose-built student accommodation and the renter is no longer a student.

If the homeowner wishes to end a lease, evidence must be provided with a termination notice, with penalties payable by homeowners providing non-genuine reasons.

For those on fixed term agreements of less than 6 months, the termination notice period to tenants will be increased from 30 days to 60 days.  For fixed term agreements of more than 6 months, the termination notice period will be increased from 60 days to 90 days.

There will be no change to notice periods for those on periodic agreements.

The package follows a comprehensive consultation process with more than 16,000 submissions and survey responses received from the general public and multiple sector based roundtables.

The Minns Labor Government will now begin stakeholder engagement on these reforms and will aim to introduce new legislation in the September sittings of Parliament to end no grounds and provide more security and stability for renters.

The new reforms are set to begin early next year, subject to this consultation.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“Bad tenants will still be able to be evicted. We don’t want homeowners to have to put up with bad behaviour.”

“But anyone who rents in NSW knows just how anxious and challenging renting can be at the moment. We’ve all seen the lines on a Saturday morning with hundreds of people waiting to inspect new properties.

“We believe this reform gets the balance right, but importantly, this will give both homeowners and renters more certainty, more peace of mind, so they can build a home and a life on surer ground.”

Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“Around a third of the people in NSW rent and they deserve secure and fair housing.

“Getting this model right has been a long journey but the overwhelming message from the community has been that people rent a home, not just a house.

“There’s no national consistency on these rules, so we’ve been careful to design a package that works for the NSW market.”

Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Minister for Youth Rose Jackson said:

“Creating a fairer rental system in NSW is crucial to rebuilding our housing system.”

“For too long renters have faced an unprecedented amount of uncertainty – making it harder to secure jobs, start families and develop community links.

“Renters who do the right thing – pay their rent, look after the house – should not have to be in a constant limbo with the possibility of an eviction for no reason just around the corner.

“They deserve more security and ending no grounds evictions is an important first step.”

NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones said:

“Putting together this package has required bringing together renters, owners, agents, advocates, and industry leaders to make renting fairer in NSW.

“The commitment to ending no grounds evictions is a major step in a broader effort to create a fair, quality, and affordable rental market where both tenants and landlords are treated with respect and fairness.

“It’s about striking a balance that upholds the rights and responsibilities of all involved.”

More homes will be able to be built near transport hubs at five key locations across Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and the Illawarra, with the Minns Labor Government’s Transport Oriented Development (TOD) planning changes coming into effect at more locations.

After consultation with Wollongong, Central Coast and Bayside Councils, agreements have been reached on the precinct boundaries for Dapto, Gosford, Tuggerah, Banksia and Rockdale train stations that will allow for increased building heights and density.

These planning changes will permit the construction of new residential flat buildings and shop top housing and includes mandatory affordable housing provisions for developments with a gross floor area exceeding 2000sqm.

These five stations are in addition to the 18 which had new planning controls introduced in April 2024.

Over the next 15 years, these planning changes will allow for more than 170,000 new homes in mid-rise dwellings with new affordable homes, and apartment buildings that contain commercial space to create vibrant communities close to transport, services and jobs.

These five new precincts also follow the exhibition of the NSW Government’s Accelerated precincts to create up to 60,000 new homes, including up to 6,000 affordable homes, and 100,000 jobs across Hornsby, Kellyville, Bella Vista, Macquarie Park, Bankstown, Crows Nest and Homebush.

These planning reforms are part of the Minns Labor Government’s efforts to confront the housing crisis by reforming the planning system, building more social and affordable housing through the largest ever investment in NSW history and reforming rental laws by banning no-grounds evictions.

Housing is the largest single cost of living issue facing the people of NSW.

Without action now, we are at risk of being a city with no young people.

A recent Productivity Commission report found between 2016 and 2021, Sydney lost twice as many people aged 30 to 40 as it gained.

These are the people who open businesses, have families, build our communities and contribute to local economy.

That is not a situation that is tolerable. It means we can’t sit back and do nothing.

Details of the planning proposals for these five precincts are:

Dapto

To help meet the five-year Wollongong housing targets of 9,200 new homes, Dapto TOD will join the Corrimal TOD to help deliver more homes for the Wollongong area.

The Dapto TOD perimeter has been extended approximately 800m to the east of the train station to the Southern Freeway, as nominated by Wollongong Council. The relocation of the boundary further to the east will make sure that the intended housing capacity of Dapto can be achieved.

At the same time, the precinct perimeter has been reduced on the western side of the precinct to the train line to avoid flood affected and environmentally sensitive land.

These adjustments will mean that the area could deliver around 3,450 homes over 15 years.

Gosford

To help meet the Central Coast housing target of 9,400 new homes over five years, nine additional lots are proposed for the Gosford TOD precinct.

Three of the sites are located on the north-western corner of the precinct with another six located on the south-western corner.

The dwelling capacity around Gosford Station is estimated to be 5,850 homes for the precinct over 15 years.

Tuggerah

An additional eight lots are proposed to be included in the Tuggerah TOD precinct to allow for the capacity for significantly more homes in this precinct

In line with the nominations of Central Coast Council, inclusion of these lots will provide a logical boundary between the TOD precinct and surrounding areas, while also making sure that no isolated sites remain outside the precinct.

The dwelling capacity is estimated to be 1,600 homes for the precinct over 15 years.

Rockdale and Banksia

In a concerted effort to contribute to the Bayside housing target of 10,100 new homes over five years, the Rockdale and Banksia TOD precincts have been amended in line with council’s submission during consultation. The site will include land between Rockdale and Banksia Train Stations, given how close the stations are to one another.

The Rockdale Precinct has also been extended to the southeast to include an area bordered by Pitt Street, Bay Street and Cameron Streets, as this area was nominated by Bayside Council for possible future development.

The dwelling capacity of the area is estimated to be 11,300 homes over 15 years.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“The NSW Government is committed to confronting the housing crisis head on – and that means making sure we have more homes.

“It’s great to see Councils looking out for their communities and working with us to find ways to provide more homes for every resident, current and future.

“The homes that will result from these rezoning will be well-located close to transport, services and jobs, in existing communities where people want to live.”

Labor’s failed approach to housing including new taxes on building homes, has resulted in building approvals hitting a 12 year low in NSW.
 
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Scott Farlow, said that data released by the ABS confirms that in their first full financial year, Chris Minns and Labor have delivered the lowest number of building approvals in a financial year since 2011-12.
 
“The reality is that almost 10,000 fewer homes were approved in the past financial year compared to the year before. This is a 19% reduction. The blame lies solely at the feet of Labor and their failed approach to addressing the housing crisis,” Mr Farlow said. 
 
“The building pipeline has run dry because of Labor’s increased taxes and higher charges. Building approval data will continue to get worse as long as Labor ignores calls to reduce the cost of building a home. Labor are scaring off investors by ending land tax indexation, refusing to build new infrastructure and being unwilling to stand up to Anthony Albanese on migration.”
 
“The Premier and his Minister’s refusal to work with their Labor mates in Canberra to address migration is driving up house prices and seeing rents skyrocket. This is compounded by Labor’s tax on new homes, adding $12,000 to every home is having a detrimental impact on new applications in the system.”
 
“The approvals of today are the homes that will be built tomorrow. Today’s figures are the last before the implementation of the National Housing Accord Target of 377,000 homes in NSW over the next five years.
 
“If this figure of approvals were to be translated repeatedly into housing completions over the next five years, NSW will fall 43% short of the National Housing Accord target.”
 
“Communities are calling for meaningful investments in infrastructure to support the delivery of new homes rather than Labor’s approach of trying to cram tens of thousands of additional families into existing schools, hospitals and roads. This situation is made worse by Labor’s cuts to education, health and transport infrastructure in the last Budget.”
 
“With a new Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration in Canberra, the NSW Government has another opportunity to follow calls from the NSW Liberals and Nationals of almost a year by standing up to Anthony Albanese and demanding a better targeted and more sustainable population strategy to improve housing affordability, as it is the only short-term lever that the Government can pull,” Mr Farlow concluded.

Financial Year Total Dwelling Approvals since FY 2011-12 

Financial Year	Dwellings approved
2023-24	42446
2022-23	52353
2021-22	54831
2020-21	60213
2019-20	48748
2018-19	57982
2017-18	72856
2016-17	72731
2015-16	73489
2014-15	63419
2013-14	54095
2012-13	42823
2011-12	35204

 Source: ABS, Building Approvals Australia, June 2024

Experienced Tribunal Member and solicitor Theresa Simon has been appointed as the new Deputy President and Head of the Consumer and Commercial Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

With more than 20 years working in the legal sector, including the past decade at NCAT, Ms Simon is committed to helping clients resolve a range of disputes, including residential tenancy, consumer, home building and strata disputes.

Ms Simon is currently a Principal Member of NCAT and has dealt with many complex and significant legal cases, including high profile matters. In recent years, she has also been actively involved with the Council of Australasian Tribunals and chaired the organising committee for the 2023 national conference.

Completing a Bachelor of Arts/Diploma of Education in 2000, Ms Simon started her career as a high school teacher in Western Sydney and later lectured at Western Sydney University after finishing a law degree. In 2011 she worked with Legal Aid NSW as a registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner assisting parties from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Prior to joining NCAT in 2014, Ms Simon was a full-time member of the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal and was also a legal practitioner in Western Sydney for almost 10 years. She established the NSW Home Building Advocacy Service which assisted consumers with home building disputes at Macquarie Legal Centre.

Ms Simon will start in her new role on 9 September 2024.

Attorney General Michael Daley said:

“I am confident Theresa Simon’s experience brings strong leadership for NCAT’s Consumer and Commercial Division (CCD).

“The CCD is one of NCAT’s busiest functions and Ms Simon’s dedication to fairness and expertise in dispute resolution will continue to be invaluable to the division and everyone who interacts with it.

“I would like to thank Mark Harrowell for his outstanding service in the role over the past five years.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib today announced the appointment of Nicholas Whitlam as the next Chair of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA).

Mr Whitlam brings extensive experience across the insurance and finance sectors to the state authority responsible for regulating motor accident compulsory third party (CTP) insurance, workers compensation insurance and the home building compensation scheme in NSW.

Mr Whitlam was the inaugural chair of the Port Authority of NSW until 2018, after holding the chair positions for the ports of Sydney, Newcastle and Port Kembla prior to their amalgamation. He also served as chair of the Lifetime Care and Support Authority and was on the boards of WorkCover NSW and the WorkCover Insurance Investment Fund.

Mr Whitlam was chief executive and managing director of the State Bank of NSW and is a former president of the NRMA. Mr Whitlam replaces outgoing chair Mr Trevor Matthews.

Minister Dib has also appointed Helen Rowell to the SIRA Board. Ms Rowell was the deputy chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) for 10 years until June 2023.

She has been a member of the executive committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, president and vice president of the Council of the Actuaries Institute of Australia, and member and chair of committees of the International Actuarial Association from 2001 to 2007.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“I would like to congratulate Mr Whitlam and Ms Rowell on their appointments, and I look forward to their experience helping guide NSW insurance schemes to better serve our communities.”

Chair of SIRA Board Nicholas Whitlam said:

“Compulsory insurance, notably CTP and workers compensation, is now a part of everyday life.  I look forward to participating in the supervision of these key protections of a civilised society.”

Director on SIRA Board Helen Rowell said:

“SIRA plays a very important role for the NSW community in relation to workers compensation, motor accident and home building insurance. So, I am delighted to be joining the board of SIRA and look forward to working with the Chair and the other directors to continue to promote the highest standards of governance and oversight for SIRA’s operations.”

Chief Executive of SIRA Mandy Young said:

“Adding Mr Whitlam and Ms Rowell’s extensive experience to the Board will bolster SIRA’s capability as a modern, person-centric and data-driven regulator.”

Millions of renters across the state will soon be able to move homes and transfer their bond with them with the Minns Labor Government investing $6.6 million to develop and deliver the nation’s first Portable Rental Bonds Scheme.

There is a turnover of more than 330,000 tenancies every year across the state, with the average tenancy 1.6 years.

As residents juggle high rents, low vacancy rates and general cost-of-living pressures, they’re also faced with an average moving cost of $4,000 and the prospect of having to pay a new bond before their old one is returned.

The Portable Rental Bonds Scheme will be a financial relief measure which makes it easier for renters when moving by allowing eligible tenants to digitally transfer their existing bond to their new rental home.

This new scheme maintains the integrity of the bond system ensuring homeowners have security while improving cashflow and reducing financial stress for renters.

The Rental Commissioner is leading the development of the Scheme which is currently out to public tender.

Development will involve an upgrade of the existing rental bonds system and work is expected to be completed in 2025.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“Moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do, not to mention expensive for many renters.”

“The process can leave renters out of pocket, for up to several weeks.

“The NSW Government’s portable bonds scheme will give cost of living relief to renters moving homes, by making sure they don’t have to set aside extra money while they wait for their bond to be refunded.”

Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“This scheme will be the first of its kind in the nation.

“Once in place, renters won’t have to think twice about how they’ll pay their bond on top of moving costs.

“The NSW Government is committed to working towards a fairer rental marketplace. This Scheme is a win for renters and owners.”

Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Minister for Youth Rose Jackson said:

“Amid a housing and cost of living crisis we must explore every option to alleviate the financial pressure renters face when moving house.

“The harsh reality is that the high cost of moving, especially having to pay a new bond before the old one is refunded, can push people to the brink of homelessness.

“The portable bonds scheme is an important and practical way to help ease this pressure renters feel.”

People in NSW are encouraged to consider organ donation and have conversations with their family about their decision this DonateLife Week.

There are approximately 1,800 people currently on the organ transplant waitlist in Australia, with 14,000 more on dialysis for kidney failure who need help.

In 2023, more than 47,000 people in NSW registered as an organ and tissue donor. There were 142 people in NSW who died and became organ donors, giving the gift of life to 392 transplant recipients, including 12-year-old Osman Akel.

Osman was diagnosed with congenital heart disease while in utero and needed three heart operations before he was five. Last year, Osman went into heart failure and his family were told he needed a heart transplant to save his life.

Osman became the first patient to undergo a paediatric heart transplant at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead since the Paediatric Heart Transplant (PHT) service was officially established and funded by the Minns Labor Government in 2023. Osman is now back at school and doing well.

Five-year-old Ari Ladd’s life was also saved by organ donation after receiving a lifesaving liver transplant at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in 2020. Ari was born with biliary atresia, a condition that impacts the body’s ability to drain the bile from the liver. The energetic toddler is now happy and healthy, enjoying his new lease on life

As the biggest paediatric liver transplant centre in Australia, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead performs around 25 lifesaving liver transplants for patients like Ari every year.

Sadly, more than 50 Australians died last year while on the organ transplant waitlist.

Families are always asked to support someone’s decision to be a donor before donation goes ahead. Families are much more likely to agree if their loved one is registered on the Australian Organ Donor Register, and their family knew they wanted to be a donor.

Anyone aged 16 and over can register online to become an organ donor in just one minute at donatelife.gov.au, or with three taps in the Medicare app. For those who think they’re already registered, it only takes one minute to double-check.

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“Organ donation saves lives and increasing awareness and consent is critical to lifting our donation rate. We encourage NSW residents to go online and pledge to give the gift of life to those in need.

“Opportunities for transplants are missed because families are uncertain of their loved one’s wish to be a donor. It is important for people in NSW to not only register, but to tell their families they want to be a donor.

“We know 4 in 5 Australians say they support donation but only 36 per cent are registered. It only takes one minute to register and give more people like Osman and Ari the gift of life.”

Elena Cavazzoni, DonateLife NSW Co-State Medical Director:

“Our dedicated organ donation teams across NSW work tirelessly to maximise every opportunity to save a life through transplant. But there simply aren’t enough donors in NSW to match the waitlist.

“This DonateLife Week, I’m urging everyone in NSW to please register as an organ and tissue donor.”

Dr Joanne Ging, Director of Clinical Operations at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN):

“We are proud to celebrate the first anniversary of our Paediatric Heart Transplant service and to welcome our new cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Johann Brink, to the service. Across Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, we are now able to perform liver, kidney and heart transplants for some of the sickest children in the state.

“Organ donation is critical in allowing our teams to perform these lifesaving transplants. We simply wouldn’t be able to offer these services if it weren’t for the generosity of the community and their loved ones at such a tragic time in their lives.

“For Osman and Ari, their transplant has given them a new lease on life, and that is an incredible thing to see.”

Member for Parramatta, Donna Davis:

“Today is a powerful reminder about the importance of signing up to be an organ donor and I’m honoured to meet with some of the families whose lives have been changed by organ donation.

“For someone who is seriously ill, an organ or tissue transplant can mean the difference between life and death, being healthy or sick, seeing or being blind.

“One organ donor can save the lives of up to 7 people and help many more through eye and tissue donation.”

The NSW Government is supporting not-for-profit organisation Pink Sari Inc. to deliver much needed support to people from South Asian communities impacted by cancer through a new pilot program.

The CanInfo and Care project, supported by a $42,100 grant from the Government, aims to ease the personal burden on people with cancer. It does this by providing individuals with access to culturally sensitive information sessions, as a safe space to voice their needs specifically associated with their South Asian origin, religious and cultural beliefs.

Through these sessions, cancer patients are also directed to existing resources and services that best meet their needs, such as counselling, transport, dietary and financial assistance.

This valuable support is provided by volunteers from diverse backgrounds who have a unique understanding of cultural context and can help bridge the gap between the health care system and people from South Asian communities.

In the past 12 months, CanInfo and Care has already assisted around 70 people from South Asian communities on various aspects of their cancer journey.

The CanInfo and Care project is being delivered in partnership with Western and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts as part of Cancer Institute NSW’s multicultural grant program. The project builds on Pink Sari’s strong history of supporting multicultural communities to engage in cancer screening.

To further improve cancer outcomes in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, the Cancer Institute NSW has now awarded more than $500,000 to deliver 20 cancer control programs in areas such as Liverpool, Far West NSW, the Illawarra and Newcastle.

Multicultural communities face significant barriers accessing cancer screening services and care, often due to language barriers, poor health literacy, trauma, and cultural stigma and beliefs. These grants support local community groups and health services to roll out targeted initiatives that will help provide people with multilingual information to reduce their cancer risk, in a way that is aligned with their cultural beliefs.

To further help boost breast cancer screening rates in NSW, particularly for CALD communities and other at-risk populations in NSW, a new and improved  BreastScreen NSW website has been launched.

The website has pages tailored to women from priority populations, including CALD backgrounds , with translated resources soon available in 26 languages.

Featuring an enhanced location finder and mobile first design, the new website makes it simpler for women to locate their closest BreastScreen site and book in their two-yearly breast screen from any device.

Health Minister Ryan Park
“The NSW Government is committed to improving cancer screening rates and outcomes for multicultural communities.”

“NSW is a global leader in cancer care, but we recognise unfortunately some people still face barriers and disadvantage for varied and complex reasons.”

“Together with multicultural communities and fantastic organisations like Pink Sari, we’re working to ensure all people across NSW have access to timely and culturally appropriate care and support.”

Member for Liverpool, Charishma Kaliyanda
“We need to break down barriers to screening and care that exist in multicultural and CALD communities. This is essential to deliver higher cancer screening rates and better outcomes.

“It’s great to see support channels like CanInfo and Care helping to ease the burden on cancer patients and their families.”

NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO, Cancer Institute NSW Professor Tracey O’Brien
“Reducing the inequitable cancer outcomes experienced by CALD communities can only be achieved by listening to and partnering with passionate community organisations like Pink Sari.

“Understanding and breaking down the barriers to cancer care and support is a team effort. I thank Pink Sari and the countless other community members and organisations for their exceptional work in supporting people impacted by cancer.”

Pink Sari President Shantha Viswanathan
“We can’t underestimate the power that relevant and supportive information can have in making a consumer’s cancer journey less stressful and confusing.”

“Often the information provided to patients relies on the health literacy of individuals and this can be quite challenging for those with language difficulties, so a support channel like CanInfo and Care is vital in helping to bridge this gap.”

consumer advocate Madhavi Nair
“Support services like CanInfo and Care ensure that individuals receive not only medical care but also the emotional, linguistic, and practical support necessary to navigate the healthcare system effectively.”

“By providing tailored resources and a supportive network, these programs help reduce the isolation and stress often experienced by those undergoing treatment in a foreign country, thereby improving their overall wellbeing and treatment outcomes.”

More than $296 million in fast tracked new funding has flowed to regional NSW councils to repair roads and transport infrastructure damaged during natural disasters in just three months.

The money flowed between April and June after the NSW Labor Government announced the delivery of a series of new pilot funding agreements between councils, the NSW Reconstruction Authority and Transport for NSW.

Before the introduction of Tripartite Agreements, Councils had to spend their own money repairing infrastructure before they could reimbursed with the disaster funding which has come from the Australian and NSW Governments through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

In March eight councils signed up to the NSW Government’s new disaster funding Tripartite Agreement pilot, enabling them to access advance funding at the beginning of each stage of reconstruction works.

The Tripartite Agreements mean less financial pressure on councils, faster repairs for communities after natural disasters and better collaboration between state and local government agencies.

Following the success of the initial pilot Tripartite Agreements, the NSW Government signed up more councils to help them unlock faster funding.

Under tranche two of the program, eight councils have already signed up and three more councils are in the process of signing up.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said: 

“When a region is hit by a natural disaster, the last thing councils need to worry about is coming up with the cash to restore essential road and transport infrastructure.

“The new pilot agreement the NSW Government has struck with councils will now help more councils get on with the job faster, knowing they have the funds they will so desperately need.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“The Tripartite Agreements are a great example of government working with communities to develop new solutions that improve disaster response.

“We are committed to building on the success of these agreements and rolling out more support to help communities rebuild faster after disasters.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“Prior to the 2022 natural disasters, state budgets only allocated around $190 million per year for disaster recovery for roads. It is fantastic that the Minns Labor Government has rolled out more than $296 million in just three months. With our record-breaking investment in this year’s budget of $3.3 billion for natural disaster road recovery, faster support is on the way for flood affected councils.

“The Minns Labor Government’s new approach to disaster relief funding has been created to quickly support people in impacted communities by getting the money flowing quicker, and the road repairs delivered as fast as possible.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:

“The Tripartite Agreement pilot is a major advance in disaster recovery, and importantly, it paves the way to better procedural preparedness.

“It’s a first in that local councils get money upfront and don’t have to wait months or years for funding. It also means that all parties signed up to the agreements clearly understand and adhere to an assessment and acquittals process.

“I’ve received extremely positive feedback from Lismore City, Kyogle, Tweed Shire and Byron Shire councils who are already taking full advantage of the new arrangements, and now Tenterfield Shire Council is one of 11 councils coming onboard in tranche two. 

“As Parliamentary Secretary I interact closely with most of these councils so I know what a difference it is making and will continue to make. I commend the NSW Reconstruction Authority and Transport for NSW for leading this new way of rebuilding roads and transport infrastructure.”

Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said:

“The Albanese Government welcomes the efforts of the NSW Minns Government to streamline support and get disaster funding to where it’s really needed.

“The last Higher Risk Weather Season saw 190 Local Government Areas nationally impacted – many in NSW and many more than once. We understand that intense, compounding natural disaster events can be a challenge for Councils, and can lead to financial strain.

“All levels of Government are working in lockstep to get disaster recovery funding where it needs to go. That’s why last year the Albanese Government provided nearly $900 million in advance disaster recovery payments to the NSW Government, to help fast track payments to councils following multiple, devastating events.

“It’s great to see various levels of government working together to find solutions that puts communities first.”

Tranche one councils (all finalised)	Tranche two councils (all finalised)
Ballina Shire Council	Blue Mountains City Council
Byron Shire Council	Cabonne Shire Council
Clarence Valley Council	Weddin Shire Council
Kyogle Council	Forbes Shire Council
Lismore City Council	Lachlan Shire Council
Lithgow City Council	Parkes Shire Council
Richmond Valley Council	Shoalhaven City Council
Tweed Shire Council	Tenterfield Shire Council