Category: NSW News

Australian soldiers killed in the country’s deadliest air disaster, on 7 September 1943, are being commemorated today at a service at the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park Sydney

No Australian battalion suffered a greater loss than the 2/33rd Battalion did 80 years ago when, in a matter of seconds, it lost 60 men, killed or mortally injured, and another 90 injured as a result of the US Liberator B-24 Bomber crash in Port Moresby.

In pre-dawn darkness, the Liberator was taking off for a reconnaissance mission with four 500-pound bombs fitted as opposed to the carrying capacity of 12 bombs. For reasons unknown, the Liberator failed to gain sufficient height and hurtled towards the men on the ground in the convoy of trucks lining the airstrip. The bomber came crashing down, spilling forward a wave of burning aviation fuel engulfing the 5 lorries and causing catastrophic damage.

Survivors were sworn to secrecy and details of the crash were kept from the families of those who died to keep up morale during the Second World War.

Minister for Veterans David Harris will attend the special commemoration service with members of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion AIF Association and the veteran community to lay a wreath in honour of all those who served, their families and loved ones.

Minister for Veterans David Harris said:

“Today we remember the members of the 2/33rd Battalion who sadly lost their lives 80 years ago in one of the darkest days of the Second World War. 

“In the blink of an eye our nation lost 62 men, 60 soldiers of the 2/33rd Battalion as well as 2 Australian truck drivers.

“We pay tribute to the ultimate sacrifice they gave for their country, to keep us safe. We also remember the 11 airmen of the United States who also perished during the crash. Lest we forget.”

Mrs Yvonne Unitt, President of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion AIF Association, also laid a wreath to honour the association’s fallen comrades.

“Today’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Liberator crash, Australia’s deadliest air disaster, marks another milestone in our association’s important work of honouring and remembering not only the courage, service and sacrifice of our 2/33rd Battalion soldiers.

“Formed in August 1945, 4 days after the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima our association’s work has become even more important because it is one of the few Second World War associations still in existence and has a strong support from the relatives of the 3065 men who wore the battalion’s famous red and brown colour patches into battles in the Middle East, Papua New Guinea and Borneo.”

The Minns Government will deliver a $1.8 billion boost to help rescue NSW’s energy transition, including establishing the Energy Security Corporation and investing to connect new projects to the grid.

The commitment will help put transmission and energy storage projects back on track, as the Labor Government works hard to keep the lights on during NSW’s switch to cleaner, affordable electricity.

The investment forms part of the government’s commitment to rebuilding the essentials in our state, including ensuring homes and businesses have reliable power at the lowest possible cost.

The government will commit an additional $800 million to the Transmission Acceleration Facility to connect the state’s Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) to the grid sooner and bring forward the benefit schemes for communities.

The NSW Government’s funding injection will support early works in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, around Dubbo.

This renewable zone, the first in NSW, is expected at its peak to support around 5000 construction jobs and bring up to $10 billion in private investment in the region by 2030.

The funding will also maintain momentum in the other planned REZs, the Hunter Transmission Project and the Waratah Super Battery. 

The Transmission Acceleration Facility speeds up the delivery of new transmission projects by funding early work in the zones, along with funding community benefit schemes.

Investments will be ultimately recouped from the private sector developers of the REZ projects once projects reach financial close. That money will then be recycled back into the facility to support the development of future REZ projects.

This takes the total government commitment to the Transmission Acceleration Facility to $2 billion since its establishment in 2022. The facility is administered by the Government’s Renewable Energy Zone infrastructure planner, EnergyCo.

The NSW Budget will also confirm $1 billion to establish the Energy Security Corporation, delivering on another election commitment.

The Energy Security Corporation will make investments in storage projects, addressing gaps in the current market, and improving the reliability of our electricity network as we transition to renewables. 

This could include investing in community batteries and virtual power plants that will allow households and communities to pool electricity generated from rooftop solar, reducing their reliance on the grid and cutting their power bills.

Once established, the ESC will make investments in commercial projects, similar to the way the Clean Energy Finance Corporation operates. 

The ESC will be established with funding from Restart NSW. The government will be consulting with stakeholders through the development process.

The NSW Government is also announcing a key milestone in the delivery of the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

The government will this month submit the project’s Environmental Impact Statement to the Department of Planning and Environment for approval, and it will go on public exhibition within weeks.

These investments support the government’s response to the Electricity Supply and Reliability Check Up and will help deliver the target of 12 gigawatts of new renewable energy generation and 2 gigawatts of long duration storage by 2030.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“We inherited a renewable energy roadmap that was off course.

“We’re determined to get NSW back on track when it comes to the energy transition, and this announcement is part of that.

“We need to get back on track so that we can produce cleaner, more affordable energy for the people of this state.

“We want the state to be able to invest in solutions that ensures reliability in the system, keeps the lights on, and creates new jobs for the state.

“This is a serious, long-term step towards ensuring we get the transition right.”

Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe said: 

“This additional $1.8 billion investment puts the renewable energy roadmap back on track. It will accelerate the transition to renewables, to ensure NSW households and communities have a reliable supply of clean, affordable electricity.

“This is a once-in-a-generation transition that requires massive investment and coordination from government and cooperation with the private sector.

“These investments will reignite the first of our Renewable Energy Zones in the Central West-Orana and make sure local communities see early benefits.

“We’re not just investing in large, grid-scale projects. We want to give households and communities more power to make choices about how they generate and use energy. That’s why the Energy Security Corporation will invest in projects like community batteries to help more households use their rooftop solar to become self-sufficient.”

On the first Wednesday in September, Australians come together for Battle of Australia Day, to honour the service and sacrifice of all those who served in defence of Australia in 1942 and helped contribute to the defeat of Japan during the Second World War.

Minister for Veterans David Harris laid a sprig of wattle today, alongside members of the veteran community at the Cenotaph in Martin Place Sydney on the 81st anniversary of the day.

Prime Minister John Curtin used the term ‘Battle for Australia’ after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Soon after, Australia suffered direct Japanese attacks, including the bombing of Darwin, with many merchant and Navy ships sunk defending our shores.

Over 39,000 Australians died during the Second World War, most of them in the campaigns in Asia and the Pacific. Many more were wounded in action and approximately 22,000 Australians became prisoners of war.

During the Great War, the golden wattle was used as a symbol of unity on the home front, and this continued through the Second World War. The resilience of wattle, to withstand our nation’s harsh weather of droughts, winds and bushfires, represents the spirit of the Australian people and sprigs of wattle are laid as a tribute for the Battle of Australia commemoration.

Minister for Veterans, David Harris said:

“The Second World War was the first time that our nation and our land was under attack.

“Today we come together to remember the efforts of our veterans who protected our nation. Who fought to defend our border, our mainland and throughout the Pacific to keep us safe.

“Their efforts, eighty-one years ago, contributed to the first defeat of Japanese forces on land in New Guinea, with the Battle of Milne Bay.

“Whilst the early years of the war focused on Europe, it was during 1942 that Australian forces drew on the spirit of the Anzacs to hold off and eventually overcome the Japanese along the Kokoda Track and other significant battles in New Guinea and throughout the Pacific.

“On the home front, we defended the attacks in Darwin and later in Sydney Harbour. All these efforts helped to win the war against Japan.

“It is these efforts and sacrifices that we remember today. Lest we forget.”

Immediate past President of the Battle for Australia Association in NSW, Colonel Davis Ross CSC (Ret’d) said:

“Today we honour the service and sacrifice of our solders, sailors and air crew as well as all the efforts on the home front. We remember their contributions against the aggression of the Japanese forces, that led to a victory in the Battle for Australia.”

The Minns Labor Government’s $2.7 billion coal tax grab will risk jobs, increase energy prices, and add to a growing list of broken promises.

“This is a Government that can’t be trusted – before the election Chris Minns matched the Coalition’s promise not to raise taxes, and now he’s done exactly that to pay for his unfunded election promises,” Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said.

“It’s clear that Chris Minns can’t keep his word. He promised to roll over Active Kids and then slashed the program by 85%, he promised that he would deliver Metro West and now there is a question mark over the project, he promised no privatisation but is looking to sell off public land, and he committed to end secret rent bidding before backflipping – the list goes on.”

“The Labor Government’s coal tax grab is needed to plug the budget blackhole created by another Labor broken promise, namely no unfunded public sector wage increases.”

Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope said this was the Minns Labor Government’s attempt to fix the Budget black hole of their own making, which is risking our state’s fiscal security and Triple A credit rating.

“This is a Government that in the past 24 hours alone has announced an unfunded deal with the Teachers Federation and flagged an extension of Eraring without any idea of how long or how much it will cost the NSW Budget.”

“This tax grab risks higher energy prices and jobs across NSW, not just in the mining industry but for small businesses that no longer have the margins to absorb the increased input costs.”

The Minns Labor Government has caved under union pressure to sign a one-year deal with the Teachers Federation, driving the NSW Budget further into the red with unfunded wage offers.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the deal is another example of a broken election promise by the Minns Government.

“Before the election, Chris Minns promised that public sector wage increases wouldn’t cost anything – they would be paid for with productivity offsets,” Mr Speakman said. “Now we know that the Labor Government promises to its union bosses will cost the NSW Budget billions of dollars, and the Government has yet to tell us which programs, services and infrastructure will have to be cut,” Mr Speakman said.

Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope criticised the Treasurer for not revealing the true cost of this deal with the Teachers Federation, which is tipped to exceed over $1.4 billion over four years, in addition to the cost of any future wage increases.

“The Government seems to be confused about exactly how much this offer will cost, because they have a Treasurer who just makes things up as he goes along,” Mr Tudehope said.

“This Budget won’t be worth the paper it’s written on because we know that Labor will give into every other union’s demands, no matter the expense.”

Shadow Education Minister Sarah Mitchell called for more certainty for teachers into the future.

“We all want the best outcome for our teachers, but there is a serious concern here about what will happen in 12 months when a new deal will have to be negotiated”, Ms Mitchell said.

“The union was adamant that 2.5% in the years ahead was not enough, so Labor needs to come clean about what have they promised for future years and what price they will pay to deliver those promises.”

The NSW Opposition has welcomed today’s announcement by the Minns Labor Government that it is committed to delivering the Coalition’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.

Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said that the Government has wasted nearly six months commissioning a review which tells us what we already knew.

“Our Roadmap is the right approach to ensure NSW has a successful transition to reliable, clean and affordable energy,” Mr Speakman said.

“The Government needs to get on with its job of delivering the Roadmap – and it needs to stop looking in the rear-view mirror for excuses.”

“We know the energy industry and market needs certainty to operate as effectively as possible and every day that NSW Labor sat on their Energy Check Up was another day of uncertainty.”

Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change James Griffin stressed that keeping the lights on and having affordable energy were paramount.

“What today’s report doesn’t tell us is how much consumers or taxpayers will pay if Eraring’s life is extended. Nor has the Government sufficiently outlined the need to extend Eraring and if so for how long, in light of what AEMO’s 2023 Electricity Statement of Opportunities, released 31 August, told us about reliability in NSW,” Mr Griffin said.

“Any decision to extend the life Eraring comes with consequences and what is needed from the Government now is an open and transparent process between the Government and the owners of Eraring to ensure taxpayers get the best outcome.”

Since the election of the Minns Labor Government, households across NSW have been left to fend for themselves as Labor still can’t explain what support they will be providing, how their state-owned energy corporation will function or when it will begin providing relief.

“After six months Chris Minns has finally realised that reliable, cheap and clean energy should be the focus of his Government, so it’s time the Premier stops trying to score cheap political points. NSW led the nation and we can continue to do so if the Government gets on with the job,” Mr Griffin concluded. 

The Opposition will consider the NSW Electricity Supply and Reliability Check Up and its recommendations in detail.

The Minns Labor Government is on track to make the state’s 95,000 public school teachers the best paid in the country which will help tackle the teacher shortage crisis after positive discussions with the teachers’ union.

The NSW Teachers Federation is now considering an offer made by the Minns Labor Government.

If agreed to, the offer will see teachers jump from being among the worst paid, to being the best paid in the country, and restore competitiveness. 

The 4 year agreement will see the starting salary for a NSW teacher increase from $75,791 to $85,000 and the salary for top of the scale teachers increase from $113,042 to $122,100. 

All teachers will benefit from a restructuring of the pay scale. 

Wages in the following 3 years will continue to rise in line with the Minns Labor Government’s wages policy. 

This offer recognises the value of the work that NSW teachers do and was informed by findings of the Gallop Report. 

Previously, teachers in NSW were constrained by the former Liberal National government’s now defunct wages cap, degrading their pay to among the worst in the nation and creating a teacher shortage crisis. 

In fact, under the former Government, for the first time in recent memory, teacher resignations outstripped retirements in NSW. 

The offer will require the agreement of the Teachers Federation Council on Saturday.  

The Minns Labor Government was elected with a mandate to improve the pay and conditions of teachers in NSW, and to fix serious issues in our education system. 

The Minns Labor Government is setting out a long-term plan to repair the budget in a sustainable way, to rebuild the essential services we all rely on and to reinvest in our essential workers. 

There is nothing more important than educating the future generations of kids and ensuring there are teachers in front of classrooms.   

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

“The Minns Labor Government is hopeful this agreement will be made, so NSW teachers can get the pay rise they so urgently deserve. 

“Negotiating an outcome that demonstrates respect to teachers has always been my highest priority. 

“In order to tackle the teacher shortage crisis we must restore respect to the teaching profession, so teachers are free to do their jobs without additional stress.” 

“While there is much more to do, today marks an important step forward as we continue working to rebuild our state’s education system.” 

With the cost of living on the rise, around 6% of the general population are struggling to access enough nutritious food to support a healthy lifestyle. For Aboriginal communities, however, this figure rises to an alarming 33%. This is known as ‘food insecurity’.

Leaders from across government, academia, industry and the community sector have come together to tackle the issue of food insecurity in Aboriginal communities at the first ever Food Equity Symposium in NSW.

Aboriginal peoples continue to experience health inequalities and a life expectancy of almost 10 years lower compared with non-Indigenous Australians.

Improving nutrition and food security along with community support is essential for addressing these health disparities and Closing the Gap.

The NSW Government is committed to finding new ways of working with Aboriginal communities to enact positive and lasting solutions.

The idea of a food equity symposium evolved from Aboriginal Affairs NSW’s pandemic food relief work, which identified and addressed major service gaps in Aboriginal communities.

Food projects were established, resulting in the equivalent of 1.6 million meals delivered directly to Aboriginal households over 2 years.

Read more about the Food Equity Symposiumlaunch.

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris, who opened the symposium said:

“Food insecurity is an issue that disproportionately affects Aboriginal communities but requires a whole-of-community solution to resolve.

“That is why this symposium is important. This is the first time we have brought all the experts together to test ideas and find solutions to give our communities the food security they need and deserve.

“The health gap between Aboriginal people and the rest of the community will continue to widen unless action is taken to address availability and affordability of nutritious food.

“The NSW Government is committed to Closing the Gap and that means thinking and acting differently and working with Aboriginal communities on solutions.

“We know when we work with Aboriginal people on issues that affect them, we get better outcomes. That is what I am looking forward to out of this symposium.”

Transport for NSW has been working with the new operator In Region 10, U-Go Mobility on a stabilisation plan, after the department was forced to step in when the operator failed to deliver the expected level of service for the community.

While there is still much more to be done before services in Region 10 return to normal, this has resulted in reduced unplanned service cancellations, reduced complaints, and increased levels of community engagement, particularly with local school communities.

There are dedicated Transport for NSW resources on the ground at U-Go Mobility depots to improve reliability, safety and action taken to improve service delivery, including prioritisation of key services.

Since the adjusted temporary timetable was put in place in Region 10 on 31 July 2023, unplanned service cancellations are down from an average of 400 per week-day to an average of 86 per weekday.

Bus marshals are deployed at key interchanges, including Hurstville, Bankstown, Sutherland and Miranda to assist passengers.

Transport for NSW is also working with U-Go Mobility to ensure robust recruitment plans are in place to manage driver shortages and a recruitment pipeline, to assist in service delivery.

The operator has prioritised dedicated school services to reduce impacts on school students. Public service routes used by large numbers of local school students have also been identified and prioritised.

U-Go Mobility now has a dedicated school’s liaison officer working with local schools to provide regular communication, capture feedback and proactively manage school issues, including real-time contact regarding impacted school services.

From 17 August 2023, Transit Systems has temporarily taken over the operation of 18 dedicated school bus services, to improve their reliability. 

Nightride services are being supported by other contracted operators’ buses when needed. 

Transport for NSW is also working on providing additional support for elderly or vulnerable passengers, or those without access to travel apps. Hard copies of timetables have been issued to MP Electorate Offices to provide to constituents.

Transport Management Centre Commanders will also patrol back routes to provide greater visibility/presence and ensure passengers are not left waiting for long periods at bus stops due to cancellations.

Transport for NSW has worked with the operator to put a cure plan in place that will bring the region back to required performance later this year.

Quotes attributable to NSW Minister for Transport Jo Haylen:

“We still aren’t satisfied with the level of service in Region 10, but we are seeing some significant improvements for passengers.”

“Thanks to Transport’s intervention in Region 10, we’re seeing fewer service cancellations and fewer complaints but bus services still haven’t returned to normal.”

“We now have a cure plan in place to bring back the level of bus services that the community expects and the government will continue to hold the operator to account until that happens.”

The NSW Government today released its strategy to secure the reliable supply of clean and affordable renewable energy for NSW.
 

The government’s response to the Electricity Supply and Reliability Check Up conducted by Cameron O’Reilly from Marsden Jacob Associates commits to a whole-of-government effort to deliver the energy transition for NSW households, businesses and communities.

The check up makes 54 recommendations to keep the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap on track. The government has accepted 50 recommendations; 44 in full, 3 in part and 3 are already underway or complete.

The NSW Government will take action in 3 key areas.

Firstly, the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap has been endorsed as a strategic priority of the government. This means there will be a whole-of-government effort to make sure that as coal-fired power retires, NSW households and businesses have enough renewable energy, transmission and storage to replace it as quickly as possible.

Secondly, a new Energy Security Target Monitor will actively scrutinise the plans of NSW’s remaining private coal-fired power stations as they approach retirement to ensure ongoing reliability at the lowest cost.

The check up finds there will be reliability challenges for NSW in the next couple of years. The government will engage with Origin on its plans for Eraring, at the same time as pursuing all alternative solutions to deliver the renewable generation, transmission and storage solutions that NSW needs.

Finally, the NSW Government will streamline renewables approvals in the planning system as well as enhance and coordinate community benefit sharing. It will unlock opportunities to connect new renewables to the existing grid outside Renewable Energy Zones. A Consumer Energy Strategy will be developed to unleash the potential of households and businesses to further embrace small-scale renewables like solar in the short-term, without shifting focus and momentum from the delivery of large-scale projects.

The whole-of-government approach will also address housing, transport, skills and workforce and supply constraints in the Renewable Energy Zones.

The Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) will continue as the lead agency to deliver the Renewable Energy Zones that will power NSW into the future. EnergyCo will be enhanced with a statement of priorities and a reformed governance framework.

Read the Electricity Supply and Reliability Check Uplaunch and the NSW Government response.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“One of the biggest challenges facing NSW is ensuring we can keep the lights on while managing the biggest change in energy mix and consumption in the shortest period of time in our nation’s history.

“This challenge is made worse by privatisation, cost overruns and delays under the previous government.

“NSW is committed to meeting its net zero ambition and transforming our electricity system to renewables as soon as possible.

“This report and the government’s response rescues the renewables mission and puts the transition back on track.”

Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe said:

“NSW has no time to waste as coal-fired power retires and needs to be replaced by renewable energy generation, transmission and storage.

“The check up by Cameron O’Reilly and his team is a clear-sighted assessment that has kicked the tires of energy policy in NSW.

“It provides the practical and achievable next steps to rescue the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, and let NSW get on with it.

“I want to thank Cameron O’Reilly and his team for their work on the check up and those who have provided their insights to both Cameron and the NSW Government as we have been finalising our response.”