Category: NSW News

The number of hospitality workers is being boosted to help NSW businesses struggling with staff shortages.

The Automatic Mutual Recognition initiative allows certified Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) staff from Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and the ACT  to work in NSW without needing new credentials.

Minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson said the hospitality sector is continuing to struggle with staff shortages post the COVID-19 pandemic, so creating a wider talent pool will help ease some pressure on the sector.

“The industry has experienced incredible hardship over the past two years and that’s why we need to do everything we can to support it and get businesses booming and the sector thriving once again,” Mr Anderson said.

“Previously, hospitality workers who wanted to temporarily work in NSW had to spend time and money getting additional RSA certification. This initiative makes it easier for RSA holders to get working as soon as they arrive,” Mr Anderson said.

The Automatic Mutual Recognition program is part of a new Federal Government program called JobPass, which aims to support and improve occupational mobility across Australia. 

Minister for Skills and Training Alister Henskens said this adds to the NSW Government’s recent funding of 10,000 fee-free RSA courses to get more workers into the sector.

“Whether you’re a school-leaver or looking for a career change, now is the perfect time to enter the dynamic NSW hospitality industry,” Mr Henskens said.

For more information go to: Making it easier for registered professionals to work interstate | NSW Government.

Today the Federal Executive of the Liberal Party resolved unanimously to intervene and appoint a Committee to take over the management of the NSW Division, in accordance with clause 12.3 of the Federal Constitution of the Liberal Party.

The term of the appointment of the Committee commenced immediately upon the passing of this resolution and ends at 6.00pm on Saturday 2 April 2022.

The intervention ground is based on the circumstance that decisions have not been made in relation to the endorsement of candidates where there is one or more nomination from candidates, namely in the seats of Eden-Monaro, Fowler, Grayndler, Greenway, Hughes, McMahon, Newcastle, Parramatta and Warringah.

The Committee may select and endorse a candidate for each of these seats.

The Committee shall be comprised of Mrs Christine McDiven, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Premier Dominic Perrottet.

The Western Sydney Aerotropolis is set for take-off after the NSW Government today released the final Precinct Plan which will support more than 100,000 jobs and 11,400 new homes.
 
Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes Anthony Roberts said the finalised plans give the community, investors and developers the certainty they need to plan for the future.
 
“The final Precinct Plan will enable the development process to begin in the Aerotropolis, and kick start the benefits and opportunities that a new international airport will bring to Western Sydney,” Mr Roberts said.
 
“The finalisation of the plan for the initial precincts lays the foundation for the transformation of 6,500 hectares of land, with new homes, jobs and open spaces, supported by the right infrastructure.”
 
The package released today includes finalised plans for the Aerotropolis Core, Badgerys Creek, Northern Gateway, Agribusiness and Wianamata-South Creek precincts following extensive consultation.
 
Mr Roberts said developer contributions under the special infrastructure contribution framework will fund up to $1.1 billion in infrastructure like roads, public transport, health facilities and schools, to support the new city.
 
“The Aerotropolis will be our newest, thriving commercial city to rival the world’s greatest, that’s why we took time to get the planning right, setting us up for success over the decades to come, ” he said.
 
“We’ve listened to the community and the Independent Community Commissioner, and finalised these plans in line with their feedback.”
 
Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the feedback from the community has created a better balanced Aerotropolis plan, that will create more jobs closer to where people live.
 
“This is a once-in-a generation opportunity to deliver a thriving new city for Western Sydney,” Mr Ayres said.
 
“Infrastructure investment in the airport, roads and the new Metro will make the Aerotropolis one of the best-connected areas in the country, making the Western Parkland City the best place to live, work and invest in for generations to come.
 
“The revised Open Space Network will ensure more than 95 per cent of homes in the future Aerotropolis are located within 400 metres, or five minutes walk of open space.”
 
For more information and to view the final plans visit:
https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/aerotropolis

The NSW Government will immediately put in place tougher regulations to crack down on illegal protests disrupting Greater Sydney.
 
The Roads Amendment (Major Bridges and Tunnels) Regulation 2022 will be made to make it an offence to disrupt any bridge or tunnel across Greater Sydney. The regulation is made under s144G of the Roads Act 1993, but currently only applies to disruption on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
 
The NSW Government will then bring legislation to Parliament to expand s144G beyond bridges and tunnels to roads and industrial and transport facilities more generally.
 
Section 144G carries a maximum penalty of 200 penalty units ($22,000) or imprisonment for two years, or both.
 
Acting Premier and Minister for Police Paul Toole said these measures were critical to deter future illegal protests across Sydney. 
 
“The penalties currently in place have clearly not deterred protestors who continue to block roads across Sydney, disrupting transport networks, freight chains, production lines and everyday commuters getting to work or to school – and it can’t keep happening,” Mr Toole said.
 
“Unauthorised protests have no place in our State, and these tighter laws and tougher penalties we’re introducing prove we have zero tolerance for this selfish, disruptive and unruly behaviour.”
 
Attorney General Mark Speakman said it was essential to quickly expand the existing regime.
 
“Following the events of recent days, I worked with Minister Ward to urgently review existing laws. We are strengthening them to deter mayhem being inflicted upon ordinary citizens,” Mr Speakman said.
 
Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said the change to the regulation will ensure there are severe penalties for future protestors looking to block bridges and tunnels across Greater Sydney.
 
“Protestors who stop daily commuters getting to work in the morning and home in the afternoon put themselves and drivers at risk and have no place on NSW roads,” Mrs Ward said.
 
“Under these changes, protestors who block major routes including the Spit Bridge and the Western Distributor will now face harsher penalties, aligned to the disruption they create across the road network.”

This week I hosted a Pensioners Town Hall forum with Labor’s co-chair of the Protecting Pensioners Taskforce, Julian Hill MP and local residents to discuss the Morrison Government’s cruel and callous plan to expand the cashless pension card to all pensioners.

This heartless plan puts pensioners and vulnerable Australians at extreme risk, with the government controlling how and where you get to spend 80% of your pension.

Unlike an ordinary bank debit card, the cashless pension card can only be used at shops approved by the government. That means pensioners won’t be able to pay cash for things like groceries, secondhand goods, a meal at the RSL, or give money to their grandkids.

In some parts of Australia, pensioners have already been forced onto the cashless pension card, and now the Morrison Government wants to extend this to become “the universal platform” in a “nationwide expansion.” 

I have had a lot of enquiries from concerned seniors and retirees who are worried about losing their autonomy and dignity by being forced onto compulsory income management.

Their worries aren’t unfounded given the Morrison Government’s refusal to rule out any further roll-out of the card.

Labor believes that the cashless pension card has no place in Australian society and pensioners should not be subjected to the humiliation of having part or all of their income quarantined. That’s why Labor has committed to scrapping this card altogether

We know that the vast majority of pensioners manage their own money perfectly well. They know where every cent goes. 

This shocking scheme comes after nine years of cuts to the pension and attacks on pensioners by the Liberals. Our community can’t risk three more years of Mr Morrison.

A raft of temporary regulatory measures introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have now been made permanent, in a move that will provide $2.4 billion of net economic benefits over the next decade.
 
These positive reforms, designed to support businesses and communities to operate flexibly throughout the pandemic, were originally set to expire from March 2022.

Acting Premier Paul Toole said it was critical to make permanent these changes as we emerge from a tough couple of years so that the economy comes back stronger than ever.
 
“NSW continues to lead the way through the COVID-19 recovery, and we’ll continue our record support so that more businesses re-open, jobs are filled and communities are buzzing again,” Mr Toole said.
 
Treasurer Matt Kean said when the pandemic struck it was clear that a business-as-usual approach from Government would not be enough to help people continue to run businesses, do their jobs, and access critical goods and services efficiently.
 
“These practical measures allowed the community to adapt through this period of disruption. Now as we emerge from a challenging two years, we are securing the benefits of these changes permanently to help rebuild the economy,” Mr Kean said.
 
“Retaining these changes permanently will provide net economic benefits of $2.4 billion over the next decade through greater flexibility and time savings.”
 
The temporary changes made permanent include:
 

• More flexibility for strata owners’ corporations, community land associations and incorporated associations to meet and vote electronically;
• Allowing planning panels and the Independent Planning Commission to hold public hearings and meetings online or in person;
• Greater flexibility for employees and businesses to access long service leave under the Long Service Leave Act 1955; and
• Allowing audio link or audio-visual link to conduct interviews and questioning remotely.

 
Minister for Planning Anthony Roberts said the NSW Productivity Commission’s White Paper recommended retaining COVID-19 changes if they deliver net benefits.
 
“These changes, combined with the resilience, creativity and determination of our people and businesses, mean that our State will be in a better and stronger position to recover and flourish,” Mr Roberts said.

More rapid antigen tests will be supplied to teachers and students and flexible school based measures are being rolled out to help schools continue to operate through increased COVID-19 impacts.
 
The adjustments are outlined in COVID-smart school guidelines released today by the NSW Government in response to increasing COVID-19 cases in the community.
 
Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell said the temporary measures have been put in place until at least the end of Term 1.
 
“A multipack of at least five RATs will be available for students and teachers at every school as needed to use when symptomatic because we know rapid antigen testing is an effective measure in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Additional tests will also be provided for early childhood educators and staff,” Ms Mitchell said.
 
Where a community is experiencing an increase in COVID cases, the Department may direct the local school to adopt additional proportionate measures for a short period of time, such as requiring staff, adult visitors or high school students to wear masks indoors, or moving assemblies or large gatherings outdoors.
 
“These tailored measures will support the continuity of face-to-face learning and help to protect students and staff by reducing in-school transmission of COVID-19,” Ms Mitchell said.
 
“With a significant proportion of new cases being school aged children, it is important that we all do our part to help schools remain operational by staying home if you’re sick and test if you’re experiencing any symptoms or are a close contact.
 
“It is prudent that we continue to review and adjust our settings to deal with the challenges we will face throughout the school year to ensure students continue to receive face-to-face learning.”
 
Details of the COVID-Smart school settings are available on the NSW Department of Education website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19.

Forgetting or losing vehicle registration paperwork is now a thing of the past, with the NSW Government launching a fully digitised, paperless rego service.
 
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said the new Digital Vehicle Registration service is a one-stop shop for millions of drivers, offering digital renewal notifications and a Certificate of Registration all in one place.
 
“Around 16 per cent of registrations are not renewed on time due to paperwork being damaged, misplaced or simply stuck on the fridge and forgotten about,” Mr Dominello said.
 
“Through the new service, motorists can opt-in to get electronic reminder notices and access their digital Certificate of Registration through their MyServiceNSW Account.”
 
Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said the service will save drivers time and will also help reduce the 7.2 million paper renewals sent by Transport for NSW each year.
 
“This service has been piloted using more than 1000 vehicles to great success, with 95 per cent of drivers giving the opt-in process the thumbs up,” Mrs Ward said.
 
“Although you can already renew your rego online, this additional option makes life easier for drivers by providing them with more information in the palm of their hand.”
 
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the service will benefit drivers across all communities.
 
“Whether you’re a parent in Western Sydney, a young professional in the bush or a retiree on the coast, we want to take the hassle out of renewing your rego,” Mr Farraway said.
 
“My message to drivers is simple – give the new service a go and reap the rewards.”
 
Customers who opt-in will receive reminder notifications six and two weeks before their registration expires and one day after via email, in their MyServiceNSW account and by push notifications in the Service NSW app.
 
The service was jointly funded between the Digital Restart Fund and Transport for NSW.
The service is optional meaning customers will continue to receive a paper renewal notice unless they opt-in.
To opt-in to Digital Vehicle Registration, visit service.nsw.gov.au.

Detectives have charged six people – including three real estate agents – following an investigation into the alleged use of rental properties for the cultivation of cannabis, and fraudulent acquisition of COVID-19 rental relief payments.

Between July and August 2021, police dismantled a number of sophisticated hydroponic cannabis set-ups located within homes in the Fairfield area, seizing cannabis with a combined estimated potential street value of $2 million.

Officers attached to Fairfield City Police Area Command subsequently established Strike Force Delbo to investigate the activities of a criminal syndicate involved in the enhanced indoor cultivation of cannabis across Sydney’s south-west.

Strike force detectives were assisted throughout the investigation by NSW Fair Trading.

As part of ongoing inquiries, police identified several large-scale fraudulent applications submitted under the NSW Government COVID-19 Residential Tenancy Support Package scheme.

Following extensive inquiries, a 52-year-old man was arrested during a vehicle stop at Cecil Hills about 7am yesterday (Wednesday 23 March 2022).

During a subsequent search of the vehicle, police located and seized $5000 cash and mobile phones.

A short time later, a 44-year-old man was arrested at a home at Bonnyrigg, before officers executed a search warrant at a home at Cecil Hills. Several items were seized for further examination.

Both men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the older man – who is a real estate agent – was charged with 10 offences including; knowingly direct activities of criminal group, participate criminal group contribute criminal activity, two counts of cultivate prohibited plant (commercial quantity), two counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, two counts of knowingly deal with proceeds of crime, make false document to obtain financial advantage and use false document to obtain financial advantage.

The younger man was charged with cultivate prohibited plant (commercial quantity), and participate criminal group contribute criminal activity.

Both men were refused bail and are due to appear at Fairfield Local Court today (Thursday 24 March 2022).

Later that day, two men – both aged 35 – and a 37-year-old woman were arrested at Fairfield Police Station.

A 35-year-old Middleton Grange man – who is a real estate agent – was charged with nine offences including; participate criminal group contribute criminal activity, two counts of cultivate prohibited plant (commercial quantity), dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, attempt dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, two counts of knowingly deal with proceeds of crime and make false document to obtain financial advantage.

A 35-year-old Smithfield man was charged with participate criminal group contribute criminal activity and two counts of cultivate prohibited plant (commercial quantity).

A 37-year-old woman – who is a real estate agent – was charged with eight offences including; participate criminal group contribute criminal activity, two counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, two counts of knowingly deal with proceeds of crime, make false document to obtain financial advantage and use false document to obtain financial advantage.

All three were refused bail and are due to appear at Fairfield Local Court today (Thursday 24 March 2022).

About 10am, a 23-year-old man was arrested at Marrickville and charged with participate criminal group contribute criminal activity and four counts of cultivate prohibited plant (commercial quantity). He appeared at Newtown Local Court the same day and was granted strict conditional bail to reappear at Fairfield Local Court on Tuesday 25 May 2022.

Fairfield City Police Area Command Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Luke Scott, said several of the syndicate’s members allegedly facilitated the frauds by abusing their employment in the real estate industry.

“We will be alleging these people used their position as trusted insiders in the real estate industry to defraud their own clientele and public money meant for those who need it most,” Det Insp Scott said.

“The properties that were allegedly utilised by this syndicate to grow cannabis were subleased to members of the public who had no idea their name was on the lease agreement, as was the case when it came to the fraudulently obtained rental relief and bond payments.

“The nature of this fraud is particularly scandalous and predatory; the community won’t tolerate it, and those involved now have our court system to answer to,” Det Insp Scott said.

Small businesses hit hardest by the Omicron wave have been handed a further lifeline, with the Small Business Support Program extended to a new closing date of 29 April 2022.
 
The financial support package has assisted businesses, workers and the performing arts across NSW with cash flow and to continue trading.
 
Treasurer Matt Kean said the four-week extension was important to ensure small businesses have the resources they need to survive COVID-19 and bounce back.
 
“This extension will allow more businesses to apply, and takes into account potential application delays for businesses from flood-affected areas,” Mr Kean said.
 
“The pandemic and floods have been tough for so many over the past couple of months. But this targeted support helps place our economy in a resilience and recovery phase.”
 
Small Business Minister Eleni Petinos said that due to the crucial role played by the 800,000 small businesses across NSW in providing essential goods, services and jobs, the Government wanted to ensure sufficient time was provided for as many to apply as possible.
 
“Many of these businesses experienced challenges due to the Omicron wave of the pandemic, and we understand the pressures they face,” Ms Petinos said.
 
“This targeted program will support impacted small businesses and help them bounce back after a challenging start to the year.”
 
The Small Business Support Program provides eligible businesses a lump sum payment of 20 per cent of weekly payroll with a minimum payment of $500 per week and a maximum payment of $5,000 per week. Businesses with an annual turnover of between $75,000 and $50 million that experienced a decline in turnover of at least 40 per cent in January 2022 and the start of February 2022 are eligible.
 
For more information please visit nsw.gov.au/.