Category: NSW News

The NSW Opposition has welcomed the Minns Labor Government’s decision to act on sexually explicit deepfakes, after the Opposition introduced its own legislation to criminalise deepfake abuse and scheduled the second reading of its Private Member’s Bill in the Parliament today.
 
The Crimes Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2025, put forward by the Opposition, aims to criminalise the production, sharing and threat to share AI-generated sexual content designed to humiliate or exploit a real person.
 
After the Opposition’s move announced last month, the Government has been spurred into action and now announced it will introduce legislation of its own, with similar objectives. The Opposition will work constructively to ensure strong protections are delivered quickly.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said deepfake abuse is a growing threat that demands swift action.
 
“This is not a grey area. If someone is creating or spreading sexually explicit deepfakes to degrade another person, they should face serious consequences,” Mr Speakman said.
 
“We flagged this last month and prepared a bill to deal with it. I’m pleased the Government is now taking steps in the same direction. This is about protecting people from being digitally violated.”
 
Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens said the Opposition’s bill laid strong groundwork for tough, modern protections.
“No one should have their image or voice used against them like this. If it’s not your body, not your voice, it’s not someone else’s right to control,” Mr Henskens said.
“The Coalition’s bill set out a path forward and we’re encouraged that the Government is now backing this much-needed reform.”
 
“It’s a shame that this minority government doesn’t work with the opposition to try and address these important social issues.  This is a fake Premier copying our deepfake legislation.”
 
Shadow Minister for Women Felicity Wilson said deepfake abuse is already damaging lives and the time for change is now.
 
“This isn’t a future problem. It’s happening now in classrooms, workplaces and on social media,” Ms Wilson said.
 
“Women and girls are being targeted by fake images that look terrifyingly real. We’ve put solutions on the table and we’ll work to ensure the final law is strong, clear and fast.”
 
The Opposition’s bill proposed a legal definition of deepfakes, new criminal offences, penalties for private and public sharing, and court powers to order takedowns and destruction of synthetic material.
 
The Opposition will continue to work in good faith to get these reforms right and ensure the law reflects the serious harm being caused.

The Minns Labor Government has today confirmed what NSW tradies, students and families already know – this is a government that doesn’t deliver, it reviews.
 
With trade classrooms turning away students, regional campuses offering next to nothing, and over 100 TAFE jobs on the chopping block, Labor’s only response is yet another review, a media stunt dressed up as action .
 
Semester two enrolments for critical trades like carpentry, plumbing and electrical have been frozen across major TAFE campuses, with young people desperate to start apprenticeships being told to wait until 2026.
 
Meanwhile, the Certificate III in Electrotechnology, a qualification for sparkies, is now closed at Meadowbank, Miller, Northern Beaches, Ultimo and Kogarah. This comes as the nation faces a critical shortage of electricians, with Jobs and Skills Australia forecasting a need for another 85,000 sparkies by 2050.
 
Labor has no answers, no urgency, and no plan. They’ve axed over 1,500 public sector jobs in just two weeks, including in TAFE, and when caught out, they simply announce a review, hold a roundtable, or roll out an easel with a thought bubble.
 
Since coming to government, the Minns Labor Government has launched more than 60 reviews, many with no end in sight. We all remember the much-promised toll review that has been done and still no answers.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said this government’s response to a skills crisis is a survey.
 
“Their answer to students being locked out of TAFE is another review. Chris Minns can’t build a workforce when all he builds are excuses,” Mr Speakman said.
 
Justin Clancy, Shadow Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, said we’ve got trade courses at capacity and families asking for opportunities.
 
“Labor’s only answer is to review the system they’ve been running for more than two years. That’s not leadership, it’s an embarrassment.”
 
NSW can’t build homes without tradies. We can’t meet our energy targets without electricians. And we won’t fix the skills crisis with a government that thinks another review is the same as progress.

The Minns Labor Government is continuing to deliver fair access to Wheelchair Accessible Taxis in NSW by offering $2,500 operational support grants and a new round of interest-free loans to eligible operators.  

The $2,500 grant for eligible Wheelchair Accessible Taxi vehicle owners is part of a $15 million emergency package announced late last year and it is intended to address the shortage of Wheelchair Accessible Taxis in NSW. 

It will help with the higher costs associated with operating a Wheelchair Accessible Taxi on the road compared to a standard taxi, and is now open to applications.  

A new round of the Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Loan Scheme will also open for application this week and will assist taxi operators in NSW with placing new and additional accessible taxis into operation.  

The interest-free loans fund the cost of purchasing, modifying and/or retrofitting a vehicle for use as a compliant Wheelchair Accessible Taxi.  

The emergency funding package includes $2 million for an operational support grant program and the Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Loan Scheme has made available $5 million including an increase to the maximum loan value to $125,000.  

Wheelchair Accessible Taxis are an essential part of the NSW transport system and help people with disability to get to health appointments, engage in employment and education and participate in social activities.  

NSW is experiencing an ongoing shortage in the supply of these taxis leading to service disruptions and longer wait times for customers who travel in their wheelchair or mobility device. This is because the previous government ignored warnings that its deregulation of the taxi industry would exacerbate the difficulties facing the Wheelchair Accessibility Taxi industry.  

The previous government took away the main incentive to become a Wheelchair Accessible Taxi driver because accessible taxis were no longer exempt from paying the licence plate fees. 

Early in 2025 the NSW Government began addressing the shortage of wheelchair accessible taxis by delivering an emergency funding package of $15 million over one year to support better services for people with disability. 

The funding package is designed to stabilise the current decline in service availability while longer-term reform actions, including options for funding a sustainable and viable accessible point to point transport sector, are developed. 

Further details on both the operational support grants and the Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Loan Scheme are available on the Transport for NSW website.

Minister for Roads and Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison said: 

“We heard from operators that rising costs have made providing accessible services less viable – these actions respond directly to those concerns. 

“Without additional support, the industry has warned it would struggle to retain existing vehicles, let alone attract new entrants. We are stepping in to change that. 

“This funding package lays the groundwork for long-term reform to build a sustainable, accessible point-to-point transport sector for NSW.” 

Minister for Transport John Graham said: 

“It’s become more and more difficult for wheelchair accessible taxis to operate across NSW. The number of these taxis has been dropping over the last few years, and that’s a situation that simply cannot continue. 

“So many people with a disability rely on wheelchair accessible taxis to get where they need to go – for many there is no alternative. That’s why this funding package is so important. 

“These actions will give operators a better incentive to stay in the industry, keep more wheelchair accessible taxis on the road and improve services for the people who need them most.” 

Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said: 

“We’re working hard to clean up the mess left by the former government – their decisions literally left people with disability stranded.  

“We are acting to ensure there are more wheelchair accessible taxis on our roads so those who rely on them can go about their daily lives.

“These measures mean more than just transport – they are about independence, dignity, and ensuring people with disability can fully participate in their communities.”  

Nick Abrahim, Chief Executive Officer, NSW Taxi Council, said:  

“The NSW Taxi Council welcomes this new round of grants and interest free loans being announced by the Ministers’ involved as a positive step towards supporting Operators of Wheelchair Accessible Taxis.”

The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to build a better New South Wales by pulling every lever available to increase housing affordability and availability across New South Wales, today announcing $899,000 to Ballina Shire Council to remediate contaminated land to help unlock future housing.

The land’s former industrial use for cattle tick dipping left the soil contaminated by chemicals such as arsenic. Remediation of the sites will involve the safe removal of contaminated soil to a licensed waste facility and its replacement with imported clean soil.

Remediation Action Plans have been developed to clean up 3.9 hectares for future use.

Crown Lands in the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure will fund the remediation of a former cattle dip site and yards at 31 and 33 Canal Road, with Council contributing $100,000.

Remediation of this land is critical as it will enable a planned adjoining residential development to proceed.

This follows the announcement last week that the Minns Labor Government will deliver a historic pipeline, of over 355 public and community homes across the Northern Rivers over the next two years, including 48 planned in Ballina.

In the past year the Minns Labor Government has delivered 1,711 new social and affordable homes, the largest increase in government-built public, community homes in over a decade.

Minister for Land and Property Steve Kamper said:

“This is a great outcome for the North Coast and the local environment. Restoring this idle land not only protects our natural surroundings but helps unlock land for new homes.

“Housing affordability and availability are one of the biggest pressures facing families, particularly in the Northern Rivers, where repeated natural disasters have made the situation even harder.

“Reactivating land like this allows us to ease some of that pressure by creating opportunities for more homes and stronger, more resilient communities.”

Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin said:

“There is a shortage of housing on the North Coast so it is vital that we take measures like this to activate unused land that can support more new homes for our growing community in Ballina.

“This land is also ideally located near the popular Fripp Oval, and will encourage community connectedness, recreational activity and support for our local sporting clubs like the Ballina Bears Cricket Club and Ballina Bombers AFL Club.”

The NSW Government has made an offer in response to the NSW Nurses and Midwives request for a historic increase to night shift penalties, as well as improvements to the working conditions of nurses and midwives.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association will take the proposal to their 80th Annual Conference this week, followed by a vote on the offer from their members.

The offer would see night shift penalties increased to 20 per cent, on par with what some of the highest paid nurses in Australia receive. Nurses and midwives have been campaigning for decades, across multiple governments, to increase this loading in NSW.

Nurses and midwives will also see improvements to their working conditions and work-life balance, including:

• Two consecutive days off
• No night shifts before annual leave unless requested
• No changes on published roster without consultation 

Nurses and midwives would receive a 3.5 per cent interim pay increase (including the recent 0.5% increase to super) back paid to July 1 2025, while the Industrial Relations Commission considers the remainder of their special case for gender equity and other improvements to salaries.

The NSW Minns Government acknowledges concerns about gendered undervaluation of work and was proud to have legislated in May to improve the gender equity objectives under the Industrial Relations Act, which the Industrial Relations Commission will be required to consider.

Nurses and midwives deserve a way for their wages to be set independently, after 12 years of the Liberal-National’s unfair wages cap.

While the IRC determines this, the Minns Government still wants to recognise nurses and midwives with movement in pay and conditions now.

This improvement to night shift loadings and interim pay rise follows an 8 per cent increase to pay (including a 1% increase to super) for nurses over the first two years of the Minns Labor Government.

The interim offer forms part of the NSW Government’s comprehensive plan to deliver the long-term repair of healthcare across NSW.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey:

“The offer on night shift penalties and improvements to working conditions is an important step towards the long-term repair of healthcare across NSW.

“We now look forward to the independent umpire delivering a wages agreement for nurses and midwives, after 12 years of the Coalition’s unfair wages cap.”

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“After 12 years of neglect and a lack of investment in our health system, the NSW Government is rebuilding essentials service by investing in the workers that deliver them.

“As a show of good faith, we are offering another interim pay increase of 3 per cent and boosting the night shift penalty rate for our hard-working nurses and midwives across NSW.

“We look forward to having the remaining wage claims being resolved through the Industrial Relations Commission process.”

Minister for Industrial Relations Sophie Cotsis:

“This offer is long overdue recognition for nurses and midwives who have been campaigning for a long time. We are proud to support those who care for our communities day and night.

“The Minns Labor Government continues the work of rebuilding the state’s essential services and reforming the industrial relations system.

“That work began with the scrapping of the Coalition’s wages cap which was in place for 12 years, introducing a fairer, modern bargaining framework, setting up an Industrial court and amending the Industrial Relations Act to include a new Object to achieve gender equality in the workplace

“Our offer to a historic increase in night shift penalties and improved working conditions for nurses and midwives reflects our commitment to valuing frontline workers.”

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on another election commitment by commencing consultation on an independent peak body to represent the interests of the State’s more than one million recreational fishers.

This is part of the NSW Government’s plan to build a better NSW and to boost economic activity in regional NSW.

More than $1 million has been earmarked to fund the new body and to assist it drive on ground outcomes for the State’s recreational fishers.

The recreational fishing industry is major contributor to our coastal and inland communities and generates about $3.4 billion of economic activity in NSW each year. The industry also creates the equivalent of about 14,000 fulltime jobs.

The NSW Government made an election commitment to establish a peak body for the State’s recreational fishers and has worked with the fishing representatives to develop their vision for a peak body that is:

• a viable and respected professional body: to deliver representation that effectively champions the future of recreational fishing
• representative of all NSW recreational fishers: including affiliated and unaffiliated fishers from diverse backgrounds
• independent of Government: to enable apolitical representation to advance the priorities and needs of recreational fishers
• collaborative and solutions-oriented: to work constructively with Government and other bodies to deliver solutions for recreational fishers.

The people of NSW are now encouraged to have their say on this important process. Public consultation is open from 6 August 2025 to 1 October 2025.

To learn more and provide your feedback, visit the NSW Government’s Have Your Say website.

Our culturally and linguistically diverse fishing community are encouraged to use the translate feature on the Have Your Say website, which offers access in multiple languages and provides a contact for support with submissions.

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“Recreational fishing is a vital part of life for many people in NSW.

“The NSW Government is committed to supporting a thriving, inclusive and sustainable recreational fishing sector that encourages participation across all communities.

“This peak body will work closely with the NSW Government to effectively represent the interests of for all NSW recreational fishers.

“The recreational fishing industry is vital to the NSW economy and one the NSW Government is committed to supporting in a cohesive, productive and positive way.”

Peak Body Working Group member, Karl Mathers said:

“The model for this peak body has been designed to ensure an inclusive and collaborative organisation to help advance the priorities and needs of NSW’s recreational fishers.

“Your feedback is important to ensure the final model reflects the needs and perspectives of recreational fishers from all corners of the state.”

The Minns Labor Government has cut 1,515 public sector jobs in just two weeks, gutting essential services across WaterNSW, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Transport for NSW and TAFE NSW.
 
These are not back-office roles. These are the flood mitigation teams, dam safety experts, pest response officers, public transport staff and TAFE support workers who keep the state safe, moving and educated.
 
The Premier and his Treasurer didn’t front the public. Instead, staff were told by email and department secretaries were sent to answer the media while ministers went missing.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said Chris Minns and Daniel Mookhey make the cuts, then hope no one notices.
 
“They sack workers in silence, then roll out a distraction with an easel board and a media release about something already announced or still just a thought bubble,” Mr Speakman said.
 
NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said the gutless decision shows a complete lack of understanding of what the regions need.
 
“Not only will this leave our country communities more vulnerable when it comes to natural disasters like the recent devastating flooding, but it will also risk our primary industries and the food and fibre people rely on every single day,” Mr Saunders said.
 
“It’s a brutal one-two punch where it’s ripping hundreds of jobs out of the bush and removing years of knowledge and experience at the same time, which will have a very real impact on our front-line defences when it comes to things like biosecurity.”
 
The Minns Government has flagged $279 million dollars in so-called internal labour savings but has refused to release any detail about where the next round of cuts will come from.
 
While essential jobs are being stripped away, Labor continues to hold media events and issue press releases for rehashed ideas and recycled promises.
 
This is not a government focused on delivering. It is a government focused on distraction.
 
The Premier and Treasurer must now come clean. What other services are being cut? How many more jobs are going? And why are they hiding it from the public?

The Minns Labor Government has today introduced legislation into Parliament to strengthen Working with Children Checks (WWCC) to better protect children from harm.

The legislation will ensure only the Office of the Children’s Guardian – the state’s independent child safety regulator – will be responsible for reviewing WWCC decisions, removing external appeal pathways through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

Currently, people with serious criminal histories – including offences involving children – can have decisions made by the Office of the Children’s Guardian overturned. In some cases, this has allowed individuals who were disqualified to return to child-related work.

This reform ensures decisions about who can work with children are made – and reviewed – by the body best placed to assess risk to children, the Office of the Children’s Guardian.

The same change will be made for NDIS Worker Checks, strengthening the existing internal appeals process within the Office of the Children’s Guardian to provide a more consistent and specialist approach to safety for people with disability.

To close gaps in the system across the country, the NSW Government will also advocate for a national register of Working with Children Checks at National Cabinet– so parents can be confident that individuals working with children have been properly cleared – no matter which state or territory they’ve previously worked in.

NSW will work with the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions to integrate WWCC systems and close information gaps that offenders may exploit by moving interstate.

The legislation is part of the Minns Labor Government’s broader commitment to child safety – including recent reforms to lift standards and accountability in early childhood education and care, such as:

• Higher fines for service breaches;
• A new, standalone regulator with stronger enforcement powers;
• Greater transparency for families on the safety record of providers;
• A CCTV trial to improve oversight of underperforming services.

Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said:

“Families need to know the system will catch the people it’s supposed to.

“Stronger regulation isn’t just overdue — it’s essential. We’re putting safety and accountability back at the heart of early education and care.”

Minister for Families and Communities, and Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington said:

“Convicted sex offenders should not have a pathway back into child-related work, full stop.

“This legislation closes that loophole for good. It puts child safety decisions where they belong — with the independent expert regulator whose job it is to protect children.”

The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to deliver the vital infrastructure rapidly growing Western Sydney communities need, with an upgraded section of Elizabeth Drive opening to traffic – a major milestone in the $2.1 billion toll-free M12 Motorway project.

Significant upgrades have taken a 2.2km stretch of Elizabeth Drive from a one lane road, to a three-lane dual carriageway. This transformation will increase road safety by significantly easing congestion for the 28,000 vehicles who drive this route daily.

As well as tripling the roadway for motorists, these upgrades also included a bridge that will stretch over the new Western Sydney Airport metro line, and Worimi Drive.

Elizabeth Drive is a key access route to the Western Sydney (Nancy-Bird) International Airport and rapidly growing Western Sydney communities including Bradfield, Badgerys Creek, Kemps Creek and greater Liverpool.

Once opened the M12 will provide direct access to the Airport and connect the Northern Road in the west with Elizabeth Drive and the M7 Motorway in the East. 

Delivered in partnership with Albanese Labor Federal Government the M12 Motorway is on Budget and on time, with 14km of 16km of roadworks now completed opening of the motorway is on track for early next year. Under a Labor Government this road will remain in public hands.

The Minns and Albanese Government are also investing a further $800 million for additional improvements on another section of Elizabeth drive, which will see the widening of an additional section from Devonshire Road towards the Airport from one to two lanes in each direction.

Planning for this work which will address congestion and increase reliability and safety for the community is currently underway.

In this year’s Budget the Minns Labor Government is investing over $2.7 billion for road infrastructure which will ensure the Aerotropolis meets its full potential, and growing local communities are receiving their fair share. These works which will complement the M12, include:

• $50 million for critical road upgrades across the Aerotropolis, including traffic lights and signals at the Elizabeth Drive and Luddenham Road intersection and a new turning lane at the Mamre Road and Kerrs Road intersection
• $39 million to plan three key routes – Devonshire Road, Devonshire Link Road and Bradfield Metro Link Road – including a $12.5 million contribution from the Albanese Labor Government
• $29.6 million for an incident management and response team to deploy rapidly to accidents and traffic delays. The new team will support key routes to and from the airport, along with the broader South Western Sydney road network
• $30 million for more than 1000 new green directional signs across Sydney directing to the Aerotropolis and Western Sydney Airport.

For more information about the M12 Motorway and the Elizabeth Drive projects, go to the M12 Motorway web page and the Elizabeth Drive upgrade web page.   

Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“This is a really exciting milestone, for families and industry alike.

“These upgrades will increase safety for the 28,000 drivers who use this road daily by massively easing congestion.

“The previous Liberal-National Government failed to move this project along as quickly as they could have. Time and again they made announcements they didn’t fund or get started.

“In contrast, we have been pushing for completion on the M12 and Elizabeth Drive Upgrade and committed an extra $800 million together with the Albanese Government to get the job done properly.

“The recent Budget contained a further package of $150 million towards other essential roads upgrades and projects around the Aerotropolis.

“That is on top of $2.55 billion allocated to existing Aerotropolis roads projects over four years, taking the total commitment to $2.7 billion.”

Each March, the Minns Labor Government recognises and celebrates the outstanding contributions women make to our community with the NSW Women of the Year Awards, inspiring and empowering future generations to achieve great things.

The Awards are also a culmination of NSW Women’s Week – when we encourage women to take part in a week of exciting activities and events across the state that aim to uplift, as well as advance gender equality.

Nominations open

Nominations for the 2026 NSW Women of the Year Awards are now open.

The awards program, now in its 14th year, aims to recognise and celebrate incredible women who improve the lives of people in New South Wales. 

The Awards are seeking nomination of women and girls excelling in the following categories:

• NSW Premier’s Woman of Excellence
• NSW Community Hero
• NSW Young Woman of the Year (aged 16-30)
• NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year
• NSW Regional Woman of the Year

Young girls aged 7-15 who show acts of courage, strength, determination and kindness to help support those around them can also be nominated in the Ones-to-Watch award category by parents, carers and teachers. 

The NSW Government’s Women of the Year Awards will be held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on Thursday 5 March 2026.

To nominate an exceptional woman in your life or community, visit the NSW Women of the Year Awards web page. Nominations close Tuesday 9 September.

Apply for Women’s Week Grants now

Grant applications of up to $50,000 for organisations to host NSW Women’s Week events in March 2026 are now open.

NSW Women’s Week is about recognising and celebrating the outstanding contributions women make to our community.

Events must be held within NSW Women’s Week, which begins Monday 2 March and ends on International Women’s Day, Sunday 8 March. They must also align with the objectives of the NSW Women’s Strategy (2023-2026), including:

• increasing opportunities and providing career pathways for women in the workplace
• improving women’s health and wellbeing, and safety in the community
• challenging gendered expectations and supporting women’s participation in society.

Organisations interested in hosting events that encourage women and girls to participate, uplift focus communities and challenge gendered norms are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).

Successful EOIs will be invited to complete a full grant application.

To view the guidelines and submit an EOI, please visit the 2026 NSW Women’s Week web page. EOI applications for the NSW Women Week grants close on Tuesday 19 August.

Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said:

“We all know extraordinary women and girls in our lives and our communities. They’re from all walks of life, doing their best to make the world a better place. They might be ground-breaking thinkers, social reformers, innovative role models or just everyday heroes. Help us give them the recognition they deserve by nominating them for a NSW Women of the Year Award.

“The NSW Government is keen to work with local organisations to develop events and activities for NSW Women’s Week to help celebrate, connect and honour the women and girls in our lives. This annual showcase of the stories and remarkable achievements of women across our state is a chance to highlight the incredible creativity and diversity of the fantastic women in New South Wales.

“I encourage organisations to put your heads together and share your ideas with us to help make our 2026 Women’s Week the best yet.”