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The Morrison Government is investing in innovative strategies to address the barriers preventing people with mental illness from finding and keeping a job.
Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston said the Government has committed an additional $45.7 million to extend two programs dedicated to helping young people with mental health difficulties join the workforce.
The funding will be used to double the number of headspace sites running the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support Program to 50 and to support headspace National to continue the Digital Work and Study Service.
“A job is a game-changer and that is why the Government is so focussed on helping people to get into work,” Minister Ruston said.
“This program has never been more important given we have seen young people disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in terms of jobs losses, which we know can compound the mental health impact so many are feeling as a result of the pandemic.”
Member for Reid, Dr Fiona Martin MP, said the Individual Placement and Support Program will now be run at the Ashfield headspace thanks to the additional Government investment.
“The program is a tailored approach that can help improve job outcomes for young people experiencing mental health difficulties,” Dr Martin said.
Having practised as a psychologist prior to entering Parliament, Dr Martin is confident that evidence-based programs can affect real change.
“This is fantastic news for our local community because we know career assistance hand-in-hand with clinical support can make a profound difference in the lives of young people and ensure they can reach their full potential.”
Professor Patrick McGorry, executive director of Orygen which runs the program with headspace, welcomed the Government’s commitment to making a real lasting difference in the lives of people who face barriers to work.
“The onset of mental illness often occurs in young people which, by the age of 25, can significantly affect their ability to transition from study to work,” Professor McGorry said.
The expansion of the Individual Placement and Support Program will allow more than 6,000 youth under the age of 25 experiencing mental health difficulties across Australia to receive specialist vocational and employment support in tandem with clinical treatment to find and keep a job over the next four years.

The launch of a NSW Higher Education Strategy will drive strengthened and effective partnerships between government and the higher education sector that will be vital to supporting a strong COVID-19 recovery.
Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said the five-year strategy will help the government to harness the power of the sector to meet emerging social, economic and environmental challenges.
“Recent challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, bushfires and ongoing drought in parts of NSW, have highlighted the importance of strong partnerships between the NSW Government and the higher education sector,” Mr Lee said.
“The Strategy will build on the strong working relationship we already have with our world class higher education institutions and will guide the development of new and ongoing collaborations as the state recovers.
“Universities and other higher education institutions play a key role in our state, they educate our citizens, produce world class research and make a significant contribution to our economy.”
The Strategy is the result of extensive consultation across the higher education sector and NSW Government.
The Convener of the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee Professor Barney Glover AO said that the new Strategy recognises the pivotal role of the sector to generate opportunities for the people of NSW.
“The university sector in NSW and the ACT is diverse, dynamic, impactful and accessible and is world class for research, teaching and student experience.
“The Strategy provides a clear vision for bold and innovative collaboration across a range of priority areas aimed at contributing to the economic and social productivity of NSW,” Professor Glover said.
“Universities look forward to working closely with the NSW Government on implementation of the Strategy over the next five years and I commend the NSW Government for its leadership and strong support of the sector.
The Strategy identifies five priority areas for greater alignment between the higher education sector and NSW’s priorities for social and economic development:

• Develop and broaden post-school options to foster lifelong learning;
• Ensure wider participation in quality higher education;
• Drive job growth, skills and innovation;
• Strengthen collaborations to bolster research outcomes; and
• Position NSW globally by reinvigorating and diversifying international education and engagement.

 
Implementation of the Strategy will be led by the NSW Department of Education in close consultation with the higher education sector and key stakeholders across government.
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Students in Dubbo will be the first to benefit from the record-breaking investment in regional digital education when they return to school this week.
The upgrade is the first rollout of the NSW Government’s $365.8 million Rural Access Gap investment, providing rural and regional schools access to the future of digital technology.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said she wants to see all students have access to the same educational facilities and opportunities no matter where they live.
“I want every student learning at our schools in regional NSW to enjoy the same opportunities as their metro peers,” Ms Mitchell said.
“This investment in technology will provide students and teachers learning in the regions with more opportunities than ever before.
“Students can access subjects previously only available in larger schools, and teachers have additional support and a broad library of professional development options.
“As someone who was educated in regional NSW, I know how important and life-changing creating these opportunities will be and how important improving regional education is for our communities.”
The package will support more than 1000 regional and rural schools across the state with the very best digital teaching and learning tools including new devices in the classroom for students, laptops for teachers and training for staff so that they can drive the best use out of this investment.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said this program would provide teachers with laptops, improve student device ratios and allow all regional schools to be upgraded with high-speed access.
“High-performance web-conference tools will allow our regional students and teachers to use a mix of telepresence and on-site teaching resources which will push them into endless development and curriculum possibilities,” Mr Dominello said.
Orana Heights Public School in Dubbo is one of the first schools to have their classrooms fitted with smart boards, five times faster internet access, laptops for all teaching staff  and additional student devices.
Local Member Dugald Saunders said he is excited to see 28 schools in the region equipped in the same way as Orana Heights public school.
“I am excited to see the delivery of the Rural Access Gap to our Dubbo students. We all know the importance of technology, and it’s really exciting to see our country students have access to it,” Mr Saunders said.
After being rolled out in Dubbo, the RAG will be provided to a further 81 schools in Term 2 this year, with the remaining schools upgraded by mid-2023.
The Program is estimated to generate around 5,000 jobs, including 1,786 regional jobs directly created by program spending.

For the first time in its 160-year history, NSW cricket has a home of its own.
Cricket NSW CEO Lee Germon was joined by Federal Member for Reid, Dr Fiona Martin MP, and State Member for Ku-ring-gai, Alister Henskens SC MP, to officially turn the sod for the $50 million NSW Cricket Centre at Wilson Park, Silverwater in Sydney Olympic Park.
Through the support and generosity of the NSW and Federal Governments, and funding contributions by Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW, construction for Stage 1 has commenced for the world-class training and administration headquarters.
The Centre has been made possible thanks to a $30 million contribution from the NSW Government and a $5 million contribution from the Federal Government.
Stage 1 construction includes a full-sized playing oval to International Cricket Council standard, about 50 outdoor turf practice nets, a 15-lane indoor cricket training facility and a high-performance gym and recovery facilities.
The Centre will be a dedicated year-round cricket training and administration facility that will cater for elite and developing male and female NSW players, as well as thousands of club and community cricketers.
Mr Germon thanked the NSW and Federal Governments for their strong support of cricket.
“This soon to be world-class facility will allow boys and girls to train alongside their NSW cricket heroes, inspiring the next generation of exciting young players,” Mr Germon said. “Thank you for your generosity and commitment to the future of our great game”.
Dr Martin said, “these new facilities will be used all year round and will support cricket at every level, from our local grassroots groups through to elite players. Importantly, the project will also create local jobs during construction that will help secure Australia’s economic comeback.”
Alister Henskens, NSW Parliamentary Friends of Cricket co-chair, said, “the Centre is an important community facility. By putting 35,000 community players with elite athletes, it will provide benefits for both groups. This facility will be great for our female athletes, who are the fastest growing group in cricket.”
The NSW Cricket Centre will be home to the NSW Blues and NSW Breakers squads and Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers BBL and WBBL squads as well as the headquarters for nearly 150 Cricket NSW staff. The Centre will also be utilised by more than 35,000 club and community cricketers annually.
Stage 1 completion is scheduled for mid-2022.