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The M12 Motorway is a step closer with the community invited to provide feedback on plans for the connection across Western Sydney.
Minister for Roads Andrew Constance said an Environmental Impact Statement for the new 16 kilometre motorway is on exhibition from today allowing locals to have their say on the project.
“The M12 will provide direct access to the new Western Sydney International Airport and connect to Sydney’s motorway network,” Mr Constance said.
“The M12 project will be delivered as part of both governments’ $4.1 billion Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan.”
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said the project demonstrates the NSW Government’s commitment to creating well-connected communities.
“The new airport will boost investment and growth opportunities by better connecting Western Sydney to international businesses, students and tourists across the globe,” Mr Stokes said.
“We are working with the Federal Government to ensure that road and transport infrastructure is in place, to better connect the region to the rest of Sydney before the first plane takes off.”
The M12 will provide a new motorway between the M7 and The Northern Road with two lanes in each direction and three major interchanges. A new off-road shared user path will provide better safety and connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians.
A number of drop-in sessions will be held from Saturday 19 October until mid-November for the community to learn more about the proposed upgrades and provide feedback.

From next January, south-west train customers will benefit from a new direct morning peak service from Leppington to Schofields via Parramatta, boosting capacity and making journeys more comfortable on the popular T5 Cumberland Line.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance said demand for T5 Cumberland Line services has surged, with 30 per cent more south-west customers catching trains towards Parramatta this year.
“By boosting capacity on an increasingly busy part of the network, customers across the south-west region including Glenfield, Liverpool and Cabramatta will enjoy a more comfortable and convenient morning commute,” Mr Constance said.
“Customers from the T8 South Line between Macarthur and Macquarie Fields will also benefit from the new service as it provides an extra connection at Glenfield to T5 services headed towards Parramatta and further west.”
The T5 Cumberland Line has become more popular since it was extended to start at Leppington in November 2017.
“With modern air-conditioned trains, direct links from Leppington to Parramatta and Blacktown, as well as late night and weekend services, demand on this part of the network continues to grow. That’s why we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to do everything we can to improve your daily commute.”
The new direct all-stops morning peak service departs Leppington at 7.07am, arriving at key stations such as Parramatta at 7.49am, Blacktown at 8.07am and Schofields at 8.17am.
The existing 7.21am all stops Leppington to Schofields service will instead depart at 7.37am, arriving at key stations such as Parramatta at 8.19am, Blacktown at 8.37am and Schofields at 8.47am.
“By giving customers an extra direct morning peak train and adjusting other services, the gap between trains will reduce to every 30 minutes during the peak period, and in some cases, the wait will be just 16 minutes,” Mr Constance said.
These improvements will take effect from Monday 6 January.

The NSW Government is providing stronger protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in police custody by implementing reforms following the inquest into the tragic death of Rebecca Maher.
Attorney General Mark Speakman and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Harwin said the Government has moved swiftly to expand the Custody Notification Service (CNS), an initiative run by the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS) to provide 24-hour legal advice and an R U OK phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people taken into police custody.
“NSW Police are obliged to notify the ALS after taking an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person into custody in connection with an offence to ensure they get appropriate support. This reform expands the CNS, so police must now also call the service if an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is taken into protective custody for intoxication,” Mr Speakman said.
“The NSW Government is grateful for the ALS’s ongoing delivery of the CNS and to the Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt for providing the necessary funding to support this important expansion.”
Mr Wyatt said the Morrison Government was proud to support this critical service.
“We are investing $1 million to support the delivery of the CNS in 2019-20 – almost twice as much funding compared with 2018-19 levels,” Mr Wyatt said.
Mr Harwin said this is a necessary reform in response to the findings of State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O’Sullivan in July this year.
“The 2016 death of Aboriginal woman Rebecca Maher at Maitland Police Station is a terrible tragedy. We don’t want to see these horrific circumstances repeated, which is why we are acting to provide better protection for First Nations people,” Mr Harwin said.
The CNS was formally established in 2000 in response to recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Ms Maher was the first Aboriginal death in a NSW police cell since the introduction of the CNS. Under the system, trained lawyers carefully respond to welfare concerns including threats of self-harm, access to medication, notification of injuries and ensuring police provide a duty of care.
CEO of the ALS Karly Warner said the CNS provides a critical health and legal lifeline for more than 18 000 Aboriginal people every year.
“Aboriginal men, women and children in custody trust the ALS because they know our lawyers will advocate strongly for their legal, health and family welfare. We welcome the NSW Government’s reforms in this area, and the Federal Government’s support to expand the CNS.” Ms Warner said.

Australia’s solar industry is set for a major boost thanks to research involving a startup company and UNSW Sydney, supported by the NSW Government to embed solar panels into building materials.
Minister for Energy Matt Kean said the project with startup Solspan Pty Ltd – supported through the NSW Government’s Boosting Business Innovation Program, aimed to integrate solar panels into sheet metal for use on building roofs and walls.
“It’s fantastic to see more grants going to innovative renewable energy technology.
“I encourage our entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists to think big about our future energy needs. It’s innovation like this, that will make energy more affordable, reliable and clean and will shape our 21^st century grid,” Mr Kean said.
Small Business Minister Damien Tudehope said the $18 million Innovation Program was all about helping businesses tap into the top-notch research of the State’s universities and the CSIRO to develop new products and services.
“Bringing together great business and academic minds gives our entrepreneurs confidence to invest in their ideas and support to help them succeed.”
Solspan managing director Wade Blazley, a builder for 40 years, said a matching $15,000 TechVoucher grant under the Boost program helped him work with UNSW to integrate solar photovoltaic cells into his ‘Solspan’ sheet metal building panel.
“Our integrated solar building panels would be used to construct roofs and even walls on buildings, making the separate installation of solar panels unnecessary.”
Associate Professor Anita Ho-Bailllie from UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering said researchers had successfully integrated thin film silicon solar cells into Solspan’s sheet metal panels.
“Now we need to make the solar building panels weatherproof by putting a transparent and flexible protective layer on top, and ensuring they are structurally sound to get building approval to Australian standards.”

BILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN NSW DAMS

• The Morrison and Berejiklian Governments will deliver a $1 billion water infrastructure package for rural and regional communities impacted by the devastating drought in NSW.
• In partnership with the Commonwealth, we will build the first new dam in NSW for more than 30 years.
• This builds on the NSW Government’s record $3 billion in drought support and water security announced since 2017, including funding for 60 bores across 23 communities and 14 pipelines
• The NSW Government has already committed close to $3 billion to drought relief and water security since 2017.
• The NSW Government has been getting on with building critical water infrastructure projects but this was a significant turning point to future-proof the state.

METRO TUNNELS HIT HISTORIC MILESTONE

• Sydney’s new twin metro railway tunnels are now 70 per cent complete as tunnelling reaches the heart of the city deep under Martin Place, with work under the CBD about to head to Barangaroo.
• This historic milestone means 22 kilometres of the Sydney Metro tunnels are now finished in just 11 months.

NSW RECORDS $400 MILLION BOOST TO BOTTOM LINE

• The NSW Government has continued to deliver sound financial management and secure the State’s economic future with Treasurer Dominic Perrottet releasing the Total State Sector Accounts (TSSA) detailing the actual financial result for 2018-19.
• The TSSA show a surplus of $1.2 billion was achieved in 2018-19, a $417 million improvement from the $802 million result forecast in the NSW Budget delivered in June.
• Mr Perrottet said that due to the improved budget result, almost $300 million extra would now be directed into the NSW Generations Fund (NGF) – a sovereign wealth fund set-up in 2018 to enable debt retirement and benefit the State for the long-term.

MINING APPROVAL SECURES ALMOST 300 REGIONAL JOBS

• The NSW Government has today welcomed the Independent Planning Commission’s decision to allow Rix’s Creek South Mine to continue operating through to 2040, securing almost 300 jobs in the Upper Hunter.
• “In just six months, we have approved six mining applications, which has provided almost 2,000 jobs and generated more than $1 billion in investment across NSW.
• “We know our regions are doing it tough in the drought and the continuation of the Rix’s Creek South Mine will secure almost 300 jobs for the community.”

SPEED CAMERA REVIEW PROVES THEY SAVE LIVES

• Fixed speed cameras across the state have reduced fatalities by 80 per cent, according to the latest annual performance review.
• “Last year we lost 347 lives on our state’s roads, and this year’s toll is already at 292. Speeding is the biggest killer. We know speed cameras in the right locations slow drivers down and save lives,” Mr Constance said.
• The review found at the 110 fixed speed camera locations in NSW injuries also fell by more than a third.
• At the 171 intersections where red-light speed cameras are installed, fatalities fell by 74 per cent, serious injuries dropped by 40 per cent and pedestrian casualties almost halved.

NSW GOVERNMENT SWITCHES ON $12.85M MALPAS TO GUYRA PIPELINE

• The $12.85 million Malpas Dam to Guyra pipeline was officially switched on delivering water security for the community of Guyra.
• Mr Barilaro said the project will ensure water for the 2000 people in Guyra who have been doing it tough during this unprecedented drought.
• We made sure this project progressed quickly providing $820,000 in additional emergency funding to get water pumping through the pipeline earlier than planned

PYRMONT TO BE THE NEW GATEWAY TO SYDNEY CBD

• Pyrmont and the Western Harbour precinct will be transformed into the next jobs hub and economic driver of Sydney under a NSW Government plan to revitalise the key inner-city precinct.
• Premier Gladys Berejiklian made the announcement following the release of the Greater Sydney Commission’s (GSC) review into the area’s planning rules.
• Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said the NSW Government would immediately move to amend the planning controls with a focus on jobs and economic activity to better support proposals to develop the area.

MORE THAN 5,500 STUDENTS ACROSS NSW TO BENEFIT FROM SCHOOL UPGRADES

• Seven schools across NSW have been upgraded benefitting more than 5,500 students, thanks to the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government.
• The NSW Government is investing $6.7 billion over the next four years to deliver 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. In addition, a record $1.3 billion is being spent on school maintenance over five years.
• This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

LIGHT RAIL COUNTDOWN HITS HOME STRAIGHT

• Tram testing is ramping up in the CBD – and will soon begin for the first time in Kingsford and Kensington – as Sydney counts down for the commencement of commuter services in December.
• Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Transport Andrew Constance, NSW Police and the NRMA today reminded road users to be alert around the new light rail corridor as testing steps up.
• Sydneysiders will see more trams every day. Driver training extends into the CBD this week and there will be up to 12 trams out testing day and night, seven days a week
• Trams will soon start testing in Kingsford and Kensington.

$28 MILLION TO REALLY FLOAT YOUR BOATS

•  $28 million will be spent on improving maritime facilities across the state.
• The funding is the third round in the government’s Boating Now Program, which has already delivered over 200 projects.
• The investment builds on the original $70 million program which began in 2015.