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The Minns Labor Government is investing $26.2 million to spearhead the next wave of emissions reduction technologies, supporting cutting-edge solutions which deliver both environmental and economic benefits to the state.

The Clean Technology Innovation grants support 13 projects across NSW to advance their technologies from research to commercial businesses, these include:

• Underwater robotic hull cleaners that reduce ship emissions and fuel consumption, eliminate harmful coatings and prevent the spread of invasive species.
• A drag-reducing adhesive film for aircraft, inspired by the skin of fast swimming sharks, that reduces emissions.
• Testing a cleaner method to extract lithium for batteries, to make the process more efficient and cost effective.
• Turning farm waste into green hydrogen and ammonia using a new on-farm technology.
• Setting up the world’s first commercial manufacturing facility for Printed Solar, which was rolled out in stadiums during Coldplay’s world tour.

The Minns Labor Government is delivering this significant funding injection as part of the $275 million Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative to fuel new investment, new jobs and new opportunities for NSW businesses, industries, communities and workers.

The grants focus on developing and implementing technologies that don’t currently exist in the marketplace but have the capability to reduce emissions and assist with the state’s net zero targets.

Each project will progress through stages including design, prototyping, construction, testing and real-world scenarios to ensure commercial viability. Funding ranges from $400,000 to $5 million per project.

In addition to the NSW Government’s funding, the projects have also successfully attracted $46.9 million in private investment, demonstrating strong industry confidence in their potential.

The successful projects must be completed by 2028, delivering tangible outcomes in the state’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

For more information visit www.energy.nsw.gov.au/business-and-industry/programs-grants-and-schemes/clean-technology-innovation.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Penny Sharpe said:

“The Minns Labor Government is investing in the new technologies, jobs and industries that will drive our state’s transition to a low-carbon economy, create new jobs as we address the critical challenges climate change presents.

“This investment will see these projects transition into practical, real-world solutions for emissions reduction that also boost innovators, investment and new jobs.”

Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Anoulack Chanthivong, said:

“Building a green innovation economy is critical to NSW’s long-term prosperity.

“These projects are a perfect example of our Industry Policy in action, which has identified the transition to a net zero economy as one of its three key missions, alongside local manufacturing and increasing housing supply.

“This is also an example of our Innovation Blueprint coming to life as we build clean technology communities that fuel technological advancements as well as new investment, new jobs, and new opportunities right across the state.”

CEO and Founder of Novalith, Steven Vassiloudis said:

“Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the global energy transition, not just by exporting minerals, but by exporting the technology that makes them cleaner, cheaper, and more sustainable to produce.

“This support from the NSW Government recognises the vital role homegrown solutions like Novalith’s can play in building resilient supply chains and accelerating the world’s shift to a low-carbon future.”

Summary of funded projects:

Applicant Name	Funding granted	Product/ Project description
MicroTau, St Peters	$2,500,000	MicroTau is exploring how to produce more of its special riblet film product, inspired by the skin of fast swimming sharks, which sticks to planes and helps them move through the air more easily. By reducing drag, it can lower fuel use and cut emissions from the aviation industry.
Novalith Technologies Pty Ltd, Alexandria	$1,500,000	This project focuses on scaling its novel lithium extraction process to a commercial scale. The technology enables the sustainable production of low-cost, low-impact lithium carbonate directly from spodumene to strengthen global supply chains of battery materials.
PlasmaLeap Technologies, Marrickville	$2,584,617	Testing a cleaner, cheaper way to make fertiliser directly on farms. It will design and build a small, low-emission fertiliser unit for regional NSW, helping farmers cut costs and reduce environmental impact.
5B Holdings Pty Ltd, Mascot	$2,500,000	Developing and testing the Next Generation Maverick Solution: a new solar panel system that’s faster to build, easier to install and cheaper to produce. It’s designed to work well even in places where labour costs are high, helping make solar energy more affordable and scalable.
Hullbot, Rozelle	$1,943,218	Developing robotic hull cleaners to cut ship fuel use and emissions by 20%, eliminate toxic coatings, and stop invasive species. This project will scale up the robot design and production system to deliver the service to ships.
H Nu Pty Ltd, Gosford	$432,500	Build a production line for novel fibre-optic based, lightweight, highly accurate current and voltage measuring systems for high-voltage grids. This type of low-cost, accurate metering is key to a successful renewable grid.
Sicona Battery Technologies Pty Ltd, Unanderra	$1,675,000	Validate the technical and commercial feasibility of Edge Functionalised Graphene technology through a pilot plant, ensuring it meets industry standards for energy efficiency and sustainability.
Lab 360 Solar Pty Ltd, Maryvale	$1,775,000	Transform daylight photoluminescence (DPL) inspection methods into a commercial tool that can be used at scale. By improving the technology and data analysis, it will help solar operators find faults, boost performance and lower costs.
FPR Energy Limited, Mayfield West	$4,850,000	Commercialise FPR Energy’s particle based concentrated solar thermal technology, to provide long duration green heat and power. These battery energy storage systems cater to industrial, commercial and residential needs.
Renewable Metals Pty Ltd, Muswellbrook	$1,100,000	Assess the feasibility of NSW’s first commercial lithium battery recycling refinery. It would help build a local recycling industry, support clean technology and keep valuable battery materials in use across energy, transport and industry.
HydGene Renewables Pty Ltd, Lane Cove	$2,500,000	This project is turning farm waste into green bio-hydrogen and ammonia – clean fuels that can be used on farms. It will demonstrate a scalable technology that can be used on farms, boosting the agriculture sector, enhancing sustainability and reducing waste.
Kardinia Energy Pty Ltd, Shortland	$2,255,000	Setting up the world’s first commercial manufacturing facility for Printed Solar – lightweight, flexible solar panels that can go where traditional ones can’t. It opens up new markets and takes clean energy to more places.
BT Imaging, Waterloo	$598,391	Pioneer the development of the world’s first in-line Photoluminescence and Machine Vision solution with automated tuning. It will help make solar cells more efficient and cost-effective.
TOTAL FUNDING	$26,213, 726

This year marks a major milestone for one of New South Wales’ most important netball competitions-Premier League turns 10.

Launched in 2016, Premier League has cemented itself as the pinnacle netball competition in NSW, showcasing the state’s top current and emerging talent every Wednesday night at Netball Central.

Over the past decade, it has become the undisputed breeding ground for future stars of Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) – athletes, umpires, coaches and bench officials – offering a fiercely competitive environment that mirrors the intensity of Australia’s elite domestic league, considered the best in the world.

SSN representatives such as GIANTS Netball players Amy Sligar, Maddie Hay and Erin O’Brien, NSW Swifts Sophie Fawns, Freddie Schneideman and Grace Whyte, Melbourne Mavericks stars Tayla Fraser and Amy Parmenter along with Emily Moore from the Queensland Firebirds are all alumni of Netball NSW’s Premier League.

“The exposure to week in week out competition of Premier League was an amazing stepping stone into the SSN,” former Premier League and current SSN GIANTS Netball player Amy Sligar said.

“I started Premier League as a 15-year-old and continued to play as I moved through Super Netball Reserves and into SSN. I was incredibly lucky to play with and against so many amazing players, including current and former Suncorp Super Netball players.”

As a high-performance stepping stone, Premier League provides crucial development opportunities for players, coaches, umpires and administrators, bridging the pathway between community netball and the elite stage of the Super Netball Reserves and Suncorp Super Netball.

“Premier League also provided an opportunity to work with many great coaches. The lessons I learnt on and off court have helped shape my career in Suncorp Super Netball,” Sligar concluded

NSW Swifts Head Coach Briony Akle reinforced the value of the Premier League in building the next generation of SSN talent.

“I love the Premier League and coached in it early on, and I really think it has helped hugely in the development of talent into SSN,” said Akle

“So many past and present Swifts have come through Premier League such as Sophie Craig, Tayla Fraser, Teigan O’Shannassy, Lili Gorman-Brown and Lauren Moore. Some of our players still play in it to get high-quality game-time.

“Today we have the likes of Sophie Fawns, Freddie Schneideman and Grace Whyte who’ve also had huge development in it.

“It’s not just Swifts, many Giants have emerged from being part of it too and I reckon it’s hands down the best league of its kind in Australia.” affirmed Akle

Stacy Harding, General Manager – Competitions at Netball NSW, said the competition is an essential part of the state’s high-performance system.

“Premier League is where NSW’s next generation of stars are tested. It offers the best and most fierce competition to blood athletes for the ferocity of Suncorp Super Netball. Week in, week out, it demands elite intensity and prepares our players for the next level.”

Over the past 10 years, dozens of Premier League athletes, umpires, bench officials and coaches have stepped up to Super Netball contracts, national honours, and even international representation. It’s a track record that reflects both the depth of talent in NSW and the critical role this competition plays in nurturing future stars.

To celebrate the milestone, Netball NSW is launching a fan-led campaign to name the Premier League ‘Team of the Decade’.

Across Netball NSW and Premier League social channels, fans can cast their votes for the best player in every position, as well as the Coach of the Decade-a fun and nostalgic way to honour the standout performers of the past 10 seasons.

The finals series for Premier League commences on Wednesday 23 July, with the Grand Final taking place on Sunday 3 August at Ken Rosewall Arena at Sydney Olympic Park. All matches are available to watch live and on demand at https://netballnsw.tv/

The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to build a better NSW, today opening a high-tech facility that will fabricate the new Western Harbour Tunnel and create around 700 quality manufacturing jobs in Western Sydney.

The new, purpose-built facility at Emu Plains will precast individual concrete segments and culverts. They will then be put in place by the two largest tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in the Southern Hemisphere as they excavate under Sydney Harbour.

The walls, roof and floor of the huge tunnel, which is the size of three Metro tunnels, will be fitted together from thousands of concrete pieces made by skilled local workers and fitted together like a giant precision-cut jigsaw.

More than 13,000 concrete segments and nearly 1,400 culverts will be custom built in the state-of-the-art facility in Emu Plains, before being transported to the tunnels via the M4 and WestConnex.

The Emu Plains site is an Australian first. It is expected to operate for up to three years for the project and has the potential to be used by other projects or businesses in future, making it a lasting legacy of the tunnel project.

The tunnel boring machines are expected to arrive in Sydney later this year, before being assembled deep underground below Birchgrove. They will tunnel 1.5km from Birchgrove to Waverton, under the Sydney Harbour seabed, connecting the northern and southern ends of the project.

The Minns Labor Government is investing $4.2 billion over four years to deliver Sydney’s first road crossing of the harbour in almost 30 years.

The 6.5 kilometre tunnel will connect the Warringah Freeway in North Sydney to the WestConnex M4 and M8 at Rozelle Interchange, helping drivers bypass the CBD and making it easier, faster and safer to get around Sydney.

As the Government continues to champion women’s economic opportunities, particularly in historically male dominated industries, of the 700 jobs created at this facility there will be a target of 50 per cent women. Over 7,000 construction jobs will be created through building the Western Harbour Tunnel.

Due to open to traffic in 2028, under the Minns Labor Government this city shaping Project will remain in public hands. This is in direct contrast to the former Liberal National Government who sold off roads which were paid for and owned by the People of New South

Wales, resulting in rising toll prices controlled by a private company and have continued to champion privatisation from opposition.

You can find more details on the project here

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said: 

“This is a city shaping project which is literally being manufactured piece by piece in Western Sydney.

“We know that Sydney is growing, and we are working hard to address the housing crisis and bring Sydney’s CBD back to life – the fact is we can’t do any of that if we don’t have the roads we need to get people safely and quickly from A to B.

“Today’s announcement is a big milestone in our work to deliver this major project. At the same time this will provide a massive boost for our states manufacturing capability, bringing more jobs and opportunity to Western Sydney.

Minister for Roads and Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison said:

“It’s exciting to see this facility open for business today and ready to build Sydney’s second harbour tunnel with local talent and world’s best technology.

“We are proud of the work to encourage more women into construction through this new facility.

“The Western Harbour Tunnel is one of 23 Government pilot projects trialing increased targets of for women in trade and introducing a new target of 7% for non-traditional roles.”

Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Acting Minister for Western Sydney Courtney Houssos said:

“Delivering a project of this scale requires specialised manufacturing and state-of-the-art technology. We’re investing in smart, modern manufacturing right here in Emu Plains to lift our capabilities.

“This project is another example of how our Minns Labor Government is spending our government procurement dollars to create more well-paid, highly skilled jobs right here in NSW.

“We’re backing Western Sydney workers by providing them the tools, opportunities and facilities to deliver this critical piece of infrastructure, right at their doorstep.”

Member for Penrith, Karen McKeown said:

“Emu Plains has a long and proud history of manufacturing quality infrastructure, and it’s great to see that continue with this new facility.

“700 quality, manufacturing jobs right here in Western Sydney is a massive win and I’m proud of the Government’s work to promote gender equality in a historically male dominated industry.

“The opening of this factory in Emu Plains proves yet again that we are the engine room of the state.”

The Minns Labor Government has spent $11 billion more on public sector wages than it told the people of New South Wales it would. Meanwhile, it has cut infrastructure funding for schools, hospitals, transport and water, the very things families need to keep moving, working and living well.
 
Acting Leader of the NSW Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the Government has lost all sense of balance.
 
“We have always backed fair pay for the frontline workers who serve this state and we always will, but when pay increases come with delays, cuts and crumbling services, the people paying the bill start asking where their money is going,” Mr Tudehope said.
 
Ten percent of people in New South Wales are public servants. The other ninety percent of NSW rely on the public services that are now being squeezed.
 
Under this Minns Labor Government:
 
Transport infrastructure has been cut by $21 billion since 2022
 
Water infrastructure is facing a $5.9 billion hole under the regulator’s draft ruling
 
$1 billion has been stripped from the health capital budget
 
Hospital projects been shelved or stalled or re-announced with micro updates to appear as if the government is doing something.
 
Elective surgery waiting lists have returned to near-COVID levels, with more than 100,000 patients waiting
 
Labor went to the election claiming wage increases would come at no cost, offset by productivity. That never happened. The result is a government that has run out of runway — high wages, low delivery, and no long-term plan.
 
Frank Sartor, a former Labor minister, warned of this very risk in his book The Fog on the Hill. He wrote:
 
“From 1997 to 2010 public sector wages and salaries in New South Wales grew at a rate way above not only their interstate counterparts, but those in the Commonwealth public service and the NSW private sector in real terms… NSW public sector workers were being indulged compared with their counterparts… Because of union control of the Labor government, a very significant economic rent was being paid… This annual extra cost severely restricted the government’s capacity to fund vital infrastructure projects such as new rail links.” (Frank Sartor, The Fog on the Hill, p. 45)
 
That is what is happening again, and it is happening faster.
 
Budget papers show that by 2028, wages will consume 55 percent of discretionary spending, up from 46 percent just two years ago. That leaves less than half the budget to serve everyone else.
 
We need to support our workers and the people they serve. Labor has forgotten the second half of that promise.

The Albanese and Minns governments are getting on with delivering the critical infrastructure Western Sydney needs, with the NSW government today signing a contract to upgrade an infamous traffic chokepoint in Sydney’s south west with Seymour Whyte.

The project includes a new three lane toll-free bridge over the Georges River and train lines at Liverpool, improving the connections between the M5 Motorway, Moorebank Avenue and the Hume Highway.

The upgrade includes the removal of the weave on the M5 Motorway between Moorebank Avenue and the Hume Highway to improve safety and traffic flow for road users entering and exiting the M5 Motorway.

The project will also include a new underpass at Moorebank Avenue, connecting the M5 Motorway westbound to the Hume Highway, and upgrade the intersection between the M5 Motorway and Moorebank Avenue.

The existing bridge over the Georges River, which connects the M5 Motorway to the Hume Highway and Moorebank Avenue, sees more than 2,500 trucks a day move from the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Precinct onto the Sydney motorway network.

Afternoon peak sees traffic bank up, as cars and trucks entering the motorway westbound at Moorebank Avenue attempt to merge with traffic already on the motorway that is looking to exit at the Hume Highway. Truck numbers on the interchange are also expected to increase as new sections of the expansive Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Precinct come online.

The Albanese and Minns governments are partnering to build a better NSW through investments in major infrastructure. Both have each committed $190 million towards this project as part of the ongoing Western Sydney infrastructure blitz.

Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:

“This upgrade will ensure the conga-line of trucks coming in and out of the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Precinct can flow more freely, keeping goods moving to their destinations, while delivering real benefits for commuters during peak periods.

“Western Sydney is growing quickly and the Albanese Government is investing over $19 billion to deliver the transport infrastructure Western Sydney needs.”

Acting Premier Ryan Park:

“Western Sydney is the economic powerhouse of our state, and investments like this M5 upgrade ensure we’re building the infrastructure backbone to support continued growth and prosperity.

“We’re not just building roads, we’re building opportunities for families, businesses and freight operators who depend on efficient connections across the growing region.”

NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison:

“Today’s contract signing is a major milestone that brings us one step closer to getting shovels in the ground on the infrastructure Western Sydney needs.

“This upgrade will slash congestion and create a safer driving environment for the thousands of motorists who use this critical interchange every day.

“The contract is signed, the builders are ready, and soon we’ll be improving connections across our region. The extra lanes will remove the need for around 3,900 vehicles per day to weave between lanes, making journeys safer and faster for families and freight operators alike.”

Member for Hughes David Moncrieff:

“This is fantastic news for my community in south west Sydney. For too long, locals have been stuck in traffic at this congestion pinch point, especially during afternoon peak periods.

“This upgrade will eliminate a major bottleneck and help traffic flow along the M5, making a real difference to the daily lives of families and workers in our area. It’s great to see both levels of government working together to deliver the infrastructure we need.”

Member for Werriwa Anne Stanley:

“This is great news for residents of Werriwa who utilise this road every day.

“The improvement in traffic flow will save commuters time and stress. I look forward to the completion of this long awaited and necessary section of road.”