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Significant reforms to the state’s victims registers passed the NSW Parliament last night, ensuring victim-survivors of serious crimes receive a mandatory notification about their right to sign up as a registered victim, to receive critical information about an offender.

The three NSW victims registers include the Corrective Services NSW Victims Register, Youth Justice Victims Register, and Specialist Victims Register for victims of forensic patients.

Those who opt-in will receive timely, accurate and trauma-informed updates regarding the perpetrator’s progress through the custodial system. 

This may include details about the offender’s location, sentence, parole eligibility, and any changes that may affect the victim’s safety and well-being. 

Registered victims also have the right to make a submission about an offender’s parole where relevant.

Over several months, Corrective Services NSW has hosted consultation meetings with victim-survivors, victim advocates, and victim support services to ensure these changes reflect the views of the people the registers serve.

Eligible victims of serious offenders will receive a mandatory notification letting them know about the relevant register and their eligibility to opt-in.

If victim-survivors do not want to make a decision at the time, they will have the option to be contacted at a later date to discuss the benefits of registration and decide whether they would like to be registered.

Generally, the serious offenders that will cause a mandatory notification about the Victims Register to be sent to a victim-survivor or family member will be:

• An offender who has committed murder
• An offender who is serving a sentence of life imprisonment
• An offender who is serving one or more sentences, totalling a minimum of 12 years in custody, for offences such as attempted murder, serious sexual assault, abduction, and aggravated robbery.

Ensuring victim-survivors continue to have the choice to register is considered to strike the appropriate balance between ensuring that victim-survivors are aware of their right to be on the register, while importantly maintaining victims’ choice and avoiding re-traumatisation.

Work will also be done to make the sign-up process simpler, with fewer technological or communication barriers for non-English speakers.

The Minns Labor Government acknowledges the severe impacts for people directly or indirectly exposed to crime.

A person who has experienced personal violence can suffer long-lasting trauma and the feeling that their safety and security are under threat.

It is for this reason the Minns Labor Government has passed these important reforms to the three victims registers to bolster support for victim-survivors of serious crimes.

Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong:

“Community safety is the top priority of the Minns Labor Government.

“Now that these significant reforms have passed the NSW Parliament, they will ensure victim-survivors of serious crimes know about the victims registers, and have a clear opportunity to sign up and benefit from being registered.

“We have listened to the voices of victim-survivors, and we are responding to their call to improve the system, whilst balancing the critical need to avoid re-traumatising those victim-survivors who do not wish to be re-exposed to the heinous crimes of their offenders.

“Signing up to the victims registers allows victim-survivors or their family members to receive vital information and a choice to engage in fundamental legal processes that will directly impact their lives – things like opposing the perpetrator’s parole and being informed if they are going to be released from prison.

“No-one chooses to become the victim of a violent crime, and that is why the NSW Government is doing everything within our power to support and empower victim-survivors.

“Eligible victims of serious offenders deserve the choice to be on the victims registers and be given the knowledge and agency to engage with the justice system, ensuring no-one is left behind.”

Attorney General Michael Daley:

“Community safety is at the heart of this reform allowing victim-survivors to opt-in to the relevant register and receive important updates about an offender’s location, sentencing and parole.

“This is an important step to help victim-survivors engage in the legal process in a way that is empowering, trauma-informed, and promotes recovery.”

Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Gary McCahon PSM:

“Corrective Services NSW works tirelessly to support victim-survivors through the CSNSW Victims Register. 

“Our highly trained, trauma-informed staff have seen first-hand the impact that good communication can have on the healing process.

“From the moment an offender enters custody, we keep registered victims up-to-date on all significant information about the perpetrator’s progress through the custodial system.

“We can also assist victim-survivors to have their voices heard and make submissions when important decisions are being made regarding an offender’s release.

“Our aim is to give victim-survivors back some of the power they lose when they are directly or indirectly exposed to crime.

“A person who has experienced personal violence can suffer long-lasting trauma and the feeling that their security is under threat.

“Knowing that information will be made available at key milestones, particularly around the timing of release to the community, can provide reassurance to those victim-survivors who choose to receive such information and help them to better plan for their safety.”

Victims Advocate Howard Brown OAM:

“These reforms will ensure that victim-survivors of serious crimes have knowledge and information about the victims registers, and the opportunity to sign up to them if they choose to.

“The victims registers provide the kind of timely, accurate and trauma-sensitive information that victim-survivors may feel that they need to be able to take back control of their lives and well-being, sometimes many years after a serious crime has been committed against them.

“Maximising free and full access to such a vital resource like the victims registers is a major step toward healing for victim-survivors of violent crimes.”

The Minns Labor government is continuing to build a safer New South Wales for women and children escaping domestic and family violence, with two new refuges in south-west Sydney opening their doors this month.

Muslim Women Australia will operate two new Core and Cluster refuges in the Canterbury-Bankstown area, providing secure, self-contained crisis accommodation that caters for larger families with children, including multi-generational households.

The NSW Government recognises the unique needs of migrant and refugee women who face multiple challenges that increase the impact and severity of violence and add barriers to seeking support and securing safety.

With that in mind, the government has invested $5.1 million into these two sites to ensure the design and support services provided are sensitive to families from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

The new refuges are designed to enhance privacy, flexibility and support, while ensuring culturally safe environments for clients with diverse needs, including women and children with disability.

Both sites have access to a nearby service hub, where residents will receive culturally appropriate, trauma-informed support that prioritises their safety and recovery.

Other services will include immigration advice and spiritual support alongside counselling, legal assistance, education, and employment assistance.

The NSW Government has invested $426.6 million over four years in the Core and Cluster program to ensure support for more than an additional 2,900 women and children fleeing domestic and family violence across the state each year. The program will see 49 new refuges built across NSW.

The NSW Government is addressing domestic and family violence from all angles, with last year’s budget of $245.6 million invested in boosting crisis and frontline response, justice reforms, earlier intervention and primary prevention.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:

“It’s our absolute priority that women and children who take the significant step of leaving violence and abuse can find the support they need in a community they feel safe and familiar with.

“Victim-survivors of domestic and family violence should never have to choose between homelessness or staying in an abusive relationship.

“These latest refuges will mean more women and children in south-west Sydney can access safe, emergency accommodation and support to heal from trauma and rebuild their lives.”

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:

“People from multicultural backgrounds, including migrant and refugee women’s, experience of domestic and family violence can be overlaid and compounded by many factors, and they are less likely to seek help.

“This new refuge in the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA will ensure that women and children who flee violence will have a safe place to sleep at night, and support to rebuild their lives in their communities.

“It’s vital that women and children from all diverse backgrounds have access to safe spaces that encourage recovery and healing, and culturally appropriate support.”

Maha Abdo CEO of Muslim Women Australia said:

“Informed by client voices and frontline experience, this significant expansion of MWA’s crisis accommodation services ensures privacy without isolation, cultural and faith-informed care, and flexible, dignified support for recovery and healing.”

Member for East Hills Kylie Wilkinson said:

“This is an important initiative for women and children escaping domestic and family violence in my electorate of East Hills.

“MWA are empowering survivors to rebuild their lives and create better futures by providing secure accommodation alongside comprehensive support services. This crucial work and funding will save lives and make a difference in our community for generations.”

Support:

If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, call the Police on Triple Zero / 000.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence, call the NSW Domestic Violence Line on 1800 65 64 63 for free counselling and referrals, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For confidential advice, support, and referrals, contact 1800 RESPECT or 13 YARN.

The Minns Labor Government is supporting more Aboriginal carers in rural and remote communities in Western NSW with a $300,000 funding boost Carers Investment Grant Program 2025-27.

The funding for the Regional Enterprise Development Institute’s Yadama Yoorayga project will drive greater awareness of support services available to Aboriginal people who care for family and friends.

Many Aboriginal people in New South Wales provide unpaid care to a person with a disability, health condition or due to old age, and account for 3.6 per cent of all carers in New South Wales. While they experience many of the same challenges as other carers, they say they felt less recognised as carers by service providers. In a 2024 National Carer Survey, 30.4% said they sometimes or never feel services are culturally safe.

The Regional Enterprise Development Institute is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation which has served Western NSW for more than 25 years.

This funding will ensure that culturally safe services, which recognise Aboriginal carers’ history and needs are provided. The project includes ongoing education and training to service providers to better equip them to meet the needs of Aboriginal carers in Western NSW. 

Key focus areas of the two-year project include:

• Training service providers to understand the needs of Aboriginal carers.
• Partnering with organisations in Western NSW to connect with Aboriginal carers.
• Creating culturally appropriate programs with community input.
• Setting up systems for ongoing training and education for service providers beyond the project.

The Yadama Yoorayga project is one of seven projects funded under the NSW Government’s
$3.1 million Carers Investment Grant Program 2025-27 to support carers across the state.

For more information about the grants and recipients, including a Carers NSW program to help Aboriginal Health workers better identify and support Aboriginal carers, go to https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/community-inclusion/carers/carers-investment-grant-program.html

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

“Aboriginal carers often integrate cultural practices and values into their caregiving but they can sometimes face limited access to culturally appropriate services.

“The Yadama Yoorayga project will help to deliver culturally appropriate services to Aboriginal communities in remote and rural parts of Western NSW as well as drive advocacy for Aboriginal carers.

“This is another example of how we’re turning our Closing the Gap commitments into action, by caring for our carers.”

Minister with responsibility for Carers Jodie Harrison said:

“Carers are the backbone of their communities, selflessly providing unpaid support to family members and friends.

“Many take on caring duties out of love or friendship so often don’t identify as carers. This means they can miss out on vital assistance.

“This grant funding will raise awareness about all the help available to Aboriginal carers in Western NSW as well as educating local service providers on how to better meet the needs of the community.”

Labor member for Western NSW Stephen Lawrence said:

“The NSW Minns Government is delivering a strong mix of carer support measures for Aboriginal communities across Western NSW, particularly for carers who diligently support their families and communities in so many valuable and meaningful ways.”

Regional Enterprise Development Institute chief executive officer Peter Gibbs said:

“The Regional Enterprise Development Institute has worked with Western NSW communities for decades and is well placed to serve the needs of carers in the area.

“Carers play a huge role in supporting family members and friends with illness or disability, particularly as they grow older. 

“This funding will allow us to deliver a culturally-tailored program in partnership with the community to meet the unique needs of Aboriginal carers.”

More than 4,000 people representing NSW Government agencies are on-the-ground across the Hunter and Mid North Coast completing rapid impact assessments, coordinating a clean-up blitz, repairing roads and undertaking other recovery work.

Workers and volunteers from across the NSW Government, interstate and overseas are on the ground in impacted communities, and teams continue to be deployed to assist with early recovery.

The NSW Government teams include 2,220 State Emergency Service volunteers assisting with recovery efforts, with 350 people supporting from the Rural Fire Service, and around 250 people from Fire and Rescue NSW.

There are also 650 staff and contractors from Transport for NSW, working across the road and transport network to restore access to roads.

Crews have already removed more than 1,500 tonnes of debris from the state road network. So far around 5,500 pothole repairs have been completed including on major roads like the Pacific, Oxley, Gwydir and New England Highways.

More than 20 NSW Maritime staff are also working tirelessly, undertaking 63 urgent taskings ranging from evacuations, transfers and assessment of hazards, and carrying out 420 impact assessments of navigational aids on waterways that have been damaged or displaced on the Manning, Hasting and Camden Haven Rivers.

An additional 24 police have been sent to the region to bolster community confidence, including conducting proactive patrols to deter looting.

In addition to the 4,000-plus NSW Government staff and volunteers, there are also around 2,000 people from councils, electricity companies, telco companies and spontaneous volunteers supporting the recovery effort in impacted areas.

Importantly, the SES is coordinating these teams of community volunteers to ensure the goodwill and hard work makes the maximum impact with clean-up activities.

So far, more than 10,000 cubic metres of waste has been removed from impacted areas.

An additional 76 interstate personnel arrived yesterday from emergency services agencies across the country, bringing the total current interstate support numbers to over 230. In addition, a contingent has arrived from New Zealand.

Around seventy personnel from the Australian Defence Force are in the field, bolstering recovery efforts even further.

So far, at least 8,406 damage assessments have been carried out. Of these, 1,065 buildings have been deemed as currently uninhabitable, including 632 residential buildings. This also includes around 152 commercial and industrial properties and more than 253 outbuildings (sheds etc). Repairs will likely bring a portion of these properties back to an inhabitable state.

At least thirty homes have been assessed as having been destroyed.

While these assessments are progressing, it is important to remember there are around 10,000 properties that need to be assessed for safety, including homes, businesses and other infrastructure.  Seven communities, or around 9000 people, are still isolated, which will delay some assessments.

Residents are asked to remain patient and await advice from NSW SES that it is safe to return before heading home.

Returning home to flood impacted properties can pose a number of health and safety risks.

Floodwater and mud can contain objects and pollutants that are harmful, including garbage, chemicals, debris, sewage, germs such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. NSW Health has important advice about safe household clean up after a flood at: health.nsw.gov.au/emergency_preparedness/weather/Pages/household-cleanup.aspx.

When people return home, they should:

• Take pictures of their properties, before they start cleaning, to assist with insurance claims.
• Leave waste on the kerbside, separating white goods and mattresses from other flood debris.
• Wear protective clothing when cleaning or touching flood-damaged items or material.
• Contact the Environmental Protection Agency on 131 555 for advice if there is any risk that waste contains biological or chemical hazards, or asbestos contamination.

Once items are out for collection, clean-up teams can begin washing out your property.

Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin MP said:

“This is a huge effort from our emergency services and volunteers, from within these communities, across the state and from around Australia.

“Thank you to the local community members who step up in these times, and everyone who is on the ground, in the mud and cleaning up, and thank you to those people helping co-ordinate the early recovery efforts to make sure the hard work is collaborative and effective.

“There are thousands of people on the ground, who have sprung into action to help people in need, and there are more to come.

“We are working on the clean-up as quickly as we can, but we know that is just one step in the recovery journey for these communities, but it’s a step we are committed to working on as swiftly and effectively as possible.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“The response to these floods has been led by our NSW SES volunteers, but all emergency service personnel have been assisting in partnership with local communities.

“This has been a mammoth effort with help arriving from across the state, across the country, and from across the Tasman.

“Although we can’t control the weather, we have been able to control the way we’ve responded to the impact of the floods.

“The work of teams on the ground, cleaning up and rebuilding lives, is inspiring. These are people who leave their families and put themselves in harm’s way for the good of the community.

“Amidst tragedy our volunteers inspire us. They represent the best of us. They stand with these communities as we will stand with them for the long recovery ahead.”

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

“I’d like to thank the Transport for NSW crews who have been working day and night to get our roads moving again.

“As the recovery continues, I want to remind our community to never drive through flood waters, and comply with directions as work to restore road access takes place.”