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Fourteen iconic events from Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to the TCS Sydney Marathon and Tamworth’s Country Music Festival, will benefit from less red tape in recognition of their importance to our state’s identity.

The Minns Labor Government is introducing a new events framework, and announcing the first round of Foundation Events, to secure our calendar of events, including the Sydney Festival, the Parkes Elvis Festival, Vivid Sydney and the Bathurst 1000.

Events are a significant contributor to the NSW visitor economy. In 2023-24, events supported by the Destination NSW alone delivered $1 billion in visitor expenditure for the state. In classifying these events as foundation, we not only protect them but also ensure their ongoing contribution to the NSW visitor economy, support for local businesses and role as jobs creators.

The new framework complements the NSW Government’s focus on experience tourism to keep visitors coming back to enjoy our iconic events time and again.

The event framework recognises that foundation events contribute not just economically but to the cultural fabric and tradition of the state. For example, the NRL Grand Final should be assessed and supported differently to a travelling Premier League match due to its significance over many decades to NSW. 

Beyond generating economic value through direct event visitation, the framework will assess the social contribution and community benefits, as well as social and cultural legacy of events.

The event framework gives event organisers certainty, which allows them to innovate with programming, drives culture, connects communities and generates economic growth.

Foundation Events will be assessed differently, and provided additional support –

• Prioritised for a minimum 3-year Strategic Investment Agreement with Destination NSW (or 3 events for bi-annual events) with renewals negotiated one year prior to the last event. This gives events greater certainty and room to plan.
• A more favourable regulatory environment will support events to maximise benefits for the community.
• An event assessment approach which provides greater consideration of strategic, economic, marketing and brand, social and cultural benefits.

Events included in the first round of Foundation Events

• Bathurst 1000
• Biennale of Sydney
• Bluesfest
• Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash
• Deni Ute Muster
• NRL Men’s & Women’s Grand Final
• Parkes Elvis Festival
• Sydney Festival
• Sydney Fringe Festival
• Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
• SXSW Sydney
• Tamworth Country Music Festival
• TCS Sydney Marathon
• Vivid Sydney

This list will be reviewed periodically, and more events will be announced in the future.

Minister for Arts, Tourism, Music and the Night-Time Economy, John Graham said:

“We are building the calendar and investing for growth. These events light up the calendar, they have become part of who we are, and it’s time we give them the recognition and certainty they deserve.

“The NSW calendar has an incredible line up of events, special times in our annual calendar that allow us to come together for iconic moments. The foundation events framework gives these festivals certainty so they can keep producing these important experiences for us all to share.

“What these incredibly fun and unique events speak to, is government supporting local communities to play to their strengths and then tell their local story to the world. Locals know what works in their patch. We support them to do it!

“The foundation events framework gives events certainty, which drives culture, connects communities and generates economic growth.”

Background

• The three new event categories
  • Foundation Events: Regular, recurring events that may grow in size and significance over time. These events are often essential to NSW’s identity and visitor economy.
  • Major Events: Large-scale events that bring in significant visitor economy and economic benefits. They could happen once or several times and have a major impact on an area.
  • Local Events: These events are typically smaller in scale and contribute to a local visitor economy and the community.
• The stage process:
  • Step 1: Classify the event
  • Step 2: Assess the event based on criteria
  • Step 3: Make a recommendation and prioritise

The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia’s future, today announcing $750 million to boost development of new technologies to ensure our metals manufacturers remain globally competitive.

Australia is already prized for its alumina, aluminium, iron and steel, and this funding will value add to our high quality Australian metals exports worth over $150 billion annually.

Part of the $1.7 billion Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund announced at Budget 2024/25, this new $750 million of funding will supercharge cutting-edge innovation and boost development of new low emissions technologies.

The Fund will support the development of cutting-edge new technologies, as well as funding pilot and demonstration projects, that can lower emissions, improve productivity and revitalise plant and equipment.

It will have the potential to unlock commercial-scale production of green metals using Australian ores and renewable resources, opening the door to more trade opportunities, more jobs, more value-adding and lower emissions.

Funding will be administered independently through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Building on the Albanese Labor Government’s significant support for manufacturing, this latest investment is part of more than $5 billion now allocated to supercharge Australian metals industry.

Together these initiatives demonstrate the Albanese Labor Government’s clear determination for sovereign metals manufacturing to remain in Australia’s future.

• Green Aluminium Production Credits
• Green Iron Investment Fund
• Joint package with SA Government to give steelmaking in Whyalla a strong future
• Funding for clean energy technology manufacturing – accelerating the deployment of emerging battery technologies, wind turbine manufacturing and hydrogen electrolysers
• Funding for low carbon liquid fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.
• Passing legislation to deliver Production Tax Credits for hydrogen and critical minerals, which was opposed by the Liberals and Nationals
• Investment in major critical minerals and rare earths projects through the Critical Minerals Facility including Iluka and Arafura
• Investing in Geoscience Australia to accelerate the discovery of resources
• Funding Hydrogen Headstart to catalyse Australia’s hydrogen and clean energy industries
• Investing in green metals through the Powering the Regions Fund

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“We want to see more Australian workers make more things here.

“That’s why we are allocating funding to back our local metals manufacturers to seize the opportunities of the future.

“We’ve got the resources, the workers, and the know-how – the only thing we don’t have is time to waste.”

Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic:

“Jobs up and emissions down, that’s our goal and investing in our world-class Australian made metals know-how is helping make that happen.

“The work of our scientists and researchers can sharpen our competitive edge, but getting that work into our mills and smelters quickly is a challenge, and that’s where this investment comes in.

“Demand for green metals is expected to account for a third of the global metals market in coming years, this is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

“For a century, metal-making has been the spine of Australian industry, and this investment is there so it continues to underpin our economic and national security resilience for decades to come.”

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen:

“The Albanese Labor Government is backing businesses across the country to seize the opportunities of a Future Made in Australia, powered by low-emissions tech including reliable renewables.

“While we are getting on with the job and delivering solutions for hard-to-abate sectors to decarbonise right now, Peter Dutton’s Coalition is championing a $600 billion dollar nuclear scheme that relies on a smaller economy and Australian industry being forced to shut down.

“Helping some of Australia’s largest industrial emitters, like alumina refining, capture the benefits of a global clean energy economy, cut fuel bills and remain competitive is at the centre of a Future Made in Australia.”

Parliament is set to pass laws that end no grounds evictions and rental bidding today as the Victorian Greens claim this as a ‘huge win for renters’ and renew calls for rent controls.

The reforms to ban no grounds evictions and rental bidding are included in the Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill 2024, which is slated to pass through the Upper House later today with support from the Greens.

After years of pressure from the Greens, Labor has finally delivered some relief for struggling renters but the Greens say that while these are huge reforms that have been long fought for, rent controls are the final piece that will make the biggest difference for renters.

The laws set to pass today will make it illegal for real estate agents to accept offers above the listed rental price; end the ability for landlords to kick renters out at the end of a first fixed term agreement; increase notice period for rent increases and notices to vacate from 60 to 90 days; protect renters’ privacy and end hidden fees through predatory third party apps.

The Victorian Greens Renters’ Rights spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri said these are tangible reforms for renters, but that until unlimited rent increases are made illegal, housing will still be unaffordable and insecure for renters.

Victorian Greens Renters’ Rights spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“For too long landlords and real estate agents have been able to prey on renters, forcing them to bid against each other for a roof over their heads and then kicking them out for no reason. But after years of Greens pressure, today we’re making that illegal.

“These reforms are a huge win for renters, but we know that a massive rent increase is still just a de facto eviction and that to make a real difference in the lives of renters, we need to make unlimited rent increases illegal. We’ll keep standing up for renters and pushing Labor until we freeze and cap rents.”

On the eve of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia and the sixth anniversary of the Christchurch mosque massacre, the Greens Deputy Leader and Anti-racism spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has called on the Prime Minister to stop the targeting of Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians and to start combatting rising Islamophobia. 

Following the publication of the Fifth Islamophobia in Australia report, Senator Faruqi has written to the Prime Minister urging the government to drop the one-sided approach to racism, unequivocally acknowledge the breadth and depth of rising Islamophobia and reject political narratives that fuel Islamophobia. 

Senator Faruqi said:

“Rather than tackling Islamophobia with the urgency it deserves, Muslim, Arab and Palestinian communities who are bearing the brunt of this racism are being silenced, demonised and gaslighted, especially over the last 18 months of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

“It has been six years since an Australian far-right terrorist murdered 51 people in a Christchurch mosque. This should have been a turning point but both Labor and the Liberals still ignore the reality for Muslims in this country, treating us like second class citizens.

“It is 2025 and mosques are threatened with violence, racist graffiti is rampant and people are losing their jobs and being demonised in the media for opposing a genocide. 

“Communities are suffering but the Prime Minister refuses to treat Islamophobia like the emergency it is. In fact, the Labor Party is pouring fuel into the fire through its complicity in Israel’s genocide on the Palestinian people.

“It is deeply disturbing that Muslim women are largely the target of the rise in Islamophobia. The particularly toxic crossover of racism and sexism really harms us. 

“People are rightly angry at the double standards in the way Muslims in this country are treated. The Prime Minister must drop the one-sided approach to racism, unequivocally acknowledge the breadth and depth of rising Islamophobia and loudly reject political narratives that fuel fear, blame and hatred against Muslims. 

“Muslim communities are not hapless victims of racism. We are sick and tired of being taken for granted, used as photo props and for harvesting votes. People are organising and ready to hold political leaders who have failed them to account. 

“We’ve had enough. People are hurt, angry and frustrated by the glaring double standards and hypocrisy of the two big parties when it comes to tackling Islamophobia. We can see right through them.

“Politicians deliberately neglect, and even deny, Islamophobia while hiding behind whitewashed buzzwords. All this does is bury the truth and entrench white privilege.

“I urge the Prime Minister to fully fund the implementation of the National Anti-racism Framework in the upcoming budget so we can start to eliminate all forms of racism, bigotry and hate.

“The Greens are the only party with an anti-racism portfolio, and the only party committed to fighting all forms of racism, something that the Labor and Liberal parties cannot say.File