Category: NSW News

South Western Sydney motorists are a step closer to safer, faster trips home and to work, with an Expressions of Interest (EoI) open today to design the upgrade of a 1.8km stretch of Henry Lawson Drive.

As the next stage of the Henry Lawson Drive project, the NSW Government is calling on industry to register to tender for the upgrade of the section between the M5 and Auld Avenue, Milperra.

Known as Stage 1B, this stage of the project will include:

• Widening Henry Lawson Drive to two lanes in each direction and creating new connections between Auld Avenue, Keys Parade, Raleigh Road and Henry Lawson Drive.
• Upgrades of key intersection at Keys Parade, Bullecourt Avenue, and Pozieres Avenue, such as turning lanes and traffic signals.

As a key connector road to Bankstown Airport and residential areas of Milperra, the upgrade will ensure drivers in this part of south-west Sydney will get a safer road with shorter travel times.

Upgraded intersections with Auld Avenue, Keys Parade and Raleigh Road will be delivered as part of the stage 1B upgrade along with continuous pedestrian and cycle links to places like the Auld Avenue sporting fields complex and Milperra Sports Centre.

The designs for this section will incorporate improvements that have come out of community consultation, including changes to shared paths and crossings to minimise tree removal and improve safety.

Construction work on the nearby $144 million Stage 1A upgrade of Henry Lawson Drive is powering ahead, with widening and safety works between Auld Avenue and Tower Road, including the intersection with Newbridge Road.

This work builds on the improvements made in the Georges Hall section of the upgrades completed last year. There are now improvements completed, in delivery, or in design along almost eight kilometres of Henry Lawson Drive.

Transport for NSW will provide updates as the wider project progresses and the community is encouraged to share any additional feedback.

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“This is an important upgrade for Southwest Sydney residents. The work on Henry Lawson Drive will mean less congestion, faster and safer trips for motorists.

“We look forward to industry providing the designs that will allow for construction of this next stage.”

Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“The Henry Lawson Drive upgrade is providing more capacity for motorists which means improved access for families to local schools and community facilities like the Auld Avenue sporting fields complex and Milperra Sports Centre.

“We listened to the community during consultation and have acted on that feedback. The revised proposal improves traffic flow by including lane widening on Keys Parade and Raleigh Road near the planned roundabout connecting the two roads.”

Member for East Hills Kylie Wilkinson said:

“This proposal is supported by the community but requests were made by locals for a number of changes following the display of the Review of Environmental Factors.

“Lengthening the left turn lane from Henry Lawson Drive into Bullecourt Avenue has been addressed so drivers have a better line of sight.”

Working families across NSW are set to benefit from more access to early childhood education and care, including new programs, longer hours, weekend operating hours and additional places, as part of a new $20 million program.

The Flexible Initiatives Trial (FIT) aims to address parents’ barriers to workforce participation, particularly for women, by supporting early childhood services to adapt their offerings and hours where a local community need is identified. 

Some 16 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services across metropolitan and regional NSW will receive more than $2.8 million in funding as the first round of successful applicants is announced. 

Examples of the family-friendly benefits can include:

• extending hours of operation beyond traditional working hours
• providing flexible pick-up and drop-off times
• giving families the ability to make occasional or ad hoc care arrangements
• establishing new family day care services in rural and remote areas
• partnerships between two different service types to provide extended or wraparound care.

Successful applicants through this round include Plumpton Long Day Care & Preschool, where an early intervention preschool program is now being developed and the number of licensed places is being increased by 10.

According to data from the Australia Early Development Census, there is a large number of high needs children in the Plumpton area, and the service is developing an early intervention program that will complement its existing preschool program.

Other successful applicants include Possum Early Childhood Centre in Hazelbrook extending their operating hours by 3 hours each day, Clarence Community Preschool in Grafton who will begin offering services on Saturday and Sunday, and The Yarm Gwanga Preschool and Early Education Centre in Armidale, which will expand their service by 50 new places to provide University of New England staff, students and members of the public with increased work and study options.

A full list of successful Round 1 trial applicants is below.

This is just part of the NSW Labor Government’s long-term commitment to support children and young families in the early years, which includes an historic $769 million investment to build 100 new public preschools in NSW, which is the largest investment in public preschools in the state’s history.

We have also committed $60 million to build and upgrade preschools at 50 non-government schools in areas where they are needed most, and $17 million to support capital works for early childhood services.

The NSW Government is also growing the number of early childhood workers through a major scholarship program, which continues to see a record number of applicants. 

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“Every child in NSW deserves to start school with strong educational foundations, and we know early childhood education is vital in setting young children up for success.

“This trial is supporting existing services to expand their offerings and respond to the needs of their local communities. 

“This will look different in different areas across the state, with more flexibility and expanded offerings, which is a great outcome for parents and our youngest learners.”

The 16 services to receive grants are:

• Little Genius Cottage, Chifley 
• Possum Early Childhood Centre, Hazelbrook
• Nurture and Grow Early Learning Centre, Miranda
• Dee Why Children’s Centre, Dee Why
• Plumpton Long Day Care and Preschool, Plumpton
• Tyndale Early Learning Centre, Blacktown
• Diocese of Broken Bay Early Learning Centre, Forestville
• Bundgeam Preschool, Kyogle
• Bowral Street Childcare, Bowral
• Denison Street Early Learning Centre, Tamworth
• Menindee Children’s Centre, Menindee
• Federal Community Children’s Centre, Federal
• Yarm Gwanga Preschool and Early Education Centre, Armidale
• Clarence Community Preschool, Grafton 
• Yamba Early Learning Centre, Yamba
• A new family day care service, to be run by Bega Valley Family Day Care.

The NSW Opposition has condemned the Minns Labor Government for slashing public school budgets by almost $150 million, despite promising its union deals would not impact classrooms.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said principals had been blindsided by the decision that will leave students across NSW worse off.
 
“This announcement came without warning, and now school principals are forced to look at cutting staff and programs to find savings – all because the Minns Labor Government has lost control of the Budget after trying to mislead the public into believing that their union deals wouldn’t cost anything,” Mr Speakman said.
 
“In practice, this will mean students could be left without crucial learning support staff, as well as having wellbeing programs slashed and school upgrades cancelled.
 
“The timing is also concerning. The school year is well underway, meaning key decisions have already been made and people have already been employed for specific roles. This is not good enough and our kids deserve better.”
 
One school principal has revealed their school will be shortchanged by at least $150,000 and will now need to look at cutting staff.
 
Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the Minns Labor Government needs to come clean to parents about how their children will be affected. 
 
“For more than six months now, we have been calling on the Education Minister to tell us where the ‘savings’ for these union deals would come from, but now we know our students are the ones that are going to pay the price,” Ms Mitchell said.
 
“Prue Car went out in the media and misled parents and teachers, assuring them the money would not be taken from schools because she had found enough savings from within the bureaucracy.
 
“Now we could see fewer school jobs and resources, which will have direct consequences on learning – parents have every right to be furious.”

Today marks 30 years since the start of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, a period of unspeakable brutality and inhumanity.

In just 100 days, more than one million people, including entire families, were slaughtered simply because of their ethnicity.

We honour those who lost their lives and the resilience of those who carry forward their memories.

Australia acknowledges the deep suffering of the Rwandan people and recognises that Rwanda’s story is not defined only by these events.

The country’s journey to recovery is a rightful source of pride for the people of Rwanda.

Australia remains unwavering in its support for accountability for serious international crimes committed in Rwanda, including through the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which carries forward the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

From today, more than 1.1 million motorists will begin to see a demerit point scrubbed from their licence as reward for maintaining good driver behaviour during the first year of the NSW Government’s demerit point trial that promotes safer roads.

The 12-month demerit point trial, which ended on January 16, provided an incentive for drivers to follow the rules and those who remained offence-free will now benefit with a demerit point removed.

The scheme gave 1.7 million motorists the chance to have a demerit point erased, with about 65 per cent of those to benefit from Sunday.

The trial has been extended for another 12-months as the NSW Government sharpens its focus on road safety in 2024.

Anyone with a NSW unrestricted licence, including professional drivers, and a demerit point on their record, has another opportunity to have a point scrapped if they remain offence-free between 17 January 2024 and 16 January 2025.

The vast majority of eligible motorists will see their demerit points removed immediately, but a small cohort will need to wait until offence notifications are finalised and court settlements processed.

To find out more about the Demerit Point Trial Scheme, visit https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/topics-tips/demerit-points.

Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“Thanks to the drivers who followed the rules over the twelve month trial we are all safer as a result.

“The NSW Government believes in encouraging safety and the demerit point trial is part of our carrot-and-stick approach to reward good driving behaviour as well as appropriately penalising poor behaviour on the roads.

“I urge all motorists to renew their commitment to safe driving in 2024. The demerit point trial can provide further incentive to do so.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“Many people in regional NSW depend on driving for their livelihood or just to get around and do not have the public transport alternatives of other more populated areas. The reward of a demerit point being removed will be a meaningful one to many of those people.

“This trial is unapologetically about encouraging safer driving and that’s exactly what we need in the regions where we have a third of the state’s population but more than two-thirds of all road fatalities.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“Eligible drivers will not have to do anything as they will automatically have their demerit point returned. Drivers will be able to check this in their demerit point summary of the Service NSW app or by logging into their MyServiceNSW account via the Service NSW website.”

“Customers can also check their demerit points balance at their local Service NSW Centre by showing their NSW driver licence or people can contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 if they have any questions.”

The NSW Opposition has hit out at the Minns Labor Government’s reckless decision to add to teacher workloads while reducing critical supports, by removing assistant and deputy principals from their existing roles.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said the Minns Government is failing in its promise to deliver more teachers and is instead putting additional pressures on the current workforce which is already stretched thin.
 
“These roles were created to ease pressure on teachers, helping them to manage discipline in the classroom, support students with additional learning needs and to guide staff who are at the beginning of their teaching career,” Mr Speakman said.
 
“Instead of delivering additional teachers that the Minns Labor Government had promised, they’re just moving the numbers around, stacking more responsibilities onto classroom teachers at a time when we know that burnout is a massive issue.”
 
Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell also criticised the lack of action on the teacher shortage issue, with today’s announcement just a rehash of a last year’s announcement.
 
“Labor’s suggestion that these roles can simply be eliminated without negatively impacting teachers and students is self-evidently completely untrue, and undermines the complexity of our schools and the important roles these staff play,” Ms Mitchell said.
 
“The simple fact is that nothing has changed since the Labor Government’s announcement four months ago, and what’s more concerning is the Education Minister still hasn’t provided any detail on how assistant and deputy principals will be expected to split their workload between their teaching and support roles or what the impacts on schools will be.”
 
“The Minister needs to tell parents and school staff exactly which positions will be cut, and how this will affect students and learning outcomes.”
 
“The Minister today let the cat out of the bag, saying “our focus is to get costs under control” – an admission that this is really about the Minns Labor Government being unable to pay for its wages deal with the unions. Labor promised its pay deal would not cost the state anything, but now it is clear our kids will be the ones who pay the price.”

The NSW Labor Government is pressing ahead with major improvements to heavy vehicle access, freight connectivity and road safety in western NSW by investing in construction of a new concrete bridge at Rawsonville, 21 kilometres west of Dubbo.

The existing timber bridge at Rawsonville was built in 1916. It no longer meets modern design standards and is unable to be used by heavy vehicles with higher mass limit loads.

By investing in the replacement of the ageing timber bridge over the Macquarie River, the NSW Labor Government will unlock more opportunities for economic growth in the Dubbo region while improving the safety of all road users and reducing travel times.

Early work for the Rawsonville Bridge replacement project will start on Monday 8 April, with preliminary earthworks to construct new approach embankments for the future new bridge.

The work will take about 10 weeks to complete, weather permitting.

The next stage of the project, inviting bridge construction tenders, is expected to take place around the end of 2024.

The preliminary earthworks will mean some changed traffic conditions for motorists in the area.

Work hours will be 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, weather permitting.

Traffic control and a reduced speed limit of 80 km/h will be in place during work hours on the Mitchell Highway at the intersection with Rawsonville Bridge Road.

The speed limit on Rawsonville Bridge Road will be reduced to 40 km/h during work hours and 80 km/h outside of work hours.

Intermittent single lane closures may be required on Rawsonville Bridge Road throughout the earthworks.

In addition, traffic control and a reduced speed limit of 80 km/h will be in place on the Mitchell Highway at the intersection with Burrabadine Road during haulage of material from the stockpile at this site that will be used in the work.

All motorists are reminded to keep to the reduced speed limits, follow the direction of traffic controllers and signs throughout this work and allow up to five minutes of extra travel time.

Transport for NSW will continue to update the community as the Rawsonville Bridge replacement project progresses. More information is available on the Transport for NSW website.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“I’m proud the NSW Labor Government is investing an extra $6.4 million needed to get this job done.

“I recognise the importance of the project and all the hard work put in by the project team to get this estimated $18.9 million project shovel ready.

“Once completed, the new Rawsonville Bridge will deliver safer and smoother journeys for road users through wider lanes and better road approaches, increased load capacity for heavy vehicles, improved access for wide vehicles and reduced road closures.”

Dubbo Duty MLC Stephen Lawrence said:

“Used by local traffic, tourists and vital regional freight operators, Rawsonville Bridge is an important crossing of the Macquarie River that links the Mitchell Highway to the Dubbo-Burraway Road and the Newell Highway between the towns of Dubbo and Narromine.

“When the existing bridge is closed for maintenance, motorists are faced with a 45-kilometre detour to travel from one side of the river to the other. A new bridge will put an end to that frustrating inconvenience.

“We appreciate the patience of all motorists as preliminary work gets underway on this important addition to western NSW’s roads infrastructure.”

The NSW Government is set to turbocharge housing-related infrastructure in key growth areas across the state with a $62.5 million funding boost.

The State Voluntary Planning Agreement (SVPA) program, established in 2010 under the then NSW Labor Government, uses developer contributions to deliver state and regional infrastructure in growing areas.

The latest round of the program will support projects in 12 local government areas across the Lower Hunter, Illawarra, North West and South West Growth Areas, Wollondilly and the Central Coast.

This important infrastructure will support up to 135,000 new homes forecast to be built across these areas over the coming decade.

The $62.5 million in grants to councils and state agencies will go towards building and repairing roads, improving stormwater drainage, building new parks and improving local environments in growing communities.

Councils and state agencies from each area can now nominate projects for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) to consider. Shortlisted projects will be assessed by an independent technical expert and reviewed by an internal DPHI review panel, with investment recommendations submitted to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces for approval.

Since the program’s launch, over $220 million in contributions have been collected from developers and invested in 30 state and regional infrastructure projects supporting more than 70,000 new homes.

Successful projects to receive funding include an upgrade of Richmond Road in Marsden Park and acquisition of land for a new fire station in Cessnock.

This is another way the NSW Government is supporting the creation of more housing to address the crisis facing our state. If we don’t do something about supply, we are at risk of being a city with no young people.

To nominate a project, visit SVPA Funding Nominations, or visit NSW Planning for more information.

Projects nominations are open between Thursday, 4 April from 9am and Wednesday, 29 May 2024.

The 12 eligible local government areas and funding contributions are summarised below: 

Eligible collection area	Funding contribution
Central Coast Council	$4.04 million
Shellharbour City CouncilWollongong City Council	$6.3 million
City of NewcastleCessnock City CouncilLake Macquarie City CouncilMaitland City CouncilPort Stephens City Council	$21.2 million
Blacktown City CouncilThe Hills Shire Council	$4.45 million
Camden Council	$4.8 million
Wollondilly Shire Council	$21.64 million
Total	$62.5 million

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“When new homes are built, it is important that the infrastructure to support those new homes is also delivered.

“Under the previous government, the gap between homes and infrastructure, in too many cases, was far too long. That’s why the Minns Government has reformed infrastructure contributions and is using the $62.5 million in State Voluntary Planning Agreement grants to close the infrastructure gap.

“This program is helping us maintain a rolling pipeline of infrastructure that supports new homes and jobs where these funds are collected.

“It builds on our $2.2 billion NSW Budget Housing and Infrastructure Plan announced in the last Budget and on key planning reforms introduced to accelerate the delivery of much needed housing in places where people want to live.

“I look forward to the projects funded under this program helping to make a real difference in our growing communities.”

The NSW Government is continuing strong investment in the NSW Women in Construction Program, supporting work needed to progress a significant shift in the construction industry.

As part of this initiative, a number of projects are piloting increased targets for women in trades and non-traditional construction roles across the state.

Currently underway, the Women in Construction Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program has strategically funded 16 project officers on 19 government infrastructure projects across the state, including:

• Powerhouse Parramatta, Parramatta 
• Wentworth Point New High School, Wentworth Point 
• M7/M12 Integration Project, Cecil Park 
• Sydney Childrens Hospital, Randwick
• Newell Highway Upgrade – New Dubbo Bridge, Dubbo.

The Project Officers directly support contractors and sub-contractors to achieve these targets, and will identify and report on progress, lessons learnt, issues, barriers, and develop strategies to achieve these targets. They also link workers with available training opportunities and resources, and connect with local schools and universities to work towards building a pipeline of workers.

Early reports indicate positive progress, with an increase in women’s participation on the pilot project sites. With a significant government investment of $117 billion into the infrastructure pipeline over the next 4 years, the need to diversity the construction workforce is not just a priority, but a necessity.

The NSW Government plans to leverage data from these pilot projects to assess the viability of implementing mandatory women in construction targets for all future government infrastructure projects. 

For more information on this transformative program visit the Women in Construction website. 

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:

“This latest proposal was developed using the success of the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program which has demonstrated that all targets can be achieved and in a number of cases over-achieved.

“The current Infrastructure Skills Legacy target for women in trades is 2%.  We are looking to increase this to 4% as part of this initiative.

“Recent data from Training Services NSW indicates that women in construction trade apprenticeships has already increased from 1% to 2.5%

“This is just one of many NSW Government-led initiatives aimed at delivering an increased take-up of trade apprenticeships and occupations in the construction sector by women across NSW.”

Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said:

“We are committed to reducing gender segregation and attracting more women to male-dominated industries – and construction is one of them.

“The Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program is a key program to make sure we boost the number of women in the sector in a targeted way, by supporting their employment, upskilling and retention. Project officers embedded in NSW government projects will support this, as well as helping to improve the culture within industry to make it more inclusive.

“Lifting women’s participation in construction is not only the right thing to do for diversity in the industry but it plays an important role in addressing the current skills shortages.”

Lizzie Cox, Project Director at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage 1 and Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre, John Holland said:

“With the help of the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program, John Holland Group, has achieved the target for women in non-traditional roles – which is currently sitting at 8% and is tracking well towards achieving the women in trades target.

“We are extremely proud that the project has also achieved the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program targets for the workforce participation of Aboriginal People, people under 25 and for local community employment.”

Western Sydney is the epicentre of toll relief under the NSW Government’s $60 toll cap, with 350,000 e-tag account holders entitled to a rebate after the first three months of the scheme.

Eligible accounts will receive an average $134 cash rebate per quarter with the majority flowing to Western Sydney. 

Data shows the Government is getting cost-of-living assistance to where it is needed most, with Kellyville, Baulkham Hills, Greystanes, Marsden Park and Moorebank making up the top five suburbs for e-tag account holders eligible to claim toll relief.
 

Suburb	Accounts entitled	Average rebate
Kellyville	7,406	$145
Baulkham Hills	6,604	$168
Greystanes	5,952	$195
Marsden Park	5,491	$195
Moorebank	5,220	$147

Some suburbs have fewer eligible claims but a higher average rebate per account. They include Lakemba ($309), Auburn ($266), Bankstown ($235), Rosehill ($232) and Villawood ($227).

A total of $46.8 million is available to be claimed after the first quarterly period. 

Drivers who spend on average $200 per week on tolls will receive approximately $7280 in rebates each year. 

A fair use provision will ensure the integrity of the scheme, with motorists able to claim up to $400 in tolls for a maximum rebate of $340 a week for each tag or licence plate on a toll account.

To be eligible, a motorist must:  

• Be a NSW resident;  
• Hold a personal toll account with a NSW toll service provider, taking private trips on a NSW toll road, excluding those on the M5 South-West for customers registered for the M5 South-West Cashback Scheme at the same time, and  
• Spend more than $60 a week from their individual tag or licence plate on tolls on eligible, personal trips.

From Tuesday 9 April, eligible customers can visit the Service NSW website and link their toll account with Service NSW to make a claim.

For more information about the rebate, visit the Service NSW website.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“We know the toll burden is hitting families who can least afford it most, particularly parts of western Sydney that have fewer public transport alternatives to getting in the car and paying tolls. 

“The $60 toll cap is a key part of the NSW Government’s commitment to provide cost-of-living relief to families at a time when they are doing it tough.

“We promised to deliver this toll cap ahead of the election and I am glad to see it is drivers in Sydney’s west who will benefit from toll relief the most – proof that our policy is reaching those who need it most.”

Minister for Western Sydney Prue Car said:

“For too long the former Government imposed an unfair tax on the families of Western Sydney.

“Delivering toll relief for the West will significantly ease the financial burden for working families.”

Minister for Roads John Graham said: 

“The toll cap is designed and operating as a cost-of-living relief measure that provides support for those people who do not have the choice to avoid toll bills in getting around Sydney.

“An average $134 cash rebate will be welcome to families doing it tough and I encourage people to make their claims if they are a regular toll road user.

“The cap is part of a multilayered approach by the NSW Government, providing immediate relief as we look at ways to make the toll network more equitable for all with the assistance of the independent Toll Review being led by Professor Allan Fels.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said: 

“When applications open next Tuesday, we want motorists to hit the pedal to the metal and lodge their claim with Service NSW. 

“We have made the application process simple to use – you can link your toll account to your MyServiceNSW account, view your Toll Tracker and then if eligible, submit your claim. It will be even quicker if you have your details like your toll account number and bank account information ready to go. 

“Anyone who needs Service NSW assistance linking their toll account and making claims can call 13 77 88 for help or visit their nearest Service NSW Centre.”