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The Albanese and Minns Labor Governments are investing almost $25 million to expand clean energy training facilities and grow the vocational education and training workforce needed to support New South Wales’ energy transition.

The joint investment includes:  

• $16.7 million to upgrade and expand training facilities at six TAFE NSW campuses; and
• $8.1 million to strengthen the capability and capacity of teachers, trainers and assessors delivering clean energy training across NSW. 

The announcement was made at TAFE NSW Campbelltown, where a $3.6 million investment will establish electrotechnology training facilities for the first time.  

The new facilities will help meet growing demand for electricians and clean energy-aligned trades in south-western Sydney, while supporting students to train closer to home.  

The Campbelltown project is one of six training facility upgrades being delivered across NSW, including Cessnock, Dubbo, Tamworth, Wellington, and Wyong.  

On top of new and upgraded training facilities, the investment will strengthen the workforce responsible for delivering clean energy training across NSW.  

The $8.1 million workforce package includes:  

• scholarships to help businesses build workplace training and assessment capability and support existing workers to become qualified workplace trainers and assessors;
• upskilling and retraining for up to 500 TAFE NSW teachers in emerging areas like solar panel installation, battery storage, hydrogen safety and electric vehicle servicing; and
• a shared teacher resourcing pilot between TAFE NSW and the NSW Department of Education to create pathways into renewable energy careers for secondary school students.  

Together, these investments will ensure NSW has the facilities, training capability and workforce needed to support growing clean energy industries.  

Federal Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles said: 

“Australia’s clean energy transition is one of the biggest opportunities of our time, and for the first time young people in these communities will be able to train locally and step straight into secure, well-paid jobs in the electrical trade.

“This investment will expand access to high-quality training, delivered in local communities who are set to be at the forefront of this growing industry.

“By partnering with the Minns Government to back TAFE and school partnerships, we are creating a clear path from school to a good job in renewable energy and ensuring Australians are the ones building and benefiting from this transformation.”

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

“The clean energy future of NSW depends on having the skilled workforce to build it, maintain it and power it.

“That’s why we’re investing in both modern training TAFE NSW facilities and the teachers, trainers and assessors who help deliver those skills.  

“Building the clean energy workforce takes more than new infrastructure. By investing in training facilities, industry capability and teacher development, we’re delivering the skills that work for the jobs NSW will need in the decades ahead.”  

Member for Macarthur Dr Mike Freelander said:

“The work to build Australia’s future industries starts right here at Campbelltown TAFE. Cutting-edge skills training and facilities on offer for locals, without having to travel to get the qualifications they need for a great career.

“This is what Labor Governments do – deliver real support and real change for the people of south-western Sydney.”

Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren said:

“This investment is fantastic news for Campbelltown and south-western Sydney, creating new opportunities for local people to train for careers in electrical and clean energy industries close to home.  

“For the first time, TAFE NSW Campbelltown will deliver electrotechnology training, giving more students access to the skills and courses needed for secure jobs in a growing sector.”  

The Minns Labor Government has delivered a new $1.37 million public jetty to improve boat access to Wallis Island on the state’s Mid North Coast, enhancing accessibility and safety for residents and visitors. 

The new jetty, built on the northern side of the island, will make it easier and safer for residents, visitors, emergency services and Traditional Owners to access Wallis Island, while helping protect the island’s sensitive foreshore from damage caused by informal boat landings.

Crown Lands worked with NSW Public Works and the Lakkari Traditional Owner Aboriginal Corporation on the jetty, which comprises a floating pontoon with a reinforced concrete shell and aluminium gangway, connecting via a footpath to a foreshore reserve.

The jetty, with disability access, can accommodate up to 20-person vessels, and will help minimise the environmental impacts from informal boat landings on the island. It will also better support emergency services responses, and provide ongoing cultural access for local Aboriginal groups.

The jetty has been fitted with solar-powered lighting to enhance navigation safety at night and the visibility of moored vessels.

This project reflects the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to delivering practical infrastructure in partnership with Aboriginal communities, while protecting the natural and cultural values of the places we all share.

The project was delivered by M&J Marine Services, a contractor from Port Stephens with strong experience in marine infrastructure.

An Aboriginal artist will be commissioned to produce images which will later be applied to the structure via aluminium panels along the gangway sides and a vinyl wrap at the top of the pontoon piles.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“I’m very pleased to see this jetty built in partnership with the Lakkari Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation to improve access to the island and the appeal of an area so important to the Forster and Tuncurry communities.

“Wallis Island has rich Aboriginal cultural heritage and its pristine environment supports recreational activities like fishing, boating and nature walks.

“This is what good government looks like: working hand in hand with Traditional Owners to protect country while making it safer and easier for the whole community to enjoy.”

Minister for North Coast Janelle Saffin said:

“This new jetty is a fantastic result for our Mid North Coast community. It replaces makeshift landings with a safe, accessible, and environmentally friendly gateway to Wallis Island.

“By working alongside the Lakkari Traditional Owners, we’ve delivered a space that protects the island’s sensitive environment while opening up safer access for local residents, visitors, and emergency services alike.”

Housing completions have fallen more than 30 per cent in the last quarter in a damning indictment on the Minns Labor Government’s approach to the housing crisis in NSW.
 
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Building Activity Data shows just 8,883 new homes were completed in NSW during the March quarter, down from 13,513 in the previous quarter.
 
Just 44,804 homes were completed in the 12 months to March 2026, well below the 75,288 homes required each year to meet Labor’s National Housing Accord target.
 
Leader of the Opposition Kellie Sloane said government taxes, charges and contributions are challenging the viability of projects.
 
“Rather than making up ground Labor is falling further behind, now 40.8 per cent behind its National Housing Accord target,” Ms Sloane said.
 
“When taxes and charges make up almost half the cost of a new home, builders walk away, families miss out and NSW falls further behind.”
 
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Chris Rath said the Minns Labor Government had nothing for housing in the budget and had no plan to solve the crisis.
 
“Instead of pursuing real reform and delivering the homes needed, Labor is pushing forward with a broken model,” Mr Rath said.
 
“Labor makes a big song and dance about its approach, but the harsh reality exposed by this data shows that is not resulting in completed homes.”
 
Over the coming months, the NSW Liberals and Nationals will continue rolling out our plan for a stronger NSW. Housing policies already announced include:

• Pausing Labor’s $13,000 tax on every new home until 30 June 2029.
• Cutting payroll tax for small and medium construction businesses.
• Repurposing the Long Bay Jail site for 12,000 new homes.
• State-led rezoning in Erskineville, Macdonaldtown, Newtown and St Peters for 10,000 new homes.
• Delivering the Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy for a further 10,000 new homes.
• Negotiating a new Western Sydney City Deal to provide a long-term plan that delivers the roads, parks, schools and essential infrastructure our growing city needs.

An exodus of businesses from NSW to other Australian states has again highlighted the need for important reforms to payroll tax proposed by the NSW Liberals and Nationals.
 
Analysis of Bureau of Statistics data by Business NSW has found NSW lost more than 3,000 businesses in the last three years, attributed to high operational costs and tax settings.
 
Queensland welcomed more than 4,000 businesses in the same period.
 
Under changes announced by the NSW Opposition, a Sloane Liberal and Nationals Government will create the most competitive payroll tax regime in Australia by:

• Raising the payroll tax threshold from $1.2 million to $1.5 million.
• Reducing the payroll tax rate from 5.45 per cent to 4.75 per cent for businesses with a total Australian payroll below $10 million.
• Introducing CPI indexation to payroll tax thresholds to eliminate bracket creep.

These reforms will remove around 4,000 businesses from the payroll tax system altogether and ensure a further 25,000 businesses receive the lowest payroll tax rate of any Australian state.
 
Industry groups including Business NSW, the Pharmacy Guild, the Housing Industry Association, Australian Industry Group and Motor Trades Association of Australia have applauded the proposed reform.
 
Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said another 6,200 businesses permanently closed their doors last year alone and NSW had gone from top to bottom of all states on economic output.
 
“Businesses are voting with their feet because NSW has become too expensive to invest, employ and grow,” Ms Sloane said.
 
“NSW needs tax settings that reward growth, investment and job creation, which is exactly what our payroll tax reforms are designed to deliver.”
 
NSW Nationals Leader and Shadow Minister for Small Business Gurmesh Singh said businesses should be rewarded for hiring and encouraged to expand.
 
“When businesses are leaving the state in record numbers, that’s not just a statistic, it’s a warning that NSW needs reforms and businesses need us to back them.”
 
“Businesses are leaving, confidence is at record lows and Labor still has no plan to make NSW competitive again, but the NSW Liberals and Nationals do.”