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Motorists in Western Sydney suburbs located nearby one or more tolled motorways are benefitting most from toll relief after 12 months of the Minns Labor Government’s $60 weekly toll cap.

There are now five suburbs in the $1 million club where paid claims total $1 million or more – Blacktown, Baulkham Hills, Auburn, Merrylands and Marsden Park.

The NSW Government is today urging drivers everywhere to familiarise themselves with the toll relief claim process because there is a little under twice as much money available to be claimed in relief than has so far been paid out under the scheme.

Since the cap was introduced on 1 January 2024, $75 million has been paid to motorists but the total that can be claimed exceeds $215 million – leaving $140 million still to be claimed as of today.

Toll relief has become a key cost-of-living support measure under the Minns Labor Government after the Liberals left behind a total toll bill of $195 billion in nominal terms that must be paid by motorists out to 2060 on top of the billions they have already paid.

The Government is progressing toll reform in negotiation with the private toll road concessionaires while providing vital toll relief through the $60 cap.

In Marsden Park, it is estimated that motorists are eligible to claim $3.1 million but have so far been paid out just over $1 million, leaving $2.1 million to be returned. Likewise in Greystanes, eligible toll relief is approximately $1.97 million, with over $660,000 so far returned to drivers, according to Transport for NSW data.

With the claim period for the fourth quarter of 2024 having opened on January 9, there are now 720,000 toll road users eligible to make a claim.

A little over 276,000 claims have been paid out, with $277 being the average claim returned to motorists.

There are 115 suburbs where the average claim is $300 or above, including, Parramatta, Lidcombe, Schofields, Westmead, Toongabbie, Merrylands and Auburn.

As part of a “fair use” provision in place, motorists can claim up to a maximum of $340 per week for each tag or licence plate number after they pass $60 paid on tolls in any one week.

Claims for quarter four of 2024 (30 September to 29 December) opened on Thurs 9 January 2025 with eligible motorists able to claim for 2024 toll spend until Monday 30 June 2025.

Drivers who have spent more than $60 a week on toll trips are encouraged to visit the Service NSW website, link your toll account to your MyServiceNSW Account and claim if eligible. 

Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“The $60 toll cap is a critical cost-of-living support for hundreds of thousands of drivers, many of whom really have no viable alternative than to use Sydney’s toll road network to get to work or get the kids where they need to be.

“When we designed the toll relief scheme we did so with those suburbs in mind where paying a toll is the price to get around and where in many cases public transport service is nowhere near the level of service enjoyed by other parts of Sydney.

“Labor does not forget these suburbs that were saddled with such high tolls by the previous coalition government. We know people are doing it tough and the toll cap is making it just that little bit fairer for drivers that heavily rely on the toll roads.

“The NSW Government is progressing with toll reform to make tolls fairer overall. I want to remind motorists to get on to the Service NSW website and claim what they are entitled to in relief.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“The quarterly data keeps telling us that it is the people whose journeys start and end in Western Sydney who are claiming the lion’s share of toll relief, and this is where it is needed most.

“Drivers from the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, and Wollongong are also benefitting in great numbers, showing just how far and wide the benefits are flowing.

“This is a great initiative we have delivered through Service NSW to put money back into people’s pockets at a time when they need it most.

“The claim process is quick and simple to follow on the Service NSW website but if you need that extra support to understand the process, team members at Service NSW Centres across the State are ready to help in person or via 13 77 88.” 

The Minns Labor Government has launched a new program of low-cost technology trials on highways throughout regional NSW to prompt safer driver behaviour on roads in 2025. 

The $5 million Smarter Highways program will harness emerging and existing technologies in innovative ways to address driver behavioural issues that can lead to crashes. The aim is to improve journey management, especially when a major disruption occurs. 

Each trial will feature technology that detects an issue on the network causing systems to be activated to warn drivers about hazards and, if possible, provide alternative options.

Most of the trial technologies are wireless solar-powered systems that can be installed relatively cheaply and are also tailored to suit individual sites, taking into account the environment and conditions of the road. 

Smarter Highways is part of a suite of measures to improve road safety but also aims to use technology to help create a safer work environment for road crews, traffic managers and emergency workers by reducing the amount of time they are exposed to live traffic.

Transport for NSW will trial the technologies on state managed highways but also consider how they could be adapted for use on local roads, in partnership with councils. 

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said: 

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to making our road network safer, more reliable and more resilient to better connect our communities. We are always looking at harnessing innovations in technology as they become available.

“What’s so important about Smarter Highways is that the technology’s focus is to effect behavioural change and reduce risky driving actions, such as not driving to the conditions, that we know contribute to deaths and injuries on our roads.

“I’m glad that the Smarter Highway technologies will be trialled in the regions because outside of the cities, driving is often the only available form of transport and sometimes there are no alternative routes, so we need to make those journeys safer. 

“Key to these innovations is improving safety for road crews by reducing the risks of carrying out works near traffic. The aim is to minimise the amount of time work crews have to spend in live traffic environments by increasing the use remotely controlled traffic operations, which creates a safer work environment.”

The Smarter Highway trials

Smarter Highway Activated Vehicle and Environmental Systems (SHAVES)

• Self-adaptive electronic signage with machine learning capability which is able to predict events and provide motorists with advance warning of hazards such as black ice, smoke or wildlife.
• Designed to replace the current processes whereby maintenance crews need to source and locate portable Variable Message Signs (VMS) to high-risk areas.
• Includes three components to warn motorists – prism signs with vertical slats that slide across to reveal different warnings, VMS screens and flashing lights
• Solar powered with high-capacity batteries, localised radio communications between signs, and full Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity for real-time remote access and status reporting.
• Trial locations under investigation

Permanent traffic counters – Road Pod Vehicle Magnetometer (VM)

• A new form of permanent traffic counter device installed on the road which can detect and provide information on vehicle volumes, classifications, speeds, headways, road temperatures and system health in real time.
• A very low-cost 4G technology system that is powered by solar-panels and offers significant cost and time savings compared to ad-hoc traffic surveys. It is also easy to install and takes less than an hour to set up.
• Allows live monitoring of traffic in various scenarios but will be especially beneficial particularly during the start and end of holidays, during harvest sessions, and situations where monitoring seasonal variations and natural disaster periods is critical.
• Importantly, data collected will be provided via NSW Traffic Viewer.
• Can be deployed relatively quickly when a part of the network is likely to face disruption to help monitor and address impacts. For example, key routes that connect ports to renewable energy zones.
• Trial locations – Great Western Highway, Kelso and Newell Highway, Dubbo.

Rural Intersection Activated Warning System (RIAWS)

• When a vehicle on a side road approaches a high-speed main road, sensors trigger Variable Speed Limit Signs (VSLS), which instruct drivers on the main road to slow down.
• Designed to provide safer gaps in the traffic and provide more time for better driver reactions. This is particularly important for larger vehicles (such as trucks and buses) looking to turn from a side road onto a main road with a higher speed limit.
• Less severe crashes due to the reduced speed limit when traffic is merging from the side roads.
• Reduces the need for permanent speed reductions on main roads.
• This technology is currently being used in Victoria.
• Trial location under investigation

Improving local area traffic management during major disruptions

• Using technology to provide safe reliable access in times of unplanned and planned events that cause disruption on the roads.
• One trial will be conducted at Jenolan Caves ahead of its planned opening to the public in late 2025, the other will be Cowra, where roads are often flooded.
• The type of technology to be used is still to be determined.

Permanent Congestion Management

• Using existing technology, such as radars and traffic signals, and combining them in a way that will enable dynamic management of traffic congestion at a notorious breakdown location in the Blue Mountains.
• Designed to resolve issues caused by vehicles breaking down while queuing on the steep climb up Victoria Pass during peak periods such as holiday periods and around key events such as the Bathurst 1000.
• The system will detect eastbound queues forming at the top of Victoria Pass and that data would then be fed into the operation of traffic lights at the bottom of the hill. The vehicles will then be released up the hill in a managed way that is safe and reduces the number of vehicles breaking down on the incline.
• If the trial is successful, this system will be a more permanent replacement for the current system whereby crews have to stay onsite during congested periods and use temporary signals to control the flow of traffic.
• Trial location – Victoria Pass – Great Western Highway near Mount Victoria.

Motorists will soon experience improved rest stop facilities in both directions on the Hume Highway between Tarcutta and Holbrook with work to start this month on upgrades to the Kyeamba Gap Rest Areas.

Thanks to a more than $1.8 million investment from the Albanese and Minns Labor Governments, the existing composting toilet at the northbound rest stop will be upgraded to feature flushing toilets with disabled access and improved lighting.

The upgraded southbound rest stop, which currently only offers bins, will soon boast a new toilet block with disability access.

Both rest stop upgrades will also include the installation of new lighting, and parking for heavy vehicles.

The northbound rest area will be upgraded first, with works set to start this month and be completed by March, weather permitting.

During construction the northbound rest area will remain open, with additional portable toilets installed to limit impacts on road users.

The southbound rest area will be closed to all traffic when construction is expected to start later in 2025.

Motorists are advised the next available rest areas are at North Billabong (southbound) and South Tarcutta (northbound).

Access to local properties will be maintained throughout the work.

Work will be carried out on weekdays from 7am to 6pm and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Electronic signs and safety fencing will be in place to alert motorists to the upgrade work and access to the rest area will be maintained for motorists to continue to use the rest area during work.

Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Senator Anthony Chisholm:

“These upgrades will vastly improve the amenities available to motorists and truckies who travel along the Hume Highway with toilets now open, new lighting installed and more parking available.”

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison:

“Driver fatigue is one of the top three contributors to fatal crashes on NSW roads so these rest area upgrade investments we are making are designed to improve facilities to encourage the community to stop and rest.”

NSW Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr:

“Rest is something that should be factored into all road journeys and this is the perfect reminder to motorists to stop in at a rest area like Kyeamba Gap and make the most of these facilities, before hitting the road again.”

A new report from Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the Geological Survey of New South Wales, has found elevated levels of natural hydrogen and helium in locations throughout New South Wales.

This research is an example of the benefits from the Australian Government’s $3.4 billion investment over 35 years into the Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, under its Future Made in Australia plan. 

The report provides Australian explorers with geological information and a comprehensive methodology for testing soil gas samples for natural hydrogen, bringing scientific rigour to this emerging field. 

Australia is considered one of the most prospective locations for natural hydrogen because of our ancient geology. 

Since the discovery of a 98 per cent pure natural hydrogen gas field in Mali in 2018, explorers around the world are looking for accumulations of natural hydrogen. This is because natural hydrogen holds the potential to be a new, emission-free energy source, especially if it can be recovered at low cost from the earth directly for use. 

In Australia, hydrogen gas is primarily used for industrial processes including ammonia and fertilizer production, while helium is used in medical equipment, manufacturing, research, and the space sector.

Hydrogen can also be used to reduce carbon emissions from hard-to-abate industries, like remote power applications, heavy vehicle transportation, and industries like iron and steelmaking. 

Minister for Resources, the Hon. Madeleine King MP:

“The economics of our geology is undeniable and presents us with an enormous opportunity.

“The Albanese Government is committed to unlocking our minerals potential and discovering opportunities for alternative energy and storage. 

“This report is just one example of how our government is working with our state and territory colleagues to help build a Future Made in Australia.”

Acting NSW Minister for Natural Resources, the Hon. John Graham MLC:

“This new data grows the wealth of knowledge about NSW’s geological potential, as well as our understanding of natural hydrogen and helium. 

“Natural hydrogen has potential as a new energy source and can support the economy’s shift to a net-zero future. 

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to exploring new ways to innovate and create a clean energy future using NSW’s natural resources.”

The Minns Labor Government is abandoning NSW’s most vulnerable as more than 200 of the state’s 260 psychiatrists prepare to resign amid a fractured pay dispute. This implosion of the mental health system will leave people in desperate need – including those at risk of self-harm or harming others – without the care they urgently require.
 
While NSW grapples with the biggest mental health crisis in decades, Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson is holidaying overseas. This comes as the government has resorted to posting helpline numbers on social media.
 
In the shadow of the Bondi Junction coronial inquest, Labor’s response to this crisis is nothing short of shameful. Instead of resolving the situation, they’ve doubled down on failed “efficiency pilot” schemes and dragged the matter into industrial arbitration – a process that will leave the system in chaos for months.
 
The Minns Labor Government promised industrial harmony yet all we see are industrial dispute after industrial dispute across the public sector, with no leadership or solutions in sight. The government’s so-called “mutual gains bargaining” has become a cruel joke, forcing psychiatrists to endure untenable working conditions while patients suffer the consequences.
 
Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Damien Tudehope said the impending resignation of over 200 of the State’s 260 psychiatrists is yet another sign of the massive failure of Labor’s so-called ‘mutual gains bargaining’ system.
 
“Having blown the budget giving their friends in the NSW Teachers Federation a massive multi-billion pay rise, there is no money left in the kitty. Labor’s idea of ‘mutual gains bargaining’ is a new wages cap of 3.5% for 2024-25 and compliance with unilateral efficiency savings,” Mr Tudehope said.
 
Shadow Minister for Mental Health Robyn Preston said the State’s mental health system is in crisis. Rose Jackson spoke in November of her optimism that no resignations would take place.
 
“Now, with over 200 resignations looming, she’s on holiday, leaving the biggest mental health crisis in NSW’s history in the hands of Minister Harrison. This is leadership failure at its worst,” Ms Preston said.
 
Shadow Minister for Health Kellie Sloane said the implosion of the mental health system in NSW is happening in the shadow of the Bondi Junction coronial inquest, where support for those with acute mental health issues will come under scrutiny.
 
“Labor must fix this mess as a matter of urgency – not just for the sake of the psychiatrists but importantly for the patients and their families and the broader community,  who are all at risk if a solution is not brokered,” Ms Sloane said.
 
Shadow Minister for Regional Health Gurmesh Singh said regional communities are being left behind once again, with the Minns Labor Government failing to secure the mental health services they desperately need.
 
“This mass resignation of psychiatrists will have devastating consequences for vulnerable people in the bush who rely on these critical services,” Mr Singh said.
 
Premier Chris Minns himself has admitted the care provided to vulnerable people will decrease, yet his government continues to waste time and deflect blame onto the psychiatrists’ union, ASMOF. It’s a classic Labor tactic: when they can’t solve a problem, they point the finger elsewhere.
 
NSW is worse off under the Minns Labor Government.