Category: NSW News

The NSW Government is rolling out up to 900 fee-free vocational training placements across the state to tackle the shortage of skilled water operators in NSW.

Over the next four years there is expected to be a deficit of 1,476 qualified water technicians but this program will help to bridge the gap. The investment ensures there are trained staff to manage our water and sewerage systems, avoiding taps running dry, toilets not flushing, or water services being disrupted.

This program also supports our regional workforce, by delivering ongoing opportunities to train, upskill and secure quality employment, while ensuring skilled operators remain at the helm of our critical water and sewerage infrastructure.

Training Services NSW has already invested in training for 683 leaners at a cost of over $4.7 million to support the $32.8 million Town Water Risk Reduction Program run by the Department of Planning and Environment.

The fee free placements cover a range of programs, including: Certificate III traineeships; Certificate IV placements; school-based traineeships; choice of elective subjects as a single unit of study; Aboriginal placements; pre-employment skills programs and trade pathways for experienced workers.

Find out more about water skills and traininglaunch

Minister for Water Rose Jackson said:

“The water skills shortage is an ongoing challenge for remote areas and even larger regional areas like Dubbo.

“Water operations staff are the unsung heroes of their local towns and cities, working quietly in the background so residents and businesses have continuous access to safe, clean drinking water and reliable wastewater services.

“During the 2022 floods, there were regional water operators in NSW who slept at water and sewage treatment plants, away from their families, to support residents and businesses which is an extraordinary example of community service.

“It doesn’t matter what corner of the state you live in we want to make sure there are enough skilled technicians available on the ground to fill vacant spots and help improve water quality and security in NSW.”

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

“Fee-free placements remove the financial barriers for people to access the training they need to do their jobs.

“The program is designed to boost opportunities for regional NSW school leavers, Aboriginal students, industry trainees and workers, along with existing water operators.

“There are some great regional employment opportunities in this sector – councils, water authorities, and irrigation districts all crying out for trained staff. Labor’s approach is all about addressing training needs and building our future workforce.”

Chair of the Orana Water Utilities Alliance in Western NSW, Doug Moorby said:

“We desperately need to upskill more people in water operations. Everyone is always scratching for skilled staff, there are currently vacancies across the board that we are struggling to fill which is why we need more training.

“Orana councils already support each other by providing operators when there are shortages. For example, this month we had an operator from Narromine support Cobar and a technician from Brewarrina pitch in to help Walgett.”

“But at the end of the day, this is not enough to fill the gaps. It will make a huge difference having the NSW Government on our side by addressing the issues that are impacting the water utilities workforce in regional NSW.”

The NSW Government is expanding its Urban Development Program (UDP), which includes a housing insights dashboard, following a successful pilot program.

The expanded UDP is aimed at helping to boost housing supply by prioritising infrastructure for development-ready land, removing roadblocks and enabling more homes to be built in the right places, faster.

The dashboards are already operating successfully in the Lower Hunter, Newcastle, Central Coast, Illawarra-Shoalhaven and the Western Parkland City.

The program is now being introduced to the Central River City and will be expanded to the Eastern Harbour City next year.

Through online dashboards, the program monitors housing supply in each area, tracking key housing data and supporting annual audits of land for housing.

It also helps inform the NSW Government’s new infrastructure contributions scheme which better connects housing growth and state infrastructure delivery, including schools, hospitals, roads, and parks.

For more information, visit the NSW Planning Portallaunch.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“The Urban Development Program helps to unlock more housing land and helps put the right infrastructure in the right places at the right time.

“The program is key to the delivery of infrastructure so that people moving into a new home are also moving into a well-connected community with supporting infrastructure.

“Timely delivery of schools, hospitals, roads, and parks is critical to the success of suburbs and regions and this program helps ensure we have a robust development pipeline in NSW.

“The program uses detailed, current and accessible data on housing, land supply, development activity and constraints to housing delivery.

“Regional audits will capture detailed information on the status of land identified for future housing and allow it to be tracked as it progresses through the housing supply pipeline.”

The Minns Labor Government has launched an operational review into icare to cut excessive spending, waste and salary costs.

The review comes after the NSW Government had to top up the insurer with a $669 million transfer shortly after coming to government.

The number of senior executives and their remuneration will be scrutinised as part of the review, in line with the NSW Government’s commitment to freeze the pay and cut the number of senior executives across the government. Medical, income and other support provided to injured workers are not impacted by this review.

The review will be led by Treasury, after the Minns Government passed new laws to provide it with powers to obtain information and records on icare spending.

Savings identified in the review will flow through to individuals and businesses across New South Wales by putting downward pressure on workers compensation premiums and protecting benefits to injured workers.

The review is expected to report in time for icare to identify permanent savings in its net cost of operations by 1 March 2024. 

The review follows previous reforms to icare implemented by the Minns Government, including the passage of new laws in August to put worker and business representatives onto the icare board.

Minister for Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis said:

“Sadly, it will take years to correct the workers compensation mess that we inherited and I don’t want to give anyone false hope.

“We will remain unrelenting in our pursuit of best practice and best governance at icare, this review continues the long but necessary road of reform that began within weeks of Labor coming to government.

“Businesses need access to a scheme with affordable premiums and workers need to be supported when things go wrong at work”.

The NSW Government is taking action to ensure the principles of the Water Management Act 2000 are being applied effectively following the findings of a long overdue Section 10 review.

While Section 10 of the Act requires the government to undertake a review every five years to ensure its principles are being considered in the decision-making process, this was the first review undertaken since 2011.

The Section 10 review identified areas of success as well as issues that need to be addressed including uncertainty amongst staff about how to apply the principles in their work and the need to adjust the method of delivering these reviews in the future.

These findings were supported by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) who were added as an independent panel member to ensure a rigorous review. The NRC also provided some additional recommendations including making future reviews independent and revising policies, processes, and procedures to ensure they align with the principles in the Act.

In response to the review and the NRC recommendations the department has developed a corrective action plan to address identified actions to help promote the principles of the Act, improve assurance and enable more efficient reviews and reporting.

As part of the plan the Department is developing a detailed framework which will deliver guidance for staff on the principles, a quality management process and an updated review method to ensure they are completed every 5 years.

The Water Management Actlaunch is the overarching legislation that guides water policy in NSW and includes general principles, as well as specific principles for water sharing, and other functions.

View the Section 10 report and departmental response here. launch

NSW Minister for Water, Rose Jackson said:

“This review is vital to ensure transparency and accountability around water management in NSW.

“The former Government dropped the ball, eroding trust in water management and letting down local communities.

“With El Nino declared for this summer, we know another drought is not far off, so having strong public confidence in how we manage water is critical.

“The Minns Government is committed to enabling decision making that is guided by science and the principles of the Water Management Act to provide sustainable management of NSW water resources that benefits present and future generations.” 

Former Swifts and Diamonds captain Liz Ellis AO has received Netball NSW’s highest honour after being elevated to Legend Status in the organisation’s Hall of Fame.

Regarded by many as the greatest netballer of all time, Ellis was elevated to her new status at Netball NSW’s Annual State Dinner at the Waterview in Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night.

A four-time Premiership-winning captain of the Swifts, she also won three Netball World Cups and two Commonwealth Gold Medals with the Australian Diamonds.

Ellis started her playing journey at the Hawkesbury Netball Association before representing NSW at underage and opens levels. When the National Netball League (currently Suncorp Super Netball) was founded in 1997 she became a Foundation player of the Swifts.

Ellis captained the Foundation Club to four Premierships in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era of the National League, winning in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007. She retired in 2007, just before the Sydney Swifts rebranded as the NSW Swifts

Ellis became Australian captain in 2004 and remains the most capped player in Diamonds history.

In 2007 she capped off a remarkable comeback from a knee reconstruction to lead Australia to World Cup glory, while in 2008 Netball Australia introduced the Liz Ellis Diamond which is awarded annually to the nation’s most outstanding netballer. Ellis was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Netball NSW Hall of Fame in 2013.

It was also a special night for Ellis’ former teammates Susan Pettitt and Vanessa Ware who were inducted into the Netball NSW Hall of Fame.

Like Ellis, both Pettitt and Ware are Swifts Centurions and with many Premierships between them.

Pettitt, who shone for the Diamonds at international level too, enjoyed a highly-decorated attacking career with the Swifts, wining titles in the Club’s famous 2006, 2007 and 2008 threepeat, while she won World Cup gold with Australia in 2007. In 2017 she became a foundation GIANT and played a Grand Final with the new Club before retiring from the game in 2018.

Ware won her first Swifts Premiership in 2004 was also part of their threepeat success in a career that lasted over a decade. She represented Australia and 19U and 21U levels and was part of the Australian Diamonds squad in 2008.

Also inducted into the Netball NSW Hall of Fame were former Diamonds and Swifts medical officer Dr Grace Bryant OAM and the late former Netball NSW President Pat Weston OAM.

In the night’s main awards Sarah Klau (Swifts) and Amy Parmenter (GIANTS) were both honoured with the Marilyn Melhuish OAM Medal for their respective performances in this year’s Suncorp Super Netball competition, while Sutherland’s Victor Nikolić wasnamed Male Player of the Year.

Wagga Wagga’s Rachel King took out the Margaret Corbett OAM Coaches Award with Michael Rudd of Orange Netball Association winning the Neita Matthews OAM Umpire Award and Alex Pinnington (Camden & District) named the Lynn Quinn OAM Bench Official Award recipient.

The Dot McHugh Administrator of the Year was Randwick’s Jenny Morrissey while journalists Brit Carter (ABC) and Nathan Taylor (Western Weekender) took home the Judy Dunbar Media Awards for best Overall Media Coverage (Carter) and Community Media Excellence (Taylor).

This years Anne Clark Service Awards were presented to Margaret Findlay (Manly Warringah), Maureen Sinclair (Northern Suburbs), Cheryl Goulder (Randwick), Katrina Doring (Eastwood Ryde) and Kathy Staggs (Ku-Ring-Gai).

“In our game, champions come in many different guises and Saturday night was a celebration of our entire netball community,” Sallianne Faulkner, Netball NSW Chair, said.

“We have those we see on our TV Screens winning World Cups, Commonwealth Gold Medals and Super Netball titles. But we also have those who hit the courts on cold Saturday mornings in winter, whose determination to play, coach or officiate cannot be diminished by the weather.

“Because, from grassroots to the Green & Gold of the Diamonds, we are all part of the same sporting community and netball champions cannot exist without those who champion netball.

“Our Hall of Fame inductees and Awards winners are just some of the wonderful people who keep netball at the forefront of the NSW sporting landscape and on behalf of Netball NSW I congratulate them, and their support networks, on their fitting recognition.”

Netball NSW State Dinner Awards Winners

• Marilyn Melhuish SSN Medal: Sarah Klau (Swifts), Amy Parmenter (GIANTS)
• Men’s Player of the Year: Victor Nikolić (Sutherland)
• Margaret Corbett Coaches Award: Rachel King (Wagga Wagga)
• Neita Matthews Umpire Award: Michael Rudd (Orange)
• Lynn Quinn Bench Official Award: Alex Pinnington (Camde & District)
• Dot McHugh Administrator Award: Jenny Morrissey (Randwick)
• Judy Dunbar Media Awards: Brit Carter (ABC, Overall Media Coverage), Nathan Taylor (Western Weekender, Community Media Excellence)

Netball NSW Hall of Fame Inductions

• Liz Ellis AO: Elevated to Legend Status
• Susan Pettitt: Inducted under Athlete Category
• Vanessa Ware: Inducted under Athlete Category
• Dr Grace Bryant OAM: Inducted under General Category
• Pat Weston OAM: Inducted under General Category

Anne Clark Service Award Recipients 

• Margaret Findlay (Manly Warringah)
• Maureen Sinclair (Northern Suburbs)
• Cheryl Goulder (Randwick)
• Katrina Doring (Eastwood Ryde)
• Kathy Staggs (Ku-Ring-Gai).

A metro train has successfully navigated the first continuous journey from Tallawong in Sydney’s northwest, beneath the Sydney CBD, and out to Sydenham in the city’s southwest, ahead of Sydney Metro City & Southwest opening next year.

The 51.5km trip was completed after 6 months of planning, with the train performing well and the inaugural journey confirmed a success.

The initial test run took place over 4 hours on Saturday, with the train reaching the maximum speed of 100km/h in sections of tunnel between Epping and Sydenham. Future test trips will include stops at stations in the Northwest and City sections, ahead of a full test run replicating operational journey times later this year.

When metro services start through the city next year, commuters will be able to travel from Tallawong to Sydenham in 59 minutes, a significant time saving on the current journey that requires interchange at two train stations and takes upwards of one hour and forty-five minutes.

In 2024, Sydney’s northwest and CBD will be connected by a metro service every 4 minutes in the peak. Passengers will be able to travel from Castle Hill to Martin Place in 35 minutes, Macquarie University to Sydenham in 33 minutes and North Ryde to Central in 22 minutes.

Testing the full length of the new alignment is a major step forward in the rigorous testing and commissioning program that began in April 2023.

The first end-to-end journey launches the “integration mode testing” phase, which confirms trains can seamlessly transition beyond the Metro North West Line at Chatswood onto the new 15.5km twin metro tunnels to Sydenham.

More than 2,000 hours of a total 11,000 hours of testing have been completed so far to ensure the new line and trains function as expected and meet all safety and performance requirements.  

Multiple trains are now entering the new line and undergoing testing at any one time, with four trains expected to be testing in the same tunnel by the end of the year.

Jo Haylen, NSW Transport Minister said:

“This is a huge milestone for Sydney Metro City & Southwest and brings passengers one step closer to having world-class metro services in the heart of this great city.”

“This new metro will give passengers significant time back in their day, by slashing travel times between the north west and the Sydney CBD.”

“This work is paving the way for Metro’s eventual extension to Bankstown, linking south west Sydney to the CBD and employment zones like Macquarie Park with a frequent and efficient Metro service.”

The NSW Government has delivered on its commitment to boost government procurement of goods and services from small and medium businesses with a major change to government procurement.

A direction has been signed today, increasing the level at which government departments and agencies can purchase goods and services directly from small and medium businesses from $150,000 to $250,000.

The state’s 840,000 small businesses make up 98% of all NSW businesses, employing 1.6 million people in NSW – it’s these businesses and jobs that will be turbocharged by this change.

Each year, the NSW Government spends over $9 billion on goods and services obtained directly from 46,000 small and medium businesses in NSW and this change to procurement will deliver more government contracts going to these businesses and a bigger slice of government procurement spend.

This Ministerial Direction was issued to the NSW Procurement Board and requires agencies to implement this policy change no later than 31 December 2023.

It also serves as an important signal to government agencies to directly engage small businesses when procuring goods and services, including for:

• catering, food and beverage services at state-owned museums, galleries, venues and sites
• office supplies and furniture for government offices and buildings
• maintenance and repairs, including ground maintenance and landscaping at government facilities
• the development of training resources, including for health and wellness support.

The Government has also eased procurement requirements for small businesses which will no longer be required to submit proof of insurance when they tender. Instead, proof of insurance will only be required when a contract is awarded.

This is in addition to the NSW Government making a number of other significant changes to support small businesses in NSW, including:

• Launched the Service NSW Business Bureaulaunch, which will give small business owners a seat at the table with a commitment to tackling unproductive red tape, helping businesses navigate government and boosting growth opportunities.
• Delivered major upgrades to the Service NSW Business Bureau App.
• Successfully delivered Small Business Month with over 600 events across the state.
• Delivered energy bill relief for more than 300,000 businesses and toll relief for more than 700,000 Western Sydney families and businesses.
• Launched the Service NSW Business Grants and Funding Finder, bringing more than 500 grants across 46 agencies into one place, to make accessing financial support easier for businesses across the state.

These changes do not apply to construction businesses.

The NSW Government has extensive fraud and compliance checks in place to maintain the integrity of government procurement.

For more information visit buy.nswlaunch

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:

“Small businesses are the backbone of the NSW economy and it’s only right that the NSW Government use small businesses to deliver goods and services that the state requires.

“The NSW Government purchases around $40 billion worth of goods and services each year. The bigger we can make the slice that goes to small businesses, the better.

Small and medium businesses have been through a very tough time over the past few years, the very least the government should do is make accessing government contracts simpler and easier.”

Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos said:

“Small businesses already play an important role as they grow the state’s economy and sustain local jobs. By growing their opportunities to engage with the Government we can give them an even bigger boost.

“The previous Liberal-National Government never developed a cohesive policy to support local procurement. Instead of buying local, they sent major projects overseas, costing the state billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

“This is the first step of the Minns Labor Government’s planned reforms to support small businesses, local content and domestic manufacturing.

Minister for Small Business Steve Kamper said:

“Small business plays a vital role in the NSW economy through the products and services they offer but also the many thousands of jobs they support.

“By increasing the direct procurement threshold we are providing small businesses with the most valuable resource in business, greater opportunity.

“As a government, we are committed to getting the policy settings right to ensure that NSW can best harness the expertise and agility of local small businesses, while supporting jobs and investing in NSW.”

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to tackle screen-related addiction in young people with a new research fund established to investigate the impact of problematic screen use on children’s development and learning. 

Delivering an election commitment to establish a screen-related addiction research fund, the NSW Government has pledged $2.5 million to support new research into the impacts of problematic screen use.

The NSW Government’s Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) will oversee the fund, with the grants awarded through a competitive process.

Research findings will deliver a comprehensive database of knowledge on how screen use affects young people and students at school, which can be used to inform stronger government policy.

Funding of up to $500,000 will be available to successful applications for tender grants, and up to $200,000 will be offered to successful recipients of partnership grants.

Partnership grants will be offered where research into problematic screen-use is already underway, after applications are competitively assessed. Open tender grants will be offered to projects with novel screen-related research proposals.

Issues that may be looked at include:

• What are the key sources of problematic screen time for young people in NSW?
• What impact is screen use having on the learning, wellbeing and behaviour of children?
• Strategies to counter the negative impacts of problematic screen use
• Whether today’s students are impacted by screens in the same ways as other generations
• And the impact on teaching as a result of changing digital technologies.

The grants will be advertised in two rounds with the first beginning in late 2023.

Applicants will be asked to deliver their research by 2026.

This announcement comes after the Minns Labor Government successfully banned mobile phones for students in all NSW public schools from the beginning of Term 4, after consultation with teachers, students and parents.

Quotes attributable to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns:

“We all know young people love their devices – be it mobile phones, gaming devices or their computers.

“Many parents are worried about screen time and how it might be affecting their children and how they learn, but the impacts of devices on children are largely unknown.

“Investing in this research fund will help create a growing body of knowledge on this issue to inform our government policies, but it will also help inform parents in NSW.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car:

“Students spend a lot of their time on devices – so it is important that we find out how this new reality is impacting children and their development.

“Many parents I speak with are worried about the impact screen time is having on their children, and it is important we help to provide parents all the facts they need to make informed decisions.

“Investing in research is vital, so the Government can form evidence-based policies that we know will have a positive impact on our students, teachers and larger school cohort moving into the future.”

Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos this week met with key stakeholders to discuss the NSW Government’s approach to its new Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Strategy.

The industry roundtable marked an important step in collaborating with the sector to directly inform the NSW Government’s renewed strategy.

To be released in 2024, the new strategy will consider new opportunities to encourage domestic processing and manufacturing, boost regional economies, develop skills and training, and safeguard the state’s clean energy supply chain.

More than 40 stakeholders from the sector attended the event at NSW Parliament, including representatives of mining companies, industry bodies and unions.

Discussions at the roundtable focused on ways the NSW Government could support the sector to unlock the full potential of NSW resources, encourage investment and leverage the state’s strong ESG credentials.

NSW has an abundance of critical minerals and high-tech metals that are crucial for developing low-carbon economies and achieving the state’s net zero goals.

Critical minerals and high-tech metals are essential components in electric vehicles, smartphones, computers, solar panels, batteries, and a range of defence and medical equipment.

The consultation with the industry comes shortly after the Federal Government announced a $2 billion expansion in critical minerals financing.

The funding was welcomed by the industry as a way to provide support for processing and to strengthen Australia’s position as a world-leading provider of critical minerals to drive the global transition to net zero.

Minister Houssos also gave the opening ministerial keynote address at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC), the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

During the speech the Minister promoted NSW as an attractive and stable investment destination, highlighted the state’s skilled and well-trained workforce and highlighted its plans to engage more in mineral processing.

It was also announced that NSW would again be hosting IMARC with the conference remaining in Sydney in 2024. This year’s conference attracted a record number of delegates from across Australia and overseas.

Submissions on the new NSW Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Strategy are open until 17 November 2023.

Have your saylaunch on the critical minerals and high-tech metals strategy.

Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos said:

“NSW has globally significant deposits of critical minerals and high-tech metals. Showcasing the state at IMARC is an opportunity to capitalise on their increasing global demand and drive investment to the state.

“This is the second year Sydney has hosted the biggest mining event in the Southern Hemisphere and we’re pleased it will return once more in 2024, with the NSW Government as host partner.

“This year more than 8500 delegates gathered. This record attendance is testament to the strength of our mining and exploration sector.

“It was great to hear the views of industry at the roundtable. The new strategy will provide certainty and stability for the sector as it embarks on a new period of growth.

“We are collaborating closely with the industry and with unions to establish a clear framework to guide government action and support the critical minerals and high-tech metals sector in NSW.”

NSW Director of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) Lucy McClean said:

“We thank the Minister for Natural Resources for taking the time to meet with industry to discuss the importance this strategy will have for the minerals sector.

“NSW has so much to offer the global economy and the new strategy is an opportunity to help build a strong exploration and mining sector to support our future.”

Chief Executive Officer for the NSW Minerals Council Stephen Galilee said:

“Mining is a key contributor to many regional communities across NSW. The minerals industry is deeply intertwined with the history and economic development of many communities across the state.

“An effective critical minerals and high-tech metals strategy will complement the NSW Government’s commitment to supporting the industry and provide a solid framework for the long-term future of the resources sector in NSW.”

The NSW Government has today trucked in an initial 200 tonnes of emergency feed to Tenterfield so farmers impacted by the local fires can access feed. The fodder supplies are being trucked into Tenterfield due to the minimal local supplies.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Local Land Services (LLS) are operating an Agricultural and Animal Services Functional Area (AASFA) in the Tenterfield area so that emergency assistance can be offered.

Assistance available for farmers includes:

• Emergency fodder
• Emergency stock water (where there is an immediate animal welfare concern)
• Animal assessment and veterinary assistance
• Stock euthanasia and burial
• Livestock feeding and management advice
• Care of animals including pets and companion animals in evacuation centres.

Landholders must register their requests for emergency fodder by contacting the Agricultural and Animal Services hotline on 1800 814 647launch to access support.

Once a landholder registers for emergency fodder, AASFA will urgently assess their need and contact them to schedule a pickup from a local distribution point or arrange a delivery time.

Primary producers should report damage including stock and fodder losses, damage to crops, pastures, fencing and other farm infrastructure through the Natural Disaster Damage Survey.

This will ensure we understand the severity and distribution of the damage and can target resources and assistance in the appropriate areas.

Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty said:

“The NSW Government is moving quickly to ensure farmers in Tenterfield have what they need, including fodder.

“We have received 58 requests for assistance, this includes 51 requests for fodder, five for emergency stock water, and two for animal assessment.

“This is in addition to 207 tonnes of emergency fodder that was distributed to fire affected landholders in the Kempsey area last month.

“I encourage landholders with animal welfare related issues to contact the Agriculture and Animal Services Hotline on 1800 814 647launch to access support.”