Category: NSW News

Opal fares will be subject to the annual price rise from Monday 16 October, with the NSW Government ensuring the increase is less than the rate of inflation and securing deals for commuters by slashing fares on Fridays.

Fares across the Opal network will increase by an average of 3.7 per cent – less than $1 extra per week.

The NSW Government has worked to relieve cost-of-commuting pressures by delaying the fare changes, and ensuring they are less than the latest annual Sydney consumer price index movement of 7 per cent in the June 2023 quarter.

Cheaper weekend fares will be expanded to include Fridays, meaning people will receive a 30 per cent fare discount on Metro, train, bus and light rail services. Passengers will be able to travel all day for no more than $8.90. Child/Youth and Concession passengers will have a Friday fare cap of $4.45 for all-day Opal travel.

There will be no change to the weekly travel cap which will remain at $50 for adults and $25 for concession card holders and children. Seniors and pensioners will continue to enjoy their $2.50 daily cap.

Half-price trips after eight journeys will stop when the fare change comes into effect. Opal data shows almost 90 per cent of passengers are not reaching this cap. With fewer people commuting to work five days a week, cheaper Friday fares will have a greater impact on a much larger number of commuters.

The Station Access Fee set by the Airport Link Company for using the Domestic and International Airport train stations will also increase by $0.94 for adults and $0.84 for Child/Youth, Concessions and Senior fares.

Find out more about Opal fareslaunch 

Fare estimates for multimodal trips can be calculated from early Octoberlaunch, ahead of the changes.

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said:

“Every weekend will soon be a long weekend when it comes to Opal fares, as we make Friday travel cheaper for everyone, trimming the cost of visiting the city be it for work, to shop or to enjoy a day and night out on the town.

“Weekend fares will apply on Fridays, meaning people can travel all day for no more than $8.90 and receive a 30 per cent fare discount on metro, train, bus and light rail services. Child, Youth and Concession passengers will have a Friday fare cap of $4.45 for all day Opal travel.

“We know people are having trouble paying the bills. That’s why we’ve made sure that the average fare increase will see an average difference of just $1 to a passenger’s weekly fare.”

Example fare changes:

	Current peak	New peak	Current off-peak	New off-peak
Parramatta to Central	$5.42	$5.72	$3.79	$4.00
Penrith to CBD	$7.24	$7.65	$5.06	$5.35
Cronulla to CBD	$7.24	$7.65	$5.06	$5.35
Chatswood to North Sydney	$3.79	$4.00	$2.65	$2.80

The beats of Australia’s best live music will radiate across Sydney and NSW when Great Southern Nights makes its return from 8 to 24 March 2024.

The NSW Government is partnering with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) to bring back the much-loved concert series, ensuring it proceeds over the next 4 years, starting with 300 live music gigs in 2024.

To celebrate, the NSW Government will be hosting a special ‘taster’ event in November 2023 that will feature 10 nights of live performances in Western Sydney and the Inner West.

Thelma Plum, Alex The Astronaut, Dami Im, Jet and The Temper Trap are among the artists taking to venue stages from 16 November 2023 across Parramatta, Penrith, Enmore, Marrickville and Newtown providing a sneak peek at the incredible showcase ahead for Great Southern Nights in March 2024.

Great Southern Nights 2024 is set to deliver more than 300 live gigs in venues across Western Sydney and Sydney’s inner city as well as shows in Wollongong, Wagga, Newcastle, the Northern Rivers and Tamworth.

Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham was joined by ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd at Waywards in Newtown to officially launch the return of Great Southern Nights, which included a performance by Great Southern Nights’ artist, Dami Im.

The event will return to the stages of NSW with a revitalised program, reigniting the state’s rich live music culture by attracting visitors through a shared passion of music.

The new format will focus on drawing visitors to 7 key music communities across NSW, helping to infuse energy into local districts, support jobs across the hospitality and entertainment sectors, and supercharge the state’s night-time and visitor economies.

From established household names to emerging talent and grass roots acts, Great Southern Nights 2024 will spotlight a diverse array of artists across 17 nights while inviting visitors to explore weekends away in Greater Sydney and NSW. 

Great Southern Nights will share the limelight with events such as South by Southwest Sydney, which will make its Sydney debut next month, as well as Vivid Sydney, the Sydney International Art Series, Sydney Festival and Sydney Biennale, solidifying Sydney and NSW’s stature as a hub for cultural experiences.

The 2023 Great Southern Nights preview program will take place from 16 to 25 November 2023. Tickets will go on-sale at 9am on 19 September 2023 via Great Southern Nightslaunch. Artists confirmed for the November program include Alex the Astronaut, Beccy Cole, Dami Im, Isabella Manfredi, Jet, Tasman Keith and 3% plus Guests, The Temper Trap, Thelma Plum and Thy Art is Murder.

The artist line-up and ticket sales to the 2024 Great Southern Nights event, which will be held from 8 to 24 March across Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and the Northern Rivers, will be announced this December.

Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:

‘Bringing back Great Southern Nights aligns with the policy direction the NSW Government is taking – we’re shifting the focus from destination travel to experience tourism with an emphasis on creating a cultural identity for the state.

‘We know that the music industry requires greater support to revive live music venues across the state and support artists and workers in the industry, which is why our government is committed to bring back Great Southern Nights over the next 4 years.

‘We have enormous potential here in NSW to create an immersive, unique visitor experience that combines the nation’s best natural encounters, great cuisine and local hospitality with a world-class cultural experience.

‘This is more than a series of live gigs – it’s a display of how the collective passion for live music can deliver rich cultural moments that resonate with locals and visitors alike to create unforgettable experiences.’

CEO of ARIA Annabelle Herd said:

‘We’re absolutely thrilled to bring Great Southern Nights back for another year and provide artists with an increasingly important platform to connect with new fans and long-term lovers of live music.

‘Globally, and particularly in the UK, markets are seeing a resurgence in the role of small to medium venues for breaking up-and-coming talent. Creating more of those same opportunities for our own recording artists to cut through and build new fanbases is critical at a time where content is increasingly saturated.

‘Enormous thanks to the NSW Government for valuing the significant economic and cultural contribution of Australian music and understanding the importance of keeping our creative industries thriving in cities and regional communities.’

Great Southern Nights’ performing artist Alex the Astronaut said:

‘It’s an honour to be a part of the Great Southern Nights program for 2023. It means a lot that the government is continuing to add bricks to a music industry that is still rebuilding itself. I can’t wait to put on a show.’

The Minns Labor Government has identified $1.4 billion in savings to fund historic teachers wage increases by cutting bureaucratic waste within the Department of Education.

The first Minns Labor Government budget will end the former government’s Local Schools, Local Decisions policy.

The savings needed to fund wage increases above the centrally-funded 4.5 per cent this financial year and properly recognise the value of teachers’ work will be met by removing waste and duplication and will instead get some of the state’s most experienced teachers back in front of students.

Getting executive teachers back into the classroom where their expertise is most needed is one of several steps the Minns Labor Government is taking to pay for the biggest wage increase for teachers in a generation and break the back of NSW’s teacher shortage crisis. 

These steps include:

• Redirecting a proportion of discretionary funds that had taken teachers off classroom duties to do admin, at a saving of $414 million over four years. 
• Reducing programs that don’t directly support schools, including failed recruitment initiatives and unnecessary communications contractors: More than 200 contractors and management consultants will no longer be required, saving $411 million over four years. 
• Applying a savings dividend across each corporate division of the NSW Education Department, saving $328 million over four years. 
• Removing duplication from programs in digital learning, communications and management systems, saving $250 million over four years. 
• Applying a one-off cost reduction through renegotiated commercial contracts in areas such as IT, telephony and travel, saving $45 million in the first year. 

Under the steps detailed above, the NSW Government will save $268 million in the first year of the new agreement, effective October 9, and $390 million in each of the three years to follow. 

The reforms go beyond funding the essential pay rises that will keep teachers in their vocation of choice – they will return the focus of schools to their core task of educating the future of our state.

Under the Heads of Agreement signed with the NSW Teachers Federation on Saturday, both sides committed to work together on an orderly process to spread teaching loads more fairly across senior teachers, and ensure there is a pathway for the state’s best teachers to be promoted while continuing their vital work of teaching.   

Teachers were informed in the last 24 hours of an immediate freeze on the recruitment of the non-teaching executive positions created under the former government, while the department reviews school staffing arrangements. 

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

“Paying our teachers is an investment in our state’s future – the education of our kids. Giving teachers the pay rise that they deserve is long overdue, not only is it a mark of respect but we need to recruit and retain more teachers. 

“There are savings to be had from within the system which we can direct back into paying teachers what they are worth. A qualified teacher paid a fair wage in our classrooms will reap dividends in educational outcomes into the future. 

“It is a responsible and sustainable use of our education budget that goes directly back into the classroom and teachers.

“Under the former Liberal and National Government thousands of experienced teachers were pulled off class, which exacerbated a teacher shortage crisis which to this day they deny even existed.”

“Principals were loaded up with unnecessary paperwork and were forced to turn to trusted teachers to help. Thousands of teachers were taken away from the classroom and put behind desks because schools were loaded up with paperwork.

“That has to change. We need our best and brightest teachers back in the classroom where they can really make a difference, applying their experience and skills to mentor teachers and teach our students.”

Sydney Marathon will create history this Sunday as the largest marathon ever held in Australia as the bid to become an Abbott World Marathon Major becomes ever important. If successful Sydney Marathon will join the pantheon of great marathons of the world, including New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Tokyo and Berlin.

This years event will host 17,000 registered runners more than doubling the previous record of 8,100 set by the Melbourne Marathon in 2019.

After last year becoming the first marathon in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve Platinum Label status, the Sydney Marathon is now in its second year of a three-year candidacy period to become a major marathon.

Adding to the historic event, this year’s field of elite runners will see the fastest marathon pack ever assembled for an Australian marathon, including 2022 Men’s World Champion, Tamirat Tola; 2023 Boston Marathon Men’s runner up, Gabriel Geay; 2022 Paris Marathon Women’s Champion, Judith Jeptum Korir and Australian men’s and women’s record holders, Brett Robinson and Sinead Diver.

Sydney Marathon is already recognised as one of the world’s best marathons and a bucket list event for recreational marathon runners across the globe, uniting people of all backgrounds to enjoy an unforgettable running experience in one of the great sporting event cities of the world.

Inclusion in the Abbott World Marathon Majors would make it one of the most coveted marathon events on earth as these marathons are generally oversubscribed by running enthusiasts who aim to compete in all World Marathon Majors. In 2019 the Tokyo Marathon received over 330,000 applications for a field of 37,000. In the same year, the London Marathon received over 424,000 applications for a capacity of 56,000 runners.

Achieving World Major status would present an opportunity for the Sydney Marathon to attract the world’s elite runners and global media attention, along with tens of thousands of visitors each year to experience one of the world’s greatest running events, providing a significant boost to the NSW visitor economy.

This year, the Sydney Marathon is also enhancing its profile as a spectator event, with the inclusion of four spectator live sites in Pyrmont, The Rocks, Surry Hills, and Moore Park, offering entertainment, free coffee, food trucks, custom sign workshops, DJs, drag queen performances, prize giveaways and large screens broadcasting the marathon live.

The NSW Government through Destination NSW is proud to support Sydney Marathon’s push to become a World Marathon Major, which will not only create a world-class community participation event for the people of Sydney but will also have significant tourism benefits for the city.

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“We are excited to host the best recreational road runners from across the world in our beautiful harbour city.”

Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:

“The Sydney Marathon is the sole remaining legacy event of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and continues our celebrated history of hosting major international sporting events in this city. No city in the world has a greater combination of natural beauty and iconic infrastructure for hosting a marathon than Sydney.”

“With so many incredible vantage points and entertainment hubs added to the event, the Sydney Marathon is going to provide a festival atmosphere for spectators and runners. I encourage Sydneysiders to get out on the course this Sunday, cheer on the runners, enjoy the community created by the Sydney Marathon and support its push to become a World Marathon Major.”

The Minns government is delivering on its commitment to establish a NSW Faith Affairs Council to improve our government programs, policies and services with our multi-faith communities.

The 16-member council will assist the NSW Government by identifying opportunities for greater collaboration between government and religious communities.

The council’s membership will reflect the religious diversity of NSW, with representatives from both larger and smaller religious communities to be included on the 16-member council.

Nominations will be assessed, and members appointed on the candidate’s ability for:

• Demonstrated respect, influence and status within their respective religious communities or relevant specialised field.
• Demonstrated commitment to inter-faith cooperation, inclusion and diversity, and the multicultural principles.
• Demonstrated understanding of NSW Government policy issues that affect a range of religious communities.
• Endorsement by their respective religious organisations.
• Endorsement by at least 2 religious organisations from other religious communities.

Invitations to apply for the NSW Faith Affairs Council have been sent to more than 260 religious community stakeholders.

Council members will have an initial 12-month term, with the opportunity for reappointment for a maximum of up to 4 years. A review of the council, including the terms of reference, will be undertaken after 1 year.

For more information, visit the NSW Faith Affairs Council websitelaunch.

Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper said:

“The Minns government promised to deliver a NSW Faith Affairs Council, and just like with the Religious Vilification Bill, we have delivered.

“NSW is at its best when we are all working together towards the same goal. This council will allow for greater collaboration with our multi-faith communities and will help government to deliver better support in times of need.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on how we can deliver better government for our multi-faith communities.”

The NSW Return and Earn scheme is on the verge of reaching the milestone of 10 billion recycled cans and bottles at return points.

The NSW Government is encouraging households to help reach the mark in the next 24 to 48 hours, by taking their empty drink containers to their local return point.

Users have earned $1 billion in container refunds since the scheme began in 2017 and have raised $47 million for charities and local community groups.

Families and individuals are using Return and Earn to help with the cost of living, from funding new sports uniforms and swimming lessons, to offsetting everyday costs such as food and petrol.

More than 923,000 tonnes of materials have been recycled through the scheme. Reusing these materials instead of new products, has saved enough energy to power 110,000 homes for a year and enough water to fill 23,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Two out of every 3 eligible drink container supplied in NSW are now redeemed, increasing recycling rates and reducing the beverage industry’s reliance on virgin plastic, glass and aluminium. 

The Return and Earn network continues to grow, with more than 620 return points now operational across NSW.

Return and Earn is delivered in partnership between the NSW Government, scheme coordinator Exchange for Change and network operator TOMRA Cleanaway, and is funded by the beverage industry. 

Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe: 

’10 billion items returned in NSW is a significant milestone that demonstrates Return and Earn is a circular economy success story. We are already thinking to the next billion and want to encourage every household to get on the Return and Earn bandwagon.

‘Drink container litter in NSW has more than halved. 

‘We need to continue reducing waste and emissions, and increase recycling, and programs like Return and Earn make it possible.’

Case study: Teen gymnast uses Return and Earn to raise $10K for competition

Thirteen-year-old elite gymnast Joshua Teelow has raised more than $10,000 by recycling drink containers through Return and Earn, and has used the money to cover the cost of travelling to training and competition.

Joshua gained a position at the Gymnastics NSW High Performance Centre in Sydney 5 years ago. The centre is 2.5 hours away from his home in the Hunter Valley.

His mother Jade Teelow said, ‘so far, he has competed at state and national level and is part of the Junior International Squad. He hopes to eventually represent Australia.’

But the costs were adding up, so Josh began recycling bottles and cans with Return and Earn in 2020 to raise extra money. 

‘His record in one trip to a Return and Earn point was just over $1300 and he now averages $800 every 6 to 8 weeks,’ said Jade.

‘We are very lucky to live in a small, supportive community where people and businesses collect cans and bottles for Josh.’

Josh is home-schooled and the fundraising has also helped him access additional learning opportunities.

‘Return and Earn has given Josh life skills including communication, time management, budgeting and banking, and responsibility,’ said Jade.

‘We both like how easy it is and the positive impact it has on the environment.’

Case study: Whip-cracking family recycles to fund competitions

Christie Jervis from Conargo is the proud mother of 3 champion whip crackers, 17 year old Brooke, 15 year old Jesse and 9 year old Beau, who all compete at a state level.

Buying equipment and travelling to competitions isn’t cheap, so the Riverina family started fundraising with Return and Earn to keep them cracking along.

Since discovering Return and Earn last year, they have raised a total of $900.

‘They began competing with a pair of cowhide whips, and it has grown from there. Now they have kangaroo whips, but hope to redeem enough containers to buy even better whips which cost around $1000,’ says Christie.

‘This would help them compete at a higher level.’

Collecting drink containers for recycling has also given the children a different perspective on rubbish. 

Christie says, ‘we see litter when we drive into town from our hobby farm and think, ‘there’s a dollar on the ground!’

‘We often pick up rubbish from a nearby creek or the side of the road. When you make a little money on the morning walk, you feel like you’ve achieved something.’

The Opposition has warned that spiralling costs as a result of the Minns Labor Government’s union wage deals are risking future investment in state’s health system, with the Health Minister refusing to rule out cuts to the Coalition’s record health funding.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman reiterated the Liberals’ and Nationals’ record investment in health and stressed the importance of Budget management to ensuring health services aren’t put at risk.
 
Under the Liberals and Nationals:

• The recurrent health budget was increased by 98.3% (more than $30 billion).
• The capital budget was increased by 209% (almost $3 billion).
• More than 180 new or significantly upgraded hospitals and health facilities across NSW were completed, with more than 130 other projects commenced and underway now.
• The NSW health workforce was increased by nearly 30,000 full time staff (from 98,5000 under the previous Labor Government to approximately 127,000 at the conclusion of the previous Coalition Government).

“Our investment was made possible because we had control of the Budget and could manage public sector wages. It’s becoming increasingly clear that next week’s Budget will be completely compromised by out-of-control wage increases as a result of Labor’s deals with their union mates,” Mr Speakman said.
 
“The Premier, Treasurer and Health Minister can’t tell us how they’re funding their ‘additional investment’ and are refusing to rule out potential cuts in next week’s Budget. Chris Minns needs to commit to not cutting a cent of our record $33 billion health investment which was to deliver an additional 10,000 health workers.”
 
Shadow Minister for Health Matt Kean said a big question mark over the health budget is the ongoing stand-off with the state’s paramedics.
 
“The threat of more industrial action continues to linger over this government. The Health Services Union rightfully expect Chris Minns to keep his word and deliver on his promise of a huge pay rise,” Mr Kean said.
 
“The bill for Labor’s deal with the unions has so far reached at least $4 billion, and it’s only going to increase, which means more pressure on the health budget which will compromise front line services.”

Families of up to 64,000 NSW children will benefit from $500 in fee relief under the Minns Labor government’s push to boost preschool education and provide cost of living relief.

This is part of a more than $100 million package of initiatives to invest in early learning and enhance the sector’s workforce, after opportunities in this important sector were missed by the Liberals and the Nationals.

Investment in quality early childhood education and care has lifelong benefits for NSW’s youngest learners and is a key to enabling parental workforce participation.

The initiatives include:

• Fee relief: $64 million over 2 years to provide $500 in fee relief per child, per year for parents of 3-year-olds in long day care preschool programs.
• Flexibility for families: $20 million for the Flexible Initiatives trial to expand access to early childhood education and care, extended hours and assist parents re-entering the workforce.
• New services: $20 million in capital funds to support new not-for-profit services in high-growth and regional communities.
• Workforce: $22 million over 5 years to recruit and retain essential early childhood workers including providing professional development and scholarships for tertiary education of early childhood workers.

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:

“We were elected with a mandate to reinvest in essential services – and that includes giving children the best possible start in life, and a great education.

“Today’s announcement is an important step towards ensuring all children in NSW have access to early education.

“We know how important early education is to a child’s development. These are big reforms that will impact the way we deliver early education in NSW.”

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

“This government is committed to making sure all children in NSW get the best start in life.

“Achieving that goal includes making the investments necessary to make preschool more affordable and accessible for all families.

“We also need to usher in a strong and reliable pipeline of early childhood workers, so our system is supported now and into the future.

“Attending preschool is so important for young children’s development, and the investments we make today will make a world of difference for these children’s futures.”

A major milestone has been reached which will allow for competition in eConveyancing, with Commonwealth and state ministers today welcoming the first successful property transactions taking place between Electronic Lodgement Network Operators (ELNOs).

Currently all lawyers, conveyancers and banks involved in electronic conveyancing (eConveyancing) property settlement transactions must use the same ELNO.

Interoperability will allow for competition and is the next stage in eConveyancing reform, bringing together industry and government stakeholders to deliver a competitive market of ELNO operators.

This week, Day 1 Transactions were successfully completed allowing for 2 properties to be refinanced in Queensland, testing the interoperability technical solution developed by ELNOs over several years.

The 2 ELNOs, Property Exchange Australia Limited (PEXA) and Sympli Australia Pty Ltd (Sympli), along with Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank and Titles Queensland, participated in the transactions and ensured they were successfully completed.

The transactions pave the way for the next stage of the reform, which is to deliver interoperability functionality into the market that will eventually be rolled out Australia-wide. ELNOs have until July 2025 to reach this milestone and are expected to develop all functionality by December 2025.

More information on the Day 1 Transactions are available on the Australian Registrars’ National Electronic Conveyancing Council (ARNECC) websitelaunch.

NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“I’m very pleased the Day 1 Transactions have been a success, as a first step towards competition in the electronic conveyancing market to ensure competitive prices and enable more innovation for customers.

“The Minns Government is fully committed to this critical reform and achieving this milestone is the result of significant work and collaboration over several years across jurisdictions.”

Federal Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh said:

“This milestone represents a significant step towards unlocking much needed competition in the eConveyancing market. A move away from a monopoly service provider to robust competition is great news for consumers, who will likely see the benefits of cheaper and more innovative services.

“I would like to thank all stakeholders for their ongoing dedication to the reform which could not have been achieved without considerable contributions from industry and governments, working together through the Australian Registrars’ National Electronic Conveyancing Council.”

The NSW Government will not proceed with the Wyangala Dam Wall Raising Project because of the billions of dollars in construction costs and the potential catastrophic environmental impacts.
 

Minister for Water Rose Jackson said both the project’s final business case and an extensive independent review by Infrastructure NSW have recommended not raising the dam wall because it doesn’t stack up financially or environmentally.

“Robust investigations show that while raising the wall by 10m is technically feasible, it could cause substantial and irreversible environmental impacts,” Ms Jackson said.

“Hydrological modelling also found raising the wall, with a 5m flood mitigation zone, was also likely to have devasting impacts on the internationally significant downstream environment, resulting in excessive biodiversity offset costs.

“The other major issue is the billions of dollars to build the dam wall. We have a responsibility to taxpayers to only fund infrastructure projects that provide maximum bang for the buck and, in this case, the capital costs are too high, and the benefits are too low. 

“While Wyangala is not viable, I recognise the challenges of water security, reliability and flood mitigation for Lachlan communities do not go away. We know there’s a drought knocking on our door threatening the water security of towns across NSW which is why we are reviewing our strategies as a priority.

“The former government wasted time and money on business cases instead of undertaking any real drought preparedness work. The NSW Government is now taking action because we know the region needs a multi-faceted approach to protect against uncertainties and balance the competing needs of our environment, towns, and farmers.”

The NSW Government will be seeking feedback on how it plans to address these issues in the draft Lachlan Regional Water Strategy, which will go on public exhibition before the end of September.

It will allow people to have their say on water security and will put forward a shortlist of proposed actions to help support local communities, so they’re in the strongest position to manage a more variable climate over the coming decades.

Minister Jackson said the decisions are made about the future of water in the Lachlan region will be based on evidence and state-of-the-art climate modelling.

“We want to support economic growth and balance different water needs, ensuring there’s the right amount of water for the right purpose at the right time,” she said.

“I encourage everyone across the Lachlan region to provide their input when the draft strategy goes on exhibition, because feedback from councils, industry and the community will play a vital role in helping us determine the best way forward.”