Category: NSW News

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.” 

The Minns Labor government will commit $200 million to ensure thousands of vulnerable kids are kept safe.

The state’s out-of-home care (OOHC) system supports approximately 15,000 vulnerable children who are unable to live safely at home, through foster care, kinship care, and residential care arrangements.

Following the election, the Minns Labor government discovered a significant budget shortfall within the OOHC system – part of the former government’s $7 billion in unfunded programs.

The Liberals and Nationals left behind an out-of-home-care budget due to run out next April– more than 2 months before the end of the 2023–2024 financial year, which would leave the NSW Government failing to meet its statutory obligations to vulnerable children.

The NSW Labor Government’s budget will deliver a $200 million rescue package to sustain out-of-home care throughout 2023–2024.

The NSW Government is also committing to fixing the broken child protection system in NSW.

Despite the number of children in the OOHC system remaining relatively stable, a series of policy failures by the former government created a spiralling OOHC budget crisis combined with worsening outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

A recent review into the child protection system found vulnerable children were holed up in motel rooms without enough food or clothing, despite non-government providers being paid more than a million dollars for their care.

Over the 3 years from 30 June 2020 to 30 June 2023 there has been a tripling in the number of children in expensive emergency arrangements, including hotels and motels, and an increase in the average length of stay for all placement types.

The Minns Labor Government is setting out long-term plans to reform the child protection system and repair the budget, as part of its plan to rebuild essential services we all rely on – and looking after vulnerable kids is an essential service.

And it will be done without privatising essential public assets or imposing an unfair cap on the wages of our essential service workers.

Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington said:

“The Minns Labor government inherited a broken child protection system and a massive black hole in the out-of-home care budget.

“It’s shocking that the former government managed to make a mess of the child protection system so badly for young vulnerable children, and for taxpayers too.

“This $200 million rescue package means the state’s most vulnerable kids will be kept safe through foster care, kinship care, and residential care arrangements.

“We are committed to repairing the budget and reforming the child protection system to give children and young people the best chance of a brighter future.”

The NSW Government is returning democracy and fairness to the City of Sydney by removing rules that favour the votes of businesses over residents in local government elections.

The City of Sydney Amendment Bill 2023 introduced by the Government seeks to reinstate the voting rules for non-residential electors that apply in all other LGAs across NSW.

In 2014, the City of Sydney Act 1988 was amended to give eligible businesses two votes in council elections, compared to one each for residents.

As a result, businesses that own, lease, or occupy rateable land in the City of Sydney can currently nominate two people to vote on their behalf in council elections.

The Government’s new bill will remove this unfair weighting and bring balance back to the system.

The changes will also remove the automatic enrolment of non-residential electors, which does not exist anywhere else in the state, and currently applies regardless of whether these electors wish to vote in City of Sydney elections or not.

Eligible people will still be able to apply to become non-residential electors, however, only one person will be entitled to be enrolled on behalf of corporations or multiple owners, lessees or occupiers.

The 2014 amendment being reversed by this bill cost City of Sydney ratepayers $9.7 million to establish and approximately $1 million per year to maintain.

It also resulted in an increase in the number of fines issued by the NSW Electoral Commission.

Following the 2021 council elections, 18,501 failure to vote notices and fines were issued by the Electoral Commission to non-residential electors. This equates to 39 per cent of all non-residential electors for the area.

If passed, this bill will:

• ensure the same rules that govern voting by non-residential electors in all other LGAs in NSW will apply to the City of Sydney
• make the preparation of non-residential elector rolls much less onerous and costly and relieve the City of Sydney of a significant administrative burden
• deliver cost savings for the City of Sydney that can be redirected towards services and infrastructure for the local community

Quotes attributable to Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig:

“The current City of Sydney Act gives businesses two votes in local government elections in a deliberate decision orchestrated by the former government to suit its political agenda.

“The amendments were made by the Liberals in a brazen attempt to oust Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore from office and give the party an electoral advantage in controlling the Sydney Town Hall.

“As expected, the amendments have clearly missed their target with thousands of non-resident ratepayers being slugged with fines for not voting instead.

“For nearly a decade, City of Sydney ratepayers have also been forced to foot an annual bill of approximately $1 million to maintain the non-residential electoral roll.

“Nowhere else in this state do we see one group of voters favoured in this way. It erodes the democratic process and undermines the vital importance of giving residents and ratepayers a balanced voice in local council elections.

“The Labor Government is proud to return the balance to the City of Sydney democratic process, and plan to have the new laws passed and implemented for the September 2024 council elections.”

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to support essential health workers and their patients by saving the jobs of 1112 nurses and midwives in NSW hospitals.

The government is investing an additional $572 million in the 2023–24 NSW Budget to make the 1112 nurses and midwives permanent.

The $572 million will be spent over 3 financial years from 2024–25.

The Labor Government’s decision delivers certainty to nurses, midwives and their families, along with local hospitals and patients.

The commitment will also ensure the continued delivery of healthcare services and support health outcomes for patients.

These hardworking nurses and midwives are already embedded in the public health system, working in metro and regional hospitals across NSW.

More than 750,000 patients presented to emergency departments across NSW in the second quarter of 2023, with a record number (117,949) of life-threatening triage category 2 cases.

But data from the Bureau of Health Information reveals just over half (54%) of those triage category 2 patients started their treatment on time.

The nurses and midwives work across 15 local health districts (LHDs) along with the Children’s Hospital Network.

This massive funding black hole included no funding allocated for:

• 138.2 nurses in the Hunter New England LHD
• 119.2 nurses in South Western Sydney LHD
• 109.1 nurses in Western Sydney LHD
• 104.4 nurses in South Eastern Sydney LHD
• 99.4 nurses in Sydney LHD
• 82 nurses in Northern Sydney LHD
• 61.4 nurses in Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD
• 57.1 nurses in Central Coast LHD
• 56.1 nurses in Western NSW LHD
• 51 nurses in Northern NSW LHD
• 50 nurses in Nepean Blue Mountains LHD
• 43.3 nurses in Mid North Coast LHD
• 41.6 nurses in Murrumbidgee LHD
• 41 nurses in Children’s Hospital Network
• 26.6 nurses in Southern NSW LHD
• 6.5 nurses in Far West LHD.

Permanently funding these positions will help the Minns Labor Government implement its commitment to Safe Staffing Levels in NSW hospitals, starting with emergency departments.

Safe Staffing Levels are designed to improve health outcomes, reduce waiting times, take pressure off NSW hospitals and help retain experienced nurses and midwives in our health workforce.

The Minns Labor Government has also committed to hiring an additional 1200 nurses and midwives during its first term, beyond today’s announcement, to implement this important reform in our hospitals.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“We are doing what the previous state government failed to do – making these nurses and midwives permanent.

“The NSW health system is under immense pressure. We can’t afford to lose hardworking nurses and midwives.

“Today, we are making good on our commitment to support our essential frontline health workers so they can continue to deliver the health services our communities need and deserve.”

Health and Regional Health Minister Ryan Park said:

“I am as committed to investing in our frontline healthcare workers as I am about bricks and mortar infrastructure.

“The Minns Labor Government made a commitment to support our frontline nurses and midwives and recognise their enormous contribution to our health system by building the workforce and improving their pay and conditions.

“The implementation of Safe Staffing Levels will mean more nurses and midwives working in our hospitals and is a significant step forward in delivering on the Government’s commitment to help rebuild essential services.”

The Labor Government together with the Greens have voted down an opportunity to improve a recent regulation which provides the Independent Commission Against Corruption with overly broad powers to use illegally made recordings.
 
The Opposition had attempted to reach out across the political divide to improve the Labor Government’s rushed regulation, whilst still enabling the ICAC to conduct its current investigation without any limitations.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said the powers granted under the Labor regulation, rather than legislation, have enormous scope beyond any one investigation.
 
“Our proposed regulation provided everything that ICAC needed for the conduct of Operation Rosny. However, Labor and Greens have teamed up to block the disallowance motion that would have allowed for the amended regulation to be put forward,” said Mr Speakman. “Instead ICAC can now use or publish any existing or even new surveillance recordings made by private citizens without a warrant on any matter for years.”
 
Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens said that while the Liberal Party supports a strong ICAC the current regulation gives it free rein to completely ignore the Surveillance Devices Act and encourage future illegal conduct in the nature of “digital vigilante-ism” even if it doesn’t relate to the investigation that it is conducting.
 
“It should alarm law abiding citizens that the Government has allowed powers broader than was necessary for the investigation without any judicial oversight.”
 
“For more than two years ICAC will be able to obtain any illegal surveillance recording and use it in any investigation, because the Minns Government refused to limit the regulation to only apply to the operation that ICAC had asked it for,” Mr Henskens concluded.