16 News

The Minns Labor Government is supporting prawn fishers and farmers in the Clarence, Evans and Richmond Rivers affected by the detection of white spot in wild prawns with an additional financial assistance package of $4.5 million.

The package will assist impacted fishers to exit the industry and includes funding for voluntary share and business buyouts and business training to support those fishers in the region who decide to exit.

Over the last two years, the Minns Government has invested $21.4 million to respond to the outbreak, enhance biosecurity controls and support affected prawn fishers in the Clarence, Evans and Richmond Rivers, with act-of-grace payments, business share buyouts, fee waivers, Crown Land rent waivers and mental health support services.

White spot is now considered established in wild prawn populations within the existing areas of detection in northern NSW and that has led to a new biosecurity control order enlarging the impacted area being declared and dated till 2030.

Prawn fishers in the control zone have restrictions on how they can move uncooked or unprocessed prawns outside the zone, and this will have considerable impact on their businesses.

Biosecurity control orders have been operating in the Northern Rivers of NSW since 2022. The objective of potentially being able to stand the control orders down has dissipated due to repeated positive testing for white spot within the coastal sea off those rivers.

The NSW Government has been undertaking testing, assisting industry, and advocating to the Commonwealth Government to determine if the national biosecurity approach could be modified when considering the need for a biosecurity control order for northern NSW region.

However, the impacts on national trade and standing within international trade led to a retaining of the existing requirement to maintain the restrictions within the control order.

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“The Minns Government has provided significant financial support of more than $21 million to the prawn farming and fishing industry in northern NSW during the last few challenging years and this $4.5 million financial transition package demonstrates our continuing commitment.

“With white spot now confirmed as established in wild prawn populations in the affected areas, the NSW Government has developed this funding package to help fishing businesses transition out with financial buybacks, business retraining and other support measures.

“The NSW Government acknowledges this has been a challenging time for workers and businesses in the industry and I encourage them to utilise the available mental health and financial counselling.

“Consumers are assured that white spot does not pose a threat to human health or food safety.”

The Minns Labor Government is today launching an unprecedented intensive support program for women leaving prison that will bolster rehabilitation and reduce reoffending by providing support with accommodation and employment in the Hunter.

Generously funded with a donation from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation, the new residential facility will provide wrap-around support for women leaving custody, helping them rebuild their lives to prevent crime.

The program will provide six months of pre-release support to eligible women with a focus on identifying and addressing their post-release needs and provide practical supports.

This includes securing stable housing, navigating full-time employment, as well as obtaining identity documents and accessing vital services such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Support in these areas can strongly promote reintegration into the community and prevent entrenchment in the criminal justice system.

Education and skills training play an important role in reducing recidivism, with BOCSAR data from 2021 revealing that 12 months after inmate trainees were released from custody, there was a 45 per cent reduction in property offending among all groups of trainees.  

Following release, the program offers support for up to two years with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. It acknowledges their disproportionate representation in custody and unique barriers to reintegration.

The service will be delivered through a partnership between Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) and not-for-profit Embrace People & Place (Embrace).

Work has already begun to prepare eligible women for the program, with the first cohort to be housed at the facility in 2026.

This site was a former Periodic Detention Centre aimed at re-skilling minimum-security inmates before being refurbished by Corrective Services NSW into an accommodation facility. The program is largely funded by a donation from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation that has committed to providing $5.7 million over three years for its operation.

This collaborative initiative delivers on the Government’s commitment to exploring new pathways for rehabilitation and reintegration for women in custody, taking into account their unique experiences and needs.

Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“This innovative collaboration demonstrates the Government’s commitment to keeping our communities safe by enhancing rehabilitative outcomes and reducing reoffending.

“We need to offer initiatives that acknowledge and respond to the unique experiences of women who enter custody.

“We know that women’s pathways to criminal behaviour are often a result of abuse, disadvantage and trauma – and this project will support community safety in an effective and meaningful way.

“I welcome the Ian & Shirley Foundation’s contribution, and I wholeheartedly thank them for their ongoing support in this important project.”

Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington MP said:

“Women in prison are already disproportionately impacted by intergenerational trauma, poverty and domestic, family and sexual violence. When women leave prison it’s very difficult for them to find a positive path without the right support.

“This is an important pilot program which will give women in the Hunter, a second chance to build a better future. Our government is proudly partnering and investing to break the cycle of recidivism, improve outcomes and create stronger, safer communities.”

Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Gary McCahon PSM said:

“Improving outcomes for women in custody is one of my key priorities as Commissioner, and this program represents a significant opportunity for collaboration between CSNSW and Embrace to support vulnerable woman and aid their rehabilitation.”

Embrace People & Place Founder and Chair Tracy Norman said:

“At Embrace People & Place, our values centre on dignity, connection and possibility for every person in our region. We have built the Women in Community program because it reflects exactly what we stand for — creating pathways for people to rebuild, reconnect and belong.

“Supporting women as they return to community life isn’t just the right thing to do, it strengthens the whole region and embodies the kind of compassionate, empowered Hunter we believe in.”

Embrace People & Place Chief Executive Officer Coralie Nichols said:

“The Women in Community program is about giving women leaving prison the support they need to return to community life with dignity and confidence.

“By providing safe accommodation, employment pathways and wraparound support, we’re helping women make positive choices and build the lives they want for themselves.”

The Minns Labor Government is today announcing permanent toll relief in the form of the $60 weekly toll cap so hundreds of thousands of motorists, especially in the car-reliant areas of Western Sydney and the Central Coast, can keep more money in their pockets every week.

A decade of privatisation by the former Liberal-National Government handed control of Sydney’s roads to private interests and sent toll bills skyrocketing.

Sydney became the most-tolled city on earth and the Liberals left motorists with a $195 billion toll bill out to 2060. That is why we committed to toll reform that puts the motorist first and no more privatisation.

$60 weekly toll cap

Since it was introduced in January 2024, $211.4 million has been returned to drivers, including in the western, north-western and south-western Sydney suburbs of Blacktown, Baulkham Hills, Auburn, Bankstown, Merrylands, Marsden Park, Castle Hill, Quakers Hill and Kellyville and Lakemba.

More than 680,000 claims have been made under the $60 cap. In Blacktown alone, over $3.5 million has been paid out to 9,400 drivers, closely followed by Baulkham Hills where $3.2 million has been paid out. 

The cap is delivering real, targeted relief for commuters with the highest toll burden and the least access to viable public transport options.

Two-way tolling

To ensure the toll cap is sustainable and fairer for the long term, the NSW Government will proceed with the introduction of two-way tolling on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and

Tunnel when the Western Harbour Tunnel, which will be tolled in both directions, opens in late 2028 – continuing the direction set under the former Liberal government.

We know tolls put a huge financial burden on people who can least afford them. The Minns Labor Government will put net revenue from two-way tolling into funding the weekly toll cap to ensure no one pays more than $60 a week on tolls regardless of where they live.

This corrects long-standing inequity: Western Sydney motorists pay rising tolls in both directions on all their motorways year after year, while tolls on the Harbour Bridge and Tunnel are one-way and did not increase once between 2009 and 2023.

Toll Administration Fees and Direct Deal Update

Today, the Minns Labor Government can update on significant progress on toll reform out of ongoing Direct Deal negotiations with private toll road concessionaires.

Negotiations have cleared the way for administration fees on toll notices to be scrapped from mid-2026 as part of an overhaul of the enforcement process of unpaid tolls.

Getting a cluster of toll notices in the post with multiple admin fees has been one of the big frustrations of drivers over decades.

In the 2024-25 financial year, 46 million toll notices with administration fees totalling $618 million were issued in relation to unpaid tolls on the Sydney toll road network.

The private toll road concessionaires have also agreed to return to the NSW Government any additional toll revenue generated by toll relief rather than benefiting from increased traffic volumes as a result of the toll cap.

Negotiations are also ongoing on some motorway pricing changes.

Concessionaires have indicated a willingness to agree to the Government’s positions and commitments on both these initiatives. Negotiations will complete in early to mid-2026, and while they progress well, a deal will not be struck unless the NSW drivers and taxpayers are the winners.

With the establishment of NSW Motorways, the NSW Government is already reorienting the toll system to being customer-first. From Monday, registered motorists will receive the first digital reminders when a toll goes unpaid, giving them the chance to pay even before a toll notice is sent out in the post.

A Fairer Tolling System for NSW

The toll cap means no driver will pay more than $60 a week (up to the fair-use limit of $400 per tag/licence plate). To ensure no misuse of the toll cap, a $5000 annual limit is also being introduced.

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 Transport John Graham said:

“Eradicating toll admin fees will save motorists significant money. This is part of reorienting the entire system to put motorists first.

“Two-way tolling on the harbour crossings was made necessary when the Liberals decided the Western Harbour Tunnel would be tolled in both directions. The difference is we are committing the extra revenue to ongoing toll relief, which is most needed in Western Sydney.

“This all comes back to fairness. If you live in Western Sydney, you have been paying tolls in both directions and seeing them rise with frustrating regularity. If you only use the Harbour Bridge or Tunnel you have paid in one direction and the toll has almost never gone up.  

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“Making the $60 toll cap permanent, provides certainty and fairness for those who rely on toll roads for travel. Extending the cap also comes with the New Year, when a new round of toll relief is ready to be claimed to help people when they need it the most.

“This new round of funding is waiting to be returned to you by visiting the Service NSW website and claiming your rebate.

The $60 toll cap continues to benefit regular toll road users across the state and in particular, western Sydney by ensuring there is relief for those who are hit hardest by tolls.”

“If you are regularly travelling on toll roads, I encourage you to visit the Service NSW website to see if you’re eligible and make a claim.”

Acting Chief Executive of NSW Motorways, Camilla Drover said:

“NSW Motorways is working to simplify a complex tolling system and we are pleased to lock in the certainty of ongoing toll relief for motorists.”

“We are working closely with concessionaires to drive a better deal for motorists across Sydney and have secured toll road concessionaires agreement on reforms to rebuild and restore the public’s confidence in the system.”

The top 20 suburbs by the claims paid amount, as at 8 December 2025

Suburb	Claims Paid	Claims Paid Amount	Average Paid Amount
Blacktown	9,438	$3,537,818	$375
Baulkham Hills	9,315	$3,298,520	$354
Auburn	4,980	$3,168,322	$636
Merrylands	6,226	$2,974,565	$478
Marsden Park	6,501	$2,750,040	$423
Castle Hill	7,754	$2,680,449	$346
Quakers Hill	6,423	$2,258,281	$352
Lakemba	3,313	$2,144,030	$647
Kellyville	6,398	$2,019,277	$316
Bankstown	4,063	$1,921,795	$473
Greystanes	5,512	$1,810,331	$328
West Pennant Hills	4,326	$1,738,658	$402
Punchbowl	3,412	$1,672,701	$490
Carlingford	3,912	$1,491,325	$381
Glenwood	4,264	$1,459,732	$342
Schofields	4,012	$1,453,976	$362
Maroubra	5,129	$1,415,520	$276
Wiley Park	2,444	$1,371,553	$561
Cherrybrook	3,438	$1,366,263	$397
Seven Hills	3,777	$1,362,829	$361

The top 20 LGAs by the claims paid amount, as at 8 December 2025

LGA	Claims Paid	Claims Paid Amount	Average Paid Amount
Blacktown	86,737	$31,092,235	$358
Cumberland	38,001	$16,775,338	$441
Canterbury-Bankstown	42,051	$16,504,252	$392
Parramatta	43,485	$15,353,677	$353
The Hills Shire	44,125	$14,648,767	$332
Liverpool	35,928	$9,915,192	$276
Penrith	32,209	$8,906,952	$277
Hornsby	21,621	$8,260,776	$382
Bayside	25,904	$7,720,601	$298
Sydney	23,856	$7,085,780	$297
Randwick	21,609	$5,974,483	$276
Central Coast	18,910	$5,430,027	$287
Campbelltown	20,183	$5,059,103	$251
Inner West	20,385	$4,718,070	$231