Category: NSW News

External gambling related signage is being stripped from venues across the state, following the NSW Government’s election commitment to ban all external gambling signage.

Since the changes were announced in May, Liquor & Gaming NSW inspectors have engaged with 530 venues across 20 metropolitan and 12 regional Local Government Areas (LGAs), to provide education and support to industry to meet their new obligations by 1 September.

215 of the 530 venues visited so far were already complying with the new requirements ahead of the 1 September deadline, with the highest levels of early compliance identified in the Bayside, Canterbury-Bankstown and Fairfield LGAs.

Minister for Gaming & Racing David Harris commended venues that have already removed offending signage and urged other pubs and clubs to get on board.

“It’s great to see industry and government working together to prevent and reduce gambling harm in the community,” Mr Harris said.

“We announced these changes back in May as a staged approach to ensure pubs and clubs were given the appropriate amount of time to conceal, remove and switch off any gambling promoting signage.

“While venues have until 1 September to comply, our expectation is that they remove signs as quickly as possible and not leave it until the last minute.

“Removing this signage is just one important part of our commitment to gambling reform to reduce harm and tackle money laundering head on in NSW, and we are delivering.” 

Venues must remove, alter or conceal all external gambling-related signs, including fixed unilluminated awning signs and digital video displays. Names such as VIP Room/VIP Lounge, Golden Room/Lounge and Players’ Room/Lounge are among the names banned, as well as images of dragons, coins or lightning motifs.

The maximum penalty attributable for those who fail to remove their signs and breach the Act is $11,000, per offence.

“This Government is committed to evidence-based reform. We have achieved more in four months than the Coalition managed in twelve years,” Mr Harris said.

Removal of all external signage is just one part of the NSW Government’s broader gaming reform to reduce harm including:

• reducing the cash input limit from $5,000 to $500 for all new electronic gaming machines from 1 July 2023
• capping the number of gaming machine entitlements in circulation
• banning political donations from clubs involved in gaming
• introducing Responsible Gaming Officers at venues with more than 20 machines
• expanding a third-party exclusion register to the whole state
• establishing an independent panel of expert stakeholders including industry, harm minimisation organisations, academics, law enforcement, cyber security and the union movement to oversee the cashless gaming trial and recommend an implementation roadmap for gaming reforms.

More information on gambling related signage removallaunch.

Threatened species and vital wetlands in outback NSW will be protected in a new National Park, following the acquisition of Comeroo station northwest of Bourke.

The NSW Government has acquired Comeroo, Muttawary and Maranoa stations (known collectively as Comeroo).

The purchase will see more than 37,000 hectares containing endangered ecological communities and an array of threatened species added to the NSW national park estate, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Comeroo features diverse habitat including alluvial floodplains and swamps with permanent waterholes, ephemeral wetlands, grasslands, woodlands and shrublands.

More than one quarter of the new park stretches across Yantabulla Swamp, which is recognised as an Important Bird Area, based on criteria used by BirdLife International. Yantabulla Swamp hosts thousands of internationally protected migratory shorebirds as well as up to 50,000 waterbirds including threatened freckled ducks, pink-eared ducks, grey teals, night herons and many other species.

Three ecological communities listed as endangered cover one-third of Comeroo. These are the Coolibah-Blackbox woodland, Brigalow-Gidgee woodland/shrubland and critically endangered artesian springs.

At least 13 known threatened species will benefit from permanently protecting this area. They include the stripe-faced dunnart, ringed brown snake, black-breasted buzzard, brolga, pink cockatoo, little eagle and Hall’s babbler.

Comeroo is located in in the traditional Paroo and Warrego River country of the Budjiti, Kunja, Gurnu Baarkandji and Muruwari People. It contains extensive Aboriginal cultural sites including wells, waterholes, stone arrangements, widespread artefact scatters and scarred trees.

When combined with nearby recently reserved Brindingabba National Park and properties Yantabulla and Naree which have agreements with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust, this acquisition secures a contiguous area of more than 100,000 hectares for conservation.

The purchase is funded by the NSW Government with support from The Nature Conservancy which has brokered funding from the Wyss Foundation.

The new National Park will be established after the statutory process is completed, and is expected to be named then opened to the public in late 2024.

Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said:

“This addition to the NSW national parks estate will protect vital wetlands in the Cuttaburra basin, part of the Paroo and the Warrego floodplains and some of NSW’s and Australia’s best waterbird breeding sites.

“Wetlands are some of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet, which is why this acquisition is so important.

“National Park management and visitation are an important economic driver for regional NSW. In time, this will become another must-see National Park destination. The construction of visitor experiences and driving tours will help people explore this vast new park.”

James Fitzsimmons, Senior Advisor, Global, The Nature Conservancy said:

“The Nature Conservancy is proud to have worked in partnership with the NSW Government and the Wyss Foundation on the protection of Comeroo.

“The property is in the Mulga Lands bioregion, which has some of the lowest levels of protection in NSW.

“These types of partnerships will be critical to achieving large-scale protection outcomes and meeting Australia’s commitment to protecting 30 per cent of land, freshwaters, and ocean ecosystems by 2030.”

Professor Richard Kingsford, Director, The Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Sydney said:

“Yantabulla Swamp lies at the heart of the Murray-Darling Basin’s healthiest river systems, connecting and supplied by the Paroo and Warrego Rivers.

“Permanent protection of this site is fantastic news for biodiversity and especially for waterbirds. The swamp is in excellent ecological condition, largely unaffected by upstream water resource development.”

The NSW Government is targeting the hidden wealth of senior organised crime figures with a new team comprised of NSW Crime Commission and NSW Police Force investigators.

The Criminal Assets Confiscation Team will be comprised of forensic accountants, intelligence analysts and lawyers, who will work with specialist detectives from NSW Police’s Organised Crime Squad.

The team will identify and investigate senior members of organised criminal networks suspected to have profited from organised crime.

The team will conduct simultaneous criminal and financial investigations into these individuals.

Under legislation recently passed by NSW Parliament, onus now lies on the individual to prove to the court that their wealth was gained through legitimate means.

The team will have the powers to freeze assets and confiscate the proceeds of crime.

This work will prevent, disrupt, and reduce serious and organised crime through the targeting of criminally derived unexplained wealth.

An initial investment of more than $2 million will establish the team, with ongoing funding of approximately $4 million per year.

The proceeds of confiscated items will further fund the team’s work.

Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley said:

“We said we’d make every resource available to tackle organised crime on our streets, today’s announcement does just that.

“Senior members of organised crime gangs are on notice. The NSW Police Force and NSW Crime Commission will hunt you down, they will seize your assets and use that money to come after more of you.

“These crime bosses are highly skilled at hiding their wealth and many never face a court. Today’s announcement means we’ll confiscate their criminally acquired wealth anyway.”

NSW Crime Commissioner, Michael Barnes said:

“With this new funding and the support of our law enforcement colleagues, we will seize the wealth that funds the terrible crimes we have been seeing in Sydney over the last two years.

“The crime bosses don’t do the dirty work – they hide in their mansions and spend huge amounts buying stolen cars and illegal firearms and paying others to fire the bullets. Without access to their illicit drug derived wealth, they will not be able to fund these atrocities.”

Western Sydney will be the hottest ticket in town in spring and summer as arts and culture take over the streets during evening events in Bankstown, Camden, Liverpool, Penrith, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Parramatta, and Fairfield.

The Culture Up Late program provides support for 11 programs involving parties, arts shows, live music, walking tours and cuisine across local arts venues, museums, galleries and cultural centres.

The NSW Government’s Western Sydney Culture Up Late initiative supports local arts and cultural organisations to develop new programs, engage new audiences and create vibrant local precincts connecting local restaurants, bars, retailers, and transport providers, through activations targeted to an after 5pm audience.

The 11 successful grant recipients sharing in $1.9 million in funding are:

•           ACE after Dusk: A new night-time cultural event series – Arts & Cultural Exchange Inc

•           Art Nights: Culture Alive @ Bankstown – Canterbury Bankstown Council

•           Blacktown After 5 – Blacktown Arts and Vyva Entertainment – Blacktown City Council  

•           Camden’s Cultural Fusion – The Council of Camden           

•           Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Up Late Program – Liverpool City Council

•           Creative Penrith by Night: A Summer of Art for Everyone – Penrith Performing & Visual Arts

•           Culture Up Late @ Campbelltown Arts Centre – Campbelltown City Council

•           Culturvate: Exploring art, cuisine and culture – Powerhouse Youth Theatre Inc.

•           Granville Centre Art Gallery presents a series of Late events – Cumberland City Council          

•           Parramatta Up Late Program – City of Parramatta

•           TO YOUR DOOR Fairfield Nights – Think & DO Tank Foundation

One of the recipients Blacktown Arts has received a Western Sydney Culture Up Late grant of $200,000 to deliver Blacktown After 5 in partnership with Vyva Entertainment.

Minister for the Arts John Graham said:

“We are declaring war on the lure of the couch with these nighttime cultural events. It is part of Sydney bouncing back after a tough decade after dark. The program ensures that culture up late funding extends to Western Sydney.”

“The Western Sydney Culture Up Late program showcases some of the most exciting cultural offerings Sydney has to offer. These precincts are already key cultural destinations, and this coming spring to summer they’ll become undoubtedly Sydney’s must-visit locations.”

“As we are working on developing the first ever cultural strategy that includes the creative industries the initiatives in the Culture Up Late program are exactly the types of dynamic programming I want to see more of – programs that will enliven their regions and provide greater employment opportunities for performers, creatives and arts workers.”

The Mayor of Blacktown City, Tony Bleasdale OAM said:

“The Culture Up Late program Blacktown After 5 will engage 220 creatives and 80 local businesses. It will provide for extended hours at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre. Western Sydney creatives will curate events in Blacktown restaurants and host two signature Block Parties.

“Blacktown will be buzzing with live music, and curated events taking place in and around our City’s unique local restaurants. Blacktown City has a fast growing night-time economy and thanks to the Culture Up Late Western Sydney initiative, we can invite our communities to share in these unmissable and exciting Blacktown experiences.”      

Full details of the programs supported by Western Sydney Culture Up Late

More than 300,000 small businesses will start receiving power bill rebates from tomorrow as the Minns Labor Government fulfils its election promise to deliver energy price relief.

Eligible small businesses using less than 100 megawatt hours of electricity per year will receive $650 towards their electricity bills.

Small businesses have not been able to access NSW energy rebates until now.

Eligible small business retail customers do not need to do anything as their retailer will apply the energy bill relief to their electricity account from 31 July 2023 in quarterly instalments.

Small businesses that are part of an embedded network (for example, located in a shopping centre) will be able to apply from October 2023.

In addition to the relief for small business, 1.6 million eligible low-income households, pensioners, self-funded retirees, families, veterans, carers and people who use life support equipment will receive $500 to help pay their electricity bills.

Most eligible households will receive the Energy Bill Relief payment automatically. The NSW Government is encouraging all households to check their eligibility for NSW energy rebates with their retailer or on the Service NSW website and apply if needed.

The Energy Bill Relief payments are being delivered by the NSW Government under a partnership with the Commonwealth. It includes $485 million pledged by the NSW Government and $481 million by the Commonwealth Government to provide targeted, temporary energy bill relief in the 2023-2024 financial year.

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“We are taking the edge off rising power bills for 320,000 small businesses across NSW.

“Power bill relief for business means cost-of-living relief for all of us. That’s a good thing for families and households.

“I know small businesses and families are doing it tough right now.

“1.6 million households will be getting Energy Bill Relief too.

“If you’re an eligible business or a household, check that you’re getting a rebate.

“We want everyone who is eligible getting this help.”

Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe said:

“The Government was elected to provide real support for small businesses and that is exactly what we are delivering.

“The Energy Bill Relief Fund will help around 300,000 eligible small businesses pay their bills.

“The NSW Labor Government is committed to keeping downward pressure on power prices, while working to provide cleaner and cheaper energy through renewable sources.”

Minister for Small Business Steve Kamper said:

“The former Government left the state in a financial mess, and the current economic situation is placing additional stress on business owners.

“With the increases to electricity prices, we know this targeted relief will help keep businesses’ doors open.

“The NSW Labor Government is partnering with businesses to provide them with support they need.”

To find out more, visit National Energy Bill Relieflaunch

Port Kembla is now home to Australia’s first commercial hydrogen refuelling station for zero emissions heavy road vehicles, in a major breakthrough towards de-carbonising the region’s 7000 heavy vehicles.

The H² Station, based at the Coregas Port Kembla industrial gas facility, was partly funded with a $500,000 grant from the NSW Government.

Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty, said heavy road transport is a major carbon-emitting sector and Port Kembla is now leading the way towards a more diverse energy future following today’s opening of the Coregas H² Station.

“The NSW Government is proud to have supported this world-leading project to refuel Australia’s first hydrogen-powered heavy road vehicles under Round 4 of the Port Kembla Community Investment Fund,” Ms Moriarty said.

“The H² Station will be the first practical piece of enabling infrastructure towards de-carbonising the region’s 7000 heavy vehicles as we move towards a cleaner, greener future.”

Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast, Ryan Park, said Port Kembla is primed to become an epicentre for the emerging hydrogen sector in Australia.

“The H² Station will facilitate the introduction of zero emissions hydrogen powered trucks to the Illawarra-Shoalhaven to demonstrate the technology’s potential to improve energy security, create jobs and investment, and decarbonise the transport sector,” Mr Park said.

“Zero emissions trucks will be able to refuel at the Coregas refuelling station using hydrogen produced at Port Kembla and showcase the viability of introducing hydrogen-powered fleet vehicles to greater NSW.”

Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully, said the project places Port Kembla at the forefront of the emerging global hydrogen industry.

“The hydrogen refuelling station represents an exciting opportunity to build our region’s skills and capacity in readiness for Australia’s zero emissions economy,” Mr Scully said.

Alan Watkins, Executive General Manager of Coregas, said the Coregas H² Station will provide the Illawarra region with the opportunity to refuel up to 10 zero emissions hydrogen vehicles a day.

“Thanks to the NSW Government we have been able to achieve this milestone of opening Australia’s first pilot hydrogen refuelling station for heavy vehicles,” Mr Watkins said.

“We believe this project is a game changer for Australia that will lead the clean mobility revolution by demonstrating the suitability of hydrogen powered vehicles as a commercially ready solution.

“For us, this is an important first step towards transitioning Coregas’ distribution fleet.”

Coregas was one of 15 projects to share in $2.1 million in funding through Round 4 of the Port Kembla Community Investment Fund.

The fund is a competitive, merit-based program that financially supports projects that revitalise Port Kembla and surrounding areas for the benefit of the community.

About the project:

This will be Australia’s first hydrogen refuelling station that is purpose-built for commercial heavy road transport vehicles such as trucks and buses.

$2 million has been spent on the project, including $500,000 in NSW Government funding.

Existing hydrogen refuelling stations, designed to refuel passenger vehicles, have around 20kg/day capacity. This project has daily capacity of 400kg of hydrogen.

The facility will enable the deployment of Australia’s first prime mover fleet of hydrogen-powered heavy road vehicles to initiate a transformation of the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region’s environmental transport footprint.

The station will work to support the introduction of zero emissions hydrogen powered fleet vehicles in greater NSW.

The Minns Labor Government has taken action to deliver better bus services in Region 10 after U-Go Mobility, the private operator and holder of the Region 10 contract, has failed to deliver the expected level of service for the community.

The contract for Region 10 was signed weeks before the election by the former Liberal government.  

The winning bid for the contract was determined by the operator that could deliver the contract for the lowest price, instead of whether they could deliver an improved level of service for passengers. 

Transport Minister Jo Haylen has directed Transport for NSW to step in to manage day to day operations in Region 10 alongside U-Go Mobility. 

Since Transport for NSW’s intervention, service cancellations have declined from 28% to 13%, but this number is still too high and there is still more to do to get bus services in Region 10 back on the road. 

Transport for NSW has also taken responsibility for other bus service operations including; 

• Scheduling and implementing a more reliable timetable for customers from Monday 31 July. 
• Re-working current turn-around times for routes to ensure an adequate pre-trip brief is given to drivers. This will help to eliminate stops being missed or drivers taking the wrong route. 
• Meeting with U-Go Mobility management and executives several times a week to ensure resourcing is adequate and the operator is making progress in improving performance.  

Minister Haylen has also directed Transport for NSW to give some school service routes to another operator to run in the short term to ensure that these key community services are prioritised. 

Under this arrangement the U-Go Mobility Managing Director will no longer be working for the operator.

Minister Haylen and Transport for NSW also reserves the right to further exercise the step in rights and fully take over the contract if further improvements are not made.  

U-Go Mobility has also adopted a range of measures to address the driver shortage, to retain staff and to attract drivers, including $5000 retention and sign on bonuses.  

Transport for NSW has already put in place a number of other day-to-day measures to support bus operations in Region 10 including:  

• Dedicated Transport staff monitoring region 10 bus services in real time to identify and report issues directly to the operator and Transport Management Centre. 
• Dedicated Transport staff are responding to customer enquiries and liaising with key stakeholders including schools, local councils and local members.  
• Transport commanders deployed to key interchanges to help customers on the ground 
• A Dedicated timetable team to ensure the adjusted timetable is prioritising dedicated schools services and regular route services that carry a large cohort of school students. 

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:

“Everything we are doing is about making sure bus services are more reliable for the community and that we are supporting our bus drivers.” 

“I’ve directed Transport for NSW to step in to improve bus services in Region 10 to fix up the former governments failures. There have been some improvements to services but there is still more to do to improve performance.” 

“I want to make this arrangement work but services in Region 10 must improve. All options remain on the table if we don’t see further improvements to services from the operator.” 

In light of troubling new allegations, the NSW Government has appointed the Hon Peter McClellan AM KC to lead a special ministerial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the offences committed by former NSW correctional officer Wayne Astill.

Mr Astill was charged in 2016 and convicted in 2023 for serious offences against inmates in his care.

Since his conviction, new allegations have been made against Mr Astill and the institutional response to his offending.

The inquiry has been established under section 82 of the Government Sector Employment Act 2013, which will give Mr McClellan’s inquiry the coercive powers of a Royal Commission to compel witnesses and seek evidence.

The inquiry’s terms of reference will include:

• whether any other employee of Corrective Services NSW had knowledge or suspicion of the offending, and what steps they took;
• the systems of supervision and oversight that applied in relation to Wayne Astill at Dillwynia Women’s Correctional Centre, their adequacy and how they should be improved;
• whether any matters arising from the inquiry should be referred to law enforcement or other agencies, and
• whether the circumstances related to Astill’s offending and the review’s findings require further consideration of broader site or case specific or Corrective Services NSW wide investigations.

The inquiry will report to government by 15 December 2023, or earlier if possible, and a report must be tabled in each House of Parliament within 30 sitting days of that House.

See the Terms of Reference herelaunch

Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“Learning of Mr Astill’s crimes and the allegations made in the wake of his conviction has been deeply disturbing.

“I want to pay tribute to the bravery of Mr Astill’s victims in coming forward.

“Mr McClellan is the right person to lead this inquiry and I’m confident he has the powers he needs.

“We can’t afford to let anything risk other ongoing investigations, so we’ve been careful in designing the scope and format of this inquiry.

“We owe it to the overwhelming majority of Corrective Services officers doing the right thing to ask ourselves the hard questions, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Today marks the 100-year anniversary of work starting on building the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a city-defining landmark that remains essential to the road and transport system.

On 28 July, 1923, thousands of people gathered at the site of what is now North Sydney train station to witness Richard Thomas Ball, NSW Minister for Public Works and Railways, sink a shovel into the dirt to signify the start of work on the northern approach to the Bridge.

The project became known as the “iron lung” for providing essential jobs during the Depression; it also created Granite Town near the south coast town of Moruya. the quarry that supplied all the granite to build the Bridge pylons.

It was anticipated the building of the Bridge would take ten years, but it was built and opened in less than nine on 19 March, 1932.

A century on, the critical work continues, and a dedicated team spends more than 19,000 labour hours each month carrying out maintenance work on the Bridge and in the Domain tunnel.

The team of about 120 people, including engineers, electricians, painters, carpenters and riggers work days, nights and weekends.

Some of the elements involved in maintaining the Bridge include:

• Painting a total steel surface of 485,000m²
• Maintaining over six million hand driven rivets
• Paint replacement which requires four coats of paint. The final coat is Heritage-listed “Sydney Harbour Bridge grey”

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:

“The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an iconic landmark.

“Its construction created jobs at a time when work was scarce.

“It also forged a vital connection across the harbour that has made Sydney the great city that it is today.

“The sod-turning ceremony made global news in 1923.

“This event showed our state’s commitment to build what became the world’s largest steel arch bridge.

“The Bridge build project brought employment through the Depression, not only to Sydney but across NSW.

“It boosted the steelmaking industry of Newcastle, while Moruya played a pivotal role in the construction through the supply of granite for the pylons.”

NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“The sod turn event for the Harbour Bridge was a pivotal moment for Sydney and the nation. What would Sydney be without our Bridge?

“Like all major projects, construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge came at a cost. It cost 14 lives of workers on site and two at Granite Town in Moruya, and it came at the cost of many homes that made way for the build.

“One hundred years on from this event, we appreciate the Bridge as a Sydney icon, a place at the heart of many celebrations – but also a vitally important piece of road and transport infrastructure that the system cannot do without.

“This anniversary is a chance to pay tribute to those workers who are ensuring the Bridge will be getting Sydney across the Harbour for another 100 years.”  

Scrapping Sydney’s Metro West would not only be a betrayal of the people of western Sydney, but a betrayal of the environment, according to Shadow Minister for Environment Kellie Sloane.

“We know from experience with previous Labor Governments in NSW that when they ‘delay’ a project, it never happens,” says Ms Sloane.”

“This is more of the same from a party whose modus operandi is to let NSW grind to a halt.”

Metro West is expected to move 40,000 people an hour – doubling the capacity of the current rail network and reducing commute time from the CBD to Parramatta to just 20 minutes.

Not only would this project support new housing, boost business and improve quality of life for people in Western Sydney, but it will create significant environmental benefits.

Expanding access to high quality public transport is a proven way to reduce car use and its associated emissions. People who live in communities with accessible public transport tend to own fewer vehicles, drive less, and rely more on public transport than other areas. (Litman 2010)

“The former Coalition Government was committed to addressing this, hence our record spend on public transport. By cancelling major public transport infrastructure, NSW Labor is committing to a future of greater congestion and poorer air quality.”

“Once again, NSW Labor shows it can’t be trusted.”

• Cars are one the biggest emitters of greenhouse gas. Australia’s per capita transport emissions are 45% higher than the OECD average (IEA 2016).
• Heavy rail based transport – such as Metro West – has the greatest impact on reducing car dependence (McIntosh et al 2014).
• Rail based transport is known to have the greatest impact on reducing car use (McIntosh et al 2014).
• An international scorecard comparing 23 of the largest energy-using countries, ranked Australia second worst for transport energy efficiency due to: High emitting cars, low use of public transport (12% of trips), and low ratio of spending on public transport compared to roads (ACEEE 2016).