Category: NSW News

The NSW Government continued its reform agenda over the last two weeks by passing a number of key Bills in the NSW Parliament.
 
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the Government will always put the community and its safety first, with new laws to crack down on money laundering and encrypted devices, the introduction of ‘No Body, No Parole’, further support to ensure the safety of our frontline workers and much more.
 
“This is a Government that is relentless in its determination to improve the lives of everyday people in every community across the State, which is supported by our extensive reform agenda passed by the NSW Parliament,” Mr Perrottet said.
 
“We will be back in Parliament in two weeks’ time with more legislation to secure a brighter future for our State.”
 
Bills passed in the last two weeks include:
 

• Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund Bill 
• Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assaults on Frontline Emergency and Health Workers) Bill
• Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Amendment (No Body, No Parole) Bill
• Confiscation of Proceeds of Crime Legislation Amendment Bill
• Criminal Procedure Legislation Amendment (Prosecution of Indictable Offences) Bill
• Security Industry Amendment Bill
• Crimes Amendment (Money Laundering) Bill
• Dedicated Encrypted Criminal Communication Device Prohibition Orders Bill
• Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Amendment (Digital Evidence Access Orders) Bill
• Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No 2) Bill
• Constitution Amendment (Appointment of Lieutenant-Governor and Administrator) Bill
• Electoral Legislation Amendment Bill (No 2) Bill
• Treasury and Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 
• Electronic Conveyancing Enforcement Bill
• Building and Other Fair Trading Legislation Amendment Bill
• Electoral Legislation Amendment Bill
• Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Amendment (Facilitation of Sydney Metro West) Bill
• Workers Compensation (Dust Diseases) Bill 
• Scrap Metal Industry (Review) Bill 

Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Amendment Bill 

With just over a week until NSW bans more single-use plastics, Minister for Environment James Griffin has joined dozens of citizen science scuba divers and snorkelers in a community effort to clean up Sydney Harbour and highlight exactly why the bans are needed.
 
After donning a wetsuit and snorkeling gear to collect plastic litter from Sydney Harbour, Minister for Environment James Griffin said the ban on single-use plastics is just the beginning of a massive shift away from single-use plastics in NSW.
 
“In June, we banned lightweight single-use plastic bags and from 1 November, we’re banning some of the most commonly littered single-use plastic items, including cutlery, plates, bowls, straws, and polystyrene food ware,” Mr Griffin said.
 
“About 95 per cent of the litter on beaches and waterways comes from suburban streets, and single-use plastic items and packaging make up two thirds of all litter in NSW.
 
“We know from Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP) data that Manly Cove is among the worst beaches in the country for microplastic pollution, with research finding more than 850 pieces of microplastic per square metre.
 
“This is exactly why we must end our reliance on single-use plastic, and why the NSW bans are critical for changing behavior and improving the state of our environment for the benefit of biodiversity and future generations.”
 
The Dive Against Debris event at Manly Cove saw dozens of concerned citizens don scuba gear and snorkels before heading below the surface to collect plastic waste and debris from Sydney Harbour.
 
Dive Against Debris was founded in 1995 by Dive Centre Manly’s Richard Nicholls and has grown into the world’s largest Citizen Science marine project.
 
Now thousands of PADI dive centres regularly conduct underwater plastic clean-ups across the globe, with an estimated 250,000 divers worldwide gathering important data about the scope of the plastic pollution problem.
 
“Sydney Harbour is choking on plastic so it’s absolutely fantastic that the NSW Government is banning many single-use plastics,” Mr Nicholls said.
 
“Marine mammals and fish are dying through plastic ingestion and entanglement, and items are breaking down into microplastics that end up in the human food chain. It’s shocking and we have to stop it.”
 
From 1 November, the NSW Government is banning single-use items including:

• plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, chopsticks, plates, bowls and cotton buds
• food ware and cups made from expanded polystyrene
• rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

 
This comes after lightweight single-use plastic bags were banned from 1 June.
 
The NSW Government bans will prevent almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment in the State over the next 20 years.
 
Since February, the National Retail Association (NRA) has, on behalf of the NSW Government, been providing education and support to more than 40,000 businesses and community organisations around the State to implement the changes.
 
Educational material and in-person advice has also been provided in more than 15 different languages to support business owners and communities with diverse backgrounds.
 
The NSW Government has partnered with Great Plastic Rescue to collect excess stock from wholesalers, distributors, retailers, businesses and not-for-profits for recycling and remanufacturing into new items.
 
In September, the NSW Government launched the Stop it and Swap it advertising campaign, featuring shocking images of plastic pollution in the ocean and a turtle choking on a plastic bag, as an important reminder about why the state is banning certain single-use plastics.
 
For more information about the NSW Government’s single use plastic bans, visit http://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/plastics-ban
 
The single-use plastic ban media kit is available here.

Tonight NSW Labor voted against proposed amendments to the Industrial Relations Act which sought to impose bigger penalties for unions taking illegal strike action in breach of orders made by the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).

Under the proposed amendments, the maximum penalty that could have been imposed on unions or employers for contravention of dispute orders would have been aligned with those available in Queensland and in the federal industrial relations jurisdiction.

Minister for Employee Relations Damien Tudehope said that it was disappointing that Labor chose to support industrial disharmony and chaos for the people of NSW by voting against the proposed amendments.

“In recent times, unions have repeatedly chosen to ignore orders of the IRC prohibiting industrial action. The amendments proposed by the NSW Government were intended to deter unions from flouting IRC orders and disrupting essential services for the people of NSW,” Mr Tudehope said.

“This kind of illegal action interferes with the lives and livelihoods of ordinary workers and small business owners and should not be cheered on by the Labor party.

“These unions have deep pockets and consider the current penalties as a minor cost of doing business. Without increasing penalties, we can expect Labor’s year of the strike to continue.”

Labor’s position follows their conference over the weekend where parliamentarians gave Rail, Tram and Bus Union boss Alex Claassens a standing ovation after a speech promising to continue his political campaign of strikes.

Last week, the Supreme Court of NSW handed down a $60,000 fine to the NSW Teachers Federation for industrial action organised and promoted by the union in breach of dispute orders made by the IRC. The Court noted the union’s annual revenue from memberships alone is $37 million.

The Court held the breaches were ‘inimical to the orderly conduct of the conciliation and arbitration system established by the [Industrial Relations] Act’.

Penalties for breaching dispute orders can only be applied against industrial organisations or employers and not against the individuals or workers participating in industrial action.

Sydney’s Tech Central has further cemented itself as the country’s premier technology innovation district with the official opening today of a new scaleup hub on Pitt Street.
 
Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Alister Henskens said the Tech Central Scaleup Hub, run by Stone & Chalk, is designed to help Australian technology scaleups and startups grow, create jobs and attract world-leading companies to NSW. 
 
“The Scaleup Hub is right in the heart of Sydney’s Tech Central District and is at the forefront of the NSW Government’s strategy to attract investment, accelerate growth and ensure the jobs of the future are created here in NSW,” Mr Henskens said.
 
“Set across six levels and 8,000 square metres of open and flexible space, the hub will help draw companies to Sydney and continue our push to make Sydney the major technology hub of the Asia Pacific.”
 
Stone & Chalk CEO Michael Bromley said several innovative tech companies working in advanced manufacturing, Fintech and education are already in place and working from the hub, with opportunities for more to join.
 
“This is Stone & Chalk’s second hub in Sydney and builds on our mission to help transform NSW into a sustainable technology-driven economy,” Mr Bromley said.
 
“We are calling on cutting-edge companies looking to expand and grow to set up in the scaleup hub and take advantage of all the exciting opportunities that Tech Central has to offer.”
 
Country manager of new resident 3D printing company Nano Dimension, Omer Tangi, said the hub’s proximity to leading industry experts and institutions such as the University of Technology was a major drawcard.
 
“As an international scaleup this is our first location in Australia and we are excited to be around other innovative scaleups as we use advanced 3D printing technologies to reshape and redefine the future of electronics production,” Mr Tangi said.
 
“Proximity to world-class universities such as UNSW and UTS plus other Tech Central residents including Atlassian, Commonwealth Bank and Cicada Innovations is great for our growing company.”
 
The new Scaleup Hub will support the NSW Government’s target of bringing 25,000 future-focused innovation jobs to NSW.
 
For more information, visit https://www.investment.nsw.gov.au/living-working-and-business/tech-central-scaleup-hub/.

Schools in a growing community of South West Sydney will be part of an innovative approach offering families the choice of attending one of three local primary schools.  

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said three public schools in Denham Court, Leppington and Edmondson Park will have a shared intake area from 2023 to maximise the use of the local school facilities.  

“The new intake model will allow the rapidly growing area to better utilise the new schools being delivered,” Ms Mitchell said.   

“This responsive approach allows us to be more flexible in how schools take students in through their enrolment boundaries, while still providing certainty to families.  

“In order to make sure every family in the area has a place at a great local school for their child, from next year they will have the option to send their child to either Denham Court Public School, Edmondson Park Public School or Leppington Public School.” 

Ms Mitchell highlighted how more than $1 billion of investment into public school infrastructure has been delivered or in the pipeline in South West Sydney. 

“This approach is about balancing enrolment demand in the growth area. We will continue to work with communities as the local area changes and grows.” 

A unique legislative cap is in place at Denham Court Public School which places a limit on the number of students and staff allowed onsite. Siblings of current Denham Court Public School students will be prioritised for the 2023 intake.  

Next year is the first year of operation for the new Edmondson Park Public School. An upgrade at Leppington Public School has also been funded as part of the NSW Government’s historic school building program.    

An enrolment panel, made up of the local school leadership, teachers and school community members, will determine applications.  

The NSW Government is investing $8.6 billion in school infrastructure over the next four years, continuing its program to deliver 160 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This builds on the more than $9.1 billion invested in projects delivered since 2017, representing an overall public education infrastructure program of $17.7 billion.  

The NSW Government has armed law enforcement with new powers to confiscate unexplained wealth and the proceeds of crime with tough new laws targeting organised crime passing NSW Parliament.

The laws are part of a suite of game changing reforms introduced by the NSW Government that target organised crime, including tougher penalties for money laundering and new offences to target the use of dedicated encrypted criminal communication devices.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Police Paul Toole said the NSW Government has acted swiftly to provide law enforcement with exactly what it needs to tackle the changing face of organised crime. 

“These are the State’s toughest ever organised crime laws and will cut organised criminals off at the source, incapacitating them financially so they can no longer reap the benefits of their insidious crimes,” Mr Toole said.

“In the last six months alone we have introduced world-leading legislation, tougher penalties and new powers to put our police and law enforcement agencies in the strongest position yet to fight organised crime.

“Gone are the days when criminal gangs can slip under the radar and hide their ill-gotten gains. If you are living the high life off the proceeds of crime, expect a knock at the door from police with a warrant to seize your most prized possessions.

“The NSW Government is backing our police every step of the way and these reforms are exactly what police they tell us they need to attack the very core of these criminal networks and keep our communities safe.”

The organised crime reforms the NSW Government has introduced in the last six months include:

• New powers for law enforcement to confiscate unlawfully acquired assets of major convicted drug traffickers
• Enhanced powers for law enforcement to target and confiscate unexplained wealth
• Expanded powers for law enforcement to stop and search for unexplained wealth and more effectively investigate organised crime
• New money laundering offences for those dealing with and caught trying to disguise the proceeds of general crime.
• A new offence that prohibits the possession of a dedicated encrypted criminal communication device (DECCD) – and orders to target high risk individuals likely to use them
• New powers to enable police to direct a person to provide access to a digital device, which is akin to gaining the keys to a safe
• New laws for the security industry to target industry integrity and safeguard against misconduct and organised crime
• New laws for the scrap metal industry to strengthen registration requirements and make it harder for illegitimate dealers who pay criminals cash in exchange for stolen parts and property to operate
• New laws making it illegal for members of a criminal organisation to hold a tattoo licence.

New South Wales Acting Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the reforms will target organised criminals from every angle and are a huge asset in the fight against organised crime.

“We will seize their illegally acquired assets, take away their loopholes, and ban their methods of communication,” Acting Commissioner Lanyon said.

“We are committed to using every power available to us in the dismantling of criminal networks across this State.”

Large-scale excavation has kicked off at the new game-changing Sydney Olympic Park Metro Station, one of nine underground railway stations on the future 24-kilometre Sydney Metro West line.
 
Sydney Metro West is fully-funded by the NSW Government. The NSW Government is investing $12.4 billion over next four years, including $3.2 billion in 2022-23 to support major construction.
 
Premier Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney David Elliott today visited the Sydney Olympic Park site today, where major work is starting on the station.
 
Mr Perrottet said the new Sydney Metro West line would provide a vital transport link to a growing Western Sydney and deliver world-class metro services to more communities.
 
“Our Government is transforming the way that people move around Sydney, investing more than $76 billion in transport infrastructure across the state, including more than $16 billion in Western Sydney alone,” Mr Perrottet said.
 
“The centerpiece of this investment is Sydney Metro, the biggest public transport project in Australia.
 
“Work is now underway to excavate 468,000 tonnes of rock and soil – the equivalent to 78 Olympic swimming pools – to make way for a state-of-the-art metro station at Sydney Olympic Park.
 
“This new transport link will further reinforce Sydney Olympic Park’s status as a premier events, sporting, and entertainment precinct, supporting the transit of more than 10 million people who visit or stay each year.”
 
Mr Elliott also announced that two mega tunnel boring machines are now on site at The Bays, which will carve out 11-kilometres of twin metro rail tunnels on the Sydney Metro West line.
 
“Two mega tunnel boring machines located at The Bays have the important job of carving out 11-kilometre twin tunnels from The Bays to Sydney Olympic Park, bringing Sydney’s booming west one step closer to a world-class rapid metro system in their own backyard.” Mr Elliott said.
 
“When passenger services start in 2030, Sydney Metro will open the door for more people to explore this dynamic destination, providing a major boost for the area.
 
“Enjoying a day out at this sporting and entertainment precinct will be more accessible than ever – a metro train will take you from Parramatta to Sydney Olympic Park in just five minutes, and from the Sydney CBD it will take just 15 minutes.”
 
Sydney Metro Chief Executive Peter Regan said once the station box is complete, it will be used as the extraction site for four of the six tunnel boring machines used to construct the twin tunnels for Sydney Metro West.
 
“When this fully accessible station is complete it will provide increased capacity for customers during major events, including two dedicated event-mode entrances,” Mr Regan said.
 
“Sydney Olympic Park metro station will be located to the south of the existing Olympic Park Station and provide easy interchange with the planned Parramatta Light Rail, the T7 Olympic Park Line, and buses.”
 
Excavation of the station is expected to take around 13 months to complete and will include the installation of 114 active anchors and 467 passive bolts, and 2151 rock bolts to support the station box structure, as digging progresses to a depth of around 27-metres.
 
The excavation work has started on the station boxes for Sydney Metro West stations at The Bays, Burwood North and Sydney Olympic Park. The first tunnel boring machine will arrive at Sydney Olympic Park in late 2024.

Catching public transport in Sydney’s north-west is now easier and more convenient following the completion of a new commuter car park in North Rocks.
 
Minister for Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney David Elliott today officially opened the new car park which has delivered 135 additional parking spaces for North Rocks commuters.
 
“Making public transport more accessible is a key commitment of the NSW Government and this project is a great example of the projects undertaken as part of our Commuter Car Park Program which will invest $351 million during the next four years,” Mr Elliott said.
 
“As the population of Western Sydney grows it is important we continue to deliver for families, businesses and commuters by providing more convenient access to public transport at key interchanges.
 
“The construction of this new car park means North Rocks commuters now have 135 additional spaces to the 88 car spaces currently available at the Barclay Rd commuter car park.
 
“The new car park, which has delivered safety and security improvements, including accessible spaces, improved lighting and wayfinding signage, provides greater public transport options for north-west Sydney commuters and helps reduce congestion on local roads. 
 
“Commuters will also benefit from Park&Ride boom gates which will be installed in the coming weeks to provide up to 18 hours of secure free parking per day when customers tap onto a connecting public transport journey with their Opal, credit or debit card.”
 
This project has also provided a boost to the local economywith 845 cubic metres of concrete, 101 tonnes of Australian steel used and a total of 52,045 hours of work carried out by 531 workers across the lifespan of the works.
 
The NSW Government’s Commuter Car Park Program has now delivered more than 14,000 commuter car spaces across Sydney since 2011 – these include Edmondson Park South, Leppington, St Marys, Wentworthville, Schofields, West Ryde, Winston Hills and Warwick Farm.
 
The program also has another 4000 additional spaces on the way at locations including Edmondson Park North, Emu Plains, Casula, Como, Riverwood, Beverly Hills and Revesby.

Penrith residents can soon enjoy a new city centre in St Marys and a huge new recreation precinct thanks to the $5 billion WestInvest Program.
 
Premier Dominic Perrottet, Treasurer Matt Kean, Minister for Western Sydney David Elliott and Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman today announced more than $28 million in WestInvest funding for Penrith:

• $21 million for the St Marys City Heart and Entertainment Canopy project to deliver a new civic park and state of the art performance centre
• $7 million towards the $41 million Gipps Street Recreation Precinct project to transform a 32-hectare former landfill site in Claremont Meadows into a multipurpose open space facility for the community.

 
Penrith City Council is contributing $34 million towards the Gipps Street Recreation Precinct project.
 
Mr Perrottet said the projects put forward by the Penrith City Council would transform the local area.
 
“St Marys is evolving into a resilient hub connected by the city-shaping Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport project that, once complete, will connect the new airport and aerotropolis to St Marys,” Mr Perrottet said.
 
“This unprecedented boost through WestInvest will capitalise on the major investments we have made in critical projects, such as Metro West and Western Sydney Aerotropolis, to transform Western Sydney.”
 
Mr Kean said the St Marys City Heart and Entertainment Canopy project will revitalise the centre of St Marys to support future growth.
 
“This project will develop a city heart with an accessible civic park and state of the art performance space for local concerts, festivals, markets, fetes and celebrations,” Mr Kean said.
 
“There’ll be a performance stage, public artwork, a big screen and a huge central lawn for people to gather.”
 
Mr Elliott said the Gipps Street Recreation Precinct will include spaces for adventure play and a flood-lit pump track, the first of its kind in the local area.
 
“This former landfill site will be transformed to deliver a new sporting precinct that will benefit the growing community and local families,” Mr Elliott said.
 
Mrs Tuckerman said the WestInvest Community Project Grants – Local Government Allocation is funding council-led projects to ensure communities benefit sooner.
 
“Councils play an essential role in delivering services and facilities that meet the needs of locals. WestInvest is accelerating projects, put forward by councils, that will deliver benefit on the ground,” Mrs Tuckerman said.
 
Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres said the Gipps Street Recreation Precinct project will create new sporting fields, multi-courts designed for basketball and futsal, children’s play areas, netball courts, cricket nets, a skate bowl with youth zone, an outdoor gym, a village green, nature trails and much more.
 
“These WestInvest projects will deliver an exceptional upgrade to sport and open recreation space to Penrith and St Marys communities,” Mr Ayres said.
 
Penrith Mayor Tricia Hitchens said the projects funded in Penrith show the council and NSW Government are listening to the needs of locals.
 
“The people of our community told us they want to see more parks and better community infrastructure, and that is exactly what WestInvest is delivering for the people of Penrith,” Cr Hitchens said.
 
As part of the WestInvest Fund, $2 billion was reserved for priority Community Projects. This included $400 million for 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in West and South West Sydney, with each local council eligible for between $20 million and $35 million, depending on population size.
 
Announcements on other LGAs will be made soon.
 
The $5 billion WestInvest program was made possible by the Government’s successful WestConnex asset recycling strategy.
 
A further $1.6 billion from the $2 billion Community Project Grants is available to local community groups.
 
A total of $3 billion is also set aside to deliver transformational projects that will benefit local communities, led by NSW Government agencies.
 
To find out more about WestInvest visit www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/westinvest

Thanks to Dominic Perrottet and the Liberal’s tollmania, new forecasts confirm the WestConnex toll will rise on 1 January 2023 by a record 6.1 per cent, with further significant toll increases expected during the 2023 election period.
 
The increase means a one way trip on the M8 goes up to $7.98 one way, and on the M4 to $6.82 one way.
 
Western Sydney households will be hardest impacted by the increases. The government’s own data shows that 17 of the top 20 most tolled postcodes are in Western Sydney.
A driver going from Penrith into the Sydney CBD for work every day using the M4 could now potentially pay $3,410 a year on tolls.

The figures were revealed in a release to the stock exchange by tolling company Transurban to co-incide with its Annual General Meeting.
 
It was also revealed that April 2023 to September 2023 will see the ‘peak’ toll increases as inflation forecasts spike.
 
Peak toll inflation will impact on a further seven Sydney toll roads (Northconnex, Westlink M7, Cross City Tunnel, Hills M2, Lane Cove Tunnel, M5 South West and the Eastern Distributor)  each quarter and will then further flow through to Westconnex on 1 January 2024. 
 
Because of Dominic Perrottet, motorists in Sydney pay tolls on over a million trips per day, totalling about $2.3 billion annually.
 
Over the remaining life of existing toll road contracts, this will leave Sydney motorists paying over $100 billion in tolls – all going to private toll road operators.

	OLD	NEW
	Cars	Trucks	Cars	Trucks
Westconnex M8	$7.52	$22.56	$7.98	$23.94
Westconnex M5 East	$7.52	$22.56	$7.98	$23.94
Westconnex M4 (max toll)	$8.87	$26.61	$9.41	$28.23

 

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said:

This will be a massive hit to the family budgets of people in Western Sydney.
 
“And what we can be certain of is that tolls will continue to go up and up and up because of this privatisation obsession of Dominic Perrottet.”
 
“And in the middle of a cost of living crisis, Sydney households are getting slammed for it. We’re already the most tolled city in the world.”

 
NSW Shadow Minister for Roads John Graham said:
 
“This is the worst ever New Year’s Day gift as tolls on Westconnex leap 6.1%.
 
“This market reporting predicts it will then get worse.
 
“The report shows that peak toll inflation will hit Sydney just as voters go to the polls in March.
 
“That will have drivers upset and the Government worried.”