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Police officers, teachers, firefighters, doctors and childcare workers are among hundreds of essential workers and their families receiving support to relocate to regional New South Wales thanks to a successful NSW Government initiative.

Launched by the Government in June last year, The Welcome Experience has helped 511 essential workers to find a new home in the regions, settle into their communities, enrol kids in school, join sporting clubs and assist with finding a job for their partner.

The Welcome Experience is part of the NSW Government’s $25.1 million Essential Worker Attraction Program, which aims to boost essential workforces in regional NSW.

The Welcome Experience program pilot has so far delivered the following successes:

• Close to 1,800 workers have inquired about the pilot locations – Broken Hill, Walgett, Coffs Harbour, Muswellbrook, Goulburn, Griffith, Corowa, and Bega.
• Provided a vital boost to essential services in locations, by helping 511 essential workers relocate and settle into their new communities, including 224 health workers, 84 educators and 35 NSW Police staff.
• Helped more than 227 workers move to Broken Hill, 62 to Bega, 57 to Walgett, and 38 to Muswellbrook.

The program offers a concierge style service facilitated by a number of organisations including councils, local business chambers, not-for-profit organisations and community groups.

Originally piloted in Broken Hill, Muswellbrook, Bega, Walgett, Coffs Harbour, Corowa, Griffith and Goulburn, the program has been such a success it is now being rolled out to 52 Local Government Areas across the State.

The new areas include Orange, Dubbo, Kiama, Tumut, Kempsey, Uralla, Bourke, Yass Valley, Queanbeyan, Shoalhaven and Wagga Wagga. These new locations will give essential workers considering a change, that extra nudge to get them over the line, because they will have confidence that they and their family will have choices and opportunities to fit in and be welcomed in the regions.

Whether it is the pristine beaches of the Mid North Coast, the expansive plains of the Far-West or inland regional city living, the program’s new locations will offer a friendly helping hand to essential workers to move, settle their families, grow their career and give back to their new communities.

The expansion will support the delivery of a skilled and robust essential workforce in our regions and is further proof of the NSW Government’s dedication to paving the way for stronger, more resilient communities while ensuring that every corner of the state thrives.

Police Officer Amy Loomes – Walgett

Among these essential workers assisted by The Welcome Experience, is Police Officer Amy Loomes, who now lives and works in Walgett after moving from Sydney with her family in November 2023.

The Welcome Experience helped the family settle into the local community and assisted Amy’s husband Casey to secure a local carpentry job thanks to the Partner Employment Program.

While living in Sydney, the family didn’t have a backyard. Now they have two dogs, a trampoline, a thriving veggie garden and their very own chicken coop, complete with laying hens.

Find out more about The Welcome Experience and the exciting opportunities that await those considering a move to the regions.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said:

“We are so lucky to live in a state with such beautiful regions, from the beaches of the South Coast to the bushes of the Central West.

“But what makes it such an incredible place to live, work, and raise a family is the strong sense of community.

“This program is about ensuring when people ‘make the move’, whether it’s to Broken Hill or Bega, they feel welcomed and find their feet as soon as possible.

“We need skilled and essential workers in our country towns, and we’re working to make it easier than ever for people considering a tree change to take that leap.”

NSW Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Western NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“Locals can give insights on different locations in towns to suit housing needs, or finding a reliable removalist or even knowing which café boasts the best cappuccino in town, and that is why The Welcome Experience pilot has been such a resounding success.

“Since I launched the program 12 months ago, 1,800 individual enquiries have been received from essential workers who are considering moving or have made the move to the regions.

“511 workers and their families have already made the move and the feedback is the program was important in accepting the job offer and was vital in helping people find their feet in their new community.

“The NSW Government’s decision to expand the program shows what a difference a warm welcome can make for workers moving to a new community. It fosters people to grow roots in the town and be part of the community they are looking after.

“I want to highlight that The Welcome Experience is a promise to our regional communities that our Government is invested in their futures and will deliver real and tangible results for them.”

Police officer and The Welcome Experience client, Amy Loomes (Walgett) said:

“We decided to give regional NSW a go, and after making the move to Walgett, we not only have room for a trampoline, but our children love collecting fresh eggs from their very own chicken coop every morning.

“We haven’t looked back. Living in a close-knit regional community has given us the freedom and space to give our kids a childhood filled with fun and adventure. We tend to stress less and have more time to spend together doing the things we love.”

Cardiologist and The Welcome Experience client, Dr Sean Conte (Bega) said: 

“My wife and I told ourselves that our move to Bega could be for a few years, or until the kids are at high school but now we are here, we can’t imagine living back in the city.

“The Welcome Experience has been great and helped us with things such as completing a house inspection when we were still in Sydney, connecting us with local services like electricians and gave us the lay of the land with preschools.

“My wife Anna found the local Tathra playgroup through a recommendation from our Local Connector and enjoyed a social event to welcome newbies to the area.

“We have found that there is a friendly community of young families and a range of opportunities for playgroups and services for young kids.

“To anyone considering a move to the regions, I recommend making the sea change with young kids. Our kids are thriving having us at home more without the longer commutes and busy schedules and thriving at preschool.

“I have gotten into ocean swimming with a local group and Anna has just bought a bike – we are enjoying the outdoors more than we could in Sydney.”

Young people, families and key workers can breathe a sigh of relief as Labor and the cross bench rejected the Opposition’s attempt to stop the delivery of thousands of well-located homes to address the housing crisis, with the defeat of the Liberals and Nationals TOD SEPP disallowance Bill this afternoon.

Despite the fact that 12 out of 13 councils came to an agreement with the Minns Government in April to deliver homes around 37 train stations, the Opposition sought to abolish the agreements and work against councils to deliver more homes for their local community. 

Since the agreement, Development Applications are now able to be submitted at 23 TOD sites as councils have worked with the Government to create bespoke housing plans for their area.

The threat of abolition of these locations has created significant uncertainty on business investment confidence in building new homes in NSW.

This Opposition’s Bill directly put at risk up to 170,000 new homes over the next 15 years and risked hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs over this period.

Not content with abandoning young people and families by refusing to address the housing crisis, the Liberal National Opposition are now trying to confine another generation of young people and families to not being able to afford to rent or buy a home closer to their jobs and in the communities in which they want to live.

The Bill was the product of an opposition more interested in supporting a Nimby objection to more medium density housing around train stations than they are in addressing the housing affordability and availability, that was the product of their more than a decade in government.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Across the political divide upper house members have said it’s time to get on with confronting the housing crisis.

“Not everyone may agree with all the fine details of the Government’s approach, but everyone agrees it’s time to end the uncertainty and build better homes and better communities for young people, families and key workers.

“This was a sad desperate stand by an Opposition with no plan to address the housing crisis and block the development of new homes for those in desperate need.

“Common sense has prevailed with recognition that the only way that homes will be more affordable and available to rent or to buy is to build more homes, and it makes sense to build them near transport, jobs, services and amenities.”

New laws designed to take immediate action to help restore confidence in living and investing in strata schemes are now before the NSW parliament.

The reforms which impose higher penalties and greater disclosure obligations on strata managing agents are aimed at ending secret kickbacks on insurance policies and weeding out bad players.

Strata laws put owners’ corporations in charge of making key decisions on the buildings and common property of townhouses and apartments, usually with the assistance of a strata managing agent.

The new laws will help build confidence in the sector which has been challenged by more than 965 complaints about strata agents to NSW Fair Trading in the five years to 2023. More than half of those complaints were about rules of conduct or budgets, levies and finances.  

The higher penalties, greater transparency and new enforcement powers follow an $8.4 million investment in more resources for the Strata and Property Services Commissioner in this year’s budget.  

Key changes include:  

• increasing the maximum penalties and penalty infringement notice amounts for existing agent obligations to disclose information about commissions
• strengthening the conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements
• banning agents from receiving a commission on insurance products when they don’t play a role in finding the best deal for residents
• strengthening NSW Fair Trading’s enforcement and compliance powers.

The new laws were informed by consultation with key stakeholders such as the Owners Corporation Network and Strata Community Association.

Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“Building more high quality, higher density housing is a key pillar of the NSW Government’s comprehensive plan to build a better NSW.

“These reforms are critical to supporting confidence in investing and living in strata schemes.  

“They will help to restore the confidence of the 1.2 million people already living in strata schemes, but they won’t be the last changes we make as we work to make strata an attractive housing option.”

Good Samaritans can now be guided to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to help them respond to people experiencing cardiac arrest, while they wait for paramedics to arrive.

The GoodSAM app works by alerting registered responders when someone near them goes into cardiac arrest and a Triple Zero (000) call has been received.

The app guides the volunteer to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while an ambulance is dispatched, buying precious time.

The incorporation of the NSW public access defibrillator registry into the free, life-saving GoodSAM app means responders will now be able to see if an AED is located near a person experiencing cardiac arrest and use it to improve that person’s chance of survival.

There are already over 4,300 AEDs on the GoodSAM AED registry.

Thirty lives have been saved thanks to the assistance of GoodSAM volunteers, with more than 7,300 people signing up to be responders.

Twelve of those 30 patients benefited from a lifesaving AED prior to the arrival of NSW Ambulance paramedics.

Thousands of Australians will experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year and statistics show that only 12 per cent of people who receive resuscitation survive.

In 2021, 9,273 cardiac arrest patients were attended across NSW.

In 2022, the NSW Government announced a $2.5 million partnership between NSW Ambulance and the GoodSAM responder app. To register, please visit: ambulance.nsw.gov.au/goodsam

Find more information about GoodSAM or to register as a responder.

You can register as a GoodSAM responder if you’re 18 years old or over, and able and willing to perform CPR.

Find out more about registering your AED with GoodSAM and watch the explainer video.

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“AEDs alone don’t save lives, people with AEDs do.

“I encourage everyone who has an AED to register it online with NSW Ambulance so GoodSAM responders can see it in the app.

“It’s all well and good to have defibrillators around the community, but if people don’t know their location, they’re going to be of little help in a life and death situation.

“By guiding these volunteers to these devices, we can significantly improve the survival rate of people experiencing cardiac arrest.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Health & Regional Health Dr Michael Holland:

“Every minute counts when someone is in cardiac arrest and for every minute that a patient is in cardiac arrest and does not receive CPR, their chance of survival drops by seven to ten per cent.

“The survival rate improves significantly if chest compressions begin in the first few minutes and improves significantly if an AED is also utilised.”

NSW Ambulance Chief Executive Dominic Morgan:

“This publicly accessible network of over 4,300 AEDs registered with the GoodSAM app in NSW will help responders provide life-saving care to people experiencing cardiac arrest before paramedics arrive.

“The addition of the NSW AED registry to the GoodSAM app delivers increased capability to the Triple Zero (000) connected GoodSAM program to save more lives right across the state.”

Architects from across the world and Australia are fighting it out to have their designs shape the face of our suburbs with entries to the Pattern Book design competition exceeding expectations.

The competition has attracted 212 entries, with 176 from Australia and 36 coming in from Europe, the UK, Asia, Africa, the US and South America.

The Opera House international design competition attracted 230 entries and the new housing Pattern Book is not far behind, setting the bar for good designs to shape the housing future of Sydney and NSW.

In addition to good designs, anyone who uses a pre-approved design from the new Pattern Book will get access to a fast-track through the planning system so construction can get underway more quickly.

That means keys in doors faster while maintaining high standards, with the NSW Government Architect’s stamp of approval.

The Pattern Book competition complements the biggest planning reforms NSW has seen in a generation as part of the Minns Labor Government’s efforts to confront the housing crisis.

With housing the largest cost of living issue facing the people of NSW, the Pattern Book will help add more diversity of housing types in our towns and suburbs.

This way young families can choose a home for their growing families, while downsizers have more choice to stay in the communities they love and have helped build.

These new designs will not only help to build houses, they will build communities as more people get into homes that will suit them through the different stages of life.

These are homes for people who open businesses, have families, build our communities, volunteer and contribute to local economy.

The next phase of the competition will be to select 15 professional and six student competitors to move through to Stage 2 with the next milestone to be announced early September.

Design submissions will be due by Friday 11 October 2024.

Learn more about the Pattern Book Design Competition.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully said:

“In some great news for those trying to get into a home, architects and students of NSW and the world have embraced this home design competition.

“We have had a record turn-out from our Australian architects but I am also pleased to see entries from Spain, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, UK, US, Canada, Colombia, South Africa, India and Iran.

“With 171 expressions of interest submitted by professional architects and 41 from architecture students, this is an opportunity for all designers to create homes for the future.

“Sydney and NSW need affordable, quality and sustainable homes.

“I hope these designs respond to our climate and our lifestyle, are sustainable and improve energy, thermal and water efficiency.

“The Pattern Book will be a useful resource for industry, architects, planners, councils and the community for years to come.”

The Minns Government has delivered on another election commitment by providing $1,050,000 towards the establishment of a peak body for the commercial fishing industry to deliver an effective advocate to work with Government in promoting a viable commercial fishing sector.

The commercial fishing industry is a powerhouse in NSW’s economy contributing $170 million annually and directly employing more than 1,600 people.

It is a vital industry on NSW’s coast and one that the NSW Government is committed to supporting.

The NSW Government made an election commitment to establish a single united commercial fishing peak body and over the last 10 months worked with the fishers and their businesses to foster the setting up of the new peak body which has been named the NSW Wild Harvest Fishers’ Association Incorporated (WHFA).

The WHFA will receive $350,000 per year for three years to assist the association to actively engage with the state’s commercial fishers and allow the industry to speak with one voice.

The seed funding will assist the WHFA to become a self-sustaining peak body for the industry that can effectively represent and advocate for the sector.

The WHFA has been developed through an industry-facilitated process, involving consultation between two standing industry organisations to establish a single united peak industry body.

The WHFA appointed Mr John Wilson as the inaugural independent Chair in April 2024.

The peak body is now operational, with a constitution and is in the process of engaging a Chief Executive Officer.

Discussions and stakeholder meetings at the industry level have been ongoing throughout the year to bring commercial fishers from the two separate industry bodies together, adopt a constitution, and determine how the body can assist industry.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said:

“The NSW Government wants to ensure we have a viable, productive and sustainable commercial fisheries sector now and for future generations.

“We recognise the challenges facing the industry and that’s why it’s important to have a united peak body, to advocate and work with Government to sustainably grow the sector which plays a major role in many of our coastal communities.

“The NSW Wild Harvest Fishers’ Association will be engaging with commercial fishers across NSW to build its membership and will also undertake elections to replace the interim board.

Chair of NSW Wild Harvest Fishers’ Association, John Wilson said:

“I welcome the NSW Government’s funding towards the newly established peak fishing industry body for three years, it is crucial for the new peak body.

“The board is very grateful to the Minister for honouring the government’s election commitment to contribute funding for the peak industry body.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the Minister and her Department to make a positive difference for NSW wild harvest fishers and the NSW economy.

A new three-kilometre shared path built as part of the Sydney Gateway project will open on Friday 16 August.

The new paths complete a network of walking and cycling links around the airport, providing critical and direct connections for the 30,000 workers in the airport precinct, and commuters walking, running and riding through to nearby suburbs.

The first kilometre of new paths on the north side of Alexandra Canal opened in early 2023, replacing a shared path alongside Airport Drive that cantilevered out over the Alexandra Canal.

The new section opening at the end of the week extends the shared pathway along Qantas Drive, completing to the Domestic terminal and the eastern edge of the airport precinct.

New shelters, complete with seating lights, bubblers and a bike pump light sit alongside the Alexandra Canal and the new paths, providing a front row seat for plane spotters.

The active transport links are part of a major inter-regional route for people walking and riding which will link the CBD in the north to Sans Souci’s Captain Cook Bridge in the south, once the future M6-Stage 1 is completed.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen:

“These new links will give people a safe way to walk and cycle around the airport precinct.

“While I doubt we’ll see a cavalcade of travellers lugging their suitcases on foot or on bikes to the airport anytime soon, these new paths will provide a valuable active transport option for the thousands of people who work at the airport every day.

“These beautiful new paths also include plenty of new places for people to pause and watch the planes fly in and out. It’s a great new link and a true plane-spotter’s boulevard.”

More than 8,700 feral pigs have been culled in the Murray and Riverina regions since the $13 million 2023/24 Feral Pig Program began in October 2023.

The NSW Government is continuing to build on the success of the program, with an additional $13.1 million committed to tackling feral pig and pest numbers across the state over the next 12 months.

Since the start of the program, the Murray region has controlled almost 2,500 feral pigs, which has a focus on upskilling local landholders to use automated trapping technology.

Using cameras and motion sensors, the automated trap technology is a time-efficient and easy method for farmers to control feral pigs, allowing them to remotely activate traps using their phones from anywhere at any time.

From Wagga Wagga, to Griffith, Riverina landholders have also played a large role in the program, controlling more than 6,000 feral pigs across the region.

The program has resulted in a knockdown of pig numbers across the Murray and the Riverina and Local Land Services will continue to support and encourage farmers to participate in coordinated control programs with their neighbours to keep tackling feral pigs.

Since October 2023, across the Murray and Riverina regions:

• 2,464 pigs culled in the Murray region
• 6,280 pigs culled across Riverina
• 723 properties involved
• 8 information and training sessions held
• 881 one-on-one consultations, and
• 1,834kg of free bait issued to landholders.

A key part of the program has been providing farmers and landholders with the tools, education and support to get on top of the problem.

More than 112,888 feral pigs have been culled across the state since October 2023, with almost 8 per cent of these having been culled in the Riverina and Murray regions.

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said:

“The NSW Government is committed to continuing the success of this program to ensure feral pig numbers continue to come down here in the Murray and Riverina.

“I want to thank farmers across the Riverina and Murray, who have worked with LLS biosecurity officers to reduce the impacts of these pest animals.

“It’s been a huge, shared effort, but we still have work to do. That’s why we’ve committed a further $13.1 million to build on the successes so far.

“I encourage landholders to continue to participate in these control programs. Landholder participation is essential to maximising the effectiveness of a program. 

Colin McCrabb, Wanganella farmer, 45km north of Deniliquin, said:

“Since having the opportunity to participate in the Feral Pig Program and learn the best methods to monitor and trap feral pigs, I now have the skills to protect my property from these pest animals.

“In the drought feral pigs were taking lambs and ewes, and there’s destruction of pasture and irrigation, but the biggest fear is biosecurity, with the transmission of disease including brucellosis.

“The last time I grew rice, as it matured, the pigs set nests up in the middle of the crop, just destroying it.

“Through the program, Local Land Services assisted us with technology, advice and information about trapping, baiting and providing 1080. They also let us know when other people were baiting so we could co-ordinate with neighbours who were also trapping.

“Every feral pig that is not here is a good feral pig. We should all do what we can. I couldn’t believe how many were there.”

A new three-kilometre shared path built as part of the Sydney Gateway project will open on Friday 16 August.

The new paths complete a network of walking and cycling links around the airport, providing critical and direct connections for the 30,000 workers in the airport precinct, and commuters walking, running and riding through to nearby suburbs.

The first kilometre of new paths on the north side of Alexandra Canal opened in early 2023, replacing a shared path alongside Airport Drive that cantilevered out over the Alexandra Canal.

The new section opening at the end of the week extends the shared pathway along Qantas Drive, completing to the Domestic terminal and the eastern edge of the airport precinct.

New shelters, complete with seating lights, bubblers and a bike pump light sit alongside the Alexandra Canal and the new paths, providing a front row seat for plane spotters.

The active transport links are part of a major inter-regional route for people walking and riding which will link the CBD in the north to Sans Souci’s Captain Cook Bridge in the south, once the future M6-Stage 1 is completed.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen:

“These new links will give people a safe way to walk and cycle around the airport precinct.

“While I doubt we’ll see a cavalcade of travellers lugging their suitcases on foot or on bikes to the airport anytime soon, these new paths will provide a valuable active transport option for the thousands of people who work at the airport every day.

“These beautiful new paths also include plenty of new places for people to pause and watch the planes fly in and out. It’s a great new link and a true plane-spotter’s boulevard.”

The 2024 NAPLAN National Report has been released today, with the NSW Government noting there are some positive signs, but more work to be done to raise education outcomes across New South Wales. 

Almost 400,000 primary and high school students, across more than 3,000 public, independent and Catholic schools sat their NAPLAN tests in March of this year.

Results for New South Wales have remained stable, with some promising results, including:

• 81% of Year 3 students in NSW recorded Strong or Exceeding results in writing.
• 70% of Year 5 and 7 students in NSW achieved Strong or Exceeding in numeracy.
• 57% of year 9 students in NSW achieved Strong or Exceeding in grammar and punctuation.

While nationally, NSW has ranked first or equal first in most test subjects and year levels, the need for continued work is highlighted by the fact that NSW is ranked third for Year 3 and Year 5 in reading.

The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to rebuild the public education system and improve education outcomes across the state.

The most important tool in achieving this is ensuring there is a teacher at the front of every classroom in New South Wales. The Government’s work to address the chronic teacher shortage created by the former Government has seen a 20 percent drop in the number of public school teacher vacancies this year.

This work has included:

• Scrapping the former Liberal National Government’s public sector wage cap and delivering NSW public school teachers the biggest pay rise in a generation.
• Improving job security by exceeding the government’s commitment to transition 16,000 teachers and support staff on temporary contracts into permanent roles.
• Improving the classroom environment by banning mobile phones and restoring authority to teachers and principals to manage student behaviour.

The NSW Government and Department of Education will analyse the NAPLAN results from both 2023 and 2024 to determine system-wide targets for improvement in literacy and numeracy which will be released later this year, for implementation in 2025.

The full 2024 NAPLAN national results are published on ACARA’s website.

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

“Congratulations to the students across New South Wales who sat their NAPLAN exams this year.

“These results show that NSW students overall are doing well, but there are gaps that need our attention.

“The Minns Labor Government has already begun rebuilding public education but we recognise that there is still much more to do.

“While there are some positive signs in these results, we cannot afford to take our eye off the ball.

“The impact of the chronic teacher shortage created by the former Liberal National Government cannot be undone overnight, but we will continue to build on the early successes we have had in boosting the number of teachers in our classrooms, which will ultimately drive better learning outcomes.”