Category: NSW News

Communities from across the State are encouraged to recognise and support their local veterans through the $100,000 Anzac Community Grants Program.
 
Minister for Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney David Elliott today announced an increase to funding available to local community groups to apply for a grant, worth up to $3,000.
 
“The NSW Government has increased funding available to honour former and current serving personnel. I encourage anyone who is interested in the service and sacrifice of veterans in New South Wales to apply for an Anzac Community Grant,” Mr Elliott said.
 
“We’re looking for projects that honour and support our veterans and those who currently serve, and that broaden our understanding of their military efforts and peacekeeping contributions. This is an opportunity to get projects off the ground, at a local community level across the entire State.”
 
Applications are open to individuals and not-for-profit organisations, including local government authorities, ex-service and non-government organisations and educational institutions.
 
Grants cover four categories: local community historical research and education; preservation or display of war memorabilia; public commemorative events; and support to members of the NSW veteran community.
 
Minister Elliott said the program, which delivered more than 50 projects across the State last year, helps address key concerns for veterans including wellbeing, education and recognition already highlighted in the NSW Government’s submission to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
 
“We are committed to supporting the more than 1,200 veterans that transition into NSW communities from the Defence Force every year, and to honour their service,” Mr Elliott added.
 
Details on how to apply for the Anzac Community Grants Program can be found here. The grant round closes at 5pm on 11 November 2022.

Rural Fire Brigades across NSW are gearing up to host more than 500 community awareness events on Saturday as part of the annual Get Ready Weekend.
 
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke is reminding people to prepare their homes and ensure their bush fire survival plan is up to date.
 
“Wet weather may have reduced the immediate risk of fires but it only takes a few days of hot, dry and windy conditions for vegetation to dry out and the fire danger to return, which is why it’s so important to get ready now,” Ms Cooke said.
 
“Grass fires move three times faster than bush fires and are our greatest threat across the State this summer.
 
“Get Ready Weekend is an ideal opportunity to find out more about making a plan for your family, and preparing for bush and grass fires. It’s also a chance to learn about the new Fire Danger Rating System which has now been rolled out across NSW.”
 
Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Rob Rogers said Brigades will be holding events at their local stations, shopping centres and other public spaces like parks to share information about how to stay safe.
 
“Four out of five households in bush fire-prone areas have some form of plan for what to do during a fire, and it’s important that people review their plan now so they know what to do if threatened by a fire,” Commissioner Rogers said.
 
“This year’s Get Ready Weekend allows residents and landowners to meet their local volunteer firefighters, learn more about what they do and get tips on how to stay safe.”
 
The RFS’s top four tips to get ready for the bush fire season are:

• Discuss what to do if a bush fire threatens your home;
• Prepare your home by cleaning leaves and twigs from gutters, keeping lawns and gardens well maintained, cutting back trees and shrubs overhanging buildings, cleaning up fallen vegetation, and having hoses long enough to reach around your house;
• Know the bush fire alert levels; and
• Keep all the bush fire information numbers, websites and the Fires Near Me app handy.

The NSW Government’s flagship program helping empower young people to fight racism and hate has nearly doubled in size, with ten new partnership projects joining the initiative.
 
Each of the new partnership projects have been awarded a share in $1.6 million through the Community Partnership Action (COMPACT) program, to run projects specifically designed to help young people combat hate, racism, and divisive attitudes.
 
Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said each partnership is made up of a collection of community groups and organisations wanting to work together in their local area to help young people fight hate and division.
 
“We now have 24 COMPACT partnership projects involving over 80 organisations who are willing to stand up and stand united as champions for community harmony,” Mr Coure said.
 
“There will always be individuals who want to threaten and divide our society by inciting fear and hatred along racial or religious lines.
 
“COMPACT is all about denying these negative forces what they want, and we see young people as the key to achieving this. We do this by working with grassroots organisations to draw on the strength of our unity and foster a sense of connectedness among young people.”
 
Mr Coure said many of the new partnerships are in regional NSW, including Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Shoalhaven, and Wagga Wagga.
 
“Our multicultural society is not confined to one area or city, it extends right across NSW,” Mr Coure said.
 
“It is really promising that we have so many community organisations rallying together to create projects that will benefit young people in their local areas.”
 
Among the 10 new partnership projects joining the program are:
 

• Cohesive Communities: Building social cohesion through youth agency: a project led by the Institute for Economics and Peace and partnership with PCYC NSW and Rotary International in Sydney, particularly South-West Sydney.
• Mount Druitt Youth for Peace and Understanding: a project led by Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency (MECA) in partnership with Blacktown City Council, The Street University (Ted Noffs Foundation) and Settlement Services International.
• Stand Up – Multicultural Youth Conference: a project led by Queanbeyan Multilingual Centre bringing young people from across regional NSW together to stand united against racism and hate.

 
Established in 2015, COMPACT has engaged over 50,000 young people, inspiring a new generation of community leaders, critical thinkers and champions for community harmony to stand united against hate. It is a proven model for building social cohesion and community resilience. The NSW Government is investing $3 million each year for three years through the NSW Countering Violent Extremism Program to expand the COMPACT Program from 2021 to 2024.
 
For more information, visit https://multicultural.nsw.gov.au/compact/

Netball NSW is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Netball NSW Judy Dunbar Media Awards.

The Judy Dunbar Media Awards recognise individuals and/or media outlets that have demonstrated an outstanding media contribution to the sport of netball between the period; 1 September 2021 – 31 August 2022.

Judy Dunbar was an avid and long-serving Member of Netball NSW having served on the Board of Directors as well as various committees. Until her passing in July 2002, she was also the Media Officer for the Baulkham Hills Shire Netball Association and was responsible for building the image and increasing the exposure of netball in her local area.

To recognise her dedication to the sport over the years, Netball NSW named its media awards in her honour.

The Netball NSW Judy Dunbar Media Awards are presented annually at the Netball NSW State Dinner, this year to be held on Saturday 5 November at the Waterview in Sydney Olympic Park.

Nominations can be made in the following categories;

• Best Overall Media Coverage
• Best Feature
• Best Photograph
• Community Media Excellence

Eligible nominations from accredited media outlets will be accepted whereby the content refers to individuals or teams representing or participating in the following competitions and/or activities:

• Netball NSW competitions, programs or events.
• Netball NSW affiliated Association (local) netball competitions.
• NSW State Teams 
• NSW Swifts
• GIANTS Netball
• Suncorp Super Netball & Australian Diamonds 
• National Championships

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY

Closing date for nominations is 5pm AET, Friday 30 September2022.

The countdown is on to the start of work on the Little Hartley to Lithgow section of the Great Western Highway upgrade with Ausconnex awarded the contract to carry out early works at Coxs River Road.
 
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said a new-look interchange at Coxs River Road, with a road bridge over the upgraded highway will be the first phase of the west section of the upgrade and is set to transform travel in and around the western base of the Blue Mountains.
 
“The Great Western Highway upgrade is a transformative project that will deliver safer and more efficient journeys for the thousands of people who travel through the mountains every day,” Mr Toole said.
 
“A better road over the mountains has been talked about for years – and we’re making it a reality with the project on track to see shovels in the ground early next year.
 
“The NSW Government is working closely with the local community on the final design to deliver a better, safer highway for all users.”
 
Later this month, work will start at Coxs River Road and involve an upgrade of about 2.4 kilometres of existing highway at Little Hartley to create a four-lane divided carriageway.
 
A new interchange will carry local traffic over the new highway and work will also include realigning parts of the existing highway to create a local service road and upgrades to the intersections with Browns Gap Road and Baaners Lane.
 
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said early work relocating utility assets is expected to get under way soon.
 
“The upgrade will undoubtedly make a tangible difference to daily life for the thousands of people living in and travelling through the Blue Mountains on the highway,” Mr Farraway said.
 
“I’m excited that we have awarded the early works contract for this section and we will soon be a step closer to our first sod turn on this game changing project.
 
“As part of early works around four kilometres of overhead power lines and underground assets will be moved so we can build the new highway.
 
“The contract for the major work is currently out to tender and we’re aiming to award in late 2022, with work scheduled to start in early 2023.”
 
The Australian Government and NSW Government are investing more than $4.5 billion towards duplicating the Great Western Highway between Katoomba and Lithgow.
 
For more information, visit the Transport for NSW website.
 

The NSW Government is embarking on an ambitious plan to cover every road across the state through Live Traffic NSW as the platform celebrates 12 years helping drivers get from A to B safely and on time.
 
Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said the milestone is a significant reminder of the work undertaken so far to establish a network that provides real-time traffic data, so motorists can plan their daily commutes.
 
“Live Traffic NSW has played a critical role over the past 12 years in providing real time information to help people move safely around state roads,” Ms Ward said.
 
“We update Live Traffic NSW 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as we monitor and manage the 18,000-kilometre NSW state road network.
 
“This includes publishing live shots from 155 cameras every minute, and details of 500 incidents per day on average.
 
“This has helped state road users and now we’re planning to gather incident data on every road in the state by 2024.
 
“This update will mean Live Traffic NSW will be able to inform drivers across the state of the best route to take anywhere, any time.”
 
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said one of the most important things people need to be able to rely on is accurate and timely road information to make travel easier and safer.
 
“With a record of up to 660,000 visits a day on the Live Traffic NSW website and apps during the natural disaster events of 2021, a spike in traffic 33 times higher than usual, demand has never been higher for timely and accurate information, and we expect this demand to increase as more councils come on board,” Mr Farraway said.
 
“Thanks to the upgrade the NSW Government is rolling out, Live Traffic will be a one stop shop bringing all of the state’s traffic information into one central hub.
 
“Providing a better service for users will be valuable during emergencies like floods or fires, with more detailed information available to help protect communities and save lives.”
 
All councils in NSW will be given free access to OneRoad, the new backend platform that powers Live Traffic NSW. Data input through OneRoad will also be available on the Transport for NSW Open Data Hub for third-party apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze and TomTom.
 
New information from 22 LGAs, most from regional Northern NSW, will be available on Live Traffic NSW and third-party apps from October.
 
LGAs will continue to come on board in stages, with priority given to regional councils most impacted by bushfires and floods. All 128 LGAs across the state will be given the opportunity to use OneRoad by 2024.

A new Qantas route between Sydney and Bengaluru has taken to the skies today thanks to the NSW Government’s Aviation Attraction Fund, marking the first direct connection between Australia and Southern India by any airline.

Treasurer Matt Kean said the new service will deliver more than 44,000 inbound international seats to Sydney up to 30 June 2023.

“This is the second international service announced through our $60 million airline war chest, which is aimed at turbocharging the State’s tourism pandemic recovery,” Mr Kean said.

“As a direct flight to India, there is potential to support more than 100 jobs and generate more than $19 million in overnight spending for the NSW visitor economy.”

Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin said that India is a significant trade partner for NSW with huge potential for future growth.

“This partnership between Qantas and the NSW Government, through the Aviation Attraction Fund, opens up a new direct route between India and NSW, as well as fantastic opportunities for the NSW visitor economy,” Mr Franklin said. 

“In 2019 India was the fastest growing market to NSW. We welcomed 175,000 visitors, with travellers spending an estimated $444 million. In July 2022, India was the third largest source of visitors to NSW, with those numbers expected to surge in the coming months due to pent-up demand.

“Our airports are the gateway to our state, so supporting the return of airlines to them through the Aviation Attraction Fund is key to achieving our goal of making NSW the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific.”

Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said this new direct flight route solidifies Sydney’s standing as a global city.

“This direct route will be a benefit to our rich multicultural society, particularly the Indian Diaspora, which represents Australia’s second-largest country of birth,” Mr Coure said.

“It has also come at an excellent time, with Diwalli celebrations happening next month—many will be looking to head to India and even come to NSW to join family and friends for this major cultural celebration.”

Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David said this new route would provide greater connectivity between the two nations with both the outbound and inbound inaugural flights between Sydney and Bengaluru sold out in all cabins.

“The addition of Bengaluru to our route map deepens our ties with India and follows the launch of direct services from Australia to Delhi last year which have also proven popular,” Mr David said.

“Qantas is now the only airline offering direct flights between Australia’s two largest cities and the north and south of India.”

The new flights will offer corporate and leisure travellers a non-stop flight to the city, with connections to other destinations beyond Bengaluru.

Widely regarded as India’s Silicon Valley, many Australian and global fintech organisations have established major operations in Bengaluru.

QF67 will cut nearly three hours off the current fastest travel time between the two cities and significantly boost connectivity between India and NSW.

Qantas will fly an A330 aircraft from Sydney to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport four times per week on a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Aviation Attraction Fund, managed by Destination NSW on behalf of the NSW Government, is open until 30 June 2023. For more information or to submit an application visit www.destinationnsw.com.au/aviation-attraction 

Under Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals and Nationals, people in NSW have to wait longer to get an ambulance, longer to be treated in an emergency department and longer for important non-urgent surgeries.

This is the scathing picture presented by the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) released today, shining a light on 12 years of under investment in the NSW health system under this Liberal and National Government.

Across the state, 76,117 patients left emergency without completing treatment – or one in 10. This is the highest number on record and a 68 per cent jump in just three years. To add insult to injury, one in five of those who left, had to re-present within three days.

If a patient did wait in emergency to seek treatment, one in 10 emergency department patients spent an astonishing 21 hours and 16 minutes in the waiting room of an emergency department – again the longest on record.

Almost half (48.4 per cent) of patients with the highest category emergency – patients who require immediate help – did not start treatment on time, again the worst result on record. For all emergency department presentations, four in 10 (38.2 per cent) did not start on time.

These figures show the dire state of our health system. It’s not fair on our hardworking healthcare professionals to have to manage a system that is stretched to its limits.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said:

This is a sobering read, that is a wake-up call for every single political leader and political party in our state. The latest BHI data shows a system that is failing.

“Under Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals and Nationals we have longer waiting times, a stretched hospital system, and over worked front line health workers.

“A world class health system is not one where people choose to leave emergency departments before they get treated or when people have to wait almost 24 hours to be seen.

“Our hospitals need more resources, our health staff need more support and the people of NSW deserve better.”

NSW Shadow Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“This is a damning report on the health crisis right across NSW.

“Twelve years of understaffing and under resourcing our health and hospital system means communities now wait longer than ever before for an ambulance to arrive, longer to get treated at their local emergency department and longer to get essential surgery.

“When more than 76,000 people walk out of their local emergency department before they get treated highlights the extent of the crisis.

“We have a Government who has been focused on cutting ribbons instead of ensuring our hospitals and health services are safely staffed and resourced.” 

Foster and Kinship carers are critical individuals in our community ensuring our state’s most vulnerable children and young people have a safe and supportive place to call home.
 
Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services Natasha Maclaren-Jones said this Foster and Kinship Care Week is a time to acknowledge the invaluable work that our carers do across NSW. 
 
“Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
 
“To take a child who needs help into your home is the epitome of community spirit.
 
“We have 12,600 carer households across the state and I thank each and every one who ensure children and young people in need have a nurturing and supportive home.
 
“The work out-of-home care service providers do to recruit carers and provide safe homes for vulnerable children is crucial and I thank every one of our providers for the incredible work they do.”
 
Vikki Minard became a carer in 2009 and has had more than 30 children pass through her home.
 
“I thought I would be changing the lives of children, but the children changed me,” Ms Minard said.
 
“It made me a more flexible and open-minded person, handling the children and the various situations they were in.”
 
Simon Rowe and his wife Anne have been caring for children for more than three years.
 
“It’s not as onerous as people may think and it exposes you to a better side of yourself, helping you to become a more generous and understanding person,” Mr Rowe said.
 
To learn more about becoming a foster carer visit myforeverfamily.org.au/

The NSW Government has invested almost $1 billion to fast track elective surgeries which have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To minimize disruption to this program, Health Minister Brad Hazzard has instructed NSW Health to encourage all local health districts to retain as much of their planned elective surgery on 22 September as possible, subject to staff availability.

“Obviously many of us feel great sadness following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II but as Health Minister, it is my role to ensure our hospitals continue to perform necessary activity where possible, while also respecting the protocols that have been put in place to mark this special day,” Mr Hazzard said.

Surgical activity has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic at various stages in recent years – with suspensions and reductions in activity – and NSW Health is working hard, in collaboration with our private hospital partners, to ensure everyone receives the procedures they need as soon as possible.