16 News

The NSW Treasurer and Minister for Finance can announce a series of direct appointments to the boards of Sydney Water, Landcom, and Port Authority of NSW.

The appointments will help drive reform across the publicly owned corporations, and deliver on the Government’s priorities.

Sydney Water

Niall Blair has been appointed as a Director at Sydney Water. The shareholders intend to appoint Mr Blair as Chair when the current Chair’s term expires.

His appointment continues a long career of service to the people of NSW, including as Minister for Primary Industries, Trade, and Industry and Regional Water.

Mr Blair is charged with helping Sydney Water manage the demand for new infrastructure to support housing, while meeting the need to keep water bills low during a cost-of-living crisis.

Landcom

Ashley Mason has been appointed as Chair of Landcom, bringing extensive operations experience across a range of Tier 1 construction companies and in government.

Mr Mason will be joined on the Landcom Board by the Hon Craig Knowles AM, a former Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Health, Infrastructure, and Natural Resources.

Mr Mason and Mr Knowles will support the $800 million expansion of Landcom and its focus on developing key worker housing and build-to-rent projects.

Port Authority of NSW

The Shareholder Ministers intend to appoint Kris Neill, former Chair of Women’s Community Shelters, former Macquarie Group Executive Director and former Chief of Staff to Premier Bob Carr, to the Port Authority of NSW Board. Ms Neill was also interim chief of staff to Minister Houssos.

Ms Neill’s extensive governance expertise will help the Port Authority maximise opportunities presented by the Freight Reform Policy Program and the delivery of NSW infrastructure projects.

The NSW Government thanks the outgoing directors for their services. A selection process is underway for other vacancies across the corporations.

The wrecking ball has moved in at the Manly Sea Life site as demolition works begin.

The dilapidated building has become an eye-sore on the Manly foreshore and currently poses an ongoing safety risk as a result of continued unauthorised access.

The Minister asked Transport for NSW to expedite the removal of the building as soon as possible, in response to these safety risks and the ongoing impact on neighbouring businesses. Preparation works began in early May, as water was removed from the old Sea Life tanks.

The building will be demolished to promenade level only, maintaining the circular footprint for future public use. The advantages of retaining the existing structure instead of removing it and building a new boardwalk include:

• More available space for future use on the foreshore
• Reduced demolition time
• Reduced construction costs for taxpayers
• Less environmental impacts

Following demolition, the space will be opened for community use while planning for the site’s revitalisation is completed.

Several options will be put forward for community feedback.

These may include public open space for community use, such as an open piazza or grassed area, commercial food and beverage opportunities and public space to encourage play such as fountains or seating.

For more information about the project, visit www.transport.nsw.gov.au/manlycovewest

Transport Minister Jo Haylen:

“It was my priority to get this building demolished as soon as possible. It’s an eyesore and its dangerous. I’m glad that work has now begun.”

“As we revitalise this corner of the harbour, we’ll work with the community to determine how we can make the best use of this new foreshore space.

“I want to thank the community for their patience during these upcoming works and look forward to their ongoing involvement in the future of the site.”

Thousands of first home buyers are building a future in Western Sydney with help from the Minns Government’s expanded First Home Buyers Assistance program.

In its first year, 33,365 first home buyers in the expanded program have paid no stamp duty, or discounted stamp duty when buying their first home.

More than 12,500 of those first home buyers purchased a home in Western Sydney.

From Camden to Penrith, The Hills, Parramatta, Bankstown and Liverpool, first home buyers across Western Sydney have saved an average of $20,562.

Specifically, in Blacktown, the Blue Mountains, Cumberland, Parramatta and Penrith local government areas (LGAs), first home buyers saved an average of $21,092 on their purchase.

Across The Hills and the Hawkesbury LGAs, first home buyers saved $22,239 on average.

And in Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool and Wollondilly LGAs, the average saving for a first home buyer under the expanded program was $19,421.

Data by suburb shows Western Sydney suburbs make up eight out of the top ten metro suburbs for first home buyers, including Campbelltown, Liverpool, Parramatta, St Marys and Westmead.

In the middle of a housing crisis, the First Home Buyers Assistance program is one of the Minns Government’s biggest cost of living relief measures, providing meaningful support to help tens of thousands of people to buy their first home.

From 1 July 2023, the Minns Labor Government expanded thresholds to mean that first home buyers purchasing for under $1 million would pay either no, or discounted stamp duty.

The threshold for a full stamp duty exemption was lifted from $650,000 to $800,000.  And the stamp duty concession threshold increased from $800,000 to $1 million.

The higher thresholds allowed for more than 18,000 first home buyers across NSW to receive greater support than they would have under the previous government.

Overall, the average saving for a first home buyer in NSW increased by almost $4,000 under the Minns Government’s expanded program.

Multiple Western Sydney local government areas recorded a major increase in the number of first home buyers receiving support.

That includes the Hawkesbury LGA which has seen a 127 per cent increase and Camden LGA which recorded a 110 per cent increase over the last year.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“We’re delivering real cost of living relief that’s helping tens of thousands of people buy their first home and build a life in Western Sydney and across the state.

“In its first year, our program has helped first home buyers get into the market, without having to leave Sydney or NSW.

“We have helped more singles, couples and families to create a future in our state.”

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:

“Savings of just over $20,000 on average mean that a first home buyer in Western Sydney is in a far better position to compete against investors to buy their home.

“Right across NSW, over two thirds of first home buyers using the expanded program now pay no stamp duty at all.”

Sydneysiders are voting with their feet on the new Sydney Metro City line, with the first full day of services completed yesterday after the historic opening of the extended M1 Northwest & Bankstown Line.

More than 190,000 trips were made along the brand-new driverless service yesterday marking the first ever trains under Sydney Harbour. For the first time, people in Sydney’s north west can now stay on the train at Chatswood, travel below the harbour and through the Sydney CBD, to Sydenham.

A game-changing 30 services ran every hour through the heart of the city during the peak, starting at Tallawong at 4:38am and Sydenham at 4.54am, with more than 425 trains making the trip.

Central took out the title of busiest station, with over 18,000 passengers entering and exiting from the state-of-the-art transport hub, followed closely by Martin Place.

Sydneysiders were seamlessly switching between travel modes with 6% percent of trips coming from buses and 20% percent from Sydney Train services.  

The new service launched to a weekday timetable with a train running every four minutes during the peak, and from today interpeak trains will run every seven minutes, increasing after the first month to a train every five minutes.

Additional staff are present at each station and on trains during operational hours, while commuters become familiar with the new service.

Passengers can plan their metro trips by visiting transportnsw.info.

The Metro North West line opened in 2019, and with this extension now reaches 51.5-kilometres through Sydney with stops at 21 stations between Tallawong and Sydenham. The remaining 13-kilometres of the M1 Line will open after the conversion of 10 existing stations on the T3 Bankstown Line.

With unprecedented travel times including from Victoria Cross in North Sydney, under the harbour to Barangaroo in 3 minutes, Martin Place to Chatswood in 11 minutes and from Sydenham to Tallawong in under 60 minutes, this new line is already alleviating pressure on existing transport options and road networks.

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:

“As of 10am this morning, 55,000 people have tapped on to our new Metro service. That’s up from 40,000 this time yesterday.

“As we start our second day of full operation, it is amazing to see thousands of Sydneysiders trying this new form of public transport, getting to work and home faster, and giving north west residents their first direct rail service to the CBD.”

“Commuters have been waiting patiently for this game-changing service, and we can proudly say this will forever change the way Sydneysider travel, from their daily commute to work, to weekend adventures and everything in between.”

Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said:

“Yesterday we saw 37,500 people change between trains and metro services and 11,500 people changed between metro and buses.

“It shows all the pieces of the public transport network are working together and people are making the most of these new ways to travel around our city.

Sydney Metro Chief Executive Peter Regan said:

“It was a fantastic first day of passenger services and we were blown away by the positive feedback and incredible reactions to seeing these brand-new stations integrated seemly into the transport network.”

Sydney Metro City Project Director Hugh Lawson said:

“It was a really proud moment for me and my team as we saw people tap onto Metro under the CBD for the first time.

“Years of work is finally on show as hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders flow through our brand new stations.

“Well done to everyone who played a role in the project and thank you to everyone who’s given Metro a go and tapped on.”

Labor, the CFMEU and the Cbus super fund plan to use taxpayer funds invested in the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) for housing developments.

These are the same parties which have imposed a 30% CFMEU tax on construction costs.

The criminal activities of the CFMEU, financed by Cbus and enabled by Labor, are locking young people out of the Australian Dream.

The Coalition will act to protect taxpayer funds invested in the Housing Australia Future Fund being plundered by the CFMEU. As it stands, Cbus could be a participant and beneficiary of the HAFF. Cbus is the only super fund to have publicly committed funding to the HAFF.

The irony of Labor seeking help from the CFMEU/Cbus cartel to fix the housing crisis that has corrupted the construction industry, is not lost on anyone.

Three of the 14 directors of Cbus Super are CFMEU officials. Labor and Cbus have failed to recognise any issue with CFMEU representatives sitting on the board of a $94 billion fund despite the government seeking to put the CFMEU into administration.

Today, the Coalition will introduce a new Bill to ban Cbus from involvement in the HAFF.

The Bill prohibits the HAFF from making any payments to Cbus or housing related entities financed by Cbus. The prohibition will operate while the CFMEU is under administration.

The Coalition reaffirms our strong opposition to Labor’s HAFF. However, we believe taxpayer funds should not be exposed to criminal elements.

If Labor is serious about stamping out corruption and protecting taxpayer funds, they will support our Bill.