Category: NSW News

Preschool students in Sydney’s Inner West will soon be learning in a new purpose built preschool at Wilkins Public School.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the new preschool facility would continue to be co-located at the primary school.
“Wilkins Public School is part of a vibrant and growing community who love having their preschool and primary school all in the same place,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The location makes it easy for parents and carers with young children on the school drop off and pick up.
“Early education is key to a student’s success later in life and this government is focused on lifting the quality of services across the State and helping families access them via our ongoing $150 million free preschool program.
“Globe Wilkins preschool has previously been recognised by the Australian Childcare Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) for their strong commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. It’s fantastic to see that quality early childhood education continues to be easily accessible for the community.”
The Inner West Council, which will continue to operate the preschool in its new facilities, will soon begin internal fit out works before preschool students move into their new facilities.
The NSW Government is investing $7.9 billion over the next four years, continuing its program to deliver 215 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

The Perrottet Government is continuing the rollout of its ventilation program with thousands of classrooms set to benefit from automatic fresh air ventilation systems.
The $100 million investment in an air quality assurance program for NSW public schools has already delivered permanent air quality improvements to schools across NSW and forms part of the economic recovery to COVID-19.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the comprehensive audit of all NSW public school learning spaces have helped make schools COVID safe and identified opportunities for permanent improvements to enhance natural ventilation.
“Schools have received a mix of temporary and permanent remediation works, and in some cases have adapted the way they use spaces as part of their COVID-19 Safety plan,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Our focus now is on leveraging the insights from the audit of all our public schools to deliver permanent improvements to air quality through this investment.”
“The advice from experts is that maximising natural ventilation is the most effective method of minimising the spread of COVID-19 and we will continue to implement measures that support this.”
Almost 2,000 learning spaces, identified by the audit, are set to receive permanent automatic fresh air ventilation systems to complement natural ventilation and airflow. The ventilation systems are currently being procured and will be progressively installed.
Temporary measures, including the use of air purifiers, have been put in place in these learning spaces to supplement natural ventilation and to ensure that they are safe for use.
Ventilation is only one COVID safe measure in NSW public schools. Vaccinations, cohorting, restricted access and mask wearing all play an important role in keeping students safe.

Whether it’s a first job or a career change, the NSW Government is out to attract job seekers with free training opportunities designed to help fill skill shortages in the hospitality sector.
The NSW Government today announced around 3000 free training places across 29 different courses are now available to study at TAFE NSW and other registered training providers, including barista training, safe food handling, responsible service of alcohol (RSA) and introduction to cooking courses.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the free training would help attract more workers to hospitality venues, at a critical time in the sector’s recovery from the pandemic.
“People from all over the State are lining up to get into pubs and clubs and we want to support those businesses with enthusiastic and skilled staff,” Mr Perrottet said.
“We know businesses are struggling without the international workforce they depended on pre-lockdown. That’s why opportunities like this are so valuable, filling labour gaps and giving jobseekers the opportunity of a bright future in hospitality.”
Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said the sector had been calling out for help to staff venues, and the NSW Government is responding.
“We’ve opened the doors to the State, and now we want to equip the sector with the confidence to thrive with the rest of the economy,” Mr Lee said.
“This training not only helps businesses staff venues, but it also opens up career opportunities for people looking to make their start in the once again booming hospitality industry.”
“There are great career pathways in hospitality; today’s bartender or wait staff can become tomorrow’s pub, bar or restaurant owner.”
Australian Hotels Association Chief Executive John Whelan said the training had come at the right time as pubs and resturaunts dial up business.
“The NSW government is to be congratulated. This comprehensive program provides the skills to build a new era of hospitality – both school leavers and those looking for a career change,” Mr Whelan said.
Today’s announcement complements the free training already being funded under the joint State and Federal JobTrainer program.
To enrol in a free TAFE hospitality course, visit: https://www.tafensw.edu.au/skills-served-up
To explore other free hospitality courses available to study, visit: https://bit.ly/3GpNEKW

A sod turn ceremony at the city site of the former NSW Coroners Court and Morgue has signalled the start of construction on Sydney’s newest ambulance superstation.
Premier Dominic Perrottet and Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the Central Sydney Ambulance Station is the final superstation in a $184 million infrastructure program.
“We are continuing to invest record amounts in our health system across the State to ensure we have the doctors, nurses, paramedics and facilities we need to keep people safe and provide them with care when they need it most,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This state-of-the-art ambulance facility will be home to around 65 paramedics and managers helping bolster our first-class network of ambulance centres ensuring our paramedics are best placed to respond to emergencies and save lives.”
The NSW Government’s Sydney Ambulance Metropolitan Infrastructure Strategy program is the biggest investment in infrastructure across Sydney in ambulance’s 126-year history.
As a result, new stations are operational at Caringbah, Kogarah, Blacktown, Liverpool, Bankstown, Penrith, Artarmon, Northmead, Randwick, Haberfield and Mona Vale.
Mr Hazzard said the Glebe project is on time and on budget and will be completed in 2023, helping to enhance ambulance operations in metropolitan Sydney into the future.
“This once familiar site of coronial and forensic excellence is on the CBD doorstop and was carefully chosen for its proximity to major roads and hospitals,” Mr Hazzard said.
“It will ensure paramedics are best placed to respond to medical emergencies to the local community but also to the many visitors to central Sydney for work and leisure.”
The facility will boast 30 ambulance bays; administration, office areas and amenities; on site undercover parking for staff, an internal wash bay, logistic and storage areas.
NSW Ambulance Chief Executive Dominic Morgan said the new Central Sydney Station will be supported by the Eveleigh ambulance centre and other response points.
“With all the new superstations and Paramedic Response Points, there will now be 55 operational facilities across metro Sydney to respond to emergencies,” Dr Morgan said.
The NSW Government has invested more than $9 billion in NSW Ambulance since 2011 which has seen a boost of 1160 paramedics. In the 2021-22 Budget, $1.4 billion will be invested in ambulance services including $214 million for a new State Operations Centre at Sydney Olympic Park.

SCHOOL SPORT AND HSC SUPPORT AS STUDENTS RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM

• The final stage of the return to school began this week with more than 500,000 students from Years 2 to 11 welcomed back to classrooms across Greater Sydney and remaining regional areas of NSW.
• To help students return to normal life and support their studies, restrictions on school sport will be lifted and HSC special consideration extended for students most impacted by the learning from home period.
• From Monday, November 1, school sport can resume on site, schools can utilise external sport facilities in line with community sport guidelines, and schools can engage in inter-school sport outside of school hours.
• Schools are also now able to make applications on behalf of HSC students who have experienced severe disruption during the learning from home period through the NSW Education Standards Authority’s (NESA) new COVID-19 Special Consideration Program for HSC written exams.
• The program is open to students whose learning was significantly compromised for six weeks or more due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• More information on the COVID-19 Special Consideration Program can be found here: educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/covid-advice.

NEW TOURISM CAMPAIGN FOR NSW INVITES VISITORS TO FEEL NEW

• The NSW Government has unveiled a new tourism campaign to entice visitors to the State and re-energise them to feel new.
• Developed by Destination NSW in consultation with the state’s visitor economy stakeholders, the ‘Feel New’ campaign showcases the abundant natural wonders and vibrant cultural experiences on offer across Sydney and NSW.
• The ‘Feel New’ campaign is a key pillar of the NSW Government’s Visitor Economy Strategy 2030, which aims to make NSW the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific.
• To view the Destination NSW ‘Feel New’ campaign click here and for more information and travel inspiration go to visitnsw.com to make you #FeelNew.

WATERSHED MOMENT FOR A BETTER BAAKA AND BIDGEE

• Significant progress has been made for communities across the Murray Darling Basin, with a new proposal presented to communities on two of the most significant projects associated with the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
• The re-scoped Menindee Lakes and Yanco Creek Offtake projects, two of the major projects within the Basin Plan, are key to getting the Murray Darling Basin Plan back on track delivering important benefits for cultural, productive and environmental users.
• The proposed initiatives include:
  • Morton Boolka Enhancement, which will investigate options to upgrade the Cawndilla Creek weir and pipeline to maintain a reliable flow of water into the Cawndilla Creek.
  • The Menindee Weir modifications proposal, which would improve fish passage connectivity along the lower Darling-Baaka
  • A series of initiatives, including new fish passageways and screens that will open up more than 1,000km of the Murrumbidgee for fish migration and breeding, as well as measures to address cold water pollution and improve water quality
  • Weir upgrades and renewals along the Darling-Baaka, including at Pooncarie, Bourke and Collarenebri to improve town water supply and deliver better environmental outcomes
• Consultation on the Better Bidgee and Better Baaka programs starts this week, with the first of a series of information and feedback sessions to be held in early November.
• For further details and to have your say, visit Better Baaka www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/better-baaka and Better Bidgee www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/better-bidgee.

$25M KICKS OFF COMMUNITY SPORT RECOVERY

• The sport and recreation sector has scored a $25-million funding boost as part of the COVID 19 Economic Recovery Strategy, to support the return of community sport as restrictions ease.
• The NSW Government’s Sport and Recreation Recovery and Community Rebuild Package will provide financial support, assistance and participation opportunities, particularly in areas hardest hit by the COVID lockdown.
• The Sport and Recreation Recovery and Community Rebuild Package includes:
  • Up to $12.5 million for grants of up to $1,000 to eligible clubs and associations
  • Up to $7.8 million to support sporting organisations and peak bodies;
  • $3.1 million to support participation initiatives focused on areas most affected by restrictions, including south-western Sydney and regional NSW;
  • Up to $1 million for grants to support marketing and promotional activities for outdoor and active recreation providers; and
  • $600,000 to support regional talent pathways in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
• For more details, see: www.sport.nsw.gov.au/recoverypackage.

‘FIRST LAP’ SWIM PROGRAM EXTENDED TO KINDY KIDS    

• The NSW Government’s new learn to swim voucher program will be expanded from preschool-aged children to include kindergarten kids who missed out on lessons due to COVID restrictions.
• Under the ‘First Lap’ program, eligible children can access a $100 voucher for swimming lessons with an approved provider, with businesses able to register for it from next month.
• Premier Dominic Perrottet said the program, which starts on December 1, would be extended to cover children in kindergarten this year, or who are starting kindergarten in 2022.
• Active Kids vouchers can be used by school-enrolled children, including those in kindergarten, for sport and recreation activities such as swimming lessons. Families can apply for the First Lap vouchers from 1 December, through Service NSW.

METRO CONSTRUCTION ON TRACK WITH NEW MILESTONE

• Track laying on the first rail crossing under Sydney Harbour is complete, marking a major milestone on the Metro City & Southwest project.
• The excavation of the Barangaroo caverns, which will house the metro platforms, took almost two years to complete. About 650,000 tonnes of crushed rock – enough to fill 100 Olympic swimming pools – was removed.
• Station builder BESIX Watpac will now fit out the station, creating 300 jobs at the peak of construction. Across the Sydney Metro City & Southwest, more than 5,000 people are currently working on the project; about 50,000 will have worked on the project by the time it is complete.
• Metro trains will start running through the harbour tunnels in 2024, extending the North West Metro into the city and beyond to Bankstown.
• New stations are being delivered at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street and Waterloo, along with new underground platforms at Central Station.

NEW RFS AD CAMPAIGN URGES THE COMMUNITY TO GET BUSH FIRE READY

• A new state-wide campaign by the NSW Rural Fire Service has kicked off, urging the community to prepare for the bush fire season, and to live bush fire ready.
• The ‘Live Bush Fire Ready’ public awareness campaign captures the stories and emotive images of people at the height of the 2019-20 bushfire season, and importantly, how they are planning and preparing for this bushfire season.
• It takes just five minutes to check your bush fire survival plan. Visit www.myfireplan.com.au to learn more about preparing your plan. You can also watch the new TV ad online at https://youtu.be/x8EJj6QNUgE.

REFORMS TO DELIVER JOBS AND HOMES

• The community is encouraged to have its say on detailed reforms to build a simple, clear and consistent infrastructure contributions system to unlock up to $12 billion in productivity gains for NSW.
• The reforms are the result of extensive consultation with experts, councils and industry, and respond to the NSW Productivity Commission’s review into infrastructure contributions.
• The proposed reforms include:
  • Giving councils more control over what type of local contributions plan they choose to apply to new developments;
  • Creating a separate and consistent Regional Infrastructure Contribution collected by the State Government to be applied in Greater Sydney, the Illawarra Shoalhaven, Lower Hunter and the Central Coast;
  • Requiring owners who benefit from their land being rezoned for development to contribute towards the provision of land for local infrastructure when their land is either sold or developed;
  • Greater transparency to make it easier for communities to access and understand Planning Agreements; and
  • Incentives for councils to fund infrastructure upfront, allowing them to borrow and pool their funds.
• To read the Infrastructure Contributions Reform package and to have your say until Friday 10 December, visit www.planning.nsw.gov.au/contributions-reform.

BIG BOOST TO NATIONAL PARKS IN WESTERN NSW

• The NSW Government is massively expanding the NSW national park estate with the purchase of two properties, Avenel/Mt Westwood station near Broken Hill and Koonaburra station near Ivanhoe, which will add a combined 166,924 hectares.
• Both properties are significant in size, with the 121,390 hectare Avenel/Mt Westwood Station the second largest purchase by NPWS in the state’s history.
• Avenel/Mt Westwood Station, a remote and ecologically diverse landscape on the South Australian border, features spectacular dune fields of the Strzelecki desert transitioning to the rocky plateau of the Barrier Range, with a network of river red gum and coolabah fringed rivers, creeks and watercourses. The property also supports habitat for an estimated 30 threatened plant and animal species including the Australian bustard and the dusky hopping mouse.
• Koonaburra station, will add a further 45,534 hectares including an extensive area of sandplain and dune field country featuring a vast network of water depressions (“melon holes”) providing important water sources for many species. It also supports habitat for at least 20 threatened animal species including the Major Mitchell cockatoo, Mallee fowl and the fat-tailed dunnart.

The first of three new Emerald Class ferries, named after the popular Sydney Harbour beach Fairlight, is now in passenger service on the F1 Circular Quay – Manly route.
Minister for Transport and Roads Rob Stokes said the new vessel had met strict safety standards, completing many hours of successful on water testing ahead of its introduction to service.
“The Generation 2 Emerald Class ferries are purpose built to operate in heavy swells, are fully accessible, have significantly reduced carbon emissions and are cheaper to run than our older vessels,” Mr Stokes said.
“The new Emerald Class ferries, along with ten new River Class vessels, were built by Australian shipbuilder Birdon, with all design work undertaken in Australia.
“Throughout the design and build of these ferries there’s been a strong focus on Aussie involvement, with 70 per cent of the total program of work benefitting local suppliers and creating local jobs.”
Member for Manly James Griffin said the remaining two Emerald Class ferries will be introduced progressively over the coming weeks, and are named after the popular Sydney Harbour beaches Clontarf and Balmoral.
“The introduction of the new Emerald Class ferries will allow for more weekly services to be added to the busy F1 route and will ensure there’s plenty of capacity to meet demand, particularly over Manly’s busy summer months,” Mr Griffin said.
“More frequent services between Manly and Circular Quay will be a welcome boost for our visitor economy as domestic and international travel resumes this summer.”
Two remaining Freshwater Ferries (MV Freshwater and MV Collaroy) will continue to operate alongside the new Generation 2 Emerald Class ferries on weekends and public holidays.
Retirement plans for the MV Narrabeen are still being finalised. Transport for NSW will update the community about the farewell plan for this vessel soon.

Track laying on the first rail crossing under Sydney Harbour is complete, marking a major milestone on the Metro City & Southwest project.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said projects like these aid the state’s economic recovery while he was inspecting the completed tracks and the new Barangaroo Station, which is now ready for platforms, lifts and escalators to be installed.
“This incredible city-shaping project is coming together before our eyes, with services set to start in 2024,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Sydney Metro will transform the way we travel around our great city – the trip deep under Sydney Harbour will take just three minutes between the new Barangaroo Station and Victoria Cross Station at North Sydney.”
Minister for Transport Rob Stokes praised the construction team for completing the 800 metre section of track in both tunnels under Sydney Harbour.
“Workers have laid 2,400 railway sleepers and 4,200 tonnes of concrete have been installed to finish this historic railway tunnel under Sydney Harbour,” Mr Stokes said.
“It’s incredible to think of the hard work that is going into this project. Eventually more than 4,000 tonnes of Australian steel will be used for the 31 kilometres of tracks from Chatswood to Sydenham, including 200 tonnes under the Harbour.”
The excavation of the Barangaroo caverns, which will house the metro platforms, took almost two years to complete. About 650,000 tonnes of crushed rock – enough to fill 100 Olympic swimming pools – was removed.
Station builder BESIX Watpac will now fit out the station, creating 300 jobs at the peak of construction. Across the Sydney Metro City & Southwest, more than 5,000 people are currently working on the project; about 50,000 will have worked on the project by the time it is complete.
Metro trains will start running through the harbour tunnels in 2024, extending the North West Metro into the city and beyond to Bankstown.
New stations are being delivered at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street and Waterloo, along with new underground platforms at Central Station.

The NSW Government is trialling Rapid Antigen Home Testing (RAHT) kits to reduce disruption at schools and halve the time close contacts need to isolate.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said a pilot program of the test kits would begin in Albury next week.
“I want to see disruption to our students’ education from COVID reduce, while still keeping schools safe places to learn. This requires us to deploy every tool available to balance the risk,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We will be trialling the tests in two ways: a broad surveillance approach,  along with close contact testing to reduce initial positive cases on school sites and reduce the amount of time close contact students need to spend away from school.”
The surveillance method will see the kits distributed by schools for use at home by staff and students who are asked to do a test twice a week as part of community surveillance.
“People with a positive result would need to follow up with a regular (PCR) test at a NSW Health testing centre and those who test negative will go on with their normal day-to-day routines assured that they are not infected or at risk of spreading the virus,” Ms Mitchell said.
Unvaccinated students who are close contacts of a positive case will also be able to reduce their isolation time by using the kits on a daily basis.
“NSW Health has advised us that close contacts of COVID positive cases will have their isolation period halved to seven days provided they receive a consistent negative result,” Ms Mitchell said.
“This is about living with a virus and getting back to normal life while ensuring the community is confident in their safety on school sites.
“Our best line of defence against this pandemic remains vaccinations, and until all students are eligible for one we must continue using measures like RAHT kits to keep schools safe.”
Member for Albury Justin Clancy said this was an incredibly challenging period for the community of Albury and any opportunity to minimise disruption for students was welcome.
“While this is a tough time for our community, I’m hopeful this new testing regime will reduce disruption for students and families in the area,” Mr Clancy said.
A positive rapid antigen test doesn’t mean an individual necessarily has COVID-19, it means they need to get a standard (PCR) test straight away to confirm the result.
It is important to note that use of the RAHT kits will be optional, but close contacts who opted not to undertake the daily tests would need to self-isolate for the full 14 days.

World Teachers’ Day is being celebrated across NSW today with Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell encouraging the community to let our 160, 000 teachers know how important they are.
“Great teachers are at the heart of our schools and have a significant impact on young peoples’ lives every day,” Ms Mitchell said.
“They have shown this throughout the pandemic with their tireless commitment to their students.
“More than anything, I am delighted that students are now back in the classroom, where they learn best, and able to celebrate World Teachers’ Day in person with their favourite teachers.
“Today I encourage everyone to take the time to recognise a teacher who has made a positive difference to their own life or the life of their child.”
This year the community can join celebrities including WSFM’s Jonesy and Amanda, Dave Hughes and Claudia Karvan who have come together to say thank you to their own teachers.
“Pretty much every day I think about my high school teachers and how much you set me up for life and I am sure you are doing the same now under stressful conditions. Thank you for your hard work,” Ms Karvan said.
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) has created an e-toolkit to help recognise the impact of an inspiring teacher today.
E-cards, social media badges and tiles, digital badges to add to photo and video messages, a colouring-in page and backgrounds for online meetings are available to download from the NESA website.