Category: NSW News

New South Wales remains the home of live music with 162 live music venues in Sydney and NSW receiving an injection of funds through the NSW Government’s $24 million Live Music Support Package.
The program will help assist 85 Sydney venues and 77 regional NSW venues that have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 related restrictions over the past year to survive through the pandemic.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the benefits of this initiative would be far-reaching.
“Live music is the beating heart of our state and this is the largest investment into grassroots live music in the history of NSW with 162 venues to receive crucial funds that will allow them to keep the doors open and get back to work putting on gigs.
“The NSW Government has been listening to the industry and our community, and the incredible support for and interest in this program proves that it has hit the mark for these venues.
“We know that there is a whole network of businesses and professionals that are involved in staging live music shows, and many of these venues are pillars of the 24-hour economy and critical infrastructure that allows a whole range of events and activities to take place.
“By keeping the lights on and the amps tuned, we’re creating social and economic benefit for the whole of NSW, and it’s amazing to see venues from Bega to Ballina receiving funding,” Mr Ayres said.
Applications were assessed by an industry and NSW Government inter-agency panel and funding allocated based on the size of individual venues, and whether the venue operates exclusively for live music or whether live music forms a significant part of the venue operations.
Recipients can utilise funding for operational costs including but not limited to employing musicians and support crew.  8o
“This will see us clear our debts completely and survive the next 12 months of recovery without the extreme stress and pressure of low turnover from restricted capacities and ongoing COVID-19 scares. Not only that, but it will help us to support the whole industry from artists, staff, promoters and music workers by putting on more events, upgrading equipment and facilities and creating an even better experience for our community,” Ms Dombroski said.
“Venues are the stepping stone for so many artists in their careers, we are so incredibly thankful for everyone who rallied behind NSW live music venues and that we have had our voices heard by NSW Government. Thank you for listening to us, thank you for your support and for not stopping until the best possible outcome was reached for the survival of live music in our state.”
The Live Music Support Package is part of the NSW Government’s $51.5 million Tourism Support Package, providing funding to sectors engaged in the NSW visitor economy that have been hit hardest by the pandemic. The fund is administered by Destination NSW in partnership with Create NSW and the Office of the 24-hour Economy Commissioner.
For more information, go to www.nsw.gov.au/living-nsw/tourism-support-package.

The mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park has today started to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine, providing a major boost to the vaccine rollout in NSW as the state surges past a million people protected.
The mass vaccination centre joins the other 26 NSW Health hubs that are giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to over 50s, including 17 in regional and rural NSW.
There are also more than 100 outreach locations that NSW Health vaccination clinics visit, primarily in rural and regional communities, to ensure people in these locations have access to a COVID-19 vaccination.
To date around 1,100 people are already booked in to receive the AstraZeneca jab at Sydney Olympic Park this week, complementing the thousands set to receive it from GPs or one of the many NSW Health sites that administer AstraZeneca.
Last week NSW GPs delivered more than 85,000 AstraZeneca jabs.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered across the state, including 345,393 by NSW Health and 745,379 by GPs and related providers.
“It is important anyone over 50 contact their GP in the first instance for their COVID-19 vaccine,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“It is critical to vaccinate our citizens as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said we cannot be complacent when it comes to getting the vaccine.
“We have seen the resurgence of this deadly virus in countries like Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea which, like us, appeared to have suppressed community spread,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Complacency can kill. If and when an outbreak occurs in NSW, the rush to get vaccinated will be great, so as soon as you are eligible we urge you to get vaccinated.”
To book a vaccine and for more information go to: nsw.gov.au/

The design and construction contract has been awarded for the M6 Stage 1, which will connect President Avenue at Kogarah with the WestConnex M8 at Arncliffe via four kilometre twin tunnels.
Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said Transport for NSW awarded the $2.52 billion contract to CIMIC Group’s CPB Contractors and UGL, in a joint venture with Ghella, which was one of three finalists for the tender.
“The M6 Stage 1 project will create more than 5,000 jobs, with construction expected to start in early 2022,” Mr Constance said.
“We are returning local roads to the local community, by allowing drivers to bypass up to 23 sets of traffic lights on the Princes Highway and reducing traffic on General Holmes Drive by 10,000 vehicles every day.”
“The M6 Stage 1 is expected to see a 40 per cent reduction in trucks on the Princes Highway north of President Avenue, which will be great news for the local community and local commuters.”
Member for Miranda Eleni Petinos said: “We’ll deliver a new intersection at President Avenue and an upgrade of the busy President Avenue and Princes Highway intersection to improve capacity and network integration.”
Member for Oatley Mark Coure said: “Work is already underway on a $28 million investment in local recreational facilities. Around 200 jobs have been created through these upgrades which are creating great local spots for our local communities.”
Member for Cronulla Mark Speakman said: “The NSW Government is continuing to look to the future of the M6, with investigation and planning work well under way on a future Stage 2.”
Member for Heathcote Lee Evans said: “The M6 Stage 1 will expand as Sydney’s south and the Illawarra grow into the future. It will start with two lanes in each direction but will be built for three.”
Expected travel time savings (when used with other motorway connections):

• Kogarah to ANZAC Bridge – up to 15 minutes.
• Miranda to Macquarie Park – up to 15 minutes.
• Kogarah to south Sydney – up to 13 minutes.
• Taren Point to Mascot – up to 12 minutes.
• Kogarah to Sydney CBD – up to 8 minutes.

Around five kilometres of shared cycling and pedestrian pathways, connecting Bestic Street at Brighton Le Sands to O’Connell Street at Kogarah (including a new bridge over President Avenue) are also part of the project.
The M6 Stage 1 is expected to open to traffic in 2025.
Background:
Previously known as the F6 Extension, there’s been a reservation for this motorway corridor since 1951. When first planned, land was reserved for an above-ground motorway. The new M6 Stage 1 will be mainly underground along its four kilometre route.
Consultation on this design of the project has been happening since 2017, and after the M6 Stage 1 was formally announced in 2018, the Environmental Impact Statement was placed on exhibition between November and December that year. Planning approval was secured in December 2019.
Requests for tenders to build the motorway were made in May 2020 with work starting on the community recreational facilities in August 2020.
Community facilities:
The NSW Government has invested $28 million into open space around the future M6 Stage 1 motorway for the local community.
At Brighton Memorial Playing Fields, the improvements include:

• An upgraded full size synthetic field and a new mid-sized grass field.
• A new play area, memorial, lawn area, amenities building and lighting.
• Increased car parking capacity.

The improvements also include a new pedestrian bridge over Muddy Creek, upgrades to West Botany Street Bridge and a relocated car park with increased capacity at West Botany Street.

The NSW Government is accelerating the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine with 25 Pfizer sites across the state now taking bookings for people aged 40 to 49. 17 of these are in rural and regional NSW.
These sites are spread across both Greater Sydney and rural and regional NSW ensuring as many people as possible have access to the vaccine.
Around 23,500 people aged between 40 and 49 have already been invited to book a vaccine at a NSW Health clinic, with 12,000 people already booked for the Pfizer jab.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was great to see such a positive response from the public to register for the vaccine.
“I want to thank the more than 120,000 people aged 40 to 49 who have already registered their interest to receive the Pfizer jab. We are working hard to ensure you receive the vaccine as soon as possible,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said NSW Health has worked hard to expand its Pfizer footprint across NSW.
“We’re making it easier for people right across NSW to access COVID vaccines as quickly as possible,” Mr Hazzard said.
“The more people vaccinated sooner in our state the stronger our defence against this extremely dangerous virus.”
People aged 40-49 can register for the Pfizer vaccine here: nsw.gov.au/. People will be contacted when a booking is available.

Students in NSW schools are benefitting from the NSW Government’s history-making $337 million COVID catch up program.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell confirmed today that 5417 tutors have been employed in NSW public schools, with almost 99 per cent of schools already offering tutoring support to their students.
“We know COVID-19 had an impact on education during the 2020 school year. Our tutoring program is helping students catch up after those disruptions,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The tailored model is important. Schools told us they needed the flexibility to deliver this program in a way that helps their students best.”
“Helping students bridge the gaps in their education caused by COVID is part of this government’s efforts to build a safer and stronger NSW.”
The additional support is tailored by schools using both the data from last year’s Check-in Assessments and the knowledge of classroom teachers.
“We are also helping schools in regional and remote areas with access to expert educators to help them create tutoring programs for their community,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The program has had fantastic take-up by our country schools, and more than 3200 of the tutors who are delivering the program are in regional, rural and remote schools.
“This means no matter where a school is in NSW or how many students they have, they can provide a tutoring program which works for their students.”
Registrations are still open to educators interested in taking part at https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/covid-learning-support-program
Existing Department of Education staff should register interest through ClassCover.

Parents of more than 200,000 newborns across NSW have benefited from a Baby Bundle of essential items given to them on the birth of their child over the last two years.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Member for Holsworthy Melanie Gibbons and Member for East Hills Wendy Lindsay announced the milestone while visiting Liverpool Hospital’s Maternity Unit today.
Ms Berejiklian said the Baby Bubble is valued at more than $300 and is filled with baby products and information to support the health, development and well-being of babies in NSW.
“Every baby born in NSW is eligible to receive a Baby Bundle, with more than 200,000 handed out since the initiative began in January 2019,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The Baby Bundle not only helps reduce some of the initial costs of having a baby, it also provides useful items to support new parents give their child the best start in life.”
Ms Gibbons said this program supports new additions to a family and makes sure parents are receiving important information and supplies during what can be a happy but confusing time.
“My kids are a little older now but I know how much I would have benefited from a baby bundle and I am sure all the new parents will feel the same,” Ms Gibbons said.
Mrs Lindsay said that all children are precious and a baby brings a new dimension to families.
“The baby bundle is full of helpful goodies for your new bundle of joy and to help families celebrate their new addition,” Mrs Lindsay said.
The Baby Bundle includes a number of items including a sleeping bag, play and change mats, muslin wrap, bath thermometer and a first aid kit, along with a selection of NSW Health printed resources that complement the Blue Book.
Parents receive the Baby Bundle before being discharged from hospital, or, after registering their child with NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The Baby Bundle is part of the NSW Government’s $157 million parenting package, including more midwives and family health nurses, investment in testing and treatments for children’s diseases, and practical and emotional support to parents.
For more information about the Baby Bundle go to: Baby Bundle – Maternal and newborn (nsw.gov.au)

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has announced the 2021-22 NSW Budget will be handed down on Tuesday, 22 June 2021.
The Budget will return to its traditional timing of mid-June after last year’s Budget was deferred until November due to COVID-19.
Mr Perrottet said he was looking forward to delivering the 2021-22 NSW Budget in five weeks, and foreshadowed a positive outlook for the state’s economy.
“Twelve months ago we were taking the first tentative steps out of lockdown and at the same time facing forecasts by the Commonwealth of unemployment as high as 15 per cent and predictions of economic Armageddon,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The NSW Government responded with an unparalleled package of measures including tax relief worth billions, grants of up to $10,000 to assist small businesses and a focus on continued infrastructure investment and jobs creation.
“We approached the pandemic with a dual focus, keeping people safe and the economy and NSW borders open, and things are looking much brighter now.”
Unemployment in NSW is currently at 5.4 per cent, down from a high of 7.2 last year as more than 270,000 thousand people returned to work.
At the same time consumer confidence is at the highest level in 10 years while the recent NAB business survey recorded its highest business confidence reading ever in NSW.
Mr Perrottet said the Government had committed $29 billion towards health, economic and social support measures since the pandemic began and would continue to invest in supporting people and creating jobs through its $107 billion infrastructure program.
“Every step of the way we have worked with business and the community through events such as our business summits and constant consultation,” Mr Perrottet said.

Apprentices working on the Sydney Football Stadium have contributed to its history, taking part in the official topping out ceremony of the world-class venue.
Minister for Skills, Tertiary Education and Sport Geoff Lee said the NSW Government, along with delivery partner John Holland, is proud to have completed the highest point
of the stadium’s structure.
A long-held tradition in the construction sector, the milestone is marked by lowering a tree to the highest point of the stadium.
“Topping out is a major milestone for the Sydney Football Stadium and I am pleased this project is supporting around 800 employees and apprentices in its construction
and even more jobs when it is complete,” Mr Lee said.
The NSW Government is funding an Aboriginal pre-employment program at the construction site of the Sydney Football Stadium to encourage unemployed locals to
take up jobs in the construction industry.
“All students involved in the pre-employment program have progressed to a full-time job with three graduates from the group employed right here at the Sydney Football
Stadium.”
“There is no better training ground for an apprentice than to learn the tools of the trade on the site of a world-class stadium.”
“To further boost local jobs, local businesses have been awarded almost $300 million worth of contracts to NSW-based suppliers and contractors.”
John Holland General Manager Matthew Bourne said it was a highlight for graduates to be a part of one of the biggest milestones in the building of the stadium.
“Now we have topped out the stadium, we are well and truly on the home stretch, with the stadium on track to be completed by the NRL finals next year, Mr Bourne said.
“In partnership with the NSW Government, we’re providing unemployed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with entry level industry skills to open up career pathways they may not have considered in the construction industry.”
The next construction milestone is to build the stadium’s roof, which will involve 4,000 individual pieces of steel, most of which is manufactured in Western Sydney by the same company who built the roof of the original stadium in 1988.
For more information on pre-apprenticeship programs, visit
https://education.nsw.gov.au/skills-nsw
For more information on the construction of Sydney Football Stadium, visit:
https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/projects-nsw/sydney-football-stadium-redevelopment/

Members of the public in the 40 to 49-year-old category have begun to receive the Pfizer vaccine after they were invited to book an appointment.
More than 16,000 people aged 40 to 49 have been contacted to make an appointment at Sydney Olympic Park after they registered their interest to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
A further 1,000 people in this age group from the Blacktown LGA who registered their interest have also been contacted encouraging them to book an appointment at the Blacktown Hospital vaccination clinic.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was great to see 9,000 people in this group had already made a booking to receive their jab.
“The vaccine rollout is key if we want to open up our borders and live a normal life, that is why we are working hard to rollout the vaccine as quickly and as safely as possible,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“I’m encouraging everyone in NSW aged 40-49 to register their interest to receive the Pfizer vaccine as soon as possible”.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said there would be additional Pfizer clinics available to receive bookings for registered 40-49-year-olds in the coming weeks including in regional and rural areas.
“I encourage all who are eligible to get a vaccination as soon as possible as getting the jab builds our line of defence against this extremely dangerous virus,” Mr Hazzard said.
People aged 40-49 can register for the Pfizer vaccine here: nsw.gov.au/
People will be contacted when a booking is available.
People aged over 50 can book their AstraZeneca jab at the mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park, if they are unable to obtain the vaccination from their GP. Bookings are available here: covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility.
Additional NSW Health AstraZeneca clinics will be available for bookings for people over 50 years of age from 24 May.
In addition, there are around 1,500 GP practices across NSW taking bookings for over 50s to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than 900,000 people have been vaccinated in NSW through NSW Health and the GP network and other providers, more than any other state.

A new Numeracy course for Year 11 and 12 students will be available to all NSW schools to support students to build functional and practical numeracy and mathematics skills for life and work in the 21^st century.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell joined Maths Ambassadors Michael O’Loughlin, Professor Nalini Joshi and Dr Matt Agnew to announce the new course and launch the 2021 Maths Trains Brains campaign.
Ms Mitchell said the new course was one element of the NSW Mathematics Strategy aimed at ensuring all students have the necessary support to develop core numeracy and mathematics skills and apply them to everyday life.
“Students who have been a part of the pilot course are more engaged in maths by up to 11 percentage points, which is a huge success and will help set them up for the future,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We’ve seen increased engagement particularly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students in rural and remote areas and students studying vocational education and training courses.
“Those are the results we want to see from the NSW Mathematics Strategy because every child in NSW deserves the opportunity to develop the mathematics skills and understanding necessary to succeed in life and expand their options for post-school pathways.”
The release of new course coincides with the launch of the 2021 Maths Trains Brains campaign, which aims to drive interest and engagement with mathematics.
“Mathematics is so important, and this campaign encourages everyone from students to parents and carers to engage with mathematics,” Ms Mitchell said.
AFL legend and GO Foundation cofounder Michael O’Loughlin said education and a strong mathematics understanding is crucial for young people.
“I’m a parent and advocate for empowering young Indigenous students through education. Mathematics opens doorways to success for students,” Mr O’Loughlin said.
Esteemed mathematician and the University of Sydney’s first female Professor of Mathematics, Professor Nalini Joshi said mathematics was essential for students’ understanding of new ideas and judging whether they are based on evidence.
“In the same way that learning to read as a child shapes how we communicate in our adult lives, learning how to do mathematics leads to rhythms in the way we think,” Professor Joshi said.
“I am extremely pleased to be involved in this program, by helping to communicate and show to students, parents and carers that mathematics is an essential skill we need to thrive in our fast changing, technologically sophisticated society.”
Astrophysicist, engineer and author Dr Matt Agnew has been involved in teaching students mathematics for several years, and is passionate about helping to reverse the falling interest in mathematics by students.
“Mathematical understanding and confidence is critically important to one’s confidence in and understanding of the world around us,” Dr Agnew said.
“Mathematics is everywhere and mastering it will help our students succeed in anything they choose to do.”
Parents and carers can visit the Everyday Maths Hub  curated by NSW mathematics teachers, to engage with their children on mathematics in everyday life.
Visit the NESA website for more information about the Numeracy course.