Category: NSW News

MASS VACCINATION CENTRE NOW ADMINISTERING ASTRAZENECA VACCINE

• The mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park has 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 book a vaccine and for more information go to: nsw.gov.au/

RELIGIOUS AND MULTICULTURAL LEADERS RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINE

• More than 30 NSW religious and community leaders have come together to encourage all eligible individuals from diverse faith and cultural communities to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
• The leaders met with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Health Brad Hazzard and Minister for Multiculturalism Geoff Lee at the mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.
• More than 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered across the state, including more than 360,000 by NSW Health and more than 760,000 by GPs and related providers.

STATE FUNERAL FOR BOB FULTON AM

• The family of Australian rugby league immortal Bob Fulton AM will be offered a State Funeral by the NSW Government.

CONSENT LAW REFORM

• Sexual consent laws will be strengthened and simplified under NSW Government reforms designed to protect victim-survivors and educate the community.
• Attorney General Mark Speakman acknowledged the growing calls across the community for reforms to respond more effectively to the scourge of sexual violence in this country.

***A fact sheet outlining the proposed reforms in greater detail is also attached. ***
VIVID SYDNEY 2021 PROGRAM TO TRANSFORM HARBOUR CITY

• Vivid Sydney 2021 will invigorate the Harbour City this August, with an innovative floating light walk, widespread celebration of Aboriginal culture and themes of resilience and diversity throughout.
• Sydneysiders and visitors are invited to join the celebration of creativity, innovation and technology as one COVID-safe community from 6 to 28 August.
• The 2021 program features more than 50 dazzling light installations and 3D projection artworks, over 50 eclectic music events and 90+ thought-provoking ideas talks and workshops across Barangaroo, Sydney CBD, Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, Luna Park and The Rocks.
• For information about the event and to see the full program, go to vividsydney.com.

MICE PLAGUE REBATES BACKDATED

• Households and small businesses impacted by high numbers of mice across regional NSW will be able to claim rebates for purchasing mouse bait from 1 February 2021, with the NSW Government announcing the rebate program will be backdated.
• Deputy Premier John Barilaro said backdating the program will help regional families that were impacted by mice earlier this year and will ease the financial pressure farmers and small businesses are currently facing due to the mice plague.
• For further details about the mouse rebate program, including eligiblity and the claims process, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/mice

RECONCILIATION WEEK 2021

• Reconciliation Week marks a significant period of the year where we come together as a nation to learn about our shared histories and the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for all Australians.
• Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Harwin said that Reconciliation Week 2021 marked twenty years since the 2001 Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk, and importantly recognises the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum on 27 June and Mabo Day on 3 June.

HALF OF DRIVERS USING A DIGITAL DRIVER LICENCE

• NSW Drivers have voted with their smartphones and embraced the Digital Driver Licence (DDL), with new data showing three million drivers have downloaded the technology.
• Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the figure represents 53 per cent of all licence holders, with almost 95 per cent giving the DDL the thumbs up.

BIG BATTERY TO HELP POWER NSW SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS

• A 100-megawatt battery will help to power schools, hospitals and Government buildings across NSW under the state’s new electricity supply contract.
• As part of the $3.2 billion 10 year contract, awarded to Shell Energy and Edify, a 100-megawatt battery will be built alongside the Darlington Point Solar Farm in the Riverina, providing critical dispatchable electricity prior to the closure of the Liddell Power Station.
• The new contract will commence from July 2022, when existing contracts expire.

162 MUSIC VENUES TO RECEIVE BOOST THROUGH $24 MILLION LIVE MUSIC SUPPORT PACKAGE

• 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.
• For more information, go to www.nsw.gov.au/living-nsw/tourism-support-package.

100 DAYS TO GO UNTIL VOTERS HAVE A SAY ON THEIR LOCAL COUNCIL

• The power to change their local community will be in the hands of the state’s voters when they head to the polls in just 100 days to vote for their council representatives in the NSW Local Government Elections.
• Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said the council elections, held on Saturday 4 September, give both residents and candidates an opportunity to shape their local community for the next three years.

The NSW local defence industry will connect with potential customers as 24 co-exhibitors prepare to shine at the 2021 LAND FORCES International Land Defence Exposition with the support of the NSW Government.
The fourth biennial international industry expo will showcase equipment, technology, and services for the defence forces of Australia and the Indo-Asia-Pacific next week, between 1 – 3 June at the Brisbane Convention Centre.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said creating new defence industry opportunities which enhance the State’s contribution to national security was a key priority of Investment NSW.
“Our job as a government is to support the defence industry to develop and enhance its partnerships across the sector, between the Australian Defence Force, SMEs, Australian primes and research institutions,” Mr Ayres said.
“We are home to the largest number of defence bases of any state or territory in Australia. NSW also boasts the largest number of workers, with defence industry skills and world-leading universities and research institutions ready to support the development of defence technology and innovation.
“LAND FORCES is an opportunity for NSW-based defence businesses to pitch to supply chain managers, meet Commonwealth officials, partner with Austrade to create international opportunities and connect with Australian primes.”
Winslow Tam, Defence Program Manager for radio frequency communications business GME, said the business was looking forward to showcasing its manufacturing and radio frequency engineering capability.
“We’re excited to participate in LAND FORCES and take advantage of the opportunity to prove our ability to collaborate with SMEs to manufacture MANET mesh radios in-house and establish a robust Australian supply chain so we can scale our capacity to meet the requirements of the Australian Army,” Mr Tam said.
“GME is also working on developing of a narrow band portable very high frequency radio which is designed and manufactured in NSW.”
The NSW Government will showcase these defence industry innovators and demonstrate the leading edge and talent within NSW to the Australian Defence Force and primes. Growing the entirety of defence industry across NSW will enhance and build upon our already strong contribution to National security interests.
The co-exhibitors on the NSW Government stand are:

• Adroita
• Advanced Navigation
• Air Affairs Australia
• Austest
• Australian Aerospace Engineering
• Bisalloy Steels
• Burwell Technologies
• Carbonix
• Defence Innovation Network
• DroneShield Corporation
• EnerSys Australia
• Global Defence Solutions
• GME
• Hunter Defence & Hunter Net
• Invest Wollongong
• Jenkins Engineering Defence Systems
• Mellori Solutions
• Nupress Tools
• Phoenx PLM
• Rojone
• Shoalhaven Defence Industry Group
• The Whiskey Project
• Thomas Global Systems

Further details about Defence NSW are available at www.defence.nsw.gov.au

NSW Far North Coast public school students are benefitting from more new and upgraded schools than ever before.
More than $409 million is finding its way to local students, with new and upgraded classrooms, playgrounds, canteens, roofing and lights.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell visited the recently upgraded Byron Bay Public School, one of the latest schools to benefit from this record investment.
“Schools across this region are benefitting from an ongoing multi-million dollar investment in education by the NSW Government,” Ms Mitchell said
“Byron Bay Public School is the latest to benefit from our history-making $7 billion school building program, and I’m delighted to be officially opening the $10 million upgrade today.”
“It’s great to meet students and teachers at Byron Bay Public School, and it’s fantastic to be here to see the wonderful new two storey building.
“This is one of the 11 new or upgraded schools being delivered in the region, bringing a total investment of more than $398 million.”
The Byron Bay Public School upgrade delivered a two storey building creating ten additional learning spaces taking the total number of permanent learning spaces to 28 and accommodating up to 650 students.
North Coast based MLC Ben Franklin said it’s great to see the school community benefitting from modern facilities and additional teaching spaces.
“The new facilities and learning spaces, like these at Byron Bay Public School, are putting local students at the forefront of technology and education, as well as allowing teachers to offer more learning opportunities to students,” Mr Franklin said.
“On top of these new and upgraded schools, we are also investing in our existing schools through improvement projects nominated by the school, ranging from playgrounds to canteens, along with a roof and lights program.
“Over 100 schools in the area have benefitted from this $11 million investment which also uses local tradies, helping to stimulate the economy.
“The NSW Government is creating a safer and stronger regional NSW by investing record amounts of funding to help support local jobs, and the wonderful schools in the Far North Coast.”
The NSW Government is investing $7 billion in four years to deliver more than 200 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

Sydney’s most-loved CBD entertainment precincts will come to life with dedicated alfresco dining, fireworks, live music and an outdoor cinema to ensure the CBD is this winter season’s hottest spot.
The NSW Government has committed almost $850,000 to support a range of activities in The Rocks and Darling Harbour as part of the CBD Revitalisation Program – which received a $20 million boost as part of the second successful CBD Summit.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said revamping these initiatives for the winter months was vital to build on the success of the September CBD Summit and would ensure the economic recovery continues.
“I said at the second CBD summit in April that we would pull out all the stops to bring crowds into the city – and we’re making it happen,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Sydney has the best restaurants, shopping, cultural institutions and lifestyle in the country and this exciting series of initiatives will encourage people to spend more time in Australia’s best CBD, with more events and activities than ever before.
“This program we’re rolling out will give both The Rocks and Darling Harbour much needed boosts over the cooler months, keeping more businesses in business and people in jobs.”
The Rocks Hidden in Plain Sight program includes a new pop-up speakeasy, art installations, weekend street games and a dinner series which showcases the best of The Rocks dining.
In Darling Harbour, people can enjoy socially distanced lunchtime picnics with live music and $10 lunch deals right through until July, with evening fireworks and light shows from 8 June as part of the Sydney Solstice celebrations.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said as The Rocks was NSW Government land, new agency Placemaking NSW was embarking on a program to revitalise hidden courtyards and laneways that have been forgotten for decades.
“Thanks to the pandemic, The Rocks is ripe for reinvention,” Mr Stokes said.
“It’s been really encouraging to see foot traffic at The Rocks hit 75 per cent of pre[1]pandemic numbers but we’re keen to draw more people back to this part of Sydney which is one of the most historic and beautiful parts of the CBD.”
“We have started a program to upgrade all courtyards and laneways in The Rocks, such as the Nurses Walk, Unwins Courtyard, Well Courtyard and the La Renaissance courtyard.
“While Melbourne has already done their laneways, we will do ours better.” For more details on The Rocks Hidden In Plain Sight program and the Darling Harbour picnic and fireworks events visit www.therocks.com and www.darlingharbour.com

Sydney’s most-loved CBD entertainment precincts will come to life with dedicated alfresco dining, fireworks, live music and an outdoor cinema to ensure the CBD is this winter season’s hottest spot.
The NSW Government has committed almost $850,000 to support a range of activities in The Rocks and Darling Harbour as part of the CBD Revitalisation Program – which received a $20 million boost as part of the second successful CBD Summit.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said revamping these initiatives for the winter months was vital to build on the success of the September CBD Summit and would ensure the economic recovery continues.
“I said at the second CBD summit in April that we would pull out all the stops to bring crowds into the city – and we’re making it happen,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Sydney has the best restaurants, shopping, cultural institutions and lifestyle in the country and this exciting series of initiatives will encourage people to spend more time in Australia’s best CBD, with more events and activities than ever before.
“This program we’re rolling out will give both The Rocks and Darling Harbour much needed boosts over the cooler months, keeping more businesses in business and people in jobs.”
The Rocks Hidden in Plain Sight program includes a new pop-up speakeasy, art installations, weekend street games and a dinner series which showcases the best of The Rocks dining.
In Darling Harbour, people can enjoy socially distanced lunchtime picnics with live music and $10 lunch deals right through until July, with evening fireworks and light shows from 8 June as part of the Sydney Solstice celebrations.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said as The Rocks was NSW Government land, new agency Placemaking NSW was embarking on a program to revitalise hidden courtyards and laneways that have been forgotten for decades.
“Thanks to the pandemic, The Rocks is ripe for reinvention,” Mr Stokes said.
“It’s been really encouraging to see foot traffic at The Rocks hit 75 per cent of pre[1]pandemic numbers but we’re keen to draw more people back to this part of Sydney which is one of the most historic and beautiful parts of the CBD.”
“We have started a program to upgrade all courtyards and laneways in The Rocks, such as the Nurses Walk, Unwins Courtyard, Well Courtyard and the La Renaissance courtyard.
“While Melbourne has already done their laneways, we will do ours better.” For more details on The Rocks Hidden In Plain Sight program and the Darling Harbour picnic and fireworks events visit www.therocks.com and www.darlingharbour.com

Students at one of NSW’s newest high schools officially opened their school today with the Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell and Member for Wollondilly Nathaniel Smith.
The students moved into the multimillion-dollar redeveloped Picton High School last month, one of five new and upgraded schools in NSW to open their doors in Term 2.
The $112 million Picton High School caters for students from Years 7-12, with 73 new learning spaces,administrative staff and support facilities, a new library and a covered outdoor learning area (COLA).
The project also included the refurbishment of 11 teaching spaces, new special education facilities and an upgrade of the existing bus and car pickup and drop-off area to increase safety for all users.
Ms Mitchell said it was exciting to visit the school and see how much students and staff were enjoying the new classrooms and facilities.
“Communities across NSW are seeing real improvements at their local schools, with everything from new canteens and playgrounds, to major upgrades, new schools and redevelopments like we see here at Picton High School,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The Liberals & Nationals Government have delivered 15 new and upgraded schools this year as part of our ongoing and record-breaking investment in school infrastructure.”
Member for Wollondilly Nathaniel Smith was excited with the delivery of this major redevelopment for his electorate.
“We want all our students to have the very best learning environments, and these great new facilities at Picton High School will benefit the local community for generations to come,” Mr Smith said.
The new school will accommodate approximately 1,500 students and has been master planned to allow future expansion. The sporting fields and an agricultural shed are due for completion in late 2021.
The NSW Government is investing $7 billion over four years, continuing its program to deliver more than 200 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

Today we commemorate the Stolen Generations on National Sorry Day.
On this day we remember the Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities as a result of past government policies of assimilation.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Harwin said the NSW Government has previously made a 10-year commitment to provide reparations for the Stolen Generations.
“Today is a day to recognise the grief, suffering and loss endured by the Stolen Generations and the ripple effects still felt today,” Mr Harwin said.
“The state government will provide direct resources to Stolen Generation Organisations to support survivor-led collective healing for survivors and their descendants.”
The NSW Government has already committed $3 million in new funding to preserve sites of the former Aboriginal children’s homes in Kinchela, Bomaderry, Cootamundra and Parramatta. The former homes are sites of truth telling and education.
“It is a privilege to work with the Stolen Generations Advisory Committee.  I especially want to acknowledge the courage, determination and strength of Stolen Generations survivors. It is their leadership inspiring change to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma,” Mr Harwin said.
“These sites hold memories of unimaginable childhood trauma, heartbreaking loss and terrible abuse suffered by many Stolen Generations survivors. By working with survivors to preserve the memories of these sites we will ensure the legacy of this history is never forgotten.”
For further information click here.

More than 30 NSW religious and community leaders have come together to encourage all eligible individuals from diverse faith and cultural communities to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The leaders met with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Health Brad Hazzard and Minister for Multiculturalism Geoff Lee at the mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.
“Thank you to community leaders across NSW who have shown leadership throughout the pandemic and continue to provide trusted information to their communities. It is critical to vaccinate our citizens as quickly and as safely as possible,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“There are Cultural Support Workers at the mass vaccination centre who can guide people through the entire process in 25 different languages.”
The mass vaccination centre is now administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to members of the general public aged 50 and over, along with GPs and other NSW Health clinics throughout the state.
The majority of the community leaders have received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered across the state, including more than 360,000 by NSW Health and more than 760,000 by GPs and related providers.
Mr Hazzard thanked the leaders for guiding their communities through such a difficult year in our fight against the virus.
“The pandemic has been extremely challenging for everybody, including people of faith, with many of the normal practices turned on their head, but vaccination is our path back to normal,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Our message to all members of the community is simple – get the COVID vaccine, it will help keep you and your loved ones safe and out of our intensive care units.”
Mr Lee said the COVID-19 vaccine has been taken up across faith communities and encouraged community members to get the vaccine.
“We are working with our faith and community leaders to ensure everyone in our community has access to reliable information about the COVID-19 vaccines,” Mr Lee said.
People aged 50 and over are encouraged to book their AstraZeneca vaccination through their GP in the first instance, but if they are unable to obtain the vaccine from their GP, appointments can also be booked in NSW Health clinics.
Those aged 40-49 can now also register their interest in receiving the Pfizer vaccine. They will be contacted and invited to make a booking when there is availability at clinics.
To book a vaccine and for more information go to: nsw.gov.au/
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccines in your language, please see:
https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccine-information-in-your-language

SafeWork NSW’s Mentally Healthy Workplaces Strategy has been relaunched today, aiming to improve workplace mental health in response to significant shifts in ways of working due to COVID-19.
Minister for Better Regulation, Kevin Anderson said the re-designed strategy is focused on helping every type of business in NSW become mentally healthy.
“SafeWork has already done a fantastic job in supporting businesses implement mental health plans for their workplaces and have trained up more than 14,000 employees, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” Mr Anderson said.
In the last two years SafeWork NSW received more than 5,000 calls for assistance and information in relation to bullying and other psychosocial risks as well as how to get started in creating a mentally health workplace.
“The re-designed strategy is about helping employers move from a model of only prioritising mental health at work following an incident, to offering targeted and proactive support to their employees throughout the year,” Mr Anderson said.
One new initiative in the strategy is “direct practical coaching” for small and medium businesses, providing business leaders with one-on-one training from experts on workplace mental health.
“Through the pilot, every business, at a time convenient to them, can receive tailored guidance on how to address risks related to mental health at work, as well as identify actions and plans to mitigate the issues,” Mr Anderson said.
Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor said knowing how to prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of staff is increasingly important in the wake of COVID-19, and can also make a big difference to morale and productivity.
“Most of us spend about one-third or more of our adult lives at work. It’s a huge part of what we do and can have a significant impact on our mental health in a positive or negative way,” Mrs Taylor said.
“This new and improved strategy is designed to help us ensure we are meeting the needs for every single workplace in NSW to provide an environment that promotes and encourages good mental health.
“Good mental health begins in the community and in the places and times we gather from day-to-day. From high-risk sectors to small and medium businesses, this means equipping each and every one to confidently deliver tailored, practical support to meet the unique needs of their staff from the ground up.”
This strategy comes on top of the NSW Government’s record investment of $2.4 billion on mental health in 2020-21.
The NSW Mentally healthy workplaces strategy can be accessed at https://www.mentalhealthatwork.nsw.gov.au/committing-to-leading-change/the-strategy

Small and medium businesses will benefit from faster payments and savings when sending and receiving invoices with the NSW Government, with e-invoicing to be made mandatory for all government agencies from 1 January 2022.
The mandate will apply to the delivery of goods and services up to the value of $1 million.
Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the mandate will help reduce payment times, paperwork and manual errors, and save buyers and suppliers a significant amount of money.
“This is great news for SMEs who are the backbone of the economy. There is an estimated shared saving of around $20 each time e-invoicing replaces a paper invoice and around $17 each time it replaces a pdf invoice,” Mr Dominello said.
“Based on the 4.2 million invoices across NSW Government in 2019, a shared saving between the suppliers and NSW Government is estimated to be $71 million.
“This means the Government can spend more time helping customers and businesses can focus on their operations.”
Funding was allocated through the Digital Restart Fund to set up an e-invoicing service.
The NSW Government is leading efforts to see e-invoicing adopted across Australia.
Research indicates that e-invoicing rates in Australia range from 15 per cent for small businesses to 23 per cent for large businesses, compared with 28 per cent across Europe and 40 per cent in Denmark and Finland.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said this would improve the way SMEs interact with the Government.
“This mandate will enhance the Government’s existing Faster Payment Terms Policy, by ensuring that the accounts payable teams in Government agencies receive invoices within minutes, enabling payment to eligible small businesses within 5 business days,” Mr Tudehope said.
“One of the biggest issues for small businesses across NSW is cashflow and we want to take steps to ensure that properly rendered invoices reach and are actioned by the right teams as quickly as possible.”
Suppliers will have the option to use e-invoicing or continue to invoice Government agencies through existing means.