Category: NSW News

METRO SCHOOLS TO BENEFIT FROM STIMULUS PROJECTS

• More than 190 schools will receive priority upgrades, including improvements to playgrounds, sports courts and libraries, thanks to Tranche 2 of the $120 million NSW Government Metro Renewal Program.
• Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell visited Homebush Boys High School to announce the projects that will receive funding.
• Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Government is committed to ensuring students across NSW have access to quality school facilities.
• The NSW Government is investing $7 billion over the next 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.

RECOVERY CENTRES OPEN IN FLOOD-AFFECTED AREAS

• Dedicated community Recovery Centres are now open, providing face-to-face support for NSW residents affected by recent rainfall and subsequent extreme flooding.
• The first Recovery Centres are located in Port Macquarie, Taree and Laurieton with another opening in Macksville.
• Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said the NSW Government, community organisations, and welfare bodies will work from the recovery centres to assist individuals, businesses, farmers and landholders dealing with the fallout from the record-breaking storms and flooding.
• For those wanting to be assisted remotely, and for more information on all available disaster assistance, please contact the Disaster Customer Care Service at Service NSW on 13 77 88 or online via service.nsw.gov.au.

FIRST RIDE ON NEW INTERCITY FLEET

• Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance went for their first test ride on one of the next-generation fleet of intercity trains.
• Premier Berejiklian says the New Intercity Fleet will offer unprecedented levels of comfort, convenience and reliability for passengers.
• A date for the train to enter service will be determined once staff training and operational readiness activities have been completed in the coming months.

NSW OPEN FOR BUSINESS WITH NEW AGENCY- INVESTMENT NSW LEADING THE WAY

• Investment NSW, a new NSW Government agency, is open for business, reinforcing the State’s position as the economic engine room of the country.
• Premier Berejiklian says the new agency will drive local and global investment and create the jobs of the future for NSW, showing the world that the State is open for business.
• For more information about Investment NSW visit https://www.investment.nsw.gov.au/

LICENCE FEES WAIVED FOR FLOOD IMPACTED COMMUNITIES

• The NSW Government is waiving fees for the costs of replacing up to 35 different types of SafeWork and Fair Trading licenses for flood affected communities.
• Deputy Premier and Minister Responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro and Minister for Better Regulation Kevin Anderson announced tens of thousands of NSW residents impacted by the devastating recent floods will benefit from the waivers.
• For more information on licence fee waivers please visit here and here.
• For more information on hazards around your property following storms and floods, read SafeWork NSW’s fact sheet here.

MORE BUS SERVICES FOR SYDNEY’S WEST

• Bus customers will soon benefit from better connections and more frequent trips across north west and western Sydney, with more than 2,000 additional weekly services starting next month.
• Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the changes will provide commuters with new and improved services, with more options across the entire day.
• Suburbs that will benefit from the bus improvements include Pitt Town, McGraths Hill, Box Hill, Rouse Hill, Riverstone, Schofields, Marsden Park, Mt Druitt, Erskine Park, St Clair, St Marys, Werrington, Jordan Springs, Penrith, Wetherill Park, Prairiewood, Smithfield, Fairfield and Bonnyrigg.

MORE THAN $4 MILLION AWARDED TO NSW COMMUNITY SPORT

• More than 700 community sporting organisations across NSW are set to benefit from the NSW Government’s $4 million Local Sport Grants Program.
• The program provides grants to sporting organisations to increase and remove barriers to participation, purchase equipment and improve facilities with 831 grants awarded to 728 sporting organisations representing 58 different sports.
• For further information on the Local Sport Grants Program, visit:https://sport.nsw.gov.au/clubs/grants/localsport

EMERGENCY SERVICE WORKERS TO BE HONOURED

• Nominations are now open for the 2021 Rotary Clubs and Districts of NSW Emergency Services Community Awards in recognition of our frontline emergency services personnel for service above and beyond the call of duty.
• The awards recognise the dedication and service of emergency service personnel and volunteers from Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Ambulance, NSW State Emergency Services, NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW Volunteer Rescue Association, Marine Rescue NSW and Surf Life Saving NSW.
• Nominations will close on Sunday 9 May 2021 and the finalists will be announced on Wednesday 16 June 2021.
• Members of the public and emergency service workers are encouraged to submit nominations online via the awards website at https://nsw.rescawards.org.au/.

FREE HYGIENE PRODUCTS FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

• Free menstrual hygiene products will be available to students in two pilot regions in NSW ahead of a wider rollout.
• Information about the products and their availability has been supplied to principals and schools will educate students who are likely to access the products as well as distributing materials to their community.

NEW LAW PROTECTS PETS FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• Domestic violence victim-survivors and their companion animals will have greater protections from abuse under new laws that commenced this weekend.
• Attorney General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Mark Speakman said the protection of animals will now be a standard Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) condition after reforms passed Parliament in November.

PLAN AHEAD THIS EASTER LONG WEEKEND

• Drivers are being urged to plan ahead before travelling this Easter long weekend, with a number of roads still closed across NSW due to the recent wild weather.
• Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said maintenance crews are out in force fixing roads which suffered significant damage during flooding over the past two weeks.
• More information on how to best plan your journey is available at http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/holiday-journeys

AN EGGSCELLENT END TO DAYLIGHT SAVING

• Clocks wind back an hour this Easter Sunday, marking the end of dark starts to cooler days.
• Daylight saving ends officially at 3am on Sunday, 4 April, when clocks go back an hour to 2am. Most internet connected devices will update automatically, but for manual clocks don’t forget to make the adjustment before turning in on Easter Saturday.

More than 700 community sporting orgranisations across NSW are set to benefit from the NSW Government’s $4 million Local Sport Grants Program.
The program provides grants to sporting organisations to increase and remove barriers to participation, purchase equipment and improve facilities with 831 grants awarded to 728 sporting organisations representing 58 different sports.
Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said the grants would provide a welcome lift to communities as NSW emerges from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic, bushfires and floods have created significant uncertainty for local communities across NSW,” Mr Lee said.
“Sport is the glue which keeps local communities together, and these grants acknowledge the importance of sport within our local communities, plus recognise the considerable contribution our army of sporting volunteers make on a daily basis.
“The Local Sport Grant Program is structured to help increase participation, improve facilities and increase investment, particularly in women’s sport, enabling more women and girls to participate.
“Whether it’s providing opportunities for people with a disability to play football at Randwick Football Club, purchasing jerseys and equipment for the Wiradjuri Warrior’s women’s rugby league teams or buying uniforms and equipment for multicultural kids at Rockdale City Raiders Football Club, these grants play a vital role in giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of sport.”
The Local Sport Grants Program awards sporting organisations up to $20,000 for projects which focus on sport development, sport access and facility development.
For further information on the Local Sport Grants Program, visit: https://sport.nsw.gov.au/clubs/grants/localsport

Bus customers will soon benefit from better connections and more frequent trips across north west and western Sydney, with more than 2,000 additional weekly services starting next month.
Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the changes will provide commuters with new and improved services, with more options across the entire day.
“From the 18^th of April, we’ll be adding additional services and increasing the frequency of buses on existing routes, to support our customers in our growing north west and western Sydney suburbs,” Mr Constance said.
Suburbs that will benefit from the bus improvements include Pitt Town, McGraths Hill, Box Hill, Rouse Hill, Riverstone, Schofields, Marsden Park, Mt Druitt, Erskine Park, St Clair, St Marys, Werrington, Jordan Springs, Penrith, Wetherill Park, Prairiewood, Smithfield, Fairfield and Bonnyrigg.
To support the improvements, there will also be minor adjustments to some school and regular services. Schools have been notified of the changes.
Some of the improvements also deliver on commitments made as part of the NSW Government’s Growth Services Program to build a better bus network for customers.
“We’ve added more than 55,000 extra weekly services since March 2011 and are constantly reviewing the network so we can deliver better outcomes for commuters right across Sydney,” Mr Constance said.
Busways will also begin trialling an electric bus this month, operating out of the Penrith depot, making it the first electric bus to run in this region.
Customers will be able to plan their trips from early April at transportnsw.info
KEY SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS
North West Sydney:

• Route 672 (Pitt Town – Windsor): More than 70 additional weekly services.
• Route 740 (Box Hill – Rouse Hill): New route, more than 320 new weekly services.
• Route 741 (Box Hill – Riverstone): More than 230 additional weekly services, including new off peak, evening and weekend services.
•  Route 746 (Riverstone – Rouse Hill via Box Hill): More than 140 additional weekly services, including new weekend services.
• Route 747 (Mt Druitt – Rouse Hill via Plumpton, Marsden Park and Riverstone) – More than 60 additional weekly services and route extended to Mt Druitt.
•  Route 748 (Marsden Park – Rouse Hill via Schofields and Tallawong stations) – New route, around 600 new weekly services.

Western Sydney:

• Route 775 (St Marys – Mt Druitt via St Clair and Erskine Park) – More than 170 additional weekly services.
• Route 776 (St Marys – Mt Druitt via St Clair) – More than 170 additional weekly services.
• Route 783 (Penrith – Werrington station via Jordan Springs) – 50 additional weekly services, route extended to Werrington station.
• Route 810X (Pemulwuy – Parramatta) – More than 40 additional weekly services.
•  Route 813 (Western Sydney Parklands – Fairfield via Prairiewood) – 50 additional weekly services.
• Route 824 (Parramatta – Westmead via South Wentworthville) – New route, more than 440 new weekly services.

As previously advised, the next local government general elections will take place on 4 September 2021 for all Councils in New South Wales.
State Executive has resolved that the Party will contest the following additional local government areas (series 4):

• Canterbury-Bankstown;
• Hunters Hill;
• Liverpool City;
• Port Stephens; and
• Queanbeyan-Palerang.

Please note that nominations are being re-opened in Port Stephens and Queanbeyan-Palerang, following unforeseen circumstances resulting in no valid nominations.
Nominations for selection to winnable positions in the above listed local government areas will open at 9:00am on Wednesday, 31 March 2021 and close at 5:00pm sharp on Wednesday, 21 April 2021.
Nominations for selection for unwinnable positions in the series 4 local government areas will also open at 9:00am on Wednesday, 31 March 2021 and will close upon the recommendation of the State Director following consultation with the Local Government Oversight Committee.
Members are invited to nominate for all positions, including unwinnable positions (please refer to the Members section of our website for a list of all winnable positions in these local government areas).

Nomination Forms

Nomination forms are available by clicking the download button or click here.
Please ensure you nominate using the current nomination form available by clicking the link above or from the forms and downloads section of the Members Website. Please do not use nomination forms circulated with previous emails.
The nomination form has been revised since nominations were opened for the 2020 local government elections and series 1 of the 2021 elections, and nominations lodged on a previous version of the nomination form will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to ensure you are using the current version of the form.
Please contact the Party Affairs Team if you have any questions regarding the nomination form or process.

Media Regulations

Members are reminded of the Division’s media regulations with regard to making public comments on nominations and pre-selections.
No public statements, either written or oral can be made by party members in relation to party matters including the selection or contesting of seats.
If you have questions or are unsure whether a statement may breach the media policy please contact the Secretariat.

Dedicated community Recovery Centres are now open, providing face-to-face support for NSW residents affected by recent rainfall and subsequent extreme flooding.
The first Recovery Centres are located in Port Macquarie, Taree and Laurieton with another opening today in Macksville.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said the NSW Government, community organisations, and welfare bodies will work from the recovery centres to assist individuals, businesses, farmers and landholders dealing with the fallout from the record-breaking storms and flooding.
“The recovery process is well underway, with equipment and crews mobilised for the clean-up, and these recovery centres will further help flood-affected communities get back on their feet as quickly as possible,” Mr Barilaro said.
“We will work with local communities and councils to progressively build on the services offered at the drop-in Recovery Centres and we will continue to support flood-affected communities for as long as it takes and in every way we can.”
The Recovery Centres are located at;

• The Hub, 143 Gordon Street, Port Macquarie
• The old Council Chambers, 2 Pulteney Street, Taree
• The School of Arts Hall, 58 Bold Street, Laurieton
• he Senior Citizens Centre, 39 Princes Street, Macksville (opening today)

Three more Recovery Centres will soon be established in the Hawkesbury region, to be located in the Windsor, Wisemans Ferry, and North Richmond areas.
The NSW Government is working in partnership with local government and the Commonwealth Government to provide impacted people with information on and access to:

• Clean-up services
• Financial assistance
• Insurance and legal support
• Support for businesses
• Mental health and wellbeing services

The NSW Government will closely monitor the need for any additional recovery centres and stands ready to provide further support where required.
For those wanting to be assisted remotely, and for more information on all available disaster assistance, please contact the Disaster Customer Care Service at Service NSW on 13 77 88 or online via service.nsw.gov.au.

More than 190 schools will receive priority upgrades, including improvements to playgrounds, sports courts and libraries, thanks to Tranche 2 of the $120 million NSW Government Metro Renewal Program.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell visited Homebush Boys High School today to announce the projects that will receive funding.
Homebush Boys High School will receive a $2 million upgrade to convert an existing building into a new library with a “STEM” Room and seminar rooms with student study areas. The school will also receive upgrades to its admin area, staff lounge and interview rooms.
Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Government is committed to ensuring students across NSW have access to quality school facilities.
“Hundreds of schools across Sydney have been given the green light to their projects and will go out to tender immediately,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Fires, COVID-19 and floods have had a huge impact on people across NSW, including our school communities who saw their school year disrupted and campuses impacted. This funding will provide a boost, not only to local school infrastructure projects and the economy but also to the morale of school communities.”
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the program is driven by what school communities want.
“I’m delighted to see 220 metro projects in this next tranche of the program, all put forward by schools as priorities,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Overall, we will see over $76 million invested in metro school infrastructure in this second tranche of the program.”
In November 2020 the NSW Government announced the $240 million Metro and Regional Renewal Program. To date, over 1,300 have been approved (over 790 and 590 in tranche one and tranche two respectively) across over 1,200 schools.
The programs will support over 2,600 jobs across regional and metro NSW, and wherever possible, schools will use local contractors and suppliers ensuring the positive impacts of this stimulus are felt as far and wide as possible.
The projects are identified by school communities and co-funded by the school and the NSW Government.
The NSW Government is investing $7 billion over the next 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.

Investment NSW, a new NSW Government agency, is open for business from today, reinforcing the State’s position as the economic engine room of the country.
Premier Berejiklian says the new agency will drive local and global investment and create the jobs of the future for NSW, showing the world that the State is open for business.
“Investment NSW is a one-stop-shop for the private sector – attracting and growing Australian and global companies, overseas capital, talent, tourists and students,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“From today, Investment NSW is up and running, with a mission to enhance NSW’s global position as a safe place to do business, attracting investment capital and creating jobs for our State.
“It will act as a concierge for businesses and investors to help them navigate the many options available for partnering with the NSW Government, whether that’s payroll exemptions, co-funding great ideas, providing connections to global export markets and more.”
Minister for Jobs, Investment and Tourism Stuart Ayres said the Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan is the blueprint that will reinforce NSW’s position as the economic engine room of the country.
“The NSW community has shown extraordinary resilience in the face of many challenges – bushfires, drought, flood and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Ayres said.
“Now is the time to be confident and on the front foot in attracting investment, talent and visitors who will drive us to new heights as we look beyond economic recovery to growth.”
Investment NSW will be led by Chief Executive Amy Brown, who was previously Deputy Secretary at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, heading the economic and commercial leadership team.
“As a central agency, Investment NSW will drive all trade and investment attraction activities as a one-stop-shop to maximise economic benefits and jobs growth across NSW,” Ms Brown said.
“From day one we will be reaching out to key industry partners and investors – both domestic and international – to start work on their top priorities for government to partner through the COVID recovery.”
The establishment of Investment NSW brings together a number of groups from across government into the Premier and Cabinet cluster including the Jobs, Investment and Tourism group from NSW Treasury (includes Jobs Plus and the 24 Economy Commissioner), Destination NSW, Study NSW, R&D NSW and Global NSW.
Investment NSW will be jointly responsible to the Premier, the Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW, Industry and Trade and the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney.
For more information about Investment NSW visit https://www.investment.nsw.gov.au/

The NSW Government congratulates Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC on her election as the NSW Legislative Council’s 22nd President.
The Presidency became vacant after John Ajaka MLC announced his retirement and the House was compelled to elect a new President before conducting any further business.
Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Don Harwin said Ms Maclaren-Jones was an outstanding and highly competent member of the Legislative Council and would make a fair and impartial President.
“Ms Maclaren-Jones has the demonstrated temperament, character and expertise to be the President of this House. She was elected to the House 10 years ago in 2011 and has served for a decade with distinction.
“As Government Whip, Ms Maclaren-Jones has been remarkably capable, with a flair for organisation of government members and also has shown a level of leadership to ensure the Chamber and its processes function effectively,” Mr Harwin said.
The Government’s position, reinforced by legal advice from the Crown Solicitor, is that Natasha Maclaren-Jones is the legitimately elected President of the Legislative Council. The Government relies on the construction of the standing orders – specifically standing order 13(2) which says,
“When 2 members have been proposed as President, ballot papers will be distributed by the Clerks to all members in their places. Members must write on the ballot paper the name of the candidate for whom they wish to vote, and deposit it in the ballot box provided by the Clerk. The candidate who has the greater number of votes is to be declared elected President, and will be conducted to the Chair.”
The Government notes that standing order 13(3) – under which the Clerk declared the ballots on Wednesday – only applies where there are more than two candidates.
The legal advice received by the Government from the Crown Solicitor has been sent to the Clerk of the Parliaments and distributed to members of the Legislative Council.
Minister Harwin said, “The Standing Orders are clear. In the case of a ballot where there are only two candidates, the candidate with the greater number of votes is to be declared elected President.”
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Sarah Mitchell congratulated Ms Maclaren-Jones.
“Ms Maclaren-Jones is a champion for female representation – not only in Parliament but in politics generally. She is a great role model, especially for the next generation of women and is an exceptional choice for the Presidency of the Legislative Council,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Her wealth of experience includes five years as a Temporary Chair of Committees, working with boards of women’s refuges in the Northern Beaches community and being a part of the Parliamentary Friends for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.”

Free menstrual hygiene products will be available to students in two pilot regions in NSW ahead of a wider rollout.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell and Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor announced the locations of the trial today at Birrong Girls High School.
Ms Mitchell said the pilot will run in 30 schools across Western Sydney and Dubbo for two terms.
“It’s important no female student feels like they can’t fully participate in all aspects of school life because they do not have access to menstrual hygiene products,” Ms Mitchell said.
“I want to make sure there are no barriers to education for female students just because they get periods.
“Once the pilot is finished we can look at how we roll this service out to all schools in the state.”
Dispensers will be provided with sanitary products including pads and tampons at no cost to schools or students. The department will trial two types of dispensers, which will be placed in the female student’s bathrooms.
Minister for Regional Youth and Women, Bronnie Taylor said this is something that many young girls have been asking for.
“I know that women and girls’ physical, social and economic potential is maximised when they are healthy, and their health needs are addressed,” Mrs Taylor said.
“Providing sanitary products has the potential to positively impact educational engagement and attainment, whilst reducing shame and embarrassment.”
Information about the products and their availability has been supplied to principals and schools will educate students who are likely to access the products as well as distributing materials to their community.

Investment NSW, a new NSW Government agency, is open for business from today, reinforcing the State’s position as the economic engine room of the country.
Premier Berejiklian says the new agency will drive local and global investment and create the jobs of the future for NSW, showing the world that the State is open for business.
“Investment NSW is a one-stop-shop for the private sector – attracting and growing Australian and global companies, overseas capital, talent, tourists and students,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“From today, Investment NSW is up and running, with a mission to enhance NSW’s global position as a safe place to do business, attracting investment capital and creating jobs for our State.
“It will act as a concierge for businesses and investors to help them navigate the many options available for partnering with the NSW Government, whether that’s payroll exemptions, co-funding great ideas, providing connections to global export markets and more.”
Minister for Jobs, Investment and Tourism Stuart Ayres said the Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan is the blueprint that will reinforce NSW’s position as the economic engine room of the country.
“The NSW community has shown extraordinary resilience in the face of many challenges – bushfires, drought, flood and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Ayres said.
“Now is the time to be confident and on the front foot in attracting investment, talent and visitors who will drive us to new heights as we look beyond economic recovery to growth.”
Investment NSW will be led by Chief Executive Amy Brown, who was previously Deputy Secretary at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, heading the economic and commercial leadership team.
“As a central agency, Investment NSW will drive all trade and investment attraction activities as a one-stop-shop to maximise economic benefits and jobs growth across NSW,” Ms Brown said.
“From day one we will be reaching out to key industry partners and investors – both domestic and international – to start work on their top priorities for government to partner through the COVID recovery.”
The establishment of Investment NSW brings together a number of groups from across government into the Premier and Cabinet cluster including the Jobs, Investment and Tourism group from NSW Treasury (includes Jobs Plus and the 24 Economy Commissioner), Destination NSW, Study NSW, R&D NSW and Global NSW.
Investment NSW will be jointly responsible to the Premier, the Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW, Industry and Trade and the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney.
For more information about Investment NSW visit https://www.investment.nsw.gov.au/