Category: NSW News

Additional dedicated cleaning squads have rolled out across CBD transport hubs, to help keep commuters COVID safe.
Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the roving teams are cleaning high touch points at five key locations and handing out masks to commuters.
“In addition to the cleaners on our services, we have now rolled out additional cleaning squads to keep stops, waiting areas and even bike racks clean to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” Mr Constance said.
“More than 1,000 touch points are cleaned each shift at Central, Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay and Martin Place, and more than 92,000 masks have been handed out to customers since the squads first popped up during the Northern Beaches outbreak.
“The teams can be deployed quickly to areas where there has been a COVID-19 breakout or where a major event is taking place, like the SCG for the cricket.
“I’d like to thank all our frontline workers for keeping our network moving and our commuters who are wearing their masks while travelling on public transport.”
Transport for NSW Acting Deputy Secretary for Greater Sydney Howard Collins said the 1,200 extra summer services, introduced in early December, will continue until at least the end of March.
“The extra summer services will be extended to help commuters stay safe as they continue to return to the CBD. More than 4,500 extra services are now running across the network in response to COVID-19,” Mr Collins said.
“Don’t forget to wear your face mask, sit or stand on a green dot, maintain physical distancing and register your Opal card or check in using a QR code to help support the NSW Health tracing team.”
The roving cleaning teams are in addition to the cleaners on services which have carried out an additional 1.7 million hours of cleaning across the public transport network since March 2020.
Commuters are reminded that face masks are still mandatory on all modes of public transport and you may be fined $200 on the spot for not wearing one. Children aged 12 and under are exempt but are encouraged to wear masks where practicable.

Nine businesses in Sydney’s south-west have been fined for alleged breaches during a compliance check yesterday.
Last night (Saturday 6 February 2021), officers attached to Fairfield City Police Area Command conducted an operation targeting business premises suspected of not complying with the current COVID-19 NSW Health Orders.
A restaurant located on Canley Vale Road, Canley Vale, was issued a $5000 Penalty Infringement Notice for not comply with noticed direction in relation to 7/8/9 – COVID19 Corporation.
Another eight businesses in Fairfield and Canley Vale were each issued a $1000 Penalty Infringement Notice.
The two most common offences identified amongst all the venues was for failing to complete a COVID-19 Safety Plan and failing to have customers sign in via the Services New South Wales QR Application.
Police continue to appeal to the community to report suspected breaches of any ministerial direction or behaviour which may impact on the health and safety of the community.
Anyone with information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of COVID-19-related ministerial directions is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

More than 200 new and upgraded fire trucks and vehicles will be deployed to fire brigades across the State by July 2021, as part of the NSW Government’s commitment to our frontline firefighters.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more than 340 fire trucks and vehicles are being built and upgraded for the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) and Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) following the devastating 2019/20 bushfires.
“This program is part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring our emergency services personnel and volunteers have the best possible vehicles and equipment when responding to emergencies across the State,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The RFS is working with 19 local businesses to build and upgrade vehicles, creating new jobs across the State including in the Central West, Riverina, Hunter, Mid North Coast, Sutherland Shire and Hawkesbury.”
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said the unprecedented nature of the 2019/20 fire season resulted in a considerable number of the firefighting fleet suffering damage or total loss.
“Last year the NSW Government announced an additional $45 million investment to enhance our firefighting capability. This funding included $34.4 million to almost double the annual new appliance build, which will help protect life, property and support our emergency management personnel,” Mr Elliott said.
“As part of the NSW Government’s RFS fleet enhancement and refurbishment program 23 new and refurbished trucks have already been deployed to some of the most at risk areas across the state.”
NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) Commissioner Rob Rogers AFSM said the investment in the fleet program would ensure brigades are equipped to best protect their communities.
“Ensuring our members have the most modern equipment and resources to protect local communities has been, and will remain, a key priority,” Commissioner Rogers said.
“This program will enable brigades to continue their outstanding work and the updates and new technology will ensure our firefighters are safe while undertaking their important roles.”
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) received an additional $5.7 million for 10 new tankers to bolster their bush firefighting fleet.
FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter said the new equipment would help firefighters where it was needed most – on the frontlines.
“We stand with our NSW RFS colleagues in welcoming this new equipment so that our firefighters are as prepared as they can be to meet the constant threats posed by bushfires, other fires and emergencies across NSW,” Commissioner Baxter said.
“We remain prepared for anything, anywhere, anytime in protecting the NSW community and this new equipment will add to our preparedness.”

Small businesses that experienced hardship as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions on the Northern Beaches will soon have access to a grants program designed to help them cover unavoidable expenses.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the NSW Government was committed to supporting businesses while keeping people and communities safe.
“The Northern Beaches community and businesses did an outstanding job in helping control the spread of the virus at a critical time and unfortunately that had a material impact on many businesses,” Mr Perrottet said.
“After almost 12 months we continue to battle the impacts of COVID, both in a health sense but also from an economic perspective and that is why we are providing targeted and temporary financial assistance to those impacted by the recent lockdown.”
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said a new funding program would provide for the roll out of $3,000 and $5,000 hardship grants to eligible Northern Beaches businesses.
“We know some businesses have been hit harder than others, which is why we are taking a tiered approach to these grants,” Mr Tudehope said.
“The first tier of $3,000 is for small businesses that have suffered at least a 30 per cent decline in turnover due to the Northern Beaches lockdown.
“The second tier of $5,000 is for small businesses that have suffered at least a 50 per cent decline in turnover.”
“The grants are designed to cover unavoidable costs for which no other government backing is available such as utilities, rent, financial or legal advice and other activities to support the operation of a business.”
Mr Tudehope thanked local businesses for their resilience and patience and for working with the Small Business Commissioner who undertook a report on the impacts of the restrictions on the Northern Beaches.
In considering the Commissioner’s report, the Government will be implementing the following measures in addition to the $3,000 and $5,000 grants:

• Promotion for the Northern Beaches: to promote local attractions and welcome visitors to the community.

o   Industry-specific information on public health restrictions: to assist small businesses impacted by Public Health Orders to better understand their obligations.
o   Improved access to existing support: including mental health resources for small business owners on the SafeWork website, Business Connect, and the Small Business Commission’s mediation services team.
o   Dine & Discover: Pilot of the program on the Northern Beaches
Minister for Health and Member for Wakehurst Brad Hazzard said while the restrictions had stopped the spread of COVID-19, they had also come at a time when many people would normally celebrate with friends and family.
“As Health Minister and a local I well understand the need for the restrictions but also the impacts on local businesses and residents,” Mr Hazzard said.
“I welcome the financial package which will assist local businesses who have had a tough time while they did what was necessary to help shut down local transmission on the beaches.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes said many businesses in the Northern Beaches were now starting the year behind the rest of the state.
“A lot of businesses on the Northern Beaches had their revenue poleaxed at a time they could least afford it – it was a tough time for those in in the northern part of the peninsula who had to endure a three week lock down,” Mr Stokes said.
“This package will definitely help ease the financial strain on those businesses most affected, particularly in the hospitality, lifestyle and retail sectors.”
Member for Manly James Griffin said the package would help cushion the impacts of the lockdown.
“Businesses in Manly would normally have welcomed tens of thousands of people from right across NSW over the Christmas and New Year period. The restrictions placed our local businesses under enormous pressure following what was a very difficult 2020,” Mr Griffin said.
“The NSW Government stands with our small businesses and it is hoped this package will help them cover unavoidable expenses and reduce the financial burden so many are facing right now.”
More information on the grants and how to apply will be made available on the Service NSW website in the coming weeks.
BACKGROUND
Eligibility
Tier One: $3,000 grant
Small businesses and not-for-profits that were subject to the Public Health (COVID-19 Northern Beaches) Order 2020 (‘the Northern Beaches Public Health Order’) will be eligible for a one-off $3,000 Northern Beaches Hardship Grant if they:

• Are a non-employing business or a business with fewer than 20 full-time equivalent staff (FTE);
• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) registered in, or they can demonstrate they are physically located and primarily operating in the Northern Beaches Local Government Area (LGA);
• Experienced a decline in turnover of at least 30 per cent due to the Northern Beaches Public Health Order over a minimum two-week period from 19 December 2020 to 10 February 2021 compared to the same time last year;
• Have total Australian wages below the NSW Government 2020-21 payroll tax threshold of $1,200,000 as at 1 July 2020;
• Have an annual turnover of more than $75,000 as at 1 March 2020; and
• Had unavoidable business costs during the Northern Beaches lockdown (e.g rent), for which there is no other government support available.

Tier Two: $5,000 grant
Small businesses and not-for-profits that were subject to the Public Health (COVID-19 Northern Beaches) Order 2020 (‘the Northern Beaches Public Health Order’) will be eligible for a one-off $5,000 Northern Beaches Hardship Grant if they meet all the eligibility criteria for the $3,000 (tier one) grant, except they must:

• Have experienced a decline in turnover of at least 50 per cent due to the Northern Beaches Public Health Order over a minimum two-week period from 19 December 2020 to 10 February 2021 compared to the same time last year.

As Term 1 of the 2021 school year begins there are still 24 new schools the Liberals promised before the 2019 election which they have not built.
The new schools promised across NSW that the Liberals have failed to build are:

Shadow Minister for Education Prue Car said the failure to build schools was letting down families and a missed opportunity to create local jobs.
“Building schools is a key way we can create jobs across NSW. It puts kids in classrooms and keeps tradies in their jobs,” Ms Car said.
“But under the Liberals all we have are false promises, overcrowded schools and results at an all-time low. Liberals just can’t be trusted on education.”

NSW Labor will introduce laws to prevent the Premier and her Government from embarking on any more illegal document shredding sprees.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) has referred her report on Gladys Berejiklian’s office to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) following a complaint from the Shadow Minister for Local Government, Greg Warren.
The complaint stemmed from revelations the Premier’s office shredded documents relating to the controversial Stronger Communities Fund. Coalition-held seats received 95 per cent of funds from the $252 million grant program.
The IPC recommended legislative changes would prevent the Premier’s office – and other Ministers – from engaging in the destruction of important documents relating to Government processes and approvals.
The Premier admitted to pork-barrelling late last year, stating on 26 November:
“All Governments and all Oppositions make commitments to the community in order to curry favour. That’s part of the political process whether we like it or not.”
“It’s not something the community likes…but it’s an accusation I will wear.”
The NSW Labor Jodi McKay said Labor will introduce a bill when Parliament returns to establish the reckless destruction of State records as an offence.
“I find it extraordinary that we even have to do this. It should be common place that State records and important documents are kept by the Premier’s office. Pork barrelling is not ethical or normal behaviour and neither is a culture of cover-up. This is about restoring integrity and trust to politics in NSW,” Ms McKay said.
Mr Warren urged the Premier to support the changes in the interest of transparency.
“This Stronger Communities Fund grants saga really has exposed the level of secrecy and deceit within this Government,” Mr Warren said.
An Upper House inquiry into the Integrity, Efficacy and Value for Money of NSW Government Grants Programs, which will resume in February, is examining the rorting of the Stronger Communities Fund.
Ms McKay renewed calls for the Premier to front the Public Accountability Committee to answer questions about the shredding saga.
“If the Premier has nothing to hide she should agree to appear before the Inquiry. Coalition-held seats received 95 per cent of funds from the $252 million program. Gladys Berejiklian used public money for political gain, communities across NSW missed out and then her staff destroyed the evidence to cover it all up. NSW deserves answers.”

Thousands of NSW Photo Card holders who live in the Penrith area can now download a digital version of their identification through the Service NSW app.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said that the Digital Driver Licence has been a resounding success and led to many customers requesting a Digital Photo Card.
“This is another example of the NSW Government bolstering the Service NSW app to put customers first and make life easier for people,” Mr Dominello said.
“With a Digital Photo Card, as long as you have your phone, you always have your ID with you. It’s hassle free and only takes minutes to download.”
The Digital Photo Card builds on the success of the Digital Driver Licence, which is now held by more than 2.4 million licence holders in NSW, representing 41 per cent of drivers. Close to 2000 new users are adopting the technology each day, earning it a 95 per cent customer approval rating.
There are more than 970,000 Digital Photo Card holders in NSW.
Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres said the trial will test the functionality and effectiveness of the Digital Photo Card ahead of a state-wide roll out.
“The trial will allow Photo Card holders in the trial area to use their mobile device to enter licensed venues and transact with other businesses who check ID, such as hotels, major retailers, telcos, convenience stores, tobacco retailers and pharmacies,” Mr Ayres said.
“The Digital Photo Card is hosted securely on the Service NSW app, which is locked with a PIN. I encourage Penrith residents to give it a go and let us know what you think.”
When a customer is issued their Photo Card or updates their details, they simply refresh the app for real-time updates, without having to wait for a plastic card to arrive in the post.
The Digital Photo Card remains available offline if the card holder remains logged into the Service NSW app. The following postcodes are included in the trial – 2750, 2745, 2747, 2748, 2749, 2773.

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a woman wanted on an outstanding warrant on the state’s Mid North Coast.
Amanda Quinlan, aged 37, is wanted by virtue of an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to comply with a court order.
Officers from Mid North Coast Police District have commenced inquiries into her whereabouts.
Amanda is described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, between 160cm-165cm tall, of thin build, with dark hair and brown eyes.
She is known to frequent the Campbelltown, Surry Hills, Port Macquarie and Kempsey areas.
Anyone who may see or know Amanda’s whereabouts is urged to contact police immediately.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

More than 5,300 students will benefit from the NSW Government’s historic school building program in Term 1 with 10 new or upgraded schools opening for students today.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 2021 is set to be another big year for public schools with more than 30 new and upgraded schools expected to open this year.
“The scale of the school building in NSW is unprecedented – the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW and today more communities across the state will benefit,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“In the last two years, the NSW Government has opened more than 100 new and upgraded schools, benefitting tens of thousands of students and ensuring our growing communities have quality schools to learn in.
“In the face of a challenging pandemic, we are staying the course and will keep on building more classrooms, school halls and libraries in 2021.”
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the 10 schools represented a more than $400 million investment in communities spanning from Armidale, Sydney and Wagga.
“This is an incredible time for public education in NSW, we are building more schools than ever before and making generational reforms inside the classroom,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Our track record on school building speaks for itself, more schools delivered than ever before and we continue to deliver for communities right across the state.”
The $45 million redevelopment of Penshurst Public School has delivered 47 new classrooms, a new library, hall and open play spaces.
New and upgraded schools opening in Term 1 2021:

• Ajuga School (upgrade)
• Armidale Secondary College (redevelopment)
• Barramurra Public School (new school)
• Campbell House School (upgrade)
• Estella Public School (new school)
• Kent Road Public School (upgrade)
• Galungara Public School (new school)
• Glenfield Park School (upgrade)
• Penshurst Public School (redevelopment)
• Tirriwirri School (new school)

As the new school term begins, parents are also being encouraged to apply for the popular $100 Active Kids and Creative Kids voucher to allow young people to find their passion and learn new skills.
“To date, more than 3.3 million Active Kids and Creative Kids vouchers have been redeemed with $334 million provided back to NSW families,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We know families are doing it tough across NSW, having experienced drought, bushfires and a pandemic and I want the community to know reducing cost of living pressures is at the front of our minds as a Government.”
For more information about Active Kids and Creative Kids visit: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/
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.

The NSW Cabinet Papers of 1990 have today been published online by NSW State Archives giving the public an insight into the detailed workings of the Greiner Government in its third year in power.
In the same year as Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and Dame Joan Sutherland’s final performance at the Sydney Opera House, the NSW Government showed no signs of slowing down on delivering wide-ranging reforms for a more efficient government.
Minister for the Arts, Don Harwin said, “the 1990 Cabinet Papers reveal the Liberal-National Party Coalition Government’s determination to deliver a more effective and transformative management of the public sector and the economy.
“The then Premier’s focus on a more accountable Cabinet and public service remains the basis of good Government practice today and these archived papers bear witness to all that was achieved in that year.”
State Archives’ Executive Director, Adam Lindsay said that the Cabinet Papers again this year, reveal how the issues of 30 years ago resonate with us today. “At a time when we are now encouraging people to work longer, the Cabinet Papers reveal that this is nothing new and that the ground was laid for such initiatives three decades ago,” Mr Lindsay said.
Significant Cabinet decisions made in 1990 included:

• Education

•  introduction of the Education Reform Act

• Industrial Relations

–    reforms to reflect a market-oriented approach to industrial relations

• Parliamentary and Electoral Reform

–    a return of the size of the Legislative Assembly to 99 and the
–    subsequent redistribution of electoral boundaries

• Environment and Planning

• establishment of a new Coastal Protection Policy,
• establishment of the Environment Protection Authority

• Social issues:

• approval of access to adoption information for adult adopted persons
• and the abolition of compulsory retirement

Click here to access the digitised 1990 Cabinet Papers.