Category: NSW News

A contract worth around $80 million has been signed by the NSW Government to run Sydney’s rail network more effectively.
Siemens Mobility Pty Ltd (Siemens) will introduce the new Traffic Management System (TMS), which will be operated from the Rail Operations Centre, and will work alongside other systems used by Sydney Trains to control train operations.
The TMS continually monitors the position of all trains, helping to keep train services running as planned and assists with responses to incidents.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance said the TMS is a key component of Digital Systems – a Program that will progressively replace legacy signalling and train control technologies with modern, internationally proven, intelligent systems.
“This is an important step in the process of upgrading our network with internationally proven technology that boosts safety, capacity, reliability and enhances the customer experience,” Mr Constance said.
“Sydney’s heavy rail network is the backbone of our public transport system and it’s crucial we have the latest systems and technology available to serve our customers well into the future.”
The TMS is due to be available for operation in 2023.
The Digital Systems Program will also increase safety and reliability by:

• Replacing traditional trackside signalling equipment with the latest ‘in cab’ train control technology
• Implementing Automatic Train Operation, which assists drivers – who remain in control – to improve operations and reduce journey times

Digital Systems will initially be deployed to two sections of the T4 Line from Sutherland to Cronulla and from Bondi Junction to Redfern.
Planning for future deployments of Digital Systems to other parts of Sydney’s rail network is currently underway.

Three Penalty Infringement Notices (PINs) have been issued since the last COVID-19 update.
– Around 4.40pm last Friday (14 August 2020), police stopped a vehicle in Coomealla and spoke with the 43-year-old male driver and 38-year-old male passenger, who were both from Mildura. The pair could not provide a reasonable excuse for being in NSW and, following inquiries, they were each issued with $1000 PINs on Tuesday (18 August 2020).
– About 12.45pm on Wednesday (19 August 2020), police saw a vehicle with Victorian registration plates parked at a recycling site in Corowa. Officers spoke with a 68-year-old man, who produced a permit allowing him to enter NSW for work purposes only. Checks revealed his permit had been obtained to carry out work at an address he had only attended once over a month ago, with no plans made to conduct any further work at the address. He was issued with a $1000 PIN and instructed to return to Victoria.
– About 6.20pm yesterday (Thursday 20 August 2020), police stopped a car in Broken Hill and spoke with the 23-year-old female driver. Officers discovered she was meant to be self-isolating at a Dareton address, after entering NSW from Victoria on Tuesday. She was handed a $1000 PIN.
Anyone who has information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of a COVID-19-related ministerial direction is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Anyone who has information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of a COVID-19-related ministerial direction is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

A contract worth around $80 million has been signed by the NSW Government to run Sydney’s rail network more effectively.
Siemens Mobility Pty Ltd (Siemens) will introduce the new Traffic Management System (TMS), which will be operated from the Rail Operations Centre, and will work alongside other systems used by Sydney Trains to control train operations.
The TMS continually monitors the position of all trains, helping to keep train services running as planned and assists with responses to incidents.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance said the TMS is a key component of Digital Systems – a Program that will progressively replace legacy signalling and train control technologies with modern, internationally proven, intelligent systems.
“This is an important step in the process of upgrading our network with internationally proven technology that boosts safety, capacity, reliability and enhances the customer experience,” Mr Constance said.
“Sydney’s heavy rail network is the backbone of our public transport system and it’s crucial we have the latest systems and technology available to serve our customers well into the future.”
The TMS is due to be available for operation in 2023.
The Digital Systems Program will also increase safety and reliability by:

• Replacing traditional trackside signalling equipment with the latest ‘in cab’ train control technology
• Implementing Automatic Train Operation, which assists drivers – who remain in control – to improve operations and reduce journey times

Digital Systems will initially be deployed to two sections of the T4 Line from Sutherland to Cronulla and from Bondi Junction to Redfern.
Planning for future deployments of Digital Systems to other parts of Sydney’s rail network is currently underway.

The NSW Government’s fee-free COVID-19 support short courses passed 115,000 enrolments before closing last month, with medical administration the most popular area.
The suite of online courses provided an opportunity for NSW residents to gain new skills at the height of the pandemic, and were fully funded by the NSW Government.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said people who enrolled in a TAFE NSW short course during the pandemic were putting the skills to good use.
“We know how important skills training is for driving the State’s economy and it will play a crucial role coming out of the COVID pandemic,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The NSW Government’s COVID-19 fee-free short courses have delivered an opportunity to upskill during COVID-19 as well as deliver a meaningful boost to workplaces across the State.”
Achievements of the COVID-19 support fee-free short course program include:

• A total of 115,537 enrolments;
• 27 per cent of students were studying with TAFE NSW for the first time;
• Between 10 and 15 per cent of first time TAFE NSW students intend to undertake further study with the public training provider; and
• The most popular course in the first tranche was the Statement of Attainment in Medical Administration Skills.

Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee praised TAFE NSW for its seamless delivery of the program.
“I want to congratulate TAFE NSW for the way they delivered this initiative. To hit more than 115,000 enrolments in a single program in such a short time is truly a remarkable result. I hope the courses have assisted people during this difficult time.” Mr Lee said.
The program closed to new enrolments at the end of last month.

A man will face court after police discovered a prohibited drug in a car while carrying out border operations.
About 10.20pm on Wednesday 19 August 2020, police were conducting border checks on Thule Street, Barham, as part of Operation Border Closure when they stopped a Toyota Echo, driven by a 47-year-old man.
While carrying out permit checks, officers observed a woman in the front passenger seat allegedly under the influence of drugs.
The woman was treated by ambulance paramedics before being taken to Cohuna Hospital in Victoria.
During a search of the vehicle, officers allegedly located and seized drug-related items including a jar containing a clear liquid believed to be Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB).
The driver was issued a Field Court Attendance Notice for possess a prohibited drug.
He will appear at Moama Local Court on Wednesday 9 September 2020.
In a separate incident, a man was charged after allegedly failing to comply with a direction on the state’s south coast.

About 8.30pm on Friday 7 August 2020, a 31-year-old man was refused entry to a club on Hargreaves Street, Unanderra.

The man allegedly became argumentative with staff and refused to leave the premises, before moving towards staff and coughing into his hands, saying he had COVID-19. The man left the scene and the incident was reported to police.

Following inquiries, licensing officers from Lake Illawarra Police District arrested a man in a car outside a house on Moran Street, Dapto, about 7.45am yesterday (Wednesday 19 August 2020).

He was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station, where he was charged with not comply with noticed direction re spitting/coughing – COVID-19, stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (personal), excluded person fail to leave premises when required.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday 30 September 2020.

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 crime via NSW Police social media pages.

The NSW Government today announced an extension of the COVID-19 relief funding for community and mobile preschools to the end of Term 4.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the continued funding recognises the importance of helping families keep children engaged in preschool education.
“Research clearly demonstrates children who attend 600 hours of preschool in the year before they start school have better outcomes throughout their lives,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Extending this relief funding will help families keep their children attending this critical year of early education.
“COVID-19 has already caused disruption to all of our lives, so it’s more important than ever to ensure families are supported to keep children in quality education and care.”
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the NSW Government is committed to ensuring children have access to vital early education, particularly in the year before school.
“We know these are testing times and that’s why we continue to offer this  vital support to ease cost-of-living pressures and ensure children right across the State have access to the education they need and deserve,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This funding will ensure community preschools remain open and will not be forced to close their doors if enrolments fall.
“Eligible services can opt in for the relief funding to allow them to provide fee relief and maintain staffing levels. Services will be contacted directly with information on how to opt in and access payments for Term 4.”
While the NSW Government provides ongoing funding for preschools, this package provides additional funds to cover parent fees and the impact of falling enrolments.

Ninety new jobs are on offer after major construction finished at the NSW Government’s multi-million dollar Kangy Angy Rail Maintenance Facility.
The purpose-built facility will service and maintain the New Intercity Fleet trains, with around six kilometres of electric rail lines – seven-tracks across at its widest point – a new rail bridge, access roads, offices and amenities.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance says testing of the facility will continue ahead of the introduction of the New Intercity Fleet later this year.
“The Maintenance Facility has created employment, skills development and business opportunities on the Central Coast during construction and that will all continue into operation,” Mr Constance said.
The facility will be operated by UGL Rail, which is part of the RailConnect consortium contracted to design, build and maintain the new fleet.
“UGL is currently recruiting for roles in engineering, supply chain, supervision, planning, quality and asset management, with more than 90 positions to be filled over the next 18 months,” Mr Constance said.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said substantial landscaping had taken place around the development.
“An important part of the construction phase is the revegetation work with a number of Central Coast native species being planted on-site, including 950 trees and more than 200,000 juvenile grasses, shrubs and trees,” Mr Crouch said.
“It’s fantastic to see that within the vegetation being retained, 30 nest boxes were installed to provide habitat for native animals.”
The design and construction of the facility was delivered by John Holland on behalf of Transport for NSW.

Emergency services workers and volunteers across regional NSW will be better equipped to continue their dedicated service ahead of the upcoming bushfire season following the official opening of four new fire stations, the handover of four new fire trucks, and a boost for paid positions to fast-track hazard reduction.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott, Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson and NSW RFS Assistant Commissioner Peter McKechnie met with members of the Namoi River Brigade to officially open two new stations at Upper Manilla and Namoi River, made possible thanks to a nearly half a million dollar investment by the NSW Government.
“We thank our firefighters for their unwavering efforts over what has been a difficult 12 months in the service. We are committed to providing our firefighters with the best possible equipment and amenities so they can get on with the job they do best – protecting the irreplaceable,” Mr Elliott said.
Mr Elliott and Mr Anderson also joined Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Commissioner Paul Baxter today to open the new $5 million South Tamworth Fire Station and Zone Office.
Mr Elliott said the new station was a significant investment in the Tamworth community that will see the local response to fires and other emergencies improve.
This comes after, only yesterday, Mr Elliott joined Sam Farraway MLC and Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Commissioner Paul Baxter to officially open the new $2.05 million Parkes Fire Station.
“The NSW Government has invested over $14 million in new and upgraded fire stations across the state, and it’s great to have the opportunity to tour regional NSW over the last couple of days to deliver four new stations to local communities,” Mr Elliott said.
Fourteen new State Mitigation crew positions were also announced at Tamworth, Glen Innes, Moree Plains and Armidale to help fast track hazard reduction burns and build bushfire resilience across regional communities.
“These new roles, part of the recent $10.7 million state-wide investment in bushfire preparedness and regional jobs, will support and supplement volunteers and fast-track hazard reduction in areas that need it most,” Mr Elliott said.
The Garah, Wallah and Baan Baa communities are also set to benefit from three new Category 1 fire tankers worth nearly $350,000 each, as part of the NSW Government’s $34.4 million investment in upgrading the RFS firefighting fleet.
The recent investments in the RFS’s bushfire response capability come on top of a record $1.7 billion budget for emergency services in NSW.

Vivid Sydney – the Harbour City’s iconic celebration of lights, music and ideas – will return in August 2021.
The popular and award-winning event will bring creativity, innovation and excitement to Sydney in a COVID-safe manner for locals, visitors and global fans to enjoy, near or afar.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said Vivid Sydney was an important cultural, social and economic beacon for NSW.
“Major events will play a critical role in stimulating the visitor economy and NSW’s broader COVID-19 recovery strategy,” Minister Ayres said.
“We’re cautiously optimistic that with a slight delay to regular scheduling, Vivid Sydney will be able to proceed as the bright, dynamic event we all know and love in August next year.
“There’s no doubt that all future events will need to make adjustments to be COVIDsafe in line with NSW Health advice and reflect the changes we are experiencing in day-to-day life.
“Vivid Sydney has always celebrated and explored innovation and creativity, but more importantly brought joy to people who visit in person or who follow the media and social media coverage.
“We look forward to reigniting that excitement and passion within the artistic community and our supporters, and creating tangible opportunities for the tourism industry by driving visitors to Sydney and NSW in a safe way.”
In 2019, a record 2.4 million people attended Vivid Sydney, generating $172 million in tourism expenditure.
Further details about Vivid Sydney 2021 will be shared later in 2020.

Farmers and critical agricultural workers who reside outside the Border Region Zone in Victoria will now have a new pathway to enter NSW and move outside the ‘border bubble’ for work.
Under the changes, individuals will be able to access a new Highly Specialised Critical Services (Agriculture) Permit if they:

• Provide a highly specialised critical agricultural service**;
• Are moving and working anywhere within 100km of the New South Wales/Victorian border, on the NSW side;
• Comply with strict conditions if staying overnight; and
• Adhere to other safety requirements, including self-isolating when not delivering the critical service.

Exemptions for individuals needing to move beyond the 100km limit for work will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The changes come into effect at noon today and the new permits will be available via the Service NSW website.
This is a sensible solution to the issues caused by recent changes and ensures our State’s agriculture sector has the workforce it needs to keep powering ahead in the midst of improving seasonal conditions.
While this will be very welcome news, it does not solve all the problems and in my view, is just the first step towards allowing the critical agriculture sector on both sides of border to operate freely, as it needs to.
At my request, the Health Minister has committed to reviewing the Public Health Order again next week.
I will continue to work with industry and my colleagues to ensure the right policy settings are in place to support our State’s agriculture industry and protect the health and wellbeing of NSW residents.
For more information visit https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-covid-19-nsw-border-entry-permit