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Primary school students are being given a running start in 2024, as the NSW Government today announces a new $10 million Active Transport to School program to encourage children to safely walk, scoot or ride their bikes to school.

The program will fund small projects in walking, scooting and bike riding catchments around public schools, making it easier and safer for kids to travel to school.

It will deliver upgrades including wider footpaths, safer crossings and new street trees over the next 2 years.

Data shows only 25% of NSW school children currently walk or ride to and from school, down from 75% 40 years ago, meaning less incidental exercise for kids and more traffic outside the school gates.  

The initial $10 million fund will widen footpaths, upgrade the quality of crossings and plant shady street trees in areas surrounding schools. Funding for individual Active Travel to School projects will range from $50,000 to $800,000 with projects being delivered within 2 years.

To help parents and carers to encourage their children to walk or bike ride to school, the NSW Government is also looking at incentives and educational programs that promote the benefits of active transport and how to safely walk or ride to school.

Whatever way you travel, it’s important to prepare for your return to school.

Drivers are reminded that school zones will be back in force around primary and secondary schools on Tuesday 30 January. School zones are clearly marked with flashing lights and school zone signs.

School zones are generally in place from 8 to 9:30am and from 2:30 to 4pm, and motorists who don’t obey the rules face heavy fines and demerits.

For students catching public transport, student Opal cards will also activate on the first day of term. Parents and students travelling to a new school for the first time can plan their trip using school trip planner.

In the final few days before school returns, the Department of Education and Transport for NSW recommend practising travelling to and from school with your child, to take the stress out of day 1.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“When I was at school, I remember walking there with my sister and we want more children right across NSW to have that opportunity, just like we had.

“No matter how you travel, we’re committed to making it as easy and as safe for every child in our state to get to and from school.

“These funds will play a critical role in funding small projects that otherwise go ignored, that will make a huge difference for children that walk and ride to school.

“With thousands of new students travelling to school for the very first time this week, it’s more important than ever for all users of our public transport system and roads to take extra care.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said: 

“It is important we invest in improving safety around our public schools.

“While walking or riding to school is not an option for every family, the NSW Labor Government is committed to encouraging it where possible.”

Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“We urge motorists to slow down and watch out for children in school zones as the new school year begins. School zones are clearly marked with flashing lights and signs.

“Children are some of our most vulnerable pedestrians and their safety should be everyone’s top priority. Kids can be unpredictable and they are still developing their road sense so it’s critical that anyone driving in school zones does so without any distraction and an eye out for children.

“Obey the speed limit and be vigilant when you’re driving near bus stops, school crossings and Kiss and Ride Zones where children are often present. Motorists who don’t obey these rules face heavy fines and demerits.

“Remember, no matter where you are on the road – even outside school zones – if you see bus lights flashing, you need to slow down to 40km/h as the bus is picking up or dropping off children.”

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:

“The benefits for children walking or riding a bike to school are enormous. It provides independence, improves health and self-confidence, and sets lifelong sustainable travel habits patterns.

“When fewer school kids are being driven to school, it also helps to alleviate congestion on the road network.

“That’s why, as part of our most recent budget, we put an additional $10 million to the Get NSW Active program to specifically deliver projects within walking catchments to primary schools.

“Upgraded and wider footpaths, quality crossings and more trees are some of the initiatives available for funding. They’re small changes that have a big impact as we work to provide a safer and more comfortable walk or ride to and from school for kids and parents.

“These projects will be delivered by councils, who have applied for funding in consultation with their local schools.”

The NSW Government continues to tackle the threat of Hudson pear, carrying out biological control over 150,000 hectares of land across Lightning Ridge and Walgett last year.

The ramped-up approach has been led by two new positions the NSW Government created with North West Local Land Services to oversee coordination of the Hudson Pear Control Program.

Further supporting efforts to combat the problem cacti has been a new initiative to supply free chemical to eligible landholders for spraying.

Currently, landholders with Hudson pear on their property in the Brewarrina and Walgett shires can submit an expression of interest to gain access to chemical.

Aerial inspections are also being used on the frontline to identify and map new outbreaks of the weed outside known containment lines, helping guide future control efforts.

The program runs until June 2027 and aims to stop the invasive cactus spreading in the region, while the core infestation is treated using biological control.

Local Land Services leads the program in collaboration with stakeholders including Castlereagh Macquarie County Council, NSW Department of Primary Industries and land managers.

Hudson pear is an invasive cactus species of Mexican origin that was introduced into north-western NSW.

More information about the Hudson Pear Control Program and to see how you can get involved.

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said:

The Hudson Pear Control Program is a great example of government, industry and landholders working together and finding innovative solutions to tackle Hudson pear.

Hudson pear degrades the landscape and its potential spread across NSW poses several risks to farmers, agricultural productivity, tourism and local ecosystems.

In recent months, our teams have been on the frontline engaging the community to roll out a free spraying program for eligible landholders to help the state manage Hudson pear and this will continue in 2024.

This spraying program has targeted over 50,000 hectares with chemical already, while more than 150,000 hectares has been targeted through a biological control approach.

The NSW Government has also set up a monitoring program in recent months to assess the impacts of a bushfire on Hudson pear in the region and this is expected to be an extensive process that will continue over coming months.

We are encouraging landholders to continue to get involved in the program and to take advantage of the support available through the NSW Government.

Councils across the state are being encouraged to hold more community events, with assistance from the NSW Government’s Open Streets program.

At a time when cost of living pressures are being felt across the state, this program will offer much needed assistance for local communities to come together.

Under Open Streets, councils can apply for up to $150,000 to facilitate the closure of streets to vehicles to host creative and cultural events that are free to access and safe to enjoy.

Depending on the community and the location, this could include markets, live performances, outdoor dining, artistic installations or street parties.

Open Streets is part of the NSW Government’s $15 million Vibrant Streets package and complements the Vibrancy reforms that passed Parliament in December. The reforms introduced a streamlined process that involves no Development Application.

The reforms will substantially reduce the costs associated with street closures and traffic planning for events – in many cases by a fifth of the current cost. It can currently cost between $48,000 – $122,000, depending on the street and area, to close a local street for an event.

Applications open from Monday 29 January, with activities and events funded under the program to be held by January 2025. 

For more information visit Vibrant Streets Package.

NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“The NSW Government’s number one priority is helping people across NSW with cost of living pressures. These grants combined with the Government’s regulatory reform will cut costs associated with street events. That is great news right now for a community under financial pressure.

“People want to be able to use their streets and public spaces – they own them. Open Streets provides an opportunity for councils, local businesses, and creatives to work together and play a part in invigorating and making the most of their local streets.

“Streets can be transformed into destinations themselves where people can spend time outside, socialise, connect and support their local community right across NSW.

“This $4.5 million in funding from the Open Streets program will go a long way to allowing councils to enact plans previously beyond their financial reach.

The extraordinary NSW duo, melanoma treatment pioneers Professors Richard Scolyer AO and Georgina Long AO have taken out top honours in the 2024 Australian of the Year awards at the national ceremony in Canberra.

The NSW Premier has commended the extraordinary work of the life-saving professors for their trailblazing contributions to our state and the nation.

The Sydneysiders’ enduring partnership has saved thousands of lives from melanoma, often referred to as Australia’s national cancer.

Professors Scolyer and Long are the co-medical directors of Melanoma Institute Australia, are sought-after media commentators and advocates for sun-safe behaviour and melanoma prevention.

Less than a decade ago, advanced melanoma was fatal – but thanks to the pair’s immunotherapy approach, which activates a patient’s own immune system, it has become a curable disease.

Last June, when Professor Scolyer, 57, was diagnosed with incurable grade-4 brain cancer, he and Professor Long, 53, developed a series of world-first treatments based on their melanoma breakthroughs.

Professor Scolyer became the world’s first brain cancer patient to have pre-surgery combination immunotherapy.

By undertaking an experimental treatment with the risk including the potential of shortening his life, he has advanced the understanding of brain cancer and is benefiting future patients.

This week, Professor Scolyer proudly announced his “brilliant news” that his eight-month brain scan showed no recurrence of the cancer.

For more information visit australianoftheyear.org.au

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“On behalf of the NSW Government and the entire state I want to congratulate Professors Richard Scolyer AO and Georgina Long AO on becoming the 2024 Australians of the Year. We are so proud of them.”

“The true spirit of being an Australian is helping others. This pair’s legacy is not only etched in the archives of scientific history but also in the hearts of those whose lives you have touched and transformed.

“These two Sydney trailblazers, armed with brilliance and a passion for making a difference, have turned the once-dire prognosis of advanced melanoma into a story of triumph.

“Their research has not only saved lives but painted a vibrant canvas of hope for countless individuals and their families.

“Congratulations to all the NSW Australians of the Year, for their incredible contributions to make our state and our nation a better place.”

Australia Day is a day to count our blessings. We share a stable, peaceful, democratic, culturally rich and diverse, prosperous, free and beautiful country – I think the luckiest country in the world.
 
When we see the turmoil around the world, we have a daily reminder about just how lucky we are to call ourselves Australians – not in hubris but in gratitude for our good fortune and for those in our history on whose shoulders we rest. We often take our freedoms for granted, but they were hard fought for and it’s our joint responsibility to protect and enhance them.
 
While Australia Day is a day to count our blessings, it’s also the occasion to engage in a constructive reminder about what needs to improve. In particular, we still have a long way to go to in reconciliation and closing the gap of Indigenous disadvantage.
 
Australia is a remarkable fusion of three strands.
 
There is our Indigenous strand – the world’s oldest living civilisation, the ancient custodians of our vast continent, whose ancestors go back 65,000 years.
 
There is our British strand – the structures of government and civic society, the rule of law, scientific and technological advancement, language and literature, faiths and creeds, which came with the early settlers and evolved locally.
 
And there is our multicultural strand – waves of arrivals on our shores who have enriched Australian society in the arts, sciences, sport, education, business, public life and so many other ways.
 
My greatest enjoyment on Australia Day is seeing, at citizenship ceremonies, our newest citizens make the choice to declare their allegiance to Australia and our core democratic values.
 
How ever you spend it – whether in a quintessentially laid back Australian way at the beach or at a BBQ, or in a more serious way – let’s reflect, respect and celebrate.
 
Happy Australia Day!