Author: admin

NSW apprentices facing hardships now have the chance to get the financial help they need to succeed, with applications open for the 2024 Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarships.

The $2.25 million government investment supports apprentices who are experiencing financial difficulties or personal hardship in completing their work and training. 

150 successful applicants will receive a $5000 scholarship annually for 3 years, totalling $15,000. 

Previous recipients from across NSW have included Indigenous apprentices, people with disabilities, women in non-traditional trades, and mature-aged people from regional NSW, highlighting the program’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

Currans Hill resident, Felicity Pettiford was awarded a scholarship in 2020, which greatly assisted her through her apprenticeship. She’s now a head carpenter building residential homes across the state and is a keen promoter of women in trades.

The scholarship is named after Bert Evans AO, who was former CEO of the Metal Trades Industry Association, Chair of the NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training and NSW Apprenticeships Ambassador.

Since 2014 the scholarship program has provided support to more than 900 apprentices across NSW.

The Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarship is part of the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Roadmap (2024-2026), which will drive the development of apprenticeships and traineeships in NSW over the next 3 years, taking an inclusive and learner-centred approach.

Eligible first-year apprentices, including school-based apprentices throughout the state are encouraged to apply. Application forms must be submitted before Friday 31 May 2024. 

For more information visit the Skills NSW website.

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:

“The continuation of the Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarship shows our commitment to ensuring that all apprentices in NSW, regardless of their circumstances, have the opportunity to succeed in their chosen trades.

“The financial commitment by the NSW Labor Government, totalling $2.25 million over 3 years, is an investment in the future success of these apprentices and the growth of our skilled workforce.

“Through these scholarships, we are not just providing financial support; we are investing in the future of our workforce and our economy.

“These apprentices represent the future of our skilled workforce, breaking barriers and contributing to a more diverse and dynamic industry. 

“The experience of past recipients demonstrates the transformative impact of the scholarships on apprentices’ lives and careers.”

Head Carpenter, All About Carpentry Felicity Pettiford said:

“My Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarship greatly helped me throughout my apprenticeship. 

“With the money, I was able to pay for my tools, toolboxes, and fuel each week and buy a reliable car

“Being awarded a Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarship makes you feel good. It reassures you that you’re doing well and you’re on the right path.

“Good luck to all the 2024 Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarship nominees.”

The NSW Opposition is calling on the NSW Labor Government to consider urgent bail reforms when Cabinet meets today.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said the Liberals and Nationals are urging immediate action to implement commonsense bail reform.
 
“The Opposition has put forward three measures that will improve safety for women who are victims of family and domestic violence,” Mr Speakman said.

“The Government’s response needs to be holistic and far broader than just bail reform, but this is a good starting point.”
 
“The NSW Labor Government can consider our proposals today, which address violence against women, improve protection for victims and survivors of domestic violence and enhance community safety.”
 
The NSW Opposition has proposed a three-point initial bail reform response:
 
1.      Expanded use of electronic monitoring devices to bail on serious domestic violence charges.
2.      Expanding grounds for staying the granting of bail for serious personal violence charges.
3.      Removal of the power for registrars to determine bail for serious personal violence charges where bail is opposed, given the widespread audio-visual capacity across our courthouses enabling magistrates to make orders from centralised locations if necessary.
 
The Opposition will consult on the initial three-point plan and on any other measures which are suggested to be appropriate.
 
“The NSW Opposition is committed to working constructively across the Parliament to ensure meaningful action is taken to reduce and prevent domestic and family violence across our state,” Mr Speakman concluded.

More than one year on from the election of the Minns Labor Government renters across NSW have been let down by the Government’s failure to implement key rental reforms.
 
“We are in the midst of Labor’s cost of living crisis with renters struggling every day paying sky high rents,” Shadow Minister for Fair Trading Tim James said.
 
“Over Labor’s year in power, rents in Greater Sydney have increased by more than 13%. The proportion of rental housing accessible to a median income earner in NSW has fallen from 35% in 2022-23 to 28% in 2023-24. By contrast, the Liberal and Nationals Government achieved a record high of 48% in 2020-21.”
 
“The Minns Government has shown little urgency to ease the pressures on households, and has little to show for renters after a year in power despite all of its rhetoric before the election.”
 
“The Government continues to drag its feet on progressing key planks of agreed rental reform including prohibiting no grounds eviction, establishing a portable rental bond scheme, as well as making it easier to have pets in rentals.”
 
“The only thing it has done so far is abandon its promise to end secret rent bidding in favour of undefined transparency measures.”
 
“We’ve seen no outcomes yet on any of these policies.”
 
“The government appears unable or unwilling to make key decisions about how these schemes will be run.”
 
“The NSW Rental Commissioner was meant to give renters a voice but has so far delivered little real action due to being under-resourced and under-funded.”
 
“With Parliament sitting next week, the Government needs to get on with delivering for renters. Every second the Minns government continues to delay, NSW renters pay the price,” Mr James concluded.

The NSW Government has announced the roll out of more bus services in the Tweed region to cater for an expected increase in demand when the new Tweed Valley Hospital opens.

Starting from Monday 6 May various bus route timetables will be overhauled to better connect the Tweed Valley region to the new hospital. 

Route 609 from Murwillumbah will receive an additional 10 trips each week to the new hospital. These include morning and afternoon services timed to help frontline staff get to and from the hospital as their shifts start and end.

Other improvements include:

• Route 600 (Banora Point to Tweed Mall, via Tweed City and the Tweed Hospital) will be extended to operate between Tweed Heads West and Coolangatta from Banora Central. 
• Route 601 will be amended to operate from Tweed Mall to the new Tweed Valley Hospital to service staff, patients and the community. 
• Route 605 will be extended to operate between Murwillumbah and Tweed Mall via Powell Street and Keith Compton Drive. Murwillumbah residents will be able to stay on the same bus to Tweed Mall where they can connect with Queensland Translink services.
• The 603 service will also stop at the new bus stops on Cudgen Road, outside the hospital entrance.

Before the new hospital opens on 14 May, existing route 600 and 601 buses will continue to deviate via Powell Street to service the existing hospital — however when the new hospital opens services will travel via Wharf Street at Tweed Heads and will no longer deviate via Powell Street.

For detailed timetable information visit Trip Planner.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“The NSW Government understands how important it is for patients, visitors and staff to have easy access to the new Tweed Valley Hospital.

“The new bus services we’re delivering will provide the vital access to healthcare, employment and opportunity critical to people in the Tweed.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:

“Many of the people visiting the new hospital are likely to have mobility issues, so providing better bus services that run direct to the facility is going to be an enormous benefit for them.

“I’m pleased to see the new services will start one week before the opening of the hospital in order to help people become familiar with the new arrangements.”

NSW Duty MLC for Tweed Emily Suvaal said:

“The NSW Government is proud to be investing in improvements to public transport in our growing regional communities and I encourage everyone in the Tweed region to take advantage of these new services.

“I also congratulate Transport for NSW and bus operator Kinetic for the work they’ve put in to deliver improvements to public transport that will benefit so many community members in the Tweed region.”

Community sport across NSW has received a $4.4 million injection following the awarding of grants in the NSW Government’s Local Sport Grant Program.

The Program provides up to $20,000 to individual clubs and associations with $50,000 available in each electorate for new equipment, programs and facilities that increase participation in community sport, with 579 projects awarded funding in this year’s program.

Some projects to receive funding include:

• Kurri Kurri Football Club who received $19,938 for their program to improve access and inclusion
• Plumpton Braves Baseball Club who received $14,973 for new equipment
• Broken Hill Soccer Association who received $11,197 for their Bonding over the BBQ Program which aims to build camaraderie in the Association
• Lismore Old Boys Rugby League Football Club who received $20,000 for their program to create pathways and a safe, inclusive culture for women and girls
• Sussex Inlet Golf Club who received $5000 for their Intro to Golf for Women and Children program.

Get more information on the Local Sport Grant Program

NSW Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

“The NSW Labor Government is focused on rebuilding our local grassroots sporting communities, on driving participation, and delivering fit-for-purpose facilities for our children.”

“The Local Sport Grant Program provides vital funds directly to grassroots community sports clubs and associations to deliver programs and equipment to support their participants.”

“With the critical role sport plays in keeping people healthy, active and socially connected, this funding is vital to community health, wellbeing and sense of identity.”

The NSW Government is meeting the growing demand for healthcare workers in the Northern Rivers region with an investment of $500,000 for the upgrade and expansion of nursing facilities at TAFE NSW Ballina.

These improvements, which include a state-of-the-art simulated nursing ward and dedicated home care training room, are designed to provide TAFE NSW nursing students with a more immersive and practical learning environment.

The upgrades come as the demand for nurses increases, with a projected shortfall of 123,000 nurses in Australia by 2030.

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan, visited TAFE NSW Ballina yesterday and said the upgraded facilities would increase student capacity at the campus.

It is anticipated construction will commence at TAFE NSW Ballina in May and the project is expected to reach completion in August 2024.

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:  

“This investment into the nursing space at TAFE NSW Ballina will greatly enhance training opportunities for students and bring simulation learning experiences in line with best practice.

“We’re increasing our capacity by 32 students per week across Certificates III and IV in Health Services Assistance [Assistants in Nursing] and offering Diploma of Nursing students access to improved facilities to better support their learning outcomes.

“The healthcare and social assistance sector is the Ballina Shire’s largest employer, and the NSW Government is committed to investing in TAFE NSW to provide the facilities, training, and industry standard equipment to meet this workforce demand.

“The investment in equipment and facilities at the TAFE NSW Ballina campus will set up local healthcare students for further success, while supporting the region’s critical skills needs.

“Through our investment into our infrastructure, TAFE NSW is better able to continue to deliver the best standard of education and skills to the next generation of the healthcare workforce in this wonderful region,”

The NSW Government is on track to meet its target of culling 87,000 feral pigs through its $13 million Feral Pig Program.

Since October 2023, 69,343 feral pigs have been culled through the program, with 4,335 properties participating in aerial and ground control programs across NSW.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty saw these results firsthand today while visiting farmers near Orange who have been participating in the Feral Pig Program.

The Feral Pig Program is one element of the NSW Government’s comprehensive plan to boost biosecurity across NSW – which also includes:

• working to recruit the state’s first independent Biosecurity Commissioner;
• $95 million to protect against the spread of red imported fire ants;
• $41 million to support the transition to mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification to improve biosecurity traceability;
• a $10 million Good Neighbour Program to clamp down on pests and weeds on public land;
• working with the Natural Resource Commission to develop a baseline report on damage from invasive species so that appropriate action can be taken to better protect NSW farmers; and
• ongoing research and development projects across DPI’s state-wide network of research stations.

Deborah and Sam Kwa have had great success managing feral pigs on their Summer Hill Creek property, working with Local Land Services on trapping and removing significant numbers of feral pigs.

A key part of the program is upskilling farmers and giving them the tools and advice to effectively manage feral pigs now and into the future.

Over the past 7 months, Local Land Services staff have provided farmers with tailored feral pig management advice through 7,394 one on one consultations and delivered 64 skill building events and workshops.

In addition, over 129,600 kg of free bait has been provided to farmers across NSW to ensure multiple control methods are being used as part of best practice pest animal management.

For more information on the Feral Pig Program visit Feral Pig Program 2023-2024 – Local Land Services (nsw.gov.au)

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said:

“Our government is taking biosecurity and the feral pig problem seriously, so it’s great to see that our $13 million Feral Pig Program is delivering results.

“While numbers paint a picture of what activities have been carried out through the program, it’s great to hear how this program is having a positive impact at the local and individual farm level.

“Deborah and Sam are great examples of what can be achieved when farmers and government work together to tackle pest animals using an integrated approach to control.

“Here in the Central Tablelands, 3,630 feral pigs have been culled through aerial shoots and trapping programs with 288 properties participating.

“Local Land Services has also delivered 13 local events to upskill farmers and provided best practice advice through 362 one on one consultations.”