16 News

Almost 20,000 drivers on overseas licences have converted to a NSW licence over the past 4 months, with some taken off the road altogether after running up enough demerit points to lose a licence almost 3 times over.

The Minns Labor government has welcomed the first tranche of foreign licence holders rolling over to a NSW licence but is determined to go further than the previous Coalition government, with all drivers on overseas licences in future to be directed to convert their licence.

Under the current regulation brought in by the Liberals, only drivers moving to NSW since 1 July 2023 must convert to a NSW licence.

This has led to 20,000 foreign licence surrenders since that date.

The regulation now allows for overseas drivers to be stripped of their driving privileges permanently if they accrue 13 demerit points or are convicted of certain speeding, drug and alcohol or serious driving offences.

In the past 4 months, drivers who have been hit with suspensions include:

• A driver who accumulated 37 demerit points since 2021 in 7 speeding offences and 3 mobile phone infringements was banned for 5 months and must apply for a NSW licence.
• A driver who had 33 demerit points and was still on the road after being caught speeding at 30 km/h-plus over the limit, as well as multiple other speeding and mobile phone offences, was banned for a minimum 8 months.
• A driver who had 29 demerit points from a combination of disobeying traffic lights, speeding and mobile phone offences has been able to pass a test to obtain a NSW licence and is currently under good behaviour conditions until September 2024.

In the first 10 months of 2023, there have been 5 fatal crashes involving a driver or rider with an overseas licence.

Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“It will be a relief for the nearly 7 million drivers in NSW on a state licence that we are seeing the beginning of a long overdue rollover of foreign licences. This will improve the overall standard of driving in NSW and therefore safety in general.

“It is frightening to say the least that some drivers on overseas licences have been able to chalk up demerit points almost with impunity.

“It is appropriate that people visiting the country are able to drive on our roads – just as Australians do when they travel overseas – but the Minns Labor government is determined to make sure that anyone residing in the state longer than 6 months is required to get a NSW licence. We will have more to say on this in future. 

“Sadly, there has been a rise in the number of lives lost on our roads this year. The impact of road trauma lasts a lifetime, so we are doing everything we can to put a stop to this upward trend.”

The NSW Government proposing at least 3000 new homes for Macquarie Park as part of a plan to create a lively community in the suburb.

The rezoning proposal would deliver 3060 new homes, 8 hectares of new public open space, a large multi-purpose indoor recreation facility, along with paths for walking and cycling.

The development is currently zoned to support commercial office space for up to 23,000 jobs.

Under this proposal, developers would be given flexibility and could choose to instead construct up to 5040 build-to-rent homes instead of commercial real estate.

This is a well-located part of Sydney that is bounded by 2 Sydney Metro stations (Macquarie University and Macquarie Park), is home to Macquarie University and the Macquarie Centre shopping centre, and is near the Lane Cove National Park.

Passengers from Macquarie Park Metro Station will be able to reach the CBD within 20 minutes when the City and Southwest Metro opens between Tallawong and Sydenham in 2024.

The Macquarie Park Innovation Precinct Stage 1 proposal would also create a lively community in one of Sydney’s biggest employment hubs.

Macquarie Park is the fourth largest office market in NSW, behind Parramatta, North Sydney and Sydney CBD, and is home to businesses from industries such as IT and pharmaceuticals.

The proposal is now open for consultation. It includes mixed-use commercial and residential development along Shrimptons Creek, Lane Cove Road and Epping Road and the renewal of Waterloo Road.

Along with residential development, the revitalisation proposal includes ground level retail for entertainment, dining, and recreation.

The new public open space would include play areas, sports fields, fitness stations, BBQ areas along with picnic tables and shelters.

The rezoning proposal builds on the vision set out in the Macquarie Park Innovation Precinct (MPIP) Place Strategy finalised by the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) in 2022 which outlines a staged approach to the development and transformation.

Feedback received from the community and stakeholders will be taken into consideration to help inform the final plan in mid-2024.

To view the proposal and have your say, visit the NSW Planning Portallaunch.

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:

“We are constantly searching for ways to ease our housing crisis, and this proposal can help.

“The construction of homes in NSW has simply not kept pace with our population growth.

“This area is already a good place to work, and we will make it a great place to live and work.

“More and more, we will ensure the construction of new homes happens in places with great transport links, like this area.

“We need to take full advantage of the investments our state’s taxpayers make into public transport.

“Proposals like this are important to change the trajectory of the housing supply crisis.”

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“We need more housing in established areas to improve affordability, reduce infrastructure costs, and limit the burden on taxpayers.

“This rezoning is an opportunity to deliver more homes on the doorstep of the CBD and near well-connected public transport including the new Macquarie Park metro station.

“We want to see density in precincts like this be part of Sydney’s future, supporting homes and jobs that are accessible to everyone in the community.

“The precinct’s growth has the potential to provide a huge economic boost and secure Macquarie Park’s reputation as a world-class place for business, innovation, research, and education.

“More homes and workplaces will also help support a 24-hour economy with more opportunities for late night entertainment, dining, and recreation.

“I encourage the community to view the proposal and have their say by Sunday 10 December 2023.”

Extraordinarily in Budget Estimates today, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Anoulack Chanthivong revealed that innovation and the start-up sector is not a priority for the Minns Labor Government.
 
Shadow Minister for Innovation, Mark Coure said since coming to power in March, the Minns Labor Government has failed the innovation sector, who have suffered from uncertainty, budget cuts and a lack interest from Minister Chanthivong in the issues affecting startups.
 
“Minister Chanthivong’s performance in Budget Estimates today confirmed he is a Minister who does not see value in the innovation portfolio, blaming the former government for his lack of advocacy to ensure there was a budget that appropriately supported founders in the innovation sector.” Mr Coure said.
 
“The Minister’s unwillingness to answer legitimate and important questions, including why he reduced the budget of the nation leading MVP Ventures Program from $10 million to $3 million, speaks volumes about his knowledge of the programs he is responsible for.” 
  
“In eight months since becoming Minister, Minister Chanthivong has also failed to meet with significant innovation sector stakeholders, instead, choosing pollsters and unions over innovators and entrepreneurs like Fishburners, an anchor tenant of the Sydney Startup Hub.”
 
“NSW based innovators and entrepreneurs make an enormous contribution to our economy, and reputation as a nation-leader in this space – they deserve a Minister who actually values this work.”
 
Liberal MLC Jacqui Munro said founders who had originally set up in NSW because of the strong support on offer were now looking interstate due to policy uncertainty from the Minns Labor Government.
 
“We no longer have a government in NSW that is willing to provide stability and reliability for a thriving innovation sector. Minister Chanthivong had an opportunity to correct the record today, but instead dodged legitimate policy and process questions, refusing to give certainty to founders who have been seeking information for months.” Ms Munro said.
 
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals will continue to call out the Minns Government and Minister Chanthivong for abandoning the innovation sector and will fight to keep NSW as the innovation capital of Australia.”

The NSW Opposition has slammed Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong for his decision to hand over control of Junee Correctional Facility to the heavily unionised Corrective Services NSW.
 
Mr Chanthivong was grilled over the move during a Budget Estimates hearing today. 
 
Shadow Minister for Corrections Mark Taylor said the Minister needs to come clean on his back door union deal that will result in a $15 million hit to the Budget.
 
“GEO Group has successfully managed the Junee Correctional Centre for over 30 years, as evidenced by the latest extension to their current contract,” Mr Taylor said.
 
“Junee Correctional Centre is one of the major employers in the Riverina region, where staff live and work locally.”
 
“Their extended families are well established in local schools, sporting clubs, or working in local businesses. These families will be torn apart as they are replaced by unionised staff from Sydney with no local community connection.”
 
“The Minister has not even visited Junee Correctional Centre. It’s like the Minister is wearing a Public Services Association issued ankle bracelet, and every time it buzzes, he rings the PSA head office for instructions.”
 
“It’s understandable people right across our State are saying they have voter remorse. The Minns Labor Government promises one thing before the election and does the exact opposite after.”
 
“There is a pattern here of looking after your mates rather than the community. In this case, people will lose their jobs, union officials win, and the NSW Community will pay.”
 
Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said that the decision is looking murkier by the day.
 
“Either the Minister is not across his brief, or he was deliberately avoiding questions around the government’s decision to take over the running of the Junee Correctional Centre,” Ms Cooke said.
 
“The Minster was unable to provide any credible rationale for the decision, and instead hid behind technical jargon to justify what appears to be a highly dubious move from this government.
 
“By his own admission, the Minister failed to consult the community about his decision, hasn’t even visited the Junee Correctional Centre and failed to commit to come to Junee and speak face-to-face with those that are impacted directly on the ground,” Ms Cooke said.
 
“When pressed on whether there would be any job losses, the Minister again danced around the question, which as a local member, concerns me greatly.”
 
“The Minister acknowledged the financial contributions the current operator GEO Group has provided to the Junee community over the years, but was unable to guarantee that the government would be able to provide a similar level of support going forward.”
 
“This is simply not good enough. The Minister must come out of hiding, clear his diary, and make every effort to get to Junee as soon as possible, front up and provide the vital answers the community deserves.”