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The NSW Government will introduce new laws to improve workers compensation governance by appointing an employer and employee nominee to the icare Board.

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The Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said it was critical that injured workers and premium-paying businesses were given a seat at the board table to support ongoing reform.

Two suitably qualified employer and employee directors will be nominated by employer and employee bodies and will also replace two non-executive directors, leaving the size and cost of the icare Board unchanged with 9 directors.

Employers and Unions NSW will have a formal say in the process, with both groups nominating a non-executive director.

Legislation to amend the State Insurance and Care Governance Act 2015 for the board changes will be introduced to NSW Parliament on Wednesday 28 June.

icare provides workers compensation for about 330,000 business and 3.4 million workers in NSW, managing about 60,000 new claims each year.

Under the former government’s oversight a $140 million IT contract was awarded in a 7-day tender and an $18 million contract was awarded without tender to the Liberal Party’s printer and a major donor.

In 2018, icare launched a model where new claims were largely managed by a single claims service provider – a move which injured workers and businesses have agreed was a disaster. icare is now moving away from this model.

Minister for Industrial Relations and Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:

“Return-to-work rates and the dissatisfaction felt by many injured workers highlight the need for a diversity of views and more robust decision-making on the icare Board.”

“It will take years to fix a decade of neglect of the workers compensation system, but this bill marks the beginning of our wider reform plans in this space.”

“Appointing employer and employee nominees to the icare Board will ensure these important perspectives are heard in the icare boardroom.”

“I made it clear that the new government had different expectations and the board plays a critical role in working together to ensure fiscally sustainable schemes, better claims management, timely medical diagnosis and treatment to support recovery and improved return to work outcomes.”

“icare knows that this improvement and reform journey is ongoing. There will be more steps to come.”

Related information

• Independent review of icare and SICG Acteast
• iCare (Insurance and Care NSW)launcheast

The Opposition has offered to work with the Premier to strengthen the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (ICAC) operations and ensure its future investigations and reports are completed in a timely manner.

Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said ICAC plays a vital role in protecting NSW against corruption.

“Everyone acknowledges the need for a strong, robust and transparent anti-corruption body,” Mr Speakman said. “We want to support the important work of ICAC and ensure that it functions as well as it could be.”

Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens said that the work of ICAC relies on the ongoing public confidence in the organisation.

“Delays in reporting, such as taking more than 1,000 days for the Operation Keppel report, undermine public confidence and risk diminishing the standing and role of ICAC,” said Mr Henskens.

“A non-partisan review of ICAC will help to improve its operations and ensure that public confidence in the organisation is maintained.”

A decision made by the High Court on May 10 has brought to light the urgent need for the NSW Parliament to amend our criminal law to make women safe in their homes after a relationship breakdown.

In BA v The King, a former tenant was found not guilty of the crime of breaking and entering. The former tenant had kicked down the door of his old apartment when his ex-girlfriend refused to let him in, he shook her, yelled at her, and seized her mobile phone – but because his name was still on the lease, the Court found that he had a legal right to enter and so did not commit the crime of break and enter into the premises.

In response to the urgent need for reform, the NSW Liberals and Nationals have brought a Private Members Bill to reform the Crimes Act and other relevant legislation so that all renters, and particularly women, are protected in the event of relationship breakdown.

“The Parliament must act urgently to protect tenants following breakups,” Shadow Attorney-General Alister Henskens said today. “All tenants need protection, especially women at risk of domestic violence.”

“Relationships break down, and partners cease co-habiting. But after a breakup, and one partner has moved out, the remaining tenant has a right to quietly enjoy what is now their exclusively occupied residence,” continued Mr Henskens.

“This bill will give greater protection especially for women because when relationships breakdown, women are more at risk of domestic violence,” Shadow Minister for Women and Shadow Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Leslie Williams said. 

In this matter, it was clear that the relationship had ceased. The man in question had removed most of his possessions and had stopped paying rent for the home they had shared together. His former partner remained living in their old apartment.

“This decision, however, means that this woman – and any others in her position – has no legal right to keep her ex-partner out of their house if his name is still on the lease”. Mr Henskens said.

Other jurisdictions deem “breaking and entering” as an element of housebreaking and burglary offences have been replaced with trespass or unlawful or unauthorised entry in response to these complexities.

“This decision reveals that antiquated language in the NSW criminal law has failed to protect women after a relationship breakdown,” Mrs Williams said. 

“We call on the government to amend s112 of the Crimes Act immediately so that former partners can feel safe in their own homes,” Mr Henskens said.

In a disgraceful move today, the Labor Government has announced that they are disbanding the very organisation they have tasked with delivering new housing targets and turned their back on the new Western Parkland City of Bradfield.

Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Scott Farlow, says the independent Greater Cities Commission has been tasked with developing new housing targets, yet has been disbanded today and incorporated into the Department of Planning and Environment, along with the Western Parklands City Authority. 

“The key benefit of the Greater Cities Commission was that it was an independent agency that worked across layers of Government, State and Local, to address the needs of local communities and outline the aspirations for our cities,” Mr Farlow said.

“Labor’s decision to disband the agency will lead to less independence, a more adversarial approach with Local Government and will undoubtedly delay the Commission’s work on delivering new local housing targets.

“This is a Government that is hell-bent on telling communities to ‘get out of the way’ and they have done that again today with the abolition of the Greater Cities Commission and the Western Parklands City Authority, bringing them under the thumb of the Department of Planning and Environment.”

“The Greater Sydney Commission was formed in 2015 with bi-partisan support and developed into the Greater Cities Commission in 2022, encapsulating the Eastern Harbour City, the Central River City, the Western Parkland City, Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City, Central Coast City and Illawarra-Shoalhaven City.”

“This commission model has been world leading and was adopted by the formation of the Greater Hobart Committee to guide strategic land use and planning.”

“The abolition of the Western Parkland City Authority raises the question as to whether the Government are committed to the six cities vision and particularly the new Western Parkland City of Bradfield.”

“Without this vision, New South Wales could miss out on the opportunities presented by the new Nancy-Bird Walton Airport and the transformational role it can play,” Mr Farlow said. 

The NSW Government has declared the Northern Rivers a formal reconstruction area to help support the building of homes after last year’s devastating floods.

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Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the declaration allows the NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSWRA) to make prompt decisions to influence reconstruction and aligns with the election commitment to accelerate the approval of new housing, raising homes and approving residential development and subdivisions on low-risk land in the Northern Rivers.

“We know this has been an uphill battle since the floods last year and we want to do the best we can to re-build the Northern Rivers community in the way which works for you. This reconstruction order allows the Authority to use its powers to subdivide land, demolish buildings, repair or renovate buildings,” Mr Scully said.

“It will also allow the Authority to set out and construct roads as well as use its powers to consider new homes and supporting infrastructure outside of traditional residential areas helping address housing shortages and affordability in the region.”

The order means the Authority can use its powers including:

• give a ‘notice to decide’ to a decision maker to expedite the making of a significant reconstruction decision
• give a ‘progression notice’ to a decision maker to expedite the completion of a reconstruction process
• give a ‘step-in notice’, with the approval of the Minister, allowing the Authority to make an assessment and decision about a particular decision or process
• exercise discretionary powers in relation to land.

“In addition to this order, we’ve listened to Lismore Council and the community and decided to dissolve the Lismore Planning Panel which was installed by the former government, following a number of visits to the Northern Rivers. I have been on the ground speaking directly to the community, council and Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin MP, who have made it clear the panel wasn’t required,” he said.

“While planning panels are very effective in other parts of the state, providing transparent advice and technical expertise, it was the wrong decision to establish one at Lismore. Therefore, I’ve decided to dissolve the panel and return decision making of development applications to Council.”

Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said the dissolution of the panel and the declaration order were the step in the right direction but more needed to be done to help the Northern Rivers rebuild.

“Council and the NSWRA will get on with the job of rebuilding the Northern Rivers which continues to be challenging. We have watched in despair as thousands of properties were damaged or destroyed last year and we are still in the middle of a tough recovery, and we know we will face floods again,” Ms Saffin said.

“However, I welcome the announcement because it will help the Northern Rivers to rebuild and help reduce the loss of life and property in the future.”

Other planning initiatives that were introduced as part of the Lismore Flood Recovery Planning Package to fast-track recovery efforts will remain in place, as we continue to help the region get back on its feet.

The NSW Reconstruction Authority Act was passed by Parliament in November 2022 and there is an expectation that similar declarations will be made following future major disasters.

Visit the Department of Planning and Environment for more information on the Lismore Flood Recovery Planning Packagelaunch or to find out more on the Reconstruction Area (Northern Rivers) Order 2023launch.

Riverina residents are benefitting from identity experts as ID Support NSW rolls into town for the final leg of its regional roadshow.

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Following sessions in Griffith earlier this week, today marks the second day of events in Wagga Wagga with sessions also being run in Albury across 27 and 28 June.

Locals will learn about the risks of identity theft and how to replace documents such as a driver licence, photo card or birth certificate if they are stolen or fraudulently obtained.

Identity theft is a growing problem around the world and NSW is committed to protecting and supporting victims and lifting the burden as they reclaim their identity.

On average, a victim of identity crime will spend 34 non-consecutive hours calling different organisations to restore their identity.

The highly popular roadshows are helping young families and retirees across the state to protect themselves from identity crime by learning how to create stronger passwords, spot a scam and how to replace identity documents.

ID Support NSW provides people with a single front-door if their identity has been compromised and will work with them to help restore their documents and security of their identity.

The ID Support team has already helped more than 1550 people during the first part of the roadshow, which stopped at Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Broken Hill, Wilcannia and Griffith.
The full list of dates and locations of the roadshow are available at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/community-events

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“From Broken Hill to Bankstown and Wagga Wagga to Wilcannia, every person in NSW should have the resources and skills to keep themselves protected from identity crime.” 

“Identity theft can be distressing, but recovering from it shouldn’t be. ID Support NSW offers victimsa clear way to recover and stay secure.”

“The success of the roadshow is shown by the more than 1550 people who have attended the events so far to learn about how they can stay safe from identity theft and remedy their credentials.”

“ID Support NSW believes in a no wrong doors policy which means if someone calls with an identity problem they’ll get help to find a solution.”