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The NSW Government has completed a robust review into the management of water at Toorale Station, allowing critical environmental water to resume flowing to the Western Floodplain in Toorale National Park.

A comprehensive evaluation of the station’s water licencing arrangements began in late 2024 to ensure all flows were being properly accounted for.

As a result of the review, we have made changes requiring all water diverted to the Western Floodplain at Toorale, via Boera Dam and its levee and regulating structures, to be debited against a corresponding water access licence.

This locks in certainty for all water users in the region, bringing Toorale into line with legislative requirements and providing more clarity and transparency around water management decisions with improved mandatory public reporting.

Thanks to this update, a Stop Work Order issued by the independent Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) on 6 August 2025 is no longer in effect.

The ongoing Toorale NRAR investigation is separate to the recently announced pause on some environmental water in NSW by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder which the NSW Government is working to address as quickly as possible.

Minister for Water Rose Jackson said:

“This is positive news for local communities and the environment. The NSW Government has worked quickly to resolve the Stop Work Order so we can get on with the job of delivering vital flows to the Western Floodplain which is home to hundreds of native plants and animals.

“We have delivered a comprehensive review to ensure all environmental water being diverted from Boera Dam at Toorale is properly accounted for, ensuring management decisions can be made with certainty.

“Getting water management right is a complex task and one we take very seriously which is why we want to continue getting the balance right and being open and transparent about the decisions we make.”

Under changes introduced by the Minns Labor Government that begin today, victim-survivors of serious offenders will receive mandatory notifications about NSW Victims’ Registers, including the information and services they can receive if they chose to register.

Victims of serious offenders will also be provided with assistance to register.

The reforms, which were passed by the NSW Parliament in May this year, will bolster support for victim-survivors of serious crimes through what is often the most difficult time of their lives.

The reforms apply to the three NSW Victims’ Registers: the Corrective Services NSW Victims’ Register, Youth Justice Victims’ Register, and the Specialist Victims’ Register for victims of forensic patients. 

The changes have been introduced following extensive consultation with victim-survivors, victim advocates, and victim support services, to ensure that they reflect the views of the people the Register serves. 

All eligible victims will now receive a notification about the Register and their eligibility to opt-in, or will have the option to be contacted at a later date, to discuss the benefits of registration and re-consider whether they would like to be registered.

Those who opt-in will receive timely, accurate, and trauma-informed updates regarding their perpetrator’s progress through the justice system. 

This includes details about the offender’s location while in custody, sentence, location while in custody, parole eligibility, and any changes that may affect the victim’s safety and well-being.  

The reforms will be complemented by a suite of public engagement measures to promote greater awareness for victims, including public education sessions and social media campaigns.  

Education on the Registers will also be provided to frontline professionals across the justice system, including NSW Police, the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and other relevant service providers.  

This will ensure that those staff who engage with victims at all stages of the justice system are aware of the Registers and their purpose, and can share this information to better support victims.

There is also work being done to make the Registers’ sign-up process simpler, with fewer technological or communication barriers for non-English speakers. 

The Minns Labor Government acknowledges the adverse impacts for people directly or indirectly exposed to crime, and we acknowledge that a person who has experienced personal violence can suffer long-lasting trauma and the feeling that their safety and security are constantly under threat.  

These changes are fundamental in supporting victims through this reality.   

Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“No-one chooses to become the victim of violent crime.  

“One of our top priorities as a government is to ensure we are doing all we can to support victim-survivors in the aftermath of a crime.

“These reforms will empower victim-survivors of the most heinous of crimes perpetrated in NSW, with the choice to access vital information that has a direct impact on their lives – such as opposing the perpetrator’s parole, and being informed if and when they are going to be released from prison.  

“Victim-survivors of serious crimes deserve to be given the knowledge and agency to engage with the justice system in a manner that reflects their needs, including making an informed choice about whether they would like to be supported by a Victims’ Register.” 

Minister for Youth Justice Jihad Dib said: 

“Mandatory notifications help victim-survivors stay up to date with information about a young person’s sentence, providing the justice, reassurance and protection needed to build a safer community. 

“These reforms are an important step in giving victim-survivors back the power they lose when they experience a violent crime, without compromising the safety and security of young offenders.” 

Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said: 

“We know that victim-survivors of serious crimes often experience severe mental injury, emotional suffering, grief, and trauma. 

“By allowing them to opt-in to trauma-informed updates about a perpetrator’s progress through the justice system, these reforms to the Victims’ Registers empower victim-survivors through their healing journeys.  

“Furthermore, the Specialist Victims’ Register also allows victim-survivors to receive important information about certain changes concerning a forensic patient and their reviews before the Mental Health Review Tribunal. 

“This is just one way we can provide victim-survivors with the mental health support they may need to feel safer in our communities.” 

Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Gary McCahon PSM: 

“Corrective Services NSW is committed to supporting victim-survivors through the CSNSW Victims’ Register.  

“Our committed, dedicated staff are trauma-informed, and understand the vital role that clear, compassionate communication plays in the healing process. 

“From the moment an offender enters custody, we provide registered victims with timely updates on key developments in the offender’s sentence that may affect the victims’ lives.

“We also help ensure that victims have the opportunity to be heard when critical decisions are being made about an offender’s release, which we hope will help restore a sense of control and empowerment to those affected by crime.

“Having access to key information, especially regarding an offender’s potential release, can offer victims the confidence that they deserve.” 

Victims Advocate Howard Brown OAM said: 

“Knowing that these significant reforms to the Victims’ Registers are now in place and actively working, provides victim-survivors of serious crimes the reassurance that they will be provided with the information they need to stay informed and updated on the details of their perpetrator’s progress through the justice system.  

“The Victims’ Registers provide the kind of timely, accurate, and trauma-sensitive information that victim-survivors may feel that they need to be able to take back control of their lives and well-being, sometimes many years after a serious crime has been committed against them.

“Maximising free and full access to such a vital resource like the Victims’ Registers is a major step toward healing for victim-survivors of violent crimes.”

CEO of the Homicide Victims’ Support Group & Acting CEO of The Road Trauma Support Group NSW Martha Jabour OAM said: 

“Family members of homicide can never reclaim what has been stolen from them through the devastating impact of homicide, just as families grieving the sudden and violent death of a loved one due to serious fatal road crime endure profound and lasting pain.  

“However, having the choice to access meaningful information through the Victims’ Registers about their offender – should they wish to – represents a vital step in their journey towards healing.

“These reforms to the Victims’ Registers mark an important step toward acknowledging the enduring impact of serious crimes, whether through homicide or fatal road crashes, ensuring that victims and survivors are not left to navigate their grief alone.” 

The NSW Coalition supports Kiama Municipal Council’s call on the Minns Labor Government to lift a restrictive covenant over the Council’s extensive Spring Creek land holdings, which would mean an enormous boost in the Council’s ability to limit rate rises and to fund local infrastructure.
 
NSW Liberal Leader Mark Speakman said when the Council entered into a Deed of Agreement in 1991 with the then-State Rail Authority (now Transport Asset Manager), the covenant prohibited urban development around the quarry until quarrying activities cease or until 30 June 2006, whichever is the last to occur.
 
“We understand that those quarrying activities are now nearing completion,” Mr Speakman said.
 
“The Minns Labor Government needs to come to the table and lift the restrictive covenant on Spring Creek immediately and take up the Council’s offer of an easement instead.”.
 
The same covenant was recently extinguished over land at Glennbrook Drive, replaced by an easement which notified all future owners of quarrying activities and reducing liability on the operators of the quarry.
 
“This would give Kiama Municipal Council the ability to put this land to use for the benefit of its community,” Mr Speakman said.
 
“If a NSW Coalition Government is elected and the covenant is still in place we would quickly move to lift it. Of course, any future use of the Spring Creek land holdings would be best determined by Council working in consultation with its community.”
 
Liberal for Kiama Serena Copley said that freeing up this land would allow the Kiama Council to deliver many tens of millions of infrastructure projects that benefit the community while easing the burden on ratepayers.
 
“As has been the case multiple times across NSW, the only thing standing in the way of progress in our state is the Minns Labor Government,” Ms Copley said.

New figures obtained by the Opposition reveal NSW train drivers ran through red lights 224 times in 2024–25 – an average of four times every single week – raising fresh questions about the culture and priorities inside Transport for NSW following the generous new pay deal with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU).
 
The data, compiled by Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability Matt Cross, shows:

• 224 total red light breaches in FY2024–25 – equal to 19 per month
• 115 separate stations/locations recorded incidents, with an average of 2 per site
• Top lines for breaches included Central Coast & Newcastle, Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra, T9 Northern and the South Coast line.

The poor performance follows ongoing poor service reliability in August with one in four trains late servicing the intercity line and one in every ten trains late on Sydney’s suburban line.
 
For regional commuters from the South Coast and Central Coast travelling on the intercity lines, nearly 40 per cent of services have been late in 2025. For suburban services across Greater Sydney, it’s just as bad with almost two in every five trains running behind schedule.
 
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said commuter concerns are being ignored by this sleepy Government.
 
“Getting the trains to run safely and on-time is basic service delivery, and this Labor Government can’t even do that,” Mr Speakman said.
 
Shadow Minister for Transport Natalie Ward said the findings prove Labor has the wrong priorities and focus.
“Commuters are left stranded by delays and cancellations while drivers are running red lights four times a week,” Ms Ward said.
 
Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability Matt Cross said commuters expect safety to be at the very centre of service delivery.
 
“It shouldn’t take the Opposition to uncover these damning statistics before the Government acts,” Mr Cross said.

Liberal for Kiama Serena Copley has welcomed today’s announcement that a Liberal government would deliver $200,000 to upgrade lighting at Michael Cronin Oval in Gerringong. 

“The NSW Liberals are backing regional sporting clubs like the Gerringong Junior Lions because they promote healthy and active lifestyles and give our kids the chance to thrive,” Ms Copley said. 

“The Gerringong Junior Lions are such an important part of this community, with mums, dads and volunteers working tirelessly to keep the club strong. This commitment is about backing their efforts and ensuring the facilities meet the needs of players and families today.” 

The funding will allow upgrades to the lighting at Michael Cronin Oval, replacing the light poles that are at the end of their life and put up new LED lighting, and bringing the ground up to current standards. This upgrade will mean Lions’ players will be able to train and compete safely in the evening. 

“It’s a simple but important step that will make a real difference for local sport. This investment will improve the Oval for everyone – players, volunteers and spectators – and provide more opportunities for our young people to get involved in sport,” Ms Copley said. 

“The club has done its fair share of work raising funds and improving the ground over the years. This announcement recognises their dedication and delivers the support they deserve.” 

“Only the NSW Liberals have a record of delivering for our region, and today’s announcement builds on our commitment to the Kiama electorate.” 

Gerringong Rugby League Football Club Committee Member, Jodie Egan, said the lighting upgrade would allow them to host Friday and Saturday night games, creating many more home game opportunities and in turn increasing the numbers of participants. 

“To receive the promise of $200,000 towards a LED Lighting upgrade for Michael Cronin Oval would be “Club-Changing” for us!” 

“Improved lighting will mean night games and also increase the night training opportunities,” said Ms Egan. “We currently have 22 teams and approximately 500 people that need to use the one oval for training and game day – so access during daylight hours is currently extremely limited. However, upgraded LED Lighting would change all of this.”