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A new digital data service will record information relating to rough sleepers in real-time to better facilitate collaboration between service providers for those experiencing homelessness in NSW.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said global tech giant Microsoft has partnered with the NSW Government and the Act to End Street Sleeping Collaboration to bring the project to fruition.
“Every day more than 37,000 people in NSW experience homelessness and this new initiative will provide us with a more accurate understanding of the challenges they face,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“By using technology to collect a range of social and demographic data on rough sleepers, we can improve the way we respond to homelessness.”
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said the launch of the initiative comes during the inaugural Connections Week, which aims to create a by-name list of people sleeping rough in Sydney’s CBD.
“The homelessness targets our Government has set require an innovative approach as well as collaboration with our non-government partners,” Mr Ward said.
“By compiling a database of rough sleepers, our assertive outreach teams and NGOs will be able to better collaborate towards a common goal.”
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the data will be captured using a mobile device and include geolocation technology.
“We are using digital technology to make life easier for some of the most vulnerable people in the community.”
Act to End Street Sleeping Convener Graham West said the aim is to create a vulnerability index of rough sleepers across the state, to determine risk and help prioritise specialist services.
Data collected this week will be used to inform potential expansion of the program across the state.

A clearer and simpler rating system for early childhood services was announced today, making it easier for parents to understand how their service rates under the National Quality Framework (NQF).
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the change is something both parents and services have been calling for.
“All providers will be required to display their National Quality Standard (NQS) rating in the format of four stars that correlate to their NQS rating level,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Services will display the stars where parents can see them clearly, and will be requested to provide more detailed rating information to parents and families at enrolment from July 1, 2020.
“A fifth star can be obtained through an additional application to Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.
“We have worked with the sector and families to find a better way for promoting and understanding the quality ratings, and have set aside a further $8 million to support providers to improve the quality of their services, building on the $5 million already invested.
“Ensuring parents and carers understand the rating of their early childhood service is essential for families, and also for maintaining and improving quality.”
Early Childhood Australia CEO Samantha Page said the Quality Ratings Guide will be a great way for families to start a conversation with services.
“Parents should play an active role in communicating with services about all aspects of quality, and the star graphic invites them to learn more about quality improvement,” Ms Page said.
“It also gives services the opportunity to pro-actively engage and focus on quality as an ongoing priority.”
The new four star format will display a service’s NQF rating as:

• Exceeding NQS = 4 stars
• Meeting NQS = 3 stars
• Working towards NQS = 2 stars
• Significant Improvement Required = 1 star

For more information on the new Stars system visit the website: https://www.education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-quality

People who lose important identity documents in the bushfires can have them replaced for free to help them recover as quickly as possible, Attorney General Mark Speakman and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello announced today.
“The fire emergency has wreaked untold havoc on many people’s lives and we want them to be able to get back on their feet with a minimum of fuss,” Mr Speakman said.
“Anyone who has lost paperwork such as a birth certificate or marriage certificate can apply to have them replaced at no cost as a priority.”
“The NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages (BDM) can assist people who have lost documents in the fire to quickly re-establish their identity,” Mr Dominello said.
“For those who were born or married interstate, BDM will coordinate with other Australian State and Territory registries to obtain replacement certificates.”
Those affected can visit their nearest Service NSW  where the team will assist them in applying for their official certificates.
Customers requiring a new driver’s licence will be issued with an interim licence on the spot allowing them to get back on the road immediately, with the new licence card being delivered 7 to 10 days after the transaction.
Service NSW’s Mobile Service Centres have visited bushfire affected communities to assist customers with government transactions, including replacement identity documents.
Useful contacts:
Please visit Service NSW website for resources on dealing with bushfire. For bush fire information and updates contact the Public Information Enquiry Centre on 1800 222 228.
Office of Emergency Management information is available here evacuation centres.
Fire updates are available at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information.

23 new metro trains will be ordered as part of a contract package to extend and operate Sydney’s first driverless Metro railway beyond Chatswood – into the city and on to Bankstown, delivering a 66 kilometre line by 2024.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance announced the NSW Government has approved Sydney Metro exercising a pre-agreed extension to the existing Northwest Rapid Transit Public Private Partnership contract, which was awarded in 2014.
The contract has been extended to deliver a seamless customer experience on the new metro, with Northwest Rapid Transit (NRT) to operate and maintain the full metro line from Rouse Hill to Bankstown – in total 66 kilometres of rail and 31 metro stations.
The contract package includes $1.7 billion for new metro trains and core rail systems as well as a $2 billion operations and maintenance component for NRT to operate the combined Northwest and City and Southwest lines for a period of 15 years until 2034.
Metro Trains Sydney, the railway operator appointed by NRT, will operate the metro railway in accordance with strict operational requirements set by Sydney Metro.
The NSW Government will own all the metro rail infrastructure, including the stations, tracks and trains.
Five years ago, following a competitive procurement process, NRT was awarded a contract to operate and maintain the North West Metro Line between Rouse Hill and Chatswood for 15 years. It included a pre-agreed option to operate the line beyond Chatswood to Bankstown

Households across NSW are expected to save $40 per year on their electricity bills and the State will have one of the highest reliability targets in the world under the NSW Electricity Strategy, released today.
Energy Minister Matt Kean said the Strategy will ensure reliable and affordable electricity supply for the people of NSW, particularly in peak summer periods.
“We want to create a competitive, low-cost market that delivers resilient energy supply while putting downward pressure on electricity prices,” Mr Kean said.
“Not only does this Strategy help us achieve that, it will attract $8 billion in investment for emerging energy technologies in NSW, diversifying our energy supply and creating jobs for the future.”
The Strategy includes a new Energy Security Safeguard to drive the roll-out of energy efficiency technologies and smart appliances that use electricity when it is cheap and off-peak, and an Energy Security Target to ensure there is enough capacity in the electricity grid on the hottest days, even with the two largest generating units offline.
It will also include a plan to deliver Australia’s first coordinated Renewable Energy Zone in the Central-West to support the new generation needed to get energy bills down.
“As our existing power generators approach the end of their lives, we need to ensure low-cost alternatives are coming online,” Mr Kean said.
“By focusing on reliability, we can ensure that we can get the benefits of renewables without the reliability problems we have seen in other states.
“While there will always be extreme events which impact the grid’s reliability, our Electricity Security Target will mean that changes to the State’s energy mix do not come at the expense of our system’s reliability.”
The NSW Electricity Strategy is available here and is published ahead of today’s COAG Energy Council meeting in Perth.