Category: NSW News

The rollout of a brand new lifesaving fleet for the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) was officially launched today at the International Peace Park in Seven Hills.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said the $56.4 million Fleet Replacement Program would provide the SES with 270 vehicles, 124 marine vessels and 95 storm trailers across four years to support communities in their times of crisis.
The vehicles include storm trucks, rescue vehicles, snow mobiles and a 22-seater bus.
“SES volunteers play a crucial role in keeping the community safe and we have to make sure their vehicles are up-to-date with the latest technology to provide effective and efficient capability during emergencies,” Mr Elliott said.
NSW SES Acting Commissioner Kyle Stewart said the investment will increase the capability of the SES to support communities before, during and after emergencies.
“SES volunteers use this equipment every day to save lives and protect communities. These new vehicles and boats assist our volunteers in responding to the impacts of floods and storms across NSW,” Mr Stewart said.
The new fleet were on display for the community during a family fun day with SES volunteers showcasing their road crash, flood and large animal rescue skills as well as enjoying a free BBQ.
The SES has more than 9,500 volunteers who have responded to 40,044 Requests for Assistance since 1 July, 2018.
These requests include 96 flood rescues, 545 general land rescues, 769 road crash rescues, 50 vertical rescue and 619 community first responder activations.
More information about becoming an SES volunteer or making a donation is available here.

The NSW Government has today followed through on one of its key election promises, appointing the State’s very first Fresh Milk and Dairy Advocate.
Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall today announced Ian Zandstra would serve as NSW Fresh Milk and Dairy Advocate. Mr Marshall said the Advocate would play a key role in helping to grow a stronger, more profitable dairy industry in NSW.
“I’m absolutely delighted to announce Ian Zandstra will serve as our State’s first Fresh Milk and Dairy Advocate,” Mr Marshall said.
“Ian has a wealth of experience and is highly regarded across industry so is in a wonderful position to hit the ground running in this important role.
“The Advocate will champion dairy in NSW by providing advice to both government and industry on how we can better support our producers and create more value across the entire supply chain.
“There’s no doubt the NSW dairy industry has faced some serious challenges in recent years but I’m confident this role will provide the support our producers need and help ensure NSW remains a fresh milk State.”
Mr Zanstra said: “I’m absolutely honoured to be appointed to this role and look forward to working with industry and government to build a stronger dairy supply chain in NSW.
“My first priority is to establish an industry Advisory Panel, which will play a key role in identifying immediate and necessary actions for the sector and shaping advice to the Government.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Michael Johnsen said he looked forward to working with Mr Zanstra to build a stronger, more resilient dairy industry.
“Mr Zandstra is a champion of industry and his appointment will come as great news to dairy producers across NSW,” Mr Johnsen said.
Appointing a Dairy Advocate was a key election promise by the NSW Liberals & Nationals. The Advocate will help provide a united voice for industry, deliver clear advice to Government and help drive profitability across the industry supply chain. They will also assist in the delivery of a Dairy Action Plan and a ‘buy local fresh milk’ campaign.

NSW families are cashing in on the NSW Government’s Active Kids program with over a million vouchers created since the start of this year.
Minister for Sport John Sidoti said voucher downloads have been hugely popular for parents as they save money while keeping their kids active.
“I want to see kids play sport because when we nurture our grassroots, we reap the benefits as a society. It’s a huge win for NSW to have these vouchers to contribute towards the costs of sports like swimming, dancing, netball, soccer, rugby or tennis,” Mr Sidoti said.
“With over a million vouchers downloaded this year you can see how keen parents are to get their kids involved in sport. Participation not only brings physical benefits but also builds confidence, resilience and leadership.”
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said NSW school-enrolled children have been able to access two $100 Active Kids vouchers, since July 1.
“We know sporting activities are popular with children but the costs can add to a household budget, which is why we introduced this program,” Mr Dominello said.
“Parents simply love the program and have given it a 99.8 per cent customer satisfaction rating. We are committed to easing the cost of living for families and so far nearly $130 million has been saved by parents.
“By doubling the vouchers children can play both a summer and winter sport.”
Tennis NSW CEO Lawrence Robertson said Active Kids has assisted Tennis NSW in getting more kids playing tennis at a grassroots level.
“Active Kids go far and I encourage all families to take advantage of the second Active Kids voucher and enrol in sport or recreation like tennis over summer,” Mr Robertson said.
Some of the most popular activities for girls in 2019 include dance, netball and swimming while for boys, soccer, swimming and rugby league are attracting the most vouchers.
For further information visit www.sport.nsw.gov.au/activekids or call 13 13 02.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard have officially opened two new surgical theatres at Concord Hospital as construction ramps up on the facility’s $341 million transformation.
Ms Berejiklian, Mr Hazzard, and Minister for Veterans and Member for Drummoyne John Sidoti, marked the completion of enabling works for the rebuild, which will deliver 100 additional beds and world-class cancer, aged care and rehabilitation services.
“Concord Hospital has served both the local community and the men and women of the defence force for decades, and we owe this institution a great debt of gratitude,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We are continuing this hospital’s proud legacy by funding its transformation into Australia’s first comprehensive care centre for Defence Force personnel and their families.
“Health services are also being massively boosted for the local community with the Government’s delivery of a new cancer centre, rehab and aged care facility, and enhanced ambulatory services.”
The 214-bed Clinical Services Building will boost the hospital campus capacity to more than 650 beds.
Mr Hazzard said a further $1.3 million has been invested into refurbishing two theatres, making them fully digitally integrated – allowing doctors to communicate between theatres.
“Concord Hospital’s excellent medical teams will save valuable time during emergency surgery with the significant upgrading of these two state-of-the-art theatres, further improving patient care,” Mr Hazzard said.
“This redevelopment is indeed a game-changer for patients in Sydney’s inner-west communities, with the new  Rusty Priest Centre for Rehabilitation and Aged Care.”
Mr Sidoti said the Government was proud to be delivering Australia’s first National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare, recently opened in temporary premises at Concord Hospital. “This incredible, specialist centre is a one-stop-shop and continues Concord Hospital’s unique and proud history of supporting veterans,” Mr Sidoti said.
The NSW Government is spending a record $10.1 billion over four years to invest in the state’s health infrastructure.
The Concord Hospital’s new Clinical Services Building will include:

• The Rusty Priest Centre for Rehabilitation and Aged Care – including  ambulatory care clinics, therapy areas and rehabilitation gyms;
• Australia’s first National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare to support the health and wellbeing of veterans and their families in an outpatient setting;
• A comprehensive Cancer Care Centre with additional capacity for day and inpatient cancer services; and
• A new atrium will link the new building to the existing hospital, providing direct access to operating theatres, radiology and emergency care.

Construction of a new $32.3 million multistorey car park will begin following the completion of the $341 million redevelopment.

Environment Minister Matt Kean has today announced the successful reintroduction of a critically endangered wallaby into a large feral predator proof fenced area within Pilliga State Conservation Area, near Narrabri.
Mr Kean said the releases are part of the NSW Governments ten-year Saving our Species program that would see the global population of Bridled Nail-tail Wallabies triple.
“Current estimates suggest there are 2,500 Bridled Nail-tail Wallabies in the world. Our NSW Government program will see that number boost to more than 6,000 – that’s a massive boost to the global population,” Mr Kean said.
“Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate in the world, but NSW has the opportunity to turn around our extinction and threatened species rates, by expanding our rewilding programs and focusing on eradicating feral species.”
“It’s not just about preserving what we have, it’s about bringing back what we have lost. It makes me incredibly proud to see these amazing endangered Bridled Nail-tail Wallabies returning home to NSW.”
The reintroduction was made possible through the collaboration of the NSW Government (National Parks and Wildlife Service), Queensland Government (Department of Environment and Science) the Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby Recovery Group and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).
AWC Chief Executive Tim Allard said projects like this will see the future secured for this species.
“We need to take radical action now to stop more extinctions. The fact that only very recently, the Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby was thought to be extinct shows collaborative efforts can protect our natural heritage,” Mr Allard said.
The NSW Government has committed $100million to secure populations of threatened species in the wild under the broader Saving our Species program, with a further $41.3 million for this specific project.
Under this project, 13 mammal species will be reintroduced to select national parks in western NSW, with Brush-tailed Bettongs and Numbats among the species still to come.
Mallee Cliffs and Sturt National Parks are also part of the program and further reintroductions will occur in these parks in the near future.
For more on NSW Government Saving Our Species Program:
https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/threatened-species/saving-our-species-program

Netball NSW is delighted to announce that the organisation’s flagship competition, the Premier League, will expand in 2020 with new franchises from the South Coast and ACT joining the eight foundation teams.
Founded in 2016, the Netball NSW Premier League is the pinnacle competition in the state, showcasing the best current and emerging talent NSW has to offer.
It provides a local, elite platform for players, coaches, officials and administrators, and bridging opportunities to the Deakin University Australian Netball League (ANL), the feeder competition to Suncorp Super Netball.
The Premier League is contested across two divisions – Opens and Under 23s – and from 2020 will have 10 teams in each division facing off for the respective titles.
The newly formed South Coast Blaze, backed by the Illawarra, Kiama and Shoalhaven Netball Associations as well as the Illawarra Academy of Sport and University of Wollongong, has been confirmed as one of the new franchises.
The other, called Capital Spirit, will be owned and operated by Netball ACT. The competition’s regular season and Finals Series will still take place at Netball Central in Sydney Olympic Park.
Netball NSW CEO and Premier League Commissioner Carolyn Campbell said the addition of two new franchises was huge step forward for the competition.
“To see how the competition has grown since it was introduced back in 2016 is something we are very proud of,” Campbell said.
“Both the Blaze and Spirit put forward very strong cases for inclusion in the competition going forward and we are delighted to welcome them into our Opens and Under 23s competitions
“We have seen our ANL teams reach Grand Finals over the past few years and I think the level of netball they are exposed to in the Premier League helps with that.
“As a result our players are in a better position to step up should they be called into the ANL – or even the NSW Swifts or Giants Netball in the level beyond that.
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate both the South Coast Blaze and Capital Spirit on their successful applications and look forward to seeing them on court in 2020.”
The Blaze and Spirit will join the eight existing franchises who also compete across both the Opens and Under 23s divisions: Central Coast Heart, ERNA Hawks, GWS Fury, Manly Warringah Sapphires, North Shore United, Panthers, Sutherland Stingrays and UTS Sparks.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for the Arts Don Harwin today announced that Richard Crookes Constructions has been selected as the contractor to build the Art Gallery of NSW’s Sydney Modern Project, which remains firmly on track to be delivered within its $344 million budget.
“The Sydney Modern Project will offer outstanding arts and cultural experiences to the community and visitors from across the world,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The Sydney Modern Project will almost double the current gallery space to show more of the State’s art collection, including more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks, as well as hosting major international exhibitions.”
Mr Harwin said the Sydney Modern Project, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects SANAA, is expected to increase gallery visitation to two million people a year and inject more than $1 billion into the NSW economy over 25 years.
“The project will create a series of interlocked pavilions that step down towards Woolloomooloo and Sydney Harbour, following the natural topography of the land,” Mr Harwin said.
A decommissioned WWII naval oil tank, underground next to the Eastern Distributor, will be transformed into a unique contemporary art space.
The Sydney Modern Project will also include an outdoor Art Garden to connect the new and existing gallery buildings, a new entry plaza, rooftop art terraces and space for research and education.
“The NSW Government sincerely thanks the generous philanthropists who have raised more than $100 million to make this project possible,” Mr Harwin said.
President of the Art Gallery of New South Wales Board of Trustees, David Gonski AC said: “This is an exciting time for the state’s leading art museum as we move closer to realising our compelling vision for the future.”
“We are truly grateful for the NSW Government’s foresight in making such a significant public investment in the arts, and the very generous donors who have pledged support for the new building.”

Art Gallery of New South Wales director Dr Michael Brand said: “I welcome the announcement of Richard Crookes Constructions as the selected contractor for the Sydney Modern Project.”
“We look forward to the next stage of the project that will bring physical form to SANAA’s magnificent design.  We are creating an extraordinary building that will transform our institution and the way visitors engage with art.”
Construction of the Sydney Modern Project is expected to commence in the coming months and be complete in 2022.

Testing of light rail vehicles along George Street is now in full swing, with the first tram travelling the length of the street from Central Station to Circular Quay in daylight hours.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport Andrew Constance boarded the first tram to make the journey during the day and travelled from the Martin Place stop to the end of the line at Circular Quay.
“This is an exciting day for Sydney with light rail vehicles making their way down the revitalised George Street,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This is just the start of daytime testing along the length of the line and we can expect to see a lot more of it ahead of customer services starting before the end of the year.
“The new network will move up to 13,500 commuters an hour during peak time, replacing the conga line of buses which used to sit in traffic on George Street.”
Mr Constance again reminded the community to be aware of the changed environment in the area as tram testing becomes more frequent.
“Now trams are in the busy CBD day and night everyone needs to be aware, remove your headphones, get off your phone and remember to look both ways before crossing the road”, Mr Constance said.
“We’re now on the home stretch of this project and in December, Sydney residents and its visitors will benefit from a better connected city and a transformed boulevard.”
New trams hold up to up to 450 passengers, equivalent of up to nine standard buses. This means the new light rail network will have the initial capacity to move up to 13,500 commuters per hour during peak times (7am – 7pm).

A mega tunnel boring machine has broken through a rock wall at North Sydney and entered the biggest underground cavern built so far on the Sydney Metro project.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport Andrew Constance today welcomed mega borer Wendy at the new Victoria Cross Station 25 metres below ground.
“It was just over two months ago TBM Wendy broke through at Crows Nest and now she has already made it to the next stop in North Sydney,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“TBM Wendy has tunnelled 4.5 kilometres from Chatswood in eight months and only has another 1.7 kilometres to reach the edge of Sydney Harbour at Blues Point.
“This is incredible progress on the next stage of Sydney Metro which will take the North West Metro, under the harbour, through the CBD and on to Bankstown.”
Mr Constance said Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project and will deliver turn-up-and-go Metro train services to 31 stations along a new 66 kilometre railway.
“Wendy is one of five boring machines busy excavating 15.5 kilometre twin railway tunnels to help deliver more metro rail services as quickly as possible,” Mr Constance said.
The huge cavern at Victoria Cross is 40 per cent bigger than both the cavern being built at Barangaroo and the cavern built 25 metres under Castle Hill on the new North West Metro.
TBM Wendy will spend about three weeks undergoing maintenance before being re-launched to complete the last 1.7 kilometre section of the 6.2 kilometre tunnel between Chatswood and the edge of Sydney Harbour.
The 150-metre-long TBM Wendy is named after Wendy Schreiber, a volunteer at Bear Cottage.

The Liberals & Nationals Government will invest $78 million for water initiatives to help drought-affected communities in NSW.
In Dubbo today, Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey, alongside Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders announced the investment would go to communities facing water shortages and water restrictions in the Macquarie valley.
“NSW is experiencing the worst drought on record, and the NSW Government is continuing to work with communities to safeguard town water by investing in critical water initiatives, including new infrastructure,” Ms Pavey said.
“In June, I wrote to every Mayor in the state about the drought situation and how the NSW Government can support them as the water utility provider. This package is part of our support for our rural communities.
The package in the Macquarie Valley includes:

• $10.89 million for the staged delivery of four critical projects that extend limited available supplies for Dubbo, Wellington, Nyngan and Cobar
• $270,000 for Gilgandra Shire Council’s Tooraweenah New Bore project
• Up to $5.5 million to partner with Orange City Council to plan for and deliver critical drought initiatives for their community such as pumping stations to enable the use of the Cowra to Orange pipeline
• Up to $2 million to partner with Bathurst Regional Council plan for alternate water supplies
• Further funding to partner with Councils in the region, such as Parkes Shire Council, to review drought management plans and assist Councils with water efficiency projects and other initiatives required to help their community
• $30 million already allocated to Dubbo Regional Council to enhance their access to groundwater
• $2 million to already allocated to Narromine Shire Council improve Narromine’s access to deeper groundwater
• $2 million already allocated to Bogan Shire Council for critical maintenance of the Albert Priest Channel, and,
• $8.24 million to Bogan Shire Council from the Safe and Secure Water Program to design and construct a second water storage in Nyngan.

“More than 40,000 people rely on the town water supply in Dubbo, with seven bores currently providing about 30 per cent of the town’s water,” Mrs Pavey said.
“The new initiatives come on top of the $30 million already allocated over two years for an expansion of the South Dubbo bore field that will improve groundwater supply to supplement town water and alleviate the impact of drought.
“Another town doing it tough is Narromine whose 3,500 residents are currently on level 3 water restrictions. Due to the drought, the yield of Council bores has decreased. We’ve allocated $2 million to improve Narromine’s access to deeper groundwater in the area.”
This announcement is part of the $78 million critical drought initiatives that will see WaterNSW immediately build critical drought projects in the Macquarie, Upper Namoi, Peel and Border Rivers valleys. Funding will also go to partnership programs with local Councils in Tenterfield, Parkes, Gilgandra, Orange, Walcha and Bathurst.
“These communities, with a combined population of more than 180,000, are doing it the hardest. This infrastructure provide immediate benefit to the community,” Ms Pavey said.
Mr Saunders said the impact of the drought is being felt beyond farms and into local communities.
“Over $7 million will be invested to extend water availability in Macquarie River to Dubbo for over 4 months, with benefits being felt downstream of Burrendong and supporting major tourist attractions like the Taronga Western Plains Zoo,” Mr Saunders said.
“Dubbo is one of NSW biggest regional hubs; water security is vital to the town’s economy, local businesses and jobs.”
WaterNSW is investing in critical projects to extend water supplies in places like Dubbo, Cobar, Nyngan, Wellington and major employers, including the Western Plains Zoo, by at least another 10 months.
The work will involve:

• Temporarily raising the Warren weir and building temporary structures in downstream creeks,
• Planning for temporary pumping infrastructure that would be installed at Burrendong Dam to extract the water below the outlet valve, as a last resort,
• Funding will also be made available to partner with Councils and plan for and deliver critical drought initiatives for towns like Orange, Bathurst, Tooraweenah and Parkes.

For further information on NSW Government’s drought support measures, visit www.droughthub.nsw.gov.a