Category: NSW News

Netball NSW is delighted to announce that the leadership teams for the 2019 NSW 17/U and 19/U Teams have been selected.
The team will travel to Brisbane next month to contest the National Netball Championships, where Australia’s best young players get the chance to represent their respective state or territory.
The Championships also provide a fantastic pathway opportunity for athlete exposure and talent identification.
Building on a stellar year in 2018, NSW Swifts training partner Matisse Letherbarrow (Baulkham Hills Shire) has been named captain of the NSW 17/U side. The 17-year-old played in last year’s Nationals in Adelaide and also represented the Netball NSW Waratahs in the Australian Netball League (ANL).
Letherbarrow will be assisted in her leadership duties by co-vice captains, and sisters, Amy and Natalie Sligar (Camden & District).
Meanwhile the NSW 19/U side will be led by GIANTS Netball training partner Latika Tombs (Manly Warringah), who will be assisted by 2019 GIANTS defender Matilda McDonell (St George District) and Canberra GIANT Madeline Eaton (Sutherland Shire), who have been named vice captains.
Tombs, who was called into the GIANTS’ Suncorp Super Netball squad in 2018 as injury cover, is also stepping up after an impressive showing with the Canberra GIANTS in last year’s ANL.
Netball NSW’s Head of Netball Nikki Horton congratulated the athletes on their appointments and wished them well ahead of the trip to Queensland.
“It is a great honour to play for NSW, but to captain is another level again and I know our state team coaches are very happy with who’ve they’ve chosen,” she said.
“Our 17/U head coach Amber Cross, her 19/U counterpart Nerida Stewart and their respective teams have gone through a very thorough process and the calibre of athletes they had to choose from was excellent.
“On behalf of everyone at Netball NSW I would like to sincerely congratulate all of the captains and vice captains named today. It truly is a fantastic achievement and one that they themselves, their families, clubs and associations should be exceptionally proud of.
“We are looking forward to making the trip to Brisbane next month and hoping they can bring some national titles back to NSW.”
The 2019 National Netball Championships take place at the Queensland State Netball Centre in Brisbane from April 11-16.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance today inspected the site where Sydney Metro’s fifth mega tunnel boring machine is preparing to begin the historic first rail crossing deep under Sydney Harbour.
Tunnel boring machine Kathleen is being assembled at the site of the new Barangaroo metro station, to start tunnelling under the Harbour in June.
“Kathleen will quite literally shape Sydney’s future in the coming months as she builds the first railway tunnels under Sydney Harbour – linking metro rail from the city’s northwest, through the CBD and on to the south west,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This game-changing project is the first new rail line through Sydney since the 1970s and will massively cut travel times for commuters across the whole system.”
The specialised harbour tunnel boring machine is named after Kathleen Butler, who played a vital role in the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the technical advisor to legendary engineer John JJC Bradfield.
This project is providing a boost to the NSW economy, with more than 6200 people to work on the project at the peak of construction.
“I am so excited by the progress of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project,” Mr Constance said.
“Four mega borers have been busy digging more than five kilometres of tunnels under the city in the past five months – that’s 16 per cent of the Sydney Metro Tunnelling task completed.”
Four new Sydney Metro stations are being built in the Sydney CBD – at Martin Place, Pitt Street, Barangaroo and Central.
“This once again shows that only the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will deliver Metro rail across Sydney,” Mr Constance said.
“When Labor was last in office they announced 12 rail projects. They did not deliver one in full and they are already promising to cancel the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro upgrade.”
Kathleen will join the four borers currently digging from Marrickville and Chatswood towards the harbour’s edge.
Together all five tunnel boring machines will deliver twin 15.5 kilometre rail tunnels for Australia’s biggest public transport project.
Sydney Metro Northwest is on track to open in May and is at least a billion dollars under budget. It includes 13 Metro stations and 4000 commuter car parking spaces.
Metro rail is being extended from the north west, into the CBD and beyond to Bankstown in 2024, delivering Sydney 31 metro stations and a 66km standalone metro railway line.

In a massive hit to Western Sydney families just days out from the election, Premier Berejiklian said there will be a second new M4 toll under a Liberal Government in the Sky News leader’s debate.
The current M4 toll is the single largest cost of living issue affecting many M4 commuters in Western Sydney.
In a late night tweet Premier Berejiklian then said she wouldn’t introduce a new M4 toll.
In the debate the Premier was asked if there would be a second toll west of Parramatta. She said there would be under the Liberals. This part of the M4 is currently toll-free.
“Either the Premier is so out of touch she doesn’t know where the tolls are or she slipped up and revealed her real plans for after the election,” Shadow Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car, said.
The current M4 toll costs more than $2,000 a year for a regular commuter – dwarfing soaring electricity prices.
The Liberals are keeping their M4 toll, while Labor is introducing a M4 toll Cashback.
“Every person I speak to is already feeling the pinch from rising costs. A secret new toll would be cruel and unaffordable. It will blow the family budget for tens of thousands of Western Sydney commuters.” Labor Leader, Michael Daley, said.
“This will not happen under Labor. I cannot be more certain, under a Government I lead there will no new tolls on old roads. In fact we will introduce massive cut to tolls paid with our M4 Cashback.”
“This will send a shockwave through Western Sydney,” Shadow Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car, said.
“It is a disaster for family budgets and the Liberals know this, it’s why they have never whispered a word of a new toll before tonight.”
Labor is committed to a M4 Cashback, which was costed in the independent Parliamentary Budget Office’s official statement.

Primary school children in Western Sydney, the Mid North Coast and the Central Coast will be among the first to benefit from free mobile dental checks and basic dental care, under a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced the NSW Government will invest $70 million over the next four years to provide 35 new mobile dental clinics for the service – which will allow checking of up to 136,000 primary school children each year.
“Dental health is so important to give kids a great start in life, and we want to make it easier for families to get access to vital dental services,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals have worked together to deliver a strong budget, which means we can do even more to improve our world-class health system.”
Mr Hazzard said the mobile dental checks would roll out from 1 July 2019.
“When it comes to getting it done, NSW leads the way in free dental care for our children,” Mr Hazzard said.
“These mobile dental clinics will make access easier and parents can have the peace of mind that their children are getting timely preventative dental checks.
“This great initiative will ensure children in areas where there is a high demand for public dental care don’t miss out at a critical time in their lives.
“These mobile dental clinics will also raise awareness among students and families about the importance of developing lifelong good dental health habits,” Mr Hazzard said.
Currently NSW public dental services provide care to children at fixed clinics at hospitals or in the community.
Oral health assessments are performed as part of all child health checks at regular intervals from the age of six months until a child turns four.
Mr Perrottet said strong financial management meant the NSW Liberals & Nationals could invest in improving dental health for children.
“As a parent of five children I know it’s a challenge getting your kids to look after their teeth,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This program will improve dental hygiene, identify problems early and help correct them. It will help put a brighter smile on the faces of parents and their kids.”

More than 1.3 million households using gas could save hundreds of dollars off their energy bills with the NSW Government expanding its popular Energy Switch service.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet today announced the Energy Switch program will be expanded to include household gas from May – just in time to slash winter energy bills.
“This is an opportunity for more than a million households across NSW to see if there is a better deal to be found on their gas bill and help ease the cost of living,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Energy Switch is already saving NSW households hundreds of dollars on their electricity bills and today’s announcement will help people save even more by finding the best deal for gas.”
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) inquiry into Retail Electricity Pricing found NSW has the lowest residential electricity charges of any mainland state, and Ms Berejiklian said driving energy prices lower still was a priority.
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals are committed to reducing the cost of living and delivering lower gas and power prices,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This will help create competition and I encourage people to make use of the Energy Switch program to get the best deal for their electricity and gas.”
Energy Switch is a free service launched in November 2018 which allows households to switch electricity providers in minutes online, via phone or in-person at Service NSW centres.
The program works by using a customer’s latest energy e-bill to scan every retailer in NSW and gives customers the cheapest three energy plans available. If a switch is requested, Service NSW will inform the energy provider.
“It’s a fast and easy process and Service NSW will do the heavy lifting for the customer by checking their gas usage, searching the market for available plans and if savings can be found, then we will make the switch for them,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The average Energy Switch saving so far has been more than $400 on annual electricity bills. I encourage people to see what they can save off their bills.
“While we are helping people cut the cost of living, Labor has promised more than $1 billion worth of new taxes and charges which will hit the hip pockets of people right across NSW.”
The expanded service for gas will be rolled out from May 2019 in all Service NSW centres and online through https://energyswitch.service.nsw.gov.au.
This new initiative, along with the NSW Liberals & Nationals’ plan to install solar energy and battery storage for 300,000 homes and provide a new $200 energy rebate for self-funded retirees, will help to further reduce the cost of living.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has saved households more than $200 million over the last year through a raft of cost of living measures, including cheaper Green Slips, $100 Active Kids and Creative Kids vouchers, Free Rego and the FuelCheck app.
The top 10 suburbs where the most electricity switches have been made through Service NSW’s free Energy Switch service are:

For the first time, passengers have boarded Australia’s first turn-up-and-go train service, which is due to officially open in May more than $1 billion under budget.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance today experienced a test trip on the world-class driverless train which will run services every four minutes.
“It will be an historic day in Australia when the first full passenger service of the Sydney Metro departs from Tallawong station in Rouse Hill,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We are thrilled this $8.3 billion project will be finished on time and $1 billion dollars under budget.
“The Northwest Metro rail line shows that when the NSW Liberals & Nationals make a promise, we deliver on it.”
Mr Constance said Sydney Metro’s launch will deliver a better experience for train customers.
“Customers between Rouse Hill and Chatswood will quickly fall in love with Sydney Metro and it is not hard to see why,” Mr Constance said.
“We delivered this service for the people of Sydney’s Northwest, but we are not done, with the Metro currently being extended from Chatswood, under the Harbour and onto Bankstown.
“You can trust the NSW Liberals & Nationals to deliver for the people of NSW, but you can’t trust Labor.
“When they were last in office Labor promised 12 rail lines and didn’t deliver a single one and now they want to cancel the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro upgrade, depriving Sydney’s South West of world class Metro services.”
The entire 22 train fleet has been delivered and more than 35,000km of train testing has taken place on the Metro system through all 13 stations along the railway.
Stage 2 of Sydney Metro, the City and Southwest line from Chatswood to Bankstown, is on track to have services running in 2024.

A Daley Labor Government will significantly increase government support for passionate volunteer wildlife carers who care for thousands of sick, injured or orphaned native animals every year.
Deputy Labor Leader and Shadow Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, announced that Labor will provide dedicated annual funding to wildlife carers, replacing an ad-hoc and uncertain system that provides little assistance for the important work carried out by wildlife carers every day.

Labor will provide $10,000 to each licensed organisation, including each branch of WIRES, and $1,000 to each individual currently directly licensed to rehabilitate native animals (not registered with an organisation). This will boost annual government contributions from $32,500 to $600,000.

“Volunteer wildlife carers are truly unsung, selfless heroes in communities all around the state, who do the challenging and sometimes heartbreaking work of caring for sick or injured native animals, often in very difficult circumstances,” Ms Sharpe said.

“This crucial funding will assist organisations and volunteers who care for sick, injured or orphaned native animals to pay for critical items needed in the care of these animals, such as food, medication and treatment, transport costs, enclosures and bedding, rescue and safety equipment, and clothing.”

A recent government survey found that wildlife carers provide around $27 million in value of volunteer contributions each year (based on 17 per cent of the sector). The full value is likely to be well over $100 million.
More than one million native animals have been rescued by volunteers since the year 2000, with around 104,000 animals rescued each year over the last four years, across 800 species. Overall, the sector receives about 180,000 calls a year, with most providers offering a 24-hour, seven days a week service.
The survey found that wildlife carer volunteers gave an average of nearly seven times as much time in volunteering as an average volunteer in Australia, while personal expenditure by surveyed volunteers averaged at $3,123 per person with a median of $500 each year.
However, wildlife care organisations and licensed individuals currently have no guaranteed funding from the NSW Government, and in 2017-18 there were just 13 ad-hoc grants handed out for a total of $32,500. Providers rely almost entirely on donations and the goodwill of volunteer wildlife carers.
“I think most people would be shocked that wildlife carers receive almost no support from government when we rely so heavily on being able to reach out to their services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“Labor is deeply committed to the care and protection of native species in NSW, and our wildlife carers deserve our support. The next time you meet a volunteer wildlife carer, please give them your thanks.”
While the Government recently produced a vague draft strategy for the sector using already-announced funding from the NSW Koala Strategy and funding for the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife – no additional funds were provided directly to the work of wildlife carers on the ground.

Regular Opal customers will pay no more than $50 a week under a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government plan to take the pressure off families.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government’s strong economic management means the Opal Weekly Travel cap will be slashed by about 20 per cent for all train, bus, ferry and light rail customers.
“Public transport is a significant cost for regular commuters and we want to make it more affordable,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We expect around 55,000 commuters will benefit from the lower cap, with thousands to save up to $686 a year.
“This is only possible because we have worked our guts out to repair the budget and now we are in a position to take the pressure off families and lower fares for customers.”
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance said reducing the cap from $63.20 from 1 July 2019 would encourage more people to leave their cars at home and catch a train, bus, ferry or tram.
“Only the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is committed to reducing the cost of public transport,” Mr Constance said.
“During Labor’s 16 long, dark years in office public transport fares went up by 60 per cent.”
All of the other Opal benefits already in place will remain, including the Weekly Travel Reward, the Opal Transfer Discount, the $2.50 Gold Opal cap and the $2.70 Sunday Cap.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has saved households more than $200 million over the last year through a raft of cost of living measures, including cheaper Green Slips, $100 Active and Creative Kids vouchers and Free Rego.
Example of yearly savings for regular commuters:

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government today announced a raft of green power initiatives to make it easier for apartments to go solar and keep power bills down.
Measures include driving forward the State’s renewable energy pipeline by working with the private sector, adding more renewable infrastructure and reducing landfill from solar and battery systems.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is committed to clean, reliable and affordable energy solutions for everyone across the State.
“We are lowering the voting threshold from 75 to 50 per cent to more easily install solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicle charging points in strata buildings,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We want everyone to have access to renewable energy and lower energy bills.”
Minister for Energy Don Harwin said the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government would also commit an additional $20 million to the Emerging Energy Program, bringing the total investment to $75 million in the renewable technologies of the future.
“Our Emerging Energy Program will work with the private sector to co-fund around 400 megawatts of new large scale, on-demand renewable energy projects, like batteries, pumped hydro and hydrogen,” Mr Harwin said.
“These new projects will add to our pipeline of close to 19,000 megawatts of renewable projects worth more than $26 billion – a huge pipeline of potential jobs and investment.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals believe in practical action on climate change and our environment in partnership with the private sector and communities across NSW to deliver our goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”
Ms Berejiklian and Mr Harwin also announced $10 million for a new recycling fund for solar panels and battery systems.
“Solar panels have a life of about 30 years and across Australia, roughly 30,000 tonnes will enter landfill by 2030,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We want to recycle and re-use materials in solar panels and battery systems as NSW transitions towards cleaner energy.
“This new fund will help to build on the $800 million of waste and recycling initiatives currently being funded by the NSW Liberals & Nationals, including the Return & Earn Container Deposit Scheme.”
The NSW Liberals & Nationals already have a firm commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and these new, practical initiatives will help to further that ambition.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals are already taking action by:

• Supercharging the roll-out of solar energy and battery storage for 300,000 homes
• Investing $1.4 billion under the Climate Change Fund to reduce emissions and help households and businesses save energy
• Progressing 24 pumped hydro projects with a total generation capacity of around 7,000 megawatts – three times the capacity of Snowy 2.0
• Approving one of Australia’s largest wind farms at Liverpool Plains, which will power nearly 500,000 homes and deliver 800 jobs
• Providing support for 51 renewable energy projects worth close to $10 billion in investment and 6,500 megawatts of capacity, since 2013
• Offsetting all emissions from the Sydney Metro Northwest through investing in the Beryl Solar Farm
• Planting 5 million trees in Greater Sydney by 2030

NSW Labor Leader, Michael Daley, has announced today that Labor will invest $100 million to install solar panels on hundreds of NSW schools.
Mr Daley said:

“The Labor Party knows that climate change is real and unlike the Liberals and Nationals, we’re committed to tackling it.”
“As we saw at rallies across the country on Friday, the next generation is demanding real action on climate change.”
“Putting solar panels on schools will help students further their knowledge about renewable energy, as well as bring down their school’s power bills and reduce emissions.”

Labor’s $100 million Solar Schools package will see solar panels installed on more than 350 schools, to drive down power costs, meaning funding can be directed to students’ learning needs.
The solar panels will also help offset the costs for air conditioning installed in every school as part of Labor’s $800 million Cool Schools policy.
Installing solar panels on schools is part of Labor’s commitment to renewable energy in NSW which includes delivering 100 per cent renewable energy for all State Government agencies by 2025 (it is currently only six per cent).
A Daley Labor Government will also introduce NSW’s first renewable energy target which will require NSW to generate:

• At least 50 per cent of our state’s energy from renewable sources by 2030; and
• Move to as close to as possible 100 per cent energy from renewable sources by 2050.

Labor’s Solar Homes policy will give 500,000 households across NSW the chance to add solar panels to their homes and enjoy cheaper, cleaner and greener energy through a rebate, to be capped at $2,200 per household.
Deputy Labor Leader and Shadow Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe:

Labor takes climate change very seriously unlike the Liberals and Nationals who have neglected the NSW Government’s responsibility to reduce emissions.

Shadow Minister for Climate Change Adam Searle said:

“Solar Schools is yet another aspect of Labor’s plan for cheaper and cleaner energy across NSW.”