Month: May 2020

The NSW Government will allow pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants to have up to 50 customers, subject to a one person per four square metre rule, and with strict social distancing guidelines from 1 June.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the move was about safely bringing back thousands of jobs.
“This decision has been made with expert health advice and both businesses and patrons will be subject to strict rules and guidelines,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“All customers must be seated and no bookings of more than 10 allowed, in addition to many other conditions which must be met.”
Deputy Premier John Barilaro, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello are heading up the Government’s roadmap for reopening the economy and have worked extensively with both the AHA and ClubsNSW.
“This is a game-changer right now, as we continue to deal with the aftermath of the devastating bushfires, continued drought and COVID-19, it’s important for people to find a way to enjoy themselves and take a break from the daily pressures they are facing,” Mr Barilaro said.
“A morale boost and the additional economic stimulus provided by pubs and clubs is what our communities need and I look forward to enjoying a beer in the bush with locals very soon.”
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the Government was moving to swiftly and safely get businesses back in business and people back to work.
“There are about 280,000 people employed in this sector of the economy and allowing venues to safely cater for more customers will provide another boost to business and jobs,” Mr Perrottet said.
“NSW is opening back up for business, and as we ease restrictions everybody needs to follow the health and safety guidelines, to ensure we make it a success and can continue.”
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello, who is responsible for liquor and gaming regulation, said the NSW Government had liaised exhaustively with both AHA and ClubsNSW to deliver this plan.
“This has been really considered and thought out to make sure we have the best regulatory settings in place,” Mr Dominello said.
All venues must ensure social distancing and will need to develop a COVID Safety Plan consistent with NSW Health guidelines
The AHA and ClubsNSW have confirmed their members will comply with all conditions stipulated by NSW Health.
Patrons have been advised to check with the venue before attending to ensure they will be able to attend.

Western Sydney is set for a further construction boom, with two more projects getting the green light today through the NSW Government’s Planning System Acceleration Program.
Planning approval has been given to a new recycling facility in Penrith and a major upgrade to a brick production facility in Horsley Park that, combined, will inject an additional $27.8 million into the economy and support more than 130 local jobs.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Western Sydney has been a big winner in the first tranche of projects that have had their assessments fast-tracked to create jobs and investment in response to COVID-19.
“Western Sydney is undergoing significant growth, which is why we’ve fast-tracked the assessment of projects in the region over the past three weeks to create opportunities for more than 16,000 local jobs and $1.8 billion in investment,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The housing and construction industries will be vital to supporting our State’s economy through the pandemic and so we’re doing what we can to keep the industry moving.”
The latest projects approved in Western Sydney include:

• A $26 million upgrade to the 1960’s Austral Bricks facility at Horsley Park. The state-of-the-art facility will be one of the most technologically advanced of its kind in the world and produce enough bricks to build five homes every hour. The facility’s upgrade will support 60 construction jobs and 35 ongoing operational roles.
• A new $1.8 million recycling and transfer facility in Penrith, operated by NSW Waste Recycling, that will support a significant increase to waste recycling in Western Sydney. The project will support 25 construction jobs and 12 operational roles once complete.

Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said the Planning System Acceleration Program was a vital lever in the State’s economic recovery.
“We have re-prioritised projects in the State’s planning system so projects are assessed more quickly to keep people in jobs and the NSW economy moving during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Stokes said.
“We’ll have another tranche of shovel-ready projects ready to announce shortly, which will also have their assessments finalised within four weeks.”
To be considered for accelerated assessment, a project must already be progressed in the planning system, deliver a public benefit, demonstrate an ability to create jobs during construction and once complete, and be able to commence construction or lodge a development application within six months.
Western Sydney projects approved in Tranche 1 of the Planning System Acceleration Program include:

Project	Investment value	Jobs
Austral Bricks facility upgrade	$26 million	95
Penrith Resource Recovery Facility	$1.8 million	37
Bunnings Warehouse at Bringelly Business Park	$22 million	400
Mt Druitt CBD rezoning	$1.49 billion	15,000
Rezoning land at Glenlee to create a 60 hectare jobs hub	$94.2 million	188
Rezoning the Bankstown CBD to allow more retail, residential and public space	$166 million	332
TOTAL	$1.81 billion	16,052

The NSW Government has signed two construction contracts worth about $600 million to modernise and upgrade infrastructure on the rail network, which will create 550 new jobs.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the major milestone will result in the creation of hundreds of jobs for the NSW economy to deliver essential upgrades to rail infrastructure including stabling yards, signalling, track, station platforms and power supply at key locations between Central, the T8 Airport Line tunnel and the South Coast.
“We’re cracking on with major infrastructure projects like this one to ensure we support jobs, communities and the economy at this critical time,” Mr Constance said.
“Today’s announcement means we are keeping people in work and creating about 350 direct new jobs and around 200 indirect jobs located either in Sydney or on the South Coast.”
The jobs will cover a range of disciplines including engineers, rail construction workers, security guards, truck drivers, electricians, plumbers, labourers, concrete workers and apprentices.
The employment drive will also be focused on developing a diverse workforce by providing opportunities for skills development and training to groups such as women, young people, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
“The work will support the introduction of new suburban and intercity trains and allow us to deliver more frequent train services, with less wait times and a more comfortable journey for customers on the T4 Illawarra, T8 Airport and South Coast lines,” Mr Constance said.
“We’re prioritising these lines because they are among the busiest on the network, catering for 440,000 trips in a typical day, which is around one third of daily rail customers.”
The infrastructure upgrades, which form part of the NSW Government’s $4.3 billion More Trains, More Services program, will be delivered as two separate packages of work, each worth around $300 million.
The Next Rail partnership comprising of John Holland & Jacobs will deliver all projects from Central to Hurstville, while the Transport for Tomorrow partnership comprising of Laing O’Rourke & KBR will deliver all projects between Mortdale and Kiama.
Construction for the rail upgrades will begin in the middle of this year and be completed in advance of the service improvements, which are planned for late 2022.
Further improvements will be delivered for customers in 2024, including on the T4, T8 and South Coast Lines, as part of the More Trains, More Services Program to effectively integrate Sydney Metro City and Southwest.
KEY SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS FOR CUSTOMERS
T4 Illawarra Line

• A 20 per cent increase in peak services on the T4 Illawarra Line. This includes an extra three services an hour in the peak for key hubs like Hurstville and Sutherland
• Additional capacity to carry 3,600 more customers in the peak

T8 Airport Line

• More services for the T8 Airport Line, including a 60 per cent increase at the International, Domestic, Mascot and Green Square stations during the morning peak, meaning trains on average every three to four minutes instead of every six minutes today
• Additional capacity to carry 2,400 more customers in the peak

South Coast Line

• During peak times, all New Intercity Fleet trains will operate as 10 car trains instead of eight, proving a new level of comfort, convenience and reliability for customers
• An extra off peak service each hour between Wollongong and the Sydney CBD, meaning a train every 30 minutes on average

Up to 2,000 new jobs will be created and $4.6 billion will be injected into regional NSW with Australia’s biggest energy storage project getting the go-ahead today from the NSW Government.
Deputy Premier and Member for Monaro John Barilaro said planning approval for the Snowy 2.0 Main Works would mean new jobs, big investment and big infrastructure for regional NSW.
“Snowy Hydro is an icon of our community, with Snowy 2.0 already employing about 500 people, directly injecting more than $35 million into the Snowy Mountains and involving more than 100 local businesses,” Mr Barilaro said.
“This latest approval will see the creation of an extra 2,000 jobs during the construction phase, unlock billions of investment in regional NSW and allow the next stage of construction to further progress this legacy project.”
The project involves the construction of a pumped-hydro power station that sits about 800 metres underground and is about 240 metres long – the equivalent of two football fields.
It also includes the construction of 27 kilometres of tunnels between the Talbingo and Tantangara Reservoirs, lined with 130,500 concrete segments manufactured locally in Polo Flat.
Once complete, the project will add 350 gigawatt hours of energy storage and 2,000 megawatts of generation capacity to the State’s grid – enough to power 500,000 homes during peak demand – and play a major role in the National Electricity Market (NEM) by facilitating the development of renewable energy and putting downward pressure on electricity prices.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said the project’s approval includes strict conditions to minimise and offset environmental impacts.
“In March we approved the Snowy 2.0 Segment Factory, and this month we have approved the Snowy 2.0 Main Works, enabling the creation of new jobs and the flow of substantial investment into our State,” Mr Stokes said.
“The projects approval also requires Snowy Hydro to invest almost $100 million for biodiversity and environmental offsets to protect threatened species and deliver long-term conservation and recreational benefits for the Kosciuszko National Park.”
Snowy Hydro’s CEO, Paul Broad, said that today’s announcement is another major milestone for Snowy 2.0 which is progressing full steam ahead, creating more jobs and significant investment in regional communities.
“Snowy Hydro has been operating responsibly in Kosciuszko National Park for almost 70 years,” Mr Broad said.
“For a small and temporary construction footprint covering just 0.10% of the park, we will deliver 2,000MW of large-scale energy storage to support many other wind and solar projects coming online.”
As part of the approval, the proponent will be required to invest $5 million to develop a captive breeding program for the threatened Stocky Galaxias and Macquarie Perch, install fish-screens to minimise the risk of transfer of pest species downstream, develop an app to share information gathered for the project with visitors of the national park, and restore native vegetation and threatened species habitat once construction infrastructure is decommissioned.
While Exploratory Works continue to progress on site, the project will now be referred to the Federal Government for final approval before Main Works construction commences in the coming months.

A man has been charged after allegedly spitting at a bus driver in Sydney’s Inner West earlier this week.
About 11.45am on Monday (18 May 2020), a man boarded a bus on Marrickville Road, near the intersection of Garners Avenue, Marrickville.
Police will allege in court that the man failed to pay his fare before allegedly spitting at the bus driver, a 42-year-old man.
He ran from the bus towards Marrickville Railway Station.
Officers from the Inner West Police Area Command were notified and commenced an investigation.
Following inquiries and a public appeal, a 30-year-old man was arrested at a home in Wardell Road, Marrickville, about 11.40am yesterday (Thursday 21 May 2020).
He was taken to Newtown Police Station and charged with common assault and fail to pay fare.
The Marrickville man was refused bail to appear at Central Local Court today (Friday 22 May 2020).