Month: May 2021

Students at one of NSW’s newest high schools officially opened their school today with the Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell and Member for Wollondilly Nathaniel Smith.
The students moved into the multimillion-dollar redeveloped Picton High School last month, one of five new and upgraded schools in NSW to open their doors in Term 2.
The $112 million Picton High School caters for students from Years 7-12, with 73 new learning spaces,administrative staff and support facilities, a new library and a covered outdoor learning area (COLA).
The project also included the refurbishment of 11 teaching spaces, new special education facilities and an upgrade of the existing bus and car pickup and drop-off area to increase safety for all users.
Ms Mitchell said it was exciting to visit the school and see how much students and staff were enjoying the new classrooms and facilities.
“Communities across NSW are seeing real improvements at their local schools, with everything from new canteens and playgrounds, to major upgrades, new schools and redevelopments like we see here at Picton High School,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The Liberals & Nationals Government have delivered 15 new and upgraded schools this year as part of our ongoing and record-breaking investment in school infrastructure.”
Member for Wollondilly Nathaniel Smith was excited with the delivery of this major redevelopment for his electorate.
“We want all our students to have the very best learning environments, and these great new facilities at Picton High School will benefit the local community for generations to come,” Mr Smith said.
The new school will accommodate approximately 1,500 students and has been master planned to allow future expansion. The sporting fields and an agricultural shed are due for completion in late 2021.
The NSW Government is investing $7 billion over four years, continuing its program to deliver more than 200 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

Today we commemorate the Stolen Generations on National Sorry Day.
On this day we remember the Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities as a result of past government policies of assimilation.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Harwin said the NSW Government has previously made a 10-year commitment to provide reparations for the Stolen Generations.
“Today is a day to recognise the grief, suffering and loss endured by the Stolen Generations and the ripple effects still felt today,” Mr Harwin said.
“The state government will provide direct resources to Stolen Generation Organisations to support survivor-led collective healing for survivors and their descendants.”
The NSW Government has already committed $3 million in new funding to preserve sites of the former Aboriginal children’s homes in Kinchela, Bomaderry, Cootamundra and Parramatta. The former homes are sites of truth telling and education.
“It is a privilege to work with the Stolen Generations Advisory Committee.  I especially want to acknowledge the courage, determination and strength of Stolen Generations survivors. It is their leadership inspiring change to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma,” Mr Harwin said.
“These sites hold memories of unimaginable childhood trauma, heartbreaking loss and terrible abuse suffered by many Stolen Generations survivors. By working with survivors to preserve the memories of these sites we will ensure the legacy of this history is never forgotten.”
For further information click here.

More than 30 NSW religious and community leaders have come together to encourage all eligible individuals from diverse faith and cultural communities to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The leaders met with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Health Brad Hazzard and Minister for Multiculturalism Geoff Lee at the mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.
“Thank you to community leaders across NSW who have shown leadership throughout the pandemic and continue to provide trusted information to their communities. It is critical to vaccinate our citizens as quickly and as safely as possible,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“There are Cultural Support Workers at the mass vaccination centre who can guide people through the entire process in 25 different languages.”
The mass vaccination centre is now administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to members of the general public aged 50 and over, along with GPs and other NSW Health clinics throughout the state.
The majority of the community leaders have received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered across the state, including more than 360,000 by NSW Health and more than 760,000 by GPs and related providers.
Mr Hazzard thanked the leaders for guiding their communities through such a difficult year in our fight against the virus.
“The pandemic has been extremely challenging for everybody, including people of faith, with many of the normal practices turned on their head, but vaccination is our path back to normal,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Our message to all members of the community is simple – get the COVID vaccine, it will help keep you and your loved ones safe and out of our intensive care units.”
Mr Lee said the COVID-19 vaccine has been taken up across faith communities and encouraged community members to get the vaccine.
“We are working with our faith and community leaders to ensure everyone in our community has access to reliable information about the COVID-19 vaccines,” Mr Lee said.
People aged 50 and over are encouraged to book their AstraZeneca vaccination through their GP in the first instance, but if they are unable to obtain the vaccine from their GP, appointments can also be booked in NSW Health clinics.
Those aged 40-49 can now also register their interest in receiving the Pfizer vaccine. They will be contacted and invited to make a booking when there is availability at clinics.
To book a vaccine and for more information go to: nsw.gov.au/
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccines in your language, please see:
https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccine-information-in-your-language

SafeWork NSW’s Mentally Healthy Workplaces Strategy has been relaunched today, aiming to improve workplace mental health in response to significant shifts in ways of working due to COVID-19.
Minister for Better Regulation, Kevin Anderson said the re-designed strategy is focused on helping every type of business in NSW become mentally healthy.
“SafeWork has already done a fantastic job in supporting businesses implement mental health plans for their workplaces and have trained up more than 14,000 employees, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” Mr Anderson said.
In the last two years SafeWork NSW received more than 5,000 calls for assistance and information in relation to bullying and other psychosocial risks as well as how to get started in creating a mentally health workplace.
“The re-designed strategy is about helping employers move from a model of only prioritising mental health at work following an incident, to offering targeted and proactive support to their employees throughout the year,” Mr Anderson said.
One new initiative in the strategy is “direct practical coaching” for small and medium businesses, providing business leaders with one-on-one training from experts on workplace mental health.
“Through the pilot, every business, at a time convenient to them, can receive tailored guidance on how to address risks related to mental health at work, as well as identify actions and plans to mitigate the issues,” Mr Anderson said.
Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor said knowing how to prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of staff is increasingly important in the wake of COVID-19, and can also make a big difference to morale and productivity.
“Most of us spend about one-third or more of our adult lives at work. It’s a huge part of what we do and can have a significant impact on our mental health in a positive or negative way,” Mrs Taylor said.
“This new and improved strategy is designed to help us ensure we are meeting the needs for every single workplace in NSW to provide an environment that promotes and encourages good mental health.
“Good mental health begins in the community and in the places and times we gather from day-to-day. From high-risk sectors to small and medium businesses, this means equipping each and every one to confidently deliver tailored, practical support to meet the unique needs of their staff from the ground up.”
This strategy comes on top of the NSW Government’s record investment of $2.4 billion on mental health in 2020-21.
The NSW Mentally healthy workplaces strategy can be accessed at https://www.mentalhealthatwork.nsw.gov.au/committing-to-leading-change/the-strategy

Small and medium businesses will benefit from faster payments and savings when sending and receiving invoices with the NSW Government, with e-invoicing to be made mandatory for all government agencies from 1 January 2022.
The mandate will apply to the delivery of goods and services up to the value of $1 million.
Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the mandate will help reduce payment times, paperwork and manual errors, and save buyers and suppliers a significant amount of money.
“This is great news for SMEs who are the backbone of the economy. There is an estimated shared saving of around $20 each time e-invoicing replaces a paper invoice and around $17 each time it replaces a pdf invoice,” Mr Dominello said.
“Based on the 4.2 million invoices across NSW Government in 2019, a shared saving between the suppliers and NSW Government is estimated to be $71 million.
“This means the Government can spend more time helping customers and businesses can focus on their operations.”
Funding was allocated through the Digital Restart Fund to set up an e-invoicing service.
The NSW Government is leading efforts to see e-invoicing adopted across Australia.
Research indicates that e-invoicing rates in Australia range from 15 per cent for small businesses to 23 per cent for large businesses, compared with 28 per cent across Europe and 40 per cent in Denmark and Finland.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said this would improve the way SMEs interact with the Government.
“This mandate will enhance the Government’s existing Faster Payment Terms Policy, by ensuring that the accounts payable teams in Government agencies receive invoices within minutes, enabling payment to eligible small businesses within 5 business days,” Mr Tudehope said.
“One of the biggest issues for small businesses across NSW is cashflow and we want to take steps to ensure that properly rendered invoices reach and are actioned by the right teams as quickly as possible.”
Suppliers will have the option to use e-invoicing or continue to invoice Government agencies through existing means.