Month: July 2022

Communities in regional and remote NSW are set to benefit from increased water security through a further $369.6 million investment in the Safe and Secure Water Program in the 2022-23 Budget, including $90 million in new money.
 
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the additional investment will help  to continue work with local water utilities to fund vital water and sewerage infrastructure projects in the regions.
 
“Every project delivered by this program makes a tangible difference to the everyday lives of residents in regional communities,” Mr Toole said.
 
“This funding will ensure we can keep investing in upgrading and building new water infrastructure to safeguard access to quality drinking water, improve water security and provide better wastewater services.”
 
Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson said the Safe and Secure Water Program started in 2017 and has delivered 26 completed projects across towns in regional NSW with funding for more than 200 other projects currently in various stages of delivery.
 
“From the Bundarra sewerage scheme, the Bourke water treatment plant, and the Finley water treatment plant, Safe and Secure Water projects have improved water security for communities right across regional NSW,” Mr Anderson said.
 
“Investing in water and wastewater infrastructure unlocks economic potential across rural and regional NSW by providing the services necessary to support population growth and business development.”
 
The Safe and Secure Water Program (SSWP) is a $1 billion regional infrastructure co-funding program established in 2017.
 
For more information on the Safe and Secure Water Program visit dpie.nsw.gov.au/safe-and-secure-water-program 

NSW Labor is calling on Dominic Perrottet to consider immediate and serious cost of living relief after analysis revealed that the Perrottet Government is currently underspending on its “Cost of Living” programs by almost $1.7 billion.
 
Under the NSW Liberals the cost of living has continued to skyrocket with massive increases in energy bills on the way for the people of New South Wales.
 
From 1 July, some NSW residential customers will pay up to 18 per cent or $369 more each year, while small businesses will pay 20 per cent or $1,130 more. The highest price rises will be seen across Western Sydney, whose residents already pay the highest energy bills as well as steep rises in the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains.
 
In comparison to every other state and territory across the country, NSW currently offers the least support for energy bills to low-income households.

What is clear is that the current rebate scheme is not working – at least $265 million in eligible energy rebates remained unclaimed last year.
 
The average take-up of government energy rebates is 51 per cent, with some as low as 11 per cent.
 
Additionally, Dine and Discover vouchers, and small business fees and charges rebates, will expire in less than two weeks, with hundreds of millions still to go out the door.
 
Dominic Perrottet must guarantee this money won’t be used by the Government to bolster its budget bottom line – this is money that should be redirected as promised to help people pay their energy bills.

There are two simple solutions the government could implement right now when it is most urgently needed – before the budget, and before these programs expire at the end of June:

• Allow small business and not-for-profits to use the available small business fees and charges rebate for their energy bills – which would be enough to give every small business in NSW $400 off their energy bills.
   
• Open the remaining Dine and Discover funds to energy bill relief for households – which would be enough to give every single household in NSW $110 off their energy bills.

These would be targeted and immediate solutions to a cost of living crunch that Dominic Perrottet has allowed to occur under his government.

Chris Minns, NSW Labor leader said:Cost of living is quickly becoming the number one issue in New South Wales – the cost of everything is through the roof in New South Wales and people simply can’t afford it.
“With key measures due to expire in coming weeks, Dominic Perrottet must urgently look at ways to provide serious and immediate cost of living relief – and make sure the money actually gets out the door.

“The Government needs to look at it’s chronic underspend of programs and redirect the money to cost of living relief – it’s a common sense idea. Daniel Mookhey, Shadow Treasurer said:

“Dominic Perrottet has built his budget on the back of chronically underspending programs. It’s one thing to get a big announcement, but it means nothing if the money never gets out the door.

“At a time when cost of living pressures are at record highs, and energy bills are spiking, these programs should be fully paid out – instead the money sits in government coffers”
“Every dollar Dominic Perrottet holds on to is a dollar not going to help struggling families or small businesses” 
Jihad Dib, Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change said:
“People are struggling on so many levels with the surging cost of living pressures and we must ensure that wherever possible, we do whatever we can to ease these pressures. 
“These practical measures will make an enormous difference in lessening the surge of energy costs for families and businesses who will continue to do it tough.
“With the cold weather afoot, we don’t want anyone to have to make a choice between being warm and unable to do so because of unaffordable energy costs 

A Minns Labor Government will put rail safety and budget honesty first, and will abolish Dominic Perrottet’s Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE).
 
TAHE has been a financial and ethical disaster for the NSW Government.
 
The Government first ignored multiple warnings from its own advisors about the inherent conflicts of allowing a for-profit company to manage the safety and value of the State’s rail infrastructure, land and trains.
 
Last year, the Auditor-General took the rare step of refusing to sign-off on the accuracy of the state’s accounts, amidst concerns that Mr Perrotett’s government was using TAHE as a device to artificially reduce the size of the state’s budget deficit.
 
Despite its for-profit status, TAHE has never earned a profit. To date, it has cost the taxpayer more than $25 billion in write-downs and government bail-outs, including a rushed $5.2 billion bailout authorised in December last year. Millions in public money has already been spent by TAHE on consultants and PR firms.
 
Last week Labor revealed State Government plans to fix TAHE’s budget hole by turning it into a mega-property developer. TAHE was secretly tasked with selling off over $40 billion worth of public land near train stations for high-density apartments, student accommodation and even a hotel at Sydney’s Central Station.
 
If elected, NSW Labor will take advice from experts including on rail safety, about a suitable time to implement the TAHE abolition.
 
NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said:

TAHE has always been about the NSW Liberals pursuing their agenda for transport of privatisation and higher fares as well as perpetuating a huge Budget con.
 
“The Perrottet TAHE Budget con as cost the taxpayer $25 billion in write-downs and bail-outs, all the while putting at risk rail safety.

 
Shadow Treasurer, Daniel Mookhey said the public had had enough spin and accounting cons.
 
“TAHE has to go. The public wants an end to the accounting trickery, lavish consultant spending and now the flogging off of public assets – all because Perrottet continues to mismanage the State’s finances.
 
“Perrottet and Kean will sacrifice budget honesty and rail safety to plug the hole in their ailing budget. Labor will always put the safety of our rail network and honesty in the State’s finances first.”