Month: July 2022

More than ten hectares of public land near one of Sydney’s best-connected train stations will be transformed, creating a residential, entertainment and technology hub on the doorstep of the Sydney CBD.
 
Minister for Cities Rob Stokes said the draft master plan for Redfern-North Eveleigh sets a vision for affordable and diverse housing, a start-up hub and entertainment precinct within walking distance of Redfern Station.
 
“The Redfern-North Eveleigh precinct is a ten hectare parcel of inner city public land that has been off limits to the general public for more than a century and provides the perfect place for a new city-shaping precinct,” Mr Stokes said.
 
“We’re transforming the old rail yards by restoring and protecting their heritage value, building new homes and offices while creating more than 14,000 square metres of public space, including a new town square and public parkland.
 
“Just as we’ve seen at Carriageworks, this plan will celebrate Redfern’s deep indigenous connection and industrial past while creating a new precinct that accommodates people to live and work in the inner city.
 
“We’ve set a historic target of 30 per cent diverse housing, half of which must be social and affordable housing, which is triple the Greater Cities Commission’s baseline target.”
 
The draft masterplan is focused on the Paint Shop sub-precinct, named after the 135-year-old red brick Victorian workshop where trains were overhauled up until 1988.
 
Key features of the draft masterplan include:

• Adaptive reuse of the 6,000 square metre Paint Shop building.
• New public square fronting Wilson Street.
• New public parkland near Chief Mechanical Engineer’s building.
• New public square near Carriageworks and the Paint Shop.
• Plans for up to 450 new homes, around 8,000 jobs during construction and up to 16,000 jobs once activated. 
• At 30 percent diverse housing, at least half of which must be social and affordable housing.
• Building heights ranging from three to 28 storeys.

 
“The Paint Shop building provides an incredible canvas to re-imagine Redfern-North Eveleigh into a thriving place in the heart of the inner city,” Mr Stokes said.
 
“The revitalisation of the area around Redfern Station will be complemented by the upcoming plans to redevelop the area around Central Station, bookending Tech Central with two world-class precincts and transport hubs.”
 
“There will be dedicated spaces for startup businesses and better active transport connections between Redfern Station, North Eveleigh and to the bike network.”
 
The NSW Government has prepared a State Significant Precinct study and indicative masterplan for the Paint Shop Sub-Precinct which proposes to change the planning controls to guide future revitalisation. Transport for NSW is working closely with the Transport Asset Holding Entity, the site owner to deliver this transformational renewal.
 
The proposed masterplan for the Paint Shop sub-precinct is on public exhibition until Thursday 25 August. The community is encouraged to provide feedback on the proposal by visiting the Virtual Engagement Room at bit.ly/RNE-virtual-room
 
You can read more about the project here: www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/paintshop

The NSW Government has mobilised its team of veterinarians and specialist biosecurity staff, ramping up efforts to ensure farmers are in the best position to manage a possible incursion of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).  
  
Expert staff from Local Land Services (LLS) will connect with farmers through a series of targeted workshops, webinars, and visits to saleyards and field days to help farmers identify and report the early signs of both FMD and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
  
Acting Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said while the focus remains on keeping these diseases out of NSW, it’s crucial to prepare for a worst-case scenario.  
  
“Our top priority is ensuring FMD and LSD never reach our shores – and we’ve been pushing hard for stronger biosecurity measures to keep our industry safe. But we do need to be prepared for the worst and that’s why we’re arming farmers with the information they need now,” Mr Toole said.
  
“Farmers can play their part by being alert for warning signs, regularly monitoring livestock and quickly reporting any suspect cases.
 
“We also have hundreds of LLS biosecurity signs available across the state for farmers to utilise and to warn people of the risks of bringing unwanted pests onto your property.”
 
Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders said with FMD and LSD on our doorstep, it’s a timely reminder for livestock producers to ensure their farm biosecurity plans are up to date.  
  
“Farm biosecurity plans are the foundation of our State’s preparedness when it comes to new animal and plant diseases,” Mr Saunders said.  
  
“These can be simple measures built into day-to-day operations that will help protect your farm and ultimately, our State.
 
“I am encouraging farmers to be overly cautious with people who come onto their properties and monitor livestock closely for blisters in and around the mouth area, drooling and limping.
 
“If livestock do exhibit any of these unusual signs, they must be reported immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 or their Local Land Services district veterinarian.”
 
Farmers interested in learning more about FMD or LSD, or in attending an upcoming event are encouraged to visit https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/help-and-advice/pests,-weeds-and-diseases/biosecurity-alerts/foot-and-mouth-disease-and-lumpy-skin-disease for more information. 
 
These events will support ongoing surveillance by LLS district veterinarians, who regularly carry out animal disease investigations across the State. 

The NSW Productivity Commission has found keeping beneficial COVID-19 regulatory reforms would see a $3.1 billion boost to the NSW economy over the next decade.
 
Economic benefits come from increased employment flexibility, business flexibility and increased use of digital platforms.
 
Specific measures include:

• $1.9 billion from long service flexibility allowing an employer and a worker to agree to take long service leave in smaller blocks
• $450 million from electronic meetings and voting for strata schemes, community land associations and incorporated associations
• $250 million from a range of planning measures, including 24-hour retail supply chain operations, and allowing home businesses to run 24 hours a day and to employ two to five staff
• $197 million from changes to the sale of takeaway alcohol and home delivery alcohol by licensed venues
• $195 million from digital execution and certification of conveyancing documents and remote witnessing of signatures

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said the Lessons from COVID-19 Regulatory Relaxations paper released today outlines the ongoing benefits of these reforms for the economy and will help inform future regulations.
 
“The Productivity Commission paper has confirmed that most of the temporary regulations that supported communities and businesses during the pandemic delivered valuable and immediate support and will boost the State’s productivity by $3.1 billion over the next decade,” Mr Kean said.
“Measures such as supporting businesses with more flexible retail operating hours and improving how people access long service leave have provided much needed support during the darkest days of the pandemic.
 
“I look forward to hearing from regulators, the community and business representatives about future reform opportunities.”
 
NSW Productivity Commissioner Peter Achterstraat AM said the analysis highlighted the value of trialling and testing new approaches when responding to an evolving crisis.
 
“The reforms increased flexibility such as digital execution and certification of conveyancing documents, business flexibility that allowed restaurants to prepare food for delivery, and employment flexibility that offered employees greater choice in accessing benefits,” Mr Achterstraat said.
 
“Our research found that the reforms driven by the pandemic provided significant direct benefits to the community and an ongoing boost to the economy. As we transition to living with COVID-19, our paper highlights the need for governments to continue to experiment with regulatory changes that promote new ways of working and living.”
 
The Lessons from COVID-19 Regulatory Relaxations paper can be read here: https://www.productivity.nsw.gov.au/lessons-from-covid19-regulatory-relaxations

More than 40 multilingual students are set to bolster the NSW Government’s interpreting ranks after successfully completing its Interpreting Scholarship program.  

Facilitated by the University of NSW, 42 students have graduated from the NSW Government Interpreting Scholarship program and will now be able to put their new qualifications into practice through Multicultural NSW, where they will also be given additional mentoring and professional development. 

Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said the new graduates will be welcome additions among the state’s interpreting professionals.  

“Multicultural NSW is Australia’s leading provider of interpreting services, and each of these graduates has a chance to join its ranks and fill shortages in key languages,” Mr Coure said.  

Among the key languages the new interpreters will be covering include Filipino, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Macedonian, Nepali, Portuguese, Serbian, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese. 

Mr Coure said with a growing number of people in NSW speaking a language other than English, interpreters are more important than ever. 

“The latest census data shows us that more NSW residents are speaking a language other than English at home. Those numbers will continue to grow as more of the world’s citizens choose to find a brighter future in our great state,” Mr Coure said. 

“This scholarship program is about tapping into the availability of these languages in NSW, where we can create job opportunities for people to use their language skills and in turn help their communities.” 

Turkish-Australian student Sena Uzun said she felt the course had prepared her well for community interpreting after completing a bachelor’s degree in translating and interpreting in her former homeland of Turkey. 

“I think what Australia is doing in terms of providing support, and services to multicultural and linguistically diverse communities is very important,” Ms Uzun said. 

Thai-born Lydia Armour said she felt she was better equipped to support her Wollongong Thai community after the course. 

“The level of support from Multicultural NSW and the depth of knowledge from lecturers, tutors and the Thai tutor was amazing,” Ms Armour said. 

“I’m very invested in my Thai community and this is an important way that I can ensure everyone has fairer and more equitable access to services and information.” 

“Interpreting is a very difficult and demanding profession that requires high-level training of competent bilinguals, UNSW is pleased to work in collaboration with Multicultural NSW to extend its course offerings to include more languages as needed in the community,” Professor Sandra Hale said. 

“Training opportunities for many community languages have been limited in Australia. UNSW is very excited to work with Multicultural NSW to fill this critical gap.” 

Multicultural NSW and the University of New South Wales worked together to develop the 20-week micro credential to help fill language shortages. 

Each of the 42 scholarship graduates will now be able to sit a Certified Provisional Interpreter test allowing them to work as interpreters for Multicultural NSW. 

Through the 2022-23 NSW Budget, $8 million per year for two years has been committed to boosting the NSW Government’s languages services, including an expansion of its Interpreter Scholarship Program.