Month: September 2022

Today, marks the end of an era as we wake to the news that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed.

On behalf of the NSW Labor Party and Opposition, I offer our deepest and sincere condolences to the Royal Family who today are mourning the death of their beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother and Queen. 

For seven decades, she led with grace and poise. She has shown the utmost integrity, composure and an impeccable dedication to the service of her country and the Commonwealth.She has truly been a constant and reassuring figure in both good times and bad times.

May she rest in peace. 

A Minns Labor Government will restrict the use of mobile phones in NSW public high school classrooms to improve students’ learning and social development.

NSW Labor will also conduct a review into the impact of technology on children and young people and will develop digital media literacy programs with a focus on online ethical behaviours, data privacy and critical thinking skills.

The mobile phone policy would replicate similar initiatives used in South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, which restrict the use of mobile phones, smart watches, tablets and headphones, unless students are under the instruction of a staff member.

Education outcomes in NSW have been declining over the past decade, with NSW now ranked 23^rd in reading, 31^st in maths and 23^rd in science compared to other countries in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings.

In 2006, NSW was effectively ranked 6^th in reading, 9^th in maths and 3^rd in science.

Labor’s announcement is based on evidence from schools such as Davidson High School, and follows consultation with parents and organisations like the Heads Up Alliance and the Centre for Digital Wellbeing, who have been advocating the benefits of this initiative.

Currently, students from kindergarten to Year 6 are not permitted to have mobile phones in their possession during the school day.

Under the proposed policy, students from Years 7 to 12, would have their phones turned off during school hours and kept off and out of sight until the end of the school day.

There will be exemptions for students with special circumstances, such as needing to monitor a health condition, or when under the direct instruction of a teacher for educational purposes or with teacher permission for a specified purpose such as for language translation and communication.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said:

“As a parent of three children myself, I’m worried about the impact of phones and devices on our kids.

“Our kids are the first generation to be fully immersed in this technology, so we cannot be sure what the impacts will be on their young, developing minds.

“Limiting phone use in schools will help cut distractions, deal with cyberbullying and help students catch up academically.

“This will help teachers to teach and students to learn in a focused and supportive environment.”

A Minns Labor Government will build a new primary school in the Carter Street Precinct, next to Sydney Olympic Park.
 
The school will also contain a co-located public preschool, as part of NSW Labor’s plan to deliver increased preschool access across the state.
 
The precinct was rezoned in 2015 for high-rise apartments and upon completion will feature 6,200 new dwellings.
 
The NSW Liberal Government refused to fund the school in its 2022-23 Budget, despite a school site being identified by the Department of Planning.
 
The new school is urgently needed to take pressure off Newington Public School, which is currently overcapacity with 18 demountable classrooms on its playground.
 
The most recent NSW budget shows that the Perrottet Government under-delivered on 113 school infrastructure projects – spending $1.26 billion less than was promised in the 2021-22 budget.
 
Eight out of 10 of the biggest enrolment surges occurred in Greater Western Sydney schools.
 
Nine out of 10 of the schools with largest proportion of students over their enrolment cap are in Greater Western Sydney.
 
NSW Labor Leader, Chris Minns said:

Growing communities need schools – and that’s exactly what my team is focussed on.
 
“Too often infrastructure lags population growth, leaving families waiting years for schools, parks and public transport. A government I lead will aim to address the current government’s poor planning.”

NSW Member for Auburn, Lynda Voltz MP said:
 
“For far too long residents have been sending their children to overcrowded, at capacity schools while the NSW Government fails to build promised new ones. 

“They are pretty good at getting high rise buildings completed, but when it comes to the infrastructure to support these dwellings, this government has failed miserably.”
 
Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Clr Donna Davis said:
 
“The Carter Street precinct has thousands of residents already, with rapid growth causing overcrowding at neighbouring Newington Public School.
 
“This announcement is fantastic news for local families.”

For governments of a long duration, probity in office can often seep away and its members find themselves accused of a lack of integrity or mired in political scandal. It often doesn’t manifest itself in large rackets or kickbacks and bribes – it could also be a culture of spending public money for political ends or misusing taxpayer-funded positions for cronies and pals.

How do I know that? Because as a member of the New South Wales Labor Party I have seen with my own eyes – inside my own party – what happens when a government loses the will to place integrity at the centre of everything they do.

I have seen the drift and the grift, the dramas and the scandals, the self-obsession and self-aggrandising that consumes a government from within when they decide to put their own political hopes and dreams ahead of the public good.

If I have learned anything about integrity from my time in politics, it’s that even though integrity is a noun, as a politician – and as the leader of a party – you are better off thinking of it as a verb. It’s not an outcome you reach, it is a continuous and relentless determination to place integrity at the heart of all your decisions and actions, and that’s precisely what all sides of politics in New South Wales need to do.

That’s why from opposition we have introduced a private members bill that makes the grants process fairer and more accountable by imposing new reporting requirements on ministers and agencies; conferring new powers on the auditor-general to follow the money; and introducing new grants guidelines.

We can’t afford to wait for the next election to start acting on integrity. We need to begin that work today. I have not hesitated to back Gladys Berejiklian or Dom Perrottet when I thought they were on the right path, and I call on the premier to do the same thing and back this important, considered, and urgently needed bill.

At the end of the day, public funds are not the government’s own piggy bank. We want to work with the premier and the government to realise these reforms now.

I’ve said before and I’ll keep saying it – NSW Labor supports the Independent Commission Against Corruption not because it investigates our opponents but because it investigates us. Knowing ICAC is watching helps people have faith and trust in their government and political leaders. I believe in many cases its presence stops corruption before it even begins.

Under a government I lead, Labor will legislate to guarantee independent funding for ICAC. We need a strong and independent ICAC, free to continue its important work unencumbered. If the premier wants to implement this policy before the next election, he will have my full support.

I’ve also announced that Labor will abolish the Liberals’ and Nationals’ senior trade and investment commissioner roles. If Labor wins government in March these $500,000-a-year contracts will not be renewed.

We all know this money could be better spent and the public has the right to know that if Labor does form government we won’t turn around and appoint our own former MPs to jobs that pay more than the premier.

From hard experience, Labor has learned that the pursuit of integrity is not a burden we absolve ourselves of, but an unwavering commitment to always be probing ourselves, and others, to ensure there is integrity in public life in NSW.

The measures outlined here are a good start and will help bring integrity back into the centre of state government decision-making. But they are the beginning of the job, not its end. It also goes to culture.

A senior minister told me at the conclusion of Labor’s time in office that Labor had lost the sense that we are only custodians of high office; that we have no proprietorship, that it can be taken away at any time by the people and we have a duty to hand it back better than how it was when we inherited it.

That’s a lesson I will take into government if we are able to secure the public’s confidence after 12 years in opposition.

Aboriginal people will benefit from the expansion of a grants program, which will create more opportunities for education, training and employment in the NSW public service and local government agencies.
 
Minister for Skills and Training Alister Henskens said the NSW Government has expanded the Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grants to provide more tangible and meaningful pathways for Aboriginal people.
 
“This initiative enables the public service and local councils to deliver more education, training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people,” Mr Henskens said.
 
“The NSW Government’s record investment in skills in the 2022-23 Budget means we can expand the program to support 250 School Based Apprentices and Trainees and more than 20 permanent, temporary or post-high school roles.”
 
The annual grants are named in honour of community leader Elsa Dixon who played a critical role in improving social outcomes for Aboriginal people in the 1970s and 1980s.
 
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Ben Franklin said the program aligns with Closing the Gap targets to increase the number of Aboriginal people engaged in sustainable employment, education and training pathways.
 
“This is an incredible expansion and will see more Aboriginal people secure employment or greater opportunities and choice in their local communities,” Mr Franklin said.
 
“We encourage government agencies and local councils to come forward with their innovative ideas and help remove barriers to education, training and employment for Aboriginal people.”
 
For more information about the grants and how to apply, visit the website.