Month: February 2023

Young drivers in regional NSW will be given a cash incentive to help them buy a newer, safer vehicle under a state-first program by the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government.

The new Safer Cars for Country Kids program will provide a $5000 subsidy for up to 1,000 young drivers to help them purchase a safer car.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said this program would help save lives in the bush by getting younger people into safer cars.

“We will get old and unsafe cars off our country roads and make it easier for young drivers to get behind the wheel of a safer car,” Mr Perrottet said.

“This is extra incentive for kids in the bush to ditch their old cars and upgrade to a more modern vehicle with better safety features.

“Young drivers in regional areas clock up the miles, and this is one way we can lower the risk of country kids being seriously injured or losing their life in car accidents.”

Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Police Paul Toole said the initiative recognised that young drivers are much more likely to inherit the old family car, or buy an older, cheaper or less safe vehicle as their first car.

“Every parent wants to know their kids are in the safest possible car when they head off down the road, especially in the regions where they are driving longer distances and dealing with additional challenges like dust and roos,” Mr Toole said.

“This landmark trial will provide a helping hand to young drivers to buy a safer set of wheels – and give their families greater confidence in their safety every time they’re on the road.” 

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will first trial up to 50 young people in selected areas, before rolling out in phases to all regional areas across the state. 

“If we want young people to really benefit from this program then we have to get it right, and this trial will provide us feedback on what works and what doesn’t,” Mr Farraway said.

“If you’re under the age of 25, drive a car with a used car safety rating of 1 or 2 stars, or is unrated and over 16-years-old, you may be eligible to participate in the program and upgrade to a safer vehicle.

“Having good and effective programs that help our next generation of road users such as Safer Cars for Country Kids, will help to keep our great state moving forward.”

Peter Frazer OAM, President of Safer Australian Roads and Highways, supports the initiative. 

“Too many novice drivers in our regional communities are killed or seriously injured simply because their vehicles are not as safe as they could be,” Mr Frazer said.

“Providing support to those who are most at risk will allow them to upgrade their cars to safer ones. This initiative will help save lives.”

Driver education specialist Matthew Irvine said staying safe on the road presents extra challenges for young people living in the country.

“People living in regional NSW usually spend more time on the road, driving longer distances and at higher speeds. Programs such as the one announced today will definitely help keep our young people safe on the roads,” Mr Irvine said.

“Research shows newer vehicles equipped with advanced active and passive safety technology are far less likely to be involved in a fatal crash.

“As someone who educates young drivers, today’s announcement is a big positive and a step in the right direction to saving more lives on our roads.”

The average age of vehicles in NSW is 10 years, and it takes longer for newer cars with better safety technology to filter out to younger drivers, especially those in regional areas.

Electronic Stability Control and advanced safety features such as, autonomous emergency braking or Lane Keeping System technologies have proven to reduce crashes.

More information on eligibility is available here

The South Coast and Bega Liberal candidates have welcomed the commitment by the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government to inject $23 million into Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW), the biggest investment in the organisation in its 116-year history.

Candidate for South Coast Luke Sikora and Bega Russell Fitzpatrick said the funding will significantly enhance SLSNSW’s capability with new rescue vehicles, jet skis and more.

“This is an incredibly important funding commitment from the Perrottet Liberal Team. It supports volunteer lifesavers who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our beaches and keep them safe,” Mr Sikora said.

Mr Fitzpatrick said, “The Perrottet Government’s plan for the future includes supporting frontline services. That is only possible from their strong economic record which allows significant funding like this to be injected into Surf Life Saving NSW to assist the volunteer lifesavers.”

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke said the funding commitment for SLSNSW comes at a critical time.

“This summer is not over yet but we’ve already experienced record numbers of rescues and sadly drownings. This extra funding will go a long way towards ensuring our volunteers are better supported to keep our communities safer and stronger,” Ms Cooke said.

SLSNSW President George Shales said an investment in lifesavers is an investment in community safety.

“I welcome today’s announcement, which is a significant increase on previous NSW Government support for our thousands of volunteers and staff. Every single dollar will make a difference to the equipment and resources our volunteers rely on, helping us to save more lives,” Mr Shales said.

The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s $23 million funding commitment consists of:

• 22 new rescue vehicles and 68 new jet skis, which can also be deployed during other natural disasters like floods;
• 40 additional Emergency Response Beacons, enabling lifesavers to remotely monitor unpatrolled sections of the NSW coastline;
• Additional emergency management staff permanently based in Regional NSW;
• Radio communications upgrades on the Far South Coast, South Coast, North Coast and Mid North Coast; and
• An additional $5 million for the Surf Club Facility Program (taking it to $15 million in total), which is administered by the Office of Sport to develop facilities that increase participation in surf life saving for all people, increase usage and improve safety.

Narrabeen Beach Surf Lifesaving Club will receive a new life-saving device after the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government awarded more than $500,000 through the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program.

Candidate for Pittwater, Rory Amon, welcomed the announcement and said the grant covered the full cost of the equipment, enabling more sporting organisations to benefit from the program.

“This new life-saving device will have a big part to play in keeping our volunteer surf lifesavers and local beach-goers safe,” Mr Amon said.

“With more and more people of all ages attending our beautiful local beaches     , this funding will be put to good use to respond to life-threatening      emergencies around Narrabeen Beach.”

Minister for Sport Alister Henskens said there was record demand for the devices in the latest round of the program.

“Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and we want the same number of players that start a game to finish it,” Mr Henskens said.

“This NSW Liberal and Nationals Government program provides sports with early access to a defibrillator and ensures they are better-equipped to respond to life-threatening      emergencies.”

For further information on the Local Sports Defibrillator Program, visit www.sport.nsw.gov.au.

NSW will be the first state in Australia to allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions for the contraceptive pill as part of a fast-tracked plan to make it easier for people to access important medications and treatments.

Under a re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government it will be more convenient and cheaper for women to visit their pharmacist with consultations related to the contraceptive pill and UTI treatments to be free for a 12 month trial period.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said this pharmacy plan would transform healthcare with people able to book online to see a pharmacist or simply walk into their local pharmacy and get the care they need.

“This is about making it easier and quicker for people, particularly women, to access important prescription medications and treatments,” Mr Perrottet said.

“It’s harder than ever to get into a GP and that’s why these changes will make a real difference to people who need to access a range of prescriptions and treatments.

“It’s clear changes are needed at the federal level to help our GPs but NSW is not going to sit back and wait, instead we’re fast-tracking these important reforms to give people the care they need now.”

Under our pharmacy plan, the NSW Liberal and Nationals will:

• Cover the cost of the patient consultation fee for the treatment of UTI and the contraceptive pill;
• Commence the prescribing trial for the treatment of UTI’s on 1 April 2023; and
• Accelerate the commencement of the trial for the renewal of oral contraceptive pill prescriptions to 1 July 2023 and allow pharmacists to extend an original script issued by a GP or nurse practitioner in the past 2 years.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said many pharmacists already help women in need of emergency contraception, so extending the scope of what they can prescribe enhances their role in providing this care.

“The community pharmacist has an important role to play in providing healthcare and allowing them to do more will benefit patients and help ease the pressure on other healthcare providers, including GPs and hospitals,” Mr Hazzard said.

Minister for Women, Regional Health and Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the trial will make a huge difference to women across the State, particularly those living in rural and regional NSW.

“The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government has heard loud and clear that the process of getting a script for your UTI or your birth control pill needs to be made simpler,” Mrs Taylor said.

“We know that the GP shortages in the bush are blowing out appointment wait times to days and even weeks. This reform will ease the pressure on primary care and ensure women are able to get the help they need, when they need it.”

NSW Health will work with participating pharmacists who will be required to undertake additional training for these specific conditions to ensure safe prescribing practices.

The NSW Government has partnered with the University of Newcastle to design and implement the clinical trial.

Data gathered from the clinical trial will be used to inform any future changes to the role of pharmacists in the healthcare system.

Under the NSW Government’s pharmacy reforms, residents of NSW have also been able to access additional vaccinations from pharmacists since November 2022.

A re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will inject $23 million in to Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) to deliver vital new rescue equipment to help keep people safe along our coastline.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the funding would deliver additional rescue vehicles, jet skis, Emergency Response Beacons and communications upgrades right across the state.

“Our volunteer surf lifesavers are the lifeblood of our coastal communities, working tirelessly to protect people right up and down our state’s coastline,” Mr Perrottet said.

“This is the biggest investment that any state government has committed to SLSNSW in its 116-year history and will equip our volunteers with the equipment they need to continue to keep people as safe as possible.

“Importantly, these new rescue vehicles and jet skis can also be used during other natural disasters like floods, providing greater protections to communities right across the state.”

Minister for Sport Alister Henskens said the funding includes an additional $5 million for an expansion of the successful Surf Club Facilities Program.

“Surf clubs are community hubs for our coastal towns and we are doubling the size of this program so that dozens more facilities can undergo renovations and improvements,” Mr Henskens said.

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke said the funding commitment for SLSNSW comes at a critical time.

“This summer is not over yet but we’ve already experienced record numbers of rescues and sadly drownings. This extra funding will go a long way towards ensuring our volunteers are better supported to keep our communities safer and stronger,” Ms Cooke said,

SLSNSW President George Shales said an investment in lifesavers is an investment in community safety.

I welcome today’s announcement, which is a significant increase on previous SW Government support for our thousands of volunteers and hundreds of staff. Every single dollar will make a difference to the equipment and resources our volunteers rely on, helping us to save more lives,” Mr Shales said

The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s $23 million funding commitment consists of:

• 22 new rescue vehicles and 68 new jet skis, which can also be deployed during other natural disasters like floods;
• 40 additional Emergency Response Beacons, enabling lifesavers to remotely monitor unpatrolled sections of the SW coastline;
• Additional emergency management staff permanently based in Regional NSW;
• Radio communications upgrades along the south and north coasts; and
• An additional $5 million for the Surf Club Facility Program (taking it to $15 million in total), which is administered by the Office of Sport to develop facilities that increase participation in surf life saving for all people, increase usage and improve safety.

There are 76,000 SLSNSW members, of which 21,000 are frontline volunteers who patrol 129 coastal locations every weekend and public holiday between the October long weekend and Anzac Day long weekend.