Month: March 2023

NSW Labor will deliver fairer rental rules for renters and owners by providing more certainty as well as reducing the upfront moving costs for renters. 

A NSW Labor Government will allow renters to directly transfer bonds from one property to another. 

These changes will also provide greater clarity on the circumstances in which a lease can end.

Portable bonds

A NSW Labor Government will streamline the rental bond process to allow renters to directly transfer bonds from one property to another, while ensuring owners still have access to funds they may need.

Currently, many renters must find thousands of dollars for a bond for a new property before their existing bond has been refunded.

This leaves renters out of pocket up to several thousand dollars, for up to several weeks. It places many renters in financial stress and forces some to take out personal loans.

The NSW Tenants Union estimates the basic costs of moving home is around $4,000, without taking into account renters being out of pocket for weeks while they wait for their bond to be refunded.

Yet recent data shows that one in three people would need to go into debt to cover an unexpected $600 payment, and one in 10 simply wouldn’t be able to cover it.

The NSW Rental Bond Board will still hold bonds on trust. But it will allow those bonds to be held on trust for the new property, while also ensuring the board can collect against it on behalf of owners for outstanding debt accrued by renters for property damage.

As a result, no owners will be left out of pocket from these changes.

The government has previously tried and failed to implement similar provisions. Despite legislation introduced in 2018, many renters still don’t have access to portable bonds, at a time of record rent increases and severe cost of living pressures.

Reasonable grounds for ending a lease

Labor will clearly outline the grounds on which a lease may be terminated and in effect bring an end to no-ground evictions.

A NSW Labor Government will work closely with stakeholder and advocacy groups to develop a list of reasonable grounds for an owner to end a tenancy, including minimum notice to vacate a property.

Owners will of course retain common sense rights to evict those who are breaking the law, damaging property or not paying rent.  

Reasonable grounds for eviction are already in place in Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT – and these changes would modernise New South Wales’ rental laws.

Renting in New South Wales

Around one third of New South Wales residents live in rented properties – or 944,585 households.

Median rent in the state has increase almost ten per cent between 2016 and 2021 – from $386 to $420.

Over 35 per cent of tenanted households in New South Wales were in rental stress. (They had rent payments greater than 30 per cent of household income).

Chris Minns, NSW Labor Leader, said:

Anyone who rents in Sydney knows just how anxious and challenging a process it can be to find suitable accommodation, never mind the significant costs associated with moving.

“This is a sensible cost of living measure to help ease the pressure on the over 30 per cent of people in New South Wales currently renting.

 “These changes will create a fairer rental regime in this state by providing greater certainty as well as flexibility for both renters and owners.”

Courtney Houssos, NSW Shadow Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation, said:

“Moving house is considered one of life’s most stressful events. These changes will give renters and owners more certainty, allowing renters to build a home while also protecting owners.”

“Introducing reasons for eviction will update and modernise New South Wales’ rental laws and bring us in line with most other states.”

Rose Jackson, NSW Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, said:

“There is a direct relationship between our unfair rental laws and increases in housing stress and homelessness. Ending unfair no grounds evictions will provide certainty to the overwhelming  majority of tenants who do the right thing that they have a place to call home.

“More and more people are renting – and renting for life. As our housing market changes, we need to update and modernize our laws to ensure we are getting the balance right.”

Customers and businesses have saved time, money and now have a gold standard experience when interacting with the State Government, thanks to the nation-leading Service NSW, delivered by the Liberal and Nationals a decade ago this month.

Minister for Customer and Digital Government Victor Dominello said March marks the ten-year anniversary since Service NSW was created in 2013 as a one-stop-shop for government transactions, with customers completing more than half a billion transactions in store, on the phone or online.

“Prior to Service NSW, customers had to take a book with them to get their rego or licence renewed or get a copy of their birth certificate,” Mr Dominello said.

“Service NSW today is an evolutionary leap from the time-wasting, paper-hoarding swamp that was the old RTA.

“Gone are the days of waiting in long queues at different agencies to be confronted with bullet-proof glass at the counter and then having to travel across town to multiple locations to complete linked transactions like changing your name and then needing to update your licence.

“We’ve transformed how customers interact with government, bringing together more than 1000 NSW Government transactions and solutions including cost of living programs and disaster relief grants under the one roof.

“We’ve evolved our digital offerings by creating the Service NSW app, which makes a range of services available at your fingertips, whilst also being inclusive and providing non-digital solutions for those who need them.

“For well over 80 per cent of people the Service NSW app has become the mainstream, making it much easier to access licences, vouchers and credentials without needing to carry a wallet, purse or paper.”

Mr Dominello said since the first Service Centre opened in Kiama in 2013, more than $1.5 billion has been invested into 114 Service Centres with another four to be rolled out across Sydney this year – Eastgardens, North Rocks, Glenmore Park and Tallawong.

“The Liberal and Nationals Government will continue to build Service Centres across the State so there is always a friendly face to help. We’re investing in Service NSW buses to not only get to harder-to-reach communities but also respond to emergencies,” Mr Dominello said.

“Increasingly the problems Service NSW is dealing with are more complex and we have brought in hypercare teams to work on those.

“Service NSW has truly become the flagship when it comes to service delivery, with a 96 per cent satisfaction rating. Whether you’re a family, student, retiree or small business, you can receive personalised support and assistance.

“NSW is not just the figurehead for best practice in this nation but is now globally-recognised.

“And customers can look forward to new offerings in 2023 and beyond, with world-leading Digital ID and the Digital Birth Certificate two of many exciting projects being rolled out.”

For more information about Service NSW, please visit service.nsw.gov.au

This link provides a video of Service NSW’s work over the past decade and photos of old RTA centres: https://we.tl/t-Ia5ipgPznM

Service NSW Fast Facts

• More than 8000 phone lines were streamlined to just one – 13 77 88 – and more than 800 websites have been simplified to one website.
• There have been more than 797 million customer visits since 2013 with more than 55 million calls answered by the Contact Centre, 54 million visits to Service Centres and 688 million website visits.
• There has been more than 4.4 million downloads of the Digital Driver Licence, accounting for about 75 per cent of all motorists in NSW.
• Four Mobile Service Centres travel across the State to people in locations where there is no physical Service NSW presence along with visiting disaster-impacted communities during times of need. The buses travel more than 151,000 kilometres a year and have already served about 40,000 customers.

· The top transactions people visit Service NSW for are driver licence and registration renewal, to transfer a vehicle registration, complete their knowledge and driving tests and Working with Children Checks.

· More than $7.5 billion has been saved by NSW residents since the Savings Finder program was launched in 2018.

· $750 is the average saving per appointment with a Service NSW Savings Specialist.

· We have received about 95 per cent thumbs up across all of our digital programs since 2018.

Top five Service Centres for Savings Finder appointments completed:

1. Ryde (5379 appointments)
2. Hurstville (3418 appointments)
3. Bankstown (3245 appointments)
4. Hornsby (3027 appointments)
5. Albury (2734 appointments)

Liberal candidate for Paramatta, Katie Mullens, welcomes the announcement that people diagnosed with breast cancer will benefit from an additional $1 million to refurbish the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute under a re-elected Perrottet Liberal Government.

“The service sees more than 15,000 patients in any given year and offers a comprehensive and holistic service from the time of diagnosis through to five years of breast cancer follow ups,” Ms Mullens said.

“Its only the Perrottet Liberal Government that continues to invest in more modern and fit for purpose facilities that make a difference for patients in Parramatta and across the state who need care.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the project forms part of the Liberal’s $1.2 billion commitment to upgrade hospitals and health facilities across NSW.

“This investment will deliver modern, fit-for-purpose facilities, and will support best practice management of breast cancer patients during what is a very challenging and often uncertain time,” Mr Perrottet said.

“Significant investments like this in our hospitals and health facilities are only possible because of the Liberal’s long-term economic plan to keep NSW moving forward.”

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the upgrade will create a more modern facility to provide comprehensive state-of-the art breast imaging and interventional service for women in Western Sydney.

“It will provide private spaces for consultations, improved telehealth capability to reduce the need for women to travel to hospital and facilities that better support collaboration between consultants,” Mr Hazzard said.

Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor said this is an incredible service that brings together surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, specialised breast cancer nurses and allied health teams.

“The Westmead Breast Cancer Institute manages more than 580 surgical procedures per year, offering patients a comprehensive range of surgical options for their breast cancer care, including sophisticated plastic surgery.” Mrs Taylor said.

The Institute’s comprehensive research program spans lab-based, translational and clinical research focused on immediate improvements to patient outcomes.

The Stage 2 upgrade will enable:

• Modernisation of the multidisciplinary room and enable modern communications technology and digital technology advancements to conduct multidisciplinary meetings, consultations, and collaboration in real-time;
• Improve the ability of the various disciplines involved in breast cancer management to collaborate online and in person in the day-to-day management of patients, treatment planning, and follow up;
• Improve the ability to conduct telehealth consultations, enabling confidential virtual consultations with patients, reducing the need to attend the hospital;
• Enable radiotherapy planning in quiet dedicated spaces for radiation oncologists;
• Improve functionality and workspaces for medical and nursing staff; and
• Improve educational facilities for practicums, virtual education sessions, and pre-recorded education sessions.

A re-elected Perrottet Liberal Government will commit to supporting the Somali Welfare and Cultural Organisation to host its annual Africultures festival.

Liberal Candidate for Parramatta Katie Mullens welcomed the commitment, saying it would be a major win for the African community.

“We have a rich and diverse African community here in NSW, which has played a major role in promoting our rich multicultural society,” Ms Mullens said.

“By supporting this event, we are helping the community build bridges and find ways to connect people from all walks of life.”

Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said in the next term of Government, the NSW Liberals will invest $80,000 over four years into the running of the major event.

“Africultures is Australia’s largest celebration of African culture, and it is fitting its home is in Australia’s most successful multicultural society,” Mr Coure said.

“Going on 15 years now, this event has been helping African communities across the state and across Australia promote and share their culture with everyone.”

Mr Coure said as part of the commitment, Somali Welfare and Cultural Organisation would receive $20,000 a year for four years to host the event.

“This event captures the essence of African culture and showcases it for all to enjoy, from art and music to fashion, food and even sport,” Mr Coure said.

“Over the years, this event has drawn in thousands of people, and the NSW Liberals want to help the organisers promote their culture to even more people in our state.”

The state’s Chinese communities will once again be supported to hold cultural celebrations and festivals by a re-elected Perrottet Liberal Government.

Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said a re-elected Liberal Government will invest $900,000 over four years to help Chinese communities celebrate major events and festivals across the state.

“We believe in helping our state’s diverse communities be proud of who they are, and one of the ways we do that is by helping them celebrate their culture with everyone,” Mr Coure said. 

“We are once again committing to support to Chinese communities by providing $225,000 a year for four years to do just that.”

Over the past four years, the Perrottet Liberals invested more than $800,000 into Chinese community groups and organisations to host events and festivals throughout the state.

Liberal Member for Willoughby, Tim James, said it is only the Perrottet Liberal Government that continues to invest in local communities and support cultural celebrations.

“Holding major cultural festivals and events is one way to showcase that pride, but also to bring people together, share the spirit of many cultures and celebrate the great harmony and diversity we all treasure” Mr James said.

Liberal candidate for Davidson Matt Cross said the Chinese community has long been an integral part of the state’s multicultural society.

“For generations, the Chinese community has been helping build our state, especially in my local area, to be the great place it is today and has a lot to be proud of.” Mr Cross said.

A re-elected Perrottet Liberal Government will support The Christian Alliance Collective to host its inaugural Easter Festival with $50,000.

The event, which will be hosted by the alliance that’s made up of a collaboration of 70 different Christian groups all from different denominations and cultures across Sydney’s south, will aim to create a fun and family-friendly environment to celebrate Easter.

Liberal Candidate for Kogarah Craig Chung welcomed the commitment to support Sydney’s south region’s Christian groups.

“We have such a rich diversity within the Christian community and it is really pleasing to see this group wanting to bring everyone together to celebrate Easter,” Mr Chung said.

Minister for Multiculturalism said the collective of different Christian groups coming together to celebrate Easter with the whole community reflects how successful NSW is as a multicultural and multi-faith society.

“This coming together to celebrate the importance of Easter really shows that while we are all different, there is still a great deal that unites us all,” Mr Coure said. 

“It is this vision to bring everyone together in the spirit of Easter that the Perrottet Liberal Government is proud to commit $50,000 to running the event in 2024.”

Fishing and boating enthusiasts will have access to better community facilities with a re-elected Liberal and Nationals Government to deliver more than $25 million in upgrades across the state’s waterways and regions.

As part of the commitment, $20 million will be spent to upgrade boating ramps and build new fishing facilities including platforms, kayak ramps, parking, access paths, fish cleaning tables and interactive signage across the state.

An additional $5.5 million will be committed to open up more waterways in Western Sydney for recreational use and boost fishing facilities, including in the Penrith Lakes Parkland, and along the Georges and Parramatta Rivers.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said this will make the state’s lakes, rivers and waterways more accessible for fishers and families alike.

“NSW is home to the most spectacular outdoors experiences in the world, providing the perfect environment for fishing, boating, camping and exploring,” Mr Perrottet said.

“We want to make sure that fishers, boaties, campers and families have access to the facilities they need to enjoy the outdoors across NSW.

“That’s why we’re committing more than $25 million to upgrade boat ramps, jetties, and fishing facilities across our state but particularly in Western Sydney, where there is demand for more fishing spots.

“This is not only good news for those who love to explore the outdoors, but it will provide a boost to local economies by driving tourism, supporting local jobs and providing lifestyle benefits to families.”

Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders said this commitment will provide a major boost to the State’s $3.4 billion recreational fishing sector by creating more opportunities to drop a line.

“NSW is a fishing state. Both up and down our coast, in our cities and our regions, one million people enjoy the popular past time,” Mr Saunders said.

“These significant upgrades will take the high quality fishing that NSW has to offer to the next level and encourage even more people to get involved including more women and children.

“No matter whether you want to catch a feed or just want to get outdoors and go for a fish with your family and friends, the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will continue to protect and improve our waterways for years to come.” 

The funding allocation will be managed by the Department of Primary Industries.