Month: October 2023

The NSW Government is continuing to invest in grassroots sporting organisations and championing women’s participation is sport with the opening of the Level the Playing Field Program and Organisation Sport Program.

From today, up to $30 million is available to providers of grassroots sport through the Level the Playing Field Program to support the continued growth of women’s and girls’ sport and recreation off the back of the Matildas’ success in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. 

The program will fund new and upgraded facilities as well as deliver fit-for-purpose amenities, such as change rooms and improved lighting, to foster a safe and inclusive environment for women and girls.

The NSW Government has also doubled the funding available to state sporting organisations, with $5 million aimed at supporting organisations to increase participation of in sport and recreation, with greater incentives for increasing female participation in sport both on and off the field.

Both grant programs are now open for applications.

Level the Playing Field Program applications will close at 1pm on Thursday 30 November 2023.

Organisation Support Program applications will close at 2pm on Friday 11 November 2023.

To apply, visit:

• Level the Playing Fieldlaunch
• Organisation Support Programlaunch.

NSW Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

“The Matildas have changed the landscape of women’s sport forever and this funding will ensure the momentum continues across all codes.

“Research shows that girls start to lose interest in sport and physical activity during their teens. Factors that can influence their decision to withdraw from sport include the quality of facilities and whether the environment is inclusive.

“Our aim is to nurture the lifelong participation of girls in sport by delivering fit-for-purpose facilities and amenities so that women and girls of all ages feel comfortable, safe and welcome.”

NSW Minister for Women Jodie Harrison:

“Watching the Matildas during the recent Women’s World Cup really galvanised the nation and put a fire in the belly of women and girls to get involved in sport.

“But we know women face different barriers to men when participating in sport. This is an important announcement which demonstrates the NSW Government’s commitment to levelling the playing field and backing female participation in sport.”

Chairman Sports NSW Chris Hall said:

“The increased funding through the Organisation Support Program is vital to ensuring our sporting codes can swiftly respond to emerging trends and challenges as well as increase participation across the state.

“It is particularly important that state sporting organisations are supported to build capacity so they can increase diversity and grow participation in NSW.

“Community sport builds connected, healthy and active communities – which would not be possible without the support of the NSW Government.”

Applications are now open for $16 million in NSW Government funding to maintain and improve Crown land reserves for the use of communities across the state, with $14 million in grants and $2 million in loans on offer.

Applications for the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund (CRIF) are open from 16 October to 17 November 2023 through Crown Lands in the Department of Planning and Environment. 

Eligible applicants include all Crown land managers including local councils, community organisations, and user groups that are licensed to use Crown reserves across NSW, as well as commons and also showgrounds on freehold land.

CRIF grants and loans support projects that can deliver social, cultural, environmental or economic benefits to local communities. They help maintain and upgrade reserves and facilities on them so residents can use and enjoy them, and also protect areas of important environmental land.

Grants also support weed and pest management projects to ensure we have healthy public reserves that help protect native plants and animals from invasive species.

The 2023-24 CRIF round will focus on projects that have positive community impacts by:

• Maintaining or increasing public access, amenity and use of a reserve.
• Supporting social cohesion and participation in community life.
• Enabling people with accessibility requirements or living with a disability to be included.
• Delivering a service or infrastructure to enable Aboriginal people to access, care for or protect and manage land.
• Conserving heritage values and/or natural values of a reserve.
• Creating employment or business opportunities.

For more information and to apply visit Crown Reserves Improvement Fundlaunch. 

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“Crown reserves support communities by protecting the environment and providing open spaces and facilities for parks, ovals, walking, cycling, camping and other sports and recreation activities, to keep communities healthy and happy.

“They also provide land for community organisations and assets like showgrounds, public halls, scouts and girl guide groups, surf life saving clubs, racecourses and more.

“These grants will help ensure local community land continues to prosper into the future.”

Terraces and 1 to 2 storey unit blocks are permitted in low density residential (R2) zoning in only 2 of 32 Local Environmental Plans (LEPs) – that’s just 6% of the LEPs across Sydney. This is despite 77% of land being zoned for low density residential (R2).

This has meant that over the last 12 years, low rise density has been ignored in the face of a growing housing crisis.

Suburbs like Glebe, Surry Hills, Redfern, Waverton and many more were built using this type of density, they are still standing more than 100 years later, supporting vibrant communities.

Greater density is better for the environment and ultimately cost the taxpayer less.

Terraces, townhouses and low-rise apartments have a significant role to play in creating diverse housing options as we confront the housing crisis.

If we were able to put a terrace on 5% of lots of land zoned low density, we would get 67,500 new homes, which is more than 20% of what we need to deliver by 2029.

The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, will be writing to councils to encourage them to permit this type of housing within their local government areas.

We are not using our land well and it is costing us.

The NSW Productivity Commission released a report this year that found a double to quadruple cost to keep going out compared to infill development.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“It’s surprising and disappointing that housing types synonymous with Sydney’s housing past are not permitted to be part of Sydney’s housing future, because of local planning rules.

“I will be writing to councils whose LEPs presently do not permit terraces and small apartment blocks in these residential zones, to make it clear that these types of houses are critical to address the housing crisis.

“We want to make infill housing a priority. It’s cheaper to deliver and better for the environment.

“More housing in existing suburbs gives young people, especially, a choice to live near their parents – not be forced to live with their parents.

“It also saves essential workers from having to travel long distances to get to centrally locates places of work, like hospitals and schools.

The Minns Labor Government is exceeding its commitment to convert more than 16,000 temporary teachers and support staff to permanent positions, delivering on one of its signature election promises.

The commitment aims to turn around the workforce crisis in NSW public schools, which last year saw a record 1,854 teachers resign.

Some teachers who were considering leaving the profession are now staying thanks to the initiative, according to feedback given to the NSW Department of Education.

In just six months, more than 16,700 temporary teachers and support staff accepted a permanent position at their current school, exceeding the Government’s expectations and moving ahead with the goal of improving education outcomes for students in the state’s public schools.

Under the first tranche of offers, some 10,000 teachers were offered permanent roles, with almost 9,000 accepting a permanent position so far.

Some 7,700 temporary school support staff have also accepted a permanent role, which goes above the Minns Labor Government’s election commitment to deliver 6,000 of these roles.

Work is now underway on preparing for the next tranche of offers.

This work reverses the decade of systemic casualisation of the teaching workforce by the former Government, where the number of temporary teachers exploded from 11,700 in 2011 to more than 24,000 in 2023.

When the Minns Labor Government came to office, only about 60 per cent of the teaching workforce had permanent and stable employment.

The OECD recently released a damning report into the former Government’s record in education, stating that “the high proportion of temporary contracts” caused “adverse effects for schools, teachers and students”.

In its report, the OECD also found casualisation was “a barrier to retaining graduate teachers”, negatively affecting their motivation, and was one of the reasons behind the “growing number of newly qualified teachers leaving the profession”.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“After just over six months in office not only are we delivering on our commitment to make thousands of temporary teachers and support staff permanent – we are going even further.

“We have exceeded our expectations on where we thought we would be in our efforts to provide job security to temporary teachers and staff.

“I am so pleased that an overwhelming majority of 10,000 offers we have made to teachers so far have been accepted.

“Bringing job security back to teaching is just one way we are restoring pride in the profession and keeping our best teachers in front of classrooms.

“As we continue to provide more permanent roles in schools, I look forward to providing more teachers and support staff the certainty they need to make teaching their life’s work and make long-term plans like applying for a mortgage or putting down roots”.

The NSW Government is acting to take pressure off of some of the state’s busy emergency departments by diverting drug and alcohol presentations to specialised units.

Safe assessment units are designed to better support people presenting to emergency departments with behavioural disturbances associated with alcohol and drugs.

Two of these units will be rolled out at the Prince of Wales and Nepean hospitals.

People presenting with behavioural disturbances are often vulnerable and become overwhelmed by the environment in the ED.

These units will provide a safe, low stimulus environment in which patients can be admitted, assessed, and treated.

They will allow patients to be treated by a multidisciplinary team of clinicans working across mental health, clinical pharmacology and alcohol and drug teams.

Similar models of care have resulted in improved patient outcomes, reduced need for sedation and restraint, as well as a reduction in the length of stay and time to be seen in EDs.

Both Units are expected to be ready to start seeing patients early next year, and will complement the existing Psychiatry and Non-Prescription Drug and Alcohol (PANDA) Unit within St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.

The PANDA Unit, established in 2020, is co-located with the St Vincent’s ED and was the first service of this kind in Australia.

To ensure patients receive ongoing support after discharge, care will be provided through collaboration with the community alcohol and other drug sector, the community mental health sector and other health and community services.

The units will be co-located within each ED.

Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“We are acting to reduce pressure on our busy emergency departments by providing more appropriate care and treatment to drug and alcohol presentations.

“These units create a safe environment, not only for patients presenting with disturbances associated with alcohol and drugs, but also our frontline health workers and other patients presenting to our emergency departments.

“As Health Minister, I am embracing new and innovative initiatives to relieve pressure on our emergency departments by ensuring people receive the appropriate care when and where they need it.”

With heart disease being the leading cause of death in Australia, NSW residents aged 45 and over, or 30 and over for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, are reminded to book in for their regular heart health check.

Health Minister Ryan Park joined fellow Members of Parliament at an event hosted by the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in NSW Parliament to promote 10-minute Heart Health Checks.

“Heart disease, as we well know, is the leading cause of death in Australia. Simple initiatives like this one by the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute are an ideal opportunity for early intervention – and they are literally saving lives,” Mr Park said.

“The Heart Health Check is really easy and it takes just 10 minutes and included tests for blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.

“Picking up on problems early means you and your doctor can better manage and prevent other health issues from occurring further down the line.

“Nearly 40 per cent of the disease burden in Australia is due to risk factors such as the ones being measured in Heart Health Checks.”

“Anyone looking for check-up on their heart health can book in with their GP for a Heart Health Check, who will help you better understand your risk of a heart attack or stroke and support you to lower this risk.”  

CEO and Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Professor Jason Kovacic, said the good news is that all three of these early indicators of possible heart disease can be changed by making improvements to your lifestyle.

“Making even small positive changes to your lifestyle, including your diet and activity levels can make a big difference to these risk factors and a person’s overall heart health,” Professor Kovacic said.

“The results of the test are presented to the person and if any measure is outside the normal range, they are recommended to make an appointment to see their GP.”

Along with keeping physically active, the World Health Organisation recommends:

• Quitting smoking or not smoking at all
• Eating a healthy diet
• Drinking alcohol in moderation
• Looking after your weight

The NSW Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy 2022-2032launch outlines steps for achieving better health outcomes for all. The Strategy sets the foundation for collaboration between NSW Health, partner organisations and agencies to support keeping people healthy and well over the next decade.

The strategy includes a range of initiatives that support healthy living, including the Get Healthy Service, a free phone and online health coaching service, staffed by qualified health coaches.

It provides personalised support to anyone 16 years and over to maintain healthy eating habits, get active, reduce alcohol, and reach a healthy weight.

The Albanese and Minns governments have signed a landmark agreement that will deliver billions of dollars to build the skills and prosperity of NSW.

The landmark 5-year National Skills Agreement (NSA) – which will take effect from January next year – was developed under principles agreed by National Cabinet and will embed national cooperation and strategic investment in the NSW vocational education and training sector.

NSW is set to benefit from over $3.81 billion of investment from the Albanese Government, supporting investment by the Minns Government to expand and transform access to the VET sector.

The 5-year agreement places TAFE at the heart of the VET sector, providing the funding certainty required to support quality training and implement reforms to address critical skills needs. 

The NSA will provide for $1.055 billion of additional funding to NSW, enabling NSW to complete significant reform to the skills and training sector. This will support the Minns Government’s commitments to investing and rebuilding TAFE NSW and the broader skills sector. 

This includes investing in TAFE Centres of Excellence, boosting foundation skills in language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy and Closing the Gap in educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In an historic first, a new national stewardship model will coordinate strategic investment in skills across the economy and support delivery of skills needed in national priority areas, as well as providing states and territories with flexibility to meet local industry skills needs.

Nationally, the $12.6 billion investment by the Commonwealth includes an extra $2.4 billion in flexible funding to support state and territory skills sectors with capacity to deliver skills for critical and emerging industries. Priorities include:

• clean energy and Net Zero transformation of the economy.
• Australia’s sovereign capability, including advanced manufacturing skills, national security, food security and construction.
• care and support services.
• ensuring Australia’s digital and technology capability

This new investment is on top of $414 million already committed nationally for the delivery of 300,000 fee-free TAFE places from 2024.

Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor said:

“This landmark agreement will kickstart real change”

“I’d like to thank my counterpart Skills Ministers for their genuine cooperation in looking to rebuild national vocational education and training, with TAFE at its heart.”

“The TAFE sector has endured periods of underfunding, impacts of deregulation, loose rules of VET market entry, a lack of national cohesion and an obsession for competition at the expense of collaboration.”

“By providing genuine national leadership in partnership with states and territories, we are building a system that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

“A high performing and world class VET sector is crucial for achieving a fairer society and a stronger economy.” 

NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan MP said:

“The National Skills Agreement marks a united commitment from the Commonwealth and NSW Government to train key workers in priority industries and build a robust and scalable skills-force.”

“Over the next 5 years, we will have the tools to rebuild TAFE, proactively manage skills shortages and support some of our state’s most disadvantaged students.”

“TAFE has experienced years of uncertainty. This agreement will ensure its long-term stability. Through TAFE, we will be able to upskill in-demand workers and maximise opportunities in the skills system.”

“It is particularly pleasing to see the close alignment in priorities between the NSW and Federal governments, with support provided for Minns Government commitments such as TAFE Centres of Excellence, Closing the Gap initiatives, ensuring access to literacy and numeracy training, and improving course completions.” 

Addressing the teacher shortage crisis and easing workload will be a priority for the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) as the Minns Labor Government issues its first Statement of Expectations.

For the first time, the NSW Government’s expectations for NESA will explicitly ask the regulatory body to reduce unnecessary workload and ensure the accreditation process for teachers is not overly burdensome.

The Minns Labor Government is committed to improving educational outcomes for students, and ensuring every child in NSW receives a high-quality education.

Having an education system that values and supports teachers is key to delivering this promise.

The Statement of Expectations will also require NESA to focus on clear and concise language and ensure its requirements of teachers are explicit.

Taking these steps will help avoid duplication and the creation of unnecessary work, as well as any misunderstanding about what is required of educators in NSW.

Other points include working with higher education providers to ensure high-quality programs are being delivered that properly prepare graduate teachers for the classroom.

NESA will also be asked to work on streamlining processes and removing unnecessary barriers for teachers in the areas of greatest need while maintaining NSW’s high standards for the profession.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“We know NESA shares the NSW Government’s commitment to improving student educational outcomes, but that won’t happen while we have overworked and burnt-out teachers.

“Addressing the teacher shortage crisis requires all parts of our system to be working together to relieve the burden on our teaching workforce.

“NESA is already doing great things to support our teachers, and we look forward to working with the authority to do more to ease teachers’ workload, providing a benefit to all the state’s students.”

Young people in custody are being given the opportunity to learn new skills to help them transition back into the community thanks to the Try a Trade program, jointly run by Youth Justice NSW and Training Services NSW.

The young people at Frank Baxter Youth Justice Centre in Kariong can try a range of trades including bricklaying, plastering, barbering, mechanics, carpentry, warehousing and plumbing.

Local businesses such as Colonial Painting and Decorating Service at Gosford have volunteered to teach participants plastering and painting to build connections with a potential new workforce.

The first Try a Trade day was held at Cobham Youth Justice Centre with 10 workshops held across a range of trades including carpentry, painting, and landscaping.

A second session ran at the Riverina Youth Justice Centre, where 5 businesses across different trades visited the centre to teach a range of skills including plumbing, carpentry, painting, traffic control and mechanics. 

As a result of the previous Try a Trade days at Cobham and Riverina Youth Justice Centres, 10 young people have gained employment in their chosen pathway, 2 young people have commenced apprenticeships, and over 30 have identified a set trade as a career option when they hadn’t previously done so.

Try a Trade days will be run across all 6 youth justice centres around the state throughout the remainder of 2023. These are in addition to the skills and trades programs already running in youth justice centres.

Minister for Youth Justice Jihad Dib said:

“A key focus for Youth Justice is supporting young people to transition from custody back into the community.

“The Try a Trade days not only allow young people to sample a few trade options and learn some new skills, but they also help them build community connections and links that will still be there when they leave custody.

“This is a great initiative because it finds a way to upskill young people for their reintegration into community, and the success stories we have heard so far show it is working.”

Minister for Skills Steve Whan said:

“Providing people training and a career is a critical part of setting people onto a more positive path in their lives.

“Initiatives like Try a Trade provide a real opportunity to engage in life changing educational opportunities.”