Month: November 2023

The Albanese and Minns governments today announced a further 147,400 fee-free TAFE places will be available in NSW over the next 3 years, giving more people the opportunity to study for future jobs in areas where the economy needs them most.

The places are made possible through Commonwealth Government funding of $130 million, as the governments partner-up to address persistent skills shortages.

The investment also builds on the success of Fee-Free TAFE in 2023, which attracted record enrolments in NSW. As at 30 June 2023, there were:

• over 20,700 enrolments in the care sector  
• over 6400 enrolments in the technology and digital sector
• over 5800 enrolments in the construction sector, and
• over 5200 enrolments in agriculture.

Fee-Free TAFE has resulted in considerable savings for students in NSW. 

Students studying a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care or a Certificate III in School Based Education Support could save up to $1600, and those looking to build a career pathway through a Certificate III in Individual Support could save up to $1450.  

The investment comes less than a month after a national agreement between the Albanese and Minns governments was reached that will unlock 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 NSW vocational education and training sector.

The Albanese government is prepared to invest $3.8 billion, to support the Minns government to expand and transform access to the VET sector, support quality training and implement reforms to address critical skills needs.

Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor said:

“Fee-Free TAFE and VET has been such a success that the Albanese Government is committing to a further 300,000 places starting next year, with 147,400 of those places in NSW.

“This is a $128.9 million Commonwealth investment in skills and training in NSW and comes in addition to the National Skills Agreement which will see $3.8 billion invested into the state VET sector by the Federal Government.

“This is what genuine collaboration and partnership can achieve – real results for everyday Australians – and we couldn’t deliver it without the support of the Minns government.”

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

“This is great news for anyone who’s been thinking of trying vocational education and training in NSW – they now have the opportunity to upskill for free in industries aligned to priority skill areas.

“And if you’re studying the Certificate III in Civil Construction, you could save up to $2100 in fees. Thousands of NSW students will have more money for essentials because of this initiative.

“Businesses across the state will also find it easier to find the skilled workers they need to fill vacancies – this program supports our state’s economy, our students and our businesses.”

A transport milestone for the record books has been achieved, with a metro train completing the 3-minute railway crossing under Sydney Harbour, from North Sydney’s new Victoria Cross Station into the Sydney CBD.

The milestone journey was realised as part of a rigorous testing program underway on the Sydney Metro City and Southwest line, which has recently accelerated into the next testing phase involving multiple trains being tested at higher speeds.

Next year, turn-up-and-go metro trains will take passengers from Victoria Cross Station to Barangaroo Station in just 3 minutes and reach speeds of up to 100km/h in the Sydney Harbour metro tunnel.

Victoria Cross Station is 1 of 6 new city stations that will open in 2024 and will provide commuters with unrivalled connectivity when travelling between the bustling North Sydney business district and the Sydney CBD.

Progress to construct Victoria Cross Station is powering ahead, with the station more than 85% complete.

Work to deliver the station’s platform level built inside Australia’s largest railway cavern, 31m below ground, is now finished.

All 14 new lifts and 19 new escalators to take commuters down to the platform are installed with final commissioning being progressively completed. All 22 of the Opal gates across the 2 entrances are installed, ready for passengers.

Final touches to North Sydney’s newest transport hub will be made in coming months, including to station entrances and adjoining retail and public domain areas. All station works are expected to be completed by early 2024.

The construction of Victoria Cross Station has been nothing short of a logistical triumph requiring ingenuity from Sydney Metro delivery partners Lendlease. Workers built the station by manoeuvring all materials, supplies and equipment through the site’s only access point – an area of just 2.5m², or the size of a standard garage door.

More than 5000 people have worked on the delivery, design and construction of the station, with more than 50,000 employment opportunities created throughout the life of the City and Southwest project.

About 15,150 passengers are expected to pass through Victoria Cross Station during the morning peak when it opens to the public. The station will take pressure off the existing North Sydney Station and provide fast and reliable transport service for passengers in the North Sydney business, education and residential areas. Once open, passengers will have fast metro travel times into the city from Victoria Cross, including to Barangaroo in 3 minutes, Martin Place in 5 minutes and Gadigal in 7 minutes.

Learn more about Sydney Metro Victoria Cross Station.

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said: 

“Seeing this incredible station today and experiencing the 3-minute metro ride under the harbour brings home how truly incredible this city-shaping metro will be when it starts into the Sydney CBD next year.

“World-class metro services will be the fastest express lane in town when travelling across the harbour from the city’s north.

“When Sydney Metro City and Southwest opens in 2024, metro services will move more people across the Harbour in the busiest hour of the peak than the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel combined.

“Sydney Metro will extend the CBD, with the bustling North Sydney business district only a quick few minutes on the metro away from the city centre.

“Extensive testing has been underway on the City and Southwest metro line since April 2023 and so far more than 2500 hours and 12,500 kilometres of testing has been completed as we countdown to the opening of the next exciting stage of metro.”

Members of the community are being encouraged to sign up for the free GoodSAM app which could potentially save lives.

Minister for Health Ryan Park said NSW Ambulance bringing the GoodSAM program to the community will give people who are in cardiac arrest a better chance of survival by alerting nearby registered community members who are willing to perform chest compression – also called cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) – until paramedics arrive.

“This is an internationally recognised program which has improved survival rates for people who have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital,” Mr Park said.

“As we all know, every minute counts when someone is in cardiac arrest.

“By integrating with the Triple Zero (000) dispatch system, the GoodSAM app alerts registered volunteers that someone nearby needs CPR.

“The NSW Ambulance Emergency Medical Call Taker will step the volunteer through providing CPR, while paramedics are on the way.

“I am really impressed to hear that since the 6-week pilot began involving 1600 NSW Ambulance clinical and corporate staff 4 lives have been saved.”

NSW Ambulance Acting Commissioner David Dutton said research shows the first minutes after someone suffers a cardiac arrest are the most crucial to survival, and everyone can help.

“When someone goes into cardiac arrest outside of hospital, they only have an 11% chance of surviving, but the survival rate improves significantly if chest compressions begin in the first few minutes,” Mr Dutton said.

“For every minute that a patient is in cardiac arrest and does not receive CPR, their chance of survival drops by 7% to 20%.

“Anyone who feels able to provide chest compressions can join, and the more people who register to be a GoodSAM responder the better because it increases the odds that someone nearby can provide immediate CPR and save a life if someone is in cardiac arrest.

“I’d like to thank the NSW Ambulance workforce for getting behind this program and extend my appreciation to community members, staff and volunteers from our various partners, including other emergency services, NSW Government departments, volunteer organisations and NSW Health stakeholders, who have signed up in the lead up to today.”

In 2022, the NSW Government announced a $2.5 million partnership between NSW Ambulance and the GoodSAM responder app.

The GoodSAM app works by alerting registered responders when someone near them goes into cardiac arrest and a Triple Zero (000) call has been received. Responders can opt whether or not to accept the alert and respond, while at the same time, an ambulance is dispatched.

You can register as a GoodSam responderlaunch if you’re 18 years old or over, and able and willing to perform CPR. Chest compressions are easy and safe to do. You don’t need to have formal first aid or CPR training to sign up. A video is available on the NSW Ambulance website.

The Minns Labor government has made it easier for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) to close roads in fire emergencies ahead of a dangerous bushfire season, with legislation passing through NSW Parliament this week.

The approval of the Emergency Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 removes a requirement for the RFS to seek permission from Transport for NSW to close roads. It will see a return to the previous arrangement when the RFS only needed permission for closures relating to rail corridors.

In a previous amendment to the Rural Fires Act 1997, made under the Transport Administration Amendment (Transport Entities) Act 2017, Transport for NSW was listed as a “rail authority” under the Act. This change widened the requirement for the RFS to seek permission for emergency road closures to roads not associated with the operation of railways, creating operational consequences.

Identifying whether a road was under the control of Transport for NSW was an additional and complicating factor for the RFS to manage in protecting communities from fires.

While the RFS will no longer need to seek permission before closing roads, it will need to notify Transport for NSW in a timely manner after a road is closed.

The change comes as NSW enters what is expected to be the most challenging bushfire season in years, with hot and dry conditions predicted for summer and several bush and grass fires already burning across the state.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“This is a sensible move that removes a burdensome requirement for the RFS, which has the very important job of keeping communities safe this summer.

“We have already seen the early signs of a challenging fire season, with serious fires in the north and south of the state which have sadly resulted in the loss of 3 lives.

“This bill removes a requirement that was, in the first place, an unintended consequence of a legislative change. It makes sense to change it back.

“I am very proud of the work the more than 70,000 RFS volunteers do, and we are making sure they won’t be held up by an unnecessary administrative hurdle.”

Nurses, paramedics, police, child protection workers, firefighters, cleaners and many more essential workers are set to benefit from landmark industrial reforms that will be introduced into Parliament today.

The reforms will remove the power to cap wages for good, future proofing the New South Wales industrial system against wage suppression.

The reforms will bring in a “mutual gains” model of negotiation, where agencies and unions will be required to sit down together to find mutually agreed improvements to the working lives of essential workers.

It will be supported by the Treasury’s productivity unit to link pay rises to improvements in public services.

The Industrial Relations Commission will instead be required to take into consideration the Government’s fiscal position and outlook.

The Industrial Relations Commission will also facilitate improvements to conditions while taking into account the fiscal position and outlook of the state.

As part of the reforms, an Industrial Court will have the power to bring unions and government agencies together at the negotiating table to resolve disputes.

Specialised judges will be appointed to hear and resolve workplace health and safety matters and underpayments. As of 18 October, 49 people have already died in workplaces in NSW, more than one death a week.

The reforms will lead to safer and more productive workplaces for every person in New South Wales.

Summary of Industrial Relations Amendment Bill 2023

• Abolish section 146C which provides the government the power to regulate a wages cap.
• Require the Industrial Relations Commission to consider “the fiscal position and outlook of the New South Wales Government”.
• Establish a specialised Industrial Court and Commission, whose jurisdiction will include:
  • Issuing orders to resolve a dispute and issuing fines to ensure parties comply with those orders
  • Workplace health and safety
  • Underpayments
• Establish a cooperative model of negotiation – “Mutual Gains Bargaining”.
• Introduce a new objective for the Commission to consider attraction and retention issues.

What is Mutual Gains Bargaining?

Mutual Gains Bargaining is a new cooperative negotiation model for the government and the unions which represents the state’s workforce. It will be supported by the Treasury’s productivity unit to link pay rises to innovation and productivity in the delivery of essential public services.

Mutual Gains Bargaining is defined under the Act:

• Mutual gains bargaining is to be a collaborative approach to bargaining
• Parties to the bargaining are to identify and communicate their key needs to reach an agreement that maximises common interests and reconciles conflicted interests
• The negotiations as consensus-seeking and the parties work together to solve problems
• The bargaining aims to create, maintain or strengthen good relationships between parties

Minister for Industrial Relations, Sophie Cotsis said:

“Paramedics, nurses, teachers, police, firefighters, cleaners and many more workers are furious after having their pay capped for 12 years under the Liberal-Nationals. This reform stops that from happening again and delivers on Labor’s election promise to scrap the wages cap once and for all.

“Better public sector workplaces means better public services. If these reforms pass, schools, hospitals and many more public sector workplaces are set to improve. 

“These reforms won’t just benefit the state’s essential workers, they will improve workplace safety for millions in NSW by providing specialised health and safety judges.