Month: November 2023

The NSW Government has today committed $750,000 to Paralympics Australia to support athletes competing at next year’s Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, matching a commitment made to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) National Team Appeal in March.

The funding reaffirms NSW’s commitment to backing athletes with disabilities and reflects the state’s unwavering dedication to promoting the Paralympic movement and recognising the outstanding accomplishments of all Australian athletes.

The financial support will contribute to covering the escalating operational costs of helping the Australian Paralympic team achieve its sporting dream, including flights, accommodation, meals, uniforms and medical services.

The Paralympic Games provide an opportunity for people with motor disabilities, sensory disabilities or intellectual disabilities to achieve sporting excellence, entertain crowds of spectators and showcase their skills across a range of sports, from wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball to para swimming, para athletics and para equestrian.

The Games will be held in France over 12 days, from 28 August – 8 September 2024 and bring together 4,400 athletes competing across 549 events.

Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

“It is a great honour to support our National Paralympic team as it prepares to represent Australia at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Our fantastic Paralympic team is gearing up to represent Australia in 19 out of the 22 sports.

“The Australian Paralympics team deserve the very same support as any other athlete who represents our nation, and we’re proud to play a small part in helping them to make a mark on the greatest stage of all.

“Our $750,000 commitment matches the grant we provided the AOC and will support athletes, coaches, and staff as they go for gold next August and September.

“The grant will ensure our athletes have the necessary tools and facilities to excel in their respective events in Paris.”

Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said:

“The Paralympics unites our nation and the world, and our courageous, dedicated, and remarkable athletes are an inspiration to us all.

“We know this funding will help our Paralympic athletes achieve their dreams in Paris and inspire the next generation of sporting heroes.

“Along with this funding, we are sending our best wishes to every single Paralympian as they pursue their dreams.

“Know that all of Australia is behind you and cheering you on from loungerooms across the country, along with those lucky ones in the stands!”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disability Inclusion Liesl Tesch said:

“As a former Paralympian who did years of fundraising to support my athletic career, I know Paralympians across NSW welcome this contribution towards chasing their dreams in Paris.

“I can’t wait to see the Australian Paralympian team at the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024, knowing the NSW Government is supporting athletes every step of the way, as they go out in the green and gold.

“Best wishes to all our Paralympians and support staff – know that we will be cheering for you from home.”

Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Catherine Clark said:

“On behalf of our elite Para-athletes and Paralympics Australia, I’d like to thank the NSW Government, particularly the Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Sport Steve Kamper and the Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington, for this very generous and vital injection of funds for our Paris Paralympic Games campaign.

“Delivering an Australian Team of some 170 athletes, along with coaches, team managers, carers, medical experts and Paralympics Australia’s outstanding operational staff is an enormous undertaking and there are, of course, substantial costs involved.

“The NSW Government’s contribution, equal to its support for Paris-bound able-bodied athletes, is a strong statement of belief in our Australian Paralympic Team and the power of sport to create meaningful change across society.”

The Minns Labor government is strengthening the law to further protect people from threats and incitement of violence based on their race, religion, or other attributes.

The NSW Government is introducing a bill today to improve the prosecution process for the offence of publicly threatening or inciting violence against a person or group based on their race, religion, or other attributes.

Section 93Z of the Crimes Act 1900 makes it an offence for a person to, by a public act, intentionally or recklessly threaten or incite violence towards another person or group of people because of their race, religious belief or affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, or because that person is living with HIV/AIDS.

Currently, subsection 93Z(4) of the Crimes Act 1900 provides that a prosecution under section 93Z requires approval from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) before it can proceed.

Concerns have recently been raised in relation to subsection 93Z(4) and the time it takes to refer matters to the DPP and obtain approval to prosecute may act as a disincentive to laying appropriate charges.

The proposed change will enable NSW Police to prosecute people who offend against section 93Z, without the approval of the DPP.

Removing the DPP approval requirement will make this offence consistent with the overwhelming majority of other offences in NSW.

When committed by an individual, the offence is punishable by a fine of up to $11,000, up to 3 years’ imprisonment, or both. In the case of a corporation, the crime is punishable with a fine of up to $55,000.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“NSW is the most successful multicultural state in the world, but our community cannot take that for granted.

“If you’re going to have a law on the books saying threats and incitement of violence are not allowed in NSW, then it needs to have teeth.

“There is no room for threats and incitement of violence in NSW.”

Attorney General Michael Daley said:

“NSW is a diverse, vibrant and successful multicultural and multifaith community. Our values of respect, tolerance and inclusivity enrich us all.

“We are for the most part a harmonious society, and we all want to remain that way.

“Hate speech that incites violence or threatens violence based on a person’s race or religion, or their sexual orientation or gender identity is completely unacceptable in our community. We want to ensure offences of this type can be prosecuted in a timely and efficient manner to ensure community safety.”

Community is at the heart of the Minns Labor Government’s reset of the Digital Restart Fund (DRF), with $100 million now aimed at finding digital solutions to address the state’s biggest challenges including housing supply, frontline service delivery and climate change.

As part of a major shift in how the NSW Government prioritises digital investment, funding will be targeted at 5 new focus areas that better align with the needs of the state’s residents as cost-of-living and environmental pressures rise.

Under the changes, digital investment will focus on housing supply, support for frontline and essential workers, efficient energy use and protections for biodiversity and the natural environment, reducing cyber risk, and the accessibility of government services.

Under the changes, projects prioritised for funding under the DRF will include:

• Projects which make it easier, safer, and simpler for frontline and essential workers to deliver services.
• Projects with outcomes targeted at speeding up the supply of housing and acceleration of the housing planning cycle.
• Projects which increase accessibility of government services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, regional, remote and rural communities, seniors, people with a disability, and people experiencing social issues and disadvantage.
• Projects targeted at driving more efficient energy use and supporting biodiversity and the natural environment.
• Projects aimed at reducing cyber security risk.

NSW Government agencies have been asked to submit applications to the DRF with a focus on the new priority areas.

Major projects delivered through the DRF include a project to uplift the digital literacy of western Sydney residents, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to irrigate and cool Sydney Olympic Park and mitigate the ‘Urban Heat Island effect’ in surrounding areas.

A project using AI to help prevent rubbish entering Sydney Harbour has also been funded under the DRF. Smart sensors, which have been rolled out to the Blacktown, Parramatta and Northern Beaches local government areas, detect the types of rubbish entering waterways and inform stormwater managers when rubbish collection points need to be emptied. 

Through the DRF, the NSW Government is working to enhance digital innovation and transform services by streamlining planning, funding, risk mitigation and delivery processes to ensure government agencies meet the needs of NSW residents.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“I am setting a new direction for the Digital Restart Fund to help us find innovative answers to some of the biggest challenges people in NSW are facing right now.” 

“It makes sense to shift the focus of the DRF so it can deliver the most value possible to communities right across the state.”

“The NSW Government has a range of programs and resources available to the community but that is only 1 part of the matrix, people need to know this support exists and investing in accessibility, particularly for Indigenous and CALD communities, is critical.”

“We are also targeting investment in projects that will help us speed up housing delivery, drive more efficient energy use, automate services to support our essential and frontline workers, and reduce cyber risk.”

S&P Global has affirmed NSW’s AA+ credit rating with a stable outlook, in the latest acknowledgement of the Minns Government’s 2023-24 Budget approach to fiscal repair.

The S&P decision follows both Fitch and Moody’s affirmation of their triple-A credit ratings last month.

S&P downgraded NSW from a triple-A rating to a AA+ under the previous government in December 2020. 

The state’s fiscal position weakened in recent years, fuelled further by the former government’s $27 billion spend in the 9 months leading up to the last election and their legacy of a $7 billion black hole of unfunded programs.

Through the September budget, the Minns Government began the work of budget repair, including through the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) which identified $13 billion in budget improvements. 

These funds are being reinvested into essential services to help keep the state’s overall expenses at a manageable level.

S&P noted the financial difficulties the Minns Government inherited, including work to reduce the impact of the Debt Retirement Fund and the Transport Assets Holding Entity on the balance sheets.

The NSW Government maintains that the path back to a modest surplus remains challenging.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said: 

“The Minns Labor Government is still in the early stages of setting NSW’s finances on a sustainable footing.

“The NSW economy is gaining momentum, but as noted by S&P, there are still significant headwinds to navigate.

“I will be providing the next budget update in our half-yearly review on 14 December.”

The Minns Labor government is increasing community protection, particularly for those people in NSW experiencing domestic and family violence, by strengthening the laws governing serious strangulation offences.

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The NSW Government will introduce amendments to the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 [CHRO Act] into Parliament today.

As a result of these amendments, applications will be able to be made to the Supreme Court of NSW against release or an order for strict supervision if it is believed the offender poses an unacceptable risk of committing another serious offence.

Including serious strangulation offences in the definitions of ‘serious violence offence’ and ‘serious sex offence’ will put these kinds of violent acts in the same category as other crimes like murder, manslaughter, intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm and recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Non-fatal strangulation is well known as a key marker for the escalation of violence in a domestic relationship. In particular, non-fatal strangulation in a domestic relationship is a strong indicator of future risk for serious harm and death of the victim.

The NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team report has previously stated that the research ‘demonstrates a link between strangulation and domestic homicide’ and over a quarter of intimate partner homicides involve the abuser having strangled the victim during a prior attack.

In fact prior attempted, non-lethal strangulation is one of the best predictors of the subsequent homicide of victims, with the risk of becoming an attempted homicide victim increasing by 700%, and the risk of becoming a homicide victim increasing by 800%.

According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, domestic violence assaults and sexual assaults are the only 2 of the 13 major crime categories that showed an upward trend in the last 5 years, increasing by 13.5% and 29.8% respectively.

Domestic and family violence is one of the most challenging issues that NSW faces and responses are required right across the spectrum. This reform is one part of the broader work the NSW Government is doing to reduce domestic and family violence.

Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said:

“The NSW Police and the NSW Government have a resolute commitment to reducing domestic and family violence. These amendments send a strong message to abusers.

“Strangulation and choking must be taken extremely seriously and that’s what this government is doing.

“The fact is domestic and family violence is a pervasive scourge on our society, the trauma not only impacts the victim, but their family, friends and the entire community.”

NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said:

“Reducing domestic violence is a top priority for the NSW Government. It is crucial that our legislation capture the kind of violent offending that may escalate to homicide.

“The amendments to the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 are informed by research that has identified patterns of behaviours committed by domestic and family violence perpetrators.

“This Bill leaves no doubt as to the gravity of serious strangulation offences and sends a strong message to offenders who continue to pose an unacceptable risk of committing a serious offence at the end of their prison sentence.

“The NSW Government is determined to strengthen protections for victims of domestic and family violence as well as the broader community.

“I thank Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley and Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison for their hard work and invaluable input into these proposed new laws.”

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:

“This is an important amendment to the Crimes Act to ensure that men who use violence against women are appropriately dealt with by our legal system.

“Non-fatal strangulation is a serious and violent form of intimate partner violence and victims are at elevated risk of future homicide.

“I am committed to working together with Attorney General Michael Daley and Police Minister Yasmin Catley to make sure women and children in NSW are kept safe. Together we can make NSW free from domestic and family violence.”

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The NSW Government is making good on our commitment to rebuild our frontline services and address the ongoing critical shortfall in police numbers.

Following last month’s historic announcement that student police officers will be paid to study at the Goulburn Police Academy, NSW Police has received 143 applications to become a police officer. That puts applications on track to hit more than 200 by the end of the month.

NSW Police received 78 applications during the same period last year.

While this September, NSW Police received 94 applications and 106 in October.

Paying recruits to train is an important workforce incentive, designed to encourage more people to take up a career in the NSW Police Force (NSWPF). Today’s figures show it’s already having a positive impact.

A recent research report for NSWPF on the recruitment campaign has revealed the following:

• Of those who said they’re considering become a police officer, 38% said the cost of student fees was the number 1 barrier.
• 67% of people said they would be more likely to join NSWPF if they were paid to train at the academy.

From March 2024, student police officers will be paid to study at the Goulburn Police Academy.

Student police officers will be employed as clerk grade 1/2 administrative employees on a temporary fixed-term contract.

They’ll receive a total salary of approximately $30,984 over the 16-week study period, including super and award-based allowances.

To ensure the current classes are not worse off, they will receive a one-off payment.

NSW Police is carrying more than 1500 vacancies. To put that into perspective, that’s 9% of authorised positions.

This has placed officers under significant strain and it’s a priority of the Minns Labor government to address this.

Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley said:

“This is a government that fundamentally cares about our police officers. They support their communities day and night and we in turn, must support them. 

“I made a commitment to address workforce shortages and that’s exactly what’s being done. This important recruitment incentive has doubled the pool.

“I’m incredibly proud to have partnered with Commissioner Webb and the NSW Police Association to bring about this fantastic initiative that’s already proving a game changer.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said:

“Early evidence suggests this initiative will be a tremendous success. Ensuring recruits won’t be financially disadvantaged while studying gives more people the opportunity to join the best police force in the world.

“Policing is an incredible career, from forensics to detective work, Marine Area Command to Aviation Command, it can take you anywhere.

“We look forward to welcoming growing groups of new recruits who we can now pay to study to become NSW Police.”

Police Association NSW President Kevin Morton said:

“We are incredibly proud to stand with the NSW Government and NSWPF to welcome these recruits into the police family.

“The paying of recruits has now opened the door for those wanting to pursue their dream of being a police officer in the best police force in the country.

“We’ve seen an increase in applications and now is the time. Now is the time to join and be a part of the blue family that protects your community.”

Today in Question Time, Police Minister Yasmin Catley refused to condemn the Sydney Branch of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) for their active promotion of, and involvement in, last night’s blockade at Port Botany.
 
After last night’s blockade, the Sydney Branch of the MUA boasted on Facebook that the:
“Palestinian community had closed access to the Israeli-owned Zim vessel in Port Botany”.
 
The MUA celebrated and promoted illegal activity.
 
The MUA is an affiliated union of the NSW Labor Party, and in 2020-21 donated $30,498.28 to Labor. In her inaugural speech, In her inaugural speech to Parliament, Yasmin Catley said:
“The Maritime Union of Australia—whom I proudly call my friends—have had a significant influence in shaping my beliefs”.
 
Given the prospect of the MUA promoting blockades again and Yasmin Catley refusing to condemn their actions, Chris Minns must send a clear message to the MUA that this behaviour won’t be tolerated.
 
If Chris Minns is serious about calling out unlawful protests, he needs to call out his union mates.
 
If he fails to do so, it will be another example of Labor’s union mates calling the shots and running the Minns Government.

A Labor-dominated Parliamentary Committee has recommended the voting down a Bill that would protect NSW coastal communities from offshore drilling for gas and oil.
 
The Opposition’s Minerals Legislation Amendment (Offshore Drilling and Associated Infrastructure Prohibition) Bill 2023 would effectively stop projects like PEP-11 by preventing any development associated with gas drilling, such as pipelines, through the seabed in NSW coastal waters.
 
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said this was looking like another broken Minns Labor Government promise.
 
“Before the election, Labor repeatedly said that they were opposed to PEP-11 and would ban it,” Mr Speakman said. “But now that they have the opportunity to protect our environment from offshore drilling risks, they decide to vote it down.”
 
Shadow Environment Minister Kellie Sloane, the sole Coalition committee member, said it’s clear the Minns Labor Government never had any intention of supporting the Bill.
 
“Labor MPs up and down the NSW coast promised their communities they would fight against PEP-11, but when the opportunity came they chose politics over people and the environment.”
 
“This is a betrayal of coastal communities who expressed significant opposition to these offshore gas and oil projects in NSW,” said Ms Sloane.
 
“The Minns Labor Government is using the excuse of an entirely hypothetical future fight with the Albanese Labor Government to vote against this important Bill that would have given our coastal communities certainty.”
 
Member for Pittwater Rory Amon, who introduced the Opposition’s Private Members Bill, said Northern Beaches locals can’t trust Labor when it comes to our precious coastline.
 
“Labor has long campaigned against offshore gas and oil, while continuing to play pure politics and referring the Bill to a partisan committee for a Government stitch up. Labor’s committee now recommends the Bill be dumped.”
 
“This move by the Minns Labor Government is effectively a green-light for offshore gas and oil rigs off Pittwater. Together with our coastal communities we will continue to fight this.”