Month: December 2023

The NSW Treasurer has begun consultations with key stakeholders to discuss reforming the way emergency services are funded.

In the first round of meetings today, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey met with property and retail industry stakeholders – the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales, the Property Council of Australia and the Shopping Centre Council of Australia.

Face-to-face meetings with representatives from the insurance sector are also scheduled this week.

Premier Chris Minns announced last month that the government would remove the Emergency Services Levy (ESL) from insurance to help reduce premiums for households and businesses.

The ESL on insurance has led to NSW having one of the highest average insurance costs for business and households in the country.

NSW is also the last state in the country to rely on a levy on insurance to fund emergency services.

A public consultation paper seeking views from industry stakeholders and the broader community on how best to reform emergency services funding will be released early next year.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:

“Today’s meeting was the first productive step in hearing from key stakeholders on ways to best reform the ESL.

“The ESL adds to the cost of insurance at a time when too many NSW households are already uninsured.

“The costs of natural disasters are only expected to rise with climate change. We must seize the opportunity now to find a more sustainable way to fund our fire and emergency services and ease the pressure on insured households and businesses.”

Holiday makers are reminded to plan ahead and avoid peak travel times, for road trips with minimum stress and optimum cheer this summer festive season.

Based on historical data, the heaviest traffic is expected on Friday 22 December and between Boxing Day 26 December and Friday 29 December.

Transport for NSW will be monitoring traffic at known pinch points on the Pacific Highway, including:

• Coffs Harbour, Tugun and Hexham heading north
• Mt Victoria on the Great Western Highway going west
• Nowra, Jervis Bay, Milton and Ulladulla on the Princes Highway heading south.

Thousands of extra cars on the road will increase the risk of incidents. Drivers should avoid rushing, plan regular rest stops, service vehicles in advance, check the weather forecast and expect potential delays of up to 40 minutes.

While a number of major regional roads projects will be shutting down during the holiday break, many projects will still have reduced speed limits in place. Motorists are reminded to drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs. Even when road crews are not on site there may be damage to the road condition that requires lower speed, so stick to the limit.

If loading up the car, trailer, caravan, or boat for a trip, take the time to check everything is secure, all tyres and blinkers are in good condition, and drivers are across the rules around how to drive safely when towing.

Transport has fast-tracked the onboarding and training of 123 councils, including all 94 regional councils, to upload data in real time to Live Traffic NSWlaunch. This means information on emergencies or planned incidents will be fed directly through to motorists through major navigation apps including Google and Apple maps.

To find the best times to travel to your destination, use the TfNSW pinch point journey planning tool at myjourneynsw.infolaunch and get the latest traffic updates by downloading the Live Traffic NSW app, visiting livetraffic.comlaunch or calling 132 701launch.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“We want people to have a safe and happy festive season. The best way to do this is to plan ahead, so you don’t get caught out by delays, and arrive at your destination well rested.

“As schools break up we’ll see thousands of families head in and out of the regions for the Christmas holidays.

“We need people to plan their journeys ahead with plenty of time and try to avoid the peak periods on our roads so they have a safe trip and don’t get stuck in traffic.

“We expect the busiest days on the roads will be the Friday before Christmas, and from Boxing Day to the New Year’s Eve weekend.

“Consider leaving home earlier or later in the day than you otherwise would to avoid peak times along your route.  Tragically, as of midnight 11 December 2023, 334 people had lost their lives on NSW roads so far this year which is 67 more than for the same time last year. So I’m asking everyone to please take extra care on our roads.”

The Minns government has today unveiled details of Creative Communities, the new arts, culture and creative industries policy.

Creative Communities is a 10-year vision, the state’s first creative industries policy, supporting the traditional arts sector and cultural institutions, but encompassing industries informed by the state’s unique and diverse cultural strengths, including:

• First Nations cultures
• galleries, libraries, archives and museums
• performing arts including theatre, dance, circus, comedy, cabaret
• music including classical and contemporary composition, performance, and recording
• screen and digital games 
• visual arts and crafts
• literature, writing and publishing
• broadcasting and digital media
• design, architecture and fashion
• built and physical heritage
• creative and arts education
• creativity in the food and beverage sector
• creative innovation in the technology sector.

Creative Communities has the goal of sustainably growing the depth and breadth of creative industries throughout NSW, and over the next decade enabling creative individuals, organisations and communities throughout the state to reach their potential.

The NSW Government endorses Revive, the national cultural policy. Through Creative Communities the government will focus on implementing Revive by supporting the NSW cultural ecosystem.

Creative Communities also supports the Revive goal of exporting more Australian stories to the world. Australia has one of the largest creative trade deficits per capita in the world. We consume global stories faster and tell local stories less than most places on the planet. The NSW Government will measure and establish goals to increase the state’s creative exports.

Whole of government approach

Creative Communities will guide the NSW Government’s efforts to enable, support and advocate for culture for the next decade. Commitments to support this include:

• Creative Communities commits to a whole-of-government effort to advocate for, to enable and invest in the arts, culture and creative industries.
• To drive implementation of the policy across government, a role will be designated to lead and oversee this transformation, guided by a ministerial advisory committee, senior public servants, and industry advisors.
• Legislating the delivery of a Creative Statement to the Parliament every 3 years, detailing and tracking the status, health and progress of the arts, culture and creative industries in line with this policy.
• Establishing formal partnerships between Create NSW and the NSW Department of Education, TAFE NSW, the Ministry of Health, Transport for NSW, Placemaking NSW and other agencies to further develop priority streams of work.
• Recognising the importance of the state’s universities, National Art School, NIDA and the Australian Film TV and Radio School to our cultural ecosystem and strengthening partnerships with them.

Creative people

Enabled by recent and ongoing improvements to creative infrastructure, the NSW Government will focus on investing in a wide variety of creative people and communities across the state. Additionally, the NSW Government commits to:

• Safeguarding and modernising workplace conditions for artists, including requiring individuals and organisations receiving government funding to commit to safe workplace standards.

Next generation creatives

Creative Communities encourages the next generation of culture workers and leaders to step forward. This will be a condition of NSW Government funding. Further commitments include:

• Establishing a Youth Creative Taskforce to ensure the next generation of cultural leaders are at the decision-making table and advise the minister directly.
• Referring arts and music education to the NSW Parliament for inquiry.
• Establishing a Generations fellowship, $500,000 investment over 5 years to support 15 early career Western Sydney music artists to undertake professional development.

Creative spaces

• The NSW Government will activate creative spaces by a combination of continued direct public investment, seeking new sources of investment for the sector and regulatory reform.
• Creative Communities envisages that NSW will become home to a First Nations cultural centre and enhanced cultural tourism. It will forge strong and enduring partnerships with Indigenous creative communities, to create new work, rebuild connection and healing.
• The NSW Government supports maintaining free public access to NSW state cultural institutions and collections. They have been built with public money over many decades and are the property of, and should be accessible by  all, NSW citizens.
• A cultural space audit in 2024 will aim to identify underutilised assets that could be used for creative endeavours, including spaces held by NSW agencies, local councils and other landholders.
• The NSW Government will ensure that cultural infrastructure and good design are included in major public housing and transport infrastructure investments, including by expanding the Heritage Floor Space Scheme.
• The NSW Government will introduce further vibrancy reforms in 2024 – continuing to improve planning, liquor, outdoor and sound and noise regulations to encourage cultural activity across NSW.

The NSW Government will also:

• Ensure the White Bay Power Station will be available for ongoing cultural use, starting with the 2024 Biennale of Sydney.

Festivals

The NSW Government will support festivals across the state by:

• Strengthening the co-ordination of festival support in NSW to properly position and grow the festivals sector, leveraging the wide range of industries involved, including improving staging for festivals and concerts following the development of a business for outdoor cultural infrastructure across central Sydney, Parramatta, Western Sydney and Regional NSW.
• Reviewing the Entertainment Act to identify ways to strengthen support for festivals, venues, artists, managers and music workers.

Creative reform

• The NSW Government will establish a Cultural Front Door concierge, a simplified way for creative people to engage with government.
• The NSW Government will reform of the Arts and Culture Funding Program (ACFP) making it a fairer and more equitable process, including reducing paperwork for applicants and simplifying the acquittal process.
• The Minister will issue a formal direction to the state’s tourism body, Destination NSW, to formalise the state’s experience tourism policy focus. Such a direction will explicitly commit support for the arts, culture and creative experiences across NSW.
• Promoting NSW arts and culture venues and activities, including local festivals and events, alongside major international/national entertainment through refocussed Destination NSW marketing funding and state-wide calendar optimised to show local events and programs.

Screen

Screen NSW will be made more independent, and we will strengthen its capacity to serve the industry by shortening investment approval timeframes, contracting and payment times, and expanding the role of the board.

Additional support for the sector includes:

• developing a business case for a second major film studio in Sydney to ensure Sydney remains the leading location for Australian and international productions
• introducing a new digital games seed development fund and market travel program to expand our support for the sector to grow the digital games industry
• providing long-term funding certainty for screen investment programs
• making Callan Park available for filming on an ongoing basis.

Music

The reshaping of the music sector will be driven by Sound NSW with leadership from its newly appointed advisory board and in collaboration with Music Australia, Creative Australia’s new contemporary music office. The review of contemporary music has begun, and a 10-year music strategy and the 3-year implementation plan will be released in 2024.

Additionally, the NSW Government will:

• legislate a board for the state’s contemporary music agency, Sound NSW, in 2024.
• develop a business case for a home for music in NSW, providing affordable spaces for music organisations, businesses, community radio, networking, rehearsal and events.

Western Sydney

• The NSW Government will invest in the Western Sydney Arts Alliance and increase staff support to coordinate initiatives for Western Sydney artists, arts organisations and creative communities.
• To support NSW children’s education, the NSW Government will develop a strategic partnership between the NSW Department of Education and Powerhouse Parramatta to embed NSW teachers into the Powerhouse Parramatta team to develop curriculum-based learning programs in collaboration with teachers, schools, industry and the museum.
• Powerhouse Parramatta will develop a major new multi-year Western Sydney initiative for writers and writing with Sydney Writers Festival, Western Sydney University and City of Parramatta Council from 2026.
• When the Powerhouse Parramatta opens in 2025 it will include the Western Sydney HipHop Archive a collaboration with 4ESydney and Blacktown Arts.
• The NSW Government will deliver $160 million for cultural infrastructure in Western Sydney including building a lyric theatre as part of the Riverside Theatres redevelopment in Parramatta, a 350-seat theatre in Campbelltown and a new cultural centre in Blacktown.
• Delivery of a final business case for the Roxy Theatre in Parramatta.

Regional NSW

The NSW Government will deliver a regional arts, culture and creative industries strategy in 2024 to grow and support sustainable participation in local activities. This includes:

• Working with local councils to reduce red tape for festivals and events to access local spaces.
• Working with regional communities, councils, creative organisations and venues to support a connected network of regional touring. This will involve working with local councils to connect and activate the network of regional halls and spaces to support local touring across music, performance and visual art/exhibitions.
• Supporting at least 4 new creative industries/artist workspaces in regional NSW in the next 4 years.

Minister for Arts John Graham said:

“We are lucky to live in NSW, a state rich in creativity. The state’s first arts, culture and creative industries policy commits the government to advocating for the value of culture, to enabling and investing in culture with the whole of government. 

“The NSW Government believes creativity is one of the key things to celebrate about our state. That is why we are sharing our 10-year policy framework. This is where we’re starting, and where we’re heading. This certainly not the end point. We want to unleash creativity across the state. 

“Coming into government, the Minns Labor government promised to solve some of the obvious problems in the NSW arts, culture and creative industries sector, and actively support and advocate to ensure the sector grows in significance to the state’s economy and in the life of the people of NSW.

Creative Communities has the goal of sustainably growing the depth and breadth of creative industries throughout NSW, and over the next decade enabling creative individuals, organisations and communities throughout the state to reach their potential. These creative sectors already represent 10% of the state’s economy.

“A thriving cultural sector is welcoming for younger generations… the grass roots for the next generation of great artists, makers, creative thinkers and doers. The drive for a thriving creative and cultural sector has a number of benefits and outcomes, including a more diverse and resilient economy.  

“Creative Communities’ commitment is to the artists, makers and workers in the arts, culture, and creative industries. We acknowledge the critical role of artists, creatives, and makers, as well as those behind the scenes – the crews in production, making sets and costumes, booking shows, and managing talent. They are all important to the health of the ecosystem.”

You can read the full policy on the nsw.gov.au website.

Students, families and teachers will gather in Western Sydney to celebrate today as 128 students from 89 schools are awarded for achieving first or equal first place in a 2023 HSC course.

Among those top performers are 59 students from 37 NSW public schools, who achieved First in Course for HSC courses including Biology, Chemistry, Business Studies, Society and Culture, and English Extension 2.

The annual First in Course ceremony this year brings together a diverse group of students from areas including Orange and Albury in the state’s central west, Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern NSW, Wollongong in the Illawarra and Newcastle in the Hunter, and Sydney including Strathfield, Cabramatta, Liverpool, the Eastern Suburbs, Auburn, the North Shore and Campbelltown.

Some 136 awards will be handed out to 128 students from across the three sectors today, with six students topping more than one course and 28 students achieving equal first place, as the ceremony gets under way in Parramatta.

Five students have topped the state for an English course and 18 achieved first place positions for a Mathematics course, including 12 students who shared top marks in the state for Mathematics Standard 2.

Six students topped the state for Creative Arts courses including Music, Drama, Visual Arts or Dance and 10 received top results for Science courses including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Environmental Science, and Science Extension.

Twelve students achieved top marks in vocational education courses, including Tourism, Travel and Events, and Automotive, Construction and Hospitality and Financial Services.

All Round Achievers, Top Achievers and Distinguished Achievers will be published on the NESA website at midday tomorrow.

All 67,234 students will receive their results by SMS, email and online from 6am tomorrow.

The community are welcome to join in and watch the First In course celebrations online via the NESA website from 1pm today.

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

“Congratulations to every HSC student who has excelled in 2023, achieving a First In Course mark.

“Our First in Course students should feel proud of the dedication they have shown and the skill they have displayed throughout this year.

“Reaching a First In Course mark is a fantastic achievement, and I hope all our students can take time to celebrate their work over the summer break.”

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

“I am delighted to share in the excitement and congratulate not only those who have achieved First in Course in VET subjects, but all our graduating students who have completed a vocational course as part of their HSC.

“Celebrating these talented students reinforces Labor’s commitment to rebuilding our VET system to ensure it can deliver the skilled workforce we need for a prosperous future.

“I would encourage all students embarking on their post-school journey to explore the wealth of options available, including apprenticeships, traineeships and TAFE.”

CEO of the NSW Education Standards Authority Paul Martin said:

“Topping an HSC course is no small feat and one that deserves celebration.

“It brings me great pride and satisfaction to see young people excelling in such a diverse range of subjects – from English and Mathematics to Languages. Construction and Automotive – to Physics and Biology.

“The HSC has something for everyone to follow their passions and future goals – and you never know where that may take you.”

The Minns Government is delivering on our commitment to protect our multifaith community. Faith groups can now apply for a share of $15 million to upgrade safety and security at their places of worship thanks to the NSW Government’s Safe Places for Faith Communities Grants Program.

Under the program, grants of between $5000 and $250,000 will be available for eligible groups to protect important sites where they gather, improve risk mitigation and build the social cohesion and resilience of faith groups.

Funding can be used anywhere in NSW at eligible faith-based centres including places of worship, seminaries, religious museums, religious community centres, religious retreats and places of religious significance, including shrines, faith-based cemeteries or memorials.

This program has been developed in collaboration with key government and faith stakeholders, as well as the NSW Community and Resilience and Response Plan (COMPLAN) Committee.

Successful grants recipients will also have the opportunity to join a Community of Practice to share knowledge with other faith groups and participate in workshops and information sessions aimed at fostering interfaith collaboration on community safety and wellbeing. 

Find further information about the Safe Places for Faith Communities Grants Program and to register for an Information Sessionlaunch.

NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper said:

“It’s important that all faith groups across NSW feel they can practice their beliefs in safe space. Especially during times of conflict, everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their place of worship.”

“NSW is the most successful multicultural and multifaith state in the world. This is a great point of pride, but it is also something that must be actively protected.”

“This program delivers on our election commitment to our multifaith community and has been designed to promote community wellbeing and resilience, as well as interfaith harmony and social cohesion.”

“We need to make sure that everyone, no matter their beliefs, feels safe in this state. We will continue to work with our multifaith communities to ensure this promise is felt.”

The NSW Government is delivering on a key election promise, charging ahead with a new program delivering free, convenient phone chargers at Sydney train stations, with the first stand now switched on at Liverpool.

Designed and built in Sydney for Transport for NSW, the charging stands offer a mix of wireless, USB-A and UBC -C options, and can provide power to 7 devices at once.

The $1 million Power Spots Project will see the stands rolled out at 15 key transport hubs. The first has been unveiled and switched on at Liverpool Station, followed by Campbelltown later this week.

Power spots will be installed at Bankstown, Hurstville, Lidcombe, Penrith and Wynyard, while larger stations including Central, Town Hall and Bondi Junction will get 2 per site. All power spots will be up and running at 15 transport hubs across Sydney by late 2024.

Where possible, power spots will be installed outside ticketed areas to ensure they are accessible to anyone in the community 24/7.

Liverpool Station’s power spot is outside the pay gates on the concourse, opposite the entrance ramp to Bus Stands A to C. It is free to access and use for anyone who needs it, including people travelling to and from the nearby hospital, schools and TAFE.

Station staff have worked closely with the project team to choose sites across the network that have high foot traffic, are easy to find, well-lit and monitored by CCTV.

Electricity use at each power spot will be monitored and the data analysed to help understand the popularity of different wireless and USB charging solutions, and the average time people spend using them.

The Power Spots Program is funded through the Transport Access Program (TAP). Since the TAP started, the NSW Government has committed more than $2.2 billion to upgrades, with more than 520 projects either completed or currently underway across NSW.

Find out more about the Transport Access Programlaunch.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said:

“Our power spots are giving power to the people – providing peace of mind and a sense of security when they need it most.

“Sydney is a world-class city and it should have world-class public transport infrastructure, so I’m delighted to make people’s lives a little easier with this common-sense addition.

“We’re delivering on our key election promise for the people of NSW, with an investment we know will make life easier and safer for millions of public transport passengers.

“In the modern world, our phones are our lifelines. They act not only to keep us connected, but as our wallets, maps, travel passes, and staying informed and entertained, so this is a no-brainer.

“Initially there will be 18 power spots at 15 locations across the network, which offer fast, free, convenient charging that supports all types of phones, with the aim of increasing that number at more locations.”

Member for Liverpool Charishma Kaliyanda said:

“It’s great to see that the Minns Labor government is delivering for the people of Liverpool. Installing charging stations at train stations is a great common-sense policy.

“A powered-up mobile offers a real sense of safety and security for students, parents, and people riding on our trains at night.

“This is going to be especially convenient for all the students who travel to our local schools, our university campuses, our TAFE campus, and to the many people who use the train to get to Liverpool Hospital.”

Transport for NSW Executive Director Rachel Simpson said:

“A flat phone can leave you feeling stranded. So many of us feel anxious when our phones are running low and rush to make a call, asking someone to come and pick us up.

“Pulling up a map or public transport timetable in the palm of your hand can be the difference between confidently getting to your destination on time or not.

“If your device can charge wirelessly, you can simply roll up and power up, and there are USB-A as well as USB-C ports on offer for those who need a charging cable.”

New South Wales needs a Premier who will fight for it, rather than surrendering key decisions to Canberra.
 
Chris Minns has now repeatedly failed to stand up to the Albanese Labor Government, leaving the fate of our infrastructure projects and population growth up to the federal government.
 
We still don’t know the fate of major infrastructure projects across the state that have had their federal funding pulled by the Albanese Government, because Chris Minns has not told us if he plans to cancel them or will seek to find funding from other programs.
 
It’s disappointing Chris Minns has ignored the opportunity to work with the Opposition on advocating for a better targeted and more sustainable immigration program that serves NSW needs and eases pressure on our housing and infrastructure – rather than piling on additional pressure.
 
Chris Minns could have fought for our communities and their needs, but instead he has failed to stand up to Canberra, leaving the NSW Opposition to call for migration to be reined in. The NSW Opposition called for a migration slowdown which would reduce pressure on rents and improve access to home ownership. We await the details of how far Anthony Albanese has heeded these calls, but Chris Minns has failed to do so.
 
Immigration has enriched our society and strengthened economic growth, but our current record pace is vastly outstripping our ability to keep up with housing supply, which is leading to record rents and record unaffordability for home buyers.
 
To ensure that these challenges are not left in the too hard basket, our state needs a Premier who will put NSW first.