September 2024 – Page 22

Easy Read Hub to improve access to key government services

The Minns Labor Government is making essential information more accessible for communities across the state with a new ‘Easy Read’ format for a wide range of topics from how to prepare for an emergency to applying for a Photo Card.

The Easy Read format presents information in a straightforward and easy to understand way, with simplified language, large font sizes and images to support text.

This new format is particularly useful for people with an intellectual disability. In NSW, there are approximately 1.34 million residents living with disability, and one in 20 who require assistance in their daily lives, according to the Judicial Commission of New South Wales.

The Easy Read format is also useful for people with low literacy levels and those whose first language is not English.

The newly launched Easy Read Hub delivers on Labor’s election commitment to make all NSW Government documents relevant to people with an intellectual disability available in Easy Read format by 2025.

So far, 36 topics have been translated into Easy Read including guides on applying for social housing, paying debts, and accessing TAFE courses. Another 10 guides are in progress covering everything from emergency preparedness to topping up your Opal card and staying safe from scams, which will be available in the coming months.

In partnership with the Council for Intellectual Disability and other key stakeholders, an Easy Read Style Guide is also being released to ensure all NSW Government departments can prepare online content using Easy Read.

The Style Guide is part of the NSW Government’s Accessibility and Inclusivity Toolkit which provides the guidance and tools for NSW Government agencies to make their content accessible.

Find out more about Easy Read at www.nsw.gov.au/easy-read or find the style guide at https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/delivery/accessibility-and-inclusivity-toolkit/communication/easy-read.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“Inclusion is a key priority for me, including making sure every resident can access the information they need online and in person. I am grateful for the key role played by the Council for Intellectual Disability in partnering with my department to develop a guide for the NSW public sector on how to produce more information in Easy Read format.

“Lived experience provides an incredibly important insight, and we continue to work closely with people with intellectual disabilities and other stakeholders to ensure that our services are truly inclusive and accessible to all.

“The launch of the Easy Read project is an important step as we continue to make NSW a more inclusive state for everyone.”

Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said:

“Coming into Government, we made a commitment to the disability community to make our important information available in Easy Read.

“Working in partnership with the Council for Intellectual Disability, we’re delivering on our commitment so everyone can access the information they need.

“The Easy Read format ensures we are clearly communicating important information about essential services to everyone, especially people with disability and those with low literacy levels.”

Fiona McKenzie AM, Vice-Chair of the Council for Intellectual Disability said:

“Easy Read is our ticket to inclusion! It helps us find the government services we need and how to live a full life in the community. Thanks to the Government for its commitment to Easy Read and listening to us about what makes good Easy Read.”

Support for more knock down rebuilds with new online tool

The Minns Labor Government is making it easier for residents to build their dream home, with new features of the myHome Planner online tool taking the guess work out of knocking down and rebuilding a home.

The new guides now provide support for infill housing (knocking down and rebuilding a home) or home and land packages – all types of homes that will help us confront the housing crisis.

With checklist guides on the building process, as well as potential costs and approvals required for a build, homeowners now have a single online resource they can use.

Current or prospective homeowners can enter the property address and gain access to relevant council information, zoning, ratings, easement information, developer guidelines such as building heights and minimum block size, and relevant planning controls such as bushfire and flood risk.

NSW has a target of 377,000 homes over the next five years to meet the National Housing Accord target and to meet this demand the Minns Labor Government has implemented extensive planning reforms to increase the supply and affordability of housing.

The expansion of the tool complements the NSW Government’s low and mid-rise housing reforms, which commenced on 1 July this year.

The changes allow development applications for dual occupancies and semi-detached dwellings to be submitted in more R2 residential zones, such as duplexes and semis.

Enabling dual occupancies in these locations allows homeowners with suitable blocks two replace one existing home with two dwellings.

Other low and mid-rise housing reforms will commence later in 2024. These will include townhouses, terraces and two storey apartment blocks near transport hubs and town centres in R2 low density residential zones across Greater Sydney, the Hunter, Central Coast and Illawarra regions and mid-rise apartment blocks near transport hubs and town centres in R3 medium density and R4 high density residential zones across these regions.

This update builds on the original myHome Planner, which only provided guidance to those building project homes.

The myHome Planner was developed in collaboration with the Department of Customer Service and is available at the NSW Planning Portal at www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/myhome-planner.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Housing is the biggest cost of living pressure on household budgets. It makes sense to help people have information about what they’re spending their money on.

“With the NSW Planning Portal receiving more than 12 million page views each year, we know people are actively seeking information on building homes.

“By providing myHome Planner, the NSW Government can support people actively seeking information from the NSW Planning Portal by placing it under one single source of truth.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“While it can be exciting, building a new home can also be stressful, confusing and time-consuming, which is why these new features of the NSW Government’s myHome Planner tool are so helpful.

“This website takes a holistic approach, covering all the steps needed to build a home and is one example of how digital tools can support the delivery of housing targets.

“This is an easy-to-use digital platform that takes away some of the guess work when doing a new build, providing reliable information on things like key steps, obligations, and approvals, in a single place.

“It is important that more homes are built in NSW, and for those wanting to build their own home, this expanded resource makes it that little bit easier.”

National Access to Justice Partnership

Today National Cabinet signed a Heads of Agreement for a new National Access to Justice Partnership that will provide a critical increase of nearly $800 million in funding over five years from 2025-26 to the legal assistance sector, with a focus on uplifting legal services responding to gender-based violence.

The Commonwealth Government will invest a total of $3.9 billion in support for frontline legal assistance services to be delivered through a new partnership agreement with the states and territories.

The former Coalition Government did not provide ongoing funding for this agreement, leaving a funding cliff from 30 June 2025. The Albanese Government will provide ongoing funding for the agreement, alongside other major agreements in skills, schools and health – this will provide funding certainty for the sector

This is the largest injection of funding to the legal assistance sector in 20 years, and provides much needed funding certainty for hundreds of services nationwide, including many who provide holistic support for victims and survivors of gender-based violence.

The funding was announced today at National Cabinet as part of a $4.7 billion package to respond to the national crisis of family, domestic and sexual violence and support legal assistance.

The National Access to Justice Partnership will commence on expiry of the current National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) on 30 June 2025. The Government’s commitment of funding for the Partnership, well before the expiry of the NLAP, will give the sector the certainty it needs to continue vital services

Today’s commitment will deliver vital support to all parts of the legal assistance sector, including Legal Aid Commissions, Community Legal Centres, Women’s Legal Services, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Family Violence Prevention Legal Services. It will also allow for salaries in community sector legal assistance providers to better align with the rest of the sector, ensuring these services can recruit and retain staff.

The full National Access to Justice Partnership will be agreed through the Standing Council of Attorneys-General by the end of the year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“Gender-based violence is a national crisis – and we cannot solve it overnight.

“We recognise that the legal assistance sector plays a vital role in that response. Legal assistance helps victims safely leave and recover from violent relationships, through access to finances, secure housing and safe arrangements for children.

“Today’s announcement builds on our Government’s efforts to provide better access to services for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence.”

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus

“I have spent decades fighting for a better deal for the legal assistance sector. Legal assistance is essential to ensuring access to justice and equality before the law for all Australians, and safety for victims and survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence.

“I thank the many workers on the frontline who have been tireless advocates for the sector and for the rights of the thousands of Australians who rely on them every year.

“This funding is critical – it will mean that essential frontline services can continue to operate and help the most vulnerable in our community.”

HUNTER VALLEY FAMILIES BUCKLE UNDER COST-OF-LIVING PRESSURES: NEW RESEARCH

More than half (55%) of Hunter Valley low-income households are going without prescribed medication or healthcare due to cost-of-living pressures according to a new report by peak social services body NCOSS.

The report, Impossible Choices: Decisions NSW communities shouldn’t have to make, was commissioned by NCOSS and undertaken by the University of Technology Sydney this year. It surveyed a representative sample of more than 1,080 residents living on low incomes and below the poverty line in NSW.

The research revealed the following across the Hunter Valley region:

69% are in housing stress (i.e. they spend more than 30% of income on housing)
65% had no money set aside for emergencies
55% went without prescribed medication or healthcare
52% could not afford to travel for essential reasons
45% went without meals
NCOSS CEO Cara Varian said the research had demonstrated the extreme impacts being felt by households in Hunter Valley on low incomes and below the poverty line.

“Hunter Valley families should not be forced to choose between paying for food or medication,” Ms Varian said.

“The basics of life should not be considered a luxury that most low-income families cannot afford.

“These impossible choices make every day a challenge and, most disturbingly, we are setting up intergenerational disadvantage. We must do better.”

The research revealed the following across the state of NSW:

Single parents were the hardest hit cohort, with nine out of ten single parents going without essentials over the past 12 months.
NSW children are also bearing the brunt of the growing cost of living pressures, with parents cutting back spending on meals, essential healthcare, and education resources.
Three in four households (74 per cent) sacrificed spending on their children.
Half of households (52 per cent) sacrificed spending on health and wellbeing essentials.
One in five delayed early childhood education.
“The ripple effects of these sacrifices are profound, causing increased stress and tension within households, affecting relationships, mental health and wellbeing, and child development outcomes,” Ms Varian said.

“Most people on low incomes in this survey were working, many taking on additional jobs and hours but still going backwards. Even those who received a pay rise could not match the increase to their costs of living.”

Ms Varian said the peak body had a set of recommendations for the NSW and Commonwealth Governments, developed in consultation with NCOSS members.

“These are complex issues, but governments have the power to change it,” she said.

“Implementing our recommendations would significantly ease the crushing pressure that is pushing people to breaking point.”

The recommendations include:

Lifting Commonwealth income support for Jobseeker, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payments.
Increasing the rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
Providing universal early childcare.
Ensuring 10 per cent of all NSW housing is social and affordable.Making NSW rental increases fair and reasonable; urgently implement no grounds evictions for all lease types; and legislate rental bidding.
Implementing a universal school food program in NSW.
Providing adequate funding for NSW emergency food relief services.
Expanding public transport concessions to better support people on low incomes.
Improving bus networks in regional, rural and remote communities.
For more information, and to read the full report, visit ncoss.org.au

Definitions:

Below the poverty line: defined as households living on less than 50 per cent of the median NSW household income after tax and housing costs (below $560 per week).
Low-income households: defined as households living on 50 – 80 per cent of the median NSW household income after tax and housing costs ($560 – $896 per week).
About the survey: the research, undertaken by the University of Technology’s Institute of Public Policy and Governance, involved stratified random sampling to engage a statistically representative sample of 1,086 NSW residents, living on low incomes and below the poverty line, through an online survey. 23 people also participated in focus groups and interviews.

AFP warning over rise of sadistic sextortion online

The AFP is warning parents and guardians over a concerning online trend emerging in Australia involving young victims who are being coerced into producing extreme sexual and violent content over the internet.

Sadistic sextortion is a rising online crime type that involves extreme online groups targeting children as young as twelve years old on social media and messaging platforms to coerce them to self-produce explicit material to gain acceptance into extreme online communities.

These online communities use different names and monikers to operate on social media or messaging platforms, and consist of members from all around the world. To gain access to a majority of these groups, prospective members are coerced by group members to produce or live-stream explicit content online.

In some cases, the offenders are the same age as the victims being targeted.

AFP intelligence has identified that sadistic sextortion offenders will initiate an online relationship with a victim on social media or messaging platform before encouraging them to produce an image or video performing an explicit sexual or violent act.

The offender will then share the content with other members in the online group, who will attempt to extort the victim by threatening to share the material with their family or friends, unless the victim produces more videos and extreme content.

The offender will relentlessly demand more content from victims that often continues to escalate in its seriousness including specific live sex acts, animal cruelty, serious self-harm, and live online suicide.

The Western Australia Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) commenced an investigation into reports of an alleged serious sadistic sextortion offender in WA, 14, accused of targeting victims around the world in 2022.

Police seized the offender’s phone and later identified child abuse material (CAM) and videos of animal cruelty.

The offender was charged and received a juvenile caution in relation to the matter.

AFP Commander of Human Exploitation and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) Helen Schneider said intelligence received by the ACCCE suggested most offenders in extreme online groups were not motivated by money, but were instead focused on obtaining status or notoriety within the group.

“Unlike sextortion, these offenders are not motivated by financial gain. Instead, they are driven by exploiting vulnerable victims into producing abhorrent content for their deranged amusement,” Commander Schneider said.

“Unfortunately, some victims in these groups, do not see themselves as victims. They do not believe they are being coerced into performing these extremely horrific acts and therefore are unlikely to report it to the authorities.

“Without information or assistance from victims and members of the public, it can be extremely difficult for police to identify offenders and shutdown these dangerous groups.”

Commander Schneider said the AFP urged parents and guardians to be aware of the warning signs of young people being groomed by coercive groups online.

‘If parents believe their child is engaging in harmful activity online, it’s important to have a conversation with them to understand the situation and provide appropriate support,” Commander Schneider said.

“Warning signs children may be engaging in harmful activity online may include increased screen-time on computers or phones, isolating themselves from friends and family or being secretive about who they are interacting with online.

“Whether a child is or has been a victim of sextortion online, please reassure them it’s not their fault and report it to the ACCCE.”

If you think you are a victim or know of someone who is a victim of sadistic sextortion
DO stop the chat
DO take screen shots of the text and profile
DO block the account and report it to the platform
DO get support from a trusted friend or family member, or professional support services and seek mental health support if required. Kids Helpline offers free and confidential sessions with counsellors.
DO report the crime to the ACCCE
DON’T send more images or pay as this will lead to more demands
DON’T respond to demands
DON’T enter into further communication
DON’T think you are alone
If you’re concerned about your or someone else’s safety, dial Triple Zero (000) or contact your local police station.

The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the ACCCE is driving a collaborative national approach to combatting child abuse.

The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.

Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.

If you or someone you know is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.

Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety. Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found on the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

For more information on the role of the ACCCE, what is online child sexual exploitation and how to report it visit the ACCCE website.

Officer charged – Western Region

A police officer has been charged over the alleged assault of two boys in the state’s west.

On Saturday 22 June 2024, the off-duty officer – an inspector attached to Western Region – is alleged to have assaulted two 11-year-old boys on a bus between Coolah and Walgett.

Following an investigation, the officer was today (Friday 6 September 2024) issued a future court attendance notice for two counts of common assault.

He is due to appear at Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday 23 October 2024.

The officer is currently suspended with pay.

NEWCASTLE AND LAKE MACQUARIE FAMILIES BUCKLE UNDER COST-OF-LIVING PRESSURES: NEW RESEARCH

Four in five (81%) Newcastle and Lake Macquarie low-income households are in housing stress due to cost-of-living pressures according to a new report by peak social services body NCOSS.

The research revealed the following across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie:

81% are in housing stress (i.e. they spend more than 30% of income on housing)
53% went without prescribed medication or healthcare
60% could not afford to travel for essential reasons (e.g. work, to attend education)
55% went without meals because they were short of money
62% had no money set aside for emergencies
47% used Buy Now Pay Later to pay for essential goods (e.g. food, transport)
NCOSS CEO Cara Varian said the research had demonstrated the extreme impacts being felt by households in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie on low incomes and below the poverty line.

“Newcastle and Lake Macquarie families should not be forced to choose between paying for food or medication,” Ms Varian said.

“The basics of life should not be considered a luxury that most low-income families cannot afford.

“These impossible choices make every day a challenge and, most disturbingly, we are setting up intergenerational disadvantage. We must do better.”

The research revealed the following across the state of NSW:

Single parents were the hardest hit cohort, with nine out of ten single parents going without essentials over the past 12 months.
NSW children are also bearing the brunt of the growing cost of living pressures, with parents cutting back spending on meals, essential healthcare, and education resources.
Three in four households (74%) sacrificed spending on their children.
Half of households (52%) sacrificed spending on health and wellbeing essentials.
One in five delayed early childhood education.
“The ripple effects of these sacrifices are profound, causing increased stress and tension within households, affecting relationships, mental health and wellbeing, and child development outcomes,” Ms Varian said.

Ms Varian said the peak body had a set of recommendations for the NSW and Commonwealth Governments, developed in consultation with NCOSS members.

“These are complex issues, but governments have the power to change it,” she said.

“Implementing our recommendations would significantly ease the crushing pressure that is pushing people to breaking point.”

The recommendations include:

Lifting Commonwealth income support for Jobseeker, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payments.
Increasing the rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
Providing universal early childcare.
Ensuring 10% of all NSW housing is social and affordable. Making NSW rental increases fair and reasonable; urgently implement no grounds evictions for all lease types; and legislate rental bidding.
Implementing a universal school food program in NSW.
Providing adequate funding for NSW emergency food relief services.
Expanding public transport concessions to better support people on low incomes.
Improving bus networks in regional, rural and remote communities.
For more information, and to read the full report, visit ncoss.org.au

Definitions:

Below the poverty line: defined as households living on less than 50% of the median NSW household income after tax and housing costs (below $560 per week).
Low-income households: defined as households living on 50 – 80% of the median NSW household income after tax and housing costs ($560 – $896 per week).
About the survey: the research, undertaken by the University of Technology’s Institute of Public Policy and Governance, involved stratified random sampling to engage a statistically representative sample of 1,086 NSW residents, living on low incomes and below the poverty line, through an online survey. 23 people also participated in focus groups and interviews.

Attorney General falls on his own knife laws in estimates

The NSW Attorney General has been blasted by crossbench and opposition MPs in Budget Estimates this morning in a fiery exchange that exposed the impotence of the Minns Labor Government’s “tough-on-crime” posturing.

Under questioning, it was revealed the Attorney General could not identify any evidence or consultation that suggested more severe penalties for knife offences or expanded police knife-wanding powers have reduced crime or would ever reduce knife crime.

The Hon. Susan Carter presented BOCSAR stats showing that certain violent knife offences have actually increased since the introduction of harsher penalties for knife offences last year

Ms Sue Higginson presented evidence from the The 2023 Griffith University Review of Queensland wanding powers which found no evidence that police wanding powers had reduced the rate of knife possession or violent knife offences and had been disproportionately used to target First Nations children and young people.

No prior consultation was undertaken on youth bail reforms with legal experts or community groups

88% of children refused bail under Labor’s youth bail reforms were First Nations children

The new Moree youth remand facility announced in March this year will not be operational before the expiration of NSW Labor’s youth bail reforms next year

The LECC will have no role overseeing the implementation of knife wanding powers, in spite of their offer to do so

The Attorney General repeatedly stated he would not apologise for legislation introduced without community and legal expert consultation and admitted that the legislation will result in the further over-incarceration of First Nations people, particularly children and young people.

Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said “This morning was a dreadful display of the realities of a tough on crime, law and order agenda. It is not based on evidence, will not reduce crime but means this government has functionally abandoned its commitment to Closing the Gap targets,”

“More First Nations young people and children are in prison than ever before in NSW because of the headline-chasing, tough-on-crime posturing of the Premier and Attorney General in the last 12 months,”

“It is an unconscionable political failure that the drivers of crime are so widely, well and long understood and that more has not been done to date to reform our approach in NSW,”

“Being tough on crime may be responsive to radio shock jocks and be cathartic for bully-boy lawmakers but it has not, has never, and will never make our communities safer,”

“Crime prevention requires community empowerment and resourcing, therapeutic responses, extraordinary compassion and understanding and the leadership to drive it and it is the leadership that is absent,” Ms Higginson said.

NSW government responds to Mental Health Inquiry

The NSW government will fail to deliver meaningful change in response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into community and outpatient mental health care without significant additional funding.

The inquiry was initiated by the Greens in July 2023 to hear from people with lived experience and people on the front lines of providing mental health care. The committee is chaired by Dr Amanda Cohn, Greens spokesperson for Health including Mental Health and former GP.

Out of the 39 recommendations in the final report, the government has supported 24, supported 8 in principle, and noted 7.

Key takeaways

Funding for the mental health system	The NSW government has failed to support recommendations to increase and maintain funding across the mental health system, or to explore innovative revenue streams to fund mental health services.
Mental health crisis and emergency responses	The government has supported several recommendations towards a health-led response to mental health emergencies, with police only activated as a secondary response to those emergencies (supported in principle). The government has not supported a recommendation to improve mandatory comprehensive mental health training for police officers. The government has not supported a recommendation to expand the Safe Haven program to be a 24/7 program where feasible.
Mental health workforce	The NSW government has failed to support recommendations to increase pay for public mental health clinicians in line with other states, or to increase resourcing for formal clinical supervision. Recommendations to integrate peer workers into the broader mental health workforce and into emergency departments were supported. The government has supported recommendations to advocate to the federal government to address funding and workforce gaps in primary care and mental health services and to provide HELP fee relief for mental health priority courses.
Other recommendations	The government has agreed to look to initiatives that provide mental health care outside of traditional clinical settings, explore opportunities for embedding mental health clinicians in general practice, improve service directories and system navigation, and implement best practice for data collection on gender and sexuality. The government has stated it is considering introducing 5-year funding agreements for NSW Mental Health Community Living Programs to improve consistency of care for consumers and growth and stability of the workforce, but that the availability of funding is a consideration.

The inquiry comes after data released recently by the federal government shows that across 2022-23, 205,830 people aged 12-64 in NSW required psychosocial support but 166,040 were not receiving it. That’s over 80% of those people needing but not receiving psychosocial support services. That percentage is second only to the NT at 82.3%.

Dr Amanda Cohn, Greens NSW spokesperson for Health including Mental Health, and former GP:

“There are some important steps forward to take out of the government’s response. Commitments to bolster the role of peer workers, better integrate mental health care and primary care and streamline system navigation are important and welcome.

“After a long-fought campaign by the Greens, the government has supported moving to health-led responses to mental health emergencies. The fight continues now to ensure this is implemented in full so that people in crisis receive the care they need and do not come to harm at the hands of police.

“It’s a slap in the face to hard working, skilled, and increasingly burnt out mental health clinicians that the government has not supported increasing their pay in line with other states. Services will continue to be understaffed and unable to deliver the care that people deserve while our health workforce moves interstate.

“These recommendations don’t get pulled out of thin air within the walls of Parliament. They were informed by the testimonies of hundreds of people, many who relived painful memories and trauma to advocate for change.

“Without new funding for community mental health services, people across NSW will continue not to be able to access the care that they need, and the mental health system will continue to be reactive and crisis-driven,” said Dr Cohn.

City of Newcastle secures $1 million grant to roll out innovative development assessment process

A groundbreaking planning tool designed by City of Newcastle, which has slashed determination times for simple developments by more than 75 per cent, will be rolled out across two Hunter councils.

City of Newcastle will leverage a $1 million Federal grant to integrate and expand its award-winning Accelerated Development Application (ADA) system across Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook Shire Councils as part of a memoranda of understanding with its Hunter neighbours.

Since being introduced by Newcastle in 2022, the system has reduced the average assessment of low-impact, decision-ready development applications to seven days, down from the previous average of 40.

It has also helped cut Newcastle’s overall processing times by 30 per cent.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the three-council accord will springboard the acclaimed ADA into more efficient approvals for low-risk developments.

“This is a significant achievement that means our hard work and expertise is set to benefit our colleagues at Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook shire and ultimately more people across the Hunter,” Cr Nelmes said.

“I’m delighted that the vision of our staff is being recognised through this federal grant and I’m proud that City of Newcastle is leading and collaborating through this first-of-its-kind system, which is setting a benchmark for other councils across NSW.

“By expanding the ADA program across the Hunter, we will help increase the planning capability and housing delivery in the region.”

The councils jointly secured the grant through the Australian Government’s Housing Support Program, part of the National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million new homes.

The system will be rolled out to Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook councils by City of Newcastle through training, support, shared expertise and mentoring.

City of Newcastle will also lead analysis and expansion of ADA, with input from the development sector, key stakeholders and artificial intelligence, to capture and speed up a greater share of applications.

The three councils will then collaborate to finetune the expanded ADA on an ongoing basis.

Muswellbrook Shire Mayor Steve Reynolds said gaining ADA as an approval tool would remove barriers to vital housing and development.

“Just like everyone who lives in the Hunter and across the state, our residents want housing that meets their needs,” Cr Reynolds said.

“Being able to share and take ownership of this proven system for Muswellbrook is going to help us address that need into the future.”

Upper Hunter Shire Mayor Maurice Collison praised the cooperation of the three councils in securing the federal grant and signing the memoranda of understanding.

“Newcastle, Muswellbrook and the Upper Hunter are unique places with their own unique qualities but we have many things in common – an expectation of timely approvals is one of them,” Cr Collison said.

“Already we’re seeing the benefits of working together and this shared approach to the benefits of ADA is a prime example.”

The ADA system has proven highly effective at slashing red tape around the hundreds of simple, decision-ready development applications made to City of Newcastle each year.

The higher efficiency frees council resources for more complex DAs, increasing capacity for merit assessment and responding to site constraints.

The system also improves the quality of information lodged and uses an eligibility checker to quickly determine if an application can be assessed through ADA. In the most recent financial year, ADA determinations accounted for 27 per cent of all applications determined by City of Newcastle.

City of Newcastle’s ADA pathway covers 10 types of developments. Most applications determined are residential, including alterations and additions, single dwellings and secondary dwellings.