Month: September 2024

Kids living in the outback region of Brewarrina have the opportunity to learn new skills through a community-led pilot funded by the NSW Government to promote cycling in the area.

The Brewarrina Bike Kitchen pilot, which starts today, has been designed to boost cycling within the Brewarrina community by teaching participants how to build and maintain bicycles, and ride safely in the community.

The $110,000 pilot will be delivered by Tune Cycles through a $73,555 grant awarded under the NSW Government’s Transport Access Regional Partnerships (TARP) program, and $37,000 from the NSW Office of Sport for the purchase of bikes and helmets funded through the Sustainable Participation Partnership Program. 

The program is supported by the Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Lands Council and local schools. The Brewarrina Bike Kitchen was born out of discussions with community and school leaders who communicated a lack of activities for local youths and a desire to increase active transport opportunities within the town.

The pilot will not only increase mobility options for young people in a town where just under 20 per cent of residents do not have access to a registered motor vehicle (more than double the NSW average), but will also deliver improved health outcomes through new exercise opportunities.

Forty-four primary school-aged children from Brewarrina, Weilmoringle and Goodooga will take part in the Brewarrina Bike Kitchen pilot for 12 months. The participants, ranging from Years 3 to 6, have been selected after meeting and maintaining their existing educational outcomes at their respective schools.

The Brewarrina Bike Kitchen pilot kicks off on Tuesday 3 September for mentors followed by the youth workshop on Wednesday 4 September. The Bike Kitchen workshop will be open every Thursday from 3pm-5pm at the Brewarrina LALC for kids to access help to maintain the bikes.

Three additional workshops will be held over a 12-month pilot period where mechanics from online and mobile bike specialists Tune Cycles will teach participants bike handling and maintenance skills to ensure the bikes are well-kept.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“Transport for NSW will fund the educational and training component of the program, and also travel for successful students who complete this repair workshop to attend a reward event for their participation in building a safer community.

“The aim is for these bikes to be utilised in an ongoing program after the pilot phase, ensuring sustainability and longevity.

“This pilot will provide essential training and education to community representatives who will serve as leaders of the Bike Kitchen for the student participants.

“Participants will acquire the necessary skills to mechanically fix and maintain bikes and ensure safe riding practices are encouraged and embedded within the community.”

Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

“Sport and active recreation offer many benefits – including physical, mental and social – and the NSW Government’s funding of the Brewarrina Bike Kitchen will enable local indigenous children to develop a life-long love of cycling.

“I urge the kids and broader community to embrace this fantastic program so that it can continue for many years to come.”

Member for Barwon Roy Butler said:

“Sport and active recreation play a vital role in role in community engagement and healthy lifestyles in Far West NSW, particularly among Indigenous communities.

“The Brewarrina Bike Kitchen will get more local kids active and healthy through cycling.

“The bike maintenance component of the program will also teach them important values of responsibility and commitment. 

“I commend the NSW Government agencies, Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Land Council and Tune Cycles for bringing this project to life.”

Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Lands Council acting CEO Urayne Warraweena said:

“The Bike Kitchen is exciting opportunity for Brewarrina.

“Although we have limited health and fitness infrastructure, when we put together sporting activities like seasonal football our kids not only revel in the activity but it reveals a talent base of young athletes with extraordinary ability.

“As a remote isolated community, cycling should be an integral part of our active transport infrastructure but we have no facilities to support bike repairs which means the first mechanical issue sees the bike up against a fence to rust away.

“Our Bike Kitchen will upskill a local person to provide repair services. We hope this leads to other exciting developments in physical activity like walk and run groups, and we are now looking at getting a PCYC which will be a great future base for our bike program.

“This bike program will be loved by the kids and it will create an incredible launching platform of new sporting programs to inspire them towards good health, fitness and active transport.

“The pilot is also a great social opportunity for participants to interact with their peers and students from different schools.”

Tune Cycles’ Hayden Nosatti said:

“Our program is more than just bikes, it’s a catalyst for change.

“Bikes are not just giving kids a means of transportation, they’re unlocking a world of opportunity. Cycling isn’t just about getting from A to B, it’s about forging friendships, boosting health, and fostering a love for learning.

“Through creative means like helmet painting, we’re not just showcasing talent but also celebrating culture and heritage. Our program isn’t just about riding; it’s about riding high on life’s possibilities.”

The Minns Labor Government will ban the use of unaccredited emergency accommodation for vulnerable children in the foster care system, reversing the former government’s reliance on these inappropriate and costly arrangements.  

The announcement, made during Child Protection Week, follows numerous reports and distressing firsthand accounts that have revealed the terrible outcomes faced by children living in Alternative Care Arrangements (ACAs).  

In a recent report by the Advocate for Children and Young People, one young person compared their experience living in an ACA to that of a “dog being moved from cage to cage.” 

Alternative Care Arrangements:

• can cost upwards of $2 million per child per year,
• have cost $500 million over the last six years,
• often involve children being placed in hotels, motels and caravan parks with rotating shift workers instead of foster carers,
• are the placement option of last resort for children in the foster care system, and
• are provided by unaccredited agencies with limited government oversight who are not required to meet the NSW Child Safe Standards for Permanent Care.  

The Minns Labor Government has consistently flagged its concerns with the use of ACAs and has already taken decisive action to reduce the number of children in these arrangements by 72 per cent. As at 16 August 2024, there are 39 children in an ACA compared to 139 in November last year.  

Of the 39 children currently in an ACA, suitable alternative placement types have been identified for each individual, and efforts are ongoing to facilitate these transitions. The available options include returning the children safely to their parents, placing them with a foster carer or relative, or providing support in an intensive therapeutic care environment. 

The NSW Government has recently expanded Intensive Therapeutic Care capacity and recruited approximately 200 emergency foster carers to help support children being moved out of emergency accommodation. 

Within six months, unaccredited ACAs will be a prohibited placement type, which will complement other urgent reform measures already underway.  

The Government is also reducing the number of children in other types of emergency accommodation. Since November last year, the total number of children in all types of High-Cost Emergency Arrangements (HCEAs) has fallen from 506 to 376 – a 26 per cent reduction. 

The 2024-25 NSW Budget has invested $224 million in funding that will allow the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) to:

• re-enter the market as a foster care provider and expand the recruitment of DCJ emergency foster carers to include longer-term carers,
• introduce government-run intensive and professional foster care models,
• deliver government-run residential care for children where non-government providers are unable to offer stable placements,
• ensure children living in residential care are supported by high quality, accredited providers, and
• commence recruiting family time workers and additional caseworkers to undertake carer authorisation assessments. 

These initial measures will help rebuild the broken out-of-home care system and ensure that more children grow up in safe and loving homes in NSW.

The Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington said:

“Since I became Minister, I’ve made it very clear that vulnerable children do not belong in hotels, motels or caravan parks with shift workers instead of foster carers.

“We acted early, and we’re already seeing meaningful results, with the number of children in unaccredited Alternative Care Arrangements falling by 72 per cent in just eight months.

“The former government let the child protection system spiral out of control, and the use of these emergency accommodation providers for vulnerable children skyrocketed.   

“The Minns Labor Government’s ban on ACAs is a critical step towards making the child protection system sustainable, and will put vulnerable kids on safer paths to brighter futures.

“Under our government, unaccredited emergency accommodation will become a thing of the past, which is long overdue.”

The Minns Labor Government will introduce a series of new measures to support NSW jobs and businesses and encourage the development of local industries, removing barriers to local growth.

These policy changes have the backing of workers and industry and will transform the way the government spends its precious procurement dollars on goods and services.

Working in partnership with local industry

Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos will on Tuesday instruct the NSW Procurement Board to axe the previous Liberal-National Government’s prohibitions on local content rules.

Those rules made it unlawful for NSW government agencies to seek, or even consider, local employment and business growth opportunities at any stage of the procurement process, harming local businesses at a time when they needed access to valuable procurement opportunities.

NSW government agencies can now consider local content and local development opportunities when suppliers bid for government contracts.

‘If not, why not’ rules for local procurement

To ensure agencies embrace the policy reversal, Minister Houssos has issued a new direction to the NSW Procurement Board called ‘If not, why not’.

Under this direction, the NSW Procurement Board will mandate that NSW Government agencies engage with local NSW suppliers before going to tender for projects worth more than $7.5 million.

The new rules also mandate that if a contract worth more than $7.5 million is awarded to a supplier outside of NSW, agencies will need to undergo a ‘please explain’ process prior to the contract being awarded, outlining why a local supplier was not successful.

The definition of a ‘local supplier’ for the purposes of the ‘If not, why not’ direction is limited to NSW enterprises.

While upholding Australia’s free trade obligations that prevent discriminating against suppliers because of where they’re based or owned, this policy will refocus agencies on supporting jobs and local production in NSW.

This will assist with the Minns Labor Government’s plans to boost the competitiveness of NSW industries and help rebuild the manufacturing sector decimated by the previous Liberal-National Government.

‘Value for money’

Purchasing the cheapest goods and services does not always equate to ‘value for money’ for the people of NSW.

Under the previous Liberal-National Government, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of major contracts were sent abroad. What came back were delays, cost blowouts and, ultimately, inferior products.

A more robust approach to ‘value for money’ considers factors like supporting employment opportunities and developing regional economies. With these changes, the NSW Government is delivering confidence to domestic and international investors and suppliers alike.

Establishing the Jobs First Commission

The Minns Labor Government will also legislate to create the Jobs First Commission to oversee the implementation and enforcement of local content measures. It will help grow domestic industries and jobs for local workers.

This includes enacting key measures including:

• A local content policy which will implement Labor’s election commitment to apply a minimum 30% weighting to NSW Government tenders worth more than $7.5 million that captures local content, job creation, small business and ethical supply chains.
• A Future Skills Guarantee with workforce targets, including that 20% of the trades workforce on NSW Government construction or infrastructure contracts valued above $7.5 million are apprentices.
• An independent advisory board with representation from across industry, small business, unions, and the public sector to provide ongoing engagement with, and advice on, government procurement policies as well as local development and industry growth strategies.
• Appointing a Job First Commissioner conferred with ‘name and shame’ and other compliance and enforcement powers. This will ensure all parties, including NSW agencies, adhere to the government’s procurement rules and standards, in particular the new tender weightings rules and local content and skills requirements.

The definition of ‘local content’ under the Jobs First Commission legislation will be any Australia or New Zealand-based enterprise.

In the seven years since implementing its Local Jobs First policy, the Victorian government has supported 40,000 Victorian jobs and demonstrated the potential impact of policies like these.

Last year the NSW Government spent approximately $42 billion on goods and services.

Together, these initiatives will also direct more work to the more than 100,000 apprentices and trainees currently registered in NSW and encourage even more to pick up a trade.

This announcement complements the Minns Labor Government’s ongoing procurement reforms.

The revocation of the previous government’s anti-local content provisions will take effect within 45 days, while the ‘If not, why not’ direction will come into effect on 1 January 2025. Consultation on an exposure draft of legislation to establish the Jobs First Commission is targeted to be released by the end of the year.

Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos:

“Businesses and workers in NSW have so much to offer – not just to government but to all consumers.

“These changes will support our local industries and give them new opportunities to secure a larger slice of the NSW government’s $42 billion procurement spend.

“Our announcement today delivers the next step on an important election commitment we made to support local jobs and local businesses.

“The former government’s ideological zealotry harmed local industries, local businesses and local workers.”

Minister for Industry and Trade Anoulack Chanthivong:

“NSW has the most innovative and dynamic businesses in the nation. It makes sense for the NSW Government to invest in those companies.

“Our state has all the ingredients to be a manufacturing powerhouse, but we need to pull all of the levers available to realise that ambition. Government procurement is a powerful tool to boost industry growth.

“When boardrooms are making big investment decisions, they need to know that NSW has the skills and capabilities for manufacturing and these changes will send a powerful signal.” 

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan:

“Alongside our commitment to deliver 1,000 additional apprentices and trainees across NSW Government agencies, this announcement demonstrates our commitment to developing the skilled workforce for the state’s future.

“Local industry and business represent key players in workforce development across the state. Through this initiative we will open up more opportunities for young people to secure highly skilled, well-paid and secure jobs within their local area.”

Business NSW CEO Dan Hunter:

“Not only will this decision supercharge our manufacturing base, it will also boost local skills development and drive innovation.

“NSW has the biggest and most sophisticated private enterprise economy in the country, and this decision will go some way to ensuring we remain the best place to start and develop a business.

“NSW’s small and medium businesses have always been happy to compete with the big players when it comes to winning government contracts – they just need a level playing field.”

Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey:

“For too long, we’ve seen valuable contracts and opportunities sent offshore, at the expense of local workers and industries. The new ‘Jobs First’ approach, with its focus on local content policy and skills, will help ensure NSW public spending directly benefits our communities, workers, and apprentices.

“Unions pushed hard for a Jobs First Commission with oversight and enforcement powers, because it’s vitally important that local industry is supported to create sustainable, skilled jobs for NSW workers. We particularly welcome the targets for apprentices and trainees on major projects, which will help build the skilled workforce of tomorrow.

“This is a profoundly important policy shift which recognises that supporting local jobs and businesses sets us up for the future. This fosters innovation and stronger industrial capability, creating solid opportunities for the next generation of NSW workers.”