Month: September 2024

A special Star Ceremony will be held this morning at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney’s Hyde Park to commemorate the 25^th Anniversary of Australian service in East Timor.

Representatives of the veteran community will each place a special star into the Hall of Memory to remember the service and sacrifice of those Australians who served in East Timor between 1999 and 2013.

Over 18,000 Australians served in East Timor, including members of the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police personnel, as well as civilians. Their contribution came at a cost, with six Australians paying the ultimate sacrifice.

Military involvement in East Timor began in 1999 when the East Timorese people were given the opportunity to vote on whether they wanted independence from Indonesia. Pro-Indonesia militia groups began attacking civilians, 1,400 civilians died, and around 500,000 people were displaced from their homes.

Indonesian President BJ Habibie announced on 12 September 1999 that the country would withdraw from East Timor and allow peacekeepers to enter.

The United Nations Security Council authorised the formation of a multinational force known as the International Force East Timor (INTERFET) led by Australia.

This deployment of troops to East Timor in 1999 was Australia’s largest since the Vietnam War.

Today’s commemorative address was provided by RSL NSW Director Mr Paul James, who served in the Army Reserves on Operation RESOLUTE (Border Protection) in 2009-10 and Operation ASTUTE (Timor-Leste) in 2012.

A national service will also take place at the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial in Canberra, attended by NSW Minister for Veterans, the honourable David Harris MP.

Minister for Veterans, David Harris said:

“Twenty-five years ago, Australians were deployed to Timor-Leste, then known as East Timor, to lead a multinational peacekeeping force in response to a humanitarian and security crisis.

“The service of Australians and those of other nations who formed the International Force East Timor assisted the country as it achieved independence, and established itself as an independent democracy.

“Thank you to the men and women who served in East Timor.”

RSL NSW Director Mr Paul James said:

“During my deployment to Timor-Leste in 2012 and 2013 the United Nations forces handed over law and order to the Timorese, and in early 2013 the ADF and NZDF elements withdrew after being deployed since 2006 as the International Stabilisation Force.

“What I remember most from my deployment to Timor-Leste is the warmth and kindness shown by the Timorese. Many of those who I met had suffered from decades of violence and conflict.

“Every veteran and police officer that served in East Timor from 1999 to 2013 should be proud of how they provided safety, support and hope to this little nation.”

Repairs and betterment works are now underway for more than 40 landslip sites on Wisemans Ferry Road in Spencer and Gunderman on the Central Coast, thanks to $28.3 million from Albanese and Minns Government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Wisemans Ferry Road experienced widespread damage including embankments with landslides and rockfalls at multiple locations, after major flooding and storms in 2022.

The road will be restored to its pre-disaster function and become more resilient to future natural disasters, as part of Essential Public Asset Reconstruction and Regional Roads Transport Recovery Package initiatives.

These initiatives help local councils in NSW rebuild road and transport infrastructure projects in disaster-impacted communities.

Alongside current road pavement rehabilitation, over the coming months Wisemans Ferry Road will see works across four interconnected segments to rectify several critical landslide and embankment erosion issues.

Completion of the Wisemans Ferry Road project is anticipated in June 2026, weather depending.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Jenny McAllister:

“The Albanese and Minns Governments are committed to working with Central Coast Council to build a stronger and more reliable road network that keeps local communities connected and freight operators moving.

“Restoring and improving vital infrastructure such as Wisemans Ferry Road helps local communities respond and bounce back more quickly to any future natural disasters.”

the Member for Robertson, Dr. Gordon Reid:

“I welcome the collaboration between the Federal and State Labor Governments to start these much-needed rehabilitation works along Wisemans Ferry Road.

“I know through conversations with my community that safety along Wisemans Ferry Road is a top priority, being one of the primary roads in and out of the area.

“As an emergency doctor, it is vitally important that frontline services can access these communities easily and safely.”

NSW Minister for Planning, Paul Scully:

“We have seen Wisemans Ferry Road severely impacted by weather events in recent years so this investment in upgrading more than 40 landslip sites is important.

“When repair works are undertaken in disaster prone areas, we want to make sure they make the area more resilient for the future.

“These works on Wisemans Ferry Road are long overdue for the community to return to their normal travel routes around the area.”

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison:

“We know Wisemans Ferry Road is vulnerable to severe weather events, and this funding will help Central Coast Council to both carry out necessary repairs and to ensure the local road network is more capable of withstanding future natural disasters.

“This funding will provide a boost to Council, to improve the local roads that people use every day to travel to work, see their families and get to medical appointments.

“Working together, we can help communities remain connected or re-connect faster following a severe weather event.”

NSW Minister for the Central Coast David Harris:

“These extensive rehabilitation works are a huge win for residents, visitors and freight operators who rely on Wisemans Ferry Road.

“These works will improve safety significantly while also ensuring the region can bounce back quicker.

“I’m proud to be part of a government providing funding which will improve the daily lives of regional communities.”

Gosford MP Liesl Tesch:

“Wisemans Ferry Road has been significantly impacted by severe weather events and the local community are very happy to see work progressing to not only restore the road, but ensure it’s improved for the long-term benefit of all locals and visitors.

“The Central Coast deserves to have infrastructure that can recover more quickly from these types of disasters, allowing life to get back to normal more quickly.

“Simply repairing the damage without addressing the underlying problems would eventually be more costly for all concerned.”

Central Coast Council Director Infrastructure Services, Boris Bolgoff:

“The long-awaited works have been much anticipated by the community after many natural disasters and storm events impacted local roads and the day-to-day life of locals, as well as visitors to the area.

“Since the time that emergency works were undertaken to reinstate road access and ensure safe use of the road, Council has continued to work on delivering solutions to get the road back to working order and to better withstand future natural disasters.

“We are excited to have successfully secured funding from the Australian and NSW Governments and for the remediation works on Wisemans Ferry Road to now be underway.

“This is a very welcome milestone for the community and the tourism industry, and we thank the Australian and NSW Governments for their funding support.”

The Minns Labor Government has passed legislation today that will greatly enhance the delivery of regional economic development and to build stronger communities across rural and regional NSW.

Significant changes to the Regional Development Act by the Government, have lifted community confidence in how taxpayer funds will be used in regional NSW following years of porkbarrelling and mismanagement by the former Nationals/Liberal Government.

The NSW Government is committed to delivering change and ensuring government investments are targeted and will make a real positive difference to people and communities.

The modernised Regional Development Act reflects the community feedback and 232 submissions received in response to the community engagement on the Bill.

This engagement also included hearing from rural and remote council Mayors and general managers, regional Councils, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, Business NSW, NSW Farmers, Regional Development Australia, regionally located Universities and the NSW Aboriginal Women’s Advisory Network.

The new legislation provides a robust framework for how the Government’s $400 million Regional Development Trust supports community needs and economic development in the communities it is designed to serve.

The changes introduce independent accountability, greatly improve cooperation between all levels of government and provide greater transparency in funding arrangements for regional development projects.

The Regional Development Act has now been modernised with:

• Updated objects of the Act to reflect the contemporary needs of rural and regional NSW and encourage cooperation and collaboration with all tiers of government including local government
• Broader types of financial investment that can be provided from the Regional Development Trust to better respond to the challenges and opportunities in rural and regional NSW
• Reinvestment enabled into the Regional Development Trust by government, private sector and non-for-profit organisations
• Strengthened accountability and transparency through new governance and reporting provisions requiring the publication of an annual report, investment strategy and governance framework so the public have a clear understanding of the focus and investment of the Regional Development Trust
• A mandate that the Minister must establish a Regional Development Advisory Council so that independent expert advice is a constant component of the administration of the Regional Development Trust.

As part of the modernised Regional Development Act, the Regional Development Advisory Council will provide independent advice and oversight on investments from the Regional Development Trust.

Community members interested in shaping the future prosperity of regional NSW are encouraged to apply to become part of the NSW Government’s Regional Development Advisory Council.

Expressions of Interest for the new Advisory Council opened on 11 September 2024 and close on 11:59PM Wednesday 9 October.

For more information about the Regional Development go to: www.nsw.gov.au/regional-nsw/regional-development-roadmap

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“Updating the Regional Development Act is an important milestone that ensures investments into rural and regional communities from the Government’s $400 Regional Development Trust are strategic and provide real benefits for regional communities.

“This new Act represents the full delivery of the Regional Development Roadmap to update our regional development framework. This is in addition to the establishment of the regional development advisory council and the investment of $400m into the regional development trust.

“The Trust will invest where it is needed most and support projects that deliver meaningful benefit to regional communities.

“With these changes, regional communities can have full confidence that investments are made in a fair and transparent way underpinned by independent expert advice.”

NSW Ambulance staff who have provided exceptional care to their communities have been honoured at public events held across NSW to celebrate Ambulance Appreciation Day.

More than 150 NSW Ambulance staff were recognised for commendable acts of courage and going above and beyond in their role in saving lives across the state.

NSW Ambulance Appreciation Day events were held at the State Operations Centre and ambulance stations across the state, including Central Sydney, Liverpool, Woy Woy, Blacktown, Hamilton, Kingscliff, Wagga Wagga and Bathurst to publicly recognise and celebrate our paramedics and ambulance staff members for their achievements and extraordinary care they have provided.

NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce AM attended the event at Central Sydney Ambulance Station and acknowledged the dedication and compassion of NSW Ambulance staff.

Among those recognised today were Cameron Edgar, Associate Director Helicopter Operations, Guy Blanchard, Duty Aeromedical Manager and critical care paramedic Garth Thomson who all started with NSW Ambulance on the same day 30 years ago.

Other awards presented include the Commissioner’s Commendations for Courage and Service, Commissioner’s Unit Citations for Courage and Service, and service recognition clasps to dedicated staff with more than 30 years of continuous service.

Minister for Health, Ryan Park:

“The outstanding care paramedics and NSW Ambulance staff provide to the community is second to none and today we recognise a special cohort who have gone beyond the call of duty for the people of NSW.

“Those receiving awards today have shown exceptional care to the community and remarkable courage, but I also want to acknowledge all NSW Ambulance staff who put patient care at the centre of everything they do.”

NSW Health Secretary, Susan Pearce AM:

“NSW Ambulance Appreciation Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the professionalism and specialised skills of NSW Ambulance staff and recognise the important work they do around the state in the pre-hospital setting.

“I am immensely proud of all the paramedics, doctors, nurses, control centre staff, corporate staff and volunteers who are being acknowledged and awarded today.”

NSW Ambulance Chief Executive, Dr Dominic Morgan:

“Today is about celebrating the remarkable achievements of NSW Ambulance staff from across the state and recognising their hard work and exceptional skills.

“I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our staff on the road, in the air, at our stations, airbases, control centres, offices and State Operations Centre for your dedication in providing excellent care to the NSW community.”

The Minns Labor Government will support all nine recommendations from the NSW Parliament’s inquiry into government procurement, paving the way for more transparent, fair and effective practices.

Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos referred the matter to the parliamentary inquiry in response to concerns about the decline in local manufacturing and a lack of local content policies under the previous Liberal-National Government.

The NSW Government welcomes all of the report’s recommendations which will see:

• An expanded definition of ‘value for money’ so that opportunities for job creation and local industry support can be factored into government spend,
• The amending or removal of obstacles to opportunities for small and medium size enterprises to bid for government contracts,
• Improved compliance and assurance with procurement policies and directions,
• New measures to ensure timely feedback is offered to all parties involved in a competitive tender bid.

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.

The Minns Labor Government is committed to reforming government procurement to encourage the development of local industries and remove barriers to local growth.

The inquiry’s recommendations complement the suite of reforms already commenced by the NSW Government, including:

• Mandating that agencies engage with local NSW suppliers before tendering for contracts worth more than $7.5 million, and if the contract is awarded to a supplier outside NSW, to undergo a ‘please explain’ outlining why it wasn’t,
• Revoking rules which 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,
• Slashing red tape for small and medium enterprises who contract with the NSW Government, and increasing the threshold for direct engagement to $250,000,
• Announcing plans to legislate a Jobs First Commission which will mandate local tender weightings and minimum skills requirements, and monitor their implementation,
• Announcing plans to create a debarment scheme to ban dodgy suppliers from engaging with the NSW Government.

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

Chaired by the Hon Dr Sarah Kaine MLC, the inquiry received 64 submissions from a range of stakeholders including industry, unions, associations and councils, academics and members of the public. It held a series of public hearings to hear first-hand from industry professionals, key stakeholders and government agencies. 

The inquiry’s first report, and the full NSW Government response are available on the NSW Parliament website at <https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=3014>.

Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos:

“We have the opportunity to be smarter with our procurement dollars, better leveraging them to deliver better outcomes for businesses and workers across NSW.

“The inquiry’s report made it clear that there is significant reform required to ensure the effective operation of the procurement framework to maximise value-for-money for taxpayers.

“By reforming the way the government spends its precious procurement dollars we can unlock new opportunities for local suppliers and small businesses.

“The inquiry’s findings demonstrate that the reforms we have already put in place have us on the right path. There’s clearly more work to be done to make sure more of the NSW Government’s $42 billion spend can go to support local jobs and local industries.

“I thank the committee for their work and look forward to receiving their final report.

inquiry chair Dr Sarah Kaine MLC:

“This is an important inquiry, given the vital role government procurement plays in the NSW economy. With almost $42 billion spent each year, we need to make sure that this spend factors in the overall impact and cost to our community not just the ticketed price.

“I am pleased the Government will be supporting all nine recommendations, it highlights this Government’s commitment to ensuring our procurement system is fit for purpose, and to leverage the power of government procurement to promote local jobs and foster our local manufacturing industry.”

Strata managing agents face tough new laws that crack down on secret kickbacks through greater transparency and higher penalties for agents doing the wrong thing.

Strata laws put owners’ corporations in charge of making key decisions on the buildings and common property of townhouses and apartments, usually with the assistance of a strata managing agent.

The new laws will ensure tough action against agents who don’t properly declare conflicts of interest.

Key changes include:  

• increasing the maximum penalties and penalty infringement notice amounts for existing agent obligations to disclose information about commissions
• strengthening the conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements
• banning agents from receiving a commission on insurance products when they don’t play a role in finding the best deal for residents
• strengthening NSW Fair Trading’s enforcement and compliance powers.

The higher penalties, greater transparency and new enforcement powers follow an $8.4 million investment in more resources for NSW Fair Trading to tackle issues in strata and property services in this year’s budget.  

Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“Building more high quality, higher density housing is a key pillar of the Government’s comprehensive plan to build a better NSW so we need people to have confidence to invest and live in strata schemes.

“The Government has wasted no time in tightening controls to respond to community concerns about accountability and conflicts of interest in the strata industry.

“These changes will help to restore the confidence of the 1.2 million people already living in strata schemes and change the perception that strata managing agents can take advantage of owners without consequences.”

Passengers are advised that industrial action this week may cause disruption to NSW train services.  
 
Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink have been notified about a range of industrial actions from the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union.  
 
The rail agencies continue to bargain in good faith with the Combined Rail Unions for a new enterprise bargaining agreement.
 
We have had two full day bargaining sessions with the Combined Rail Unions this week including yesterday, Tuesday 17 September, and today, Wednesday 18 September.
 
This industrial action could cause train services to be cancelled at short notice and impact the ability to respond to operational incidents on the rail network.  
 
In addition, weekend rail services may operate at lower frequency and there may be impacts on planned track work and special event transport services.  
 
Train service plans for the major events this weekend are under development, and we will update passengers as soon as possible.
 
We apologise for the inconvenience this industrial action may cause and ask passengers to plan ahead, leave extra travel time, and keep updated about any changes to services by using the Trip Planner, checking travel alerts and our social media channels.