Month: November 2024

Tulloch Wine CEO Christina Tulloch has been awarded the prestigious 2023 Graham Gregory Award at the annual NSW Wine Awards held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney today.

The Graham Gregoy Award is the industry’s highest accolade recognising individuals who are advancing the wine industry both in NSW and further afield and recognises areas such as leadership, research and development, winemaking, education and market development.

Christina Tulloch, now the fourth generation of the family to be involved in the Tulloch Wines business, is a pivotal member of the Australian wine industry and has been selected for significant contributions to the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism industry, as an inspiring leader and brand ambassador.

While working for Tulloch Wines, Christina has held roles on national and regional bodies, including:

• The Director and now Chair of Destination Sydney Surrounds North;
• The first female President of the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association; and.
• Director of Wine Australia (Small Winemakers).

Christina has worked to unite, protect and advance NSW wine and strengthen partnerships, through some of the toughest challenges to industry in recent years.

The Graham Gregory Award is named in honour of the former NSW Agriculture Deputy Director General who was instrumental in the development of the NSW wine industry.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is an ongoing partner of the NSW Wine Industry Association and delivers support through research and development for continual growth.

For more information on the NSW Wine Awards and to view all 2024 wine award recipients please visit the NSW Wines website – https://nswwine.com.au/pages/results-wine-awards

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“I would like to congratulate Christina on receiving the Graham Gregory Award and thank her for her significant contributions to the NSW wine industry.

“The Graham Gregory Award is the highest honour within the wine industry, recognising those who have made significant contributions to winemaking, education, and market development.

“Christina’s achievements in these areas truly reflect the values of this award, and we are proud to celebrate her impact on both the local and national stages.

President for NSW Wine Industry Association Mark Bourne said:

“Christina is an incredibly well-deserving recipient of this year’s Graham Gregory Award.

“Recognising far-reaching and ongoing contributions to the wine industry, Christina’s leadership in the Hunter Valley and at a state and national level across both wine and tourism has left a positive mark on the NSW wine industry.

“NSW Wine thanks Christina for her service and commitment to the industry.”

Tulloch Wine CEO Christina Tulloch said:

“I am deeply honoured to receive the 2023 Graham Gregory Award.

“This recognition is a testament not only to my work but also to the incredible team at Tulloch Wines and the Wine Industry in the Hunter Valley.

“I’m excited about what lies ahead for our region and the opportunities to showcase our unique wines on the world stage.”

The Minns Labor Government is taking action to ensure Sydney doesn’t run out of landfill space after a decade of inaction by previous governments has left Greater Sydney on the brink of a waste crisis. Without action, landfill space is predicted to run out by 2030.

The state of NSW’s waste and recycling was made public today at the NSW Circular Economy Summit in Sydney, hosted by NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe and NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) CEO Tony Chappel.

The Summit has brought together representatives from industry, environment groups, local government and state government to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the state.

Without new waste and recycling solutions, and some quick decisions and choices, Greater Sydney’s landfill capacity will be exhausted within the next decade. This would significantly drive waste management costs up for households and businesses.

If no action is taken, residents would be paying for their waste to be transported to regional areas or interstate for disposal. This would also significantly slow down industry, as demolition waste costs would rise.

Concerningly, recycling rates in NSW have stagnated at around 65% since 2015-16, so far well short of the 80% target by 2030.

However, the NSW Government is moving swiftly and taking action to address the looming waste management shortfall.

Four key pieces of work are underway to fix the waste challenge:

Plan and develop critical waste infrastructure

• Urgently develop NSW’s first ever Waste Infrastructure Plan, to support the development of the facilities we need
• Consultation with industry and councils has already begun.

Reduce waste going to landfill

• Finalise the waste levy review
• Legislate mandates to phase in source-separated FOGO waste (food organics and garden organics) for businesses and households
• Develop and roll out the first ever NSW Reuse and Repair Strategy to scale up the reuse sector

Grow recycling rates and opportunities

• Finalise the NSW Plastics Plan to take plastics out of circulation

Take action to prevent contamination

• Finalise our Australian-leading work on product stewardship for batteries
• Prevent FOGO contamination by taking action on chemicals in food packaging
• Work with Office of the Chief Scientist to review the settings around asbestos

The NSW Government is also exploring funding opportunities to support the sector and local government. Over the past decade, the NSW EPA has awarded over half a billion dollars through more than 3,300 grants to divert around four million tonnes of waste from landfill.

Summit feedback will help to further tackle the issue and shape government policies to ensure NSW has the capacity to manage waste safely now and into the future.

For more information, visit: https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/sydney-landfill-shortage

Quote attributable to NSW Minister for Environment Penny Sharpe:

“Sydney is running out of landfill space and our recycling rates have stagnated. We are at a point that if we don’t take urgent action, our red bins won’t be able to be collected in a few years.

“Previous Governments were briefed on this issue, and there was no action for over a decade. Industry and councils have been crying out for support and leadership. We’re stepping up to the plate.

“Not all the decisions we need to make will be easy or even popular – but I’d rather make the hard decisions then have bins that can’t be collected.

“We know the public wants to see less waste in landfill, use less plastic and support recycling and we want to help them do their bit. Together we can fix the problem and create a more sustainable future.”

Quotes attributable NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) CEO Tony Chappel:

“Shifting to a circular economy requires a united approach, and that’s exactly what today’s Summit is about – bringing together key stakeholders to explore how we can accelerate this transition.  

“As a state, we’re at a critical juncture. We must act now to ensure our infrastructure keeps pace with growing waste volumes, and to maximise recycling and recovery efforts. Through a mix of innovative projects, strategic investments, and collaboration, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity.

“By working together across government, industry and communities, we’re building a future where waste becomes a resource, not a burden.”

Dozens of students are buzzing with excitement as NSW’s top primary school spellers go to battle hoping to be crowned the winner of the NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee.

Some 60 students have spelled their way into the finals, being held today at Q Theatre in Penrith, with words such as ‘fascinate’, ‘anemometer’, ‘allegory’ and ‘sovereign’.

The 2024 Premier’s Spelling Bee final will be contested by 30 students in Years 3 and 4 (junior) and 30 students in Years 5 and 6 (senior).  Along the way these students have beaten a combined 1,800 students in a series of regional heats to reach the finals.

Finalists include Hunter siblings Anica and Calvin N, from Biddabah Public School, and Anika and Anushka Iyengar, from Maryland Public School.

Anica and Anika, both in Year 3, will go head-to-head in the junior Spelling Bee, and their siblings Calvin, Year 5 and Anushka, Year 6, will compete in the senior Spelling Bee later in the day.

This year’s competition will also see the return of 2023 junior finalists, Year 4 student Bobby (Bogdan) Ivaneza from Annandale Public School and Year 5 Coonabarabran Public School student William Weatherall. Bobby and William will compete in the 2024 senior final.

The 2024 Spelling Bee’s participation has increased by almost 10 per cent on last year, with nearly two-thirds of NSW public primary schools competing.

Regional areas are well-represented with students travelling to Sydney from Temora, Dungowan, Griffith, Yamba and Mullumbimby to compete.

Yamba Public School in northern NSW has had students compete in the finals five times in the past eight years, with this year’s entrant Year 5 student Willow Allen.

More than 1,800 students competed in 60 regional finals over a 10-day period to reach the State finals. Of these, 303 students (200 juniors and 103 seniors) speak a language other than English at home, and 95 students (46 juniors and 49 seniors) identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“Reading, writing and spelling are foundational skills for young learners, and this spelling bee gives some of our brightest students a chance to show their spelling skills while having a bit of fun.

“Students who are good spellers are often avid readers, and if we can get our children reading more through initiatives such as the Premier’s Reading Challenge, that’s an excellent outcome.”

Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“The Spelling Bee shows just how inclusive our public education system is – any student, regardless of where they live, can compete and be a contender for the top honours.

“As Minister for Western Sydney, I am thrilled this year’s competition is being held at Q Theatre in Penrith for the first time.”

The Minns Labor Government has expanded eligibility for the $200 Far West power outage support payment.

The $200 payment will now be made available to all eligible adults who live in Broken Hill, Central Darling Shire and the Unincorporated LGAs.

This expands on the previously announced details of a payment for each residential electricity account holder. The expanded payment will see every adult in a single household or shelter receive support.

Service NSW is urgently working to establish the system to process applications.

Once available, residents over the age of 18 will be able to apply via their MyService Account on the Service NSW website or mobile app, in person at the Recovery Assistance Point in Broken Hill, the Broken Hill Service NSW centre, or other locations to be advised.

Residents will need to provide proof of identity and residential address such as a recent utilities account, council rates notice, tenancy agreement or registration notice.

The NSW Government is working with financial institutions, which are standing by to support fast turnaround of payments into residents’ bank accounts. In most cases, payments should be available in bank accounts within three days of an approved application.

The Minns Labor Government will also be providing a $400 payment for small-to-medium sized businesses.

Businesses with a principal place of operation in the Broken Hill, Central Darling Shire and the Unincorporated LGAs with an active ABN at the time of the outage and fewer than 200 employees as of October 17 will be eligible to apply.

Business applications will be able to be made via the Service NSW Business App, website or in-person assisted by Business Concierges.

More information about the grants is available at www.service.nsw.gov.au

In addition to the support payments:

• 1300 vouchers for food and fuel, worth almost $100,000, have been provided so far to people experiencing financial hardship.
• 1,000 food hampers are being delivered this week to people experiencing hardship. Another 1,000 have been ordered for next week.
• More than 700 community members have visited the Recovery Assistance Point in Broken Hill and the mobile Recovery Assistance Points visiting smaller remote communities. They provide access to support and referral to services including Service NSW, Insurance Council, Vinnies, Legal Aid, Red Cross and the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program.

Jointly-funded assistance for local governments from the Australian and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements is also available.

The Commonwealth Government has also opened applications for the Disaster Recovery Allowance, which provide up to 13 weeks of income support for eligible workers and sole traders who have experienced loss of income as a result of the storms and outage. More information on the Commonwealth support is available at www.serviceaustralia.gov.au

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“We are getting help to more people in Far West NSW impacted by the outage.

“People have been hit hard, and this money goes some way to easing the impact.

“This has been a major disruption to people and businesses, and this is an important boost to NSW Government support.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“The community across the Far West have experienced significant impacts from this power outage and this is one way we can help.

“Service NSW is working as quickly as possible to deliver these grants and we have been able to expand the eligibility so even more people can claim and benefit.

“I encourage all impacted residents and business owners to open their Service NSW app or go to the website and submit an application when the program opens.”

Minister for Regional NSW and Western NSW Tara Moriarty said:

“We know that the community of Far West NSW has been struggling with the recent power outages and there has been a lot of uncertainty and hardship.

“The Government understands people are anxious to receive their grant and we are working as quickly as possible to ensure this is a streamlined and simple process.

“We will support the community every step of the way as part of the recovery from this extremely difficult event.”

Member for Barwon Roy Butler said:

“The communities impacted by the power outage continue to face difficult decisions daily.

“I thank the NSW Government for coming to the Far West, speaking to our communities, and responding by expanding this grant.

“I will continue fighting for small businesses and individuals as the recovery continues.”

Today’s announcement from the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has marked the start of a review that could hit families across Greater Sydney with a 50% increase in water bills. The review will assess Sydney Water’s request for a steep rate hike to fund at least $26 billion in essential infrastructure and operational upgrades by 2030.
 
Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope said if approved by IPART and the Minns Labor Government, households would see water bills soar by over 50% within five years. This includes an 18% rise next year alone, followed by annual hikes of 6.8%.
 
“With families already struggling under the weight of rising costs for energy, groceries, and other essentials, they shouldn’t be forced to shoulder the additional burden of funding infrastructure driven by the Albanese Labor Government’s failed immigration policies,” Mr Tudehope said.
 
“Chris Minns should be on the phone to the Prime Minister, demanding a real solution instead of passing the bill onto Sydney households.”
 
Sydney Water’s submission highlights the need for $16.6 billion in new infrastructure, primarily in Sydney’s west, to support the surge in population growth driven by these very immigration policies.
 
Shadow Water Minister Steph Cooke said the Premier, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, and Water Minister Rose Jackson need to devise a solution that doesn’t involve skyrocketing water bills for everyday families.
 
“This is not a small rise—under Sydney Water’s proposal, the average household could see water bills increase by hundreds of dollars each year,” Ms Cooke said.
 
“Sydney’s infrastructure needs to keep up, but that’s not a job for struggling households. Chris Minns must ask Canberra to cover these costs, not pass them on to Sydney families.”
 
With the IPART decision expected in March 2025, the clock is ticking. Premier Chris Minns, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, and Water Minister Rose Jackson have just five months to secure federal support for families, instead of squeezing more out of Sydney households in an attempt to balance the budget and meet federal housing targets.

Member for Albury Justin Clancy will this morning host a visit to Corowa by NSW Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman. The visit will reaffirm the strong and positive connections that have long existed in the township and discussed the importance of community safety.

The visit marks the first time a NSW or Federal Government leader has toured Corowa following an upsetting October 12 neo-Nazi demonstration.

The Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said Corowa embodies the best of New South Wales — where unity triumphs over division, and community strength shines above hate.

“I’m committed to ensuring that every town and every member of the community feels safe and valued in our state,” Mr Speakman said.
Mr Clancy invited Mr Speakman, the former NSW Attorney General, to visit the historic Murray River town, home to 6000 people, in a show of unity with the Corowa community.

“Mark and I will be in Corowa today, standing together with the local community against the recent white supremacist activity. What happened last month is not who we are. The Corowa community we all know and enjoy is jam-packed with genuine, kind, and honest people and it’s a privilege for me to represent this community in my role as the Member for Albury.

“This community sticks together when the going gets tough, they’ve experienced natural disasters, COVID border lockdowns, and the recent resurrection of their beloved Corowa-Rutherglen Football Netball Club in the O&M after a few tough years on the paddock.

“I also want to acknowledge the ongoing efforts of the Federation Council and the Corowa Chamber of Commerce in promoting harmony, along with the unity and resilience shown by residents, local businesses, sporting, and community groups. You are all remarkable.

Mr Clancy and Mr Speakman pledged continued support for the Corowa community, reaffirming the NSW Opposition’s commitment to upholding the important values that underpin NSW communities, including trust, respect, collaboration, and inclusivity.