NSW GOVERNMENT FORTNIGHTLY UPDATE – 5 FEBRUARY 2018

ACTIVE KIDS – $100 FOR EVERY CHILD TO PLAY SPORT

• More than one million school children across the state are now eligible for the NSW Government’s new annual $100 Active Kids voucher contributing towards the cost of sports registration, membership expenses and fees for physical activities such as swimming, dance lessons and athletics.
• Active Kids is a key initiative of the 2017-18 Budget and will not be means-tested. It supports the Premier’s Priority to reduce overweight and obesity rates of children by five per cent over ten years.
• Parents have until 31 December 2018 to claim and use their voucher.
• More information: nsw.gov.au/activekids or by phoning Service NSW on 13 77 88.

FREE FLU JAB FOR NSW KIDS UNDER FIVE THIS WINTER

• Children between six months and five years old will be eligible for free flu jabs this year, under an influenza vaccination program to be offered by the NSW Government.
• The program will target more than 400,000 children and ensure better protection for them and the wider community. NSW is now ensuring every child under five has the opportunity to be better protected this winter.
• By immunising younger children, those more vulnerable in the community will also be protected, including babies too young to receive a flu vaccine.
• The $1.75 million NSW Health immunisation awareness campaign this year will provide parents and GPs with details about the new free influenza vaccine program.

$220 MILLION WESTERN SYDNEY SCHOOL PROJECTS READY TO START

• The NSW Government is ramping up work on 13 new and upgraded schools in Greater Western Sydney as its record $4.2 billion investment in building public schools shifts into top gear.
• Among the 13 projects, worth a combined $220 million, are upgrades of the existing selective Hurlstone Agricultural High School at Glenfield (to be known as Roy Watts High School); improvements to Ingleburn and Fairvale high schools; and upgrades of Cecil Hills, Claremont Meadows, Greystanes, Marsden Road, Merrylands, Parramatta West, Pendle Hill, William Stimson and Yagoona public schools.
• The 13 projects where work is to begin in 2018 are in addition to others already underway in Sydney’s west, including the new Arthur Phillip High School, Parramatta Public School and the new Oran Park High School.
• Since 2011, the NSW Government has committed $1.75 billion to over 70 new and upgraded school projects in Western Sydney.

WOMEN LEAD REGIONAL NSW JOBS BOOM

• Women are at the forefront of a jobs boom sweeping across regional NSW, the latest ABS data shows.
• Regional NSW has added 90,400 jobs since the 2015 election, with almost 79 per cent of those represented by women.
• Female employment has notably led the way in areas like the Greater Illawarra, where women accounted for 11,600 jobs created in 2017 – almost two thirds of all new jobs in the region.
• The Mid North Coast experienced a jobs surge of 8,300 in 2017, an increase of 9.4 per cent, with women accounting for more than 70 per cent of all new jobs.
• Jobs have continued to boom in Western Sydney, with 117,400 new positions created since the last election, while the unemployment rate continues at a nine-year low of 5.2 per cent.

NSW HOUSING APPROVALS CONTINUE TO SOAR 

• Housing approvals across the state continue to soar with over 70,000 home approvals granted in 2017, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
• This was the third consecutive calendar year that NSW recorded more than 70,000 building approvals.
• NSW is the number one state in the nation for housing approvals and continues to exceed the Premier’s Priority Housing Target of 50,000 approvals per year, which improves housing supply and helps to support housing affordability.

HISTORIC HIGH: MORE CHILDREN ATTENDING PRESCHOOL FOR 600 HOURS IN NSW THAN EVER BEFORE

• The number of children in NSW undertaking 600 hours of preschool each year has increased by more than 40 per cent in the last year as a result of the NSW Government’s Start Strong program.
• This Government is determined for every child in NSW to get the best start in life and the first step is ensuring they all have access to early childhood education – that’s why the NSW Government’s Start Strong program is reducing fees, improving quality and strengthening the early childhood workforce.
• The $115 million Start Strong program was extended to 2021 with a further $217 million in funding over four years announced in the 2017-18 NSW budget.

PARAMEDICS GET “RUGGEDIZED” SMARTPHONES

• Paramedics will get high-tech, “ruggedized” smartphones under a $314,000 trial to tackle mobile blackspots in rural and regional areas.
• The trial – which will see 200 vehicles fitted with the high-tech devices – is part of a $35 million ongoing investment in radio and critical telecommunications.
• The devices are shock-proof, waterproof and dust-resistant and function more efficiently than satellite phones in many environments.
• The NSW Government’s $35 million ongoing investment includes new in-vehicle and portable radios, upgrades to regional ultra-high frequency infrastructure, new mobile data terminals for vehicles and a new, long range digital radio network for isolated regions.

NEW FUNDING TO BOOST CYBER SECURITY

• The NSW Government has announced a $2 million investment in a new university-led network aimed at bolstering NSW’s cyber security research and development capability and harnessing the state’s growing cyber security industry.
• The NSW Cyber Security Network will bring together leading scientists and engineers from seven of the state’s universities to protect government, industry and individuals against cyberattacks.
• The NSW Cyber Security Network will:
  • Identify solutions to emerging cyber security challenges;
  • Train specialist graduates and develop a skilled cyber security workforce; and
  • Provide industry with strategic and operational advice on cyber security threats

NEW RANGER VISION APP GETS STUDENTS SNAPPING

• Students have the chance to contribute to real ecological research by taking photos of NSW’s amazing plants and wildlife on a new app launched by the NSW Government.
• The Ranger Vision app is an interactive educational tool developed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and combines nature and technology to help teachers deliver exciting lessons in and out of the classroom.
• The app is the latest addition to the award-winning WilderQuest Learning program aimed at primary school students.
• Primary school teachers can sign up to WilderQuest learning, activate their class and follow the steps to download the Ranger Vision app on both Apple and Android devices at https://wilderquest.nsw.gov.au/features/ranger-vision.

NSW THE BEST STATE FOR BUSINESS

• NSW remains the best state to do business, according to the latest NAB Monthly Business Survey for December 2017, with NSW recording the strongest trend in business conditions in the nation.
• The survey recorded and identified NSW as the “clear outperformer in trend terms marking a 46th consecutive month of positive business conditions for the state.
• The Government’s historic $80 billion infrastructure program is giving businesses the confidence they need to invest in the future, and that will continue to drive employment growth and enhance productivity right across NSW.

NSW BACKS NEW DEFENCE EXPORT STRATEGY

• The NSW Government has welcomed the release of the Commonwealth Government’s Defence Export Strategy saying it provides the kind of support NSW’s outstanding defence companies need to propel them onto the world stage.
• This strategy will reinforce the great work being done through the NSW Government’s Defence and Industry Strategy and ensure NSW and the Commonwealth continue to work closely together to strengthen our defence industry and create new jobs with export revenues.
• It will support local jobs and skills and help propel Australia’s defence industry into the global top ten.

FAIRER BUS FARES FOR REGIONAL NSW

• The NSW Government has announced bus fares in regional NSW will be dramatically reduced following recommendations made by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.
• Prices will be reduced by almost 30 per cent on average bringing prices into line with customer’s expectations.
• The new structure will see the creation of 10 standard fare bands across regional NSW with the maximum adult fare for a short trip of three kilometres set at $2.30, while any trip longer than 200 kilometres will have a maximum fare of $48.20 for an adult.
• Under the previous fare structure, the maximum fare for one section was $2.30 or $3.40 for two sections. Under the new structure, customers will pay a maximum of $2.30 for one to two sections.
• Eligible concession holders will pay half the adult fare and the Regional Excursion Daily ticket for pensioners will remain at $2.50.

HISTORIC SYDNEY CHILDREN’S COURT REBOOTED

• The $38 million transformation of one of NSW’s oldest children’s courts is complete, with the official opening of the state-of-the-art Surry Hills Children’s Court.
• The 107-year-old building, which has not operated as a court for almost 35 years, has been brought back to life in a stunning redevelopment that will improve how justice is delivered for young people. The project is a fine example of the NSW Government’s commitment to enhancing justice infrastructure across the state.
• Features include:
  • Audio visual link facilities for children appearing in court from juvenile justice centres and witnesses testifying from remote locations;
  • A private area for vulnerable witnesses to give evidence via closed circuit cameras;
  • Interview rooms for the legal profession, offices for key stakeholders and rooms for support agencies; and
  • A holding cells complex.

MORE PRIVATE FERRIES TAP ON TO OPAL

• Ferry customers now have even more choice, with three major private ferry routes tapping on to the OpalPay system.
• Services run by Sealink and Captain Cook Cruises running from Manly, Watsons Bay and Lane Cove will use OpalPay from January 30, after the successful rollout of the new system on the Manly Fast Ferry.
• Customers will be able to use OpalPay on the following SeaLink / Captain Cook Cruises routes:
  • Manly – Darling Harbour, King St Wharf No. 2
  • Circular Quay – Lane Cove
  • Circular Quay – Watsons Bay
• To find out more about OpalPay head to info/tickets-opal/opal/opalpay .

NSW’S BRIGHTEST MINDS SHINE IN AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS

• NSW candidates have taken out top honours in the 2018 Australian of the Year Awards, with world-renowned physicist Michelle Simmons named Australian of the Year and mathematics teacher Eddie Woo as Australia’s Local Hero.
• Professor Simmons has received numerous international accolades for her achievements in quantum physics, leading her University of NSW research team to build electronic devices at the atomic scale, including the world’s first single-atom transistor and the narrowest conducting wires ever made.
• Cherrybrook Technology High School head mathematics teacher and Youtube star Eddie Woo has received awards for his leadership in education and dynamic presence in the classroom, which has seen his “Wootube” internet videos attract more than 10 million views worldwide.

NSW COMES OUT ON TOP IN ‘STATE OF THE STATES’

• NSW has held its place as the number one economy in the nation after the latest CommSec State of the States report ranked NSW in first place for a 14th straight quarter.
• NSW’s housing construction boom was strongly reflected in the report, which placed NSW ahead of other states and territories on dwelling starts and housing construction.
• A strong economy means more jobs, more opportunities and better working and living conditions for the families and businesses in this state.
• The latest report shows NSW has outperformed the other states on unemployment, economic growth and retail spending. NSW was also the only state or territory to achieve above decade-average levels of business spending, with equipment investment up 5.9 per cent.

WORLD T20 FUND TO BOOST FACILITIES AND PARTICIPATION

• Sydney’s 14 show-stopping cricket games scheduled for the world-class ICC World T20 2020 tournament are set to boost cricket participation and local cricket facilities across NSW thanks to a $6 million funding allocation which formed part of the successful bid.
• Sydney’s host role of the T20 tournament kicking off in February 2020 will include the opening ceremony and three out of the four men’s and women’s semi-finals.