NSW GOVERNMENT WEEKLY UPDATE – 20 DECEMBER 2019

20 December 2019

PREMIER DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

The NSW Government has declared a State of Emergency from this morning, lasting for a period of seven days (beginning 19/12/2019), ahead of worsening fire conditions predicted for the week.
A State of Emergency declaration enables extraordinary powers to be exercised by the RFS Commissioner. These include the power to:
- Direct any Government agency to conduct or refrain from conducting its functions;
- Control and coordinate the allocation of Government resources;
- Evacuate people from property within the declared area;
- Close roads and thoroughfares to traffic;
- Pull down or shore up infrastructure at risk of collapse;
- Order the shutdown of essential utilities in the declared area including electricity, gas, oil, water; and
- Enter or take possession of property in the course of the emergency response.

TOUGHER PENALTIES FOR LIT CIGARETTE TOSSERS

Drivers who throw lit cigarettes out the window of a vehicle will be slapped with five demerit points under tough new penalties introduced by the NSW Government.
If a driver commits the offence during a total fire ban the penalty will double to 10 demerit points and a fine of up to $11,000.
NSW Police and local authorities will enforce the new penalties. To report someone who has thrown a lit cigarette out the window of a vehicle please contact the NSW Rural Fire Service hotline on 1800 679 737. Penalties are scheduled to commence on 17 January, 2020.

LIGHT RAIL OPENS IN THE HEART OF SYDNEY

Light rail services from Circular Quay to Randwick were officially opened on Saturday.
The first passengers rode on the new L2 Randwick Line following a ribbon cutting ceremony at Circular Quay.

CHRISTMAS BOOST TO DROUGHT TRANSPORT SUBSIDY FOR FARMERS

The NSW Government has announced a Christmas boost to the NSW Government’s Emergency Drought Transport Subsidy, to ensure farmers can continue to access support to transport fodder, stock and other farm inputs for the next month. The cap for the subsidy has increased to $50,000 per eligible primary producer this financial year.
Since 2018, more than 14,500 applications have been approved, paying out more than $120 million.
The Emergency Drought Transport Subsidy provides drought affected farmers in NSW with subsidies for the transport of fodder, water and stock and other farm inputs, like chemical or seed. To find out more about the eligibility criteria and how to apply, visitwww.raa.nsw.gov.au/grants/transport-subsidy-emergency-drought-relief or phone the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593.

RESULTS ARE IN FOR THE CLASS OF 2019

The wait is finally over for the HSC cohort of 2019, with 75,000 students across NSW excitedly receiving their exam results from 6am on Tuesday.
1,449 students have received the highly accomplished ‘All Round Achievers Award’ for scoring the highest possible band in 10 units of study, and 790 have been identified as ‘Top Achievers’ for earning results in the highest band.
This year’s Year 12 students sat a total of 123 exams, including the examination of 17 new syllabuses in English, Mathematics and Science.

NSW CHANGES COURSE OF BASIN PLAN

NSW has today delivered an overhaul of the Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDBP), for the first time since its inception, to meet the current needs of Basin communities.
NSW has successfully fought for and delivered:
- A reassessment of the deliverability of the Sustainable Diversion Limit projects and their contribution of 605GL – this could mean a delay in the delivery of this water, which would lead to legislative changes to the Plan; and
- Changes to the Terms of Reference for a review into the Lower Lakes. This will examine whether it was an estuarine or fresh water system and will include a review of the allegations made in Professor Gell’s peer-reviewed paper.
NSW has made it clear to all Basin states that:
- NSW will not contribute to the additional 450GL in water recovery targets;
- NSW will continue to pursue changes that would see transmission losses be classified as environmental water across the basin; and
- NSW cannot submit water resource plans and will negotiate a new deadline once the drought breaks.

TAFE NSW WELCOMES NEW LEADERSHIP

The NSW Government has announced the appointment of Steffen Faurby as Managing Director of TAFE NSW.
Mr Faurby will commence his position on 13 January 2020. The statutory appointment is for five years.
Mr Faurby is currently employed as CEO of State Transit Authority of NSW. Prior to this, he was the CEO of Harbour City Ferries. Mr Faurby has 29 years of global experience in building high-performing teams and a strong record of accomplishment in delivering complex projects.

THOUSANDS SNAPPED USING A PHONE WHILE DRIVING

Thousands of motorists have been caught illegally using their phone while driving during week one of the NSW Government’s mobile phone detection camera program.
From Sunday 1 to Saturday 7 December, 3,303 drivers were caught breaking the law by fixed and mobile trailer-mounted cameras at various locations across the state.
Until the start of March 2020, drivers caught by a mobile phone detection camera will receive a warning letter. When the warning phase ends drivers will cop a $344 fine, or $457 in a school zone, and five demerit points - 10 during double demerit periods.

NEW POWERHOUSE MUSEUM DESIGN UNVEILED

The design for the relocated Powerhouse Museum has been selected with Moreau Kusunoki [Lead Design Architect] and Genton [Local Design Architect] chosen to establish the first major museum to be based in Western Sydney.
The architectural team’s bold vision for the museum has been selected following an international design competition which commenced in January 2019.
The international architectural competition saw more than 74 entries received from 20 countries. More information is available at :https://maas.museum/new-powerhouse/.