​A Migration Strategy for Australia

Australia now has a strategy for its migration system.​

The Government’s Migration Strategy was released on 11 December 2023 and outlines a new vision for Australia’s migration system, with a policy roadmap containing 8 key actions and over 25 new policy commitments and areas for future reform. This Migration Strategy is informed by extensive consultation with business, unions and other stakeholders, and more than 450 submissions received as part of the Review of the Migration System.​​

Read the full plan in the Government’s Migration Strategy​ (3MB PDF).

Read a brief overview of this plan in the Government’s Migration Strategy – At a Glance​​ (320KB PDF).

These are significant reforms that will deliver lasting and important change, but the system cannot be reformed overnight. An ambitious roadmap for reform has been developed. Read the Government’s​ Action Plan (230KB PDF) for delivering these reforms.​

The Migration Strategy builds on the findings of the first comprehensive review of the migration system in a generation, the 2023 Review of the Migration System​ (the Parkinson Review), and also the​ Rapid Review into the Exploitation of Australia’s Visa System​ (the Nixon Review).

The Department of Home Affairs will be in contact with key stakeholder groups to help the wider Australian community understand these changes. Further information will be published on these changes closer to the implementation date of each commitment.​

New & improved Telstra mobile coverage comes to Yerong Creek

Media Release | 14 December 2023

Telstra has recently expanded 4G mobile coverage in the village of Yerong Creek with a new mobile small cell being switched on.

Regional General manager Chris Taylor said the new site would improve Telstra’s existing coverage in the area and improve connectivity for residents and visitors.

“We know the community’s been looking forward to this new mobile site and I’m pleased to say we’ve completed construction and been able to bring this site on air,” Chris taylor said.

“Having mobile connectivity is becoming increasingly important in our everyday lives. Each day er have about 20 million devices using our mobile network and together they make about 60 million phone calls, send 40 million SMS, and use about 8.6 million Gigabytes of mobile data.”

“This new site not only delivers new and improved depth of coverage to the Yerong Creek area, it will also improve capacity and provide additional triple-zero connectivity for users to other mobile networks in times of emergency.”

Telstra has used small cell technology to bring 4G coverage to this location. A small cell base station is an ideal solution for providing new or improved mobile services to remote locations and communities where a larger base station may not be technically or commercially viable to build.

The range of 4G coverage via a small cell will vary depending on local conditions but should provide mobile handheld coverage of several hundred metres in each direction and could be increase if people are using an external aerial or approved mobile phone repeater.

Telstra has oiver 11,700 mobile base station covering more than 2.7 million square kilometres, arounf one million kilometres more than any other mobile network. nationally, the Telstra network provides coverage to 99.6 percent of the Australian population.

“As a company, we heavily invest in improving regional connectivity and this site is another example of our commitment. Over the past seven years to the end of FY23, Telstra invested $11 billion in our mobile network nationally, with $4 billion of this invested in our regional mobile network,” said Chris Taylor.

Take your time and arrive safely

Joint Media Release from the Hon Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; and Senator the Hon Carol Brown, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

MEDIA RELEASE | 18 December 2023

Road users are being urged to remember to be careful on the roads as the holiday season begins.

Australian Government figures show over 1,250 people have been killed on Australian roads in the 12 months ending November this year.

Every Australian wants to get to where they are going safely, but it takes all road users to make that a reality, whether it’s by vehicle, bicycle or foot.

Road users can help do their part by ensuring they are not distracted, take regular breaks when driving long distances, travel at the speed limit and drive to road conditions.

For quick reference guides on road rules for each state and territory, visit www.officeofroadsafety.gov.au.

Next step for independent NSW Agriculture Commissioner

Media Release from the NSW Minister for Agriculture, and the Minister for Regional NSW

MEDIA RELEASE | 14 December 2023

The NSW Government is one step closer to engaging an independent NSW Agriculture Commissioner with tenders now open for a skilled and experienced professional to provide expert advice on strategic agricultural land use that will create a more sustainable and productive agricultural industry in NSW.

The NSW Government has considered a report prepared by Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Daryl Quinlivan on the possible functions of an independent Agriculture Commissioner, based on his previous experience and consultation with stakeholders.

The Commissioner will chair a pilot Farm Practices Panel, testing an alternative approach to provide guidance on acceptable farm practices through review of an agricultural industry code of practice, to assist in providing clarity and consistency for planning decisions and mitigating land use conflict.

The Commissioner will also provide advice to NSW Primary Industries (DPI) concerning agricultural land use, and work across government on its strategic approach to balancing competing policy objectives for agricultural and rural land use planning.

The independent Agriculture Commissioner will be engaged for a term of 3 years. 

The NSW Government is committed to accommodating a range of land use priorities that support primary producers and regional communities while improving sustainability and economic growth in NSW. 

To submit a tender, visit the Independent Agriculture Commissioner details pagelaunch or visit the NSW Gov eTendering platformlaunch before 10.00am AEST on Monday 29 January 2024.

Get more information on contracting an Independent Agriculture Commissionerlaunch.

New reforms to create more affordable housing

Media Release from the NSW Minister for Homelessness, and NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces

MEDIA RELEASE | 14 December 2023

A new State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) introducing housing reforms to make it faster and easier to build more affordable housing has come into effect today, following a policy announcement made by the NSW State Government in June of this year.

The reforms introduce a new bonus Floor Space Ratio (FSR) of up to 30% and a height bonus of up to 30% where a proposal includes a minimum of 15% of the gross floor area (GFA) as affordable housing.

They also allow state-owned housing agencies to build more affordable housing without needing council approvals.

To create a system that works for industry, councils, and Community Housing Providers, the Government undertook extensive consultation on the reforms to make sure that a range of views from stakeholders were considered.

The consultation raised the following key points and has resulted in the following key changes to the policy as originally proposed:

• Views were expressed that the bonuses needed to be scalable, depending on how much affordable housing can ultimately be delivered on a site. As a result, the policy has been changed so that if the full 30% bonus can’t be accessed (due to limits like height restrictions on the land or flight path impingement among other limiters), the bonus percentage for the amount of affordable housing can be reduced. For example, if only 20% of the bonus can be accessed due to site restrictions, then the number of affordable homes can be reduced to 10%. However, the amount of affordable housing can be no less than 10%. This will also make it easier for applicants to use the NSW Government’s state significant development pathway providing certainty and consistency. This change was recommended by both developers and councils.

• A range of stakeholders felt that the bonus should apply to the whole of a development, not just the residential component. This was considered particularly important for mixed use development like shop top housing. While Councils felt that the FSR bonus should only apply to the housing component on top of a shop location, the SEPP will be updated to allow the FSR bonus to apply to the whole development, not just the residential component. This is likely to deliver more affordable housing per site and encourage the uptake of the scheme in well located areas. It will also simplify the calculation of the bonus.

• Developers believed that the threshold that allows a project to be considered a State Significant Development (SSD) should be reduced from a capital investment value (CIV) of $75 million in Greater Sydney to $50 million, and $30 million in regional NSW. Councils felt that the bonuses should only apply to developments with a CIV greater than $75 million as originally proposed. While the CIV threshold will be retained at $75 million in the Greater Sydney Region, the CIV will be lowered to $30m for regions to encourage more affordable housing in regional areas.

• Amendments have also been made to ensure the bonuses are available to Build to Rent developments, by allowing them to apply in commercial zones, even if residential accommodation is prohibited under the relevant Local Environmental Plan.

• It was unclear to stakeholders if the new SEPP overruled a local Development Control Plan (DCP). The wording of the SEPP has been updated to ensure that the DCP provisions are of ‘no effect’ when there is a conflict between the DCP and the SEPP/Apartment Design Guide.

These changes and others occurred after the Government undertook a second round of consultation on the policy and draft SEPP. As part of this consultation 15 feedback sessions were held which resulted in 70 submissions from stakeholders including, peak bodies, planning professionals, developers, councils and community housing providers, which informed changes to the policy.

While the consultation has been comprehensive and a range of key changes have been made, the measures will remain under review to make sure they are achieving the intended outcomes.

Stakeholder feedback has informed how the State Environmental Planning Policy will operate and details are available on the Housing SEPP websitelaunch.

Small steps to make a big difference to energy reserve in the heat

Media Release from the NSW Minister for Energy and Climate Change

MEDIA RELEASE | 14 December 2023

Businesses, households and NSW Government agencies are being encouraged to temporarily reduce non-essential use of electricity late this afternoon and early this evening, when hot temperatures will increase demand for power.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has measures in place to maintain reliable electricity supply.

However, with temperatures forecast to reach 40 degrees in parts of NSW including Sydney, AEMO is forecasting that the reserve of electricity supply will be under pressure.

AEMO forecasts power use in NSW to peak between 5pm and 9pm.

To prepare for this, AEMO has notified market participants, which may result in increased generation or reduced consumption.

The NSW Government is also taking steps to reduce demand. The Government Energy Action Response protocol has been activated and will see NSW Government agencies reduce electricity use.

Agencies will reduce air conditioning where safe and feasible, switch off non-essential lights and turn off equipment when not in use.

As a precaution, the NSW Government is also encouraging the community to reduce energy use between 5pm and 9pm, where it’s possible and safe to do so.

There are several simple ways to reduce energy usage late this afternoon:

• If you are using air conditioning, raise the set point temperature to between 24 and 26 degrees. Each degree reduces energy use by around 10%.

• Reduce use of non-essential appliances. Use dishwashers, washing machines and dryers late at night or wait until the morning.

• If you have a pool, temporarily turn off the pool pump.

Reducing electricity use must not compromise health. Community members are assured they should use air-conditioning if it’s needed.

For tips on how to keep safe if you suffer from a medical condition and could be affected by the heat, visit the NSW Healthlaunch website.

Safer driving is the point: 1.3 million motorists can still get a demerit point wiped

Media Release from the NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, and NSW Minister for Roads

MEDIA RELEASE | 18 December 2023

The NSW State government is urging all motorists to renew their commitment to safe driving as we head into the Christmas and the summer holidays.

The government can reveal 1.3 million NSW drivers remain eligible to have a demerit point removed from their licence within 5 weeks if they remain infringement free.

The 1-year demerit point scheme trial to encourage safe driving comes to a close on 17 January 2024 – meaning those who have maintained an offence-free record since 17 January this year will have 1 demerit point scrubbed from their licence.

The NSW Government announced in June that the trial would come into effect 6 months earlier than first flagged, allowing drivers who maintain a spotless record the chance to shed a demerit point sooner.

At that time there were 1.7 million motorists eligible, with almost 400,000 having since committed an offence that carried at least one demerit point.

The trial has been embraced by the public and the demerit offer will remain in place in 2024.

The government is urging motorists to use the demerit return as an incentive to drive safely as the road toll has risen significantly in 2023 across Australia.

In NSW in the 12 months to 14 December, 337 people have died on the roads – an increase of 61 compared to the same 12-month period last year.

Producer Offset changes to support iconic Australian drama

Media Release from the Hon Tony Burke, Minister for the Arts

MEDIA RELEASE | 15 December 2023

The Australian Federal Government is supporting more Australian stories on screen with changes to the Producer Offset announced today.

The change introduces an additional minimum expenditure threshold so that more Australian drama series can benefit from the scheme.

The Producer Offset gives a tax rebate to producers for expenditure on eligible Australian films, television and other projects. Currently, a drama series must spend at least $500,000 per hour in qualifying Australian production expenditure – that is, expenditure incurred for goods and services used or provided in Australia.

With the new threshold, drama series that spend at least $35 million per season in qualifying Australian production expenditure will be eligible for the offset.

This change will benefit any drama series that films significant numbers of hours over a season but does not meet the per hour threshold – meaning more drama productions will be able to access the Producer Offset.

This means shows like Channel Seven’s Home and Away would be eligible, where they previously weren’t.

The new per season threshold will apply to drama series that commence filming on or after 1 July 2024.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the changes would help industry professionals secure ongoing work and promote telling uniquely Australian stories.

“We want to see more Australian stories shown on screen. Backing in Australian drama is essential to that.

“This change will help to support more iconic Australian stories being told and shared by the people who know them best.”

The Producer Offset is a refundable tax offset for producers of Australian feature films, television and other projects that contain significant Australian content.

It provides a 40 per cent rebate for feature film and a 30 per cent rebate for productions on other platforms, calculated as a percentage of a production’s qualifying Australian production expenditure.

More information about the Producer Offset can be found here.

Government to implement all recommendations of News Media Bargaining Code review

Joint Media Release from the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications and The Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services

MEDIA RELEASE | 18 December 2023

The Government will implement all recommendations of Treasury’s review of the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code (the Code).

The review concluded that the Code had been a success in its first year, with over 30 commercial agreements inked between digital platforms Google and Meta, and a cross-section of news businesses. The review found that the agreements that were highly unlikely to have been made without the Code.

The Code is intended to help support the sustainability of the Australian news media sector by addressing bargaining power imbalances between digital platforms and Australian news businesses. Commercial agreements that contribute to this objective are relevant under the Code’s designation provisions.

Treasury made five recommendations to improve the Code’s operation.

In response to the report, the Government will introduce legislative amendments to facilitate the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) preparing periodic reports on the digital platforms that should be covered by the Code.

The ACCC will have compulsory information-gathering powers to assist it to prepare these reports, and to allow scrutiny of commercial deals between the digital platforms and Australian news businesses to effectively evaluate their contribution, and the outcomes resulting from the Code.

The Government will also commission a further review of the Code after four years of its operation in early 2025.

Many commercial agreements between Australian news businesses and digital platforms will expire over the next year. The Government expects that digital platforms with significant bargaining power will negotiate in good faith towards the renewal of existing agreements, and potentially new agreements, with Australian news businesses.

The full Government response, including the recommendations, will be available on Treasury’s website at 8.30am Monday 18 December 2023.

SMS Sender ID Registry set to protect more Australians from scammers

Joint Media Release from the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications and The Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Financial Services

MEDIA RELEASE | 15 December 2023

The Albanese Government is taking further action to protect Australians from SMS scams with a trial phase of the Sender ID Registry being rolled out today.
 
More than 47 per cent of Australians have reported exposure to fake or deceptive text messages in the last year, and in 2022 Australians lost an estimated $3.1 billion to scams. Text message are the leading contact method for scams according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
 
The Registry will help stop scammers from spoofing trusted brand names – like Commonwealth Bank and National Australia Bank – and slipping into legitimate text exchanges to deceive Australians.

This voluntary pilot phase will test the operation and effectiveness of the Registry before the Government moves towards a finalised scheme in 2024.
 
A number of organisations have already joined the pilot and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will formally invite additional organisations that have been the subject of spoof text scams to participate from early 2024. Participating telcos include Telstra, Optus, TPG Telecom and Pivotel.
 
The Registry was announced in the 2023-24 Federal Budget, with the ACMA receiving $10 million over four years to launch and maintain the SMS Sender ID Registry.
 
In the past 15 months telcos have reported blocking over 336.7 million scam SMS under ACMA-registered rules.
 
The Registry complements the Albanese Government’s investment to establish a National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) within the ACCC as an innovative, world-leading public-private sector partnership to disrupt and stop scammers in Australia.
 
The NASC is leveraging expertise and resourcing from across government, law enforcement, telecommunications providers, financial services, digital platforms and other intermediaries to deliver a cohesive strategy to prevent future impacts on the economic and social wellbeing of Australians.
 
Consumers should remain vigilant about suspicious texts and take action to confirm messages are from legitimate businesses or government agencies. If people receive scam messages, they should report them to the Scamwatch service and provide as much detail as possible: www.scamwatch.gov.au

NSW will ban engineered stone from 1 July 2024 to protect workers’ health

Media Release from the NSW Minister for Industrial Relations, and NSW Minister for Work Health and Safety

MEDIA RELEASE | 13 December 2023

New South Wales will prohibit the use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone from the 1st of July 2024.

NSW joined most other states and territories in agreeing to ban the dangerous product by the middle of next year.

The decision was made after careful consideration of the Safe Work Australia Decision Regulatory Impact Statement which found there was no safe level of silica in engineered stone.

Rates of silicosis and silica related diseases in Australian workers have risen substantially in recent years, with a disproportionate number of diagnoses among engineered stone workers.

SafeWork NSW will continue its work ensuring compliance with work health and safety requirements including site visits and issuing penalties to any operator who is non-compliant.

Early this year, NSW passed tough new laws to double penalties on any employer illegally exposing their workers to silica dust.

The WHS Ministers also agreed today to task Safe Work Australia with further work to strengthen regulations.

Ministers will meet again in March 2024 to finalise the details of the implementation of the ban on the use of engineered stone, including the regulation of legacy products and transitional arrangements for contracts entered into before today.

The WHS Ministers will continue nationally consistent and coordinated consultation and messaging for workers, unions, business and consumers.

The NSW Government also welcomes the Commonwealth’s commitment to implement an eventual import ban on engineered stone.

Road safety funding boost for community groups across NSW

Media Release from the NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, and the NSW Minister for Roads

MEDIA RELEASE | 14 December 2023

Grassroots groups across NSW are set to share in more than $400,000 worth of new funding thanks to Community Road Safety Grants delivered by the Minns Labor government.

Supported through the Community Road Safety Grants program, 19 groups will each receive up to $30,000 to roll out projects that will increase road safety awareness and support safer road use.

Projects approved in round 9 of the grants program include:

• free or subsidised driver education for disadvantaged and indigenous youths

• a courtesy bus to reduce drink driving in Regional NSW

• a program to help newly arrived refugees navigate NSW road rules

• training to improve road safety for children with disabilities as passengers in motor vehicles

• an 8-episode bilingual radio series on youth road safety.

The new projects funded by the Community Road Safety Grants program are among more than 200, worth a total of more than $3 million, that have now been delivered by Transport for NSW since the program was established in 2015.

For more information about the Community Road Safety Grants and the full list of projects visit Transport for NSWlaunch.

State Government to deliver safety, security and resilience for faith groups across NSW

Media Release from the NSW Government

MEDIA RELEASE | 13 December 2023

The NSW State Government is delivering on our commitment to protect our multifaith community. Faith groups can now apply for a share of $15 million to upgrade safety and security at their places of worship thanks to the NSW Government’s Safe Places for Faith Communities Grants Program.

Under the program, grants of between $5000 and $250,000 will be available for eligible groups to protect important sites where they gather, improve risk mitigation and build the social cohesion and resilience of faith groups.

Funding can be used anywhere in NSW at eligible faith-based centres including places of worship, seminaries, religious museums, religious community centres, religious retreats and places of religious significance, including shrines, faith-based cemeteries or memorials.

This program has been developed in collaboration with key government and faith stakeholders, as well as the NSW Community and Resilience and Response Plan (COMPLAN) Committee.

Successful grants recipients will also have the opportunity to join a Community of Practice to share knowledge with other faith groups and participate in workshops and information sessions aimed at fostering interfaith collaboration on community safety and wellbeing. 

Find further information about the Safe Places for Faith Communities Grants Program and to register for an Information Sessionlaunch.

FINAL CALL FOR NATIONAL FARM CRIME SURVEY

Farm crime is significantly impacting our rural communities and farming operations across pastoral, agricultural, and aquaculture sectors. The Centre for Rural Criminology (UNE) has recently launched the Australian Farm Crime Survey, the first of its kind in nearly twenty years. UNE are requesting feedback from more farmers across Australia!

The objective of the Australian Farm Crime Survey, is to gather representative insights from each state, allowing The Centre for Rural Criminology (UNE) to better understand farm crime across the country and develop effective solutions.

The Centre for Rural Criminology (UNE) need valuable information from those involved in farming who have key insights into the important issues. Have your say in improving the safety and well-being of rural farming communities! 

Telstra switching off 3G from 30 June 2024

The demand for mobile services continues to increase, so we’re taking steps to reduce congestion, increase capacity and improve coverage. For that to happen, Telstra is removing their oldest mobile technology - 3G - and repurposing it to expand their faster 5G network. Telstra will be switching off their 3G network from 30 June 2024.

This means:

• If you have a device that’s only able to connect to 3G, you won’t be able to connect to Telstra’s network after 30 June 2024.

• If your mobile device doesn’t have Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology, even if it uses 4G, it will not be able to make voice calls on the Telstra network after 30 June 2024.

• If your device doesn’t support VoLTE emergency calling, you will not be able to make an emergency call to 000 on the Telstra Mobile Network.

To continue using the Telstra network, you’ll need to upgrade to a 4G/5G VoLTE-capable and compatible device prior to 30 June 2024.

Mapping a new approach for media diversity in the digital era

Media Release from the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications

MEDIA RELEASE | 12 December 2023

Consultation is now open on the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP) to promote a diverse and sustainable media sector, with the Albanese Government to deliver $11.2 million to the ACMA Media Diversity Measurement Framework.
 
The News MAP will help guide and inform future Government intervention to support public interest journalism and media diversity in Australia, laying the foundations for a principled, targeted and evidence-based approach.
 
The consultation process seeks views on the draft News MAP initiative, which has three components:

• Objectives: establishing clear policy objectives to guide effective policy development, implementation and evaluation to support the sector;

• Measures: identifying potential measures to support the sector and factors to be considered in the effective application of measures;

• Evidence: improving the evidence base needed to assess the state of public interest journalism and media diversity in Australia, identify areas of need and inform policy.

As part of establishing the evidence base for News MAP, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) undertook consultation in 2023 to develop a new framework for measuring media diversity in Australia that accounts for the impacts of the digital news environment.
 
The Government welcomes the release of the ACMA’s Media Diversity Measurement Framework, has accepted the associated recommendations, and is pleased to announce the regulator will receive $11.2 million over four years for implementation.
 
This will enable the ACMA to better measure the state of diversity across the Australian media landscape in accordance with its statutory functions, including deeper engagement and collaboration with industry, academia and subject-matter experts.
 
The ACMA will publish its first report under the new measurement framework by the end of next year, and will then produce a report every two years, monitoring changes to the baseline, as well as providing new insights and case studies on different aspects of the Australian news market.
 
In addition, the Government has set aside a further $800,000 for the Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) to continue its important work in tracking the news media landscape in Australia, and will also provide an additional $6 million to Australian Associated Press (AAP), given the fundamental role the newswire service plays in supporting public interest journalism and media diversity, including in regional communities.
 
Consultation on the News MAP will close on 22 February 2024. To make a written submission, visit www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/news-media-assistance-program-news-map
 
More information on the ACMA Media Diversity Measurement Framework at www.acma.gov.au/media-diversity-measurement-framework

More than three million Australians now eligible for full-fibre NBN upgrades

Media Release from the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications

MEDIA RELEASE | 13 December 2023

An additional 400,000 homes and businesses across Australia will be able to access full-fibre broadband upgrades as part of the Albanese Government’s plan to deliver a National Broadband Network, with the latest list of eligible suburbs and towns just released.

These newly eligible premises will join the 3 million Australian homes and businesses previously served by a slower, less reliable copper connection that can today already access full-fibre upgrades.

The copper broadband network retained by the former Coalition Government is slower, less reliable, more expensive to maintain and more likely to experience prolonged faults. In contrast, world-class fibre broadband means faster upload and download speeds, and a more reliable connection for residents and small businesses.
 
Access to full fibre is driving productivity savings for households and businesses, with NBN users saving over 100 hours and $2,580 per year by using higher speed broadband.

NBN research shows that the network has delivered $122 billion worth of economic uplift to 2022, and has helped create approximately 169,000 additional jobs – the equivalent of a 1.3 per cent increase in Australia’s labour force.

By the end of December 2023, 75% of premises in the NBN fixed line network will be able to access fibre all the way to their homes and benefit from download speeds of close to 1 Gbps through NBN’s fastest residential plan.

An upgrade will be available on-demand where an eligible household or business takes out a higher speed plan, with no upfront installation cost.

These upgrades have been made possible by the Albanese Government’s election commitment to invest $2.4 billion in the October 2022 Budget to expand full-fibre access to an additional 1.5 million premises by the end of 2025.

More information about eligible premises can be found at: www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/more-fibre

For more information on the Australian Government’s investment, visit: minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/albanese-government-delivers-major-nbn-boost-2022-23-federal-budget.

ABC Heywire winners celebrate the strength and diversity of living in regional and rural Australia

Resilience, courage, and the desire to create change feature strongly in the stories from the 2024 ABC Heywire winners, announced today (12 December 2023).  

Hundreds of Australians aged 16 to 22 from regional, rural, and remote areas entered the competition band spoke openly and authentically about life beyond our major cities, through audio recordings, photos, videos and written stories.. 

The stories from this year’s 35 ABC Heywire winners highlight Australia’s rich diversity and provide insight into the lives and communities of young Australians living in the regions.

Special congratulations go out to Sped from Adelong, who is the winner in the Riverina region. Sped tells the story of the Black Summer bushfires and in particular, the Dunns Road fire.

Since its inception 25 years ago, Heywire has become a leading and powerful platform for rural youth, amplifying their voices and putting them at the centre of the conversations that shape their communities.

Farmers, volunteer surf lifesavers, Indigenous youth leaders, medical students, community organisers, LGBTQIA+ allies, advocates, fisherman, and law students , are just a handful of examples of the winners who have worked with the ABC to produce their stories for radio and online. A full list of winners and their stories are available via the ABC Heywire website.

Creative Communities: putting culture at the heart of NSW

Media Release from the NSW Minister for the Arts

MEDIA RELEASE | 12 December 2023

The Minns government has today unveiled details of Creative Communities, the new arts, culture and creative industries policy.

Creative Communities is a 10-year vision, the state’s first creative industries policy, supporting the traditional arts sector and cultural institutions, but encompassing industries informed by the state’s unique and diverse cultural strengths, including:

• First Nations cultures

• galleries, libraries, archives and museums

• performing arts including theatre, dance, circus, comedy, cabaret

• music including classical and contemporary composition, performance, and recording

• screen and digital games 

• visual arts and crafts

• literature, writing and publishing

• broadcasting and digital media

• design, architecture and fashion

• built and physical heritage

• creative and arts education

• creativity in the food and beverage sector

• creative innovation in the technology sector.

Creative Communities has the goal of sustainably growing the depth and breadth of creative industries throughout NSW, and over the next decade enabling creative individuals, organisations and communities throughout the state to reach their potential.

The NSW Government endorses Revive, the national cultural policy. Through Creative Communities the government will focus on implementing Revive by supporting the NSW cultural ecosystem.

Creative Communities also supports the Revive goal of exporting more Australian stories to the world. Australia has one of the largest creative trade deficits per capita in the world. We consume global stories faster and tell local stories less than most places on the planet. The NSW Government will measure and establish goals to increase the state’s creative exports.

Whole of government approach

Creative Communities will guide the NSW Government’s efforts to enable, support and advocate for culture for the next decade. Commitments to support this include:

• Creative Communities commits to a whole-of-government effort to advocate for, to enable and invest in the arts, culture and creative industries.

• To drive implementation of the policy across government, a role will be designated to lead and oversee this transformation, guided by a ministerial advisory committee, senior public servants, and industry advisors.

• Legislating the delivery of a Creative Statement to the Parliament every 3 years, detailing and tracking the status, health and progress of the arts, culture and creative industries in line with this policy.

• Establishing formal partnerships between Create NSW and the NSW Department of Education, TAFE NSW, the Ministry of Health, Transport for NSW, Placemaking NSW and other agencies to further develop priority streams of work.

• Recognising the importance of the state’s universities, National Art School, NIDA and the Australian Film TV and Radio School to our cultural ecosystem and strengthening partnerships with them.

Creative people

Enabled by recent and ongoing improvements to creative infrastructure, the NSW Government will focus on investing in a wide variety of creative people and communities across the state. Additionally, the NSW Government commits to:

• Safeguarding and modernising workplace conditions for artists, including requiring individuals and organisations receiving government funding to commit to safe workplace standards.

Next generation creatives

Creative Communities encourages the next generation of culture workers and leaders to step forward. This will be a condition of NSW Government funding. Further commitments include:

• Establishing a Youth Creative Taskforce to ensure the next generation of cultural leaders are at the decision-making table and advise the minister directly.

• Referring arts and music education to the NSW Parliament for inquiry.

• Establishing a Generations fellowship, $500,000 investment over 5 years to support 15 early career Western Sydney music artists to undertake professional development.

Creative spaces

• The NSW Government will activate creative spaces by a combination of continued direct public investment, seeking new sources of investment for the sector and regulatory reform.

• Creative Communities envisages that NSW will become home to a First Nations cultural centre and enhanced cultural tourism. It will forge strong and enduring partnerships with Indigenous creative communities, to create new work, rebuild connection and healing.

• The NSW Government supports maintaining free public access to NSW state cultural institutions and collections. They have been built with public money over many decades and are the property of, and should be accessible by  all, NSW citizens.

• A cultural space audit in 2024 will aim to identify underutilised assets that could be used for creative endeavours, including spaces held by NSW agencies, local councils and other landholders.

• The NSW Government will ensure that cultural infrastructure and good design are included in major public housing and transport infrastructure investments, including by expanding the Heritage Floor Space Scheme.

• The NSW Government will introduce further vibrancy reforms in 2024 – continuing to improve planning, liquor, outdoor and sound and noise regulations to encourage cultural activity across NSW.

The NSW Government will also:

• Ensure the White Bay Power Station will be available for ongoing cultural use, starting with the 2024 Biennale of Sydney.

Festivals

The NSW Government will support festivals across the state by:

• Strengthening the co-ordination of festival support in NSW to properly position and grow the festivals sector, leveraging the wide range of industries involved, including improving staging for festivals and concerts following the development of a business for outdoor cultural infrastructure across central Sydney, Parramatta, Western Sydney and Regional NSW.

• Reviewing the Entertainment Act to identify ways to strengthen support for festivals, venues, artists, managers and music workers.

Creative reform

• The NSW Government will establish a Cultural Front Door concierge, a simplified way for creative people to engage with government.

• The NSW Government will reform of the Arts and Culture Funding Program (ACFP) making it a fairer and more equitable process, including reducing paperwork for applicants and simplifying the acquittal process.

• The Minister will issue a formal direction to the state’s tourism body, Destination NSW, to formalise the state’s experience tourism policy focus. Such a direction will explicitly commit support for the arts, culture and creative experiences across NSW.

• Promoting NSW arts and culture venues and activities, including local festivals and events, alongside major international/national entertainment through refocussed Destination NSW marketing funding and state-wide calendar optimised to show local events and programs.

Screen

Screen NSW will be made more independent, and we will strengthen its capacity to serve the industry by shortening investment approval timeframes, contracting and payment times, and expanding the role of the board.

Additional support for the sector includes:

• developing a business case for a second major film studio in Sydney to ensure Sydney remains the leading location for Australian and international productions

• introducing a new digital games seed development fund and market travel program to expand our support for the sector to grow the digital games industry

• providing long-term funding certainty for screen investment programs

• making Callan Park available for filming on an ongoing basis.

Music

The reshaping of the music sector will be driven by Sound NSW with leadership from its newly appointed advisory board and in collaboration with Music Australia, Creative Australia’s new contemporary music office. The review of contemporary music has begun, and a 10-year music strategy and the 3-year implementation plan will be released in 2024.

Additionally, the NSW Government will:

• legislate a board for the state’s contemporary music agency, Sound NSW, in 2024.

• develop a business case for a home for music in NSW, providing affordable spaces for music organisations, businesses, community radio, networking, rehearsal and events.

Western Sydney

• The NSW Government will invest in the Western Sydney Arts Alliance and increase staff support to coordinate initiatives for Western Sydney artists, arts organisations and creative communities.

• To support NSW children’s education, the NSW Government will develop a strategic partnership between the NSW Department of Education and Powerhouse Parramatta to embed NSW teachers into the Powerhouse Parramatta team to develop curriculum-based learning programs in collaboration with teachers, schools, industry and the museum.

• Powerhouse Parramatta will develop a major new multi-year Western Sydney initiative for writers and writing with Sydney Writers Festival, Western Sydney University and City of Parramatta Council from 2026.

• When the Powerhouse Parramatta opens in 2025 it will include the Western Sydney HipHop Archive a collaboration with 4ESydney and Blacktown Arts.

• The NSW Government will deliver $160 million for cultural infrastructure in Western Sydney including building a lyric theatre as part of the Riverside Theatres redevelopment in Parramatta, a 350-seat theatre in Campbelltown and a new cultural centre in Blacktown.

• Delivery of a final business case for the Roxy Theatre in Parramatta.

Regional NSW

The NSW Government will deliver a regional arts, culture and creative industries strategy in 2024 to grow and support sustainable participation in local activities. This includes:

• Working with local councils to reduce red tape for festivals and events to access local spaces.

• Working with regional communities, councils, creative organisations and venues to support a connected network of regional touring. This will involve working with local councils to connect and activate the network of regional halls and spaces to support local touring across music, performance and visual art/exhibitions.

• Supporting at least 4 new creative industries/artist workspaces in regional NSW in the next 4 years.

Minister for Arts John Graham said:

“We are lucky to live in NSW, a state rich in creativity. The state’s first arts, culture and creative industries policy commits the government to advocating for the value of culture, to enabling and investing in culture with the whole of government. 

“The NSW Government believes creativity is one of the key things to celebrate about our state. That is why we are sharing our 10-year policy framework. This is where we’re starting, and where we’re heading. This certainly not the end point. We want to unleash creativity across the state. 

“Coming into government, the Minns Labor government promised to solve some of the obvious problems in the NSW arts, culture and creative industries sector, and actively support and advocate to ensure the sector grows in significance to the state’s economy and in the life of the people of NSW.

Creative Communities has the goal of sustainably growing the depth and breadth of creative industries throughout NSW, and over the next decade enabling creative individuals, organisations and communities throughout the state to reach their potential. These creative sectors already represent 10% of the state's economy.

“A thriving cultural sector is welcoming for younger generations... the grass roots for the next generation of great artists, makers, creative thinkers and doers. The drive for a thriving creative and cultural sector has a number of benefits and outcomes, including a more diverse and resilient economy.  

“Creative Communities' commitment is to the artists, makers and workers in the arts, culture, and creative industries. We acknowledge the critical role of artists, creatives, and makers, as well as those behind the scenes – the crews in production, making sets and costumes, booking shows, and managing talent. They are all important to the health of the ecosystem.”

You can read the full policy on the nsw.gov.au website.

Road safety is everyone's responsibility

Media Release from the Hon Carol Brown, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

MEDIA RELEASE | 11 December 2023

Australians must reflect on the numbers released through todays International Road Safety Comparisons 2022 and remember that road safety is the responsibility of all road users, be it a driver, cyclist, pedestrian or otherwise.

We know that driver behaviour is a major contributing factor to serious injuries and deaths on our roads, and unfortunately, the trends we are seeing are going in the wrong direction.

In 2022, over 300,000 mobile phone infringements were issued using mobile phone detection cameras.

The number of mobile phone infringements issued in 2022 is well over 100,000 more infringements issued compared to 2021[1].

We know that distracted driving is a factor in 16% of serious casualty road crashes resulting in hospital attendance in Australia.

Distracted driving is categorised as any time a driver takes their eyes off the roads, hands off the wheel or mind off the primary task being driving safely[2].

Although levels of speeding fines were lower in 2022 compared to 2021, fines for speeding were still well above the years prior to 2021. In 2022, police issued over 4 million speeding infringements, excluding the ACT[3].

Through the National Road Safety Action Plan Progress Report, delivered to the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meeting last week in Hobart, the report shows that the highest number of fatalities have happened in 100km/h speed limit zones.

However, it should be noted that we have also seen a 30 per cent increase in deaths happening in low speed zones at 50km/h or less[4].

Since the introduction of seatbelt monitoring cameras, infringements relating to seatbelt use have skyrocketed. In 2022, over 88 thousand seatbelt infringements were issued across the country[5].

Alarmingly, further data, as reported in the National Road Safety Action Plan Progress Report, indicates that an upward trend in fatalities in urban areas in recent years, and regional areas continue to have stubbornly high rates of fatalities.

In 2023, metropolitan areas reported 32 more deaths than the previous year (an 8% increase), and regional areas had an increase of 28 deaths (a 5% increase) and remote areas an additional 20 deaths (18% increase)[6].

The Australian Government is whole-heartedly committed to Vision Zero, that is zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2050.

Through the National Road Safety Action Plan (2023-25) focuses on delivering tangible and measurable actions, clear responsibilities and timeframes.

Through the Action Plan, the Australian Government will deliver several key initiatives and changes, aimed at reducing road trauma across Australia.

This includes actions such as:

• Signing off on Australia’s first ever Data Sharing Agreement between the Australian Government and states and territories, as well as National Road Safety Data Collection and Reporting Framework.

• Improving regional and remote road safety through targeted road safety infrastructure programs,

• Progressing the uptake of new vehicle safety features and technologies through new Australian Design Rules, and

• Building and upgrading heavy vehicle rest areas across the country.

Through the guidance of the Action Plan, the Australian Government is working to reduce road deaths and serious injuries across the country, engaging closely with state, territory and local governments, as well as other stakeholders.

1 . Mobile Phone Infringement Data

2. NRSPP Australia » NRSPP Fact Sheet: Distracted Driving – What You Need To Know

3. Speeding Infringement Data

4. This dataset will become publicly available in early 2024.

5. Seatbelt Infringement Data

6. This dataset will become publicly available in early 2024.