20 December | NSW Government End of Year Review

The Minns Government has completed its first full year of Government after ending over a decade of Coalition control of NSW in March 2023. This year saw the Minns Government implement reforms across a number of policy areas. Read PremierNational’s detailed description of these reforms below. 

The cornerstone of the NSW Government’s industrial relations policy was the abolition of the wage cap at the end of 2023, setting the stage for a range of bargaining and wage increase agreements between the NSW Government and the public service, including:  

  • The Health Services Union in relation to 50,000 health workers, securing a one year wage increase of 3.5 percent in conjunction with 0.5 percent in superannuation;  

  • Public school teachers, securing a three-year award agreement for a three percent pay increase annually for the years;  

  • Police securing a one in a generation 19 percent pay increase over four years for entry-level police officers. Additionally, Senior Constables received a 13.5 percent pay rise over four years and Inspectors, the first commissioned rank, received a 15 percent pay rise over four years; 

  • The Public Service Association, securing a wage increase of 11.4 percent compounded over three years. The wage increase was secured by overhauling redeployment policies to reduce redundancy costs and implementing robust workplace systems to minimise pressure on the state’s workers compensation system; and  

  • Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters, securing an interim pay rise of 3 percent.  

Additionally, 2024 saw the NSW Government:  

  • Revive the Industrial Court of New South Wales on account of the enactment of the Industrial Relations Amendment Act 2023. The Industrial Court has been imbued with powers to mediate industrial conflicts and arbitrate wage disputes;  

  • Entrench industrial protections for gig workers by amendments to the NSW Industrial Relations Act, vesting the NSW Industrial Relations Commission with the power to prescribe minimum pay and conditions for gig workers in the transport sector;  

  • Invest $6.5 million over four years into the formation of a Migrant Workers Centre to counteract the English unproficiency of migrant workers that predisposes them to exploitation. 

In 2024, the Minns Government implemented fiscal measures which aimed to stabilise state debt, reduce the deficit to $3.5 billion, reduce the state debt by $9 billion and absorb the $11.9 billion GST reduction from the Commonwealth Grants Commission. The Government hopes to secure revenue returns by:  

  • Adjusting foreign investor surcharges and foreign owner land tax surcharges, projected to return additional revenue of $1.68 billion over the next four years;  

  • Restructuring the state’s money management policies through the One Fund Investment Initiative, which combines several state investment funds to deliver higher risk-adjusted returns and greater operating efficiencies; and 

  • Imposing penalties for infringements to the NSW Government’s First-Home Buyers grants, generating a return of $9.77 million. 

On 1 November 2024 the full Crisafulli Cabinet was sworn in, including David Crisafulli as Premier and Minister for Veterans, and Jarrod Bleijie as Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, and Industrial Relations.

Other key Cabinet appointments include:

  • David Janetzki retains the Treasury portfolio, combining it with being Queensland’s Energy Minister and Minister for Home Ownership.

  • Four Ministers identified as critical to the government’s commitment to community safety and fewer victims of crime: Dan Purdie (Minister for Police and Emergency Services), Deb Frecklington (Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Integrity), Laura Gerber (Minister for Youth Justice and Victim Support, and Corrective Services), and Amanda Camm (Minister for Child Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Families, Seniors and Disability Services).

  • Ros Bates appointed Finance Minister alongside a portfolio including Trade, Employment and Training.

  • Dale Last is Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Minister for Manufacturing and Minister for Regional and Rural Development while Tony Perrett has been named Minister for Primary Industries.

  • Former LNP Leaders Tim Nicholls (Health) and John-Paul Langbroek (Education) awarded senior Cabinet roles.

  • Brent Mickelberg appointed Minister for Transport and Main Roads.

  • Sam O’Connor appointed Minister for Housing, Public Works and Youth.

  • Environment and Tourism portfolios have combined under Andrew Powell, former environment minister between 2012 – 2015.

  • Former NRL Referee and experienced minister Tim Mander is Minister for Sport and Racing and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

  • Veteran MP Fiona Simpson named Minister for Women and Women’s Economic Security, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Minister for Multiculturalism.

  • Customer Service portfolio to be held by Steve Minnikin.

  • Local Government Minister is western Queensland MP Ann Leahy.

Initial moves by the new government include:

  • Pausing BPIC while re-establishing a Queensland Productivity Commission

  • Stopping progress on the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro project

  • Establishing the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority and launching a 100 day review into Olympics and Paralympics planning and infrastructure

  • Repealing Path to Treaty and Truth telling processes

  • Launching inquiry into volunteering

Premier Crisafulli appointed a number of assistant ministers, including Rebecca Young as Assistant Minister to the Deputy Premier and Assistant Minister for Planning, Housing and Better Regulation, Janelle Poole as Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland, Bryson Head as Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Resources and Critical Minerals and Bree James as Assistant Minister for Tourism, Early Learning, Creative Industries and Far North Queensland.

The NSW Government has enacted a tranche of reforms intended to reverse the adverse effects of overregulation on the night-time economy. A core pillar of The Hon John Graham (Special Minister of State, Minister for Roads; the Arts; Music and the Night-time Economy, and Jobs and Tourism) policy framework is its Vibrancy Reforms, engineered to abolish futile restrictions on the hospitality sector and re-energise cultural and entertainment districts. The Vibrancy Reforms compromised several amendments to planning and licensing regulations and statutory schemes, most notably:  

  • The prohibition of single noise complaints from shutting down licensed venues;  

  • The incentivisation of live performances in licensed venues by offering an 80 percent reduction in liquor license fees and an extension in trading hours to venues offering live entertainment;  

  • The implementation of a framework empowering the Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy to intervene and deploy a range of measures if the survival of a significant venue is jeopardised by vexatious noise complaints or hostile landlords;  

  • The expansion of Special Entertainment Precincts (SEPs), underpinned by a $1 million grant program, to concurrently reactivate cultural areas and enable local councils to amend stringent restrictions on operating hours and noise pollution levels;  

  • The requirement that incoming residents in existing SEPs are notified of the area’s SEP status;  

  • The abolition of “no entertainment” conditions imposed on licensed venues; and 

  • The permanent relaxation of restrictions on outdoor dining approvals.  

The reforms have been complemented by several programs and investments that are designed to amplify the vibrancy of public spaces, diversify entertainment offerings and strengthen domestic creative industries, partly facilitated through the formation of a new Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport:  

  • The government’s $8.7 million Open Street Program which forms a central component of the $19.7 million Vibrant Streets Program to re-energise local districts;  

  • Making special event extended trading approvals obtainable under the Liquor Act 2007 for events of ‘regional, state or national significance’;  

  • Redressing the deleterious effects of inflation and the fragmentation of the music media landscape on the music industry by investing $18.5 million into Sound NSW for the implementation of strategies that drive audience and international market development and strengthen the state’s live music ecosystem; and 

  • Amending the Music Festivals Act and forming the Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund to resurrect and ensure the economic viability of music festivals in NSW. 

There have been a number of tourism-oriented policies introduced by the Minns Government, with the intention of inflating the NSW Visitor Economy to $91 billion in expenditure by 2035. To achieve this the Minns Government:  

  • Secured the return of UFC 312 to Sydney through a partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, projected to inject $15.3 million into the NSW visitor economy and generate global exposure for Sydney as the major events capital of the Asia-Pacific; and 

  • Injected $324.5 million into Destination NSW for the delivery of key cultural events in NSW, including Vivid Sydney, SXSW Sydney and a range of sporting events;  

  • Eliminated the SCG precinct concert cap to capitalise on the capacity for concerts to bolster the NSW visitor economy;  

  • Secured an agreement with Cricket Australia for the continuation of the New Year’s Test for a further seven years. 

The transport strategy adopted by the Minns Government contains three core pillars; enhancing critical transport infrastructure, elevating the accessibility of the transport network and increasing transport network connectivity. To heighten transport connectivity, the Minns Government:  

  • Invested $13.4 billion to the Sydney Metro West transport project to heighten Sydney’s rail capacity;  

  • Bolstered bus network connectivity in Western Sydney through a $24.7 million investment;  

  • Allocated $23.8 million to a State-Wide Medium Term Bus Plan, containing strategies for bus network improvements;  

  • Allocated $5.5 million to the Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport Project to ensure transport connectivity to the future Western Sydney International Airport and Western Sydney Aerotropolis; and 

  • Devised the E-micromobility Action Plan, a critical precondition to the legalisation of e- micromobility devices.  

There continues to be scrutiny on the Government in relation to transport, with the roll out of the Sydney Metro being an area of continued focus. 

Strata schemes and rental laws have been the subject of regulatory intervention and reform in 2024, given the clear need to restore investor confidence in strata schemes. The Government:  

  • Prohibited no grounds evictions, limiting the valid grounds for the termination of periodic and fixed term leases; 

  • Amended the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2024 to cap rent increases to once annually; and

  • Developed the Rent Check platform to bolster rental transparency; 

The NSW Government’s policies in respect of police and counter-terrorism prioritised police force retention and the enhancement of police capabilities and infrastructure. The government has:  

  • Adopted the BluLink platform as a component of the NSW Police Force’s Digital Policing Roadmap, digitally connecting police instantaneously to unfolding emergencies. The adoption of this software integrates technological mechanisms into core police functions to drive crime intelligence and modernise the NSW Police Force’s processes; 

  • Injected $46.4 million into the construction of the Parramatta Police Station with a dedicated criminal intelligence unit;  

  • Channeled $14.2 million into the Forensic Evidence and Technical Services Command to heighten their capabilities; and 

  • Introduced programs intended to reverse the chronic shortage of police officers through incentivisation programs including the Experienced Officer Recruitment Scheme, Regional Recruitment Scheme and reimbursement of tuition incurred in studying to become a police officer.

The NSW Government is spearheading major healthcare reforms through investments in hospital infrastructure, workforce development, and medical research. Some of the NSW Government’s investments include:  

  • Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital: A $1.3 billion redevelopment that includes new surgery rooms, and a new facility with enhanced maternity, paediatric, and intensive care unit services. The project will fulfill the needs of one of Sydney's fastest-growing regions while modernising existing infrastructure; 

  • Redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital: $830 million for increased critical care capacity and an Integrated Services Building; 

  • Shellharbour Hospital: A $780 million project that is anticipated to be finished by 2027 and will provide new aged care and mental health services; 

  • Children’s Hospital at Westmead: $619 million for a 14-story facility with oncology, intensive care, and surgical units; and 

  • Medical Research Support Program: $160 million to support innovative treatments, chronic illness, and cancer research. 

The NSW Government’s roads strategy has focused on repairing the toll network, improving road connectivity and enhancing road safety.  A focus of 2024 was the Minns Government's continued reform the toll network, with the government: 

  • Amending the Transport Administration Act to empower the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal to independently oversee the prescription of toll prices, and empower an independent tolling customer ombudsman to resolve disputes between motorists and toll road operators;  

  • Establishing NSW Motorways, a state-owned entity tasked with overseeing any future revenue adjustment mechanism to protect private toll concessions from losses from a network-wide pricing structure; and 

  • Implementing a $60 toll cap which came into effect from 1 January 2024.  

This year the Minns Government also invested in road networks, including:   

  • Injecting $1.1 billion, jointly with the federal government, to increase road network connectivity in Western Sydney. This facilitates housing uplift and reduces congestion in high-growth areas;  

  • Investing a supplementary $95 million into the planning and development of critical road upgrades in Western Sydney growth areas; and  

  • Committing $232.7 million for the delivery of the fifth section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass located between Rankin Park and Jesmond. 

The Minns Government needs to stimulate housing and critical infrastructure supply in furtherance of the National Housing Accord.  In working towards achieving housing targets, the Minns Government is:  

  • Injecting $253.7 million into the overhaul of the planning system and structural planning reforms;  

  • Undertaking rezonings in Transport Oriented Accelerated Precincts to drive housing uplift in transport-connected areas. The rezonings are supplemented by a $250 million investment in critical infrastructure and public asset improvements;

  • Establishing a State Significant Development pathway to accelerate planning approvals for projects: 

    • Exceeding $60 million, or equivalent to approximately 100 homes, located in Transport Oriented Accelerated Precincts; and 

    • Exceeding 75 dwellings which have, at minimum, a 50 percent affordable housing component.  

  • Implementing a state-led approvals pathway overseen by the new Housing Delivery Authority for major residential housing projects and rezonings exceeding $60 million in Greater Sydney for $30 million in regional NSW; and 

  • Creating a Social and Affordable Housing Rezoning Pathway to stimulate the construction of social and affordable housing, in conjunction with a $5.1 billion budgetary allocation to the provision of social and affordable housing. 

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