25 March 2017 – NSW Parliament Wrap Up

It was business as usual for the NSW Government this week, with several major transport infrastructure announcements to keep the public interested. The highlight was almost certainly the reveal of details about a redevelopment of Central Station. Three new projects will soon be underway in the precinct, including Central Walk, Sydney Metro Central and a modernisation of the existing heritage station. Some reports suggest the redevelopment will be even larger than Barangaroo, which would peg the works at $6 billion or more.

Here's how the week panned out...

NSW transport to be fully privatised by 2032
Good news for everyone interested in transport (aren’t we all?), with Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Andrew Constance telling the Australian Financial Review on Monday that he foresees a fully privatised network in NSW within 15 years. Outlining his vision, Minister Constance suggested that by 2032 the Government, “will [no longer] be in the provision of transport services, it will be all on-demand, private-sector driven.” Instead of operating services, the Government will adopt the role of contract manager, ensuring outsourced operations are delivered safely and that performance benchmarks are being met.

Hospital parking fee concessions
Monday also saw Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Health Brad Hazzard introduce new payment concessions for hospital car parks. From July, patients with treatment lasting longer than seven days, or whose ailments require more than two hospital visits per week, will be able to save up to $200 on parking at public hospitals. The concessions will also apply to carers and those who can demonstrate financial hardship. Who said politicians don’t listen?

Millers Point property sales
It took less than one week for Property NSW to divest ownership of five Millers Point properties, generating $25 million for investment in new social housing stock. Just last week, PremierState reported the Government had listed five High Street terraces owned by the Department of Family & Community Services for sale. With each going for about $5 million, the Government clearly made the most of this seller’s market!

New guidelines for assessing development applications
On Tuesday, Minister for Planning Anthony Roberts released a new Best Practice Guide for assessing development applications. To promote quick evaluations and increased housing supply, all councils in NSW must now assist applicants in advance of lodgement, ensuring applications are “assessment ready”. The Guide will also introduce benchmarking measures to make councils more accountable for assessment timeframes. The effectiveness of the Guide will be reviewed in six months’ time.

Great Western Highway upgrade
Later in the day, Minister for Roads, Maritime & Freight Melinda Pavey and Member for Bathurst Paul Toole announced the completion of a $104 million upgrade of the Great Western Highway. The pair opened the new stretch of highway at Kelso, just outside of Bathurst, three months ahead of schedule. When it comes to the Government’s $9.7 billion road budget, $104 million might not sound like much, but it’s hardly an amount to be sniffed at…

Central Station redevelopment revealed
The big news of the week was the release of two tenders and an EOI for the redevelopment of Central Station. The Premier paired up with Minister Constance to provide further details about three new projects affecting the transport hub, including Central Walk, Sydney Metro Central, and a renovation of the landmark station.

Central Walk will be a pedestrian link integrating the station’s train, metro, light rail and bus connections. Similar to Wynyard Walk, it will see the construction of a 20-metre wide tunnel beneath Chalmers Street, connecting pedestrians to modernised train platforms above ground and the new Sydney Metro Central project 25-metres below. Both Central Walk and Sydney Metro Central will be built at the same time, in an effort to minimise disruption and streamline delivery. Finally, the existing Central Station will also be redeveloped, with modernised train platforms and new commercial and residential towers.

The Government actually began consulting on the redevelopment of Central as far back as 2015. Tenders for delivery of the Central Walk and Sydney Metro Central have now been released, as has an EOI for the redevelopment of the existing station. The contract for Sydney Metro Central is being handled separately to other parts of Sydney Metro, in order to better integrate it with the other two projects. Construction will begin next year and is expected to be completed by 2021.

North Coast Regional Plan 2036
On Thursday, Deputy Premier & Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro and Minister Roberts launched a blueprint for future development on the state’s North Coast. The North Coast Regional Plan 2036 will be the new guide for planning decisions in the region to support an estimated population growth of 75,000 residents over the next two decades. It applies to 12 local government areas in total, including Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lismore, Nambucca, Port Macquarie, Richmond and Tweed. The Plan will be delivered by a North Coast Delivery, Coordination and Monitoring Committee, which will set criteria for future land release approvals and identify future urban growth areas.

Tenders awarded for 100 regional road projects
Lendlease, CPB and Boral were each awarded contracts on Friday to build components for more than 100 bridges on the state’s North Coast. Minister for Roads, Maritime & Freight Melinda Pavey made the announcement alongside federal Minister for Infrastructure & Transport Darren Chester, with the bridges due to be completed by 2020. They will be built as part of a larger 155km duplication of the Pacific Highway between Woolgoolga and Ballina, the largest regional infrastructure project in Australia. The upgrade is being jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments on an 80:20 basis.

Japanese university sets up shop in Newcastle
Finally, Friday saw Minister for Trade & Industry Niall Blair announce that Japan’s Nihon University will establish its first ever offshore campus in Newcastle. The university will repurpose the former Newcastle Law Courts as classrooms for 200 domestic and foreign students, and also build a dedicated library and 100-bed dormitory on-site. While this may seem a relatively minor announcement, we wanted to bring it to your attention if only to drop in the Newcastle Herald’s description of the soon-to-be campus as, “the smallest of minnows to a Novocastrian whale.” Who knew we’ve been missing out on whale-themed poetry all this time?

Gareth Ward appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Education
In other news, Member for Kiama Gareth Ward was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Education on Friday, replacing Upper House Member Catherine Cusack. Mr Ward is a former councillor on Shoalhaven City Council, and was an advisor to Speaker Shelley Hancock and Minister for Resources, Energy & Utilities and the Arts Don Harwin. He is also a former Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra and South Coast.