2 December | NSW and Federal Sitting Period Review

This week saw the final full sitting weeks of Federal and NSW Parliament. Federally, there were cuts to infrastructure spending, legislation surrounding the Murry Darling Basin and the election of a new Senator for NSW. On a state level, the final sitting fortnight saw the government withdrawing legislation that would extend the term of the Racing NSW Chairman, legislation passing that enshrines the state’s net-zero targets, IR reform and ground-breaking housing policies announced.

Read PremierNational’s insights into these issues and more, in our wrap-up of the latest sittings of the federal and NSW parliaments. 

Transport Minister Catherine King announced the government would make changes to funding arrangements between the federal government and state governments with regards to new infrastructure projects.

In response to the Independent Strategic Review of the Infrastructure Investment Program (IIP), Minister King announced that approximately 50 road and rail projects nationwide would no longer receive federal funding, including 15 in NSW, 12 in Victoria, nine in Queensland, five each in WA and SA, and one each in Tasmania and the ACT. 32 other projects will continue to receive funding despite the review recommending they also be cut from the IIP.

NSW Premier Chris Minns criticised the federal government for denying NSW taxpayers their “fair share” of infrastructure funding.

Former Member for Wentworth Dave Sharma will re-enter federal parliament after winning preselection for the NSW Senate seat of former foreign minister Marise Payne. 

Sharma beat out former right-wing ACT Senator and Federal Minister Zed Seselja and former NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance.  

Sharma served as ambassador to Israel from 2013 to 2017. Sharma also had an illustrious career as a diplomat posted to Washington DC and Port Moresby, serving as a peacekeeper with the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville, and heading the international division within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The Federal government secured support from the Greens in the Senate to pass its Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023, legislating one of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s key election promises – delivering a five-point plan to deliver water security in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The bill will remove caps placed on water buybacks when the Coalition was in government. It will allow up to 750 gigalitres to be bought back from willing farmers and irrigators. The Greens’ support came with assurances from government that at least 450 gigalitres from entitlements would be restored to the Basin by 2027, that progress on this target and Basin projects would be reported by government, and that extra funding would be provided to Indigenous groups to buy water rights.

During the final sitting fortnight for 2023, the NSW government introduced legislation to abolish the Greater Cities Commission, which was created in 2015 under the Baird government as Sydney’s core strategic planning agency.

Planning Minister Paul Scully reasoned that its dissolution and deferral of responsibilities to the NSW Department of Planning would reduce “duplication and overlay” in NSW’s planning system.

The government also announced that it would change planning laws to force councils to repeal restrictions on townhouses and low- and mid-rise apartment blocks in low- and medium-density residential zones. The government is hoping that this will add capacity for an extra 112,000 new homes across Greater Sydney, the Hunter, Central Coast and Illawarra. The government needs this in its bid to add 377,000 dwellings to NSW’s housing stock by 2029, per its Housing Accord targets.

The NSW government introduced its Industrial Relations Amendment Bill 2023, reviving the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) which was dismantled by the Coalition between 2011 and 2016 and tying wage rises above the abolished public wages cap to productivity increases which would supplement associated budget costs. This will be accompanied by a “co-operative negotiation” model of “mutual gains bargaining”.

Despite largely supporting the bill, the Greens took issue with the IRC being required to consider NSW’s fiscal position and outlook when delivering rulings, claiming the provision ran the risk of imposing a “de facto wages cap”.

The bill will also see an Industrial Court established with jurisdiction over workplace health/safety and underpayment matters, and with powers to make orders resolving disputes and issue fines.

The New South Wales government’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets passed after the Greens and Coalition united to strengthen the legislation to include interim targets. Under the legislation, previous state targets of cutting emissions by 70% in comparison with 2005 by 2035 and reaching net zero by 2050 will now be enshrined in law. The legislation will promote accountability and foster change, with an independent advisory panel soon to be established to monitor the Government’s process.

Penny Sharpe, Minister Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Heritage praised the effort as a demonstration of Labor taking “serious action on climate change”, positing that the legislation will allow government to be held accountable on delivering emissions targets into the future.

The government pulled their bill extending the term of Racing NSW Chairman Russell Balding rather than support amendments. The amendments would have subjected the sporting body to greater oversight, including by the Auditor-General. NSW Racing Minister David Harris accused the Coalition of “interfering with the future commercial viability of Thoroughbred Racing”.