1 July | NSW Sitting Period Review
The New South Wales parliament has just concluded its latest two-week sitting period. The fortnight was dominated by news from outside parliament, with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) handing down its report on former Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Read below PremierNational's insights into these issues and more in our wrap-up of parliament this fortnight.
The NSW ICAC found former Premier Gladys Berejiklian had engaged “in serious corrupt conduct” during dealings with the former Member for Wagga, Daryl Maguire, but was unable to find sufficient evidence to recommend prosecution.
Premier Chris Minns criticised the corruption watchdog for taking too long to deliver its findings and suggested that self-imposed timelines could increase transparency and public accountability.
In his first major economic update, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey confirmed that deep spending cuts will define his inaugural budget in September in an effort to ease inflationary pressures.
Mookhey has inherited a budget that has been rocked by a major pandemic and concerns over cost of living pressures.
The Treasurer claimed the former Coalition government added $33.9 billion in expenses to the forward estimates throughout their last 14 months in office.
Mookhey also warned that increasing debt will threaten the prized AAA credit rating that NSW currently holds.
Large technology companies including Google, Meta and OpenAI will face Australia’s first parliamentary inquiry into artificial intelligence following reports that Legalise Cannabis Party’s social media posts were removed by AI censors.
The inquiry will be conducted by the upper house Portfolio Committee No. 1 and will consider a broad range of issues, including the impact of AI on job security, wages, and biases in training data.
As the ticket-buying frenzy for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour descends upon Australia, Premier Chris Minns has promised to crack down on individuals scalping tickets.
Under NSW legislation introduced in 2018, reselling or advertising any ticket higher than 10% of the original price is prohibited.
NSW Fair Trading authorities will monitor ticket selling platforms between now and next February to ensure that resellers are not breaching these laws.
Fair Trading has already written to online sales platforms including eBay, Ticketek, and Gumtree warning them of their obligation to protect consumers under the legislation.
People who assault retail workers will face tougher penalties under the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assaults on Retail Workers) Bill 2023, introduced to Parliament on Wednesday 21 June.
The amendment will see three new offences added to the Crimes Act, with those convicted of assaulting staff facing up to 11 years in prison.
The Labor government has axed Sydney’s primary planning agency, the Greater Cities Commission, as well as the Western Parkland City Authority.
Premier Chris Minns also announced staff from both commissions will be subsumed into the Department of Planning and Environment, in a move to reduce the duplication of public resources and boost limited housing supply.
The Greater Cities Commission was created with Labor’s support by the previous Coalition Government, led by former Premier Mike Baird.
