Better dental care, energy price relief, secure housing – ahead of NSW election

The NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) highlight energy price relief, better dental care, and more secure and affordable housing as key issues for South West Sydney.

NCOSS has put forward eight recommendations for policymakers to consider, in a bid to better support vulnerable citizens.

The recommendations respond to the situation in South Western Sydney, which according to NCOSS’ 2022 Cost of Living Survey of low-income households, is seeing:

60 per cent in Inner South-West in housing stress;

31 per cent in Inner South-West experiencing a negative change to their housing arrangement (such as rent increase, eviction, damage to home);

33 per cent in Outer South-West going without medication / healthcare, and;

27 per cent in Inner South-West going without a meal

“The events of the last three years haven’t been felt evenly, and we all witnessed the dramatic divide in Sydney where people in South Western Sydney were treated as second-class citizens,” NCOSS CEO, Joanna Quilty said.

“We know it’s low-income households and disadvantaged communities who have borne the brunt, which is why we need investment that wards off widening inequality and entrenchment of disadvantage.

“We have reached a tipping point where families are being hit by rising costs, stagnant wages, and on top of all that, seemingly never-ending natural disasters.

“Social services are on the frontline supporting these families, and we’re seeing firsthand the toll that it’s taking. We need urgent and purposeful action to combat these pressures.

“We are calling on policymakers to endorse our Policy Platform and work together to build a fairer NSW.”

The eight recommendations include:

1. Respond to rising energy prices: Increase cap on Energy Accounts Payment Assistance vouchers to $1,600 per year; 2. Improve access to dental care: Double funding for public dental outreach services; 3. Make renting more secure and affordable: Replace no grounds evictions with a range of specified reasonable ground; 4. Invest in social infrastructure so essential support reaches those in need: Provide core funding for neighbourhood centres and other similar services; 5. Enhance safety, security and wellbeing for women impacted by domestic and family violence: Construct social housing for the 4,812 women and their children experiencing domestic violence; 6. Bolster children’s safety, social development and educational outcomes: Increase investment in the Targeted Early Intervention Program by 25 per cent; 7. Limit harm caused by pokies on vulnerable communities: Mandate use of a cashless gaming card across NSW venues operating pokies, and; 8. Strengthen sustainability of the NSW social services sector as a growth industry and key employer of women: Extend standard contract terms to seven and 10 years for rural and remote communities.

Start preparing now for little ones’ first day at school

If you have a young one starting kindergarten this year, here are some simple tips to make it as smooth as possible – and the summer holiday is a great time to start practicing a few steps.

After teaching kindy for 13 years, Amanda Monk has simple tips for that long-anticipated first day – especially the lunch hour.

Ms Monk said summer picnics were a great way to learn how to be a legend in managing your new school lunch box. She’s seen it all – yoghurt all over the new uniform, exploding snack packs and little fingers unable to free a plastic-imprisoned sandwich. However, she said a picnic was a great way to practise opening containers and wrappings.

“A super handy tip is to use a sticky note to mark where to open a wrapped sandwich,” she said.

“Put a triangle snip at the corner of packaged foods to help open them without bursting and practise opening yoghurt tubes without squeezing.”

Her advice was to embed routines in the summer holidays.

“Start creating those routines to make getting out of the house easier,” she said. “Explain they will go to school every weekday, not just once.

“In the week before, go past the school and say, ‘oh, look, there is your big school and you will be going there on Monday; I can see teachers’ cars, they are getting ready for you to come’.”

Ms Monk says said children could practise introducing themselves and asking for what they need.

“Encourage them to approach other children, say their name and ask if they would like to play,” she said.

Parents should also start to ask their children “what do you need?” instead of “are you thirsty?” This would help children advocate for themselves at school, she said.

And when the all-important first day is over, Ms Monk said parents and carers should ask open-ended questions of their tired big-schoolers.

“Often, they can’t remember what they did that day or who they played with,” she said. “Be specific: ask ‘did you draw a picture today?’ or ‘did you play with new friends today?’”

She warned parents that their children would be exhausted until they adjusted to big school.

Ten things you can do this month to make starting school a picnic

1. Take your soon-to-be kindergarten kids on an outdoors lunch to learn how to open containers

2. Put post-it notes or a mark at the best opening point on the container

3. Put a note or mark where to open wrapping

4. Walk or drive past the school regularly and be positive

5. Remind them they will go to school each weekday, not just on the first day

6. Practise getting up on time

7. Practise morning routines

8. Ask open-ended questions: “What do you need?”

9. Practise introducing themselves

10. Practise asking others to play

Visit the Department of Education’s resource hub designed for parents and carers: education.nsw.gov.au/back-to-school

Deadline looming for Appin draft proposal

The NSW government has taken control of all planning decisions in Appin – and the local council and residents are angry about being locked out of discussions and are bracing for more development, years of construction and lack of infrastructure.

Residents want more consultation and an extension to the December 19 submission deadline for the Appin draft proposal by the Walker Corporation.

Some locals have pointed the finger at the state government’s department of planning citing lack of “integrity and oversight” when it comes to development and transparency when it comes to development in Appin.

Wollondilly councillor Judith Hannan, who recently announced she will be contesting the 2023 State Election as an independent, said the government doesn’t care about Appin, since it is now in the safe Labor seat of Campbelltown.

“They can do whatever they want to Appin and it will have no consequences for them. They can look after their developer friends. Why would they care; they are about being re-elected.”

Cr Hannan has an issue with the state taking control of major developments in Appin and Wilton, in a bid to unlock more housing in NSW.

She said it’s already taken control of development applications and now it has taken strategic planning.

She said councillors are the first point of contact about these issues.

Residents said the four weeks that people have to submit a written response is not enough time to look at the copious amounts and documents and respond.

“It’s extremely unfair all the land owners and the council have been locked out of the decision making,” one long-time resident, who doesn’t want to be named said.

“The only people who have been privy to the information is the big developers and the government. It’s going to affect every Appin resident.”

In the last Census there were 1040 residences in Appin with 3230 people.

“Just the initial rezoning for 3500 houses could add 11,000 plus people…”

Adding to the development pressures is the Outer Sydney Orbital 2 (OSO2) which also was released before Christmas a few years ago. Residents successfully secured an extension and even had fought to have two better options short listed, one was the favoured blue line above the ill-conceived yellow line option which would have impacted homes and properties.

Residents recently found out through their own research, other options are now being considered without public consultation.

“This was updated ( November 21, 2022) without any apparent…notification to previous submitters,” Jo O’Brien from the Outer Sydney Orbital Macarthur Action Group said.

“There is an entirely different option presented that was never subject to public consultation. The OSO now takes a looping turn to run south through west Appin, and it terminates at the edge of the development/growth area. From here it will apparently link to Picton Road, possibly via or near Douglas Park Drive and MacArthur Drive. There is no indication of an exact route, or proposed consultation or notification of anyone on this path.

“It is hard to believe the government went through the whole prior consultation process (2020-2021) for the OSO2 without being aware of these issues and constraints and the need to eventually connect to Picton Road. That consultation has been rendered effectively pointless.

“The prior “yellow” path is now the transit road for the new [Appin] development.

“Private landholders who thought they had been successful in saving their properties are now back in the path of a major road, but has been renamed as the East-West Connection road.”

Michelle Mouron from Help Save Appin, said that from all reports infrastructure will only be delivered after achieving “a specific number of residential lots in most cases”.

Ms Mouron said when Appin Vale – now North Appin along with Brooks Point Road development, 11 years ago – the cost of the combined infrastructure was $379 million. Locals are still waiting for that infrastructure to be delivered.

“These issues need to be addressed before this is even considered or fast tracked…not after [the] 14,000th lot has been sold; by then the damage will be done and [is] undoable.”

A Department of Planning and Environment spokesperson said all submissions will be considered to determine if the land should be rezoned.