The NSW Government has revealed that it will distribute another $100 million as part of the state’s economy recovery with the goal to bolster skills and “future-proof” the workforce.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet highlighted that the multimillion-dollar package will result in approximately 103,000 additional free training places across the state and comes as part of its commitment to “support a pipeline of skilled workers” while spearheading the state’s recovery “by providing businesses with a highly-trained workforce”.

“By investing in a skills-led recovery, the NSW Government is not only futureproofing jobs but ensuring people have the right skills to plug current shortages as the economy emerges from the pandemic. NSW is leading the nation in free skills training in the joint Federal and State JobTrainer program with more than 136,000 people in NSW taking up a course since it was introduced last October,” said NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

The support package will include extra Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grants and new ICT Traineeships.

Commenting further, NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said the investment will benefit critical industries including construction, health and IT to help NSW bounce back better.

“This is a significant investment to help the people of NSW get back to work, upskill or enter the workforce for the first time, particularly in critical industries like construction, IT, health and hospitality. These critical industries are vital to our economic growth and prosperity and the NSW Government will continue to invest in training initiatives to get more people into jobs,” said NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

Covid Disaster Payments In NSW And ACT Have Been Discontinued

Residents of NSW and the ACT who have been receiving Covid-19 Disaster Payments have been told that their payments were officially discontinued on Friday 8^th October 2021. The discontinuation comes as the two jurisdictions both reached the 70 percent vaccination threshold target.

In an update made on Friday 8^th October 2021, Services Australia confirmed that the payments have automatically “stopped”, with recipients now required to apply every week to claim the $750 payments.

The ACT hit its 70 percent fully vaccinated threshold on 8^th October 2021, while NSW hit it on 7^th October 2021.

The Federal Government announced the changes to the distribution of Covid-19 Disaster Payments back in late September 2021.

“These Covid disaster payments, these business support payments have been emergency payments and we can’t continue them forever, nor can we continue lockdowns forever. If you look abroad, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States – countries are starting to live with Covid,” said Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg back in September.

Over the past few weeks close to 1.7 million Australians living across Victoria, NSW and ACT have been receiving the payments during recent lockdowns.

“People whose income is still affected may still be eligible for the COVID-19 Disaster Payment. “Claiming online, through myGov, remains the quickest and easiest way to claim –more than 90 per cent of claims are made online and some claims are processed within hours,” said Federal Minister for Government Services Linda Reynolds in a statement to the media on Thursday 7^th October.

Most people in Greater Sydney and NSW will have received their last automatic payment at the beginning of the week and will be able to claim from 10^th October 2021. 

People living in the inner suburbs of Sydney should have received their final automatic payment on 7^th October 2021 and will be able to claim from 14^th October 2021, while those who are receiving Centrelink top-up payments can claim from 18^th 2021 October onwards.