Premier; Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government; Minister for Roads; Minister for Transport · Original source
NSW motorists can now claim toll relief under the lower $50 weekly cap for 6 July to 4 October, with up to 200,000 additional toll accounts expected to be eligible and $99 million available for the quarter, up from $73 million under the previous $60 cap. The government says regular claimants will get an extra $520 a year. Since the cap began in 2024, more than 1.07 million claims have returned $348 million, with Western Sydney drivers making more than half of all claims.
Jarrod Bleijie, Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations · Original source
The Queensland Government will reform its WorkCover scheme and industrial relations laws, saying businesses would otherwise face more than $1.46 billion a year in higher premiums by 2035 and a 26 per cent premium rise within five years, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said. The package strengthens medical expertise as psychological injury claims have risen almost 268 per cent in a decade, toughens penalties for compensation fraud and non-compliant insurers, and aligns state industrial laws with the Commonwealth Fair Work Act.
Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement · Original source
NSW Parliament has passed the Local Jobs First Bill 2026, which for the first time requires NSW Government tenders to prioritise local workers and businesses across the state's $40 billion annual procurement spend. The reforms create a Local Jobs First Commissioner and advisory board, a 30 per cent tender weighting for local business on contracts over $7.5 million, a Future Skills Guarantee with apprentice and trainee quotas, mandatory local procurement plans for major contracts and a supplier debarment scheme.
Attorney General; Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism · Original source
NSW Parliament has passed laws making permanent the knife scanning trial introduced in 2024 and modelled on Queensland's 'Jack's Law', letting police stop and scan people with handheld metal detectors in declared areas. The reforms extend declarations from 12 to 24 hours, lower the approval threshold and add major entertainment venues to shopping centres, transport stations and sporting venues. The change follows a statutory review and a Bondi Junction Coronial Inquest recommendation; NSW Police have seized more than 15,000 knives since April 2023.
Jim Chalmers, Treasurer · Original source
The Albanese Government has introduced the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 3) Bill 2026 and a companion bill to impose a minimum tax on discretionary trusts from 1 July 2028, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said. The legislation also carries the next tranche of negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms. Fixed, charitable and special disability trusts are exempt, small businesses can access rollover relief from 1 July 2027 or elect to be exempt, and the government says more than 95 per cent of individual taxfilers receive no trust income.
