Acting Director, Catherine Mahony, acknowledged the Government for heeding public calls for social justice and disadvantage to be more prominently addressed in the Plan.

“The new theme of Fairness and Opportunity highlights the intention to strengthen Aboriginal communities, particularly in relation to Health and Education. This theme also prioritises community and employment participation for people with disabilities, and people with a mental illness, and signals a cross-government shift in resources and focus towards early intervention.”

“NCOSS is disappointed  that  targets in some significant  sections  of the Plan are less well developed than expected, particularly in the area of housing affordability and the transport needs of rural and regional communities.   And while there is a target for reducing the hospital admission rate of Aboriginal people, there is no target for closing the gap in life expectancy rates between Aboriginal people and the general population.  The elimination of health inequalities must go beyond hospital admission rates. “   

“The lack of a new Homelessness Strategy in the Plan is very disappointing.  Homelessness and housing affordability are two of the biggest issues facing this State”, said Ms Mahony. “The Plan restates what the Government is ‘already committed to’ but much more is needed.  There is also little to indicate a commitment to affordable housing. This is a missed opportunity for the Premier to back up his recent statements that affordable housing is one of his three top priorities. Our concern is that if it’s not in the Plan, then it won’t be in the Budget either.”

“The Plan picks up strongly on public concern about skills development and lifelong learning. NCOSS is particularly pleased to note the connections that have been drawn between skills development and regional needs,” said Ms Mahony.

“However, again the targets here are vague and there is no commitment to much-needed investment in the NSW TAFE system to enhance its capacity to deliver on vocational education and training across the State.”

While there is a commitment to delivering on the Plan at a local level, and the outcomes of regional consultations are reflected in summaries at the back of the document, it is unclear what resources will be harnessed to make this happen.

“Transport, for example, seems to have a Sydney-centric focus, and while we welcome the promised Urban Transport Plan, which is yet to be released, transport disadvantage in rural and regional NSW does not get much attention. Transport infrastructure is key to delivering on better services and improved health and education outcomes – it needs to be a priority everywhere, not just in Sydney.”

The State Plan is a positive step in the right direction, but more work is still needed, particularly in relation to homelessness and more robust targets in some key areas.