A new year, a new cabinet

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the makeup of her new cabinet over the weekend which will find NCOSS working with both some new faces and some old ones.

NCOSS welcomes new Treasurer Dominic Perottet and looks forward to an opportunity to discuss the priorities communities have identified for the next NSW Budget through the NCOSS Pre-Budget Submission soon.

Previous Minister for Family and Community Services Brad Hazzard will now take on Health and Medical Research and NCOSS looks forward to continuing its good working relationship with Minister Hazzard in his new portfolio.

Previous Minister for Mental Health, Women and Domestic and Family Violence Pru Goward has returned to the Family and Community Services and Social Housing portfolios, dropping Women but keeping Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. NCOSS looks forward to working closely with Minister Goward on many aspects of these new portfolios – particularly around social and affordable housing and improving early intervention investment.

NCOSS had been working closely with Minister Goward on progressing many of its recommendations around Mental Health in the Pre-Budget Submission and on the goals of its New Year for Women campaign and looks forward to now working with new Minister for Mental Health, Women and Ageing Tanya Davies on continuing this work.

NCOSS also welcomes Sarah Mitchell MLC as the new Minister for Early Childhood Education and Aboriginal Affairs. There is much work to be done on boosting investment in early childhood education and care and NCOSS looks forward to working with Minister Mitchell on improving access to early childhood education for everyone.

NCOSS hopes Minister Victor Dominello’s move from Innovation and Better Regulation to Finance will not see him drop his oversight of the Social Innovation Council – his enthusiasm has been a positive driving force for the work of the Council around better engagement between government and the sector in a number of areas.

NCOSS also congratulates The Honourable Andrew James Constance MP for maintaining his role as Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and welcome’s the Honourable Raymond Craig Williams to the Multiculturalism and Disability Services Ministries.  

NCOSS looks forward to working with all the cabinet on a NSW that works for everyone.