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Author: Neville

  • New ‘Embryonic’ Subduction Zone Found

    New ‘Embryonic’ Subduction Zone Found

    June 17, 2013 — A new subduction zone forming off the coast of Portugal heralds the beginning of a cycle that will see the Atlantic Ocean close as continental Europe moves closer to America.

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    Published in Geology, new research led by Monash University geologists has detected the first evidence that a passive margin in the Atlantic ocean is becoming active. Subduction zones, such as the one beginning near Iberia, are areas where one of the tectonic plates that cover Earth’s surface dives beneath another plate into the mantle — the layer just below the crust.

    Lead author Dr João Duarte, from the School of Geosciences said the team mapped the ocean floor and found it was beginning to fracture, indicating tectonic activity around the apparently passive South West Iberia plate margin.

    “What we have detected is the very beginnings of an active margin — it’s like an embryonic subduction zone,” Dr Duarte said.

    “Significant earthquake activity, including the 1755 quake which devastated Lisbon, indicated that there might be convergent tectonic movement in the area. For the first time, we have been able to provide not only evidences that this is indeed the case, but also a consistent driving mechanism.”

    The incipient subduction in the Iberian zone could signal the start of a new phase of the Wilson Cycle — where plate movements break up supercontinents, like Pangaea, and open oceans, stabilise and then form new subduction zones which close the oceans and bring the scattered continents back together.

    This break-up and reformation of supercontinents has happened at least three times, over more than four billion years, on Earth. The Iberian subduction will gradually pull Iberia towards the United States over approximately 220 million years.

    The findings provide a unique opportunity to observe a passive margin becoming active — a process that will take around 20 million years. Even at this early phase the site will yield data that is crucial to refining the geodynamic models.

    “Understanding these processes will certainly provide new insights on how subduction zones may have initiated in the past and how oceans start to close,” Dr Duarte said.

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  • Jet Stream Changes Cause Climatically Exceptional Greenland Ice Sheet Melt

    Jet Stream Changes Cause Climatically Exceptional Greenland Ice Sheet Melt

    June 17, 2013 — Research from the University of Sheffield has shown that unusual changes in atmospheric jet stream circulation caused the exceptional surface melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) in summer 2012.

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    An international team led by Professor Edward Hanna from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Geography used a computer model simulation (called SnowModel) and satellite data to confirm a record surface melting of the GrIS for at least the last 50 years — when on 11 July 2012, more than 90 percent of the ice-sheet surface melted. This far exceeded the previous surface melt extent record of 52 percent in 2010.

    The team also analysed weather station data from on top of and around the GrIS, largely collected by the Danish Meteorological Institute but also by US programmes, which showed that several new high Greenland temperature records were set in summer 2012.

    The research, published today in the International Journal of Climatology, clearly demonstrates that the record surface melting of the GrIS was mainly caused by highly unusual atmospheric circulation and jet stream changes, which were also responsible for last summer’s unusually wet weather in England.

    The analysis shows that ocean temperatures and Arctic sea-ice cover were relatively unimportant factors in causing the extra Greenland melt.

    Professor Hanna said: “The GrIS is a highly sensitive indicator of regional and global climate change, and has been undergoing rapid warming and mass loss during the last 5-20 years. Much attention has been given to the NASA announcement of record surface melting of the GrIS in mid-July 2012. This event was unprecedented in the satellite record of observations dating back to the 1970s and probably unlikely to have occurred previously for well over a century.

    “Our research found that a ‘heat dome’ of warm southerly winds over the ice sheet led to widespread surface melting. These jet stream changes over Greenland do not seem to be well captured in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) computer model predictions of climate change, and this may indicate a deficiency in these models. According to our current understanding, the unusual atmospheric circulation and consequent warm conditions of summer 2012 do not appear to be climatically representative of future ‘average’ summers predicted later this century.

    “Taken together, our present results strongly suggest that the main forcing of the extreme GrIS surface melt in July 2012 was atmospheric, linked with changes in the summer North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Greenland Blocking Index (GBI, a high pressure system centred over Greenland) and polar jet stream which favoured southerly warm air advection along the western coast.

    “The next five-10 years will reveal whether or not 2012 was a rare event resulting from the natural variability of the NAO or part of an emerging pattern of new extreme high melt years. Because such atmospheric, and resulting GrIS surface climate, changes are not well projected by the current generation of global climate models, it is currently very hard to predict future changes in Greenland climate. Yet it is crucial to understand such changes much better if we are to have any hope of reliably predicting future changes in GrIS mass balance, which is likely to be a dominant contributor to global sea-level change over the next 100-1000 years.”

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  • 45 Top Mayors Pledge Action on Extreme Weather, Launch National Resilience Campaign

    45 Top Mayors Pledge Action on Extreme Weather, Launch National Resilience Campaign

    Local leaders commit to creating more resilient cities and counties in response to nation’s growing extreme weather, climate and energy challenges; call for greater federal support

    ICLEI USA
    Last modified: 2013-06-17T12:24:57Z
    Published: Monday, Jun. 17, 2013 – 5:24 am

    WASHINGTON, June 17, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Forty-five leading local elected officials today committed to creating more resilient cities, towns, and counties in the face of unprecedented extreme weather and energy challenges that threaten communities across the country. The “Inaugural Signatories” of the Resilient Communities for America Agreement letter pledged to take cost-effective actions to prepare and protect their communities from the increasing disasters and disruptions fueled by climate change, such as heat waves, floods, droughts, severe storms, and wildfires. In addition, they called for more action and support from federal leaders.

    “A new national movement is emerging, led by mayors who believe that now is the time to take powerful, proactive steps to safeguard our communities, adapt to extreme weather and energy challenges, and transform adversity into economic opportunity,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, CA, Chair of the Resilient Communities for America campaign. “Today I call on my fellow mayors and county leaders across the country to join the campaign and make your own commitment to creating more resilient communities that are strong, self-reliant, prepared, and prosperous.”

    Inaugural Signatories include Mayor Vincent Gray, Washington DC; Mayor Bob Filner, San Diego, CA; Mayor John Cook, El Paso, TX; Mayor Michael Hancock, Denver, CO; Mayor Mark Mallory, Cincinnati, OH; Mayor Frank Cownie, Des Moines, IA; and Mayor Kristin Jacobs, Broward County, FL.

    View the full list at http://www.resilientamerica.org.

    “By signing the Resilient Communities for America Agreement, these elected officials have demonstrated their leadership, which will in turn inspire hundreds more cities and counties to take action and sign on,” said Michael Schmitz, Executive Director of ICLEI USA, one of the four organizations to coordinate the multi-year campaign, including the U.S. Green Building Council, the National League of Cities, and the World Wildlife Fund.

    “Just last week, NOAA reported that extreme weather events caused a staggering $110 billion in damage in 2012, took countless lives, and impacted virtually every part of the country. As greenhouse gas emissions rise from our fossil fuel use, we know that heat waves, severe storms and rising seas will only worsen,” said World Wildlife Fund’s Director of Renewable Energy Keya Chatterjee. “By improving energy efficiency and expanding use of renewable energy, our most resilient cities are reducing emissions, saving money, creating local jobs, and strengthening local energy independence.”

    “Leading local governments understand that focusing on preparedness is incredibly cost-effective,” said Jason Hartke, Vice President of National Policy at the U.S. Green Building Council. “For every $1 spent on disaster preparedness, a community can save $4 in avoided costs.”

    “Today, these local leaders are pledging to take action and not just offer platitudes. By participating in Resilient Communities for America campaign, these leaders are demonstrating great foresight that will save communities long-term dollars and even lives,” said Clarence Anthony, Executive Director of the National League of Cities. “The campaign’s valuable technical resources and tools will help cities reach their own goals on climate preparedness, infrastructure renewal, energy security, and economic competitiveness.”

    At the campaign launch event at the National Press Club today, local leaders called for more action at the federal level.

    “Local governments have always been the leaders on climate action, but we need more support from the federal government,” said Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines, IA. “We need better local-federal coordination on disaster preparedness, and we need them to address our aging and inadequate infrastructure, which has been under-funded for far too long. I am proud to be a part of the Resilient Communities for America campaign to help raise awareness and visibility on these issues.”

    Media contact: Don Knapp, ICLEI USA (510) 206-1011 don.knapp@iclei.org

    SOURCE ICLEI USA

    • Read more articles by ICLEI USA

    Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/17/5502427/45-top-mayors-pledge-action-on.html#storylink=cpy

  • Last week was a new low for gender equality in Australia.

    to me
    Dear NEVILLE,

    Last week was a new low for gender equality in Australia.

    What started with sexist remarks from the Socceroos coach about the need for “women to shut up in public,” ended with a radio shock jock’s offensive line of questioning about the legitimacy of the Prime Minister’s relationship with her partner.

    In between, we witnessed: “the menu,” the Australian Defence Force email scandal, and of course – accusations of playing the “gender card”. In response to these shameful events, thousands of GetUp members created their own gender cards, highlighting many of the issues women still face today.

    You can help make their voices heard by chipping in to run this powerful ad in papers around the country:

    Gender Card Email Hero
    Click the above image to view the ad

    Here are some of our favourite gender cards (spoiler alert – one comes from a seriously adorable baby!):

    • Australian women earn 17.5% less than their male co-workers
    • Only 3% of ASX200 companies have a female CEO
    • Women are 20 times more likely to be a victim of domestic violence than men
    • Australian women will retire on a third less superannuation than men
    • Women aged over 60 are the fastest growing demogaphic in homelessness

    Statistics like these aren’t anomalies, they are evidence of an imbalance in representation and power. While women comprise 51% of our population, they still get paid less, take on more unpaid work, are disproportionately the victims of violent crime, and are far less represented in positions of power.

    By reducing gender inequality we all stand to gain. Closing the gender pay gap by just one percentage point would boost Australia’s GDP by $5.4 billion, closing the gap completely would increase GDP by $93 billion.

    Let’s make sure women’s voices are not silenced by those who don’t want progress on gender equality. Chip in to help get this ad in the national press:

    www.getup.org.au/play-the-gender-card

    Luckily, GetUp members are not easily intimidated by attempts to shout down women who speak up on barriers to equality with accusations of “playing the gender card.”

    We’ll continue to speak up until women are no longer victims of physical and sexual violence, where differences in pay aren’t determined by gender, and where having women in positions of power is the norm, not the exception.

    Until then, keep proudly waving your gender card,
    the GetUp team

    GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund GetUp’s work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

  • Elevation Monbiot Com

    Monbiot.com
    Elevation

    Posted: 17 Jun 2013 02:55 PM PDT

    Who do Bono and the ONE campaign really represent: the very poor or the very rich?

     

    By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 18th June 2013

    It was bad enough in 2005. Then, at the G8 summit in Scotland, Bono and Bob Geldof heaped praise on Tony Blair and George Bush, who were still mired in the butchery they had initiated in Iraq(1,2,3). At one point Geldof appeared, literally and figuratively, to be sitting in Tony Blair’s lap. African activists accused them of drowning out a campaign for global justice with a campaign for charity.

    But this is worse. As the UK chairs the G8 summit again, a campaign that Bono founded, with which Geldof works closely(4), appears to be whitewashing the G8’s policies in Africa.

    Last week I drew attention to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, launched in the US when it chaired the G8 meeting last year(5). The alliance is pushing African countries into agreements which allow foreign companies to grab their land, patent their seeds and monopolise their food markets. Ignoring the voices of their own people, six African governments have struck deals with companies such as Monsanto, Cargill, Dupont, Syngenta, Nestlé and Unilever, in return for promises of aid by the UK and other G8 nations.

    A wide range of activists, both African and European, is furious about the New Alliance(6). But the ONE campaign, co-founded by Bono, stepped up to defend it(7). The article it wrote last week was remarkable in several respects: in its elision of the interests of African leaders and those of their people, in its exaggeration of the role of small African companies, but above all in failing even to mention the injustice at the heart of the New Alliance – its promotion of a new wave of land grabbing. My curiosity was piqued.

    The first thing I discovered is that Bono has also praised the New Alliance, in a speech just before last year’s G8 summit in the US(8). The second thing I discovered is that much of the ONE campaign’s primary funding was provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation(9), two of whose executives sit on its board(10). The Foundation has been working with the biotech company Monsanto and the grain trading giant Cargill, and has a large Monsanto shareholding(11). Bill Gates has responded to concerns raised by land grabbing in Africa by claiming, in the face of devastating evidence and massive resistance from African farmers, that “many of those land deals are beneficial, and it would be too bad if some were held back because of Western groups’ ways of looking at things.”(12) (Africans, you will note, keep getting written out of this story).

    The third thing I discovered is that there’s a long history here. In his brilliant and blistering book The Frontman: Bono (in the Name of Power), just released in the UK, the Irish scholar Harry Browne maintains that “for nearly three decades as a public figure, Bono has been … amplifying elite discourses, advocating ineffective solutions, patronising the poor and kissing the arses of the rich and powerful.”(13) His approach to Africa is “a slick mix of traditional missionary and commercial colonialism, in which the poor world exists as a task for the rich world to complete.”

    Bono, Browne charges, has becoming “the caring face of global technocracy”, who, without any kind of mandate, has assumed the role of spokesperson for Africa, then used that role to provide “humanitarian cover” for western leaders. His positioning of the West as the saviour of Africa while failing to discuss the harm the G8 nations are doing has undermined campaigns for justice and accountability, while lending legitimacy to the neoliberal project.

    Bono claims to be “representing the poorest and most vulnerable people”(14). But talking to a wide range of activists from both the poor and rich worlds since ONE published its article last week, I have heard the same complaint again and again: that Bono and others like him have seized the political space which might otherwise have been occupied by the Africans about whom they are talking. Because Bono is seen by world leaders as the representative of the poor, the poor are not invited to speak. This works very well for everyone – except them.

    The ONE campaign looks to me like the sort of organisation that John le Carré or Robert Harris might have invented. It claims to work on behalf of the extremely poor. But its board is largely composed of multimillionaires, corporate aristocrats and US enforcers(15). Here you will find Condoleezza Rice, George W Bush’s National Security Adviser and Secretary of State, who aggressively promoted the Iraq war, instructed the CIA that it was authorised to use torture techniques(16) and browbeat lesser nations into supporting a wide range of US aims.

    Here too is Larry Summers, who was chief economist at the World Bank during the darkest days of structural adjustment and who, as US Treasury Secretary, helped to deregulate Wall Street, with such happy consequences for the rest of us. Here’s Howard Buffett, who has served on the boards of the global grain giant Archer Daniels Midland as well as Coca-Cola and the food corporations ConAgra and Agro Tech(17). Though the main focus of ONE is Africa, there are only two African members. One is a mobile phone baron, the other is the finance minister of Nigeria, who was formerly managing director of the World Bank. What better representatives of the extremely poor could there be?

    If, as ONE does, an organisation keeps telling you that it’s a “grassroots campaign”(18), it’s a fair bet that it is nothing of the kind. This collaboration of multimillionaires and technocrats looks to me more like a projection of US and corporate power.

    I found the sight of Bono last week calling for “more progress on transparency” equally revolting(19). As Harry Browne reminds us, U2’s complex web of companies, the financial arrangements of Bono’s Product RED campaign and his investments through the private equity company he co-founded are all famously opaque. And it’s not an overwhelming shock to discover that tax justice is absent from the global issues identified by ONE.

    There is a well-known if dubious story which claims that at a concert in Glasgow Bono began a slow hand-clap. He is supposed to have announced: “every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies”. Whereupon someone in the audience shouted “well fucking stop doing it then.” It’s good advice, and I wish he’d take it.

    www.monbiot.com

    References:

    1. http://www.monbiot.com/2005/06/21/bards-of-the-powerful/

    2. http://www.monbiot.com/2005/07/09/africas-new-best-friends/

    3. http://www.monbiot.com/2005/09/06/the-man-who-betrayed-the-poor/

    4. http://www.one.org/c/international/faq/1613/

    5. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/10/african-hunger-help-g8-grab

    6. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jun/12/new-alliance-imperialism-monbiot-know-better

    7. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jun/12/new-alliance-imperialism-monbiot-know-better

    8. http://www.one.org/international/blog/bono-addresses-global-leaders-on-hunger-agriculture-and-transparency-at-pre-g8-symposium/

    9. Eg Harry Browne, 2013. The Frontman: Bono (in the Name of Power). Verso, London.

    10. http://www.one.org/c/international/about/3575/

    11. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/sep/29/gates-foundation-gm-monsanto

    12. http://allafrica.com/stories/201102091101.html?viewall=1

    13. Harry Browne, 2013. The Frontman: Bono (in the Name of Power). Verso, London.

    14. http://www.jannswenner.com/archives/Bono.aspx

    15. http://www.one.org/c/international/about/3575/

    16. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/23/condoleezza-rice-cia-waterboarding

    17. http://www.one.org/c/international/about/3575/

    18. http://www.one.org/c/international/about/3833/

    19. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/jun/12/european-union-laws-extractive-industries-payments
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  • NSW budget: Government to sell port of Newcastle

    NSW budget: Government to sell port of Newcastle

    By finance reporter Justine Parker

    Updated 42 minutes ago

    New South Wales Treasurer Mike Baird has handed down a cautious third budget, focusing on roads, rail and housing¸ as the Government continues its drive to rein in expenses and cut wage costs.

    The budget papers contained few surprises, with most new measures having already been leaked to the media.

    The headline announcement will see the Government continue its privatisation of the state’s ports.

    The world’s largest coal port, the Port of Newcastle, is the latest to go under a 99-year lease to fund the “Rebirth of Newcastle” to revitalise the state’s second largest city.

    Key points

    • Budget deficit for 2013-14 at $329 million
    • Accounting changes mean return to surplus will be in 2015-16
    • 99-year lease of Port of Newcastle, privatising the world’s largest coal port
    • $340m of funds raised from lease to be spent on “Rebirth of Newcastle”
    • $59.7bn infrastructure program over four years
    • North West Rail Link to cost $8.3 billion, with trains running in 2019
    • WestConnex motorway to cost $1.8 billion over four years
    • $1.2bn on hospital upgrades including at Campbelltown, Hornsby and St George Hospital
    • $220m to fund higher patient numbers at hospitals
    • $14bn education budget for 2013-14 including $530m on five new public schools
    • Economic growth for 2012-13 revised up from 2pc to 2.5pc
    • Employment growth revised up to 1.5pc

     

    “This budget sets New South Wales apart from governments across the world: it slows expense growth, accelerates spending on infrastructure and reduces net debt – an extraordinary trifecta in the light of the challenges we face,” Mr Baird said in his budget speech.

    “We have spent two years fixing the mess, but with this, our third budget, we turn securely towards the future.”

    The lease of Newcastle Port will fund a new light rail to run into the city centre between Wickham and Newcastle, replacing the end of the existing heavy rail line that will now terminate at Wickham.

    There are no details on the windfall expected from the lease, but the Government has allocated $340 million towards the city revitalisation plan from the deal, which comes after the $5 billion long-term lease of Port Botany in Sydney and Port Kembla on the NSW south coast.

    Mr Baird says the plan will reinvent Newcastle as a modern city. He insists the jobs of workers currently employed at the port will be protected.

    “In the 30-year period of the opening up of the Australian economy to international competition, perhaps no other city has been asked to make more painful adjustments than Newcastle,” he said.

    “Today, Newcastle’s time has come.”

    But State Opposition leader John Robertson says the budget will increase the tax burden on the state, while cutting front line services.

    Mr Robertson labelled the plan to privatise Newcastle Port as “absurd”.

    “What you’ve got is a community asset that provides economic opportunities for the Hunter, provides jobs in the Hunter, provides revenue to the budget, and the government is now just going to flog it off and that’s going to have a detrimental impact on the economy in the Hunter,” he said.

    The ‘Rebirth of Newcastle’

    Measures in the budget include:

    • The 99-year lease of the Port of Newcastle by mid 2014.
    • A total of $690 million to be invested in the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund (HIIF).
    • $10 million to explore the possibility of a light rail link between the CBD, beaches and suburbs.
    • Continuation of the urban renewal strategy announced late last year.

    2012-13 deficit revised down

    The 2012-13 deficit has been revised to a smaller-than-expected $374 million, half of the $776 million deficit forecast in the half-yearly review.

    The state is expected to return to a surplus of $829 million in 2014-15, but a change to accounting standards means the actual return to surplus will be delayed for a year, until 2015-16.

    The new standard for calculating superannuation earning will cut interest from nearly 9 per cent to just over 3 per cent, but Mr Baird says the change does not affect the state’s fiscal position.

    The deficit for 2013-14 will come in at $329 million, which is $94 million less than was forecast in the half-yearly review.

    The state’s weak economic growth for this financial year has been revised higher, from 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent, and employment growth was also better than expected at 1.5 per cent.

    Mr Baird says total employment in the state grew by 128,900 in two years, surpassing the promise of 100,000 new jobs in his first term.

    Infrastructure spending will come in at $59.7 billion over the four-year forward estimates, with the bulk to be spent on road and rail projects.

    Payroll tax threshold lifted

     

    Another key measure announced today will see the Government raise the threshold at which businesses must pay payroll tax from $680,000 to $750,000 from July 1 at a cost of $96 million over the next three years and Mr Baird says he hopes it will spur jobs growth.

    As part of the Jobs Action Plan, the Government will also extend the payroll tax rebate and end indexation of payroll tax, bringing it in line with all other states.

    “This means around 1300 businesses that would have paid payroll tax in 2013-14 will not be liable for the tax,” Mr Baird said.

    “Furthermore, businesses that continue to pay the tax will be more than $3,000 better off as a result of the one-off increase to the threshold.”

    The state’s health spending will be boosted by $884 million, plus an additional $1.2 billion on upgrading and redeveloping hospitals across the state in Peak Hill, Port Macquarie, Bega, Blacktown-Mount Druitt, Hornsby and the Northern Beaches.

    As previously announced, the government will spend $220 million to boost hospital services, including surgery for an extra 3,000 patients and 69,000 emergency department admissions.

    ‘Innovative’ funding model for WestConnex project

    The government also unveiled what it calls an “innovative” financing model to fund the WestConnex road project, as private investors burnt from previous toll road projects shun new initiatives.

    Mr Baird says the 33-kilometre motorway will cost $1.8 billion over four years, with $111 million of that to come in 2013-14.

    Under the plan, the Government will establish a company to build the initial sections of the motorway, and once usage levels and toll income is determined, it will open those stages to private investors. The Government expects to retain about 25 per cent ownership of the road by the time it is completed.

    “Financial markets have changed significantly since the GFC,” Mr Baird said.

    “We have seen a marked reduction in both the amount of the private capital available and the level of risk the private sector is prepared to take.”

    NSW to reap benefits of Gonski reforms

    Education Minister Adrian Piccoli says students in NSW will reap the benefits of the national Gonski education changes, with the state’s schools to receive an additional $5 billion of federal and state funds between 2014 and 2019.

    The state will boost education spending by $524 million to $13.95 billion in 2013-14.

    $530 million will go towards building five new public schools in Sydney, on the lower north shore, at Spring Farm, The Ponds, Strathfield and Crows Nest, and Mr Piccoli announced just under $1 billion would go to the state’s non-government schools.

    “The reforms currently underway in NSW are already consistent with the direction of the Gonski Report,” Mr Piccoli said.

    “The additional $5 billion for NSW schools during 2014 to 2019 will deepen and accelerate the education reform agenda in NSW, for the sole purpose of improving student results in schools.”

    $19 billion in public sector savings

    The Government says a two-year extension of the efficiency dividend along with a public sector wage cap will save $19 billion in the six years to 2016-17.

    It has heralded the first reduction in public sector employment since 2002, with growth in employee expenses halving from 6 per cent to 3 per cent.

    “Our efficiency dividend, labour expense cap and other measures will save New South Wales taxpayers almost $19 billion in the six years to 2016-17,” Mr Baird said.

    The budget will also include $302 million to speed up new home building across the state, including $141 million for up to 42,900 new homes in Sydney and the Hunter region. It will also extend the $15,000 first homebuyers’ grant for new homes by two years until January 2016.

    “The budget demonstrates conclusively that this Government’s commitment to repairing the state’s broken infrastructure is not about words – it’s about actions,” Mr Baird said.

    “The tough decisions we have made are beginning to bear fruit.”