State Plan
A New Direction For NSW
Performance Dashboard 2007

Our goals How we are performing
RIGHTS, RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY
Keeping
people safe
R1 Property crime has fallen. The victimisation rate was 6.5% in 2007 compared to 6.8% in 2006 and 2005.
Violent crime has fallen. Since introduction of the State Plan the victimisation rate has fallen from 5.4% (2005) to 4.5% (2006),
and is currently 5.0% (2007). The recent increase is inconsistent with BOCSAR data for the same period and is being investigated.
R2 There is a two year lag when measuring re-offending rates. No data is available for the period since introduction
of the State Plan.
Building
harmonious
communities
R3 Antisocial behaviour has reduced. Less people perceived antisocial behaviour in 2007 (39.2%) than in 2006 (39.5%). There
were fewer problems with louts (from 21.9% to 21.0%) and hoons (from 28.8% to 27.4%). Problems with public drunkenness
remained stable (from 18.8% to 19.0%) and there were more problems with noisy neighbours (from 7.9% to 8.8%).
R4 A measure for participation and integration in community activities is being developed.
DELIVERING BETTER SERVICES
Healthy
communities
S1 Access to quality health care is improving. National benchmarks for timely access to emergency departments
are being met in all but one Triage category. Data for the 2006–07 year show:
• 100% of the most serious cases (Triage Category 1) were seen within 2 minutes (met benchmark)
• 82% of Triage Category 2 patients were seen within 10 minutes (better than benchmark)
• 70% of Triage Category 3 patients were seen within 30 minutes, which did not meet
the benchmark of 75% but improved from 2005–06 (61%)
• 73% of Triage Category 4 patients were seen within 60 minutes (better than benchmark)
• 89% of Triage Category 5 patients were seen within 120 minutes (better than benchmark).
Surgical waiting times are improving. In the June quarter of 2007:
• 89% of urgent surgery cases were seen within 30 days (77% in the same quarter 2006)
• 96% of non-urgent surgical cases were seen within 12 months (significantly above 85% in the same quarter 2006).
S2 Survival rates and quality of life are improving for people with serious illness. There were 158.5 avoidable deaths
per 100,000 people in 2005, down from 173.2 in 2004.
S3 Health is improving for the population aged 16 years and over:
• smoking rates in 2007 (17.9%) and 2006 (17.7%) were well below the 1997 rate (24%)
• fewer people undertook risk drinking in 2007 (32.0%) than in 2006 (32.8%).
There is no new data on drug use and obesity for the period since release of the State Plan. Most recent statistics (2004)
indicate 14.6% of the population aged 14 years and over used illicit drugs in the previous 12 months and 25% of children
are overweight or obese.
Students fulfil their
potential
S4 The performance of school students is improving. While no national benchmark data has been released since introduction
of the State Plan, 2007 Basic Skills Test results are promising. Year 3 and Year 5 students recorded the highest overall literacy
results ever. Year 5 numeracy rates are also the highest on record.
S5 More students are completing Year 12 or recognised vocational training. The proportion of people aged 20 to 24 with a Year
12 qualification or AQF II or higher vocational qualification increased in 2006 (83.5%) compared the previous year (82.7%).
An effective
transport system
S6 The latest data show that more peak hour trips to and from the Sydney CBD are being made using public transport
(72.8% in 2005 compared to 71.5% in 2004). More journeys to work across the Sydney metropolitan region are being
made by public transport (22% in 2005 compared to 20.1% in 2004). 2006 results are still being compiled from census
information, however patronage data for CityRail and State Transit Authority show further increases in public transport usage.
Public transport reliability targets are being met for trains and buses:
• 92.2% of CityRail trains ran on time in 2006–07, meeting the reliability target of 92% and improving from 2005–06 (88.8%)
• 95% of Sydney Buses ran on time in 2006–07, meeting the reliability target of 95% and consistent with 2005–06
• 97.9% of Sydney Ferries ran on time in 2006–07, below the reliability target of 99% and declining from 2005–06 (98.4%).
S7 NSW roads are safer with the number of fatalities falling relative to distance travelled. For the 12 months to September 2007 road
fatalities were lower (0.73 per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled) than for the same period ending September 2006 (0.81).
Customer friendly
services
S8 A survey of customer satisfaction across Government services will be conducted in 2008.
FAIRNESS AND OPPORTUNITY
Strengthening
Aboriginal
communities
F1 There is still a wide gap between the wellbeing of Aboriginal communities and the total population of NSW.
• Safe Families: the rate of domestic violence against Aboriginal children is 3 times higher than for all children
in NSW (December 2006). This ratio is stable over time.
• Education: literacy levels for Aboriginal children in primary schools are improving (Basic Skills Test 2007),
although on average Aboriginal children are 19 months behind by the time they get to Year 3.
• Health: hospital admission rates for conditions relating to poor living conditions are up to 3 times higher for
Aboriginal children under 5 than for non-Aboriginal children (2006 rates: 80% higher for respiratory infections,
14% higher for gastroenteritis, and over 300% higher for skin infections).
• Employment: the unemployment rate for Aboriginal people (16.2% in 2006) is 3 times higher than the
unemployment rate for all of NSW (5.1%).
The dashboard summarises progress against State Plan targets over the last year. Please note this
data reflects one year of a ten year plan. For many priorities there will be a lag before the impact
of State Plan initiatives can be measured.
Measurable progress across goal
Mixed progress across goal
Significant negative change in results
Data to gauge progress is in development
Performance Dashboard 2007
State Plan – A New Direction For NSW
www.stateplan.nsw.gov.au
FAIRNESS AND OPPORTUNITY (continued)
Opportunity and
support for the
most vulnerable
F2 The most recent measure of employment and community participation for people with a disability is from 2003
(when there was a 9.0% unemployment rate and 81% participation in social activities). Recent results from the NSW
Government’s Transition to Work program show 61% of participants achieving employment.
F3 The proportion of acute mental health clients readmitted to a Facility within 28 days is steady (11.1% in 2006–07 compared to
11.2% in 2005–06). Measures of employment and community participation for people with a mental illness are being developed.
Early intervention
to tackle
disadvantage
F4 An Early Intervention Framework has been prepared. Work is underway to set targets and benchmark agency performance.
F5 Avoidable hospital admissions are steady. In the June quarter of 2007 14,313 people attended
hospital for conditions that could be treated at home. In the same quarter of 2006 there were 14,175 admissions.
F6 A measure that captures skills for life and learning at school entry is being developed.
F7 A measure of child abuse and neglect is being developed. An indicative measure is currently used: the number of children
reported to the DoCs Helpline and referred for investigation. This increased in 2005–2006 (54.8 per 1,000 child population)
compared to 2004–05 (50.1).
GROWING PROSPERITY ACROSS NSW
NSW Open
for Business
P1 Last year businesses invested $39.2 billion in NSW. The five year moving average of private investment growth
for 2006–07 (9.6%) was above the trajectory rate in the State Plan (7.2%).
Tourism is increasing in NSW. There were 143.6 million tourism visitor nights in 2006–07, comprising 58.7 million international
tourism visitor nights (up 12.4% from 2005–06) and 84.9 million domestic tourism visitor nights (up 1.3% from 2005–06).
P2 NSW is maintaining and investing in infrastructure. The target for 4.6% growth in capital expenditure was achieved in 2006–07.
Spending on new infrastructure increased by 16% (to $9.7 billion) and $3.6 billion was spent on maintaining existing infrastructure.
P3 The Better Regulation Office commenced operation in 2006–07. The Small Business Regulation Review Taskforce
completed three reviews into:
• motor vehicle retailing and services sector
• accommodation, food and beverage services sector
• manufacturing (fabricated metal products, machinery and equipment and furniture) sector.
P4 More people are participating in vocational education and training. 79,600 people commenced an apprenticeship
or traineeship in 2006–07, up 7.3 per cent on 2005–06.
P5 NSW continues to hold a Triple A credit rating from both Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s.
Stronger rural and
regional economies
P6 Business investment in rural and regional NSW is increasing. In 2006–07:
• regional employment grew by 3.6%, with a total of 1.287 million people employed in regional NSW
• the regional unemployment rate (5.8%) was within the State Plan target range of no more than 1.5% higher
than the rest of NSW (5.0%)
• non-residential building approvals in regional NSW were valued at $2.3 billion
• regional NSW accounted for 31.5% of all regional visitor nights in Australia
• 36% of all private capital expenditure in NSW occurred in regional areas (2005–06)
• regional NSW accounted for 44% of all NSW business counts (as at June 2006).
P7 13.5% (2005) of people in regional NSW are engaged in vocational education and training. This rate has remained stable over the
last five years, and is above the rate for all of NSW (11.7%). New data is not available for the period since release of the State Plan.
ENVIRONMENT FOR LIVING
A secure supply of
water and energy
E1 Sydney has a high quality water supply. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) found Sydney Water
and Hunter Water met reliability performance standards for water continuity and water quality in 2007.
Water recycling is increasing. In Sydney the volume of recycled water increased in 2006–07 (22 billion litres) and is on
track to meet the State Plan target (70 billion litres per year by 2015). In regional NSW the volume of recycled water was
33 billion litres (18% of the volume of effluent collected).
Water use efficiency is improving. 48 billion litres of water was saved in 2006–07 through efficiency programs.
Despite the drought over 100,000 megalitres of water was purchased in 2006–07 for return to the environment.
This water improves the health of rivers and wetlands.
E2 Electricity reliability was 99.97% in 2006–07. This means that customers were on average without electricity for
only 135 minutes during the year. This high reliability occurred despite strong demand.
The amount of renewable energy continues to improve in NSW. In 2006 renewable energy represented 6.1%
of the State’s overall electricity consumption.
Practical
environmental
solutions
E3 Air is getting cleaner. For the first 3 quarters of 2007 NSW is meeting 4 of the 6 national goals. Results indicate that pollutant
levels for ozone (particularly in Sydney) and particles (particularly in regional NSW) will exceed the national goals.
NSW greenhouse gas emissions are approximately 158 million tonnes (based on 2005 accounts). This is within the Kyoto
target of 172.6 million tonnes, but significant challenges remain in achieving the State Plan targets for 2025 (155.5 million
tonnes) and 2050 (62.2 million tonnes).
E4 A Natural Resources Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy is underway to measure and benchmark progress on 13
targets. In the meantime the 2006 NSW State of the Environment Report has identified significant challenges for managing
natural resources. This includes 61% of the State’s native vegetation being cleared, thinned or significantly disturbed in the past.
Despite the evident challenges, practical solutions have been implemented:
• 645,424 hectares of native vegetation have been enhanced or rehabilitated
• weed control measures have been implemented for over 1,707,281 hectares
• 39,711 kilometres of river bank have been protected and 13,566 hectares of wetlands have been improved
• 1,911,560 hectares have been protected from soil erosion by improved cropping or grazing practices
• 800,550 hectares of acid soils have been treated and/or protected.
Improved urban
environment
E5 In 2006 75% of people in Greater Metropolitan Sydney lived within 30 minutes by public transport from
a Strategic Centre. No data is available for the period since introduction of the State Plan.
E6 There were more zoned and serviced lots in Sydney in July 2007 (33,858) than at the same time in 2006 (28,010).
E7 The average travel speed was slower on the seven major routes into Sydney during the morning peak in 2006–07 (30km/h)
than in 2005–06 (32km/h). The average travel speed was also slower on these roads in the afternoon peak in 2006–07
(41km/h) than in 2005–06 (42km/h).
E8 There were more visits to State Government parks and reserves in 2006–07 (39.4 million) than in 2005–06 (39.1 million).
Less people participated in sporting activities and physical exercise in 2006 (4,403,100) compared to 2005 (4,429,600).
This trend was consistent across Australia, and is contrary to the previous five year growth.
More people in NSW attended a cultural event in 2005–06 (4,445,900) than in 2002 (4,221,700).