Australian Government: New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC)

WestInvest Fund – 2022

The New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC), i.e. the NSW State Premier’s Office, is a department within the New South Wales (NSW) State Government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The department supports the Premier and Ministers of the NSW State Government, while being responsible for  leading the NSW State public sector to deliver on the Government's commitments and priorities. The department provides administrative support that enables the cabinet to identify, design and implement a coordinated policy, project and reform agenda that boosts the efficiency, productivity and effectiveness across the State. The department consults and work closely with other NSW State Government departments, the Federal Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, local government, business and the community to ensure responses to community needs of NSW State are effective.

In 2022, Kunal worked on the WestInvest Fund launch in DPC as Senior Program Officer (SPO). The WestInvest Fund is DPC’s new AU$5 billion ESG fund that will finance transformational social & environmental infrastructure projects across 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Greater Western Sydney Region. 

As SPO for the WestInvest project, Kunal was actively managing and reviewing a portfolio of WestInvest Community Grant applications specifically from Western Sydney LGA (Local Government Area) City Councils, Aboriginal Land Councils (i.e. Indigenous/First Nations), Not-for-Profits (NFPs), Sports Clubs, Schools, and Religious & Cultural Associations. This was done in collaboration with DPC’s external project partners for WestInvest, the management consultancy firms PwC and the Balmoral Group, along with the Australian Government agency, Project Works Australia (PWA).

All of these councils, schools and organisations were applying for funding for proposed initiatives, such as parklands, eco-friendly solar powered infrastructure & waste management systems, children playgrounds, sports facility upgrades, school infrastructure upgrades, community centres, social business innovation hubs, domestic violence & drug rehabilitation shelters, high street road infrastructure & local business activation and community & cultural programs, such as Indigenous/First Nations & immigrant cultural awareness and mindfulness meditation programs. 

In addition, Kunal was also providing secretariat support for two WestInvest Grant Assessment Panels, comprising of Australian Public Service (APS) officials from various NSW State Government departments and agencies. These assessment panels conducted the final review of the WestInvest community grant applications. Kunal  would collate their findings and write them up into two reports detailing the assessment panel findings for the NSW State Treasurer (i.e. the Finance Minister for the NSW State Government).