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The NSW government plans to roll back a special protection for frontline workers who test positive for COVID-19, saying it will save businesses half a billion dollars.

The special COVID-19 provision was added to the Workers Compensation Act in May 2020.

It means that workers in retail, healthcare, hospitality and other frontline industries who catch COVID-19 are presumed to have caught it in the course of their employment - which makes it easier to file a workers' compensation claim.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Sunday that when the amendments were made, there was very little information about how COVID-19 was spread and there were no vaccines.

Repealing the section would mean the system is fair to employees, while also ensuring businesses aren't hit with a spike in insurance premiums, he said.

"Now that the economy is steadily reopening, we want businesses investing in new staff and higher wages, not inflated insurance bills," Mr Perrottet said.

The plan is a "stab in the back for the tens of thousands of workers fighting COVID", says Opposition industrial relations spokeswoman Sophie Cotsis.

"Mr Perrottet expects a hospital cleaner who fell sick fighting COVID to then have to fight (the public insurer) icare too," Ms Cotsis said.

"It's Mr Perrottet's fault that icare lost billions to scandals, waste and mismanagement. He shouldn't make COVID first responders pay the price for his mistakes."

Leaving the protection in place could lead to 25,000 extra claims over the next year, with insurance premiums rising by $950 on average, says Minister for Digital and Customer Service Victor Dominello.

The government says COVID-19 claims could cost the workers' compensation system up to $638 million over the coming year, citing Doherty Institute modelling.

Greens MP David Shoebridge, who was a key proponent of the protection, says no one should trust these figures.

"The cost to date has been less than $20 million and the government's initial estimate was that it would be more than $8 billion over four years," he told AAP.

The Greens will be opposing the reforms as put forward by the government, Mr Shoebridge said.

"These workers continue to be the most at risk from catching COVID at the workplace and the government is ripping away their protections," he said.

Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey called on the government to reconsider the "harsh, heartless and unnecessary" change.

"Any savings to government will be tiny but the impact on individual workers will be massive," Mr Morey said.

If the repeal succeeds, workers will still be able to make claims.

But Mr Shoebridge said it would be "next to impossible for a young supermarket worker to prove they contracted COVID at work rather than at home or on public transport there and back".

Meanwhile, NSW has recorded 195 new local coronavirus cases.

A Blue Mountains man in his 80s who received two doses of the vaccine but had underlying conditions died at Nepean Hospital after being infected at Springwood Hospital.

Some 224 people remain in hospital, four fewer than the day before, with 32 in intensive care.

NSW Health will stop specifying whether new cases were locally acquired or came from overseas in its daily updates from Monday.

Since quarantine for international arrivals was ditched at the start of the month, it is harder to determine the origin of each case.

About 91 per cent of people over 16 are now fully vaccinated and 94.2 per cent of adults have had their first jab.

In the 12-15 age group, more than 80 per cent have had their first dose and 72.4 per cent both.

© AAP 2021

NSW has recorded 195 new coronavirus cases and one death.

The number of people to test positive to the virus in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday is 55 fewer than the day before.

One person died in the latest reporting period, the day after the state reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time in almost three months.

Some 224 people remain in hospital, four fewer than the day before, with 32 in intensive care.

Meanwhile, health authorities are urging those who are eligible to get a booster shot.

NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty says now the state has passed the 90 per cent double-dose vaccination milestone, it is important for anyone aged 18 and over who has been vaccinated for six months to seek out a booster jab.

"While the risk of infection and disease is much higher in unvaccinated people, we do sometimes see outbreaks occurring among vaccinated people particularly in indoor settings like gyms, bars and pubs," Dr McAnulty said on Saturday.

"Early testing, if you have the symptoms, is really critical."

Some 91 per cent of people over 16 are now fully vaccinated and 94.2 per cent of adults have had their first jab.

In the 12-15 age group, more than 80 per cent have had their first dose and 72.4 per cent both.

From Monday NSW Health will no longer list case locations that a COVID-19 positive person has attended and elective surgery will begin to return to full capacity in Greater Sydney.

© AAP 2021

Women are more likely to hurry past a construction site, fearful of unwanted attention, than they are to look for a job there.

Building sites have long had a reputation for rudeness, crudeness and toxic masculinity, and judging by damning research statistics released by recruitment specialists Randstad, it's well deserved.

The data shows two in every five women working in construction have experienced gender discrimination on the job and nearly two thirds have endured inappropriate comments or behaviour from colleagues.

A shocking one in four women in the industry say their sex is preventing them moving up the career ladder.

But there is change in air.

As a new generation of builders emerge, replacing the old guard, there is hope for a industry beset with negative connotations that is, even now, dominated by men, 8 to 1.

Dominique Gill was an architect before deciding she was less interested in design and theory and more interested in "boots on concrete".

She retrained as a builder and spent nine years working for a top Sydney construction firm.

But keen to see other women join the industry and frustrated by her employer's reluctance to let her be involved in hiring or policy writing, Gill founded her own company five years ago.

Named Urban Fitouts and Construction, it's grounded in diversity and inclusion.

"It was something I became passionate about," says Gill, adding that women in construction are often more creative and collaborative and their projects are more profitable.

"This far into the 21st century I should be part of the next generation of women running construction companies, not the first.

"One of the things that I deplore is that I feel like a pioneer."

Gill's first hurdle after starting her business was to get people to take her seriously as a builder.

"Where's your toolbelt?" she recalls being asked repeatedly during meetings.

"If it was a man in a suit introducing myself in a meeting as a builder, that question would never be asked."

But the industry is changing, Gill says. The sexism, harrassment and intimidation of old is not as prevalent as it once was, as a younger more egalitarian workforce takes the helm.

And it's not just benefiting the women, she adds.

"The men who work with us feel more comfortable too.

"The same culture that intimidates women intimidates men."

Seeing women like Gill running big companies is key to inspiring young women to join the industry, says Randstad's diversity and inclusion lead, Kerry McQuillan.

"It's all about visibility," she told AAP.

Gone are the days of the buff 'tradies' dominating the heavy lifting on site. There is equipment available so a 'weaker' woman or slight man is just as capable of doing the hard yakka, she says.

"There aren't many jobs on a construction site that you need to be superman do anymore."

© AAP 2021