Month: February 2021

The $632 million Campbelltown Hospital redevelopment has reached a major construction milestone, with the 12-storey Clinical Services Building reaching its highest point.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard visited the new building and met with nursing graduates who are among 264 nursing and midwife graduates starting at hospitals across Sydney’s south-west next month.
“The new Clinical Services Building will be the centrepiece of the Campbelltown Hospital Redevelopment and will boost bed capacity across the hospital by more than 50 per cent,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Construction of the redevelopment is supporting around 700 direct jobs helping stimulate the economy, a key part of the State’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan.”
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the redevelopment will also deliver a new maternity unit almost double in capacity, as well as significantly expanded cancer and mental health services.
“The NSW Government’s record investment in south-west and western Sydney public hospitals will ensure people living in the fastest growing region in our state will have access to state-of-the-art health services closer to home,” Mr Hazzard said.
“I’m also so pleased to welcome a total of 264 nurses and midwives to the South Western Sydney Local Health District in coming days and weeks, 51 of which will work at Campbelltown and Camden hospitals.”
The $632 million Stage 2 Campbelltown Hospital will include:

• New state-of-the-art digital operating theatres and procedure rooms;
• Dental and oral health department for the first time;
• Double the ICU bed capacity;
• Expanded cancer therapy centre;
• Almost double the number of maternity beds;
• New and expanded surgical services including interventional radiology; and
• Expanded specialist mental health services.

Member for Camden Peter Sidgreaves said the new hospital reflects the NSW Government’s commitment to meet the needs of the growing south-western Sydney community.
“This $632 million investment is a tremendous boost for health services in the region, ensuring we are well placed to welcome the 133,000-plus new residents expected to call our south-western community home in the next 12 years,” Mr Sidgreaves said.
Member for Wollondilly Nathaniel Smith said the Campbelltown Hospital redevelopment is a huge win for the Macarthur Region.
“Top class healthcare services, a strong economy and jobs growth are vital for our Macarthur region community to flourish as it grows, and the Campbelltown Hospital redevelopment is delivering on all counts,” Mr Smith said.
The $134 million Stage 1 redevelopment was completed in January 2016. An additional $34.1 million was invested for a multistorey car park completed in early 2020, providing more than 800 spaces.

Economic indicators are proving that the post-coronavirus recovery is well under way in NSW
CONFIDENCE is an enigma, a way of being rather than an emotion. US quarterback and seven-time Superbowl champ Tom Brady exudes it in spades.
Despite falling short at the Australian Open last week, tennis star Ash Barty is the living embodiment of “quiet confidence”.
For much of his career, golfing great Greg Norman was confidence personified, but when it evaporated, as it did a quarter of a century ago at the 1996 US Masters, the Shark’s implosion and loss of confidence was tragic to behold.
So it was in 2020, with COVID-19 leaving the global economy out in the cold, like a rejected suitor left holding a bunch of roses on Valentine’s Day.
For consumers and businesses, the shock of lockdowns, border restrictions and ongoing uncertainty was a disaster for confidence.
As the horrors of 2020 begin to recede in the rear-view mirror, NSW looks to be on the up-andup once again.
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index climbed 3.5 per cent in February to reach 111.7 index points. When compared to the same time last year, the index has climbed 20 per cent in NSW.
The NAB business confidence index is also firmly positive, after the pandemic drove it down to the lowest levels since records began.
This is extraordinary. Barely eight months after the most severe economic contraction in three decades, confidence in economic conditions for the year ahead is higher than at any point in the past seven.
The latest jobs figures released last week offer more hope. Although 53,144 people are still out of work compared to a year ago, the current unemployment rate in NSW last week dropped to 6 per cent.
This is lower than the national rate of 6.4 per cent, and considerably below the double digit figures which were feared when the pandemic first struck.
Many challenges remain, and jobs is a top focus for the government, but a renewed sense of optimism is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the people of NSW.
Confidence is a vital driver of economic activity. So the rebound is good news for the bottom line, but it hasn’t just happened by chance.
Australia is among a select group of countries to have kept the spread of the COVID- 19 virus relatively under control. In Europe, the US and various other hot spots, daily new cases are still being counted in the thousands, while here we fret about one or two.
In NSW the prowess of our health system — and, most importantly, the amazing NSW Health personnel who have kept raising the bar for testing and contact tracing — has undoubtedly boosted confidence, demonstrating a consistent ability to contain outbreaks as they arise such as on the northern beaches at Christmas.
The approach taken by our government in tackling both the health and economic challenges has been very much geared towards giving the people of our state as much confidence as possible in the most uncertain period in living memory.
The impact of a snap five-day lockdown in Victoria was a stark reminder of the constant challenges of COVID and how far and wide decisions made by governments are felt.
Metung is a picturesque town in East Gippsland about 300km from Melbourne’s quarantine hotels. It was once a favoured bolt hole for country legend Slim Dusty back in the day.
When local publican David Strange was interviewed by Melbourne radio station 3AW, his frustration at being locked down again was palpable.
“We are going to have outbreaks of this thing for the next 12 months, I’m sure, and you can’t just say ‘The science says close the state’ and we close it,” he said.
Sky News reported that on day one of the Victorian lockdown, Lifeline received the third highest number of daily calls in its 60-year history.
The challenge for every government remains the need to balance the health response with the social and economic consequences with every decision we make.
That’s what is driving our approach and it’s an important factor in ensuring the people of NSW can face the future with optimism, determination and confidence.
Dominic Perrottet
NSW Treasurer.
 

Restrictions will be eased from 12.01am Friday, 26 February across Greater Sydney and NSW:
 

• 50 visitors will now be allowed in the home;
• 30 people allowed to dance at weddings, with rotation on and off the dance floor;
• Increased class limits for gyms to 50 people (currently 30) subject to the 4sqm rule;
• Number of performers singing indoors increased to 30 (currently 5) subject to physical distancing requirements;
• Singing by congregants allowed in places of worship if masks are worn and subject to one person per 4sqm (currently no congregant singing allowed, with one per 2sqm permitted in places of worship);
• Increase capacity for cinemas to 100 per cent; and
• If current trends continue, drinking while standing up at indoor venues will be allowed in three weeks’ time (from Wednesday, 17 March).

 
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the easing of restrictions was due to the support of the NSW community.
“With the rollout of the vaccine now underway, and no new locally acquired cases in NSW, we are able to make further changes towards a new ‘COVID normal’,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“I thank the community for following the health advice to keep the virus at bay. However, we cannot become complacent.”
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said today’s announcement was another step forward for NSW.
“Each time we are able to further ease restrictions it’s another shot of confidence for the NSW economy,” Mr Perrottet said.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said NSW has come a long way since the virus arrived here and we should be proud of the position we are in.
“This week NSW started rolling out the vaccine across the state and now we are further easing restrictions, which is a fantastic achievement,” Mr Hazzard said.
Dr Chant said while household gathering restrictions have been eased, people are urged to remember COVID-19 can be transmitted more easily in crowded indoor settings.
“Don’t attend these types of events if you have COVID-19 symptoms – instead get tested immediately and self-isolate. If holding these gatherings, please use outdoor settings and well ventilated spaces where available and avoid overcrowding to reduce the risk of COVID transmission,” Dr Chant said.
For the latest information and COVID-19 testing sites please visit:
www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
 

Sydney’s busiest rail lines will benefit from hundreds of extra weekly services thanks to an additional $1 billion investment from the NSW Government.
Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the next wave of funding through the More Trains, More Services program will continue the rail revolution as part of the integration of Sydney Metro City & Southwest in 2024.
“$1 billion in funding ensures we’re future-proofing the existing rail network to keep pace with demand, but at the same time getting on with the job of building the next stages of Metro,” Mr Constance said.
“Moving Bankstown Line services to the new standalone metro system removes an existing bottleneck and frees up capacity to deliver more services on other lines where it’s needed.”
Key service improvements for customers as part of the program will include:

• More services for the T8 Airport Line, including an 80 per cent increase at the International, Domestic, Mascot and Green Square stations during the morning peak, as well as extra services from Revesby and Campbelltown in south west Sydney.
• A 30 per cent increase in peak services on the T4 Illawarra Line, with extra services from Cronulla, Waterfall and Hurstville, providing space to carry 6,000 more customers.
• More services on the T2 Inner West Line, with an extra four services in the morning peak hour providing space for more than 4,800 more customers.
• More services on the South Coast Line, meaning a service every 15 minutes instead of every 20 minutes in the peak, and a service every 30 minutes instead of every hour between Wollongong and the Sydney CBD in the off peak.

Key infrastructure upgrades and additional train fleet will also be delivered to enable the service improvements across the network. Further information about these two aspects are still being finalised as part of the full program of work.
The additional funding will build on improvements already planned across parts of the train network, providing more space for tens of thousands of train customers.
The extra rail services form part of the NSW Government’s $5.3 billion More Trains, More Services program that will deliver further improvements progressively from 2022.