Month: July 2025

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenage girl missing from Newcastle..

Ruby-Lee Camilleri, aged 13, was last seen on Fowler Street, Hamilton South, about 9.30pm yesterday (Tuesday 16 July 2025).

When she was unable to be located or contacted, officers attached to Newcastle Police District were notified and commenced inquiries into her whereabouts.

Police hold concerns for her welfare due to her age.

Ruby-Lee is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 155cm tall, with a thin build, short brown hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing a grey hoodie and black shorts.

She is known to use the Newcastle, Hamilton South and Waratah West areas.

Anyone with information into her whereabouts is urged to contact Newcastle Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The ship’s company of HMAS Stuart has today been recognised, with approximately 150 personnel among the first in the nation to receive the Australian Operational Service Medal (AOSM) – Indo-Pacific, during a ceremony at Henderson Shipyard in Western Australia. 

This is the Australian Defence Force’s newest medal, acknowledging the role Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel have, and continue, to play in operations throughout our Indo-Pacific region. 

The recognition highlights the vital contribution of ADF personnel to Australia’s national interest and their ongoing role in supporting peace, stability and security across the Indo-Pacific region. 

The AOSM, instituted by the Governor-General in January this year, can be awarded to ADF personnel of all ranks who have completed 30 days of operational service on certain ADF operations. 

Approximately 15,000 current and former-serving ADF personnel will be recognised for their contributions and service.

Minister for Defence Personnel, the Hon Matt Keogh MP:

“It was a great honour to attend the presentation of the first Australian Operational Service Medals – Indo Pacific to ADF personnel for their dedication in operations in this most vital of regions for Australia’s national security.

“This medal recognises the contribution of over 15,000 ADF personnel for their service in the Indo-Pacific region since 2005. Behind each medal is a story of service – years of deployments and moments spent away from home. 

“The Australian Government is committed to recognising the service of ADF personnel, and Defence’s continued engagement in the pursuit of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”

The Greens (WA) are calling for the WA Labor government to amend prescribed burning programs to exclude tingle forests, after a prescribed burn earlier this year felled almost 100 of the rare trees found nowhere else on earth. 

The Greens (WA) Forests and Woodlands spokesperson Jess Beckerling MLC said the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions prescribed burning program was having a catastrophic impact on the fragile tingle forest ecosystems of the Southwest. 

“Hundreds of tingle trees were burned in the Giants Forest near Walpole last year and now – after months of asking by conservation groups, the media and the Greens – it has finally been confirmed that 95 irreplaceable red tingle trees were felled during that burn. 

“This is absolutely devastating; it is time for DBCA to acknowledge that prescribed burning in mature tingle forest is doing far more harm than good and to commit to a major overhaul of burning practices to protect biodiversity and improve fire mitigation outcomes.”

“The Noongar people who protected these forests for tens of thousands of years never burnt tingle forests like this because they are not adapted to be resilient to fire.  

“On top of that, over the last 25 years the red tingle forests have lost about 200mm of average rainfall as a result of our warming and drying climate, putting even further pressure on this fragile ecosystem. 

“We must exclude fire from tingle forests.”

The Greens are demanding the government immediately release the final report of the National Climate Risk Assessment in the wake of yesterday’s Pabai v Commonwealth decision, where the Federal Court acknowledged the devastating climate impacts facing Torres Strait Islander communities — but disappointingly found the government had no legal duty of care.

The second phase of the National Climate Risk Assessment was due to be completed in 2024 to inform Australia’s upcoming National Adaptation Plan, yet the government has failed to release the final report or explain the delay, with its own website stating updates should have been given throughout 2024. 

This follows the government;s refusal to release a separate 2023 report by the Office of National Intelligence on climate change and national security, claiming it is classified.

Australian Greens Assistant Spokesperson for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Steph Hodgins-May 

“This vital report identifies the most pressing climate risks facing our country, and it’s nowhere to be seen.

“While the waves are literally lapping at the doors of our Torres Strait Island family, the government is withholding crucial information needed to respond to the urgent threats to their livelihoods, homes and culture..

“The government has both the power and the responsibility to protect climate vulnerable communities, but how can they do that if the climate risk report is being kept from the very people it should be protecting?

“Australians, especially Torres Straight Islander and Aboriginal communities, deserve the truth. They deserve to know what the climate risks are, and what their government is doing about them. 

“With Parliament returning next week, our message to the government is simple: show us this report, and work with us on real, urgent climate action for current and future generations.” 

Opening the ACT’s first safe injecting room should be a priority during this term of government, says Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury.

Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury:

“In cities like Sydney and Melbourne, safe injecting rooms have been operating for years. But despite Canberra at times recording the highest rate of drug-induced deaths per capita in the country, we still don’t have one.

“A commitment to investigate a safe injecting room was hard-won by the Greens in the last Parliamentary Agreement—but Labor dragged their feet for most of the term–having done no work on this while holding the portfolio.

“It wasn’t until three years in, after a cabinet reshuffle handed the drug harm reduction portfolio to Greens Minister Emma Davidson, that this critical work finally began–with a review into how, not if, but how this work would happen.

“The fact is, this reform is thirty years overdue. Every delay, every review, means more preventable overdose deaths—and that is simply unacceptable.

“If we’re serious about saving lives, we need to treat drug use as a health issue, not a criminal one. That means backing evidence-based, community-led harm reduction services—not leaving people to use alone on the streets.

“Right now we need outcomes— the Greens are flexible on location for this site, but we’re absolutely clear on the need for action. No matter whether it’s co-located with the fixed-site pill testing clinic in Civic or some other location that suits users, what matters is getting it done–and getting it done soon.

“The Greens are really clear: today we’re calling on the government to set-up a safe injecting room in this city before the end of the year. This morning I have written to the Health Minister outlining this ask, and offering the Greens’ support for a collaborative, cross-party approach to making this a reality

This morning’s reporting that housing approvals have reached an all-time low underscores the urgent need for a government-owned housing developer, says ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury.

A draft report from Pegasus Economics has identified workforce shortages as the greatest barrier to meeting the government’s target of building 30,000 homes over the next decade—none of which are currently price-capped or guaranteed to be affordable.

Quotes attributable to Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury:

“If the government is serious about building affordable housing in Canberra—and I stress affordable—then it should be leading the charge by hiring and retaining its own workforce to build it.

“Relying solely on the same private market that caused the housing crisis to fix the housing crisis is a recipe for disaster. This is the same sector that drove prices up in the first place–and now we’re kidding ourselves that they’ll fix it.

“The government’s goal to build 30,000 new homes is certainly commendable, but without a plan to retain a workforce and ensure those homes are actually affordable to someone on minimum wage, it’s really a drop in the ocean.

“During the election, the Greens commissioned independent modelling that showed how a government developer can help us avoid tradie shortages while providing housing at prices everyday people can actually afford—by offering steady, secure work through a consistent pipeline of public builds.

Tackling the housing shortage while ensuring quality of life for residents guided the Urban Design Review Panel’s (UDRP) decision making as they assessed $1.45 billion in developments in Newcastle during the past 12 months.

The UDRP completed a total of 67 individual design review sessions in 2024, offering guidance to City of Newcastle staff and applicants on 49 different development proposals.

The Store development The projects are included in UDRP’s 2024 Annual Report, which will be tabled at next week’s Council meeting.

The Report highlights several significant developments, as well as smaller projects that benefited from design advice.

Proposals reviewed include the DOMA Group’s $130 million twin-tower luxury apartment complex known as The Store, as well as developments such as a $19.4 million educational establishment on University Drive at Callaghan, a $6.1 million residential building in Hamilton and co-living housing on Denison Street in Newcastle West worth almost $12 million.

City of Newcastle’s Executive Director Planning and Environment Michelle Bisson said the UDRP plays a vital role in improving the design quality of new developments.

“The panel provides independent, impartial, and expert advice to City of Newcastle and applicants about the quality of the urban design and amenity of development proposals and strategic design projects,” Ms Bisson said.

“The increase in demand for their services has seen the panel increase to seven members, plus the Chairperson, which has helped to cover the large number of applications.”

“The collective experience of the UDRP members consistently grounds the advice in real-world experience, while balancing the practicalities and challenges of property development and construction.”

East End developmentChairperson Dr Philip Pollard said the panel enjoys providing input into smaller projects as much as high-profile applications.

“We continue to see the face of Newcastle change and develop in an exciting manner, but we’re mindful of the wonderful Indigenous and colonial heritage we’ve inherited,” Dr Pollard said.

“We’re delighted to see an increase of instances where applicants are presenting designs prior to the Development Application stage, proving applicants value of our advice.”

The UDRP also acts as the Design Integrity Panel for some developments in Newcastle to ensure their quality and original detail is maintained or improved through to construction completion.

In 2024, the UDRP oversaw progress on 17 projects such as the Dairy Farmers Towers in Newcastle West, a 16-dwelling project on Church Street in Mayfield and Stages 3 and 4 of the Hunter Street development, part of the East End project by Iris Capital.

The Minns Labor Government is today launching the NSW Housing Pattern Book of low-rise designs, alongside a a world-first new Complying Development pathway, that will speed up the delivery of new homes significantly.

Housing remains the single biggest cost of living pressure people across NSW are facing with a recent NSW Productivity Commission report finding that Sydney is losing twice as many young people as it is gaining, putting us at risk of becoming a city with no grandchildren.

Following the launch of an international pattern book design competition in 2024, the Government Architect has now endorsed eight terrace, townhouse and manorhouse designs for families, young people and downsizers that will be available for $1,000 a design.

However, for the first six months, the Government is significantly subsidising access to these world class designs with each pattern being made available to everyone for $1 per pattern.

The price for each design is a significant discount on the professional fees that potential builders or homeowners would usually pay for a custom architecturally designed home that could be estimated to cost over $20,000.

The Pattern Book was created to be affordable, easy to build, and sustainable. With each design to be adaptable for different family sizes and housing needs, this includes different room formations and layout, helping to create vibrant, diverse communities that reflect the people who live in them.

Every purchase of a design, also comes with a complimentary Landscape Pattern to help new home-owners design their own garden that maximises biodiversity and suits the climate they’re living in.

A new ten-day approval pathway has been developed by the NSW Government alongside the Pattern Book to fast-track these high-quality homes, cutting major costs and delays that normally plague home-builders.

This new, fast-tracked pathway will create the opportunity for these architect designed homes to commence construction within ten days of an application being made, subject to all appropriate assessments being completed.

The Complying Development pathway will be available from 30 July 2025.

The delivery of homes through the NSW Housing Pattern Book is further supported by the Minns Labor Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms that have made terraces, townhouses and manorhouses broadly permissable across NSW.

This laid the groundwork for the arrival of the Pattern Book, unlocking expansive opportunities for the designs to be adopted and built around transport hubs and town centres.

The NSW Housing Pattern Book will be advertised to potential home-buyers and builders through an advertising campaign that is also being launched today, highlighting the benefits of using a pattern book design.

The NSW Housing Pattern Book, together with the Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy, is designed to make the housing system fairer by increasing housing supply, giving people more choice in where they want to live and supporting communities that have been locked out of housing for too long, held back by rising costs and a planning system that made it too hard to build homes.

This is all part of the Minns Government’s plan to build a better and fairer NSW with more homes and services, so young people, families and downsizers have somewhere to live in the communities they choose.

To choose your next home, please visit – https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/nsw-housing-pattern-book

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns:

“For too long, too many people in NSW have been locked out of the housing market by rising costs and a system that made it too hard to build. We’re changing that.

“This Pattern Book is about giving people more choice, faster approvals, and affordable, high-quality homes – whether you’re a young person trying to get in, a family needing more space, or a downsizer looking to stay close to the community you know.

“This is a practical step to make the housing system fairer – and make sure NSW remains a place where the next generation can afford to live and thrive.”

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“The NSW Housing Pattern Book allows people to select an architect designed home, that comes with a landscape plan and an approval pathway that only takes a week to complete so they can start building almost immediately.  

“Much of Sydney was built on pattern books. They look great, they’re simple and cost-effective. We’re accelerating these designs with their own approval pathway so those wishing to build can get an approval in one week.

“The NSW Housing Pattern Book takes the guesswork and the delay out of home-building. These designs are high-quality, easy to build, and for the first six months, they’ll cost $1.

“These designs offer choice, with less complexity, making it easier to build homes in NSW.”

Government Architect NSW Abbie Galvin said:

“I am excited to be able to share these patterns that can be used by the development industry, architects, planners, councils and communities.

“The pattern book offers practical and sustainable designs that can be adapted to suit many neighbourhoods, positively contributing to the character of a street.

“We are making it quicker and easier to build new low-rise homes that offer housing diversity for the whole community.”

Bunnings Chief Financial Officer Michael Howard said:

“This is a great step toward making sustainable, affordable homes more accessible, and I’m sure will be welcome news for those looking to build.

“At a time when the construction sector is doing it tough, this initiative will provide much-needed support and boost housing options across NSW.

“Bunnings is ready to help builders, developers and homeowners bring these architect-designed homes to life.”

The state’s first tenants of public modular housing have moved into their new homes marking an important milestone as the Minns Labor Government continues to pull every single lever to deliver more, well located homes sooner.

Over 150 people will have a safe place to call home, as the NSW Government delivers 90 modular homes over the next year. This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s record $6.6 billion Building Homes for New South Wales Program.

After the first three modular homes were brought online last month in Wollongong, residents have officially moved in.

Modular housing provides a cost effective and time efficient alternative to traditional building methods, meaning homes can be brought online faster. Modular homes can be delivered approximately 20% faster than traditional methods with time savings expected to increase over time.

Further, this program delivers on the Minns Labor Government’s agenda to promote local manufacturing jobs by creating over 4,000 quality jobs in factories and on building sites across Sydney and regional New South Wales.

Shortly after forming government the Minns Labor Government convened the Modular Housing Taskforce, an expert cross industry panel who provided advice to government on barriers to the utilisation of and ways modular housing could be harnessed to deliver more homes, sooner in New South Wales.

This follows twelve years of privatisation, sell offs and neglect under the former Liberal National Government who oversaw a net reduction in our states public housing from 110,805 in 2014 to 95,765 in 2023.  Further, between 2017 and 2021 their completion of 2,257 social homes, paled in comparison to the number they sold off or removed – 3,269.

Since being elected the Minns Labor, Government has been working to build a better New South Wales, with more, quality housing, located near the essential infrastructure people rely on.

In the past year the Minns Labor Government has delivered 1,711 new social and affordable homes, the largest increase in government-built public, community homes in over a decade.

A further ten modular social homes are expected to be delivered by the end of this year, with five in Shellharbour and five in Lake Macquarie. Planning for an addition 80 to be delivered by this time next year is well underway.

Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales said:

“Housing affordability and availability is the single biggest pressure facing the people of New South Wales.

“The fact is we need to increase our supply of public housing stock. Today is an important milestone in our work to do that, sooner through nontraditional methods.

“Modular housing allows us to deliver high quality homes in less time. It allows us to build more homes and create more skilled construction and manufacturing jobs.

Rose Jackson, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness said:

“We are directly building public housing again and we are doing it fast.

“These 90 modular homes are just the beginning. We are rebuilding the public housing system after a decade of sell-offs and neglect.

“This is about building homes and creating jobs. It means more work for tradies, manufacturers and apprentices right across the state.

The Minns Labor Government is investing more that $5 million to redevelop one of its key regional workplaces in Nowra creating a modern, whole-of-government workplace hub for the city.

The existing office building at O’Keeffe Avenue will be transformed into over 1,800 square metres of flexible, contemporary office space accommodating more than 260 government employees.

The redevelopment will deliver a modern, sustainable and flexible workplace, enabling public servants to provide high quality services to the people of the South Coast. The new design includes 147 work points as well as collaboration zones and meeting rooms.

Intermain Pty Ltd has been appointed to deliver the project, with works scheduled to commence at the end of July 2025. Around 30 local subcontractors will be engaged throughout the project.

Once the work is completed, staff from six departments currently based in the building will be located across two of the three floors, providing space to expand the hub to include additional government agencies or a private sector tenant in future.

The upgraded building will be energy efficient, including achieving 5.5 Star NABERS Energy, 3 Star NABERS Water and 4.0 Star Greenstar ratings. It will also meet the latest NSW Government workplace design standards which include a focus on providing accessible workspaces that meet a range of user needs.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“This is a major milestone for Nowra and the broader Shoalhaven region. As a critical regional workplace for hundreds of public servants, this project will deliver the modern, sustainable and efficient office space our workforce deserves.

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to delivering fit-for-purpose government workplaces across NSW. We’ve already seen the benefits of this approach in Maitland, and we’re proud to bring that same vision to Nowra.”

Member for South Coast, Liza Butler said:

“This is a major investment in Nowra’s future. Redeveloping this site means more than 260 government workers can stay and grow their careers here — and with 30 local subcontractors on board, it’s work that directly benefits our local economy.”

“People on the South Coast deserve high-quality services, and that starts with giving our public servants a modern, flexible, and accessible place to work. This upgrade will help our frontline staff do their jobs better — and it shows real commitment to regional NSW.”