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A Cardiac Electrophysiology Service has been launched at Gosford Hospital, giving Central Coast patients access to cardiac procedures without the need to travel out of area.

The service is expected to benefit hundreds of local patients each year, meaning they won’t have to travel to Sydney or Newcastle for critical care.

The new service offers diagnostic and therapeutic treatment for patients with heart conditions. This includes providing therapeutic ablation for patients with right-sided tachyarrhythmias which is also known as irregular heart rhythm.

Cardiac ablation is a procedure where small areas of tissue in the heart which are causing the irregular heartbeat are inactivated through the application of heat or intense cold. The procedure restores and maintains a normal heart rhythm.

The service is also performing diagnostic studies for cardiac patients, including electrophysiology studies which are tests used to evaluate the heart’s electrical system and to check for abnormal heart rhythms.

The launch of the service is a significant development for the Central Coast, providing local public patients access to the service close to home for the first time.

Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:

“I am pleased this new service will be able to offer local patients access to these important procedures on the Central Coast, making it much easier for them to access the treatment they need close to home.

“Central Coast Local Health District is already receiving very positive feedback from patients about how much they appreciate having the local service available to them.”

Minister for the Central Coast, David Harris:

“It is pleasing the Central Coast community can now access these important cardiac procedures closer to home. 

“We know the Central Coast is a high-growth region, and as our population grows it is essential we continue to bolster our local healthcare system, and services like this are another step in the right direction.”

Member for Gosford, Liesel Tesch:

“The launch of this service will mean that our community no longer has to travel multiple hours to access this important medical service, providing accessible care right here in our community when people need it most.

“The NSW Government is committed to investing in healthcare for the Central Coast community.”

Central Coast Local Health District Head of Cardiology, Associate Professor Maged William:

“We are thrilled to be able to provide these procedures on the Central Coast. Previously, it was necessary for patients to travel to Sydney or Newcastle to have these procedures. We are anticipating that the service will benefit hundreds of local patients every year.

“Plans are already underway to expand the scope of the service to treat patients with other common cardiac concerns such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.”

The Albanese and Minns Labor Governments are jointly investing more than $47 million to establish the Illawarra Heavy Industry Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at TAFE NSW Wollongong.

Students will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that cultivate the skills required to operate legacy equipment, enhancing efficiencies by using digital and robotic technologies, and advanced manufacturing techniques.

The Illawarra Heavy Industry Manufacturing Centre of Excellence will:

• provide targeted training in traditional and emerging heavy industry manufacturing for the defence and transport sectors
• integrate emerging technologies and automation into training, equipping students for work in digital, electrical and robotic manufacturing
• deliver microskills and microcredentials to upskill current workers.

The Centre of Excellence will innovate training by piloting a new qualification model, the Associate Degree in Manufacturing and Applied Digital Technologies. This Degree Apprenticeship will provide a pathway between school, vocational education and training, and higher education.

Courses on offer include Engineering Mechanical Trade, Laboratory Skills and 3D Printing.

The Centre of Excellence is positioned to help progress the Albanese Government’s Future Made in Australia plan, ensuring that we have the skills and infrastructure to make the materials we need to transition to net zero.

This follows the announcement of the Western Sydney Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence and the Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, as the third TAFE NSW Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, boosting skills training in advanced manufacturing and rebuilding onshore manufacturing capabilities.

The Albanese Government is investing $325 million under the five-year National Skills Agreement, which began on 1 January 2024, to establish a network of up to 20 TAFE Centres of Excellence in areas of high skills needs.

Some courses will available from 2025, while the refurbished site will be ready by 2027.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“The Illawarra has a proud history of industry and manufacturing – which is why this is the perfect place for this Centre of Excellence.

“This builds on the skills that are already a part of this region’s DNA.

“Investing in a Future Made in Australia means investing in the skills and training industry will need in the years to come.

NSW Premier Chris Minns:

“Whether its trains, buses or ferries, we want to build things here in NSW.

“The Illawarra is a powerhouse of manufacturing, and the TAFE NSW Centre of Excellence will build on these strengths, delivering more education and training so local workers are skilled in new technologies.

“The centre will create a pipeline of skilled workers so we have the mechanical and electrical engineers, machinists and metal welders needed to secure the regions future and support a thriving domestic advanced manufacturing industry in NSW.”

the Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles:

“The Albanese Government is putting TAFE at the heart of the vocational education and training sector. Implementing TAFE Centres of Excellence as a key initiative under the National Skills Agreement will ensure we can deliver on this objective.

“The Illawarra Heavy Industry Manufacturing Centre of Excellence will work in partnership with the other manufacturing Centres of Excellence that we are establishing here in New South Wales. Creating a manufacturing powerhouse that will have a key role in supporting our transition to net zero, and harnessing the opportunities being created by our Future Made in Australia plan.

“It is exciting to see that the Heavy Manufacturing Centre of Excellence is exploring new pathways that look to break down potential barriers between VET and higher education. As new skills needs emerge in our workforce, we need to keep exploring ways for greater harmonisation across our tertiary education sector.

“The Centres of Excellence are being established between the Australian, state and territory governments. Once the Centre is up and running it will operate in partnership to ensure we deliver a successful project. I look forward to continuing work with NSW Skills Minister Steve Whan to create a world-class VET sector.”

the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan:

“The TAFE NSW Heavy Industry Manufacturing Centre of Excellence – Illawarra will provide opportunities for local workers to reskill and upskill in areas most critical to a growing and evolving manufacturing sector, including new digital technologies such as robotics.

“Through the TAFE Centres of Excellence and in collaboration with industry and universities, the Australian and NSW Governments are ensuring local workers have the skills needed to support onshore manufacturing capabilities and access jobs in transport, logistics and supply chain, defence and renewables.”

The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project has reached new heights with the completion of the 3.2-kilometres of viaduct (bridge), linking the Warragamba viaduct to the future Luddenham Station.

The new 23-kilometre metro line which once complete, will mean it’ll take passengers five minutes to travel from the airport to Bradfield, approximately 15 minutes from the airport to St Marys and approximately 20 minutes from Bradfield to St Marys where passengers can connect to the rest of Sydney’s rail network. 

The impressive viaduct structure is a critical part of the metro alignment between Orchard Hills and Luddenham and has been constructed to take metro services over key locations including the Warragamba pipelines, Blaxland Creek, and Luddenham Road. 

This viaduct will be part of a mix of underground tunnels, ground level railway and elevated railway. 

A total of 1,101 precast concrete segments (sections of the bridge) were used to construct the viaduct, with each segment measuring 10.85 metres wide, up to 3.2 metres long and 2.4 metres high, and weighs up to 65 tonnes, with more than 52,000 tonnes of concrete used to cast the segments.

In a boost for local jobs, all 1,101 precast concrete segments, which were pieced together to build the structure of this viaduct, were manufactured in Buchanan, 20 minutes outside of Newcastle.  

Supporting the impressive structure are 84 piers, each weighing between 80 and 160 tonnes and towering up to 15.3 metres high. The piers were made using 96,250 tonnes of concrete.

To build the viaduct, more than 2,500 people worked over 16 months with huge machinery to manoeuvre the heavy segments.

The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project itself has engaged more than 8,868 workers, 54 per cent of whom live in Western Sydney.

Completing the viaduct also included completing the base of Luddenham Station, the only station located on a viaduct 13.5 metres above ground. 

Luddenham Station is one of six new stations for the metro railway line that will become a crucial connection for travellers visiting the new international airport.

It will also open up housing and business opportunities here in Sydney’s west, as we link up this part of our city to a rail line for the first time ever. 

The next stage of this project will include laying track along the entire 23-kilometre alignment.

This new Sydney Metro railway will become the transport spine for Greater Western Sydney, connecting communities and travellers with the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport and the growing region. 

The project is a jointly funded infrastructure project between the Australian Federal and NSW governments.    

For more information about the project, visit sydneymetro.info/westernsydneyairportline.  

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“We are committed to building better communities in Western Sydney, and public transport projects like will create new jobs and connect people to the airport and the rest of Sydney.”

“This project will also deliver major economic stimulus for Western Sydney, supporting more than 14,000 jobs.

“There’s more to do, but it’s great to see the progress being made on this world class infrastructure project, which will benefit our great city for generations to come.”

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:

“With huge milestones ticked off both below and above ground, we can now start to prepare for tracklaying.”

“This above-ground megastructure is a true engineering feat, built safely and with precision to ensure passengers have fast and reliable journeys in Sydney’s Greater West.

“As we reach this important stage, we are closer than ever to delivering a modern, reliable, and efficient metro system that will drive growth and support the region’s long-term development.

“Once open, Western Sydney Airport line will service the new international airport and connect communities between St Marys and Bradfield to wider Sydney, with the capacity to carry 7,740 passengers an hour in each direction on their new metro service.

The Minns Labor Government is today marking an important milestone in its reform of the foster care system with the release of a landmark report that calls for sweeping changes.

The ‘System review into out-of-home care,’ commissioned by the Minister for Families and Communities, Kate Washington MP, examined the outsourced foster care system, and investigated how taxpayer money is being spent by non-government providers.

The report found that the $2 billion out-of-home care (OOHC) system, created under the former coalition government, is:

• not fit for purpose and fails to meet the needs of children and young people at an efficient cost
• characterised by a profound lack of accountability and ineffective oversight
• overly complex, fragmented, and slow to respond in the best interests of children and young people
• largely devoid of robust evidence-based practices

The review’s authors were often unable to follow the dollar to determine if taxpayer funds were being used to meaningfully support vulnerable children and young people.

The final report provides a roadmap for rebuilding system accountability and oversight; improving contractual and financial management; collaborating with and elevating the voices of children, families and carers; and building a stronger workforce.

The 13 recommendations include:

• ceasing the current practice of outsourcing case management to non-government providers before final orders are made by the Children’s Court
• mandating greater financial transparency between OOHC providers and foster carers (including relative and kinship carers), so that carers are aware of the significant taxpayer funding being provided to their case management agency
• requiring OOHC providers to clearly identify the direct services and supports provided to children and young people as a result of taxpayer funding
• boosting accountability in the outsourced sector through key performance indicators, comparative analyses, and regular financial and performance audits
• ensuring all OOHC placement types are evidence-informed, reducing the reliance on High-Cost Emergency Arrangements (HCEAs)

The review was commissioned following a harrowing report by the Advocate for Children and Young People that details the first-hand experiences of the state’s most vulnerable young people in emergency accommodation. This type of accommodation can cost upwards of $2 million a year for each child, costing taxpayers more than $38,000 a week.

The system review was led by former Assistant Commissioner with NSW Police, Gelina Talbot, and former executive director of the Department of Communities and Justice, Lauren Dean. Their report sets out a blueprint for change and provides important insights into a system that often fails to meet the needs of children and young people. 

While considering the report in its entirety, the NSW Government is already getting on with the job of implementing many of the recommendations, including:

• Announcing a total ban on Alternative Care Arrangements (ACAs) by March 2025
• Reducing the number of children placed in ACAs by 81 per cent since November 2023, down to just 27 children
• Reducing the number of children placed in all types of HCEAs by 33 per cent since November 2023
• Opening the Waratah Care Cottages to better support children and sibling groups who are currently stuck in HCEAs
• Implementing Active Efforts legislation, meaning DCJ must do everything practical to ensure children are safe and connected to their family, culture and community; as well as undertake extensive family finding processes if a child is removed
• Finding safe homes for 849 children by commencing recruitment of more than 200 emergency foster carers after the former government stopped recruiting
• Signing an historic deal to increase caseworker pay to attract and retain more caseworkers
• Increasing workforce capability by redeploying casework specialists back to the frontline, so more families are seen by highly skilled caseworkers

The NSW Government acknowledges the important contributions of the hundreds of stakeholders, caseworkers, foster carers, families, and children and young people whose valuable contributions made this report possible.

The NSW Government is closely reviewing the findings and recommendations of the report and will formally respond in the coming months.  

Read the ‘System review into out-of-home-care.’

Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington said:

“I thank Gelina Talbot and Lauren Dean for their clear and decisive report that lays out a significant roadmap for reform.

“The Minns Labor Government has been open and honest about the spiralling out-of-home care system we inherited. Now we have the evidence and the recommendations we need to start turning the ship around so that vulnerable children and young people get the supports they need.

“It’s shocking that some out-of-home care providers are failing to provide basic supports to children, despite being paid hundreds of thousands, and in some cases, millions, of taxpayer dollars to do so.

“Right now, we know taxpayer money is not always flowing to the children who need it.

“As a government, we are committed to ensuring every dollar invested in the child protection system goes to the vulnerable children who need it.

“Over the past 18 months, the Minns Labor Government has been stabilising the system, now we will begin rebuilding the foundations so that we can invest in better outcomes.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure increased accountability and transparency translates to better outcomes for children and young people.