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Enhancing health security across our region

Australia is investing in our region’s shared health security, drawing on the lessons of COVID-19 to help us be better prepared for the next pandemic.

We are building a series of new partnerships to support our region to better prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies and infectious diseases.

Building the capacity of our region’s veterinarians supports rural livelihoods and reduces the risk of disease spillovers from animals into humans. A new $5 million partnership with a consortium led by the University of Sydney will improve training available for veterinary epidemiologists, supporting countries in our region to identify and better respond to disease outbreaks in animals.

An $11 million partnership with the Menzies School of Health Research will help to strengthen disease surveillance in partner countries in Southeast Asia, including greater support to monitor antimicrobial resistance, a serious global health threat.

The package also includes $16 million to support the development of new treatments for neglected tropical diseases through the Australian not-for-profit biopharmaceutical company Medicines Development for Global Health.

The new partnerships are part of the Australian Government’s five-year Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, which is working with partner countries to build resilient, equitable and inclusive health systems.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong:

“We are drawing on Australia’s expertise to support our region to better prepare for, and respond to, health security threats including animal and human disease outbreaks.
“These new partnerships will support governments across the Pacific and Southeast Asia to build more resilient, effective health systems, which is critical to ensuring our shared prosperity and security.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP:

“Australia’s investment will support partners across the Pacific and Southeast Asia to ensure they have the right foundations in place to prepare for, and respond to, future disease outbreaks.”

Strengthening preparedness across our region

Australia will help our region better prepare for, prevent and respond to disease outbreaks by investing in a program of new partnerships between Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and governments across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Under the program, CSIRO will leverage its expertise across animal and human health, as well as its world-class facilities, to partner with countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Fiji to improve their ability to identify, track and respond to health emergencies.

The new partnerships, totalling $24.2 million, will help to ensure frontline teams have the right skills to protect communities, and our region, from the spread of disease.

As part of the program, CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness will receive over $12 million in funding to strengthen selected animal health laboratories in Southeast Asia, improve testing for infectious diseases at high-risk locations such as wildlife markets and boost field diagnostic networks in the Pacific.

The program also includes support for a new biomanufacturing partnership to strengthen capabilities in Southeast Asia to develop and manufacture vaccines, biopharmaceuticals and drug products.

In addition, the program will support the Australian e-Health Research Centre to use its world-leading capabilities in digital health to assist partners to strengthen their health data systems, expand regional data sharing and improve disease surveillance.

The new program is part of the Australian Government’s five-year $620 million Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, which is working with partner countries to build resilient, equitable and inclusive health systems that can respond to our shared challenges.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong:

“The Albanese Government’s investments, coupled with the CSIRO’s expertise, will make our region healthier, safer and more secure.
“A healthy and prosperous Pacific and Southeast Asia benefits us all, so we’re pleased to be investing in these important new partnerships.”

Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon Ed Husic MP:

“Australians can be proud of the way CSIRO has helped in the fight against infectious diseases to improve the health and quality of life of our friends in the region.
“These partnerships build on that and will see CSIRO continue to apply their know-how to support better health at home and abroad.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP:

“CSIRO has world-class expertise to share with our region.
“Under this new program, CSIRO will support partners across the Pacific and Southeast Asia to ensure they have the right foundations in place to prepare for, and respond to, future disease outbreaks.”

NT GREENS LAUNCH THEIR PLAN FOR HEALTHY COUNTRY AND THRIVING NATURE

The NT Greens are excited to launch our Biodiversity Policy at a community morning tea that will be held in Gosse Street park, Eastside, on Sunday 23rd June.

This policy outlines the important initiatives the NT Greens will take to protect our land, water and culture so that it can be enjoyed by all Territorians for generations to come.

Community members are welcome to come along to the morning tea, where Asta Hill, the NT Greens’ candidate for Braitling, and Hugo Wells, the NT Greens’ candidate for Araluen, will be joined by local environmental experts to talk about the actions that need to be taken to keep the NT’s nature going strong, and the issues that the major political parties are ignoring.

Asta Hill – candidate for Braitling

“We can’t let Labor and the CLP sell us out. The NT Greens are the only party that truly backs our environment, lifestyle and right to safe drinking water, because we don’t take corporate donations.”

“Let’s not forget last summer, when ash fell on our town. Buffel is choking our country and fuelling wildfires which threaten our environment, homes and safety.”

“Here in the desert, water scarcity penetrates the psyche of so many Territorians. Except the major parties’.”

Kat McNamara – Candidate for Nightcliff

“For a healthy environment which sustains our communities and economies, we have to reject Labor and the CLP’s policy of letting big business trash our environment.”

“The Greens are pushing for stronger protections for water, country and nature.

We need more transparency on how decisions about our fragile ecosystems are made. Onl then can we can protect places like Lee Point from wanton land clearing, Litchfield from rampant Gamba infestations & make sure there’s enough water for our communities, bush & wetlands .”

Record Budget to deliver widespread community benefits

City of Newcastle will support local communities, jobs, businesses and the economy as part of a record Budget designed to deliver everyday benefits alongside major infrastructure projects.

Councillors will vote on the 2024/25 Budget and Delivery Program next week, which will see over $415 million invested across 60 services and more than 280 projects during the next financial year.

This includes a record infrastructure program of almost $140 million, which is forecast to support 735 local jobs and increase Newcastle’s economic output by up to $305 million.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle is committed to delivering the community’s vision of Newcastle as a liveable, sustainable, inclusive global city.

“From city-shaping projects that will create a legacy for future generations, to essential services that make an everyday difference in the lives of Novocastrians, this Budget will set a new benchmark for our investment in the Newcastle community,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We’re investing in the things that matter to our residents and delivering a record infrastructure program that will cater for the needs of our growing community while stimulating Newcastle’s economy and supporting new jobs.

“Our infrastructure projects will make an everyday difference in people’s lives, with $38.1 million for upgrades to local roads, bridges, footpaths and community buildings, $7.7 million on stormwater upgrades to address flooding to property and businesses and $6 million for improving Newcastle’s cycleway network and transport options.

“We’re also giving back through programs such as our Community Grants, which for the fourth consecutive year will provide more than half a million dollars to support initiatives that deliver positive outcomes for vulnerable members of our community and contribute to the social, cultural, environmental and economic life of the city.”

CEO Jeremy Bath said City of Newcastle continues to work hard to balance the needs and expectations of our growing community with our commitment to making sure we are financially sustainable.

“City of Newcastle is forecasting an operating surplus of $4.1 million in 2024-2025, which is an indicator of the underlying financial strength of our organisation,” Mr Bath said.

“This is despite ongoing increases in inflation and construction costs, and our position as the only council in NSW to pay the NSW Government more in taxes and levies than we receive in grants.

“We also recognise that many people and small businesses in our community are facing an extremely challenging time as they experience cost of living pressures.

“That is why City of Newcastle is offering support to residents and business owners experiencing financial hardship.

“During the past three years, we have assisted around 2,200 ratepayers to enter into payment arrangements, while an additional 141 people were supported through our rates voucher scheme.

“We encourage home owners experiencing difficulties to contact City of Newcastle to discuss a payment plan before the next rates instalment. Doing this means interest will be waived on their outstanding balance.”

Response to Avian Flu at Hawkesbury egg farm

The NSW Government on Wednesday 19 June enacted its emergency biosecurity incident plan to contain the detection of avian influenza in the Hawkesbury district on a poultry egg farm.

NSW consumers should not be concerned about eggs and poultry products from the supermarkets, because this detection does not pose a risk to consumer health and the products are safe to consume. As always people should handle and cook using the standard procedures.

Following testing by the CSIRO national research laboratory it was confirmed that Avian Influenza H7N8 has been detected in a mixed barnyard and free-range poultry farm in the Hawkesbury.

This is a highly contagious and deadly virus and that’s why the NSW Government has acted swiftly and decisively in response to this detection. 8,000 birds died from the flu over the last 48 hours.

We have acted and are rolling out our biosecurity incident plan, developed in line with the national approach for avian influenza.

The following actions have been undertaken over the last 24 hours:

Tested samples with CSIRO to detect the bird flu type
Locked down the affected egg farm
Issued a control order to depopulate the farm of its birds and to dispose of the remains in a biosecure manner working with the EPA on disposal
Last night we started depopulating the farm, in a humanely manner, following Australian Veterinary guidelines. This process will take up to 5-7 days to depopulate 240,000 birds.
We have activated the funding agreement with the Commonwealth government, egg industry, and other states, to release compensation funds for directly impacted producers
We have spoken with surrounding chicken industry farms and they have activated their bird flu plans and have locked down their businesses.

Today we will be issuing another control order to legally lock down movement of machinery, materials, animals and transport within a radius of 2 kilometres of the affected egg farm.

The localised lock down order will cover three large commercial poultry farms and impacts up to 355,000 birds that we will monitor for any signs of the virus. There will be no movement of eggs or birds or machinery out of the zone during the control order.

This morning the NSW Chief veterinary Officer, who is leading the incident response, met with key industry organisations to discuss next steps and align how we all work together.

We are acting on this bird flu outbreak and will do everything to work through this challenging time for the egg and chicken meat industry.

NSW Government passes historic long service reform for 250,000 community service workers

The Minns Labor Government has today delivered an historic reform that will benefit up to 250,000 community service workers, more than 75% of whom are women, ensuring they get access to portable long service leave.

The NSW Government’s reform has passed Parliament and will improve the lives of hard-working, dedicated staff in domestic and family violence support, homelessness services, community housing and other community services.

It is estimated that one in every 12 women working in NSW are employed in sectors that will be covered by the scheme.

Under the current system, community sector workers can only gain long service leave after 10 years working for a specific employer.

In a sector where short-term contracts are common, workers rarely spend enough time in the same workplace to access their long service leave. These workers currently lose all accrued long service leave when they change employers.

These workers will now get long service leave based on their time in their sector rather than time employed by a single employer.

This reform will ensure these workers receive 6 weeks paid leave after 7 years of employment in the sector no matter how many times they change contracts.

Importantly this reform allows casual or part-time employees to access this entitlement after the equivalent time (calculated on a pro-rata basis).

Stakeholder feedback provided to the government stated this reform will be an incentive to workers to stay in the industry and help minimise burnout and fatigue.

It is also a critical measure to improve recruitment and reduce the high level of staff turnover among community service workers and forms part of the NSW Labor Government’s commitment to key workers in NSW.

The portable long service scheme was the subject of extensive consultation with employers, peak organisations, and workers. The Government acknowledges the significant work of the Australian Services Union, NCOSS and other non-government sector organisations in designing this scheme.

It will operate in a similar way as already exists for contract cleaners and the construction sector, with employer contributions administered by the Long Service Corporation.

Rather than budget for long service leave as they currently do, employers will pay a levy to the Long Service Leave Corporation to cover their obligations under the Long Service Leave Act 1955.This bill will also offer a one-off one-year service credit for workers who register within the first six months of commencement, as was provided to cleaners when their scheme was introduced in 2010.

Minister for Industrial Relations Sophie Cotsis said:

“The NSW Government is proud to deliver a landmark reform for community service workers who have been campaigning for years to access portable long service entitlements.

“Across the state – in rural, remote, regional and metro neighbourhoods, there are professionals who provide vital services to their communities.

“I have met many of these workers who push themselves in jobs that can be emotionally exhausting and that takes a toll.

“These are tough jobs in domestic and family violence support, homelessness services, community housing and other community services and they deserve to have access to long service leave regardless of if they work for multiple providers.

“We are making sure these incredible professionals, most of whom are women, now get long service.

“I want to thank the hard-working community service workers of NSW for everything they do to make the lives of people in this state that much better.

“A huge thanks to the ASU, NCOSS as well as my officials for their diligent hard work over many months to ensure this groundbreaking reform.”

Tough new Industrial Manslaughter laws send strong message on importance of worker safety in NSW

After 20 years of campaigning by families, friends, and unions whose members have been killed at work, today the Industrial Manslaughter Bill passed NSW Parliament.

NSW is the last mainland state to make industrial manslaughter an offence.

The Minns Government has fulfilled its promise to legislate industrial manslaughter.

Since 2019 more than 300 workers have been killed in NSW. The new Industrial Manslaughter law will give prosecutors the ability to hold a business or individual responsible for the death of a person due to gross negligence in the workplace.

The maximum penalty will be 25 years jail for an individual, which is consistent with the existing maximum penalty for manslaughter in the NSW Crimes Act.

There will be a maximum penalty of $20 million in fines for a body corporate, the highest in Australia.

It will be supported by a new unit established in the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The new law does not create new work health and safety obligations or duties for employers but creates a strong new offence to deter unsafe practices and strengthen accountability.

The Government consulted widely before introducing the bill and the bill was supported by an overwhelming majority of the Parliament.

A review is to be undertaken 18 months after the commencement of the provisions.

Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:

“This is an historic moment for worker safety in New South Wales.

“These are not laws we ever want to use. We want them to act as a deterrent and a reminder that this government takes worker safety seriously.

“We want those responsible for workplace safety – who are responsible for the lives of their workers – to take that role with utmost seriousness.

“The message sent today is clear – unsafe practices will not be tolerated.

“It is a fundamental right of every worker to go to work and come home safely to their loved ones.”

Co-Chair of the SafeWork Families and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group (FIWSAG) Jacqueline Quinlivan said:

“This has been such a long time coming, but we can now say we have the industrial manslaughter laws that are required.

“On behalf of the Family and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group (FIWSAG) and all those who are injured or have lost a loved one through industrial death, we would like to say, ’this is for them’.

“This is a step forward for NSW as a jurisdiction and I want to thank absolutely everyone who made this possible.”

FIWSAG member Patrizia Cassaniti:

“I would like to thank and congratulate Minister Sophie Cotsis and her team for all the hard work and the Minns Government for making this Bill a priority and a long overdue reality.

“A big thank as well to everyone involved including Unions NSW, CFMMEU, and the Families and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group for advocating and lobbying for industrial manslaughter to finally be accepted and become law.

“Rob and I would like to dedicate this accomplishment to Christopher and every other worker who went to work and never came home.”

FIWSAG member Dave White said:

“The passing of the industrial manslaughter bill is a milestone that the FIWSAG has been working towards over the past five years.

“This bill introduces an additional and significant deterrent for those individuals in the workplace who continue to risk the health and safety of workers.

“Whilst this won’t bring back our loved ones who’ve been lost in workplace incidents, this passing of the bill may save other families from having to endure the grief and pain of losing someone who never came home from work.”

Main works contract awarded for new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital

The new $330 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital is on track to deliver first-class health services and hundreds of local jobs with the appointment of the main works contractor.

Multiplex Constructions has been awarded the main works contract to deliver the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital, which will provide the community with a range of expanded and contemporary health services close to home.

Clinicians, staff and the community have been engaged in the planning and design process, which is expected to support more than 600 direct jobs during construction and hundreds of indirect jobs over the life of the project.

Work to prepare the site will include the installation of site sheds, site setup and establishment, construction of erosion and sediment basins, and an ancillary road to facilitate construction access.

The new $330 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital includes:

An emergency department with a larger capacity than the current combined emergency services of Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals.
An 8 bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU)/Close Observation Unit (COU). This will be the first intensive care service available in the Eurobodalla region.
Increased access for chemotherapy treatments and renal dialysis.
Surgical and operating theatres and a day stay surgical unit.
Expanded medical imaging, including a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) service.
Ambulatory care for community outpatient services.
Paediatric and maternity services, and a special care nursery.
Mental health beds for short term admissions.
Enhanced education and training facilities, including a simulation laboratory.

Community members interested in working on the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital will be encouraged to attend drop-in information sessions at a later date, to hear about opportunities to be part of the workforce for the new project.

Find out more about the Eurobodalla Regional Hospital development

Regional Health Minister Ryan Park:

“The NSW Government is delivering $70 million in additional funding towards the brand-new, purpose-built, $330 million level 4 hospital to support the needs of the entire Eurobodalla Shire community from Narooma to Batemans Bay.

“The new hospital will serve the South Coast region for generations to come, providing more health services than are currently available at both the Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals combined.”

Member for Bega Dr Michael Holland:

“I am so pleased we have reached another major milestone in our efforts to deliver the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital as a Level 4 health facility.

“This is on top of the recent budget announcement which will deliver an additional $70 million investment towards the project, which will ensure that it remains on track.

“With the main works contractor appointed to build the new hospital, the community will see increased activity on site, including heavy machinery, in preparation for the start of main works construction in the coming weeks.”

Start your engines! Racing returns to Wakefield Park

Racing at Wakefield Park Raceway is set to return following a $1 million investment from the Minns Government, delivering on another major election commitment.

The iconic regional track in Tirrannaville hasn’t seen any hot laps in 2 years as the facility has been shut since September 2022 following an ongoing noise generation issue.

The NSW Government pledged to work with stakeholders to implement noise mitigation measures to minimise noise impacts to surrounding properties around the raceway.

Stage 1 works have now been completed at the venue, which has been renamed as One Raceway, with a track reconfiguration and large 13 to 18-metre-high noise mounds created to the northern and southern ends of the raceway to better shield surrounding dwellings from on-site noise generation.

This is another great announcement for the NSW racing community following the government’s work to see Speedway racing back up and running this season.

The track is also offering a number of services for the Goulburn community such as driver training and safety programs.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“The raceway has a long and storied history spanning over 30 years, with Goulburn the historic home of motor racing, having held Australia’s first motorbike and car grand prix.

“The NSW Government has delivered on yet another important election commitment to have the Wakefield Park Raceway back up and racing in a way that also mitigates racing noise.

“Wakefield Park Raceway is an important community facility for people right across the Goulburn region and the state. It also offers vital driver training and safety programs which benefit the local community.

“The community and the motor racing industry are eagerly anticipating the raceway’s grand re-opening. The new owners have made some exciting new racing additions including a dual-direction circuit – which they say is an Australian first.”

Duty MLC Bob Nanva said:

“Wakefield Park holds a special place in the community, not only for its pedigree, but also for its accessibility for motoring enthusiasts.

“Having recently visited the raceway, and having seen the work Steve and his associates have been putting into it firsthand, I can say that the rejuvenation that One Raceway has seen is nothing short of remarkable.

“This funding comes on top of $43 million for Police Force infrastructure, tens of millions of dollars for local roads, nearly $2 million to finalise upgrades to Moss Vale Fire Station, and over $10 million for critical water and sewerage infrastructure, just to name a few of the other essential services to be delivered through the 2024-25 budget.

“This funding delivers on a key commitment the Minns Labor Government made during the 2023 campaign, one that will help support the tourism industry in Goulburn long into the future.”

One Raceway owner Steve Shelley said:

“This is a fantastic day for One Raceway, as we embark on a bold new era for motorsport racing in NSW.

“I’m delighted the NSW Government has followed through with their election commitment by providing funding towards our extensive noise mitigation works.

“Since purchasing this raceway, we have invested close to $7 million to minimise noise disruption for the local community.

“These investments include modifications to the circuit layout and improvements to noise walls. This allows the circuit to be operated in both directions and further reduce noise impacts on our neighbours.”

NSW Health warns of high seasonal influenza activity

NSW Health is urging the community to protect themselves against serious illness as cases of flu and emergency presentations continue to rise across the state.

NSW Health Executive Director of Health Protection, Dr Jeremy McAnulty said the latest NSW Health Respiratory Surveillance Report shows in the week ending 15 June 2024, there was an increase of 33% in people diagnosed with influenza compared with the previous week.

“The latest data also showed an increase in the number of people who presented to NSW emergency departments (EDs) with influenza-like illness, and some increase in admissions from EDs as well,” Dr McAnulty said.

“The high level of flu activity is concerning, and we expect this to continue in the coming weeks. Influenza is more serious than the common cold. It can cause pneumonia, make chronic underlying medical conditions like diabetes, lung and heart disease much worse requiring hospital admission and causing death.

“Complications can occur in anyone but are most likely in those at higher risk of severe illness.

“Vaccination is the best protection against infection and severe disease. Everyone, but particularly those at higher risk of severe disease, is urged to get their influenza vaccination now; it’s not too late to get vaccinated. By getting vaccinated you also help protect those around you.”

People who are at higher risk of severe illness from influenza who are eligible for free vaccination include:

people aged 65 years and over
children aged 6 months to under 5 years
Aboriginal people from 6 months of age
pregnant women
people with serious health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, immune disorders, severe asthma, kidney, heart, and lung disease.

Dr McAnulty said flu was highly contagious and urged people to avoid visiting high-risk settings including hospitals and aged care facilities if they are experiencing symptoms.

“If you have flu symptoms it is important to stay home and avoid contact with others until after your symptoms have gone,” Dr McAnulty said.

There are some simple steps you can take to help protect yourself and your loved ones from respiratory viruses like COVID-19, influenza and RSV, including:

stay up to date with your recommended influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations
stay home if you are sick and wear a mask if you need to leave home
get together outdoors or in large, well-ventilated spaces with open doors and windows
avoid crowded spaces
consider doing a rapid antigen test (RAT) before visiting people at higher risk of severe illness
talk with your doctor now if you are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 or influenza to make a plan about what to do if you get sick, including what test to take, and discussing if you are eligible for antiviral medicines
don’t visit people who are at higher risk of severe illness if you are sick or have tested positive to COVID-19 or influenza
practice good hand hygiene, including handwashing.