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Work to begin on expanded car parking at Port Macquarie Base Hospital

Patients, visitors and staff will soon have improved access to Port Macquarie Base Hospital with construction set to begin on new and free car parking facilities to boost capacity at the campus.

Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park said the work is part of the NSW Government’s $33.97 million Helipad and Car Park Project, to enhance accessibility to local health services.

“Work will shortly begin on a new street-level car park and an expansion to existing parking spaces, which will deliver more than 180 additional parking spaces on site,” Mr Park said.

“The new facilities will provide safe and convenient access to hospital services for patients, visitors and staff, now and into the future and be a welcome addition for the Port Macquarie community.”

Eire Constructions has been awarded the contract to build the car park, following a competitive tender process, with construction to begin on site next week.

The new car park will be located on the site of the old helipad, which was recently replaced by a new rooftop helipad completed last year.

Member of the Legislative Council and Labor spokesperson for Port Macquarie Cameron Murphy said the progress on the new car park was an exciting milestone for the community.

“The new car park facilities will further support recent enhancements at Port Macquarie Base Hospital, including the new rooftop helipad which is improving the safety and efficiency of transfers of critically ill patients,” Mr Murphy said.

The car park project is expected to be completed in early 2025.

Traffic management plans and signage will be in place throughout construction and the community is thanked for their patience while work is carried out.

For further information about the project please visit Health Infrastructure’s website.

Labor set to raise rubbish rates

The NSW Opposition will move to stop Minns Labor Government regulations that are set to increase rubbish and recycling costs for households across the state. 

Shadow Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman said the Opposition will move to disallow the Local Government (General) Amendment (Tendering) Regulation (No 2) 2023, that will drive up council costs which will be inevitably passed on to ratepayers. 

“Due to their poor design and a lack of consultation with stakeholders, Labor’s regulations forced operational inefficiencies on waste management contractors, and will potentially force councils to pay double for accrued employee entitlements,” Mrs Tuckerman said. 

“Pushing through poorly thought amendments without consultation or advice from councils, waste contractors, or peak industry bodies has resulted in a terrible outcome for everyone – particularly NSW ratepayers who will end up having to pay for this mess.” 

Shadow Minister for Environment Kellie Sloane said the failure to ensure transparency and fairness within the regulation has already impacted councils’ waste tendering process. 

“Labor’s rushed plan is stifling competition and innovation across the waste management and resource recovery sectors,” Ms Sloane said. “This will have long-term repercussions for the providers, councils and our environment.” 

“We urge the Government to engage with stakeholders, and work together on a new and effective solution,” Mrs Tuckerman said. 

“Councils and communities across the state are calling for certainty, simplicity and cost efficiencies – these regulations from the Minns Labor Government is the exact opposite”. 

Teen charged after police vehicle allegedly rammed – Lake Macquarie

A teen has been charged and will face Court after a police car was allegedly rammed at Lake Macquarie earlier this morning.

About 2.30am (Monday 13 May 2024), a fully marked police vehicle was parked and unattended on Oxford Street, Gateshead, when an unknown vehicle collided with the front offside of the police vehicle, rendering the police vehicle inoperable and drove away from the scene without stopping.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District Proactive Crime Team commenced an investigation into the incident.

Following inquiries, about 12.00pm today, police located a silver Jeep Cherokee 4WD abandoned in Eino Place, Ellebana. Investigations revealed the vehicle had earlier been reported stolen from Salamander Bay on Thursday 9 May 2024 and was believed to being involved in the collision with the police vehicle.

A short time later, police attended Jonathan Street, Ellebana, and spoke with a15-year-old-boy.

The boy was arrested and taken to Belmont Police Station where he was charged with seven offences – larceny, face blackened/disguised with intent to commit an indictable offence, drive conveyance taken without consent of owner, not give particulars to other driver, drive manner dangerous, commit Section 154A offence and disseminate (post and boast) and goods in custody.

The boy was refused bail and will appear before a Children’s Court tomorrow (Tuesday 14 May 2024).

NSW Government to issue formal apology on the 40th anniversary of decriminalisation of homosexuality

The NSW Government is today announcing that it will issue a formal state apology to those convicted under discriminatory laws that criminalised homosexual acts.

This comes as we mark the 40th anniversary of the Crimes (Amendment) Bill 1984 passing in the Parliament of NSW, which decriminalised homosexuality in our state.

The decriminalisation of homosexuality by former Premier Neville Wran, marked a significant step forward in the journey of law reforms for gay and lesbian communities.

As we reflect on this historic occasion, the NSW Government acknowledges the challenging history that LGBTIQ+ communities have faced in our state.

We recognise the trauma people of diverse sexualities have endured, and continue to live with, because of past decisions that criminalised and persecuted them based on their sexuality.

While we have made significant strides of progress over time, we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done to ensure the equal rights for all members of our community.

As we commemorate this significant anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to building a NSW where every individual is valued and respected.

NSW is the last state to issue an apology. Victoria and South Australia formally apologised in 2016, followed by Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania in 2017.

The formal state apology will be made in NSW Parliament.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“I know that to many this apology will not remedy discrimination of the past, but I hope that it brings some semblance of closure to those that were unfairly targeted by laws of the day that criminalised gay and lesbian people for being who they are.”

Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Penny Sharpe said:

“Decriminalisation of homosexuality was a significant step that smashed through the wall of laws that allowed discrimination against gay men and the LGBTQ community.

“A formal apology to those who suffered at the hands of the law that criminalised homosexuality recognises the harm done to many and acknowledges that it was wrong.”

Midwives train up paramedics to improve maternity care in the community

More than 100 paramedics have boosted their skills in delivering emergency maternity care in the community after completing a maternity training program developed by Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) and NSW Ambulance.

The program pairs paramedics with midwives for a full day’s placement at Nepean Hospital’s Birth Unit to support paramedics to manage out of hospital birthing and maternal emergencies by offering interprofessional education and clinical placement support.

A typical day of activities in the program sees paramedics assist in all types of birth scenarios including vaginal births (including water births) and emergency caesareans, as well as how to provide care during obstetric emergencies such as shoulder dystocia.

The training program enables paramedics to provide care throughout labour, birth and early postnatal period.

Midwives are able to share their expert knowledge to help paramedics further develop their skills to provide care during birth in the community, this includes in the event of an obstetric emergency.

NSW Ambulance Paramedic, Tim Timmer, has completed the training program and already applied skills learnt from his experience working with the hospital midwives.

Minster for Health Ryan Park said:

“For midwives, provision of labour and birth care are day to day experiences, but paramedics experience labour and birth less often in the community.

“When they do, the births are often unexpected and may sometimes be emergencies.

“This training ensures that our paramedics are best placed to provide care and treatment in these circumstances, fostering improved health outcomes.”

NSW Ambulance Chief Executive Dr Dominic Morgan said:

“This partnership with Nepean Hospital will further optimise maternity care in the local community.

“This is a great example of highly skilled paramedics working collaboratively with hospital maternity clinicians to share their skills and knowledge to provide the best possible care to women and their babies.”

Member for Penrith Karen McKeown said:

“I am so proud that this life saving training is taking place right here at Nepean Hospital.”

Nepean Hospital Divisional Manager of Women and Children’s Health and midwife, Kerry Tosswill said:

“This program is a great opportunity for these two highly skilled professional groups to come together to learn and share knowledge to improve patient care.

“This program demonstrates innovation in action within our health system.

“The program is leading quality improvements to ensure safer patient care through partner agency engagement and inter-professional learning.

“The skills transfer that occurs within this clinical placement support is immediate, delivering instant benefits to maternal outcomes and experiences.”

NSW Ambulance Paramedic, Tim Timmer said:

“You develop a heightened confidence and when you apply that out in the field you can systematically go step by step knowing that you’ve seen this before, you know what happens next and this is what I need to do.”

Appeal to locate teen missing from Maitland

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenage girl missing from the state’s Hunter region.

Brielle Wild, age 15, was last seen on Patriot Close, Gillieston Heights, about 6.20pm yesterday (Saturday 11 May 2024).

When she could not be located or contacted, Brielle was reported missing to officers from Port Stephens Hunter Police District who commenced inquiries to locate her.

Police and family hold serious concerns for her welfare due to her age.

Brielle is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 130cm to 140cm tall, thin build, with brown hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing a black pants and a black jumper with a red logo on the front.

Brielle is known to frequent the Gillieston Heights and Maitland areas.

Anyone with information into her whereabouts is urged to call local police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Driver charged over fatal crash – Lake Macquarie 

An unlicensed driver has been charged following a fatal crash at Lake Macquarie last month. 

Emergency services had been called to Freemans Drive, Cooranbong, about 12.15am (Sunday 14 April 2024), after a northbound car hit the rear of parked SUV.

An 18-year-old man in the front passenger seat died at the scene.

The 17-year-old driver was freed by emergency services and taken to John Hunter Hospital, while a 43-year-old man in the SUV suffered minor injuries.

Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District established a crime scene before the investigation was taken over by specialist officers from the Hunter Crash Investigation Unit.

The driver – now aged 18 – was arrested when he attended Newcastle Police Station yesterday (Saturday 11 May 2024). He has now been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death – drive manner dangerous, and negligent driving occasioning death.

He has been granted conditional bail to appear in Broadmeadow Children’s Court tomorrow (13 May 2024).

Champion for women’s sport recognised with City of Newcastle’s highest honour

Netball player, administrator and Hunter sports and civic luminary Adele Saunders OAM has been inducted as the 18th Freeman of the City of Newcastle.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes awarded the title to the 88-year-old lifelong Novocastrian at City Hall today before an audience that included city officials, cultural leaders and fellow Freemen John McNaughton, Margaret McNaughton, and Father Nicolaos Zervas.

L to R: Sharon Claydon MP, Adele Saunders, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk

The City’s newest Freeman, who insisted on being referred to as “Dell”, was celebrated as a pillar of netball as a player, official and administrator who brought empathy and a social conscience to every voluntary role she performed.

“If you’ve lived in Newcastle you’ve been helped by Dell Saunders, it’s as simple as that. Dell has time for everyone and she’s part of the fabric of our city,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

“You can get a sense of Dell’s legacy from her longevity, and over seven decades of serving Newcastle in sport, cultural and civic life. But the richness of her contribution continues to elevate people in big and small ways – this honour goes some way towards recognising that.”

Dell’s life in netball started when she was 11 playing for her primary school, Mayfield West. She would grow into a state level centre. She later became an All Australian netball umpire and president of the Newcastle Netball Association from 1978 to 2019. 

Dell had already served as secretary to the Association since 1955, winning the NSW country championship with the Newcastle representative team the same year.

The face of Newcastle netball to many, Dell insisted on a modest ceremony with the dimmest personal spotlight. But she allowed a reflection on her character in netball terms.

“To be an umpire you have to be completely unbiased. You have to be fair. You should never penalise someone or inhibit their skills as long as it’s within the rules,” Dell said. 

“And you have to be able to ignore the brickbats that come your way. If the spectators crowd you, sometimes it pays to run with your elbow out. I’m still at the umpires’ office every Saturday; it’s rewarding to see someone make it. That’s what comes with being a voluntary person – you set the standard and they remember. We don’t just give them sport, we make them citizens.”

Dell Saunders was also a mainstay of City committees that delivered the Mattara Festival and a vocal advocate for more and better netball courts in Newcastle.

Investing in a better future for Tasmania

The Albanese Labor Government is making more critical investments in Tasmanian infrastructure to improve road safety and cut travel times.

In next week’s Budget, we are investing more than $219 million in a roads package for the state.

This will fund over $124 million for new projects, including:

  • Lyell Highway – Granton to New Norfolk.
  • Huon Highway Corridor upgrades.
  • Planning along the Devonport to Cradle Mountain and Arthur Highway Corridors.

We are also committing $95 million to ensure the following existing projects can be delivered:

  • Mornington Roundabout Upgrade.
  • Midland Highway – Campbell Town North (Campbell Town to Epping Forest).
  • Algona Road Grade Separated Interchange and Duplication of the Kingston Bypass.

The Lyell Highway upgrade will boost safety and reliability of travel times along narrow sections of the highway. This will greatly improve access to tourism hotspots and vital community facilities in New Norfolk and the Derwent Valley.

The Mornington Roundabout is a key pinch point causing congestion and safety concerns. This investment will ensure the necessary upgrades for improved driveability and traffic flow.

The planning projects along key Tasmanian corridors will lay the ground work for a pipeline of future investments that are properly scoped, designed and costed.

This builds on our existing investment in Tasmania of over $2 billion, delivering 35 road and rail projects.

We are working closely with the Tasmanian Government on priority projects for the benefit of the community.

We are getting on with delivering a better future for all Australians, one made in Australia that builds economic opportunity and thriving communities.

We will have more to say about infrastructure spending in Tasmania at Budget time.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“When residents and visitors move around Tasmania, they move around by road. But after a decade of neglect, many of Tasmania’s roads are not fit for purpose.

“Last year Tasmania lost more than 30 people on the roads, with more than 300 critically injured. That’s not good enough.

“This investment in our Budget is about getting Tasmania moving safely – to allow people to spend less time on the road and more time with their loved ones.”

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

“We are working for all Australians to deliver significant infrastructure that connects communities, stimulates jobs and builds the future of our nation.

“The hard work we undertook to clean up the mess in the infrastructure pipeline means there is room to deal with ongoing cost pressures and plan for future projects.

“I thank the Tasmanian Government for working closely with us to ensure the delivery of these projects.”

Member for Franklin Julie Collins:

“This is another example of the Albanese Labor Government delivering key infrastructure projects for Tasmania.

“I welcome the additional funding for vital infrastructure projects in my electorate of Franklin, including for the Mornington Roundabout and the Algona Road Upgrade – these projects have long been a concern for people in our local community.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the Tasmanian Government to ensure we can implement the possible solutions for our community.”

Senator for Tasmania Carol Brown:

“I’m thrilled the Albanese Government continues to invest heavily in Tasmania, with a range of exciting new projects to bolster road safety and increase productivity.

“We are also demonstrating our commitment to finishing existing projects, like the Mornington Roundabout, which are crucial pieces of infrastructure for our local communities.

“This roads package will increase road safety and reduce the risks of serious crashes and fatalities, helping to keep Tasmanian’s safe.

“Road safety is a shared responsibility across all levels of government, and across the community.”

Senator for Tasmania Anne Urquhart:

“Upgrading roads to popular tourism destinations will keep our tourists safe and also residents and community members safe while travelling our beautiful state of Tasmania.”

Senator for Tasmania Helen Polley:

“These road upgrades and improvements to rural and regional roads and tourism corridors are crucial to the safety of Tasmanians and tourists.

“The Albanese Government is investing in road safety to help protect all road users. Too many Tasmanians have lost their life on Tasmanian roads and these upgrades will go a long way to ensuring safer roads that are fit for purpose.”

Senator for Tasmania Catryna Bilyk:

“Motorists in greater Hobart have been grappling with traffic congestion for some time now.

“With the Mornington roundabout and Kingston Bypass upgrades, the Albanese Government is taking action to ease some of these bottlenecks that are causing frustration for so many motorists.”

Member for Lyons Brian Mitchell:

“This funding is all about improving motorists travelling experiences. This enables motorists everything Tasmania has to offer on safe and better roads.”

Multi-billion-dollar investment to build more homes for Australians

The Albanese Labor Government will make significant new housing investments in next week’s Budget to help deliver our comprehensive Homes for Australia plan.

The Prime Minister convened National Cabinet on Friday, where Premiers and Chief Ministers backed the following new measures in the Budget to help Australians build, rent and buy:

  • $1 billion directed towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and youth under the National Housing Infrastructure Facility. This includes increasing the proportion of grants for this investment from $175 million to $700 million in the Budget to be able to support crisis and transitional housing.
  • $1 billion to get homes built sooner – funding for states and territories to build the roads, sewers, energy, water and community infrastructure that we need for new homes and for additional social housing supply.
  • A new $9.3 billion 5-year National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness – for states and territories to combat homelessness, provide crisis support and build and repair social housing. This includes a doubling of Commonwealth homelessness funding to $400 million every year, matched by states and territories.

This significant new investment builds on the more than $25 billion in new housing investments our Government is delivering over the next decade, including:

  • $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund to build 30,000 social and affordable rental homes.
  • $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator to deliver around 4,000 new social homes across Australia.
  • $3 billion New Homes Bonus to incentivise states and territories to build more homes.
  • $5.5 billion Help to Buy scheme to help more Australians buy their own home.
  • $2.7 billion to increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 15 per cent.
  • $2 billion in financing for more social and affordable rental homes.

We need to build more homes, more quickly, in more parts of the country.

Which is why the Albanese Government has an ambitious goal of building 1.2 million homes by the end of the decade.

We know this is a challenge, but it’s a challenge we have to meet.

We need more tradies and construction workers. That’s why earlier this week the Government announced $90.6 million to boost the number of construction workers, including 20,000 new fee free places.

We also need to reduce pressure on the private rental market.

That’s why the Government is today announcing we will work with the higher education sector on new regulation to require universities to increase their supply of student accommodation for domestic and international students.

Homes for Australia is our Government’s plan to help keep the great Australian dream in reach.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“This Budget will provide an additional $1 billion for social and emergency housing to support women and children escaping domestic violence and will ensure a new five year funding agreement with states and territories for housing and homelessness.

“We are encouraging states and territories to kick-start building by providing an extra $1 billion to help fund the roads and services new homes need, and for new social housing.

“This Budget means more tradies, fewer barriers to construction, less talk and more homes.

“This isn’t about one suburb or one city or one state. It’s a challenge facing Australians everywhere and it needs action from every level of government.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers:

“Housing is a big priority for the Albanese Government and it will be a big focus of the Budget.

“Australia needs to build more homes more quickly and that’s what this substantial investment will help to deliver.

“We’re delivering billions more dollars in the Budget to build more homes across the country because we know that to address this housing challenge, we need to boost supply.”

Minister for Housing Julie Collins: 

“Building more homes is the best way to address Australia’s housing challenges, and this is exactly what Homes for Australia will deliver.  

“Homes for Australia will turbocharge the construction of new homes right across the country and ease the pressure on Australians doing it tough. 

“We’re working across government, and with other tiers of government, to achieve the ambitious national target of 1.2 million new homes by the end of the decade.

“This will deliver more homes for home buyers, more homes for renters and more homes for Australians who need them.”

Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“Our international education sector is incredibly important to our country.

“We need to ensure its ongoing sustainability and part of that means we need more purpose-built student accommodation.

“We need more purpose-built housing to support students in higher education and that’s what these reforms, developed in consultation with the sector, will help to drive.”