Category: NSW News

Tough illicit tobacco laws, first proposed by the Coalition in June, have yesterday passed the NSW Lower House.
 
These new laws will crack down on the dodgy tobacconists popping up on every high street in NSW. New powers will allow NSW Health to close stores found selling illicit tobacco for up to 90 days, or 12 months with a court order. Penalties for the sale and possession of commercial quantities of illicit tobacco will see people face up to 7 years imprisonment or a $1.5 million fine.
 
Leader of the Opposition, Mark Speakman welcomed the Government supporting the Coalition’s proposals to crack down on illicit tobacco and organised crime.
 
“Organised crime gangs cannot run NSW. These laws will shut down their illegal tobacco stores, cut off a money stream that funds their illegal activities and put them behind bars.”
“With the passage of these new laws, the job now falls to the Government to ensure they are enforced. The community expects nothing less than to start seeing these stores closed down,” said Mr Speakman.
 
Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens said these laws will better protect communities across NSW from harmful tobacco and organised crime on our streets.
 
“Every community across NSW has seen a rise in illegal tobacco stores on their street corners. Chris Minns’ Government has allowed organised crime to establish a presence in our local communities.”
 
Shadow Health Minister Kellie Sloane said the passage of these laws sent a clear message to criminals engaged in the illicit tobacco trade, and they will help protect young people against the harms of tobacco and vaping.
 
“These stores trade in addiction. They target kids with cheap, dangerous products, and the result is more lives lost, and more hospital beds filled.”
“Passing laws is only the beginning. The real test will be whether the Government backs this up with ongoing enforcement and a broader health plan to reduce smoking rates.”
 
Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Gurmesh Singh said regional NSW was facing the brunt of criminals fighting for control of the illegal tobacco trade.
 
“Regional communities throughout NSW are seeing these stores pop up every day and fear the violence that comes along with them like firebombings and intimidation.”
“It is time to see these stores closed and the criminals face harsh penalties and that is what these tough new laws will do.”

The Minns Labor Government is openly divided over its plan to bulldoze Carnarvon Golf Course and turn it into a new cemetery.
 
On one side, the local Labor MP for Auburn, Lynda Voltz, has told Parliament this evening Sydney has no cemetery crisis, pointing to more than 163,000 burial plots at Macarthur Memorial Park and Nepean Memorial Gardens, enough to last until 2058.
 
On the other, the Minister for Crown Lands, Steve Kamper, claims the issue is one of urgency, demanding action in just a matter of years
 
Both can’t be right. Either Lynda Voltz doesn’t believe her Premier and his Minister, or the Premier’s own frontbench is misleading the public.
 
This is not just a policy split; it is a caucus at war. The government’s left hand doesn’t know what its right hand is doing. Labor MPs are contradicting each other in Parliament, in the media, and in their own electorates.
 
Families deserve transparency. Instead, they are watching Labor fight itself while their green space is under threat.
 
NSW Leader of the Opposition, Mark Speakman said Steve Kamper says this is urgent and running out in a matter of years.
 
“Lynda Voltz says Sydney has cemetery land until 2058. Who in the Labor caucus is telling the truth?”, Mr Speakman said.
 
Shadow Minister for Crown Lands, Steph Cooke said one Labor MP says there’s no crisis for over 30 years.
 
“A Labor Minister says it’s urgent. That’s not consultation, that’s division at the heart of the Labor caucus.” Ms Cooke said.

NSW Liberal Shadow Minister for the Environment, James Griffin MP, has slammed the Minns Labor Government for announcing the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) without any concrete details or legislation to back it up. 
 
“After two and a half years of delay and inaction, all this Labor Government can produce is a media statement. No legislation, no details, no explanation of funding, and no certainty,” Mr Griffin said. 
 
“To make such a significant announcement whilst providing almost no detail is deeply disappointing. It is more than reasonable and fair to ask, why announce something but have no legislation to back it up?.”
 
Concerningly, the Minns Labor Government has revealed that the final creation of the proposed park is dependent on the successful registration of a carbon project under the Improved Native Forest Management (INFM) Method, which is currently under review by the Federal Government.
 
Yesterday, NSW Premier Chris Minns conceded that while he expects the Federal Government to ‘come through’, this is ultimately a decision outside of his control, stating that the NSW Government will have to look at ways of creating the Great Koala National Park based on the Federal Government’s decision.
 
“There is a total absence of legislation and funding details and a government apparently hedging its bets, and the hopes of conservation groups, on approval from the Federal Government,” Mr Griffin said.
 
“That means the very shape of the legislation, and even whether it proceeds at all, will be determined not in NSW, but in Canberra.”
 
If the Federal Government refuses to provide carbon credits, serious questions arise about how the legislation and plans for the GKNP will change, including whether the proposed boundaries will be altered. Until the Minns Labor Government provides the necessary details and introduces clear legislation to back up this announcement, the NSW Liberals will continue to hold Premier Chris Minns to account.
 
The Former Coalition Government had a proud and strong record on Koala conservation, which included establishing the updated NSW Koala Strategy, which delivered $190 million over five years to support the overarching goal of doubling NSW’s koala numbers by 2050. As part of this, the former NSW Coalition committed:

• $107.1 million to fund the protection, restoration and improved management of 47,000 hectares of koala habitat, to meet key conservation targets of 22,000 ha of koala habitat protected and 25,000 ha of koala habitat restored by 2026.
• $19.6 million to fund partnerships across NSW
• $23.2 million to remove threats, improve health and rehabilitation, and establish a translocation program
• $43.4 million to fill knowledge gaps and better understand NSW koala populations

Under this Labor Government, those key targets are not being met, with the 2023-24 NSW Koala Strategy Annual Report released in August last month revealing that only 8,353 hectares of koala habitat had been restored.
 
If protecting koalas were genuinely a priority, Chris Minns would have legislated the park immediately and backed the NSW Koala Strategy with real funding. Instead, we’re left with a hollow announcement, no legislation, and a plan that depends on Canberra’s say-so,” Mr Griffin said.

The Minns Labor Government has introduced legislation which will pave the way to deliver on its election commitment to remove worksite speed limits outside construction speed hours where it is safe to do so.  

Currently, construction speed limits remain in effect outside of construction hours. While some road and lane closures do warrant ongoing speed reductions for the purposes of safety it is not uncommon for drivers to have to slow down on an unobstructed road for work that is not taking place. 

The Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 presented to Parliament today requires all road authorities including Councils and their contractors undertaking road works to install, maintain and remove road work speed limit signs in compliance with a Standard to be published by Transport for NSW in the Gazette. 

The stage is set for a massive day at Netball Central on Sunday 14 September, as 12 teams go head-to-head across six grand finals in the 10th year of the DOOLEYS Metro League.

Making it to the big dance is no small feat. After 18 weeks of match play and three weeks of finals, the deciding contenders are ready to fight for championship glory. Among the standouts, Eastwood Ryde will contest three divisions, Liverpool City returns to the big stage for the first time since 2022 while two regional teams – Hunter and Illawarra District – have also earned their spots, proving the competition’s reach across the state.

In the headline clash, reigning champions and ladder leaders Eastwood Ryde take on Manly Warringah in the Division One Grand Final.

Eastwood Ryde has been the benchmark all year, finishing on top of the ladder with 16 wins and just one loss. They powered past Hills District 51-45 in the Qualifying Final to book a direct path to the decider.

“We are under immense pressure. The underdogs always want to beat the champions. We need to step up, defend the title and deliver as everyone is expecting,” co-coach of Eastwood Ryde Pipiena Lomu said.

“For us, it is playing with maturity and being game smart. It is in the defensive, doing the little things, like the defensive hands, holding the ball on turnovers and completing our centre passes. At the end of the day it comes down to who shows up and wants to win the game.”

Manly Warringah, who finished third on the ladder, have taken the long road to the final. After edging Northern Suburbs 51-50 in the Elimination Final, they overcame Hills District 59-51 in the Preliminary Final to secure their shot at the title.

“We lost both our matches to Eastwood Ryde but not by many,” Manly coach Janene van Gogh said.

“We are probably peaking at the right time. We lost to Hills by 20 in the round but beat them by nine in the Preliminary Final. There have been improvements across the court. A spectator said last week that it looks like everyone knows their job and are functioning at a high level.”

Van Gogh knows her side will need to be at their best to upset the reigning champions.

“They (Eastwood Ryde) are experienced and have been around for a long time. They won the tournament last year. It will be a grind. I told the girls they will just have to play the best they can and the match will take care of itself. We have to be consistent across the whole court.”

The excitement doesn’t stop at Division One. A full day of contests will showcase the depth of talent across the league:

• Division 2: Sutherland Shire v Liverpool City
• Division 3: Eastwood Ryde v Blacktown City
• Division 4: Randwick v Ku-Ring-Gai
• Division 5: Hunter Netball v Eastwood Ryde
• Development Series: Illawarra District v Randwick

With regional pride, first-time finalists, and powerhouse clubs all in the mix, the 2025 Grand Finals promise non-stop action and high-quality netball.

The DOOLEYS Metro League is one of New South Wales’ best netball competitions, featuring 68 teams across six divisions and played on Wangal Country at Sydney Olympic Park. It has long been a crucial stepping stone in the Netball NSW pathway, with many athletes progressing to Premier League, and ultimately Suncorp Super Netball with the NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball.

DOOLEYS Catholic Club in Lidcombe has been the proud naming rights partner of this competition for the past 18 years – 10 years as Metro League and eight years previously as State League. Their ongoing support reflects a strong commitment to community, participation and excellence, helping the competition provide a platform for metro-based athletes, coaches, umpires, and administrators to shine.

With one team chasing back-to-back titles and others making history, the 2025 DOOLEYS Metro League Grand Finals will be a celebration of the competition’s depth, talent, and community spirit.

The action gets underway from 11am on Sunday 14 September at Netball Central. Tickets are $13.20 per person and available here. All matches will be streamed live at netballnsw.tv.

I would like to thank the NSW Productivity and Equality Commissioner’s for bringing his trademark analysis and big picture thinking to the night-time economy.

As this report states, previous policies have had severe unintended consequences, wiping out hundreds of venues and causing long lasting social and economic damage.

During two years in office we’ve worked hard to rebuild our night-time economy, but as the Commissioner says there is still so much work to do to harness its full potential. Overregulation, safety and the cost-of-living continue to be handbrakes on the night-time economy.

This report is a call to double down on our work.

One of the specific areas the Commissioner singles out for reform is the expensive and arduous development application process. This report shows that the DA has become a stop sign to progress.

Small businesses are being saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of costs and countless hours of work to make modest changes. We have to make it easier and less costly for hospitality businesses to boost vibrancy and productivity.

The report highlights the important role of transport in the night-time economy. For our nightlife precincts to thrive, people need a safe, fast and affordable way to get home. Work is already underway to increase public transport in the right places to support growth in the night-time economy.

The Commissioner makes an important call out about the safety for women. The report says 65% of people would go out more if they felt safer, that represents a huge opportunity. Safety for women in our nightlife precincts is a fundamental human right, but the commissioner highlights that it’s also holding the night-time economy back from its full potential.

We need to continue finding ways to improve transport, cut costs and increase flexibility for venues – to build a nightlife that’s more fun, safe and affordable.

We will have more to say in response to the specific recommendations in the coming weeks and months.

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Read the Review of regulatory barriers impeding a vibrant 24-hour economy report

On behalf of the NSW Government, I extend my deepest condolences to the family of 17-year-old Annalyse Blyton who tragically passed away at John Hunter Hospital.

This was an horrific incident that has resulted in the death of a young girl who had her whole life ahead of her.   

I thank the emergency services personnel and bystanders who rushed to Annalyse’s aid during a very confronting situation, and the medical staff who provided care at John Hunter Hospital.

I also thank Singleton Council and the rangers who attended the scene. The Council is continuing to provide information to the Office of Local Government.  

NSW Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.

Information will be prepared for the coroner and the NSW Government will closely consider any recommendations.

NSW has strong dog control laws to prevent attacks and improve the safety of our communities. The government is currently reviewing the Companion Animals Act 1998 alongside recommendations from recent coronial inquests into fatal dog attacks in NSW.

Our thoughts are with Annalyse’s loved ones in this terrible time.

A further 26 projects have been declared as State Significant Development (SSD) following recommendations from the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA).

Of these proposals, 24 are in metropolitan Sydney and two are in regional New South Wales.

If lodged and approved, this could create more than 7,700 homes, including affordable homes, across New South Wales.

Since the formation of the HDA in January, 85 projects have had Secretary Environmental Assessment Requirements issued and seven Development Applications have been lodged.

To date, 240 proposals amounting to more than 86,700 potential homes have been declared state significant.

Recommendations from the HDA are published as required under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 before the SSD declaration.

The Ministerial Order can be found here.

The Minns Labor Government met with Australian-Indian leaders from across NSW today to discuss recent threats to cohesion in the community.

More than 40 leaders from peak bodies and community organisations joined a roundtable with the Premier, the Treasurer and the Minister for Multiculturalism, supported by Multicultural NSW.

The NSW Government is committed to listening to the leaders in our communities, and working towards safeguarding social harmony.

A key request from the roundtable was a call for bipartisan support for the Australian-Indian community. As such, the Minns Labor Government will be moving a motion and will seek bipartisan support in the NSW Parliament.

Notice of the motion will be given today, with the expectation the motion will be debated on Wednesday 10 September.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said:

“I can say without fear of contradiction that the Australian Indian community have done so much for our country, this community is full of hard working and decent people who join communities, who raise their families, who prioritise their community, and lastly, but I think most importantly, who love Australia, who love our country.

“Today we stand together with the Australian Indian community to say unambiguously that the sort of racist rhetoric and divisive false claims we have seen over the last couple of weeks have no place in our state or country.

“When neo-Nazis and white supremacists spread lies and fear, we will call it out because the truth is that a lie can race around the world before the truth gets its pants on, and the truth is that Australian Indians are one of the most successful, patriotic and community-minded groups in our nation.”

Treasurer of New South Wales, Daniel Mookhey said:

“Australian Indians should not be used as fodder in an internal Liberal Party dispute as it works through its view on migration.

“We can debate Australia’s immigration policy without singling out any one group as being the reason why it needs to be changed.

“The Minns Labor Government has a responsibility to make sure that our Australian-Indian community is safe, is supported and hears our very clear message – this kind of dangerous rhetoric is unacceptable.”

Minister for Multiculturalism, Steve Kamper said:

“Our Australian-Indian community, like any community, has the right to feel safe and welcome in Australia. The fact that they have been intimidated and vilified is a blight on our State.

“The Australian-Indian Community is defined by their commitment to community, their aspirational ambition and their hardworking nature. They personify the very characteristics we cherish as a nation, that hard work will be met with opportunity, that contributing to the community will lead to a better life, and that respect will be met with respect. Our society is richer for their contribution.

“We will continue to work with our Australian-Indian community to ensure a better future for generations to come.”

Lower emergency department (ED) wait times have coincided with the ongoing implementation of safe staffing ratios as well as widespread uptake of urgent and virtual care health services.

But Health Minister Ryan Park reiterates that while significant improvements have been made, hospitals continue to experience high demand, and more is being done to relieve pressure on EDs.

Lower wait times & ramping

NSW hospitals achieved the highest T2 emergency treatment on time performance and lowest ambulance ramping for a June quarter since the pandemic.

Western Sydney has led the way in improved ED wait times and ramping, with the proportion of T2 emergency patients being treated on time increasing by almost a third (from 29 per cent of T2 patients to 37.5), compared to the same quarter in 2024.

Ramping is also improving with the proportion of patients transferred to ED within 30 minutes increasing by a quarter over the past year (from 60.9 per of patients to 76.2).

At Blacktown Hospital, the proportion of T2 emergency patients treated on time almost doubled from the previous year (from 17.7 per cent of T2 patients to 31.4). It has almost tripled over the past three years (from 10.6 per cent of T2 patients in the June 2022 quarter).

Ramping at Blacktown Hospital has also improved with the proportion of patients transferred to ED within 30 minutes increasing.

This means the sickest patients – T2 emergency patients – are being treated quicker, paramedics are getting back on the road faster, and the system is working more effectively and efficiently.

Overdue surgeries are also down more than 85 per cent since they peaked in the June quarter in 2022.

More staff

The improved ED wait times and reduced ramping coincides with the workforce adding almost 3,000 FTE workers over the past year including approximately 1,200 additional FTE nurses – as health worker retention rates return to pre-pandemic levels.

This includes almost 500 additional nurses recruited to hospital EDs over the past year as part of the Minns Labor Government’s implementation of safe staffing ratios, which will see a total of 2,480 additional nurses join our EDs.

More ED alternatives

Lower wait times and ramping also coincide with 222,000 patients being diverted away from EDs in the year to 30 June 2025, thanks to Healthdirect, with many patients being referred to the NSW Government’s urgent and virtual care services.

It also coincides with increased treatment of patients from the comfort of their own home through the Hospital in the Home initiative.

More to do

The Minns Labor Government has rolled out its $500 million ED relief package which has seen:

• The recent completion of the rollout of virtual urgent care services available now across the entire state;
• 222,000 patients referred to non-ED pathways for care including urgent and virtual care services;
• Investment in the Hospital in the Home initiative which allows patients to complete recovery out of the hospital and from the comfort of their own home;
• The recruitment and deployment of discharge concierges to help identify patients for safe discharge from hospital more quickly, freeing up beds;
• The development of a new ambulance matrix which will equip paramedics with real-time data to optimise patient destination decisions, incorporating embedded referral pathways to direct patients to appropriate alternative care settings when clinically appropriate, thereby reducing unnecessary ED visits;; and
• The expansion of short stay units with an additional 22 short stay treatment spaces across five hospitals – designed to treat patients with less serious conditions and move them through the system more quickly.

One of those short stay units is located at Campbelltown Hospital’s Children’s Short Stay Unit – with children under 16 making up more than a quarter of Campbelltown Hospital’s more than 91,000 ED presentations last year.

Opened earlier this year, it sees more than 100 children each week for less serious conditions like asthma, gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, and injuries such as fractures, sprains and dislocations.

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“We’re investing in more staff, more hospitals and more beds, more quickly, and we’re seeing lower wait times and less ramping.

“While lower ED wait times and ramping are promising, there is still more to be done.

“I want to thank staff for their amazing work in delivering these significant improvements.

“During periods of high demand, those with less urgent conditions can experience longer wait times when there are large numbers of seriously unwell patients being prioritised for emergency care.

“So I want to remind the community of your options for care outside of the hospital which could spare you an unnecessary wait in an ED.

“If you have a non-life-threatening condition, please phone Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 where you will be assessed by a registered nurse who can potentially refer you to urgent care, or even virtual care from the comfort of your own home.”