16 News

NSW Ambulance has welcomed 31 emergency medical call takers, after they were officially inducted into the service at a ceremony at the State Operations Centre in Sydney today.

This graduation is the third call takers graduation to be held this year, providing a boost to control room staff numbers across the Sydney, Northern and Western centres.

The new recruits come from a range of backgrounds and experiences, including trainee emergency medical call taker Bethany Whitnall, who will be joining the Sydney control centre, who is establishing herself as a professional referee in both women’s and men’s rugby union.

The graduates have completed an intensive training program designed to prepare them for a critical role in the emergency response system: being the first point of contact for people in urgent need of medical assistance.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Ryan Park:

“These new emergency call takers are joining a world-class service that is making a difference every day, during some of the most critical times in people’s lives.

“Their work may be unseen, however it is a vital and essential part of a frontline emergency response to people in need.

“Congratulations to NSW Ambulance’s newest inductees, and thank you for the contribution you’re making to our front-line services.”

Quotes attributable to NSW Ambulance Interim Chief Executive Clare Beech:

“We proudly welcome our newest emergency medical call takers, stepping into a role that sits at the heart of our service.

“The call taker role is critical, gathering the right information quickly and providing compassion and reassurance to the caller on the other end of the phone.

“I congratulate each graduate on this achievement and thank them for choosing a career dedicated to serving the community.”

trainee emergency medical call taker Bethany Whitnall:

“I love being busy and constantly pushing the boundaries of what I can achieve at NSW Ambulance.

“The ability to stay calm under pressure and communication skills I have gained from being the first female referee in men’s first grade rugby union in my area will be valuable in my new role.”

Chief Executive of Sydney Metro, Peter Regan, has stepped down after 15 years of public service to take up a new opportunity outside of government.

Mr Regan has worked in senior roles at NSW Treasury and was on the executive of Transport for NSW before joining Sydney Metro.

Head of Customer, Operations and Project Sponsorship Hugh Lawson, who led the highly successful construction of Sydney Metro City, will act in the role of Chief Executive effective immediately.

The Sydney Metro Board will commence recruitment for a permanent leader shortly.

Minister for Transport John Graham said:

“I want to thank Peter for his dedication to Sydney Metro, its people, the safety of the workforce and the unique role the metro system now plays in the city’s public transport network.

“Under his leadership, Sydney Metro has been delivering city-shaping infrastructure that will enhance Sydney for generations to come.

“On behalf of the NSW Government I wish Peter the best and thank him for his leadership.”

The 2026 Statewide Street Count is showing encouraging improvements in key locations, with fewer people sleeping rough in both inner-city Sydney and Byron Shire following targeted investment and coordinated support.

Despite these notable reductions, the number of people sleeping rough in NSW has risen by 5 per cent over the past year, with 2,308 people recorded in 2026.

The annual Street Count provides a snapshot of homelessness across NSW and helps guide investment and service delivery.

Inner-city Sydney saw a 15 percent reduction in rough sleepers, with 296 people counted compared to 346 in 2025.

Byron Shire also experienced a significant decline with numbers falling for the second year in a row, from a high of 348 people in 2024 to 245 people in 2026.

Similar downward trends were observed in Ballina, Inverell and the Tweed Valley demonstrating the effectiveness of targeted local responses that help connect people with housing support.

The biggest regional increases were identified in Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, the Hunter and Central Coast, while the largest increase in Greater Sydney was seen in the Inner West.

Under the Minns Labor Government, NSW has a whole-of-government plan to end homelessness for the first time in the state’s history, backed by a record investment in housing and homelessness.

The NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025-2035 is driving a comprehensive approach to ensure experiences of homelessness are rare, brief, and not repeated. Key actions include:

• Creating more housing through the Building Homes for NSW program: The $6.6 billion dollar initiative will create 8,400 new public homes, more than 21,000 affordable homes and repair 30,000 public homes in need of maintenance. The program will also invest $527.6 million in homelessness responses.
• Enhancing protections for renters: The Minns Government has introduced a suite of reforms to make renting fairer, including banning no-grounds evictions, limiting rent increases to once a year, and ensuring renters have fee-free ways to pay.
• Delivering frontline support through the Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF): The HIFis funding ideas and innovations of Specialist Homelessness Services and other partners on the frontline of the housing crisis. This game-changing approach has already delivered more than 800 new rooms for people experiencing homelessness.
• Expanding and upgrading crisis accommodation through the Building Crisis Housing Plan: The $130 million initiative will create at least 200 additional beds for people experiencing homelessness by 2029. The plan will also transform aging infrastructure into fit-for-purpose, self-contained crisis accommodation with on-site support services.

More than 370 local organisations partnered with Homes NSW to complete street counts in 2026 across 461 towns and suburbs across 77 local government areas (LGAs) across NSW.

This year’s street count was conducted between 23 February and 19 March 2026 and is published annually.

The full 2026 Street Count data can be viewed at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/social-affordable/street-count

Minister for Homelessness Rose Jackson said:

“These results really shine a light on how our targeted intervention can reduce rough sleeping. The urgent need to address the root causes of homelessness remains a work in progress to ensure that no one in our community is left behind.

“While the scale of the challenge is significant, it’s encouraging to see our record investment in housing and homelessness services is laying a platform for change, with results starting to show in priority areas like Byron and the CBD where much of our early focus was directed.

“The overall numbers are stabilising too – back in 2023 there was a 34 per cent increase in rough sleeping recorded, that slowed to 8 per cent last year and now 5 per cent in 2026. We are making headway, but it won’t happen overnight.

“The data tells us that a lack of affordable housing and high cost of living are the most common drivers of homelessness, which is exactly why the NSW Government is laser-focused on building more homes as quickly as possible.

“Collaboration between government, community organisations and local councils is crucial, and we will continue to work together to innovate and expand our efforts to provide safe, secure and affordable housing for all.”

The Minns Labor Government is delivering for families this Vivid Sydney, with more than 80 per cent of the festival free and an even bigger and brighter program set to light up the Harbour City as the lights switch on tonight across the Harbour City for Sydney’s biggest Vivid Sydney yet.

New this year, the festival extends into the day with daytime activations across the city, giving families and visitors more opportunities to experience the festival from morning through to night.

The Minns Labor Government is also proud to bring back the biggest drone show program in Vivid Sydney history, with a record 22 drone performances across 11 nights at Cockle Bay, the most the festival has ever delivered.

More than 80 per cent of Vivid Sydney is free to enjoy, including the iconic 6.5-kilometre Light Walk stretching from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour, featuring more than 40 spectacular light installations along the route.

Millions of people are expected to visit the city over the next three weeks, providing a major boost for local businesses, restaurants, bars and hotels during the winter months while continuing to drive growth in the NSW visitor economy.

Now in its 16th year, Vivid Sydney continues to evolve as one of the world’s leading celebrations of creativity, culture and connection across Light, Music, Minds and Food.

Across the harbour, renowned French artist Yann Nguema will unveil a major new work, Lighting of the Sails: Opera Mundi by Yann Nguema, reflecting on the transformations found in nature and the forces that inspired Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon.

World-leading culinary experiences will take centre stage through the Vivid Food program, celebrating the flavours, people and stories that define NSW. The inaugural Regional Dinner Series will bring leading chefs together with regional producers and ingredients from across the state, including ‘A Shared Table with Yotam Ottolenghi’. Collaborations across the series include Mindy Woods with Danielle Alvarez at Sydney Opera House, Ben Devlin with Lennox Hastie at Firedoor, and Christine Manfield with Sander Nooij at Yellow.

Meanwhile, the Vivid Fire Kitchen will debut at its new home in Barangaroo where the fusion of food and theatrics will take over, delivering a full sensory journey where the sights, smells and sounds of open-fire cooking and live music transform the precinct into far more than a place to eat.

Creativity and conversation will come together through a reimagined Vivid Minds program, designed to place bold ideas and world-leading cultural voices at the centre of the festival. This year’s line-up includes Academy Award-winning filmmakers Sean Baker and Chloé Zhao, influential music commentator Zane Lowe, Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz and bestselling author Roxane Gay.

Vivid Music will once again energise the city after dark, with Tumbalong Nights returning for free live performances celebrating the diverse musical cultures that shape Sydney. The program includes headline shows from Matt Corby, Nigerian afrobeat royalty Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Melbourne garage rock royalty Eddy Current Supression Ring, K-pop singer SHAUN, Chinese rap sensations Billionhappy + SEBii with Korean producer Kimj, alongside Mallrat, Coterie, Boy Soda and more.

At the Sydney Opera House, Vivid LIVE will welcome more than 50 international and Australian artists, including singer-songwriter Mitski, Scottish post-rock pioneers Mogwai and Detroit techno icon Jeff Mills revisiting his legendary Liquid Room set.

Running from 22 May to 13 June 2026, Vivid Sydney continues to power NSW’s visitor and night-time economies while reinforcing Sydney’s reputation as a global leader in immersive cultural experiences. Major events such as Vivid Sydney play a key role in the NSW Government’s Visitor Economy Strategy 2035, which aims to grow the state’s visitor economy to $91 billion over the next decade.

Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said:

“Tonight, Sydney becomes the canvas for one of the world’s greatest arts festivals, as Vivid Sydney once again transforms our city through Light, Music, Minds and Food.

“The Minns Labor Government is proud to deliver a bold new creative direction in 2026 — an immersive, accessible program spanning 23 unforgettable nights, with more than 80 per cent of events free to attend.

“From the iconic Light Walk and the festival’s biggest-ever drone show to world-class music, food and cultural conversations, this year’s program gives locals and visitors more reasons than ever to experience Sydney in completely new ways.”

Vivid Sydney Festival Director Brett Sheehy AO said:

“This year marks the start of an exciting evolution of Vivid Sydney. We’ve expanded the program across all pillars and have opened up the brief for artists and removed the creative limitations of needing to centre around one key theme.

“Visitors can expect a more immersive and interactive experience that will encourage them to explore new locations, unexpected installations, and spend more time enjoying the festival – both after dark and during the day.

“We’ve gone back to the core of what Vivid Sydney is all about which is tapping into creativity, and through this, there’s this incredible platform to showcase leading Australian talent as well as a chance to bring legendary international talent to the Sydney stage too.”

Private landholders across NSW are making a powerful impact by protecting the state’s threatened species and environment.

Data from the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust shows how landholders are not just protecting the environment, they’re actively improving it.

The Biodiversity Impact Report | Conservation on Private Land: 2018 to 2025 clearly shows that Private land conservation is delivering fantastic conservation outcomes across the state. The Biodiversity Conservation Trust and participating landholders have:

• Established almost 3,000 permanent biodiversity monitoring sites
• Prevented the loss of approximately 35,000 hectares of native vegetation
• Protected habitat for at least 304 threatened species
• Safeguarded 41 threatened ecological communities
• Contributed nearly 40% of the total area added to NSW’s protected area network since 2018.

Landholders participating in the Biodiversity Conservation Trust program manage their properties for conservation and work with expert ecologists who track environmental changes over time.

The properties managed under conservation agreements are supporting a greater variety of species and stronger, healthier ecosystems, helping reduce risks to some of NSW’s most threatened plants and animals.

The Report is available to read at: nsw.gov.au/bct-impact-report

Minister for Environment Penny Sharpe said: 

“Biodiversity is the cornerstone to a healthy environment, from the microorganisms in our soil to the largest tree on the horizon.

“80 per cent of land in NSW is privately managed. Biodiversity protection can only be done by working closely with private landholders.

“These results show how successful this partnership between landholders and the Biodiversity Conservation Trust can be. I would encourage anyone interested to investigate this rewarding partnership for their land.”

NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust Principal Ecologist and report author Dr James Brazill-Boast said:

“When we support landholders with the right incentives and support, conservation on private land can be planned, implemented and measured with confidence.

“Long-term monitoring is essential because it tells us not just what we’re doing, but what’s actually working.”

The Minns Labor Government has failed to get a grip on homelessness in New South Wales, with the latest Street Count showing a 42 per cent increase in the number of people sleeping rough across the state since 2023.
 
Shadow Minister for Homelessness, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, said the 2026 Street Count numbers show the most vulnerable in our community are being let down
 
“After the NSW Liberals and Nationals called on the Government to stop hiding the homelessness figures, they have finally been released, and they reveal homelessness has increased by 42 per cent since the Minns Labor Government were elected,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
 
“The Minns Government’s housing and homelessness crisis just keeps getting worse, with a record 2,308 people sleeping rough recorded this year. That is an additional 685 people since March 2023.”
 
“As the housing and cost-of-living crisis continues to escalate, more people are experiencing homelessness for the first time.”
 
“Rents are skyrocketing, homelessness services are at breaking point, and tens of thousands are trapped in a system that can’t cope.”
 
“This surge in rough sleeping comes as social housing waitlists have jumped 22 per cent to over 68,000 households, showing the system is failing people before they reach crisis point.”
 
“Specialist Homelessness Services are stretched to the limit and are being asked to do more with less. NSW needs more housing, alongside proper wraparound support services,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.

Mrs Maclaren-Jones is also calling on the Minister for Homelessness to broaden reporting to capture all forms of homelessness, including couch surfing and other forms of insecure housing that are not counted in the Street Count.
 
“People are experiencing many forms of housing stress, from rough sleeping to couch surfing and overcrowded accommodation. To address homelessness effectively, we need accurate and timely data that reflects the true scale of the problem,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
 
The 2026 NSW Statewide Street Count Technical Paper is available here.

The Minns Labor Government has shown a shocking lack of judgement by funding a women’s refuge next to accommodation for transitional prisoners, raising significant safety concerns for women and children escaping domestic and family violence.
 
Shadow Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, said the decision should never have been made.
 
“Women and children escaping violence deserve refuges that are safe, secure and properly assessed, not locations that raise red flags before they even open,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
 
“This is not a minor oversight, it’s a total lack of judgement and failure by the government of their most basic responsibilities.”
 
“Putting vulnerable women and children next to accommodation for former offenders shows a failure to apply basic common sense.”
 
“The Minister owes victim-survivors, service providers and the wider community a full explanation as to why this site was ever considered appropriate.”
 
Mrs Maclaren-Jones said the issue reflects broader mismanagement of the Core and Cluster program.
 
“In a rush to get money out the door, the Minns Labor Government has treated women’s safety like an afterthought, ignoring the most basic principle of service delivery, safety first.”
 
The former NSW Liberals and Nationals Government committed record funding of $484.3 million to expand the Core and Cluster Program for women and children experiencing domestic and family violence.
 
This was the largest single capital investment in domestic and family violence in NSW history. Labor has delayed and mismanaged the rollout, with only 15 of the 49 refuges currently operational.

Our youngest children have been failed by the early childhood education and care system in NSW, according to the report of the Legislative Council’s Education Portfolio Committee Inquiry into the Early Childhood Education and Care Sector in New South Wales.
 
After years of feedback from families and educators, and a number of concerning incidents of harm to children coming to light, this report offers us all an opportunity to revisit the regulatory framework imposed on educators without resourcing to support capability and prevent costs being passed onto already overtaxed parents.
 
Shadow Minister for Early Education, Felicity Wilson, welcomed the publication of the report and thanked those who participated in the inquiry for their commitment to quality education for children across NSW.
 
“We welcome the spotlight on safety and quality which is the foundation of a system which is child-centric,” Ms Wilson said.
 
“Regulation without resourcing is failing families and educators. Reform must come with real, practical support, not just added costs and compliance burdens, or our best educators will walk, and parents and children will pay the price.”
 
“The report highlights how much more there is to do to ensure that early childhood education and care in NSW is high quality, safe, affordable, accessible, and ensures parental choice.”
 
“NSW should be leading the nation, but right now, families and providers are under pressure, and government is making it harder, not easier.”
 
Deputy Chair of the Legislative Council’s Education Portfolio Committee, the Hon. Rachel Merton MLC, said that families should be at the heart of decision-making.
 
“I have worked for over a year to ensure the committee reflects on the experience of families, children and educators in the sector,” Ms Merton said.
 
“Parents are crying out for more choice, it is critical that this is recognised.”
 
Ms Wilson called on the Government to listen to the insights shared and take action.
 
“What concerns me is that educators and providers are being asked to do more, without the support to do it, and it is families who are paying the price, including through higher fees expected following the Minns Labor Government’s up to tenfold annual service fee increase starting from July,” said Ms Wilson.
 
“Families and educators aren’t asking for much; they want a system that is appropriately regulated and adequately funded. The Minns Labor Government now has the opportunity to deliver a system that is clear, consistent, and focused on what matters, quality outcomes for children,” said Ms Wilson.
 
The committee’s report can be found here