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The future of animal care just got brighter on the Central Coast, with Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan, and Minister for the Central Coast and local Member, David Harris today officially opening the new $4.9 million Animal Studies Training Centre at TAFE NSW Wyong.

This state-of-the-art facility is set to become the go-to-hub for more than 480 Central Coast students enrolled in animal care and veterinary nursing courses this semester.

These students will have access to a simulated veterinary-style clinic, theatre and radiology rooms, as well as grooming and hydrotherapy facilities, and specialist animal habitats.

By equipping students with real-world skills in animal care services, veterinary nursing, and even wildlife and exhibited animals, the new centre is unlocking exciting career pathways into the booming animal care industry.

With the number of veterinary nurses in Australia expected to grow by 5.9% from 2023 to 2028, and an ongoing shortage of animal care and veterinary nursing professionals, this new facility will help address workforce demand across the Central Coast region.

Animal studies courses now being delivered at TAFE NSW Wyong include:

• Certificate II in Animal Care 
• Certificate III in Animal Care Services 
• Certificate III in Wildlife and Exhibited Animals 
• Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing 
• Certificate II in Animal Care (TVET)

This investment is part of the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to rebuilding TAFE NSW. In addition to the new Animal Studies Centre, TAFE NSW Wyong is set to receive more than $2.6 million to upgrade campus facilities ensuring students have access to top-tier education and training. 

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

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to rebuilding TAFE NSW to provide education and training focused on priority industries and the critical skills our communities need.

“The new Animal Studies Training Centre at TAFE NSW Wyong is proof of our unwavering commitment to restoring TAFE NSW as a leading provider of vocational education and training aligned to local industry and community needs.

“This state-of-the-art facility is a game-changer for the Central Coast, giving students access to cutting-edge equipment and specialised training that mirrors real-world industry standards. We’re setting them up for success with job-ready skills that will open doors to rewarding careers in the growing animal care industry.”

Minister for the Central Coast, David Harris said:

“Like many regional communities, Wyong and the Central Coast rely heavily on TAFE NSW to deliver education and training to support local business and industry.

“Wildlife attractions, animal hospitals, and pet-loving residents contribute to the demand for skilled animal care workers and veterinary nurses.  

“After touring the facility late last year it’s exciting to see that the doors are finally opening to bolster tertiary education on the Central Coast.

“The NSW Government’s investment in the new animal services training centre at TAFE NSW Wyong will ensures Coasties have access to top quality educational facilities on the doorstep.”

The Minns Labor Government is building a better Sturt Highway in Wagga Wagga by starting work on a $13.9 million upgrade to the road east of the city.

Work is due to begin on Tuesday March 4 to upgrade a 1.8 kilometre section of the Sturt Highway (also known as Hammond Avenue) on the eastern approach to Wagga Wagga’s CBD.

Work will include completely reconstructing the road with a new surface and new kerb on the northern and southern sides, lane widening and configuration changes to provide dedicated turning lanes. The changes will provide a smoother surface that is less prone to road damage and potholes and provide a safer and more comfortable journey for all road users.

Shoulders will be provided for cyclists on the northern and southern sides of the highway.

The first stage of this project – between Tasman Road and Blaxland Road – will start Tuesday 4 March and is expected to take 11 weeks to complete.

The second stage – from east of Blaxland Road to Stuart Road – will be delivered in the 2025-26 financial year.

This location is a high traffic area and Transport will plan to carry out work with as few impacts as possible. All work will be carried out under traffic control with lane closures and reduced speed limits in place. Detours around the work area will be in place at various stages of the project. Most of the work will take place between 7am and 6pm, with some night work also planned.

Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions and follow the direction of traffic control and signage.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“The Sturt Highway provides a strategic freight and access link from Sydney via the Hume Highway to Mildura in Victoria and on to Adelaide in South Australia.

“It also serves as a local and regional access corridor to and from regional centres along the route, especially Wagga Wagga, to enable customers to access goods, services and employment.

“The Minns Labor Government is pleased to be investing in building a better section of highway in Wagga Wagga and we want to thank the community in advance for its patience and understanding while this work is carried out for the long-term benefit of all who live, work and visit the area.”

Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr said:

“These works, coupled with the work now underway to redevelop the Marshalls Creek Bridge, are welcome improvements that will deliver a safer, smoother Sturt Highway for thousands of users every day.

“I acknowledge Transport for NSW’s efforts to liaise with businesses in the area and urge them to maintain that focus on reducing construction impacts, especially in Lawson Street during the closure period.

“The works will cause some disruption so I appreciate the patience of residents and motorists during a construction process that will cause inconvenience but will also deliver improvements that have been identified as important to the community.

“A renewed east/west link means better travel for local business and residents, and moving forward, I’ll also be advocating for major north/south improvements, including a second river crossing which will be critical to Wagga Wagga’s future.”

The Minns Labor Government has delivered on its election commitment to improve oversight of how NSW fishing licence fees are spent, with new regulation now in place to establish a Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council to oversee the spending of the funds.

The new Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will be responsible for providing advice to the NSW Minister for Agriculture on all expenditure from the Recreational Fishing Freshwater and Saltwater Trusts.

Revenue raised from recreational fishing license fees, around $16 million annually, is placed into the Recreational Fishing Trusts and spent on improving recreational fishing experiences, opportunities and habitats in NSW.

Since 2001, the Recreational Fishing Trusts have supported funding for more than 3,300 large and small projects, with almost 3,000 projects completed.

By providing advice directly to the Minister, the Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will increase the confidence of recreational fishers in the way trust funds are spent, by improving the decision-making transparency.

In addition to members with expertise in recreational fishing, the new Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will look to have members with expertise in other important areas, including fisheries science and infrastructure construction, to assist with the review of the many diverse types of funding applications that are received each year.  

The existing advisory council on recreational fishing will continue to provide a key role with its focus on advising the Minister on recreational fishing issues, while the new council will focus on how expenditure is allocated to projects and ensuring they benefit recreational fishers.

Appointment to the Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will be made following an open and transparent recruitment process that can now get underway following the change to the regulation.

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“In 2023-24, over 400,000 NSW recreational fishing licences were issued, and the NSW Government is committed to ensuring that recreational fishers fishing fees are used transparently and deliver the greatest benefit to saltwater and freshwater fishers.

“Projects funded through the Recreational Fishing Trusts—ranging from improvements to fishing access and facilities, to the annual stocking of millions of fish into waterways—play a crucial role in enhancing fishing opportunities for both current and future fishers in NSW.

“The new Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will bring specific expertise to decision making processes and ensure that recreational fishers can have confidence in the way funds from the Recreational Fishing Trusts are used and invested.

“I look forward to welcoming applications and appointing members to the Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council following an open and transparent recruitment process this year.”

The Minns Labor Government is continuing its work to improve education outcomes for all students as ambitious academic, HSC attainment and school attendance targets are introduced to public schools to lift outcomes for students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

New system-wide measures will provide clear guidance for school leaders, and are designed to lift outcomes for all students, including at comprehensive primary and high schools, selective schools, regional and rural schools, and Schools for Specific Purposes.

Our long-term plan to improve outcomes for students is in sharp contrast with the former Government’s failed approach, which was criticised in an OECD report for its “top-down” approach, which focused solely on lifting the outcomes of those already achieving the top results.

Schools will be required to strive for ambitious new goals, including:

• Increasing the average NAPLAN reading and numeracy scores in 2027 by:
  • 10.2 points for Year 5 Reading
  • 5.8 points for Year 9 Reading
  • 11.5 points for Year 5 Numeracy
  • 5.7 points for Year 9 Numeracy
• Increasing the proportion of NSW students attaining Year 12 from 70.5 per cent in 2022 to 74 per cent in 2027.
• Growing the number of students taking up university, training or work for school leavers from 88.1 per cent to 92 per cent in 2027
• Increasing the average student attendance rate from 87.8 per cent in 2023 to 88.8 per cent in 2027

These new system-wide targets reflect specific improvement targets required of schools in the areas of reading, numeracy and completions. With NAPLAN tests scheduled two academic years apart, data is now available to measure year group improvement after the Commonwealth introduced new NAPLAN baselines in 2023.

Correcting the course of our education system is vital for our state’s future, after 12 years of neglect under the Liberals and Nationals led to a stagnation in academic results, and a fall in our international rankings in Reading, Science and Mathematics. Under the former Government, disadvantage gaps also continued to widen, particularly in rural, regional, and remote areas.

The Minns Labor Government is committed to reversing this decline and setting high expectations for academic results and educational outcomes like attendance and school completion for every child and every public school. This ongoing work includes:

• Bringing teacher vacancies to a four-year-low, or a 40 per cent reduction since when we came to Government in 2023, ensuring all students have a teacher in front of them
• Making Small Group Tuition permanent in all NSW public schools to support all students with critical foundational literacy and numeracy skills
• Trialling a Number Screening Check for Year 1 school children
• Valuing the workforce by delivering the largest pay rise in a generation to NSW’s 95,000 teachers
• Giving teachers job security by making 16,000 teachers and school support staff on temporary contacts permanent
• Implementing the new knowledge-rich NSW Curriculum, underpinned by evidenced-based explicit teaching

Alongside new academic targets, the Department has introduced a suite of system-focused measures to support teachers, schools and school-support staff wellbeing and retention, as well as prioritising key school infrastructure projects.

These measures include reducing teacher administrative time, cutting teacher vacancy rates, and attracting and retaining teachers, as part of our recognition that a strong teaching workforce is critical to improving student learning. The complete set of 16 measures is available on the Department’s website.

Progress made to date during 2024 can be found here.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“We were elected with a commitment to rebuild public education in NSW by fixing a broken system and lifting outcomes. That is exactly what we are doing.

“We cannot undo 12 years of neglect overnight, but we are working hard to ensure that no matter your postcode, parents know their children are receiving a world-class education.

“This is about setting high expectations of our public education system and every one of our students.

“No longer will targets be focused simply on the top-achieving students – these ambitious measures will help lift outcomes for all students across the state.”

Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar said:

“We have high expectations for achievement for our public education system, with ambitious reading and numeracy improvement measures being put in place by every school during term 1 this year.

“All public schools aim to ensure all students show growth in their literacy and numeracy skills. We recognise that this is the cornerstone for a successful schooling experience for every student.”

“Our new measures will account for the achievements of all students, not just those in the highest bands.

“The pathways improvement measure will capture the transitions of all students into meaningful post-school pathways, whether that is tertiary education, technical and further education or paid employment.”