admin – Page 1361

Plans for Gosford Bypass get a boost

Central Coast residents will have recently seen traffic surveys being carried out along the Pacific Highway and Manns Road corridor as part of planning work for the Gosford Bypass.

The NSW Government has invested $40 million towards planning and development of a proposed major upgrade on this corridor, which carries up to 30,000 vehicles each day from the Ourimbah Interchange through to the Central Coast Highway.

Work on the bypass route has been completed from Ourimbah to Parsons Road at Lisarow in the north, and in the south from the Central Coast Highway at West Gosford to Stockyard Place.

Transport for NSW is progressing the development of the remaining 7.2km of the corridor to deliver shorter-term improvements such as new and upgraded footpaths and shared pathways and access to bus stops, while also confirming a longer-term strategy for future major upgrades.

Delivery of any upgrades for the Gosford Bypass, including any property acquisition, will depend on gaining project and funding approvals.

To keep up to date with the project, visit
https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/gosford-bypass

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“The NSW Government is keen to get moving on this final section of the Gosford Bypass, which is why we allocated $40 million in the State Budget to cover planning and development.

“The people of the Central Coast have been waiting far too long for these improvements and I’m pleased the Minns Labor Government is now starting that work.”

Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said:

“Gosford is the heart of the Central Coast and ensuring motorists can move smoothly in and around the area is a key part of the NSW Government’s vision for the region.

“Coasties deserve better than bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Pacific Highway each day and I’m looking forward to the NSW Government making this happen after the investigations and planning works are carried out.”

Member for The Entrance David Mehan said:

“The Gosford Bypass has been put on the back burner for too long and it’s great to see our election promise is being delivered.

“Residents can rest assured this project won’t get stuck in development for decades, as I’m determined to see better roads and smoother traffic all the way from West Gosford to Ourimbah.”

Four buyback homes to get a new lease on life at Mount Pleasant Resilient Lands Program site

As part of the largest assisted relocation program in Australian history, the first of four buyback homes have been relocated to the Resilient Lands Program (RLP) site at Mount Pleasant Estate in Goonellabah this week.

The first four homes should be onsite by Christmas, providing a bridge between the $790 million Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program (RHP) and $100 million Resilient Lands Program (RLP).

The NSW Government’s RLP program accelerates new land and housing options and gives participants in the RHP, which is jointly funded by the NSW and Commonwealth Government, more options to move off the floodplain and out of harm’s way.

The RA’s contractor will relocate the first two homes to Mount Pleasant over the next week. The other two homes are planned to be relocated in December with the first homeowners likely to be onsite in 2025.

One of the key objectives of the project is to demonstrate the relocation process and potential for these character homes and how they can fit within a new neighbourhood.

A local architect has been commissioned to provide the RA with design options for alterations to make sure the homes contribute to the character of the Goonellabah community and surrounding environment.

Mount Pleasant was the second RLP site announced in 2024. The site will demonstrate a mix of small and standard lot sizes as well as detached and attached housing types with a range of price points for buyback participants.

Mount Pleasant is one of seven sites that have so far been identified under the Resilient Lands Program, the others are at East Lismore, North Lismore, Brunswick Heads, Ballina-Lennox Head, Summerland Estate near Casino and Junction Hill near Grafton.

It will also demonstrate housing types that could be rolled out at other RLP sites and builds on the community masterplanning work led by the RA in partnership with the Living Lab and Government Architect NSW.

The RA has held two community information sessions and BBQs at Mount Pleasant in May and September this year to keep the community updated on the proposed development. The masterplan is moving towards finalisation to accelerate the delivery of new homes on the site.

The site will be developed progressively over three stages, from the end of 2024 to 2026.

RHP participants who have accepted a buyback offer will have the first opportunity to purchase property delivered under the RLP. Following the offer to RHP participants, any remaining properties will be made available to the broader public.

To stay up to date and receive more information about this or any other RLP development, people can register their interest by emailing RLP@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au or phone 1800 844 085.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Australia’s largest resilience adaptation program is underway in the Northern Rivers and the relocation of these buyback homes to Mount Pleasant is an important milestone.

“This really strengthens the link between the Resilient Homes Program and the Resilient Lands Program and gives people impacted by 2022 floods a way to get off the floodplain.

“The Mount Pleasant site will be an architecturally designed development that demonstrates the best use of mixed-housing types with the surrounding neighbourhood and natural features.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“We are providing homeowners hit by Australia’s worst ever flood disaster with a range of options to get them off the floodplain and out of harm’s way.”

“We have reached a major milestone as the first homes are relocated off the floodplain, retaining their unique character and working with the local community to provide a more resilient future.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin said:

“There is a high level of interest in the community for relocating homes or purchasing relocated homes and Mount Pleasant will be a good demonstration of how that can be done.

“Preserving these historic homes and providing that link to the past is important for the community, but Mount Pleasant will also provide a diverse range of other housing options and different price points.”

Community Building Partnership grants available soon to boost local community infrastructure projects

Local infrastructure projects across NSW are set for a boost with the next round of the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership (CBP) grant program to open early next year.

Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations and local councils will be eligible to apply for grants of between $10,000 and $100,000.

Grants can be for building, refurbishing or repairing community infrastructure, or for buying freestanding equipment or vehicles.

Each state electorate receives a maximum of $450,000 in funding and applications are assessed against other proposed projects within the same electorate.

A total of $41,850,000 in grants will be available for local infrastructure projects through the CBP program.

Since 2009, the program has awarded more than $464 million to over 20,900 projects across the state.

The Program Guidelines will be available soon.

Applications will be accepted online from Tuesday 28 January 2025 and will close at 5pm AEDT, Friday 21 February 2025. Successful organisations will be announced later in 2025.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“The next round of the Community Building Partnership program is opening soon.

“These grants make an impact at a local level – a shade cloth at a childcare centre or a repair to local sports facilities are valuable ways this program makes a difference to communities.

“Applications open in January but we’re aware applications take time. I want to encourage eligible organisations to start thinking about the projects that are top of the ‘to do’ list for their communities.”

Police to address media as police operation continues – Port of Newcastle

Police will address the media this afternoon as a police operation continues in Newcastle.

170 have been arrested over unsafe behaviour in the water, serious disruption of a major facility, and other offences.

10 people also required assistance from police to return to shore.

The harbour remains open despite some serious disruptions.

The operation is ongoing.

Police have arrested over 100 people as a police operation continues in the Port of Newcastle.

Just after 10am today (Sunday 24 November 2024), a large group of people entered a shipping channel and interfered with the movement of vessels.

138 people have now been arrested after refusing to comply with a direction to move away from the channel.

The police operation is ongoing.

For their own safety and that of the other users of the port, police request that people refrain from entering the harbour with the intention to obstruct other users of the port. We also encourage all participants to follow the directions of police.

The community is reminded that under NSW legislation, the safe passage of vessels is protected. Unlawful activity may result in fines or imprisonment.

The NSW Police Force will adopt a zero-tolerance approach to actions which threaten public safety and the safe passage of vessels.

Three people have been charged as a high-visibility police operation continues in the Port of Newcastle.

About 1.45pm today (Saturday 23 November 2024), officers attached to Marine Area Command issued directions to a number of people to move away from a shipping channel due to safety concerns.

When two men – aged 27 and 59 – and a 26-year-old woman allegedly remained in the water, they were arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station where they were charged with not comply with direction by authorised officer relating to safety.

They were all granted conditional bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Monday 13 January 2025.

A number of other people were not arrested on the water, but were assisted by police when they struggled to return to shore.

The police operation will continue over the weekend to ensure the safety of participants, the community, and users of the Port of Newcastle.

The community is reminded that under NSW legislation, the safe passage of vessels is protected. Unlawful activity may result in fines or imprisonment.

The NSW Police Force will adopt a zero-tolerance approach to actions which threaten public safety and the safe passage of vessels.

Three people have been arrested as a police operation continues in Newcastle.

About 1.45pm today (Saturday 23 November 2024), officers attached to Marine Area Command removed three people from the water at the Port of Newcastle.

Two men – aged 27 and 60 – and a 26 year-old woman, were arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station where they are assisting police with their inquiries.

The police operation is ongoing and more information will be provided when it becomes available.

NTEU report lays bare the ‘corporate university’

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and Spokesperson for Tertiary Education, has responded to NTEU’s report “Ending bad governance for good.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi:

“The shocking extent and impacts of the ‘corporate university’ are laid bare by this report. It is obscene that staff have been robbed of hundreds of millions in stolen wages, yet VCs and executives walk away with hefty pay packets.

“The harsh reality is that staff and students have become expendable cogs in the machine of a corporate campus where staff and students are suffering, while the executive class is splurging on consultants and largesse.

“Decades of neoliberal policies by governments and universities have made a mockery of universities as democratic institutions of public good.

“We need an overhaul of university governance to shift the balance of power away from the managerial class and corporate executives back to staff and students.

“We need to reimagine better universities that are well-funded, accountable, democratic and transparent. Universities must be places of public good where staff have secure jobs and the best pay and working conditions, and students have fee-free access to quality education.

“It is high time to fix these systemic problems, and the Greens support NTEUs calls for a parliamentary inquiry.”

Greens call for Government to withdraw mis & disinformation Bill

Following a lengthy Senate inquiry, the Greens have today announced their opposition to the Government’s mis and disinformation bill and have called for the bill to be withdrawn. The Greens have heard evidence from experts, lawyers and the community that the Government’s approach doesn’t get to the heart of tackling the harms of mis and disinformation. There are serious concerns that handing responsibility over to tech platforms to self-regulate what is true or false will likely have unintended consequences that undermine the policy intent.

Greens’ opposition means the bill cannot pass the Senate. The Government has failed to address the significant concerns that have been raised by many in the community, and the Greens are today calling on the Government to withdraw the bill.

Greens spokesperson for communications and Senator for South Australia, Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Greens understand that mis and disinformation is a growing danger to democracy, public discourse, health and safety both in Australia and around the world and needs to be tackled.

“However we are concerned this bill doesn’t actually do what it needs to do when it comes to stopping the deliberate mass distribution of false and harmful information.

“It gives media moguls like Murdoch an exemption and hands over responsibility to tech companies and billionaires like Elon Musk to determine what is true or false under ambiguous definitions. It does little to stop non-human actors like bots flooding social media and boosting dangerous algorithms.

“There has been strong community opposition to this bill, and experts have also raised serious concerns. The Government has failed to address these.

“As such, the Greens will be opposing the bill. The Government should listen to community concern and withdraw this legislation.

“Instead, the Government needs to focus on comprehensive reforms that tackle the business models and dangerous algorithms that fuel division and damage democracy, and legislate a duty of care so these platforms prevent harm in the first place.”

Novocastrians invited to have their say on future of affordable housing

City of Newcastle is a step closer to increasing the range of residential options across the city with its Affordable Housing Contributions Scheme now on public exhibition.

The planning proposal was endorsed by Councillors at the December 2023 Ordinary Council Meeting and the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has now determined it satisfies pre-exhibition conditions.

The scheme proposes to add affordable housing provisions to the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan 2012, which will enable a condition of consent for new residential and mixed-use developments to make contributions towards affordable housing, where a new development is greater than 540m2 or benefitting from zoning uplift.

Contributions will be in the form of a financial subsidy, a dedication of land or completed dwellings to City of Newcastle and would be managed by a community housing provider and used to maintain, build, and develop affordable housing.

Affordable housing is available to support very low to and moderate income households experiencing housing stress, which occurs where housing costs are greater than 30 per cent of gross household income after other basic living costs.

Executive Director of Planning and Environment, Michelle Bisson, said the scheme modelled construction costs, taxes, location, land value, and return on investment to retain residual value and ensure viability and feasibility.

“I am particularly pleased to have received endorsement from the Department’s Housing Policy Team who commended the work of our City of Newcastle team,” Ms Bisson said.

“Our planners have developed a rigorous methodology to establish appropriate contributions rates for development in different parts of the city.”

With the latest forecasts showing the population is set to increase by 41,150 residents to 202,050 by 2041 in the Newcastle LGA, with need for almost 20,000 new homes, City of Newcastle is committed to supporting the increase of affordable housing in the city.

City of Newcastle’s Housing Policy sets a target of 15 per cent affordable housing across the city on privately owned land, and 25 per cent on government land, consistent with benchmarks to deliver affordable housing and housing diversity.

City of Newcastle’s Affordable Housing Working Party Chair Councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk said the scheme has been carefully developed in consultation with housing experts and industry stakeholders and refined through an extensive development feasibility assessment.

“Our team has done incredible work to ensure that we can increase our supply of housing and maintain development feasibility, while increasing the availability of much-needed affordable housing across the city,” Cr Adamczyk said.

“With ever increasing numbers of people in our community experiencing housing stress, affordable housing is an important social infrastructure that supports liveability and wellbeing by enabling a strong, diverse, and inclusive community.

“This scheme is consistent with the objectives of the Newcastle 2040 Community Strategic Plan and our community’s vision for a liveable, sustainable, caring, and inclusive city.”

Community members are invited to provide feedback on the planning proposal and Affordable Housing Contributions Scheme via City of Newcastle’s Have Your Say page until 2 February 2025.

Government expands support for families who lose loved ones to road crimes

The NSW Government last night has passed legislation to deliver on a key election commitment to expand support for families who have lost loved ones in road crimes.

The Victims Rights and Support Amendment (Victims Support Counselling) Bill 2024 will make counselling available through the Victims Support Scheme to family members of a person killed in a motor vehicle crash where someone is charged in relation to the crash.

Under the changes, family members will also be eligible for counselling support if charges cannot be laid because the offender has died or cannot be located if there is sufficient evidence to establish that an offence has apparently occurred.

An eligible family member will be able to access 22 hours of approved counselling, with further hours available if approved by the Commissioner of Victims Rights.

Currently, most incidents involving motor vehicles are excluded from being ‘acts of violence’ under the Victims Rights and Support Act.

Family victims of road crime experience the same trauma as any other family who has lost a loved one because of a criminal act. This legislation will ensure they receive counselling as they navigate their loss.

Attorney General Michael Daley said:

“This legislation delivers on our election commitment to offer grieving families the counselling support that they deserve.

“Family victims of road crimes will be able to access critical mental health support through the Victims Support Scheme.

“We have listened to the community and delivered legislation that will make a real difference.”

New and upgraded public schools for the growing Wentworth Point community

Wentworth Point families are set for a major education boost as the Minns Labor Government marks the beginning of a major expansion to Wentworth Point Public School, while construction nears completion at the new Wentworth Point High School.

Major upgrades to Wentworth Public School will see the delivery of 26 new classrooms, seven new multipurpose spaces, three new support classrooms and an internal renovation to the school’s library. The upgrade will allow for the removal of all 16 demountables and lift the capacity of the school from 400 to 1,000 when works are completed in mid-2026.

The beginning of upgrade works on the public school come as works near completion at the neighbouring new multimillion-dollar Wentworth Point High School. Students are set to begin classes at the new public high school from Day 1, Term 1 2025.

The new high school will cater for Year 7 students from Wentworth Point, Sydney Olympic Park, Newington, Silverwater and Rhodes in 2025, with an additional year of schooling added each year.

Stage 2 of the high school is now in planning, with construction set to begin in early 2025, which will deliver a new multipurpose hall for sports and performance, new outdoor spaces, games courts, canteen facilities and a sports field which will be open to the community outside of school hours.

Improvements to Wenworth Point education infrastructure is long overdue, following the former Liberal National Government failing to deliver on promised upgrades, and instead leaving school communities to rely on temporary demountables filling the school playgrounds.

This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s plan to rebuild public education, which includes a record $3.6 billion to upgrade and build new schools in Western Sydney, addressing a school infrastructure backlog left after more than a decade of neglect by the Liberals and Nationals.

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

“I am pleased to see upgrade works begin at Wentworth Point Public School today.

“While the population in this area grew significantly over the last decade, the Liberals and Nationals failed to plan for the schools needed in the Wentworth Point community.

“Our major investments in Wentworth Point mean families will now have certainty that their children can attend a world-class public school in their local area.”

Member for Parramatta Donna Davis said:

“It is fantastic to see upgrade works starting at Wentworth Point Public School.

“We had to fight hard for our new high school, this major public school upgrade and the long-awaited Peninsula Park, which are all now underway.

“I am proud to be part of the Minns Labor Government that is delivering for our community.”

Principal of Wentworth Point Public School Jayne Muir said:

“I am excited about the upgrades and the prospect of developing an educational precinct on the Wentworth Point Peninsula.

“When our school first opened in 2018, we started with just 152 students, with a designed capacity of 419. Fast forward to 2024, and Wentworth Point Public School is in its seventh year of operation.

“We are now projecting an enrolment of over 740 students by the beginning of 2025. This rapid increase underscores the pressing need for expanded facilities to continue to provide a high-quality learning environment.”

Principal of Wentworth Point High School Melissa Johnston said:

“I am delighted to be building the foundations of a new school community, commencing with Year 7 in 2025.

“The modern six storey facility located along the beautiful Parramatta River provides flexible learning spaces for mainstream and support unit students and offers high quality specialist facilities to support diverse learning pathways and post school options,” Ms Johnston said.

“We will maximise the flexible learning spaces through student transition programs and staff inductions with explicit expectations regarding optimal teaching and learning.”

Clinician scientist wins NSW’s top cancer research prize

One of Australia’s leading clinician scientists and founder of national genomic cancer medicine centre, Omico, Professor David Thomas, received the state’s highest accolade for cancer research at the NSW Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research tonight.

Professor Thomas, who was crowned Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year, is a leader in the development of precision oncology in Australia, which has extended the lives of thousands of incurable cancer patients through the use of genomics.

Professor Thomas founded Omico, a not-for-profit genomics organisation that accelerates access to precision oncology using technology to detect unique genetic and molecular variations in a person’s cancer to identify new targeted treatments.

Professor Thomas has also led the development of sarcoma research in Australia for the past 20 years, having founded the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group. His work changed the global clinical practice for giant cell tumour of bone, and effective early detection strategies for patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, a rare hereditary disorder that increases a person’s risk of cancer.

NSW Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Health Ryan Park and Minister for Medical Research David Harris also presented seven other prestigious awards, celebrating the individuals and teams working to improve cancer outcomes in NSW, at the event in the NSW Parliament.

Outstanding Mid-Career Researcher –Associate Professor Nicolas Hart,National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Research Fellow in Cancer Survivorship at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), for enhancing patient safety and quality of care for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in cancer care.
Outstanding Early Career Researcher – Dr Ashfaq Chauhan, a postdoctoral research fellow and coordinator of the Healthcare Engagement and Equity Research stream within the Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation at Macquarie University, for enhancing patient safety and quality of care for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in cancer care.
Rising Star PhD Candidate – Dr Robert Rawson,Tissue Pathology Staff Specialist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for his innovative research focused on assessing the pathological response to neoadjuvant therapy in melanoma.
Outstanding Cancer Clinical Trials Unit – The Clinical Trials Unit at Melanoma Institute Australia, for its investigator-led trials, and leading the way in advancing melanoma and non-melanoma research, enrolling around 400 patients annually in diverse clinical trials.
Cancer Control Innovation –The Zero Childhood Cancer Program team, for demonstrating unprecedented collaboration, bringing together clinicians from child cancer treatment centres across the country and leading national research partners to deliver Australia’s first precision medicine program for children with cancer.
Improving Equitable Outcomes – Associate Professor Mei Ling Yap, radiation oncologist and clinician researcher at South Western Sydney Local Health District, The George Institute for Global Health and the Ingham Institute at UNSW, for her dedication to achieving equity in cancer control both locally and globally through increasing access to radiation therapy.
Consumer Engagement in Cancer Research –awarded toLucy Jones, CEO Neuroblastoma Australia and consumer advocate passionate about advancing neuroblastoma research, for working tirelessly to raise awareness of the disease and fund research aimed at creating more targeted, effective, and less toxic treatments.

Each winner also received funding towards their research as part of their prize.

The NSW Government, through the Cancer Institute NSW, has awarded more than $324 million in cancer research over the last decade.

For more detailed information on award recipients, visit https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/events/nsw-premier-s-awards-for-outstanding-cancer-resear/2024

Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales said:

“NSW is a global leader in cancer research.

”We’re committed to continuing to invest in research to improve our understanding of a disease which devastates communities across our state.

“On behalf of the people of NSW, I’d like to thank the award winners and our incredible cancer research community, for working together to better understand and treat this insidious disease.”

Ryan Park, Minister for Health said:

“With one person in NSW diagnosed with cancer around every 10 minutes, almost all of us will feel the impact of this disease during our lifetime.

“Better understanding and treatment of cancer would be impossible without people like Professor Thomas and I’d like to thank him and everyone working across NSW who help reduce the impact of cancer.”

David Harris, Minister for Medical Research said:

“For people with cancer, research and clinical trials provide options and hope.

“NSW has some of the best cancer survival rates in the world and our well established research pipeline and overall excellence in cancer research is a key reason for these outcomes.”

Professor Tracey O’Brien, NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW said:

“Cancer is a global health challenge and while significant progress has been made in our understanding of cancer, it remains the leading cause of death in NSW, with sadly one in two people set to be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.

“Research and innovation is key to unlocking the answers we are all searching for and I’d like to congratulate and thank the incredibly passionate, talented and collaborative research teams in NSW who are working tirelessly to save lives and keep families and communities safe and supported.”

Professor David Thomas, said:

“It’s a great honour to be recognised for the work our teams have been leading, which is transforming cancer care. Genomics is a fundamental technology that provides answers to the two most common questions patients ask ‘why did this happen to me?’ and ‘what can you do about it?’

“After screening more than 15,000 incurable cancer patients, there’s no question that precision oncology can significantly extend life for one in three cancer patients. I am proud to see the growth of Omico’s national clinical trial network from eight cancer centres at conception in 2018, to 61 centres across Australia and New Zealand today.”