Category: NSW News

The new seven-storey $723.3 million Tweed Valley Hospital development has reached a major milestone, hitting its highest point of construction.
 
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the new hospital campus is the state’s largest regional hospital project. 
 
“This is about delivering world-class health facilities and services closer to home to transform healthcare for communities in the Tweed Valley region,” Mr Toole said.
 
“Today’s ‘topping out’ ceremony is a significant milestone for this incredible new health facility which will double capacity of the existing hospital to better meet the current and future healthcare needs of this community which has grown by 6,000 people since this project was first announced.”
 
Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said the hospital will feature two new major services, including an interventional cardiology service and an integrated cancer care service with radiotherapy and PET-CT.
 
“These services will be a game-changer for the local community, providing treatment locally to ensure up to 5,000 people no longer have to travel outside of the region to access life-saving treatments,” Mrs Taylor said.
 
“Once complete next year, the new hospital will boast almost 200 more beds and an extra 16 new Emergency Department treatment spaces.”
 
Member for Tweed Geoff Provest said in addition to the world-class health facility, construction for the hospital has provided a boost to the local economy, supporting hundreds of jobs since work began.
 
“As the project moves into the internal fit-out stage, work is ramping up with around 400 people on-site each day,” Mr Provest said.
 
“Importantly, many of the workers contributing to this project are from the local community.”
 
The hospital has been designed in close collaboration with staff and the community and will include:
 

• More than 400 overnight and day only beds to address future demand for health services
• Expanded emergency department with 42 treatment spaces
• Expanded outpatient services with more clinics
• 12 operating theatres, an increase of five from the existing Tweed Hospital
• New interventional cardiology service
• New radiotherapy service as part of integrated cancer care, including a PET-CT suite
• Outdoor green spaces
• Campus roads and car park.

 
With the hospital reaching its full structural height, construction teams will continue the internal fit-out of the building, services installation and the hospital’s facade.
 
Construction of the new hospital is on track for completion in 2023.
 
A new $50 million multi-storey car park will also be delivered as part of the project, providing staff, patients and visitors with access to over 1,200 car park spaces at the new hospital campus when complete. Construction is underway and on-track to open in 2023.
 
The Tweed Valley Hospital development is part of the NSW Government’s record $10.8 billion investment in health infrastructure over four years to 2024-25, with nearly a third of the spend in this financial year earmarked for regional and rural health facilities.
 
Since 2011, the government has delivered more than 170 hospitals and health facilities across NSW, with more than 110 currently underway – of those, more than 70 are in rural and regional areas.

The NSW Government has committed a one-off $2 million funding program to support maintenance and repair works to boating infrastructure as part of a $28 million Boating Now Program.

Minister for Transport and Veterans David Elliott said the NSW Government allocated the additional funds to help boating infrastructure owners across NSW undertake maintenance works to boat ramps, pontoons, wharves, jetties, boat ramps and car and trailer parks. 

“NSW boasts some of the best waterways in the world which are not only enjoyed by recreational water users but vital for local tourist operators and commercial vessels, therefore it is important to ensure boating communities have easy access to modern maritime facilities,” Mr Elliott said.

“We understand the challenges of maintaining boating facilities and recognise that repairs can be costly for asset owners and managers.

“We’ve listened to feedback from boating stakeholders and as a result we’ve made up to $2 million available as part of Round Four of the Boating Now Program to help owners return boating assets to their optimal operational condition,” Mr Elliott said.

Applications are now open for the Boating Asset maintenance sub-program, which will fund up to $30,000 per asset and up to a maximum of $60,000 per applicant for multiple assets.

To be eligible, the boating asset must be available for general boating public use and provide direct benefits to recreational boaters. The asset must also be included in an existing annual maintenance schedule or have its own asset maintenance plan in place at the time of application.  

Guidelines and the application form is available on the Boating Now website. Applications close at 5pm on 30 September 2022 and must be emailed to MIDO@transport.nsw.gov.au

In an Australian-first initiative, NSW teachers will have access to a full suite of high-quality, sequenced curriculum resources to assist with lesson planning – the number one concern reported by teachers in a national study.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the new resources will have a revolutionary impact on teacher workload.

“Teachers have told us how much they love their profession but the number one tax on their time is finding or producing high quality teaching resources,” Mr Perrottet said. 

“We want to ease that workload by providing online access to universally available learning curriculum materials they can draw from to free up lesson planning time each week.

“This will be further supported by more than 200 new administration and support staff in schools from Term 4, to allow our teachers to focus on what they love – teaching.”

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said the new resources will transform education in NSW.

“This is a game-changer for teachers in NSW,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Teachers have told us that finding or making high quality resources that align with the curriculum is the number one tax on their time.

“We’ve listened closely to our teaching staff, developing online, high-quality, centralised, universally available learning materials they can draw on.”

Ms Mitchell also said the new universally-available resources will lift student outcomes across the board.

“This is not about taking the creativity out of teaching – that’s what our teachers do best. It’s about providing teachers with a basic recipe for student success, while allowing them to contextualise how they use the ingredients to get the best outcomes for their students,” Ms Mitchell said.

Feedback from more than 4,000 submissions to a review of teacher workload identified the need for universal curriculum resources.

These findings are supported by a recent national study by the Grattan Institute. Its research found that centralised resources could save teachers an average of three hours per week – with 86 per cent of teachers across Australia reporting they ‘always’ or ‘frequently’ do not have enough time for high-quality lesson planning.

A competitive tender process is currently underway for qualified organisations to partner with the NSW Department of Education in developing the new quality-assured online curriculum content, which will begin rolling out from Term 4 2022.

The NSW Department of Education’s Quality Time mid-year update found that despite COVID-related disruptions, the NSW Government has exceeded its target to reduce the time principals and school based non-teaching staff spend on low-value administrative tasks by 20 per cent, and is on track to meet this target for teachers by the end of 2022.

The Quality Time mid-year update can be found at: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/quality-time/quality-time-program

The NSW Government’s record $1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and provide safe accommodation to those in need by supporting proven initiatives ensures a continued commitment to break the cycle of disadvantage.

Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services Natasha Maclaren-Jones said assertive outreach, early intervention and stable accommodation are key to combatting homelessness.

“As we mark Homelessness Week, we shine a light on the NSW Government’s commitment to provide supports and services across our state to reduce the number of people sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said. 

“Early intervention is at the heart of our dedication to achieve the Premier’s Priority to halve street homelessness by 2025. 

“The Together Home program is one of many exceptional programs across our state reducing rough sleeping.
“Together Home not only provides a stable place to live, but also ensures there are wrap-around supports to help people rebuild their lives and reduce a return to rough sleeping.”

Since Together Home commenced in 2020, the NSW Government has invested $177.8 million, including a $37 million injection in the 2022-23 NSW Budget, with more than 990 people supported under the program.

In 2022-23 $394.8 million is being invested to continue a range of specialist homelessness services across NSW, referral services such as Link2home, enhancements for youth refuges and after hours domestic and family violence services and NSW Homelessness Strategy initiatives.

There has been also been an increase in outreach street patrols to engage with more people sleeping rough and offer support through wrap-around services and temporary accommodation.

Through the NSW Homelessness Strategy, the NSW Government has invested over $20 million to support people to maintain their social housing tenancies and prevent a return to homelessness. 

Anybody who is homeless or at risk of homelessness can contact Link2home on 1800 152 152. Support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

A multi-million dollar investment will revamp the 88-year-old Wentworthville Fire Station and expand its response to fires and other emergencies in Western Sydney.
 
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the $6 million investment would replace the existing facility built in 1934.
 
“The current building at the intersection of Garfield and Pritchard Streets will be demolished to make way for its state-of-the-art replacement featuring an additional engine bay, separate amenities for male and female firefighters and larger administration and training spaces,” Ms Cooke said.
 
Member for Seven Hills Mark Taylor said the NSW Government is investing in infrastructure and services to match the significant growth and development across Western Sydney.
 
“This redevelopment project will ensure our firefighters have the best possible facilities to tackle their growing workload, with tens of thousands of residents in Wentworthville and surrounding suburbs,” Mr Taylor said.
 
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Commissioner Paul Baxter said the station responds to around 1,250 incidents each year from Wentworthville and the neighbouring suburbs of Greystanes, Pendle Hill and Westmead.
 
“Many of the areas it services have recently been identified as having a heightened fire risk because of its socio-economic make-up, higher-density living arrangements and large industrial presence. A bigger and better fire station will ultimately make these communities safer,” Commissioner Baxter said.
 
FRNSW will undertake planning and detailed design work in 2022-23, ahead of the demolition and construction work beginning next financial year.
 
The redevelopment of Wentworthville Fire Station forms part of a $862 million 2022-23 NSW Budget investment in FRNSW which includes new and upgraded fire stations, construction of female amenities at fire stations, health and safety improvements for firefighters and 16 new bush fire water tankers.

The NSW Government today announced it is directing the Consumer Trustee to run a new tender under the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap to ensure the State has the firming infrastructure it needs to provide cheap, clean and reliable energy well into the future.
 
Minister for Energy Matt Kean said that the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has projected increased electricity demand over the coming years, driven by more electric vehicles, electrification of homes and businesses and updates to other inputs and assumptions in their Energy Security Target Monitor Report, meaning more firming infrastructure is required to keep the grid reliable.
 
“NSW has the most ambitious renewable energy policy anywhere in the country, helping to replace ageing coal fired power stations and reach net zero emissions,” Mr Kean said.
 
“Firming infrastructure is needed alongside renewable energy infrastructure to balance the grid, helping to keep the lights on when it isn’t sunny or windy, or when there is high demand.”
 
“The firming tender will be open to all technology types, but projects will be required to have an emissions intensity lower than the most recent NSW grid average and achieve net zero scope 1 emissions by 2035.”
 
The Consumer Trustee, AEMO Services, will now prepare an Infrastructure Investment Objectives Report to determine the size and timing of tenders, to ensure reliable energy while minimising costs to consumers.
 
Following the finalisation of AEMO’s 2022 Integrated System Plan and the Energy Security Target Monitor Report, the NSW Office of Energy and Climate Change anticipates that at least 350MW of firming infrastructure will be required within the Sydney-Newcastle-Wollongong sub-region, however the final size of the tender will be determined by the independent Consumer Trustee.

NSW Environment Protection Authority

A key flood clean-up program has been expanded to assist private landowners in affected areas remove debris from their land following this year’s destructive floods.

 

The Land-based Clean-up Program is being run by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and now includes the clean-up of large, man-made and hazardous debris that has remained on properties after flood waters have receded.

NSW EPA flood recovery manager Martin Puddey said the Program would reduce the cost and burden for those recovering from the flood events and benefit the local environment.

“This is an excellent addition to the program. The Land Based Flood Debris Clean-Up Program has removed more than 420m³ of flood debris since February,” Mr Puddey said.

The Land-based Program had previously focused primarily on the removal of flood debris from public flood plains and low-lying public land.

Clean-up has already been completed at 57 sites and is planned for a further 117 sites.  These sites are in the Hawkesbury, The Hills, Penrith, Lismore, Nambucca, Ballina, Byron Bay and Tweed local government areas. The program applies to all disaster declared local government areas in NSW.  

“Community members in flood impacted areas can apply to have debris that washed up on their land removed such as metal objects, farm equipment, destroyed sheds or parts of caravans and agricultural chemical containers” Mr Puddey said.

Private land holders can apply for flood debris to be removed under the Program using an application form on the Service NSW website.

“Once assessed and salvaged by qualified experts, these large items will be sorted and an effort is made to recover and recycle components such as aluminium and steel where possible,” Mr Puddey said.

Mr Puddey also praised the collaborative efforts of impacted communities working with government, with local contractors engaged where possible to support clean-up and recovery efforts.

“The communities in flood impacted areas have been through very tough times in the last couple of years and it’s encouraging to see local businesses and contractors assisting in the recovery” Mr Puddey said.

Mr Puddey said the EPA had also worked well with other government agencies such as National Parks and Wildlife Service, Crown Lands and Aboriginal Ranger groups throughout the Program to protect sensitive environments and culturally significant sites.

The Land-based Program is funded under the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Members of the community can assist the clean-up of their local area by reporting flood debris to the Environment Line on 131 555 or info@epa.nsw.gov.au

The full list of disaster declared areas can be found on the NSW Government website.

Rental support payments for flood victims and grants for rural landholders will soon be available for all communities affected by the June-July NSW flood event with more than $23 million in relief funding from the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments.
 
The jointly funded package through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) includes:

• Rental Support payments for up to 16 weeks to help households secure accommodation.
• A Rural Landholder Grants program providing grants of up to $25,000 for rural landholders who are ineligible for existing grants.

 
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said the funding package will be available to people in all 42 local government areas (LGAs) subject to a natural disaster declaration.
 
“The rental support payments and rural landholder grants will help with the immediate costs of clean-up and repair, which is an important first step in the recovery process,” Senator Watt said.
 
New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the funding will flow through Service NSW and the Rural Assistance Authority.
 
“The rental support payments covering up to 16 weeks rent will help people find safe, secure accommodation while they begin the recovery process, and the $25,000 grants will help kick-start the clean-up for the many rural landholders who’ve been affected by flooding yet again,” Ms Cooke said.
 
The 42 LGAs subject to a natural disaster declaration following the June-July flood event are: Bayside, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Canterbury Bankstown, Campbelltown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Cumberland, Dungog, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kempsey, Kiama, Lake Macquarie, Lithgow, Liverpool, Maitland, Mid Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Penrith, Port Macquarie Hastings, Port Stephens, Randwick, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Strathfield, Sutherland, The Hills, Upper Lachlan, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong.

Teachers in NSW will be able to spend more time teaching thanks to the introduction of hundreds of new roles in admin, leadership and support. 

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said more than 200 new administration roles will be trialled in public schools from Term 4 2022 to reduce teacher workload.  

“Our teachers are skilled professionals and their time is precious. However, they are stretched across too many non-teaching and low value activities,” Ms Mitchell said. 

“Running a modern-day school is complex. We need to look at the work staff do in schools and think differently about how it gets done.” 

The new admin roles will work with our teachers to undertake non-teaching tasks such as data entry, paperwork, and coordinating events and excursions. 

Ms Mitchell said the new roles will reduce the admin burden on teachers, and open doors to people wanting to re-enter the workforce or upskill. 

“It’s a great opportunity for parents and carers who have the necessary skills to do these jobs well, to work within the hours of school drop-offs and pick-ups,” Ms Mitchell said. 

“It’s also a chance to up-skill our current non-teaching, school-based staff to provide greater support to our teachers.” 

In addition, recruitment has started for 780 Assistant Principals (Curriculum and Instruction) roles to support teachers to adopt best practice and use resources as effectively as possible.  

Ms Mitchell said the NSW Government is committed to continuous school improvement and providing principals and teachers with the support and resources to drive better student outcomes. 

“This is only the beginning, and we will be scaling up what we see working once this trial concludes next year,” Ms Mitchell said. 

“We will continue working closely with principals, teachers and non-teaching staff to ensure that time is spent on what matters most – teaching and supporting our students.” 

The boost to the workforce is supported by research by the University of Technology, Sydney which found that instructional leaders, robust system support and quality professional learning significantly improve teachers’ capacity to meet students’ needs. 

A new analysis of rental data by the Everybody’s Home campaign to coincide with Homelessness Week reveals the NSW regions where renters are hardest hit by the toxic combination of surging increases and stagnant wages.

The three year analysis cross references SQM rental data with wage growth for workers in retail or health care and social assistance and rental increases. Workers in those occupations saw average wages increase only 2.3 per cent annually over three years. 

But over the three years leading up to 22 July, 2022,  rents surged by the following average amounts each year.

	3 year annualised change	Rent 28 July 2022
South Coast	13.4	$599.91
Central Tablelands	12.8%	$463.68
Murray Region	12.2%	$385.146
Riverina	10.8%	$389.10
North Coast	10.5%	$570.22
Broken Hill/Dubbo	10.1%	$384.69
Blue Mountains	9%	$545.03
Central Coast	8.9%	$594.03

Everybody’s Home national  spokesperson, Kate Colvin, said the compounding impact of spiking rents and stagnant wages was smashing living standards and putting people at risk of homelessness.

“We know that rental stress is the gateway to homelessness,” Kate Colvin said. “When you combine surging rents with flat wages you put people in a financial vice. For the past three years that vice has been tightening.

“Homelessness providers are reporting stories of families with full time breadwinners being forced to live in tents. In a wealthy nation like Australia this is nothing short of a national disgrace. 

“The recent change of Government represents an opportunity for a reset. For a decade construction of new social and affordable housing has withered. Now is the time to get moving and give people on low and modest incomes genuine choice.

“Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese have been clear that public spending should expand the economy and improve productivity. Social housing meets those objectives better than almost anything. There really is no better return on the taxpayer’s dollar than providing the homes Australian families need to be healthy, productive workers, and to raise their families with the stability and security of a decent home.”