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The NSW Government today announced new crop breeding technology, which promises to revolutionise crop protection and yield enhancements, has been developed by scientists from NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

The innovative new approach enables scientists to pin-point plant defence mechanisms and select superior resistance combinations against pathogens.

This will result in the development of crop varieties that are resistance to fungal diseases and deliver higher yields.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty today visited DPI Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute to see trials that have demonstrated the ability of the new breeding technology.

Breeding varieties with resistance has been estimated to contribute $2.6 billion per year in protection to Australian wheat crops alone.

This revolutionary technology will help protect those existing gains and accelerate the discovery of new resistances.

In a significant leap forward for plant pathology across Australia, the technology is in the final step of patenting in Australia, with DPI scientists now calling for expressions of interest to commercialise and conduct further research.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said:

“This exciting breakthrough in plant breeding technology highlights the NSW Government’s commitment to undertake research and development that maximises outcomes for NSW agriculture.

“The new technology will enable industry to adopt disease-resistant crop varieties faster and easier, resulting in increased profitability and productivity for our growers.”

New housing targets that rebalance housing across Greater Sydney, the Illawarra, the Hunter and Central Coast and regional NSW have been released today as the Minns Government announces an incentive scheme to encourage councils to meet these new targets.

This builds on the significant steps that the government has already taken to tackle the housing crisis NSW is facing.

Housing Crisis

Housing is the biggest single cost of living pressure people are dealing with right now, with mortgage payments or rent the largest expense for most households.

Without action now, we are at risk of being a city with no young people.

A recent Productivity Commission report found between 2016 and 2021, Sydney lost twice as many people aged 30 to 40 as it gained. These are the people who open businesses, have families, build our communities and contribute to the local economy.

The NSW Government is absolutely committed to confronting the housing crisis head on – and that means building more well-located homes; close to infrastructure and transport links; next to amenities and work opportunities.

Faster Assessments Council Incentives and Grants program

To support this the NSW Government is today announcing the first stage of an incentive program for local governments which meet and beat their housing targets.

The NSW Government’s program will reserve $200 million in grants for councils to fund more green space such as parks, sporting facilities and smaller pocket parks, plus maintenance of local streets and footpaths which Councils maintain.

The infrastructure that builds better communities for NSW.

This is in addition to support already announced including through reforms to developer contributions of $1 billion over the forward estimates, and up to $700 million per year beyond that.

This funding is reserved by the NSW Government to help fund schools, hospitals and roads to support the population growth that comes with new housing.

An additional $1 billion raised through this contribution will also be directed to local councils over 10 years for housing enabling infrastructure.

Fairer Housing Targets

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to address the housing crisis by rebalancing housing growth across the state with a focus on well-located homes close to transport, jobs and existing infrastructure.

For a long time, Western Sydney has accepted the overwhelming burden of new housing in our city without proper infrastructure to cope with the increase in population.

This plan ensures we are now building more housing around established infrastructure; in places that are connected to work and transport; in communities that already have schools and hospitals.

These five-year targets ensure that while all areas would see an increase in homes being built to help address the housing crisis, new housing will be more fairly rebalanced from the West of Sydney towards the East and North of Sydney.

These targets do not mean additional housing over and above recently announced planning reforms – instead they will provide guideposts for local governments as well as access to financial support for future housing.

This rebalancing has been developed with consideration of:

• Homes already in the pipeline
• The additional homes to be delivered from new planning reforms including Transport Orientated Developments and low and mid rise reforms.
• Constraints due to environmental risks like floods or bushfires

Over the next five years 82 per cent of the housing targets come from infill areas with 18 per cent to come from greenfield locations.

These targets will be ambitious. Last year NSW delivered 48,393 homes, and the previous record number was 74,683 in 2018/19 but we can’t sit back and do nothing.

This is part of the NSW Government’s plan to build better homes, and better communities for the state. To build a better NSW.

For more information on the housing targets, visit Housing targets.

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:

“We’re losing too many young people, people who make the city vibrant, essential workers and young families because they can’t afford a place to live in NSW. This has to change.

“I’ve talked a long time about the need to ensure we have a fairer balance of housing across the state – so housing is built close to already established transport links, schools and hospitals.

“While these targets are required to be released, the government has already acknowledged that they will be difficult to meet.

“That’s why this government is pulling all levers required to reforming planning and setting targets for housing growth, while providing the infrastructure needed to build better communities.”

Minister for Planning and Public Space Paul Scully said:

“These targets are ambitious but realistic, because they’re based on evidence.

“We all need to be accountable. For too long, housing has been delivered without a plan.

“The new targets make for a fairer distribution across Sydney and NSW, with growth in areas where jobs and transport exist or are planned for.

“The good news is that nearly two thirds of homes are either planned, under assessment or under construction.

“The State has already reformed the planning laws to improve efficiency and speed approvals.  We’re also investing $200 million to support councils with the infrastructure that builds better communities.”

The NSW Government is investing in regional development including the $212 million Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct as part of a long-term vision to create sustainable employment opportunities for generations to come.

The Wagga Wagga precinct is supporting businesses and investors through master planning, enabling infrastructure, accelerated planning pathways and business concierge.

These unique offerings are driving down costs for private sector development and transforming the region into a hub of high value agriculture, manufacturing, freight and logistics, renewable energy and recycling industries.

Businesses that set up in the Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct have access to new industrial roads, freight rail links, digital connectivity, a streamlined planning process and the certainty of being located in a government precinct.

The private sector has already leveraged the NSW Government’s investment in the Wagga Wagga precinct, with more than $50 million in new investments committed since its inception in 2019.

Fulton Hogan, one of Australia’s leading infrastructure services, construction, roadworks and aggregate supplier company, is capitalising on the unique offerings of the Wagga Wagga precinct through an expansion to its facility.

The expansion will include the creation of a new resource recovery facility specialising in recycling and processing of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) materials.

The expansion will:

• divert up to 12,000 tonnes of asphalt material from landfill annually
• help decrease Fulton Hogan’s carbon footprint by up to 163 tonnes CO2 annually
• create on site storage for 2500 tonnes of RAP materials
• provide asphalt with recycled content for government road projects
• reduce demand for raw construction materials due to reuse and recycling.

Fulton Hogan worked with the Wagga Wagga precinct’s business concierge service to secure their Activation Precinct Certificate earlier this year and utilised the streamlined planning pathway.

The expansion of Fulton Hogan and other high valued investors within the Wagga Wagga precinct is testament to the government’s commitment to job creation, regional prosperity and growth, with substantial investment and strategic planning being dedicated to its realisation.

Special Activation Precincts in Moree, Parkes, Wagga Wagga and the Snowy Mountains are part of the NSW Government’s regional development and major infrastructure program. Get more information.

Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW Tara Moriarty said:

“Creating jobs and driving investment in regional NSW is a major priority of the NSW Government and the Special Activation Precincts are an important part of our plans.

We want to create sustainable jobs and foster generational change that will benefit the Wagga Wagga community, and the broader region, for years to come.

“Businesses and investors who choose to set up or expand in our Special Activation Precincts will benefit from development-ready infrastructure, technical studies and streamlined planning.

“By removing regulatory barriers for investors, we’re helping them to save time and money, and our concierge service supports them through the entire planning process.

“We’re giving businesses and investors confidence to invest in regional NSW, and I’m pleased to see Fulton Hogan taking advantage of these unique offerings.

“I commend Fulton Hogan on their investment to build a resource recovery facility, and I look forward to seeing the Wagga Wagga precinct continue to grow.”

Independent member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr said:

“Government support and private investment are driving an exciting future for Wagga Wagga’s industrial base at the Special Activation Precinct.

“The Fulton Hogan expansion is one very welcome example of how Wagga can lead the way in developing the unlimited circular economy while government support of the SAP continues to underwrite confidence in the precinct, encouraging further growth towards a target of 6000 new jobs across a range of industries.

“The challenge now will be to continue to develop the transport services and housing options that industry and workers will need to realise the SAP’s full potential and I look forward to working with the government to achieve those aims.”

Fulton Hogan Infrastructure Services CEO Peter Curl said:

“Fulton Hogan are investing further in our facility located in the Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct to improve sustainability outcomes for the community.”

“We thank the Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW for providing this innovative approval process, through streamlined planning pathways.

“Fulton Hogan believes the NSW Government’s Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct will support accelerated investment for manufacturing, agribusiness, freight and logistics companies.”

Firefighters, NRL stars and other top athletes are urging households across the state to make sure they have working smoke alarms fitted in their homes, as Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) launches its annual Winter Fire Safety Campaign. 

New figures reveal that last winter, nearly half (49%) of the 1080 homes that were impacted by fire did not have a working smoke alarm, or any alarm, in place.

The most residential fires last winter occurred in Canterbury-Bankstown (243), closely followed by the inner city (Sydney – 241), the Central Coast (235) and Blacktown (228), with kitchen fires the most common.

Winter in 2022 was particularly deadly for house fires, with a record 17 deaths – more than 4 times the total of the previous winter – and 87 people injured.

During that season, exactly half of the 959 houses that caught alight did not have a working smoke alarm.

FRNSW is amping up its efforts to warn people about the dangers of smoke alarm complacency, enlisting the help of sports stars in a social media campaign to better connect with communities and establishing its own awareness day, Smoke Alarm Action Day.

Sports stars including netball star Maddy Turner (NSW Swifts/Australian Diamonds) and a range of NRL players including Tom Burgess (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Jaydn Su’A (St George Illawarra Dragons), Stephen Crichton and Georgia Ravics (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs), and Suia Wong and Keeley Davis (Sydney Roosters), will feature in social media video messages encouraging households to fit a smoke alarm in their home or have their existing alarm checked.

FRNSW will hold its inaugural Smoke Alarm Action Day on 1 June to kick off the agency’s Winter Fire Safety Campaign and mark the commencement of a dangerous period for house fires.

FRNSW also conducts community outreach programs to engage culturally and linguistically diverse communities in smoke alarm and fire safety messaging.

Residents can book a home fire safety visit when firefighters can install smoke alarms free of charge and find further advice on the FRNSW website.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:
“Having at least 1 working smoke alarm installed in your home will help safeguard your loved ones and provide peace of mind.

“But the alarms must be in working order to be effective, and we are finding this isn’t the case a lot of the time. In their home safety visits, firefighters have been finding outdated and broken smoke alarms, with some even hanging from ceilings by wires.

“I encourage residents to book a fire safety visit from a firefighter, who can install an alarm for free or make sure your alarm is functioning properly.”

FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said: 
“We understand that people are busy these days but making sure you have a functioning smoke alarm in your home should be a priority, especially as we enter winter.

“We’re particularly concerned about the number of fires occurring in the kitchen, which was 44% of cases last winter.

“You’ve got to keep looking while you’re cooking – don’t get distracted and if a fire breaks out, whatever you do, don’t throw water onto it, the flames will flare up dramatically.

“Keep a fire blanket near the kitchen to smother flames if they occur.”

NSW Rural Fire Service Assistant Commissioner Stuart Midgley said: 
“It is important that people in rural and regional areas have a working smoke alarm and know what to do if there is a fire in their home.

“In rural areas, emergency services often have to travel considerable distances to respond to house fires.

“Smoke alarms and a home escape plan can give you valuable seconds to make it out alive.

The latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) quarterly results show NSW hospitals are under unprecedented pressure.

The BHI report reveals 810,201 emergency department presentations in the January to March quarter – up 5.2% from the same quarter last year – the highest on record.

There were 6,677 triage 1 (resuscitation), 123,935 triage 2 (emergency) and 297,456 triage 3 (urgent) presentations to NSW EDs – all the highest on record.

Ambulance activity was also the highest of any quarter since BHI began reporting in 2010, with 383,341 responses. Of these, more than 17,000 were priority 1A or life-threatening cases, another record level of activity.

Despite the record demand for ambulance services, the median response time for life-threatening cases in NSW was 8 minutes, which is within the 10-minute benchmark and a testament to the professionalism of our hard-working paramedics.

Just days after being sworn in, Health Minister Ryan Park established the NSW Surgical Care Taskforce dedicated to improving the delivery of surgical services and reducing the state’s planned surgery wait list.

Throughout the first quarter of 2024, more than 51,000 planned surgeries were performed, with 86.2% of all planned surgeries performed on time – an improvement of 11.2 percentage points when compared with the same quarter in 2023 (75%).

Of these surgeries, almost all urgent planned surgeries (98.7%) were performed on time.

Additionally, the NSW Government has delivered 16 Urgent Care Services since July 2023 to ensure that patients have fast access to the urgent care they need without having to turn to a busy emergency department.

The NSW Government remains committed to alleviating pressure on the state’s busy hospitals through:

• Boosting staff and treatment spaces;
• Creating more pathways to care outside our busy hospitals via HealthDirect and urgent care services;
• Reducing overdue surgeries by safely increasing short stay procedures;
• Empowering pharmacies to prescribe low complex medications, relieving pressure on our GPs; the Emergency Department and Surgical Care taskforces.

Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“Our hospitals are confronted with unprecedented pressure.

“And everyone knows that it is becoming more difficult to access a GP.

“But we are undertaking the structural reforms to our health system to ensure our community receives the care they need and deserve – by delivering the single largest boost to our workforce in the history of our health system, and creating more pathways to treatment and care outside the hospital.

“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to our dedicated frontline staff who continued to perform exceptionally well throughout this extremely busy period.”

The NSW Opposition has slammed the Minns Labor Government’s cuts to health funding for putting major pressure on the state’s hospital system and creating an emergency department crisis.
 
Shadow Minister for Health Matt Kean said that the health system is falling apart because of Labor’s cruel cuts. 
 
“Data released by the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) today show a hospital system under immense strain. People are waiting longer to be seen and their health is at risk,” Mr Kean said.
 
“The number of people treated at emergency departments within four hours is in freefall, with the January to March quarter producing a record low.”
 
“This is a consequence of Labor’s budget mismanagement. They have lost control of the Budget and as a result have embarked on a rampage of health cuts hitting palliative care, frontline services and emergency departments.”
 
Shadow Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said the latest BHI data shows waiting times are up and the elective surgeries backlog is growing.
“While the Government are focused on cutting ribbons on health facilities that were delivered and funded by the former Liberal and Nationals Government, patients are left waiting in emergency departments around the state,” Mrs Taylor said.
“Across our regions our dedicated frontline workers are holding together a healthcare system in rapid decline under the Minns Labor Government.
“AMA (NSW) President Dr Kathryn Austin described this as a catastrophe waiting to happen. I urge Chris Minns to immediately reinstate critical health funding and stop putting politics and photo opportunities before the health of our state.”
 
The Opposition has also criticised Ryan Park for failing to acknowledge the impact of Labor’s cuts including:
 

• An increase in the number of people leaving emergency departments without treatment
• Record high emergency department overcrowding numbers
• An increase in the average length of stay in hospitals
• An increase in mental health admissions
• An increase to the backlog of elective surgery and
• Stagnant ambulance response times

 
“The Minns Labor Government has no plan to address this health crisis, which is of their own making. Shamefully the Minister failed to even acknowledge the emergency department crisis today in a pathetic attempt to sweep it under the rug,” Mr Kean said.
 
“Chris Minns and Ryan Park must reverse these cuts and restore hospital funding in next month’s Budget otherwise this crisis will only deepen.”