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The major upgrade of Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital is moving forward with the project’s lead design team appointed. 

Health Minister Ryan Park said the NSW Government is investing $120 million in the Blacktown and Mt Druitt Hospital Redevelopment to add another 60 beds across the 2 facilities to meet the growing health needs of Sydney’s west.

“From Blacktown to Mount Druitt and Riverstone, this investment will deliver modern health care facilities to serve one of the country’s fastest-growing communities and provide the best possible workplace for our dedicated health staff.

“In the coming months, the design team will work with Health Infrastructure and Western Sydney Local Health District to determine key clinical service priorities and progress the planning for the redevelopment,” said Mr Park.  

Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital operate as a single hospital, providing health care for approximately 90,000 patients in their emergency departments each year.

Member for Blacktown Stephen Bali said the $120 million investment was critical to allow Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital to meet the future health needs of its diverse community,

“Consultation with staff and consumers will continue throughout 2024, their valuable feedback will help shape an upgrade that is purpose-built and welcoming to everyone in our communities,” said Mr Bali.

“I’ve stood alongside my community advocating for investment in Blacktown Hospital for a long time and it’s exciting to be one step closer to seeing it become a reality.”

Member for Mt Druitt Edmond Atalla welcomed the progress on the redevelopment and the significant boost to jobs and opportunities it would have.

“Throughout the life of the project, the Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital Redevelopment is estimated to support approximately 200 direct jobs with the potential for supporting hundreds of indirect jobs,” said Mr Atalla.

“I’m proud to be part of a government prioritising the healthcare needs of Western Sydney through investments like this one.”

The NSW Government is investing $3 billion for new and upgraded hospitals and health services across greater western Sydney, one of the largest investments in the region’s health infrastructure in recent years.    

The 2023-24 NSW State Budget also included:

• an additional $400 million to build the $700 million Rouse Hill Hospital
• $550 million for Fairfield Hospital, in its first major redevelopment since it opened in 1989
• $350 million for Canterbury Hospital, in its first major redevelopment since 1998
• $1.3 billion to build the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital on a new site, the first major investment since the two hospitals merged in 1997.  

The scope of the project and indicative timing of the works will be finalised during planning and design. Staff, stakeholders, and the community will be kept informed and consulted as the project progresses.

Master planning will commence this month on the new Bankstown Hospital.

The NSW Government has committed $1.3 billion for the new hospital to meet the healthcare needs of one of South Western Sydney’s fastest growing and most culturally diverse communities.

The new hospital will be located in Bankstown’s CBD, with convenient access to public transport.

The master plan will outline the vision for the site including an ongoing TAFE NSW presence. It will also identify the location of key aspects of the hospital, including clinical services, parking and future expansion zones.

Master planning will also explore how the new facility will integrate with the community and connect with local road and existing and future public transport networks.

The existing Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital provides a wide range of general medical and surgical care and a variety of sub-specialty services to the community.

Speciality areas include emergency medicine, cardiology, intensive care, maternity, women’s and children’s health, rehabilitation, aged care, drug health and mental health.

The scope for the new Bankstown Hospital will be determined through the planning process, and is anticipated to include:

• emergency services
• intensive care
• surgery and interventional procedures
• women’s and children’s Health
• aged health
• mental health
• ambulatory care services.

Community consultation and an Expressions of Interest for the project’s Community Reference Group will be advertised in the coming months.

The site of the new Bankstown Hospital offers precinct opportunities for health, education, research partners, including TAFE NSW and universities, to meet the learning needs of the local community, improve educational outcomes, and support the state’s priority skills need.  

TAFE NSW will consult with its employees and students about relocating TAFE NSW facilities during construction of the new hospital.

Services will continue to be delivered at the existing hospital while construction on the new hospital is underway. When the new facility is completed and services have transferred, the existing site will be considered for repurposing for health uses.

Find out more information about the Bankstown Hospital redevelopment

Health Minister Ryan Park:

“The new Bankstown Hospital master planning will outline a vision for a world class health care facility which makes the most of its location.”

“This master plan will be developed in consultation with the local community, so we can deliver a hospital which will support the needs of this growing community well into the future.”

“Key stakeholders including council, planning agencies, staff and community members can contribute to both clinical and site planning.”

The Hon. Jihad Dib MP, Member for Bankstown:

“The new Bankstown Hospital is going to have a big impact on our community and it’s important that we work with members of the community so we can have the best and most practical hospital possible.”

“We want to know what’s important to patients, carers, visitors, staff and community members so we can plan a hospital which truly reflects our unique multicultural city.”

Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Minister, Steve Whan:

“I am thrilled to be partnering with the Minister for Health on this important and well overdue health and education campus.”

“TAFE NSW is committed to continuing its service delivery in the Bankstown CBD, both during construction of the new hospital and once it is operational.”

Kylie Wilkinson, Member for East Hills:

“We’re really pleased the community and other local stakeholders will get a good opportunity to have their say about how the new and existing hospital will meet their needs.”

“There will be ample opportunity to find out more and have your say, with a series of pop-up information sessions in key locations and opportunities to join community reference groups.”

Lynda Voltz, Member for Auburn:

“This will be a lifechanging infrastructure for the Bankstown community and surrounds.”

“I’m proud to be part of a government that is focused on the health and wellbeing of the people of NSW.”

Dr Matt Smith, Emergency Department Director, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital:

“I am excited master planning is starting for the new Bankstown Hospital. A new contemporary hospital will offer our community state-of-the-art facilities and I am looking forward to hearing more about the vision for the site.’’

Mr Sanjay Lele, Consumer and Community Participation Member, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital:

“I was involved in the planning of the hospital’s new Emergency Department which opened in 2021. It was a great experience and I hope to have the opportunity to contribute to community consultation for the new Bankstown Hospital. The involvement of local people in the planning of the new hospital is essential to ensure the new hospital meets the needs of everyone in our community.’’

Two well-known locations in the Byron Bay area now have Aboriginal dual names, following requests from local communities and in a nod to the cultural significance of these sites.

Since June 2001, the NSW Government has supported a dual naming policy for geographical features and cultural sites, with 45 geographical features having been dual named so far. The policy aims to recognise traditional Aboriginal place names alongside existing European names.

Where a geographical feature has a non-Aboriginal name, a traditional Aboriginal name can be assigned. The name will hold equal status to the non-Aboriginal name and can be used individually or combined.

The NSW Geographical Names Board has approved the submission from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to officially dual-name Cape Byron as Walgun and Julian Rocks as Nguthungulli, while a reserve in the suburb of Bangalow has been named Piccabeen Park.

Nguthungulli/Julian Rocks is a significant and sacred Aboriginal site associated with several dreaming stories of the Bundjalung of Byron Bay (Arakwal) people and other Bundjalung people. Nguthungulli, said to be the Father of the World, is the traditional name used by the Arakwal people.

Walgun/Cape Byron maintains significance to the Arakwal and other Bundjalung people, with the area being used for important gatherings and ceremonial practices.

Cape Byron is known by the local Aboriginal community as Walgun, which means ‘shoulder’ in the Bundjalung Language.

The dual names are supported by the Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation and the Cape Byron Trust.

The GNB and Byron Shire Council have also worked together to formally name a reserve in the suburb of Bangalow as Piccabeen Park, which is located at 27 Deacon Street, Bangalow.

Piccabeen is a Bundjalung word used to describe the Bangalow Palm and/or baskets made from its palm frond. The reserve is home to many Bangalow Palms. The name is supported by the Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation.

Minister for Heritage and the Environment Penny Sharpe said:

“The dual naming of Nguthungulli/Julian Rocks and Walgun/Cape Byron acknowledges the traditional custodians and their special connection to these culturally, spiritually and historically significant sites.

“I want to thank the Traditional Owners who have worked to have these places dual named and I look forward to them being used so we can tell more of the stories of the these important areas.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“Place naming gives communities the opportunity to unlock past stories, preserve traditions, reawaken language and provide a sense of belonging and identity.”

“The NSW Government is committed to the preservation and promotion of Aboriginal languages and acknowledging Aboriginal culture through place naming in NSW.”

“All Australians share a relationship to the land and the names we give to places convey their significance, sense of history and identity.

“Dual-naming acknowledges the significance of Aboriginal culture and represents a meaningful step towards the process of unity in NSW.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

“The Arakwal and other Bundjalung people have had unbroken connections to these places through Story, kinship and Language since the first sunrise.”

“It is only right to honour that history and that connection through names that bring Story and Language to life for all Australians to enjoy.”

An important step has been taken for the biggest upgrade of Canterbury Hospital in 26 years, with the project’s lead design team appointed. 

The NSW Government is investing $350 million in the Canterbury Hospital redevelopment to expand the facility and deliver upgrades to existing infrastructure.  

Health Minister Ryan Park said the expansion of services will ensure the facility is able to respond to the health needs of the growing community in Sydney’s south-west. 

“Canterbury Hospital has been serving the community since 1929 and received its last major upgrade in 1998,” Mr Park said.  

“This investment will help build the healthcare infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing community and enable our dedicated health staff to deliver high-quality care in the latest facilities.

“In the coming months, the lead design team will work with Health Infrastructure and Sydney Local Health District to determine the key clinical service priorities and progress the planning for the redevelopment.” 

The Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Area is forecast to grow by 13% in the next 12 years, with an estimated population of 443,000 by 2036.   

Member for Canterbury Sophie Cotsis said the $350 million investment will enable Canterbury Hospital to meet the health needs of its diverse community. 

“I am so grateful for the wonderful staff at Canterbury Hospital who, through this redevelopment, will have state of the art facilities to continue providing excellent care to the community,” Ms Cotsis said. 

“Canterbury is a vibrant and hardworking community, and the much-welcomed redevelopment of the hospital will provide local jobs in health, technology and clinical support services.”

The NSW Government is investing $3 billion for new and upgraded hospitals and health services across greater western Sydney, one of the largest investments in the region’s health infrastructure in recent years.    

The 2023-24 NSW State Budget also included:    

• an additional $400 million to build the $700 million Rouse Hill Hospital 
• $550 million for Fairfield Hospital, in its first major redevelopment since it opened in 1989
• $120 million investment to expand capacity at Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals
• $1.3 billion to build the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital on a new site, the first major investment since the two hospitals merged in 1997. 

The scope of the project and indicative timing of the works will be finalised during planning and design. Staff, stakeholders, and the community will be kept informed and consulted as the project progresses.

Netball NSW is excited to announce a new streaming partnership with Sideline Sport who will broadcast every game of the 2024 Netball NSW Premier League.

Competition gets underway on Wednesday 20 March at Netball Central in Sydney Olympic Park and every centre pass, intercept and goal will be streamed live and on demand via netballnsw.tv.

In 2024 the Premier League Opens and Under 23s divisions will both feature 10 teams, with each division playing out over 18 minor rounds and their respective Finals Series.

Foundation franchises Central Coast Heart, ERNA Hawks, GWS Fury, Manly Warringah Sapphires, North Shore United, Panthers Netball, Sutherland Stingrays and UTS Randwick Sparks all return alongside South Coast Blaze, who joined in 2020, and a brand-new franchise in the South West Mounties Magic.

All matches taking place on Netball Central’s Show Court and Court 1 will be free to view live and for up to one week after the matches conclude.

All other content will be accessible via Daily, Monthly or Season Viewing Passes from netballnsw.tv.

Netball NSW CEO Tracey Scott is thrilled that the Premier League, the state’s top club competition, will continue to be easily accessible for the netball community to watch.

“We are now in our ninth year of the Netball NSW Premier League and have seen it grow year on year,” she said.

“Sideline Sports have expertise in bringing pathway and community sport to life on the screen and their people know the game of netball well.

“They will bring a fresh approach to the content which is top quality live sport and will provide a broadcast fitting of our athletes, coaches and officials taking part.”

Hamish Bayliss, Sideline Sport’s Chief Commercial Officer, added:

“Sideline Sport is thrilled to partner with Netball NSW to provide a premium streaming service to watch the best netball competition in the state, showcasing the best players and emerging talent every Wednesday night.”