Author: admin

In the spirit of spreading holiday cheer, the annual Party Day celebration at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (CHW) today delivered great delight to children, young people, and their families unable to leave hospital during the festive season.

From Pac-Man to LEGO®, this year’s theme of ‘Games’ saw wards, clinics, and departments transformed into a playground of imagination, as patients were transported from their hospital beds into gaming realms where reality and fantasy merged.

Healthcare workers moonlighted as their favourite gaming characters, with special visits from guests, including superheroes Batman and Spider-Man as well as Princess Anna from the big screen, along with local heroes from NSW Police and Fire and Rescue NSW adding to festivities.

Patients also received gift bags and enjoyed activities like balloon twisting and face painting.

Party Day is a heartwarming tradition celebrated across the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick offering a much-needed escape from the challenges of being in hospital during the holiday season.

The event is also a celebration for the dedicated healthcare staff who work tirelessly year-round to ensure children and young people across NSW receive high-quality and family-centred care.

Quotes attributable to Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns:

“Party Day is an important day for paediatric patients and their families facing the challenges of hospitalisation during the holiday season.

“The annual event provides respite from medical routines, allowing children to enjoy a day of laughter, play, and festive spirit.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“It’s heartwarming to witness the joy and excitement that Party Day brings to young patients, families and the dedicated staff at the hospital.

Quotes attributable to Member for Parramatta Donna Davis:

“Party Day is an opportunity to experience the magic of the holidays right here in the hospital and I’m proud to have been part of it.

“Seeing their faces light up with happiness is a priceless gift.”

Quotes attributable to Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network’s Chief Executive Cathryn Cox PSM:

“Our dedicated staff go above and beyond their normal duties to transform the hospital and make the experience as positive and festive as possible for our patients and their families.

“We extend our gratitude to our staff, the community, and our partners who prepare for months for Party Day to make this event truly magical.”

About Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN) is the largest paediatric healthcare entity in Australia and cares for thousands of children each year both in hospital and in their homes — with one purpose in mind — to help children and young people live their healthiest lives. SCHN brings together the advanced facilities, expertise and services of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, the Newborn and paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS), Bear Cottage and Kids Research to provide the very best care for sick children and their families. With more than 8,000 staff, the Network is committed to providing world-class paediatric health care, furthering ground-breaking research into the causes, treatments and cures of childhood illnesses and investing in education and training of the health workforce to advocate for a healthy future for children in NSW and beyond.

The Minns Labor Government is today taking a meaningful step to better support victim-survivors of domestic and family violence, with the expansion of the Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper trial.

From 1 December, the eligibility criteria for the initiative will expand to include specific reference to domestic and family violence victim-survivors.

The expansion of the program means that domestic and family violence victim-survivors and other eligible applicants can now access the scheme.

The program delivers on the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to take meaningful action to combat domestic violence and support victim-survivors.

Domestic violence victim-survivors who participate in the Shared Equity program will see the NSW Government contribute up to 40% of the purchase price for a new home, or up to 30% for an existing home.

This will allow eligible applicants to secure a property with as little as a two% deposit.

Removing many of the barriers to home ownership, domestic and family violence victim-survivors who apply for the initiative will pay no interest on the government’s share of equity in the property they purchase. They will also not require lenders mortgage insurance.

Housing instability and homelessness are a major barrier for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.

Women and children escaping domestic abuse account for 39% of specialist homelessness service users.

While domestic and family violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women, annually in Australia it is estimated that 7690 women a year return to perpetrators due to having nowhere affordable to live.

The NSW Government has expanded the Shared Equity program’s eligibility criteria after accepting the recommendations of the NSW Domestic and Family Violence Shared Equity Taskforce.

The taskforce was co-chaired by Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison and Chief Executive Officer of Domestic Violence NSW Delia Donovan.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey was also a member of the taskforce.

Lower income single parents, single people aged 50 years or older and first home buyer key workers who are nurses, midwives, paramedics, teachers, early childhood educators or police officers are still eligible for the Shared Equity program.

Get more information about eligibility on Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper.

NSW Premier, Chris Minns said:

“This is a practical step the NSW Government is taking to better support victim-survivors of domestic violence.

“No one should face the choice of returning to an unsafe environment or being homeless.

“We will continue to take a whole of government approach to responding to the scourge of domestic and family violence in NSW.”  

Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos said:

“As a government we are committed to taking meaningful action to support victim-survivors of domestic violence.

“The expansion of the Shared Equity program will help reduce long term housing barriers for people experiencing family or domestic violence, by reducing the financial burden to buy a home.

“Revenue NSW and its lending partners are working to ensure the application process for domestic violence victim-survivors is sensitive and as seamless as possible.”

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said: 

“Temporary accommodation and refuges provide immediate housing support when a family escapes from violence but they are not a long-term solution. 

“Opening up the Shared Equity Home Buyer scheme to victim-survivors of domestic violence is another way the NSW Government is taking considered steps to address the impacts of domestic violence across NSW.

“I’m pleased to be making this announcement during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, to show the NSW Government’s strong commitment to helping women and children escaping domestic violence build a secure and safe future.”

CEO DVNSW Delia Donovan said:

“DVNSW supports efforts to create pathways to home ownership for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.

“Expanding the Shared Equity program to victim-survivors who are in a position to pursue home ownership allows them to rebuild their lives knowing they have stable housing.

“This in turn contributes to building dignity, confidence and a sense of accomplishment, which are vital to recovery.

“An emphasis must also be placed on significantly increasing investment in social and affordable housing to create pathways out of abuse for all people experiencing violence.”

The NSW Parliament got behind the Coalition’s efforts to amend the Crimes Act in a way that allowed NSW Police to prosecute those publicly threatening or inciting violence but prevented this law from being weaponised by private citizens.
 
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the Government’s poor drafting could have had an adverse impact by allowing private prosecutions by people trying to shut down free speech rather than protecting people from threats and calls to violence.
 
“We supported legislation that would allow NSW Police, and not just the DPP, to prosecute public threats or inciting of violence on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex or HIV/AIDS status,” Mr Speakman said.
 
“We had moved amendments that would allow Police to do so, while stopping private prosecutions, which the Minns Government voted down before being forced into accepting something similar by the Legislative Council.”
 
Shadow Attorney-General Alister Henskens said Minns Labor Government’s proposed legislation could have resulted in the opposite effect of what was intended and further inflamed tensions within the community.
 
“Our intention was always to support a law that would promote community harmony and ensure that people don’t feel fearful in their own community,” said Mr Henskens.
 
“However, without our amendments, people could have faced private criminal prosecutions from a person motivated to use the law to create disharmony in the community.”
 
“Thanks to our approach, it is easier for Police to use powers to bring a case while avoiding a situation where private individuals may have been targeted by others who might simply disagree with them.”
 
“The Parliament has also passed an amendment that will see a statutory review of these laws in two years, to ensure that they are working as intended.”

The NSW Opposition has condemned the Minns Labor Government for rushing through major industrial relations reforms through Parliament without any consultation except with their union mates.
 
Shadow Treasurer and Industrial Relations Minister Damien Tudehope said that the Industrial Relations Amendment Bill is just a kickback to the Labor Party’s union mates.
 
“These changes are just the unions cashing the cheque for helping Labor get elected,” Mr Tudehope said.
 
“This is a regressive change that winds back the clock on reform by decades, at the behest of their union masters.”
                                      
Mr Tudehope also warned that these changes will do irreparable damage to the State’s budget.
 
“Labor is handing over control of half of the budget to the unions, who will blow any chances of returning to surplus.”
 
“This is the cost of doing business with the unions – and Labor will gladly pay with taxpayers’ money.”
 
The Government rejected an amendment that would have required wage rises be fully offset by productivity improvements to maintain budget neutrality as it promised before the election.
 
“It is now crystal clear that Labor’s election commitments were worthless and that the Minns Government does not keep its promises”, Mr Tudehope concluded.

The Minns Labor Government is risking leaving the NSW Health system without more than 1500 paramedics – with 3 in 5 threatening to boycott their professional registration, leaving them as ambulance drivers.
 
Shadow Health Minister Matt Kean said Chris Minns and his Health Minister Ryan Park are putting patients across NSW in potential danger if they allow paramedics across the state to boycott their professional registration tomorrow.
 
“The Minns Labor Government will be giving people a very unhappy Christmas and New Year by leaving NSW badly short of paramedics able to handle patients,” said Mr Kean.
 
“This is the result of Chris Minns’ false election promises to give union bosses a pay rise without having to pay for it – while in his first Budget cutting NSW Health’s funding, leaving the community to pay for it either with higher costs or worse services.”
 
We are seeing all talk and no action from this Government. A Government that was voted in on the premise of delivering its promises. And a Government that has failed to do so.”
 
Shadow Minster for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor is calling on the Premier to stop the lies, saying paramedics are rightly angry.
 
“For months, the Premier has told the people of NSW that professional recognition for paramedics was the first step in Labor’s Health Plan,” Mrs Taylor said. “The cornerstone of Labor’s election campaign was the promise of a pay rise in line with inflation, but so far we have seen nothing and this level of deceit is utterly disgraceful.”
 
“The Government promised an additional 500 paramedics for regional NSW and now we are left asking if this will also be another broken promise.”