16 News

The Minns Labor Government is delivering new schools and vital infrastructure upgrades across the growing Wollondilly area to ensure local students have access to world-class public schools with excellent facilities and opportunities.

The school infrastructure Labor is delivering for the area includes brand new schools in Wilton, upgrades at Bowral High School and Picton High School to improve student opportunities and outcomes, and vital maintenance work to ensure existing schools provide a high-quality learning environment. 

Bowral High School has recently celebrated the opening of their new industry-standard creative and performing arts centre, dubbed ‘The Theatre’, as part of a commitment to enhance high potential and gifted education (HPGE) opportunities for students.

The state-of-the-art performing arts space provides students opportunities to develop backstage skills, along with public-facing drama, dance, music, debating and movie making opportunities. ‘The Theatre’ is also available for public school students across the Southern Highlands region to use.

As part of the NSW Government’s commitment to provide HPGE opportunities at all NSW public schools, teachers at Bowral High School are receiving targeted training to ensure best use of the new performing arts centre.

The Bowral High School upgrade also includes visual arts and science classrooms, hospitality facilities fitted out to industry standard, wood and metal work rooms.

At Picton High School, a recent upgrade has transformed unworkable learning spaces delivered under the failed open-plan learning experiment of the former Liberal National government into 26 state-of-the-art classrooms, as well as seven new staff and seminar rooms.

Construction is also underway on the new high school, public primary school and public preschool for the growing community of Wilton, with all three set to open Day 1, Term 1, 2027.

In addition to the new and upgraded schools, there are currently more than 15 maintenance and minor works projects underway in Wollondilly’s existing public schools to ensure students have a great environment to learn in.

The projects are part of the Minns Labor Government’s record $9 billion investment in new and upgraded schools.

Students in Wollondilly are also benefiting from more teachers in the classroom with local schools starting the year with 66.6% fewer vacancies compared to peak of the teacher shortage crisis overseen by the former Liberal National Government.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“The upgrades at Bowral High School, including the cutting-edge performing arts centre and specialist classrooms, reflect our commitment to help every student reach their potential.

“Our investment in projects at schools across the Wollondilly electorate represents a real step forward for education across the Southern Highlands.

“We are delivering first-class facilities for Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands as we rebuild public education in New South Wales.”

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

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to ensuring every child in NSW has access to the lifechanging benefits of a world-class public education close to home.

“That is why we are building new schools in growing communities where they are needed most, and delivering upgrades to ensure our schools continue to provide students with world-class opportunities and an excellent environment for learning.

“The work of rebuilding public education is also in recognising the value of our teachers and thanks to our historic wage rise, teacher vacancies are now at a 12-year low.”

Member for Wollondilly Judy Hannan said:

“We have not had any improvements to education in Wollondilly for 70 years. Thanks to the NSW Government, Wollondilly families have brilliant facilities and deserve it.

“I look forward to the much anticipated opening of Wilton High School, Wilton preschool and Public School with students in place at the start of next year.

“I am pleased Bowral High School now offers a comprehensive High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) program designed to nurture student talents across academic, creative, sporting, and social-emotional domains. I thank the NSW Department of Education for allocating $8 million to upgrade Bowral High School for this purpose.

“Tangara School in Renwick has an additional classroom for students with special needs.

“Picton High school upgrade now has functional classroom walls and a new school hall. I know educators are enthusiastic about teaching our local students – clambering to get a teaching position in our local schools, rather than running from Wollondilly to teaching jobs outside of Wollondilly.

“I appreciate working with The Hon. Prue Car and the Premier. I hope the state government’s commitment to Wollondilly’s educational future and investment continues. I look forward to more education project announcements in the Wollondilly electorate.”

Safija Bristina, Bowral High School Relieving Principal said:

“We are thrilled with our new creative and performing arts centre, ‘The Theatre’, a state-of-the-art facility and the best performing arts space in the Southern Highlands, endorsed by industry experts.

“It provides our students with top-tier, industry-standard resources to nurture their talents in dance, drama, music, and more.

“This fantastic space not only enhances our high potential and gifted education programs but also allows us to engage with local primary schools, strengthening our community ties.”

Luke Farthing, Picton High School Principal said:

“We have an extensive range of curriculum offerings at our school that require specialist rooms and facilities.

“This project has increased the number of functional, separated classrooms, and that means we can expand curriculum opportunities for our students.”

The Minns Labor Government is making it easier and faster to deliver the infrastructure which supports housing growth with the release of the finalised Works-in-Kind (WIK) Guideline and Infrastructure Opportunity Plans (IOPs).

Working together the Guideline and IOPs will allow developers to meet their Housing and Productivity Contributions by directly delivering infrastructure like roads, open space and active transport or dedicating land for transport corridors, schools, emergency services or other public purposes.

This is another example of the Minns Labor Government taking a coordinated approach to infrastructure and housing delivery, so that young people, families and downsizers all have access to the homes and services they need in the communities they choose to live in.

The finalised Guideline sets out a clear process for assessing infrastructure proposals from developers and with the opportunity plans, directly aligns infrastructure projects with the supply of new homes.

The Guideline also allows developers to submit Works in Kind offers at various stages of planning including with a rezoning proposal and before or after gaining approval so housing and jobs enabling infrastructure can be delivered sooner.

Infrastructure Opportunity Plans have been developed which cover Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, the Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle, each providing a comprehensive list of projects which could be delivered through Works in Kind agreements.

Each plan was developed through the Urban Development Program that brings together state agencies, councils, utility providers, and industry peak bodies, to align plans for housing and infrastructure in each of NSW’s fastest‑growing regions.

Importantly the IOPs will be updated annually in line with the NSW Budget cycle to make sure enabling infrastructure is identified early and included in the forward planning for state agencies.   

Proposals for projects on an Infrastructure Opportunity Plan will be assessed under a streamlined pathway, while projects not on an IOP will still be considered through separate criteria.

The Infrastructure Opportunity Plans provide transparency for proponents and communities on projects which can support future housing growth, including projects which may not yet have Government funding.

The finalisation of the Works in Kind Guidelines and the Infrastructure Opportunity Plans is the next step in the Minns Labor Government’s work to build better communities.

For more information about Works-in-Kind, visit:  Housing and Productivity Contribution webpage.

For more about Infrastructure Opportunities Plans, visit: Infrastructure Opportunities Plans webpage.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“The Minns Labor Government is improving infrastructure delivery and project feasibility by allowing developers to deliver infrastructure like roads, open space and active transport, or dedicate land for transport corridors, schools, emergency services or other public purposes as part of reforms to infrastructure contributions.

“The Works in Kind Guideline and Infrastructure Opportunity Plans will work together to fast track and coordinate the delivery of new homes and the infrastructure to support them.

“We’re giving the industry a clear line of sight to the projects that matter most and making sure crucial enabling infrastructure can be delivered alongside housing, by allowing Works in Kind offers at various planning stages.

“This overturns the previous Government’s approach of delivering housing while ignoring the infrastructure needs of new or growing communities. When new communities are built, they need to include schools, transport and open spaces. Residents shouldn’t have to spend years fighting for them.”

Nearly 200 healthcare professionals across NSW have made a temporary tree change and accepted short term positions in the bush, as part of the NSW Health Deployment Program.

To date, more than 1,000 deployments have been completed, giving healthcare professionals the opportunity to travel and work in regional, rural and remote parts of NSW they may never have visited, with accommodation and travel costs covered.  

The program offers positions of between two and 13 weeks across a range of priority roles including nursing, midwifery, occupational therapy, podiatry, speech pathology, physiotherapy and more.

One of those to benefit from the program is Speech Pathologist Emma.

After several years working in metropolitan health services Emma was ready for a change. Since joining the program in 2024, Emma has completed eight deployments across NSW, including Narrabri, Griffith, Broken Hill, Tumut, Port Macquarie and Inverell.

One of the most unexpected outcomes of deployment was meeting her partner, Issa, during a placement in Griffith in 2024. Issa also joined the Deployment Program in September 2025.

The Minns Labor Government has introduced a broad suite of reforms to further strengthen and rebuild the state’s health workforce including:

• Abolishing the wages cap and delivering the largest wage increase to healthcare workers in a decade;
• Implementing safe staffing levels in our emergency departments;
• Saving 1,112 nurses which the Liberal Government planned to sack; and
• Supporting our future health workforce by providing them with study subsidies

For more information on the NSW Health Deployment Program, including details on how to apply, visit the NSW Health website.

Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park:

“This is an important program that is providing much-needed support to our hardworking health staff in rural and regional NSW, in hospitals or health services where they are most needed.

“For many regional communities, deployment clinicians mean they can access services locally instead of travelling long distances.”

“By applying their skills and experiences, these health professionals have the opportunity to make a real difference.”

Speech Pathologist Emma Devrell:

“I’d always wanted to work for NSW Health. I was also looking for something different — a chance to experience new places, grow professionally and have a bit of adventure.

“Every deployment is memorable in its own way, but what stands out most is the community. Teams welcome you with open arms, and patients are genuinely grateful you’re there. It reminds you how important access to health services is in regional communities.

“It’s allowed me to grow professionally, explore regional NSW, and build connections I’ll keep for life. And I know the work we do makes a real difference in communities.”

The Minns Labor Government is providing 22 innovative NSW businesses with a share of over $1 million in funding to help bring new products and technologies to market under round one of the 2025–26 MVP Ventures Program.

NSW is home to world-class talent and a vibrant startup community, and the MVP Ventures Program is about giving our founders the support they need to turn great ideas into commercial success.

The grants support startups at a critical stage of development, helping them move beyond early concepts and prototypes into real‑world testing, uptake and commercial growth.

Funded projects span priority sectors including housing, manufacturing, energy, health and digital technologies, with recipients developing solutions that range from accelerating housing delivery and clean energy innovation to advanced manufacturing and health technologies.

Together, the successful recipients highlight the depth of NSW’s innovation pipeline and the important role startups play in lifting productivity, strengthening supply chains and creating skilled jobs across the state.

Round one MVP grant recipients include:

• Babylon Nexus: A digital platform for the construction industry, offering real-time payment visibility and project success insights through its calendar ledger and AI risk engine.
• BIMLOGIQ Pty Ltd: BIMLOGIQ Copilot uses advanced AI-driven technology to reduce design and documentation time in the construction industry.
• Puralink: Puralink is building an autonomous robotics platform for pipe inspection, mapping and repair.
• E&J Enterprises: An all-female startup who will use the support to advance Bubbafly, its patented formula‑dispensing baby bottle designed for on‑the‑go feeding.
• Loquens: A health focused tech startup which will progress the rollout of Healingua, a clinician built digital tool that helps nurses and carers communicate with aged care residents who face language or other communication barriers.
• One-Touch Business Technology Solutions: A fintech startup which will progress the development of its digital platform that helps medical and health practices better manage cyber risk, finance and compliance.
• Walking Tall Health: A medical device startup which will progress the commercial launch of its onBeat2 wearable device, designed to help people living with Parkinson’s disease improve walking and reduce falls.
• Thermal Dawn: A thermal energy startup which will further develop and test its residential thermal storage system, enabling homes to use daytime solar for heating and cooling – replacing lithium batteries at a fraction of the cost.

The MVP Ventures Program is designed to support commercially focused innovation, helping NSW businesses test, refine and scale new ideas with strong market potential.

The Minns Labor Government committed an additional $6 million to the MVP Ventures Program in the last budget, and the 2025–26 MVP Ventures Program will deliver up to $3 million in funding across three competitive rounds.

Applications for round two of the program are currently being assessed and we look forward to opening round three soon.

For more information on the MVP Ventures Program visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/innovation/grants-and-programs/mvp-ventures-program

Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“The Minns Labor Government is investing in innovation because it delivers real economic returns: stronger productivity, resilient supply chains and high-value jobs.

“The MVP Ventures Program builds on this Government’s commitment to back NSW innovators with great ideas, helping them take the next step towards commercial success and deliver practical solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face.

“These grant recipients represent the strength and diversity of innovation across NSW. By supporting them, we’re ensuring NSW remains the best place in Australia to start and grow an innovative business.”

E&J Enterprises Founder Emine Watson said:

“Feeding a baby on the go can be incredibly stressful—especially at night or far from home. Bubbafly transforms that chaos into confidence with fresh, instant feeds at the flick of a button.

“This funding will help us take Bubbafly from a proven design into the hands of more families, supporting local manufacturing and delivering a practical solution that makes everyday life easier for parents and carers.”

Loquens Founder Benjamin Smoker said:

“Clear communication is fundamental to high quality, person-centred care, yet is often taken for granted and not appropriately provided for complex needs clients.

“This support will help us roll out Healingua across NSW and bring practical, clinician led solutions to aged care and health settings.”

One-Touch Business Technology Solutions Founder Crystal Liu said:

“Small medical and health practices are increasingly exposed to cyber risks, but many don’t have the time or resources to manage complex insurance and compliance requirements.

“The MVP Ventures grant will help us scale a platform that simplifies these challenges, allowing practitioners to focus on patient care while improving security and business resilience.”

Walking Tall Health Founder Matthew Brodie said:

“Living with Parkinson’s can make everyday movement challenging, and falls are a major concern.

“This funding will help us scale a device that’s already showing meaningful benefits for mobility and independence.”

Thermal Dawn Founder Nick Zeniou said:

“The MVP Ventures grant enables us to accelerate pilot installations and testing of Australian-made thermal storage that delivers battery-like benefits at over 4x lower cost per kWh.

“We’re proving that homes can use their daytime solar for year-round comfort – heating and cooling – while cutting energy bills and supporting grid stability during peak demand.”

Running a café or restaurant in NSW will be made easier as the Minns Labor Government looks to reduce paperwork, simplify approvals, and make compliance clearer and fairer.

The goal is to ensure the state’s more than 50,000 food retail operators can focus on coffee and cake, cooking and customers, not forms and filing.

After examining barriers to business in the night-time economy, the NSW Productivity and Equality Commissioner will undertake a review to identify the interactions with government that can frustrate small day-time hospitality operators.

Lessons that are now breathing life into businesses after dark, will provide the basis for lifting productivity during daylight hours from Newtown to Narrabri, Bankstown to Ballina.

The review will focus on areas where cafés, restaurants and local shops may encounter unnecessary red tape, such as licences and permits, reporting, and inspections.

Regulation plays an important role in fostering equity, safety and consumer protections. However, we want to ensure small businesses are not being negatively impacted by duplicative or unnecessary administration and red tape.

Potential changes will be about cutting repetition, not cutting standards, safety or consumer protections.

Understanding and responding to red tape concerns is a key priority for the Minns Labor Government, as it supports NSW businesses to grow and thrive.

Today’s announcement builds on work already done, including:

• Launching the state’s first Charter for Small Business.
• Addressing rising insurance premiums through workers compensation reforms.
• Legislating Vibrancy Reforms to revitalise the night-time economy.
• Simplifying planning processes for outdoor dining.

The Productivity and Equality Commissioner will engage directly with relevant businesses and deliver a final report and recommendations to Government in late August 2026.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:

“Our job is to make government easier to deal with.

“This review will look for duplicated reporting, provide clear guidance, and limit unnecessary disruptions for small hospitality operators.

“When we cut red tape, we free up time, reduce costs, and let small businesses focus on what they do best — creating jobs and keeping our local economies vibrant.”

Minister for Small Business Janelle Saffin said:

“Small businesses like cafés and restaurants are an incredibly important part of local communities, adding vibrancy, social amenity, boosting the local economy and creating a place for people to meet.

“We want our business owners focusing on their customers and their craft, not spending more time than they need to on paperwork.

“Our government is committed to working with the small business community to make their life a bit easier, and this review will help us understand how we can best achieve that.”

The Minns Labor Government is today unveiling the new-look Moss Vale fire station, following a $2 million upgrade to strengthen emergency services in the Southern Highlands.

The refurbishment fulfils an election commitment and provides the station’s firefighters with modern facilities, more than 50 years after it was first built in 1971.

The works increase the safety and capability of the station, including enhancements to accommodate larger fire fighting vehicles.

Key improvements at the Moss Vale station include:

• An extension of the rear of the station and engine bay to accommodate large, modern fire trucks.
• A new building to accommodate the station’s bushfire tanker.
• Better equipment storage rooms improving safety for crews, including new personal protective clothing room, breathing apparatus storeroom and laundry facilities.
• New locker rooms, bathrooms and kitchen facilities.

This financial year the Government is investing $98.5 million to keep people safe and better serve the community with upgraded fire stations and new firefighting fleet.

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its long-term plan to rebuild our essential services by investing in physical infrastructure and in the frontline workers who deliver the services the people of NSW need.

Work continues to upgrade and build new fire stations across NSW, including new stations at Badgerys Creek, Broken Hill, Byron Bay, Charlestown, Goonellabah, Lithgow and Wentworthville.

Premier Chris Minns:

“This investment is part of rebuilding essential services for the Southern Highlands.

“This improved station will meet the needs of Moss Vale firefighters and locals now and into the future as we build a better NSW.

“We are backing our firefighters by delivering modern facilities to help protect this community.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib:

“We are boosting firefighter numbers to record levels and investing in modern fire stations and the firefighting fleet.

“Our investment in Fire and Rescue NSW not only protects communities, it also makes a worthwhile profession even more attractive by delivering improved equipment and infrastructure for firefighters.

“The Moss Vale Fire Station upgrades bring it in line with modern standards and support safe and effective emergency response.”

FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell:

“Times have changed since the building went up in 1971. Fire trucks are bigger, our workforce is diverse, and health and safety considerations have come a long way.

“For the crew, this is more than a building – it’s where they train and serve the community. A modern, safe building helps our people protect the irreplaceable.”

The Minns Labor Government continues its investment in bush fire trail upgrades on Crown land across the state to strengthen emergency access, support hazard reduction operations, and improve community safety, particularly in remote high-risk bush fire areas.

The works span regional, remote and metropolitan fire trails, supporting fire season preparedness as part of the Government’s broader $14 million bush fire mitigation program on Crown land.

These upgrades ensure firefighters have safe, reliable and fast access when responding to bush fires, while also improving the long-term resilience of fire trail networks.

Crown Lands, within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, is responsible for maintaining about 2,120 km of fire trails and 670 hectares of Asset Protection Zones across NSW, providing essential access for emergency crews and their firefighting appliances.

Fire trail upgrades and maintenance projects underway, or recently completed, include:

• An additional allocation of $1 million to capital works for the installation of fire trail infrastructure across metropolitan Sydney to prevent unauthorised access; as well as surface, drainage, capping and structural improvements to fire trails in the Lithgow, Shoalhaven, Queanbeyan, Palerang, Upper Lachlan, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Cobar, and Bega local council areas.
   
• $600,000 in resurfacing, capping, drainage improvements, vegetation clearing and the installation of fire truck turning and passing bays along the Barrier Fire Trail at Cobar in Far West NSW. This is the second stage of the Barrier Fire Trail network upgrade and completes the Barrier to Lerida and Barrier to Kidman fire trail segments, ensuring standard-compliant, all-weather access for heavy firefighting vehicles across this more than 30km network.
   
• $683,000 in improvements to the Carisbrook Fire Trail at Morton in the Shoalhaven. This includes the installation of a new 13 metre concrete bridge to replace a flood-damaged log bridge over Carisbrook Creek, providing safer access for firefighters. Additional works include upgrading 2.26 km of fire trail to meet NSW Fire Trail Standards and environmental assessments to protect sensitive vegetation.
   
• $1 million in upgrades to Sutherland Shire fire trails at Still Creek, Still Creek Branch Bunyan, Loftus Creek, Viburnum, Turrella, Fremantle, Cranberry, Camp Wanawong, Pipeline (Forbes Creek) and Kingswood over the past two financial years. Works included widening trails, crushed sandstone capping, landslide prevention, culvert repairs, vegetation management, and the installation of truck turning and passing bays.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“Protecting communities from bushfires means investing in the infrastructure that keeps people safe. These upgrades, from new bridges to improved trail surfaces, are practical, effective measures that strengthen access for firefighters and enhance the resilience of local communities.

“We’re committed to building better, safer communities, and that includes ensuring fire trails are well maintained, reliable and environmentally responsible.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“Having clear and accessible fire trails allow crews to reach fires quickly, carry out hazard reduction work safely, and protect lives and properties.

“These improvements strengthen our frontline capability, bolster our state’s preparedness and support the dedicated emergency personnel who put themselves on the line to keep communities safe.”

The escalation in gangland violence across Sydney is a predictable consequence of the Minns Labor Government taking its eye off community safety. 
  
The kidnapping and death of Chris Baghsarian and shootings in St Clair and Guildford West and Greenacre are the latest in an upswing in violence in Sydney’s West, North West and South West.  
  
Under the watch of the Minns Labor Government organised criminal networks have been left unchecked, and communities left anxious as we pay the price for the failure to take decisive action sooner.  
  
Shadow Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Anthony Roberts, said while welcome, today’s announcement about the expansion of Operation Shelter raises questions about resourcing. 
  
“NSW and law-abiding members of the community deserve better than a reactive approach to law and order in this state,” Mr Roberts said. 
  
“These criminals have been emboldened to continue with the tit for tat violence as a direct result of the Minns Labor Government’s failure to act.” 
  
“There are critical questions as to whether NSW Police have the resourcing they need to staff this new unit without diverting officers from critical frontline policing roles particularly in Sydney’s West, South West and North West,” Mr Roberts said. 
  
“The Minns Labor Government needs to invest in our police to ensure they have the capability to respond to incidents, threats and high-risk areas as well as combat the criminals that are running rampant in parts of Sydney.”