February 2019 – Page 5

MAJOR UPGRADES FOR ST GEORGE, RYDE HOSPITALS AND ELECTIVE SURGERY BOOST

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will invest $864 million for major upgrades to St George ($385 million) and Ryde ($479 million) hospitals, to deliver world-class healthcare and provide additional beds for local communities.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this significant investment in St George and Ryde hospitals was only possible because of the strong economic management of the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government.
“We have a strong track record when it comes to delivering health infrastructure, having already built or upgraded more than 100 hospitals and other health facilities across the State,” Ms Berejiklian said.
During a visit to St George Hospital in Kogarah, Ms Berejiklian also announced a $76 million elective surgery boost, focusing on children and cataract patients.
“No other NSW Government has ever invested as much in health and one of the benefits is the dramatic improvement in on-time paediatric specialist surgery times,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We are not only building new and upgraded hospitals across the State, we are also ensuring people receive the best possible healthcare they need.”
Today’s announcement follows yesterday’s announcement of an unprecedented 5000 additional nurses and midwives to be recruited, along with more doctors and other health professionals, in a package to increase the health workforce by a total 8300 – a $2.8 billion investment.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the redeveloped St George and Ryde hospitals would increase capacity for local communities, ensuring people get the care they need close to home.
“This Government is serious about investing in hospitals – in fact we are investing more than $8 billion over the next four years, with about 100 health infrastructure projects underway and more to come,” Mr Hazzard said.
Member for Oatley Mark Coure said the $385 million investment brings to $700 million the total investment in several upgrades to St George Hospital facilities since 2011.
“At St George, we are committing to a new precinct including an ambulatory care unit, outpatient and day surgery services, a new day rehabilitation unit, increased subacute inpatient beds and a hub for community health and home-based services to ensure the local community gets the very best in health care,” Mr Coure said.
Member for Ryde Victor Dominello said the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has long supported better healthcare in Ryde, and that this new investment would completely transform Ryde Hospital.
“This $479 million investment will create a new Ryde Hospital. The historic Denistone House will be preserved and be surrounded by modern and enhanced emergency, critical care, inpatient, community and ambulatory care services, as well as maternity services,” Mr Dominello said.
“Ryde Hospital has an emotional connection for most people in Ryde. Personally, I have a special affinity with Ryde Hospital as my sisters and I were all born here. This massive investment transforms a hospital we love into a modern facility that will continue to provide wonderful care for our community for generations to come.”
Planning for the redevelopment of the hospitals, which will involve consultation with local communities and hospital staff, with construction activities to commence during the next term of government.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government continues to triple Labor’s annual health infrastructure spending, having completed more than 100 new and upgraded hospitals and health facilities, including more than 63 in regional NSW, with another 100 projects underway.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has hired more than 16,000 doctors, nurses and midwives, allied health and support staff to deliver world-class health services across NSW.
By contrast, the former Labor government closed more than 2000 hospital beds and promised four major hospitals but never delivered.

Dreyfus fails Australia and Australians

Having weakened Australia’s tough border protection measures, Labor today walked away from another important matter of national security – in so doing it has ended bipartisanship on national security matters.
The Australian Citizenship Amendment (Strengthening the Citizenship Loss Provisions) 2018 Bill seeks to strengthen powers to deal with dual-national terrorists whose sole aim is to harm Australia and Australians.
These are people who have betrayed their allegiance to Australia. Who have committed barbaric atrocities fighting for ISIS, sworn allegiance to ISIS and plotted to harm innocent Australians.
We should be able to strip such people of their Australian citizenship.
Yet Labor’s Mark Dreyfus seeks any reason to oppose such measures and puts forward bizarre arguments supporting the legal rights of known terrorists to remain in our community and maintain their Australian citizenship.
The legislation before the Parliament was drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel with advice provided by the Chief General Counsel of the Australian Government Solicitor.
Yet Mr Dreyfus prefers to rely on his Labor lawyer mates to find any reason to delay, stymie or reject the Government’s proposed amendments to enable us to deal with terrorists who have no right to remain Australians.
This is not a single instance, Mr Dreyfus is a serial offender.
He sought and continues to seek to water down laws to enable law and intelligence agencies access to digital communications. He is stalling the Identity Matching Services Bill which aims to implement a COAG agreement to protect Australians from identity fraud and he defends Labor’s opposition to mandatory mini mum sentences for firearms offences.
Infamous ISIS terrorist Neil Prakash forfeited his Australians citizenship, yet Mr Dreyfus argues he has not and remains an Australian.
Under this Government 12 terrorists have lost their Australian citizenship.
During the last Labor period of Government – no one – not one- person lost their citizenship for any reason.
This is another crucial test for the Leader of the Opposition.
Having caved in to Labor’s radical Left and agreed to trash the Coalition’s successful border policies, does he support Mr Dreyfus’ constant efforts to thwart legislation that seeks to protect Australia and Australians?
If Mr Shorten and Mr Dreyfus want to run the lawyer line to look for some technicality to allow terrorists to remain or return to our country – that is an issue for them.
The Morrison Coalition Government will seek to keep them as far from our shores as possible.

Greens will fight Bight plans

Equinor is moving full steam ahead to drill in the Bight and The Greens are fighting to stop them.
“We cannot let this project go ahead. Equinor wants approval within months. The Greens are standing with South Australians to fight this all the way,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“We are not prepared to let South Australian tourism and fishing industries be put at risk for the sake of multinational corporate profits, no matter what spin Equinor tries to put on it. The reality is the Bight is too precious to risk. Drilling for oil in the middle of a whale sanctuary is madness.
“The Bight waters are rough and remote. Equnior has nothing to lose and everything to gain from this project. In the case of an oil spill, it will be South Australians, not Equinor, who pay the price. At a time when we know we must transition away from fossil fuels to arrest climate change, the costs of opening up a new oilfield to the planet are too great.
“Instead of opening up another oilfield, Australia should be showing the world how great the Bight is. It is home to some of the most unique wildlife in the world – 85 per cent of marine life found in the Bight is found nowhere else. The Greens are pursuing World Heritage protection for the Bight, supporting our jobs in tourism and fisheries, and our beautiful Kangaroo Island over big oil.
“Labor and the Liberals want to risk all we love about the Bight to do the bidding of the oil and gas industry. The 73 per cent of South Australians who want World Heritage protection for the Great Australian Bight can have faith that the Greens are fighting with them to protect the Bight and stop this project.”

Bandt introduces two bills to stop coal mining

Greens Co-Deputy Leader and climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today introduced two private member’s bills into the House of Representatives that lay down a challenge to the old parties on the mining and export of thermal coal. The first would prohibit the mining of thermal coal in Queensland’s Galilee Basin, effectively outlawing the Adani mine, and the second would phase out the export of thermal coal entirely by 2030.
“As a country, we haven’t opened a new coal basin in 50 years and now’s not the time to start,” said Mr Bandt.
“The emissions from exported Australian coal exceed Australia’s domestic emissions. We cannot continue to profit off coal that is making global warming worse.
“It disgusts me that as Australia is simultaneously sweltering, drowning and burning, the old parties are even entertaining the prospect of new coal mines.
“The science demands that we stop burning coal. As the second largest thermal coal exporter in the world, Australia needs to act.
“It’s time to export sunlight, not coal. If Labor and Liberal cut their addiction to coal mining, we could start transitioning out of this dirty industry and towards the clean, cheap and promising export market of the future: renewable energy.”

Fatal single-vehicle crash – Morisset

A man has died following a single-vehicle crash at Morisset today.
Shortly after 10.30am (Tuesday 19 February 2019), emergency services were called to Wyee Road, after a Volkswagen Amarok left the road and hit trees before stopping in bushland.
The driver and sole occupant, 36-year-old man, was pulled from the vehicle. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he died at the scene.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, and whether the man may have suffered a medical episode prior to the crash.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

Man charged with mid-range drink-driving following pursuit near Newcastle

A man has been charged with mid-range drink-driving following a pursuit near Newcastle this morning.
Just before 1.20am today (Tuesday 19 February 2019), officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command were conducted stationary speed enforcement duties on the M1 motorway at West Wallsend, when they detected a Lexus sedan allegedly travelling at 178km/hr in a 110km/hr area.
The driver, a 39-year-old man from Neutral Bay, allegedly failed to stop as directed by police and a pursuit was initiated.
The man stopped the sedan a short distance away on the George Booth exit ramp and allegedly returned a positive roadside breath test.
He was arrested and taken to Toronto Police Station where a subsequent breath analysis returned an alleged reading of 0.109.
The man was charged with police pursuit – not stop – drive recklessly, drive with mid-range PCA, and exceed speed greater than 45km/h.
The man was granted bail to appear at Toronto Local Court on Tuesday 9 April 2019

MAJOR UPGRADES FOR ST GEORGE, RYDE HOSPITALS AND ELECTIVE SURGERY BOOST

NSW TO PERFORM AN EXTRA 8000 PAEDIATRIC OPERATIONS, SLASHING WAITING TIMES

Waiting times will be dramatically reduced for children who need surgery under a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government, with a commitment to deliver 8000 additional paediatric operations.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the $45 million investment will strengthen the State’s on-time paediatric surgery performance, which sits at 97 per cent – its highest level ever.
“No other NSW Government has ever invested as much in health and one of the benefits is the dramatic improvement in on-time paediatric specialist surgery times,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Our healthcare system is already world-class and this investment will do even more to help get children in and out of hospital quickly, easing the burden on parents and carers.”
The funding will employ an additional 10 doctors and 25 nurses in the public system to deliver on this commitment, as well as utilising spare capacity in private hospitals. In NSW, 97 per cent of paediatric specialist surgery is performed on time compared to 86 per cent under Labor.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said NSW already has the best on-time elective surgery rates in Australia but this funding will ensure children needing minor operations are back at home with their families even faster.
“We want to remove any obstacles to a child’s social and learning development and get them back home as quick as we can. Surgeries to remove tonsils, grommets and adenoids which are usually classified as semi and non-urgent, can also help kids overcome educational and behavioural issues, so this initiative gets a gold star,” Mr Hazzard said.
The investment is expected to reduce the time taken to receive non-urgent elective surgeries by around three months, and halve the time taken to receive semi-urgent elective surgeries. Urgent elective surgeries are already delivered as soon as possible.
In 2018-19, the NSW Government is investing a record $25 billion in health, a $1.1 billion increase over the 2017-18 Budget.

NSW TO PERFORM EXTRA ELDERLY EYE OPERATIONS, SLASHING WAITING TIMES

Thousands of elderly people struggling with poor vision from cataracts will have faster access to surgical services under a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the $31 million funding boost would deliver an extra 10,000 cataract surgeries over the next four years.
“Cataracts impact the lives of so many of our senior citizens – in fact, in NSW cataract removal is already the most common elective surgery, so we want to make it even easier to access,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This investment will help provide a better quality of life for our seniors and ensure we are ready to provide the services for our ageing population in the future.”
The $31 million will fund 46 clinical staff including nurses, surgeons and anaesthetists – ensuring more cataract surgeries occur than ever before.
The funding will also reduce the time between accessing surgery on a patient’s first and second eye.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said one in three people aged over 65 have clinically significant cataracts, which affects their ability to live independently and places them at risk of injury from falls.
“Thanks to the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government, 99 per cent of people receive their surgery within clinically recommended timeframes, up from 91 per cent under Labor,” Mr Hazzard said.
“However, we are committed to doing even better – this investment will ensure people receive their surgery even faster.”
Cataract removal is already the most common elective surgery with 24,546 patients admitted in NSW public hospitals in 2017-18. In comparison, Labor only provided 19,104 cataract surgeries in 2009-10.
“Our Government’s focus on cataract treatment confirms the Liberals & Nationals’ commitment to getting it done for NSW residents,” Mr Hazzard said.

Government must do more than allow Royal Commission motion to pass, they must take action

Australian Greens Disability Rights spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said today that it was not enough for the government to allow a motion calling for an urgent Royal Commission into the violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect of disabled to pass unopposed in the house of Representatives – they must vote in favour of it and take action.
“It is not enough to simply let this motion pass on the voices – Scott Morrison, and the government he leads, must acknowledge the seriousness of this issue, vote for it and take action to immediately establish a Royal Commission,” he said.
“Contrary to the Attorney General’s comments on Insiders this morning, there is no added layer of complexity in taking action on this issue. If the Government was able to pre-empt the Four Corners investigation into the Aged Care sector by announcing a Royal Commission in record time, then they can do the same here and deliver justice for disabled people.
“Anything less is just empty politics as usual by the Morrison government. He has draft terms of reference in his inbox – what more does he need?”