February 2024 – Page 15

Safely embracing AI in healthcare

NSW Health has established a new taskforce to inform and guide the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the public health system.

The taskforce, whose membership comprises of senior leaders and subject matter experts from across NSW Health, held its first meeting on Thursday.

Several AI initiatives are already in place throughout NSW Health, including integrated electronic medical records, wound care management, data engineering for complex data analysis, coding automation support, and storeroom stocking and detailing.

The taskforce will play an important role in overseeing the creation of an AI Framework that ensures the safe and successful use of AI within NSW Health.

The framework will aim to embrace the potential of AI to have a significant impact on healthcare and drive transformative change in how we provide and manage healthcare and in further accelerating many aspects of clinical research.

It will also balance the opportunities and benefits presented by AI with consideration and management of potential risks around safety, ethics, privacy, security, and regulation.

The creation of the taskforce will build on the work of the Department of Customer Service, translating the whole of government approach into the healthcare context, as well as aligning with Australian Governments interim response to the Safe and Responsible AI consultation.

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“NSW Health is demonstrating its innovative approach by establishing a taskforce to drive this change safely and effectively for patients and clinicians.

“Establishing a framework for NSW Health around AI is an important step towards meeting the future needs of our patients, community and workforce.

“The framework will enable us to look for more innovative ways to complement and support the capabilities of our highly skilled workforce, while addressing the risks and challenges that come with the use of AI in health.”

South-Western Sydney home to new $55 million medical research facility

South Western Sydney will be home to a new state-of-the-art medical research facility, with the first sod turned on the Lang Walker AO Medical Research Building – Macarthur today.

The $55 million building will be home to the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research – Macarthur, delivering innovation in world leading research to improve patient outcomes.

The research will have national significance, focusing on five key areas including diabetes, mental health, indigenous health, paediatrics & child wellbeing and addiction medicine.

This will complement the NSW Government’s $632 million redevelopment of Campbelltown Hospital and the broader Campbelltown Health and Education Precinct.

Once completed, researchers and clinicians will have access to the latest research technologies, laboratories and collaboration spaces. This locally-based expertise will enhance community access to clinical trials, serve local health needs and lead research of national significance and global impact.

The cutting-edge facility will be a tribute to the late Lang Walker AO, whose legacy reflects his generosity, and his dedication to driving change through transformative building projects for the public and private sectors.

The facility will be developed in partnership with Western Sydney University, South Western Sydney Local Health District, the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research and UNSW Sydney – with the support of Walker Corporation.

Find out more about the Lang Walker AO Medical Research Building – Macarthur

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“I am proud that medical research done in NSW can help improve people’s lives in areas such as diabetes and paediatrics.

“This will not only translate into improved patient outcomes in NSW, but also across Australia and globally.”

Health Minister Ryan Park said:

“NSW has some of the brightest minds and it is facilities like these that ensure we retain and develop the skills of our highly trained clinicians.

“This facility will create fantastic opportunities to develop new treatments, therapies and look for innovative methods for treating patients in our healthcare system.”

Minister for Medical Research and Aboriginal Affairs, David Harris said:

“This is an incredible facility which will promote greater scientific, clinical and industry collaboration, deliver leading-edge diagnostics and bring the best in medical research to south western Sydney.

“Researchers in this facility will focus on complex health challenges, including mental illness, diabetes, paediatrics, and addiction medicine, as well as helping close the gap in health outcomes for our of our Aboriginal and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.”

Member for Campbelltown, Greg Warren said:

“The Macarthur region is home to some of the best and brightest in our state, so this new facility is a welcome addition to the community in Campbelltown.”

Western Sydney University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover AO said:

“This is an investment in the future of the fast-growing and diverse south western Sydney region, driving positive outcomes across health, research and the community.”

Walker Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer David Gallant said:

“Lang knew this facility would help hundreds of thousands of people for generations to come and he’d be incredibly proud to see his namesake, the Lang Walker AO Medical Research Building reach this significant milestone.”

Spotlight shone on NSW homelessness crisis

Sobering analysis that has been released today by Homelessness NSW lays bare the extent of the rising homelessness crisis.

This data further underscores the importance of immediate interventions to increase the supply of more homes across NSW, including an uplift of social and affordable housing. Both key priorities of the NSW Government.

The analysis reveals that the top council areas that have seen increases in homelessness numbers are Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown Council areas. These are also key areas that the NSW Government is focussed on in supporting increased access to housing.

The top council areas that have seen an increase include:

LGA	Receiving help in 2021-22	Receiving help in 2022-23	Increase
Inner West	1251	1496	245
Canterbury-Bankstown	1877	2063	186
Penrith	2074	2254	180
Sydney	2630	2777	147
Wollongong	2299	2438	139
Walgett	256	384	125
Parramatta	769	883	114
Griffith	749	855	106
Campbelltown	2168	2274	106
Central Coast	1910	1996	86

In the wake of these statistics the NSW Government reaffirms its commitment to drive down homelessness numbers by delivering more and better social housing and increasing access to comprehensive support services.

Action already taken by the NSW Government has included:

The creation of Homes NSW, merging the housing and homelessness functions of the Department of Communities and Justice with the Land, Housing Corporation and the Aboriginal Housing Office to streamline support for residents and delivery pathway for more homes;
Committed to 30 per cent social and affordable housing in all developments on government surplus public land;
Undertaking a statewide land audit to identify state owned land to deliver more housing;
Fast tracking the delivery of more social and affordable homes through the $610 Million Federal Government’s Social Housing Accelerator payment and Housing Australia Future Fund;
Implemented planning reforms to expedite the delivery of more housing across the state;
Investigating innovative solutions to deliver more homes with $10 million allocated to Modular Housing Trial to deliver faster quality social housing;
The 2023-24 NSW Budget included a $224 million Essential Housing Package which allocated $70 million to accelerate the delivery of social, affordable homes in regional NSW;
Extended temporary accommodation from an initial period of two days to seven days;
Removed the 28-day cap ensuring vulnerable people are able to access support when they need it most;
Increased the cash assets limit from $1,000 to $5,000 when assessing eligibility for Temporary Accommodation;
Removed the cash asset limit assessment entirely for people escaping domestic and family violence;
Extended Specialist Homelessness Services contracts for two years, to 30 June 2026;
Deploying more assertive outreach services to engage people sleeping rough and support them into long term, stable accommodation;
Appointed a Rental Commissioner to work with us in designing and implementing changes that rebalance the rental market, making it fairer and more modern; and
Put a 12-month freeze on the requirement for people in temporary accommodation to complete a Rental Diary, while the scheme is reviewed.

The NSW Government is also undertaking once in a generation reforms to address this housing crisis and calls on the NSW Opposition and Councils across NSW to join them in tackling this crisis head on.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:

“This report from Homelessness NSW highlights the very real housing crisis that is playing out in our suburbs and cities across NSW.

“The NSW Government, from the very beginning, has acknowledged this crisis is real and we must do everything we can to end homelessness.

“The report paints a harrowing picture of women and children being forced to live in cars, working families living in tent’s and increasing rates of people sleeping rough especially in Western Sydney.

“The NSW Government is determined to confront this challenge. We know you can’t solve homelessness if you don’t have affordable homes for people to live in – that is the core work we are doing and we ask local councils and the community to walk with us on this journey.”

Sydney is at risk of becoming a city with no grandchildren – Productivity Commission report finds

Today it has been revealed that Sydney is at risk of becoming a city with no grandchildren if we don’t meaningfully address the housing crisis.

The NSW Productivity Commission has fired the blunt warning in a new housing paper, which reveals Sydney is losing some 7,000 people aged 30 to 40 a year.

The paper found that between 2016 and 2021, Sydney lost twice as many people aged 30 to 40 as it gained. 35,000 came to Sydney, but 70,000 left.

It also found that while Sydney has among the highest average wages in Australia, over recent years it has consistently lost population to other states and regional NSW.

Approximately two out of every three departures are from the working-age population – that is, those aged between 25 and 64, it’s not only ‘grey nomads’ who leave Sydney.

Most concerningly, the Productivity Commissioner Peter Achterstraat found that “If we don’t act, we could become a city with no grandchildren.”

These are thousands of people who’d be starting and raising families, filling good jobs, starting businesses, employing people and contributing to communities. But the housing crisis is forcing them out.

The new paper ‘What we gain by building more homes in the right places’, supports the NSW Government’s rezoning and density plans, finding building up in inner-Sydney suburbs would boost productivity, boots wages, cut carbon emissions and preserve green space.

The NSW Government is focused on getting the balance right between building new homes and protecting the character of communities. It doesn’t have to be an either or choice.

Not only are thousands of people being pushed out or priced out of Sydney, but new homelessness data also released today, also shows the impact on many who don’t have the opportunity or mean to relocate.

Homelessness NSW has reported a sobering spike in the number of people sleeping rough.

The increases in numbers are across Sydney including the Inner West, Ku-ring-gai, Mosman and Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Areas, where hundreds of new people have found themselves homeless.

This combined data paints a very clear picture of why the NSW Government is committed to confronting this housing crisis as its number one priority.

The NSW Government, local councils and communities can strike a balance to ensure we unlock housing supply, continue the conversations around rezoning and work together to build a better Sydney that people can afford to live in now and into the future.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“The reality of rising housing prices and lack of available housing is making it harder for people to stay in the same suburbs as their families or live close to their jobs.

“The Opposition has a choice – they can get behind important reform that will help house the next generation or they can continue to oppose reform and turn their back on young kids trying to bed down roots in NSW.

“That’s why the Labor government has introduced the boldest housing reforms in 12 years, we’ve created new housing policies that are designed to get supply moving and overcome this problem.

“If there’s no supply, there’s no homes for the next generation. The NSW Government is not going to turn their back on housing, it’s a basic need.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:

“This report, together with the new data released today from Homelessness NSW highlights the very real housing crisis that is playing out in our suburbs and cities across the state.

“There are more than 55,000 people on the social housing waitlist, anxiously waiting for a safe place to call home.

“It’s a shameful backlog left by a decade of inaction by the former government that has left too many in NSW vulnerable.

“Affordability and availability are at their lowest levels in decades. The NSW Government remains committed to delivering more homes and strengthening support services as a priority.”

NEWCASTLE COMPANY FINED $15,000 FOR INCOMPETENT SHIP LOADING

Chemical and material manufacturer Koppers Carbon Materials and Chemicals has been fined $15,000 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for failing to transfer tar-based substances onto a ship properly at Mayfield North in September last year.

The incident occurred as hot coal tar pitch being loaded onto a ship came into contact with water, which increased pressure in the vessel’s storage compartments and activated safety relief valves releasing potentially harmful fumes into the atmosphere.

The EPA’s investigation found the loading happened too quickly, and that Koppers was aware of the issue after workers had previously stopped transferring the substances twice before the safety feature was activated.

The incident resulted in an alleged breach of Kopper’s environment protection licence.

EPA Executive Director of Regulatory Operations, Jason Gordon said while the EPA is unaware of any offsite impacts, Koppers has a duty to ensure hazardous materials are handled appropriately.

“Exposure to vapour from coal tar pitch is environmentally hazardous, and Koppers could have taken measures to prevent this incident from occurring,” Mr Gordon said.

“We consider the incident was foreseeable and Koppers must prioritise compliance in its day-to-day operations. Extra care is needed when working on our waterways to protect our communities and sensitive marine habitats.

“Safety relief valves are designed for emergencies and their activation should be a last resort to prevent potential harm to the environment and public health.”

Since 2012, the EPA has issued 21 notices, official cautions and prosecutions in the Land and Environment Court to Koppers. These previous matters relate to odour complaints, air pollution and spilling coal tar pitch onto a wharf.

Mr Gordon said the EPA is beyond disappointed with the actions of Koppers, who continue to breach the obligations under their licence.

“The Kopper’s site has a history of breaching environmental laws, and the community has the right to expect better from its industrial neighbours,” he said.

“We are monitoring operations closely and may consider other regulatory action if the company commits future alleged offences.”

Penalty notices are one of several regulatory tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance, including formal warnings, licence conditions, notices and directions, mandatory audits, legally binding pollution reduction programs, enforceable undertakings, and prosecutions.

If you suspect someone is doing the wrong thing, phone the EPA’s Environment Line on 131 555.

Roadworks to enhance safety and amenity around former Supercars circuit

City of Newcastle will shortly commence work to reinstate permanent road infrastructure on the former Newcastle 500 track.

Planning for the first stage of work on the roundabouts at the intersection of Watt Street and Wharf Road, as well as the intersection of Zaara Street and Shortland Esplanade, is underway with onsite works scheduled to commence this financial year.

The removable infrastructure at these two key intersections will be replaced with permanent roundabouts.

A map of the former Newcastle 500 track showing the location of the 15 sites included in the staged roadworks plan.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the staged restoration works would enhance the safety and accessibility of Newcastle’s East End and along Foreshore Park.

“We are replacing the removable elements with permanent structures and completing road improvements that will further enhance the safety and amenity of the areas and improve accessibility for pedestrians,” Cr Clausen said.

“Re-installing permanent infrastructure demonstrates to the community that after four successful Newcastle 500 events, which delivered an estimated economic output for the city of $36 million per event, City of Newcastle has responded to community feedback and is committed to moving in a different direction going forward.

“The Newcastle 500 successfully achieved what it had intended to, in delivering unparalleled national and international exposure for our city and, as the city’s largest ever event, showcased Newcastle’s ability to host significant major events.

“It has since led to the city cementing its reputation as a premier tourism and major events destination, including by helping attract acts like Pink, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, and festivals such as Groovin the Moo, and we look forward to continuing to secure new events as a key economic and tourism driver for the region.”

The road and traffic restoration works will include the installation of permanent raised pedestrian crossings throughout the East End precinct, with updated signage and linemarking to improve safety, visibility, and enhance accessibility for pedestrians throughout the precinct.

The road infrastructure is owned by the City of Newcastle and therefore the first stage of work will be funded from Council’s 2024 capital works budget with the second stage to be included in the upcoming 2024/25 capital works program, which will be placed on public exhibition in April.

Work to remediate Camp Shortland will be undertaken separately given the ownership complexity of the area. Camp Shortland is owned by the NSW Government with no lease in place to City of Newcastle. Despite this, City of Newcastle is responsible for the remediation under a direction from Heritage NSW.

Concept plans for remediation of the site were sent to Heritage NSW last year. Feedback was recently provided and City of Newcastle will commence considering this once the prioritised stage one road infrastructure works are complete. City of Newcastle is committed to placing the Camp Shortland concept plan on public exhibition later this year.

City of Newcastle has identified 15 sections of the former race track that will be replaced with permanent road infrastructure.

The sites are:

Watt Street & Wharf Road – roundabout
Watt Street & Hunter Street – crossings
Watt Street & King Street – crossing
Watt Street, Shortland Esplanade, Church Street – intersection
Shortland Esplanade – South Newcastle crossing
Shortland Esplanade – Newcastle Beach crossings
Shortland Esplanade & Zaara Street – roundabout and crossing
Scott Street & Zaara Street – crossing
Scott Street & Parnell Place – intersection and refuge
Parnell Place – crossing
Nobbys Road – crossing and traffic calming
Nobbys Road & Wharf Road – alignment and refuge
Horseshoe Beach Road – crossing
Wharf Road & Horseshoe Beach Road – intersection
Wharf Road – crossing and car park

20th Anniversary Australia Prisoners of War Memorial

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.

I’m delighted to be here in Ballarat.

The course of our national history has been shaped and changed here.

It’s a place where leaders were born.

A place where the past is present.

And we find an important part of our past here at the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, which speaks of a different chapter in our nation’s story.

It’s a story that needs to be told. No one instilled that idea in me more than my dear friend, mentor and father figure, Tom Uren.

Tom spent much of the Second World War as a prisoner of the Japanese – captured in Timor, incarcerated at Changi, forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway, then sent to Japan as a slave labourer – only to witness the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

I will always think with wonder of how Tom endured years of such depravity and cruelty – and emerged as a tower of humanity.

Tom saw humankind in its darkest depths, yet he was forever after driven to seek out our brightest heights. And when he held up the past to us, he was holding out the hope of a better future.

Tom always said Australians survived in the prison camps because of a simple code: The healthy looked after the sick, the strong looked after the weak, the young looked after the old.

Tom’s strength was inseparable from his gentleness, and I believe that it was that aspect of life in captivity that lay at the heart of who he was.

He knew that the very worst could bring out the very best in us. And I believe those values are at the heart of what it is to be an Australian.

That is why I am proud to be here to see the story of Australian PoWs being told.

It tells of the sacrifice, courage and mateship of the men and women who served our country in war.

And asks us to honour the POWs among them.

For whom captivity meant waiting in silence.

Long years of isolation and deprivation, without news of loved ones or mates, home or country.

When the sounds of war were muffled by chains and fences.

And the impulse to action was too often crushed by brutality and inhumanity.

For those men and women, their strength lay in the power to endure.

This memorial is an eloquent expression of their spirit.

It is a record of patience, perseverance and humour.

And, above all, hope.

The roll of names is a litany of endurance.

Its standing stones and sombre granite are a tribute to fortitude.

And the flowing water sings a hymn to constancy.

Through the centuries, war has led to a flood of diaries and documents, recounting life on and off the battlefield.

With them came objects and artworks, many crafted by POWs in the long, oppressive hours of imprisonment.

Often made in haste from materials scrounged from dumps, they are a storehouse of memory and a record of fidelity.

The work of men and women, imprisoned in the bitter cold of a European winter, or the heat of the tropics.

Sick, wounded, starving, exhausted.

But, while the breath of life remained, the spark of creativity enlivened their hands.

Shaping relics of a time and place no words could comprehend.

A pottery mug, inscribed with the plea of a loving father:

‘God bless and protect Bill, Jim, Ronnie, Eddie, Kenny and Dear Maud’.

A woollen blanket, crocheted in the muted colours of Red Cross-issued socks and jumpers.

Rosary beads, painstakingly fashioned from seeds and wire.

A Melbourne Cup trophy, improvised out of a can of bully beef.

Heartbreakingly, these artefacts often came home without their creators.

And for family and friends, they became a window onto the unimaginable — and a final, precious gift from their dear ones.

A symbol of the light of hope that burnt within them as the wretched weeks, months and years of captivity passed.

This is the spirit so poignantly captured in the arrangement of this memorial to Australia’s POWs.

On its 20th anniversary, I offer my thanks to those who saw and acted on the need for a memorial to honour Australia’s prisoners of war.

To tell us their story. A story that needed to be told. A story that needs to keep being told.

Lest We Forget.

WONG UNRWA ADMISSION SHOWS MINISTER’S RECKLESSNESS ON PALESTINE

Greens Deputy Leader and Aid and Global Justice spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has questioned Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Penny Wong’s judgement in suspending life-saving funding to UNRWA without having all the facts.

In question time earlier this week, Senator Faruqi asked a direct question on whether the Minister had seen any evidence of claims by the Israeli government before her decision to suspend funding to UNRWA. The full exchange is available on Hansard here and on video here.

Senator Faruqi said:

“It’s not just wrong, but recklessly irresponsible when a Minister suspends such critical humanitarian funding without having all the evidence. One must wonder, is this a case of poor judgement or is Minister Wong happy to take just the word of Israel?

“After my questioning in the Senate, Minister Wong has been forced to admit what we knew all along; the Labor government has suspended UNRWA funding based on allegations, and without all the facts. Humanitarian aid should never be beholden to politics.

“The government acknowledging that UNWRA do life-saving work and then halting funding is hypocritical and misguided.

“There is not a minute to waste. The Labor government must immediately lift the suspension of UNRWA funding. In fact, there is a need to rapidly increase aid given the dire situation in Gaza.

“The most humanitarian thing would be for Minister Wong to take strong action to stop Israel from bombing civilians in Gaza.”

Indian Ocean Conference 2024

Four hundred delegates from across the Indian Ocean region and beyond will today meet in Perth for this year’s Indian Ocean Conference.

This is the first time Australia has hosted this important gathering. Together with India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar, I look forward to welcoming Sri Lanka’s President Wickremesinghe, 17 Ministers, Secretaries-General and high-level delegates.

The Conference theme of ‘Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean’ presents an opportunity to discuss positive and practical ways in which we can work towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean; a community in which agreed rules and norms empower all states to cooperate, trade and thrive.

Indian Ocean countries share common interests in the security of our region, tackling climate change, the health of our oceans, marine safety, trade, and economic development.

Our region faces shared challenges, and we are working together on shared solutions.

Fine of over $18,000 could flow from Right to Disconnect Law

The Albanese Government’s disastrous “right to disconnect” law could lead to fines of over $18,000.

The new “right to disconnect” law was tabled on Wednesday night as part of over 100 amendments to the Albanese Government’s latest radical industrial relations Bill.

The amendment was put forward by the Greens after they did a dodgy deal with the Government to pass the wider Bill if the Government supported the so-called “right to disconnect’.

The law says an employee may refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer outside of the employee’s working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable.

The law allows for an application to be made to the Fair Work Commission for a stop order to be put in place if either party believes the other is acting in contravention of the law.

“At the 11th hour we learn that fines of over $18,000 could flow from this law,’’ she said.

“This law just opens up another level of complexity for businesses at a time when they are doing it very tough,’’ Senator Cash said.

“In a country with five time zones during the summer months and in a globally competitive economy, it’s not clear how this will help increase productivity in the workplace,’’ she said.

“Western Australia will be hit particularly hard by the right to disconnect law because of the three-hour time difference over summer. The Prime Minister and this Government has complete contempt for Western Australia and the hard work of businesses and workers who contribute so much to the national economy,’’ Senator Cash said.