Month: July 2024

New Parkes roundabout to be biggest in the Central West

The biggest roundabout in central west New South Wales will be built on Condobolin road as a key feature of the Parkes Bypass.

The Newell Highway bypass of Parkes has been in planning for decades to alleviate the constant flow of heavy freight vehicles and visitor traffic passing through the town.

The Australian Government is contributing $229.7 million to the $287.2 million project, with the remaining contribution being made by the NSW Government.

The project is part of the $1.5 billion investment from the Australian and NSW governments into the Newell Highway Corridor, with the Australian Government committing $1.1 billion.

Construction work to build the new 98-metre-diameter roundabout will start during the July school holidays.

The large roundabout – which will allow motorists to travel at 80 km/h – will also feature a large sculpture in its centre, which has been designed in collaboration with Parkes Shire Council.

Motorists will be detoured around the site during work.

For further information on the Parkes Bypass visit www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/parkes-bypass.

Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:

“The Australian Government, is pleased to have committed significant funding to this first exciting part of the project to safely bypass the Parkes CBD from the busy Newell Highway.

“Our Government is working for all Australians to deliver significant infrastructure that connects communities, stimulates jobs and builds the future of our nation.”

NSW Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison:

“The Parkes Bypass will take more than 1,200 heavy vehicles and other traffic away from the town centre every day, improving travel times for thousands of motorists and making the CBD of Parkes more accessible.

“I’m thrilled to see work get underway on the giant Condo Road roundabout; it represents significant progress on a project that has been decades in the making.

“The Minns Labor Government is proud to be partnering with the Albanese Labor Government to build a better Parkes and a better Newell Highway for all Australians.”

Senator for NSW Deb O’Neill:

“The new roundabout will provide safer and more efficient passage for motorists and heavy vehicle operators.

“Not only that, it will become a local tourist landmark as part of the travelling experience through the central west of New South Wales.”

State Member for Orange Phil Donato:

“It’s fantastic to see this once in a generation Parkes Bypass project progressing.

“Also importantly, this project is not only delivering road and transport benefits — it’s also supporting 350 jobs and injecting vital funds into small businesses in Parkes and the broader Central West region, which is bouncing back stronger than ever after unprecedented floods.”

NSW Labor’s Duty MLC for Orange Stephen Lawrence:

“The Parkes Bypass is a project that will provide improve road safety, reduce travel times and increase efficiencies for the freight industry. 

“Not only will Parkes benefit from its progression, but the entire Central West will too and the thousands of motorists from across Australia that use the Newell Highway every day.”

Artificial Intelligence trial to speed up local planning systems

Content Sixteen councils will trial technologies to speed up development assessment timeframes, as part of the NSW Government’s $5.6 million investment into introduce artificial intelligence into the planning system.

The successful councils applied for grants under the State’s Early Adopter Grant Program to trial technologies that will improve the quality and accuracy of information when a development application is lodged.

Councils assess approximately 85 per cent of all residential development applications and this process is often strained by administrative delays, duplications and mistakes, or site-specific requirements that are not met prior to submitting a development application.

These are all issues that could be identified and resolved before a development application even arrives on a planner’s desk, leaving our skilled planners to approve homes more efficiently.

Improving the quality of the original application reduces the number of requests for more information which saves significant time.

For example, of nearly 500 applications accepted into the Regional Housing Flying Squad Program in the past year additional information was required for around 30 per cent of development proposals with applicants taking, on average, an additional 42 days to respond with the information.

The combined saving of not having to request additional information on this relatively small group alone would be around 6300 days – or the equivalent of 17 years. If that is applied across the nearly 60,000 applications that are submitted in NSW each year, it means a saving of hundreds of thousands of days.

Unless we support the delivery of more homes, we will continue to lock young people out of housing or lose them to other states.

Each Council grant recipient will be supported to trial their nominated new technology for a year.

The Early Adopter Grant Program recipients include:

  • Bayside Council
  • Blacktown City Council
  • Burwood Council
  • Cessnock City Council
  • City of Canterbury Bankstown
  • City of Newcastle (with co-applicants: Central Coast Council and Muswellbrook Shire Council)
  • Cumberland City Council
  • Eurobodalla Shire Council
  • Hawkesbury City Council
  • Inner West Council
  • Lake Macquarie City Council
  • Randwick City Council
  • Wagga Wagga City Council
  • Wingecarribee Shire Council

The grant funding forms part of the NSW Government’s wider AI in NSW Planning package.

The AI project seeks to identify how the planning system can benefit from the implementation of AI.

The next phase of the project will examine technologies that can work with the NSW Planning Portal to make the benefits of artificial intelligence available to all applicants.

For more information on successful councils and their grant projects, visit the AI in NSW Planning website.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Using technology to assist in the assessment of development applications is a critical way the government can support councils to speed up development assessment times to better address the housing crisis.

“Introducing AI into the planning system is about reducing the administrative workload of planners so that they can get on with their main job of planning. It also helps applicants as it reduces delays by making sure all the required information is provided without repeated requests. This will free up their time and help build more homes faster.

“There is no denying that after a decade of confusing planning reforms and a challenging macroeconomic environment, that approvals have slowed down. As a government we are examining every way we can to speed up our planning system and build homes for our young people, our families and our workers.”

Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said:

“Councils are responsible for determining approximately 85 per cent of all new dwellings in NSW and I know firsthand the amount of work they do to assess development applications.

“I believe that utilising AI will accelerate the planning process and will help councils to get on with delivering for their communities.”

New Goulburn Aboriginal Health Centre opens to support reconciliation and wellbeing

The Goulburn community has a new Aboriginal Health Centre to support reconciliation, healing, health, and wellbeing.

The Centre is part of the final phase of works for the $165 million Goulburn Hospital and Health Service Redevelopment which has delivered a fit-for-purpose facility to support high-quality healthcare for the region.

The Centre provides a culturally safe space for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and includes a waiting area, accessible bathroom, kitchen with breakfast bar for cooking demonstrations, consultation rooms, and a flexible activity space.

It also features a new outdoor area landscaped with native plants, comprising a yarning circle for community members to gather, along with a play area for child and family programs.

Additional works were made possible through a successful $225,000 grant from NSW Health as part of the Aboriginal Health Minor Capital Works Program.

The Centre was officially opened on Monday 1 July where Local Ngunnawal Elder Jennie Gordon gave a Welcome to Country and conducted a flag-raising ceremony alongside Inland Network Aboriginal Health Manager Marion Knight and Goulburn Base Hospital Site Managern Kylie Strong.

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

“This new Centre is a fantastic, purpose-built space for the Goulburn Aboriginal Health team to provide a range of free services for the community, including community liaison, health promotion and disease prevention.

“This is part of the NSW Government commitment to closing the gap and improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people in a culturally safe and appropriate way.”

Senate denies Free Speech inquiry

An historic motion for a Senate enquiry into enshrining the right to free speech in the Australian Constitution was narrowly defeated this week thanks to Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers.

Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts moved the enquiry on Monday and while there was little surprise that Labor and the Greens voted it down, there was disappointment that independent senators David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie, Lydia Thrope and David Van didn’t even turn up to vote.

One Nation proposed an enquiry that shouldn’t be controversial by any reasonable measure. But here we are in 2024, when the duly elected government of Australia is perfectly comfortable being seen voting against the protection of freedom of speech.

This enquiry—and a wider debate in the Australian community—on freedom of speech is urgently needed. The Albanese Labor government is determined to suppress our freedom of speech with its ‘misinformation and disinformation’ legislation.

Australians are afraid to express their views, beliefs and opinions in public settings or at work, yet this right is absolutely essential to a functioning democracy.

In some respects, Australians cannot be blamed for being afraid. After everything that happened to Senator Hanson for speaking her mind, they have every reason to be cautious. This situation is only going to get worse unless we can somehow enshrine the right to free speech in the Constitution and protect it against government attempts to suppress it.

Free speech is a right that’s foundational, inalienable and essential. It deserves the protection that only our Constitution can provide. The inquiry sought by One Nation would have looked at the implications, the necessary resources and funding, and the timing of a referendum, preferably held at the same time as an election to save on costs.

But here we are in 2024, where the woke left go to the most extraordinary extremes to silence, censor, de-platform and gag any view that does not meet their approval. Those senators who did not support the enquiry are condemned as opponents of freedom of speech in Australia.

Boosting Australia’s housing supply

The Albanese Government is getting on with the job of building homes for Australia, with successful recipients announced under Stream 1 of the $1.5 billion Housing Support Program.

A total of 80 projects across Australia will receive funding, including 73 local government projects and seven under the states and territories.

This funding will support master planning and development projects to accelerate housing supply and ensure residential growth in local communities is accessible, affordable and sustainable.

This will help unlock the construction of new homes across Australia.

Some of the successful projects receiving funding include:

  • $1.5 million for Blacktown City Council for housing capacity studies and planning strategies around 9 train station precincts, with the potential to deliver 50,000 dwellings
  • $1.2 million for the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning for a Planning Cadet Program to boost planning capability within regional councils
  • $160,000 for Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council for a Future Housing Supply Strategy expected to enable 66 well-located homes in remote Queensland
  • $355,000 for the South Australian Department for Trade and Investment to establish a Bachelor in Urban and Regional Planning at Flinders University, to commence in 2025
  • $150,000 for Bundaberg Regional Council to undertake precinct planning for 1,300 dwellings (including medium-density, affordable housing) around the Bundaberg Hospital, primarily for hospital workers

 The Housing Support Program is one of a range of measures designed to help achieve the ambitious national target of building 1.2 million new, well-located homes over the next 5 years.

It also forms part of the $32 billion in new housing initiatives we are delivering through our Homes for Australia plan.

States, territory and local governments are encouraged to apply for Stream 2 of the Program which also opens today (9am AEST 5 July 2024).

This $450 million stream will provide funding for enabling infrastructure that supports housing, such as roads and utility connections, and community amenities like parks, footpaths and public spaces.

Applications for Stream 2 of the Housing Support Program will be open until 5.00pm AEST 16 August 2024.

For more information on the Program, including a full list of successful Stream 1 projects, visit Housing Support Program.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“The Housing Support Program is an important part of our Government’s $32 billion Homes for Australia plan which is building more homes across Australia.

“A place to call home is not a luxury or a nice-to-have, but a fundamental need, and our Homes for Australia plan is making this a reality for more Australians.”

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

“The Albanese Government’s Housing Support Program is helping to turbocharge infrastructure planning so we can deliver more homes, more quickly, for more Australians.

“It’s a critical part of our plan to work with states and territories to help them meet the ambitious national target to build 1.2 million well-located new homes.”

Minister for Housing Julie Collins:

“I urge all councils and state and territory governments to submit their projects for the second stream of the Housing Support Program so we can work together to get more homes on the ground, faster.

“Our Homes for Australia plan is working across the board – more help for renters, more help for homebuyers and more help for Australians needing a safe place for the night.”

Half a million visits as new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic delivered in Queanbeyan

The Albanese Government is strengthening Medicare to deliver a better, fairer and stronger health system and responsible cost of living relief.

In just over 12 months, the network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics has achieved an historic milestone with more than 500,000 free visits across the country.

Half a million presentations since the Albanese Government established the first clinics in June 2023, with Australians receiving treatment for a range of conditions and injuries that are urgent, but not life-threatening.

The milestone coincides with the announcement of the latest Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, which will be established in the New South Wales area of Queanbeyan, near to the Australian Capital Territory border.

The Brindabella Family Practice, on Morisset Street, was selected to be the Queanbeyan Medicare Urgent Care Clinic through a process led by the New South Wales Government.

The Clinic will open later this month, offering free walk-in care, seven days a week, over extended hours, providing urgent medical care to locals on both sides of the border.

It will reduce pressure on the Queanbeyan District Hospital where, in 2022-23, over 70 per cent of presentations were for semi-urgent or non-urgent matters. 

The Queanbeyan clinic is one of the 29 additional clinics to be established through a $227 million national expansion announced as part of the 2024-25 Budget, adding to the 58 clinics already operating.

There are 16 Medicare UCCs now operating in New South Wales, located in: Albury, Batemans Bay, Campbelltown, Cessnock, Coffs Harbour, Lake Haven, Lismore, Liverpool, Maroubra, Peninsula (Gosford), Penrith, Rooty Hill, Ryde, Tamworth, Westmead, and Wollongong.

There have been more than 87,000 visits in New South Wales, with:

  • Almost 1 in 4 by children under 15;
  • More than 1 in 4 taking place at the weekend; and
  • 1 in 5 weekday visits taking place after 5pm.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are providing the urgent care people need, and all they need it their Medicare card, not their credit card.

“Every day they’re taking the pressure off busy hospital emergency departments.

“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are a key way we’re making Medicare stronger, ensuring Australians have access to affordable care, when and where they need it.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler:

“Half a million visits proves what an impact our Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are having right around the country.

“In the Budget, we invested $227 million to open an additional 29 Clinics, to ensure that more Australians can get medical care when their need is urgent, but not life threatening.

“The Queanbeyan Urgent Care Clinic will help ensure locals on both sides of the border can get free, urgent care, when they need it and fully bulk billed, taking pressure off busy hospital emergency departments.”

Member for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain:

“The Queanbeyan Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is going to make a big difference to residents in Queanbeyan, but also in the surrounding communities of Googong, Jerrabomberra and beyond.

“Instead of waiting for a non-life threatening issue at the emergency department, locals can receive treatment at this walk-in clinic, with no out of pocket costs.

“This Medicare UCC will ease pressure on the local emergency department and be much more convenient for our communities – closer to home, at short notice, and bulk billed under Medicare.”

Another Woman charged following unauthorised protest – Hunter Valley

A woman will face Court after being charged following an unauthorised protest in the Hunter Valley last night.

About 6.45pm (Thursday 4 July 2024), police were called to the rail corridor at Belford, near Singleton, following reports persons had allegedly entered the rail corridor and were causing obstruction to trains.

Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District, with assistance from Police Rescue, attended the site and arrested a 65-year-old woman from Bega.

She was taken to Singleton Police Station where she was charged with five offences – cause obstruction to railway locomotive or rolling stock, enter enclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse, cause/attempt to cause train or tram in motion to be stopped, interfere with equipment without permission and destroy/damage/obstruct mine shaft/duct/airway.

She was refused bail to appear before Singleton Local Court later today (Friday 5 July 2024).

Woman charged following unauthorised protest – Hunter Valley

A woman will face court after being charged following an unauthorised protest in the Hunter Valley this morning.

Just after 7am (Friday 5 July 2024), police were called to the rail corridor at Glennies Creek, near Singleton, following reports a person had allegedly entered the rail corridor and was causing obstruction to trains.

Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District, with assistance from Police Rescue, attended the site and arrested a 27-year-old woman from Victoria.

She was taken to Singleton Police Station, where she was charged with enter inclosed non-agricultural lands serious safety risk, cause obstruction to railway locomotive or rolling stock, and enter inclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse.

She was refused bail and appeared before Singleton Local Court today (Friday 5 July 2024).

Central Coast & Newcastle Line Trains delays

Some trains are running late up to 30 minutes due to flooding on the tracks at Cockle Creek earlier. Services will be less frequent and trips may take longer than usual. Stops may also change at short notice. Buses may also supplement some trains between Newcastle Interchange and Fassifern. Please allow plenty of extra travel time, listen for announcements, check information screens and transport apps before getting on trains.