Month: April 2025

NSW is further expanding and simplifying free access to the Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine to ensure residents living in higher risk regional areas are protected, as the mosquito season continues.

Five additional Local Government Areas (LGAs) are now eligible to provide free JE vaccine, including Uralla, Glen Innes Severn, Kyogle, Lismore, and Richmond Valley. The eligibility criteria for free access has also been simplified to make it easier for people to access the vaccine.

The full list of 60 eligible LGAs is available here: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/jev/Pages/vaccination.aspx

In NSW, the JE virus vaccine is available for free for people aged two months or older who live or work (including volunteer deployments) in any of the defined high-risk Local Government Areas and are at risk of mosquito bites.

In NSW this year, five people have acquired JE and, sadly, two of these people have died. JE virus is spread by mosquitoes and can infect animals and humans.

JE vaccine is available through local General Practitioners (GPs), Aboriginal health services and pharmacists. People should make an appointment and let the provider know it is for the JE vaccine, as they may require a few days’ notice to order the vaccine. Once vaccinated, protection can take up to two weeks to develop.

There is no specific treatment for JE. In some cases, JE can cause severe neurological illness with headache, convulsions, reduced consciousness and death.

As many people will enjoy the great outdoors this long weekend and school holiday period, it is important that people throughout the state protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes. Here are some simple actions you can take:

• Apply repellent to exposed skin. Use repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Check the label for reapplication times.
• Re-apply repellent regularly, particularly after swimming. Always apply SPF 50+ sunscreen first before applying repellent.
• Use repellents that are safe for children. Most skin repellents are safe for use on children aged three months and older. Always check the label for instructions.
• Wear light, loose-fitting long-sleeve shirts, long pants and covered footwear and socks.
• Avoid going outdoors during peak mosquito times, especially dawn and dusk.
• Use insecticide sprays, vapour dispensing units and mosquito coils to repel mosquitoes (mosquito coils should only be used outdoors in well-ventilated areas).
• Cover windows and doors with insect screens and checking there are no gaps.
• Remove items that may collect water such as old tyres and empty pots from around your home to reduce the places where mosquitoes can breed.
• Protect infants aged less than three months by using an infant carrier draped with mosquito netting, secured along the edges.
• While camping, use a tent that has fly screens to prevent mosquitoes entering or sleep under a mosquito net.

For further information and ways to protect yourself visit Mosquito borne diseases.

Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:

“People need to take mosquito borne infections seriously, especially as Japanese encephalitis is expected to continue circulating across the state.”

“Now is a great time to vaccinate, not just because the mosquito season continues in warmer areas of NSW, but because the eligibility criteria is now expanded to include more affected regional areas.”

Construction has now started on Australia’s first ever wildlife specialist teaching veterinary hospital, at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

This $80 million state-of-the-art facility will replace the current hospital, which has played a critical role in wildlife care since the 1970’s.

The new Taronga Wildlife Hospital will expand the zoo’s critical rescue and rehabilitation work by delivering new surgical, rehabilitation and recovery facilities to cater for hundreds of animals per year.

As a dedicated specialist teaching hospital, it will also enable widespread training and upskilling of wildlife carers, students and veterinary practitioners – further protecting Australia’s unique biodiversity against ever increasing natural disasters.

The 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires affected billions of animals, including koalas, wallabies, platypus and critically endangered amphibians which Taronga’s hospital team was instrumental in treating. The devastation of these fires demonstrated a national need for a new, state-of-the-art wildlife hospital.

Taronga’s new multipurpose facility will feature:

• Modern surgical facilities and specialised rehabilitation and recovery spaces for species such as marine turtles, reptiles and amphibians before they return to the wild.
• Increased quarantine facilities for animals confiscated in illegal wildlife trade seizures and for those transferred from other zoos as part of global conservation breeding programs.
• Australia’s first Zoo Nutrition Centre dedicated to managing the diets of the zoo’s animals.
• A pathology lab for onsite analysis and testing.
• Public viewing galleries through which zoo guests can safely watch animal health checks and veterinary procedures.

The new Taronga Wildlife Hospital is funded by the NSW Government through an investment of $40.7 million. A further $40 million is being raised through philanthropic donations. 

This facility will support the important role of volunteer wildlife carers, by educating and sharing knowledge with volunteers. This will improve the state’s capacity to respond to wildlife crises through wildlife first aid. 

The NSW Government is undergoing state-wide consultation on the wildlife rehabilitation sector to gain a detailed understanding of how NSW can improve the way we care for our native animals. 

Premier Chris Minns:

“Taronga’s new wildlife hospital will be a truly unique facility as Australia’s first wildlife specialist teaching hospital.

“Once opened, this new hospital will allow specialist vets to deliver treatments, surgeries, and rehabilitation for our native species – and families will be able to come to watch them in action doing what they do best.

“Our country is fortunate to have so many unique species and this facility will enable us to protect even more of our Australian wildlife for generations to come.”

Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe:

“As natural disasters become more common, veterinarians and vet nurses are increasingly being called upon to rescue and rehabilitate severely impacted wildlife.

“This facility will not only give us the tools we need to rehabilitate our wildlife, it will also allow for us to share critical knowledge with wildlife carers all over the state.”

Taronga Conservation Society Australia Chief Executive, Cameron Kerr AO:  

“Taronga’s Wildlife Hospitals in Sydney and Dubbo treat approximately 1,500 sick, injured or orphaned native animals for treatment and rehabilitation a year, caring for a range of wildlife from marine turtles to echidnas, possums, sea birds, snakes and everything in between.

“Every year, we see first-hand the increasing need to treat and care for wildlife. At Taronga, we are driven by our purpose to secure a shared future for wildlife and people. We knew we had a duty to forge the next step. The new Taronga Wildlife Hospital will allow our expert veterinary team to care for and protect even more of our precious, native animals, and inspire future conservationists and veterinary practitioners to protect Australia’s unique species.”

The Minns Labor Government is continuing to invest in the future of young people, with an additional $735,000 in grants to fund youth-led projects as the state celebrates NSW Youth Week 2025 from 9-17 April.

Sixteen organisations will receive up to $50,000 each to design and deliver projects under the Youth Opportunities program.

This is on top of the $1.5 million already delivered to 35 organisations in the 2024/25 funding round, which has supported a range of activities including cultural connection programs, creative arts workshops, self-defence classes, leadership camps, sporting activities and community engagement projects.

The grassroots projects are aimed at empowering and engaging young people aged 12-24 in their local communities.

The latest projects funded under the grants span the state and include sport, health and wellbeing, nutrition, art, music, podcasting, video production, life skills, financial literacy, and job readiness.

Young people are closely involved in the projects every step of the way, from identifying what their peers need, to workshopping the proposals and delivering the projects.

This innovative approach drives young people’s connection to their communities and provides an opportunity to forge leadership, communication, and management skills, helping them achieve their full potential.

Since it was first launched in 2012, the Youth Opportunities program has provided $19.8 million in funding and delivered 434 youth empowering projects across NSW.

The projects announced today will commence this year.

A full list of new recipients can be found here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/youth-opportunities-program/previous-recipients/youth-opportunities-program-2024/25-round-13

Minister for Youth Rose Jackson said:

“The Youth Opportunities program delivers projects by young people for young people.

“I am thrilled to announce we’ve expanded this year’s program, with 16 additional grant recipients receiving grants to drive projects in their areas.

“From sport to mural making, these new projects will empower and engage young people, helping them connect with their communities and learn vital new skills to set them on a positive path for the future.”

Steve Hancox from Multicultural Communities Council Of Illawarra said:

“The Youth Opportunities funding enabled us to engage with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in our community.

“As a result of our project, more young people built strong community networks and developed essential skills to navigate life’s challenges.

“It was fantastic to see the participants in our project thrive with an increased sense of self-confidence and belonging.”

SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS:

Organisation	Project title	Primary location	Funding amount
Auburn Youth Centre	Sport, Wellbeing, Events and Teamwork Training (SWEATT)	Lidcombe	$47,294
Belong Blue Mountains	Pick ‘n Mix: Connecting and Choice for Marginalised Young People	Blue Mountains	$50,000
Big Fat Smile	Ready, Set, Cook!	Bellambi	$49,600
Central Coast Council	Urban Art Mural Program	Central Coast	$29,000
Challenge Community Services	Voices of Youth in care	Tamworth	$47,000
Stitches Collection	Stitching Stories from Western Sydney	Sydney	$45,000
Griffith City Council	EmpowerYOUth2680	Griffith	$46,900
Gymea Community Aid & Information Service	Uniting Generations	Gymea	$48,521
Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council	Illawarra Aboriginal Youth Leadership Development	Wollongong	$50,000
LeaderLife	LeaderLife with Life Skills	Dubbo	$50,000
PCYC Glebe-Leichhardt	Community Empowerment: Youth Peace and Sports Leadership	Forest Lodge	$50,000
Port Stephens Council	The Place Is Yours	Raymond Terrace	$50,000
SmartArts	Amplify	Kempsey	$39,500
Tamworth Regional Council	Youthie Grub Hub Training Opportunity Cafe	West Tamworth	$35,000
The Skill Engineer	Let’s Talk – Bean Bag Yarns	Colongra	$47,800
Youth Futures Network	LifeLaunch	Port Macquarie	$48,640

The Minns Labor Government is empowering regional and rural women with essential skills in first aid, and mental health and crisis support through free training with St John Ambulance. 

Coordinated by the Rural Women’s Network, the government has provided $90,000 in funding to deliver approximately 30 free workshops tailored for women across 15 regional locations.

The ‘Rural Women’s Network Skills Roadshow’ program will run workshops for up to 450 women across regional New South Wales from May until November 2025.

The program aims to be accessible and includes skills to respond effectively in emergency situations, recognise mental health issues, recognise situations where people may be in imminent crisis, provide appropriate interventions and learn where to direct people for further support.

Recent St John Ambulance statistics highlight the need to increase first aid and mental health knowledge:

In New South Wales, 33% of adults have never trained in first aid (the highest proportion of any state/territory in Australia) and only 37% have done training in the last three years.

Women are less likely to be confident providing first aid (44% of women are confident) compared to men (57% of men are confident).

87% of Australians would be more willing to provide help to a person with a mental health issue if they were taught how.

Workshop participants will receive a nationally accredited certification once they have completed their training.

To find out more about the roadshow and register for a course near you visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/women-nsw/rural-womens-network/rwn-events/rural-womens-network-skills-roadshow-2025.

Minister for Regional New South Wales Tara Moriarity said:

“It’s so important to equip rural and regional women with the first aid skills that they need to be a crucial first responder during an emergency because it can literally be the difference between life and death.

“It’s not just about physical injuries either, this program helps develop the skills to identify and respond to someone experiencing a mental health problem or crisis, until professional help is available.”

Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said:

“For the first time women across regional and rural NSW – from Ballina to Broken Hill to Bega – will have access to free first aid and mental health training thanks to this program.

“The New South Wales Government is making it easy for women to access this life-saving training to bridge an important gap, particularly for women who would have otherwise missed out due to cost or travel. We’re not only giving them essential skills but building resilience in regional communities.

“Thank you to St Johns Ambulance for partnering with us to deliver this exciting program, which will deliver 30 workshops right across New South Wales.

“For women living in regional or rural NSW, I encourage you to register for one or both courses nearest to you to help keep your family, workplace and community safe.”

Beachgoers are urged to take care this long weekend as lifesavers prepare for hot weather and hazardous surf over what could be the last busy weekend of the season.

Warm conditions are forecast across the state, with sunny days and temperatures likely to hit the mid-to-high 20s all Easter weekend.

Lifesavers will be on high alert with long weekends and public holidays traditionally bringing heightened risks for swimmers.

A Hazardous Surf Warning is also in place across the state, amplifying the importance of taking safety seriously.

This Easter long weekend also coincides with the middle of school holidays.

Flags will come down across NSW for volunteer lifesavers on Sunday 27 April at the end of the Anzac Day long weekend.

To find your nearest patrolled beach, visit www.beachsafe.org.au or download the Beachsafe app.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“We’ve had a busy summer period on our beaches across NSW, and with warm weather forecast for this Easter weekend, we’re anticipating big crowds along the coast.

“There are more than 20,000 volunteer lifesavers and lifeguards across the state, and I want to thank them for their contribution this holiday weekend and right across the summer.

“Remember – don’t swim at unpatrolled locations, look for the red and yellow flags, and understand your limits when entering the ocean.

“Stay vigilant, follow the guidance of our lifesavers and enjoy our stunning NSW beaches safely this Easter.”

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said:

“Our volunteers will be out in force this Easter weekend and our Rescue Services teams are conducting roving patrols using jetskis and drones. We’re throwing everything we can at keeping people safe.

“We strongly advise people to head to a patrolled location and, particularly this long weekend where a lot of people will be celebrating the Easter holiday, remember that drugs, alcohol, and water do not mix.”