16 News

A man has died, and another man is undergoing surgery following a physical altercation in the Hunter region overnight.
About 3.30am today (Friday 8 March 2019), officers from Newcastle City Police District were called to Donald Street, Hamilton, following reports two men were fighting in the street.
On arrival, police were told the men left the area in a vehicle, which was possibly being driven by a third man.
A short time later, officers attended a home unit on Cody Street, Hamilton South, where they located the body of a 51-year-old man.
They also located a 23-year-old man with serious head injuries.
He was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics, before being taken to John Hunter Hospital, where he is undergoing surgery.
Crime scenes have been established at the home and on Donald Street, which are being examined by specialist forensic officers.
Local detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will invest a record $500 million over the next four years into non-government schools to help them build more classrooms and cater for growing enrolments.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced the additional capital funding will be used by non-government schools in NSW so they can build, extend or upgrade their school facilities to provide more student places in growing communities.
“We have provided record funding for the public school system, and we are providing record support for the Catholic and independent school sectors as well,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This additional funding is only possible thanks to the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government’s strong economic management.
“Parents can always rely on a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government to support them – whether they choose to send their children to the local public school, or a Catholic or independent school.”
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said NSW’s Catholic and independent schools will share in $500 million from the NSW Government, which is more than double the amount Labor invested in non-government school infrastructure in their last four years.
“The Liberals & Nationals take strong financial management and turn it into better schools for your kids – that’s the difference. No empty slogans – we secure the funding and get then job done,” Mr Perrottet said.
Education Minister Rob Stokes said the increased investment will be delivered through grants under the Building Grants Assistance Scheme, which directs funding towards areas of greatest need. The scheme takes into account fees, demographics and socio-economic characteristics of the school.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals recognise that funding for school infrastructure should be consistent with a needs-based sector-blind approach to support the schools who need it the most,” Mr Stokes said.
“This record funding announcement will continue to ensure that every student in NSW continues to receive the best possible education, in the best facilities – no matter where they go to school.”
This year’s funding for Catholic and independent schools includes St Francis Catholic College in Edmondson Park ($3.6 million); Australian Christian College – Marsden Park in Riverstone ($950,000); Nowra Christian School in Nowra ($800,000) and St Peter’s Anglican College in Broulee on the NSW South Coast ($300,000).
The increased funding for non-government schools is in addition to the NSW Government’s $6 billion investment over the next four years to deliver more than 170 new and upgraded public schools across the State. This is the largest investment in public school infrastructure by any state government in Australian history.
As part of the “Gonski” schools funding agreement, NSW was also the only State to provide an extra $712 million to public schools to complement the Commonwealth’s $1.2 billion Choice and Affordability Fund.

Children needing specialist care will benefit from an extra $619 million for further upgrades to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, bringing the total investment in the world-class health precinct to $1.6 billion.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the additional investment will fund Stage 2 of the hospital’s redevelopment and comes on top of the $1 billion transformation of Westmead, the State’s flagship health, education and research precinct.
“This significant expansion to paediatric health services in Western Sydney will ensure The Children’s Hospital at Westmead continues to be a world leader in providing care for sick children right across the state,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This is a massive expansion to paediatric health services for NSW, made possible due to the Liberals & Nationals’ strong economic management of this state.”
This additional $619 million investment is estimated to create 6190 direct and indirect jobs during construction, further growing our economy.
Today’s announcement follows a commitment by the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government to recruit an additional 8300 frontline hospital staff, including 5000 nurses and midwives.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is also building a $608 million Comprehensive Children’s Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick as part of a rebuild of the hospital, which will include a new emergency department.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the further investment for Stage 2 will greatly increase capacity at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
“This significant additional funding will deliver both new and expanded health services for our state’s sickest children, including intensive care, cancer services and mental health care services,” Mr Hazzard said.
“The NSW Government is transforming hospitals and health facilities right across the State in a record building boom, to ensure patients continue to receive world-class care.
“The Liberals & Nationals have invested nearly $10 billion in health infrastructure since 2011 and have committed more than $8 billion in the next term.”
The Stage 2 redevelopment will include a new Paediatric Services Building (PSB) and refurbishment of the existing facilities, including:

• Operating Theatres
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
• Cancer Services
• Pharmacy Department
• Expansion of Pathology services
• Mental Health inpatient and ambulatory care
• Car parking

The Westmead precinct includes Westmead Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Cumberland Hospital and Westmead Private Hospital, together with a number of world-leading medical research institutes, two university campuses and the largest research-intensive pathology service in NSW.
This investment follows the NSW Government’s funding of $95 million for Stage 1 of the redevelopment of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead currently underway.
Stage 1 includes a new children’s Emergency Department and paediatric short stay units, and additional pharmacy and medical imaging facilities within the Westmead Precinct Central Acute Services Building.
“As the population of Western Sydney continues to grow, the NSW State Government will ensure the health needs of this growing community are met both now and into the future,” Mr Hazzard said.
Early construction works on Stage 2 are expected to commence in 2020.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will invest another $960 million upgrading more of the Princes Highway – making the road safer and bringing new jobs and investment to the South Coast.
In the next term of government, the NSW Liberals & Nationals will:

• Duplicate sections of the Princes Highway from Jervis Bay Road to Sussex Inlet Road;
• Build the Moruya Bypass; and
• Start detailed planning work for the Milton and Ulladulla Bypass and upgrades for the Princes Highway from Burrill Lake to Batemans Bay.

The NSW Government already has $1.5 billion of work underway on the Princes Highway and today’s announcement will increase that total to more than $2.4 billion.
“Only the NSW Liberals & Nationals can deliver this type of major investment for the South Coast, thanks to our careful handling of the economy and the budget,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Upgrading the Princes Highway will improve safety, improve journey times and more efficient freighting will further boost our already strong state economy.”
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has already made massive investments in upgrading the Princes Highway between Wollongong and Nowra.
Upgrades have been completed at Gerringong, and the Foxground and Berry Bypass has recently opened – both projects Labor promised in government, and failed to deliver.
A further $1.5 billion of work is proceeding now, including the Albion Park Rail Bypass, the Berry to Bomaderry Upgrade and Nowra Bridge project.
As well as improving safety for ordinary motorists, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said the upgrade work will improve freight times.
“Upgrading the Princes Highway will be a major driver of economic development,” Mr Constance said.
“We are already delivering major road upgrades for the South Coast and our work in the next term of Government will continue those major investments.”
Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey said the program of works will also generate tens of thousands of jobs, primarily in construction and engineering but also will boost local economies by providing opportunities for suppliers and services that will be required to support such an enormous enterprise.
“The successful training hub program in place as part of the Berry to Bomaderry Princes Highway upgrade will be replicated right along the NSW South Coast, providing locals with priceless jobs and training opportunities that will transform communities for generations to come,” Ms Pavey said.
Ultimately, the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is committed to duplicating the entire Princes Highway between Nowra and the Victorian border.
It is expected the investment will be more than $15 billion across the next 20 years to upgrade the Princes Highway.
Between July 2012 and June 2017 there were 1494 crashes on the Princes Highway from Jervis Bay Road to the Victorian Border, resulting in 30 fatalities and 350 serious injuries.
Between December 2017 and June 2018, eight more people lost their lives on the Princes Highway south of Nowra.
The steady reduction in deaths on the Pacific Highway in the 20 years since the full duplication project started provided a strong case for similar work on the Princes Highway.
“This commitment is the result of the strong advocacy and persistence of South Coast MP Shelley Hancock, Kiama MP Gareth Ward and Bega MP Andrew Constance,” Mrs Pavey added.
“This program is on top of our record investment in highways across the state including the Pacific Motorway, the Newell Highway, the Kings Highway – we’re building them all.”