News & Media

Lake Macquarie is set to host a “Commonwealth Games-scale” surf life saving event for the next three years under a landmark agreement with Surf Life Saving NSW.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Adam Shultz joined with leaders from Swansea Belmont, Caves Beach and Catherine Hill Bay Surf Life Saving Clubs on Tuesday night to announce a new sponsorship deal for Blacksmiths Beach to host the NSW Surf Life Saving Championships from 2026-2028.

The group also celebrated the successful signing of a new 21-year lease for Swansea Belmont and Caves Beach SLSCs, providing long-term security for their beachside tenures.

The Minns Labor Government is backing the state’s vibrant regional events calendar with more than $1.3 million in funding awarded to 61 events through the 2025/26 Regional Event Fund.

From community festivals to cultural and sporting events, the successful recipients will share in funding that will help boost local economies, attract visitors from outside the region and promote vibrant communities across the state.

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment to repair Stockton Beach by allocating $21.5 million in the 2025-26 NSW Budget to continue crucial renourishment works.
The NSW Government is dedicated to the long-term future of this beach. This action, backed by funding, will protect the beach’s natural beauty, Aboriginal heritage, and its recreational and economic benefits. The Stockton Beach Repair Blueprint outlines the actions required to preserve the beach. The NSW Government has already worked with the City of Newcastle Council to deliver 130,000 cubic metres of sand to nourish Stockton Beach.

From 11th June 2025, small businesses and non-profit organisations in NSW will be able to apply for grants of up to $25,000 to help them recover from the Mid North Coast floods and Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
As applications for the new grants open via Service NSW, more than $5.6 million has been paid to residents ($180 payments to individuals or up to $900 per household) to help with their immediate needs following the May floods which severely impacted regions between the Central Coast and Grafton.

Lake Macquarie City Council is set to roll out surveys over the next 18 months to help identify koala populations throughout the local government area.
Manager Environmental Systems Brendan Callander said that to conserve and protect koalas in Lake Macquarie, more information was required about their population, habitat use, distribution and barriers to movement.
Surveys will likely initially use detection dogs to establish the presence of koalas in koala habitat areas.

Moonshadow-TQC Cruises, a leading eco-cruise and marine tourism experience provider based in Port Stephens, has been awarded Best Commercial Marine Tourism Operator at the 2025 Australian Marine Industry Awards.

The Australian Marine Industry Awards Gala Dinner, a signature event of the Australian Superyacht Conference 2025, was held on Tuesday 20th May 2025 at The Langham Gold Coast, welcoming 264 guests from across Australia and around the world. Created to celebrate the outstanding dedication, excellence and innovation driving Australia’s world-class marine industry, the Awards recognises eleven exceptional winners across the superyacht, commercial and export sectors.

Disaster assistance has been announced for Central Coast, Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter Local Government Areas (LGAs) following the impacts of severe weather, including heavy rainfall.

The assistance measures announced will support councils and their communities to meet immediate needs like emergency accommodation and essential items.

The Minns Labor Government is charting the course for Port Stephens to become a global sailing destination when Newcastle Airport’s upgraded international terminal opens in August 2025.

The region’s pristine waters will again welcome thousands of sailors and spectators to Sail Port Stephens, one of Australia’s largest regattas proudly supported by the Minns Labor Government.

The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to ensure regional communities thrive, with $50 million in grants becoming available for initiatives that promote regional economic development and support employment creation and retention. Businesses, consortiums, local governments, associations, Aboriginal corporations, not for profits and other eligible applicants are encouraged to apply for a share of the $50 million Community Investment Program, delivered by the NSW Government’s $400 million Regional Development Trust.

The Albanese Government continues to strengthen regional communities, with over $117 million to flow to Regional Development Australia (RDA) committees over the next five years. The new funding agreements – to take effect from 1 July 2025, will support all 50 RDAs across the country to provide critical assistance to local communities and businesses. This includes identifying government and private funding opportunities, and supporting organisations to develop their proposals. RDAs play a key role in bringing all levels of government together to address issues affecting their region, by providing localised advice on challenges and opportunities.

Today’s topping out ceremony for Newcastle Airport’s International Terminal and the placing of the last steel piece, marks a major milestone in the transformational project.

With major construction now complete, the new terminal will next year connect the Hunter region to the world – unlocking jobs and opportunities in aviation, tourism and business.

The Australian Government committed $55 million to the international terminal project, which will provide enhanced international passenger and border processing facilities.

Finishing works continue on the terminal, which is scheduled to open by mid-2025.

New South Wales continues to lead the way. See the update for:

• How NSW are tracking
• What we have achieved
• Supply
• Demand
• Where to next?
• Ways to get involved.

The NSW Government today announced new regulatory and financial support for music festivals struggling under the pressure of increasing costs.

This comes after the NSW Government committed to review the Music Festivals Act. The review found the regulatory framework would benefit from a closer focus on harm reduction, industry sustainability, and ensuring costs for festivals in NSW are at a level comparable to other states, while still prioritising health and safety at festival events.

The forthcoming review into the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy recommends the Minns Government ‘adopt an experience-led strategy’ that takes visitors beyond the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House to experience the true depth and breadth of the state’s nature and culture. Responding to research on demand trends and consultation with the industry, the review finds that visitors seek interactive experiences that enable them to connect deeply with local culture, natural landscapes and the people of NSW. This includes nature-based experiences, culinary and agritourism, art and culture, nightlife, First Nations experiences and wellness.