Sydney - Middle East Times Int’l: WENTWORTHVILLE’S new Urgent Care Clinic is now officially open. 

You can visit the clinic to see a doctor for urgent, non-life threatening injuries such as a minor cut, if your child has a fever or if an older person has a fall.

It’s open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, at the Wentworthville Dental and Medical Centre.

Federal MP for Parramatta Andrew Charlton said the new clinic was a response to long wait times at local emergency departments.

“… research shows that over 60% of patients at Westmead Hospital’s emergency department wait over four hours to be seen by a doctor,” he said.

“That’s why I secured an Urgent Care Clinic for our local area to take pressure off Westmead Hospital’s emergency department.”

Since the opening, he said, wait times to see a doctor had fallen to an average of just 30 minutes while its extended opening hours had reduced the pressure on Westmead Hospital’s emergency department by 15% or around 160 patients every weekend.

Address: Wentworthville Medical and Dental Centre, 122/128 Station Street, Wentworthville.

• Dr Charlton said he had also delivered $1,720,000 to 62 GP clinics in the local area.

The money will help local practices upgrade their facilities.

In August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a meeting of National Cabinet to bring together state and territory leaders to help tackle the housing crisis.

Some of the key measures adopted by the Cabinet involve:

• More homes: a new national target has been set to build 1.2 million homes over five years to reduce the cost of renting with $3 billion to encourage states and local councils to build more houses.

• Help to buy: the Government's Help-to-Buy plan starts next year, enabling 40,000 low and middle income families buy a home.

National Cabinet also agreed to further measures to help make renting more fairer:

• develop a national policy on reasonable grounds for eviction;

• move towards limiting rental increases to once a year; and

• phase in minimum rental standards (e.g. running hot and cold water, working stove).

This is on top of existing initiatives like the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund and the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator.

The Albanese Government is also increasing the Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) payment for eligible renters by up to 15%.

Households receiving the maximum rate will benefit by up to $31.36 extra per fortnight starting in September.

Rentstart is an NSW Government program that helps low-income earners living in social housing and are looking to transition to the private rental market.

This NSW Government scheme: offers interest-free bond loans, provide rent in advance for close in crisis situations,  provide help for tenants who need to move out,  support for those facing eviction, and provide temporary accommodation.

Under Rent Choice, the NSW Government offers rental subsidies to those who have faced a major financial setback for up to three years.

You may be eligible if you are: escaping an unsafe or insecure situation due to domestic or family violence, aged between 16 and 24 years and with no place to live, a veteran with no access to a place to live, or experienced a financial shock.

The NSW Government has committed to helping renters directly transfer bonds from one property to another.

Currently, renters must pay out-of-pocket for a bond for a new rental property before their existing bond has been refunded, adding to renters’ financial hardship.

Under the Minns Government, the NSW Rental Bond Board will still hold the bonds on trust, but allow the bonds to be held on trust for the new property.

Last month, the Albanese Government invested $2 billion in social housing over the next two years.

In the last decade, social housing declined from 4.7 percent to 4.2 percent of houses - when demand has only increased.

Under the proposed Housing Australia Future Fund, $10 billion will be invested to build 30,000 affordable homes. Over 20,000 of these properties will be built in the first five years of the fund. 

Dr Charlton said there had been public concerns raised about the future of the Sydney Metro West project in response to a review by the NSW Government.

“My position is clear: we need the Parramatta Metro,” he said.

“While I understand the need to review the project after a decade of delays and mismanagement by the former NSW Coalition Government, this project must go ahead.”

The MP recently spoke in Parliament to show his support for the Parramatta Metro.

“ …. the Parramatta Metro …. would not only build on Parramatta's natural strengths as a regional hub but significantly add to its local economy. 

“It's true that the costs of the project have increased but so have the benefits.”

Families with a student at home can now apply for free internet for up to one year.

As part of the School Student Broadband Initiative, families with a child enrolled at a school can apply through Dr Charlton’s office for free internet if they have no active NBN service.

For details or to check if you’re eligible, visit: www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications-arts/internet/national-broadband-network/school-student-broadband-initiative-ssbi