Soon-to-be health minister Ryan Park has promised that the Illawarra's struggling emergency departments will be in the spotlight now that he's in charge of overseeing the state's health system.
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The Keira MP, who incoming premier Chris Minns says will be Labor's health minister, joined the new Premier at a meeting of senior cabinet ministers on Sunday.
While vote counting continues, a Labor government will be officially formed on Tuesday as some of Mr Minns' leadership team - including Mr Park - is sworn in to major portfolios as an interim ministry.
This will give the Labor MPs access to the public service for briefings, and a wider ministry will be sworn in once the full election results are known.
Celebrating his party's win on Saturday, Mr Park said Illawarra residents could expect the local health system to be in the spotlight as he takes on the new role.
"This community will have a really, really big spotlight on it because the reality is that we've had big challenges in our emergency departments and this is a local health district that I want to focus on," he said.
"Not just because I'm the local member and a minister in a Labor government, but because the community's made it very clear to me for a long time now, that things need to change and improve and we've got to start by making sure we're properly staffed.
"So, you know, one of my phone calls very early on once I become the minister will be to [health district boss] Margot Mains and her team and to sit down and see what we need to do to improve that situation."
Meantime, Illawarra nurses and paramedics were feeling "hopeful and relieved" by the election result, after a long campaign from union members to draw attention to the staffing issues within the health system.
President of the Wollongong Hospital branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Bianca Vergouw, who has been among the hundreds of local nurses who have walked out on strike several times in the past 18 months, kept an eye on the election results while on night shift on Saturday.
"It has definitely given me a glimmer of positivity for the future," she said.
"Not giving up the fight as we will now hold the Labor government to its promises.
"Overall feeling extremely hopeful and relieved that we have a state government who really listened and heard what nurses and midwives were saying."
Likewsie, paramedic and Health Services Union delegate Tess Oxley said she had noticed a change in the mood of her colleagues, many of whom have spent the past few weeks chalking the sides of their ambulances with messages to the Perrottet government.
"They were starting to become quite disheartened over the last couple of years and a change of government is like that breath of fresh air," Ms Oxley said.
"Paramedics are feeling really positive. I think this opens the door for a step forward for paramedic professional recognition that seemed to be closed, towards the end of the last government being in charge."