A week after the horrific death of Wollongong paramedic Steven Tougher, the Sydney Opera House was emblazoned with the red and white ambulance ribbon on Friday night.
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The former Bulli High School pupil was allegedly stabbed while on a meal break during a night shift in Campbelltown.
The news comes as Premier Chris Minns visited his family at their Woonona home.
On his first visit to Wollongong since being elected Premier, Mr Minns went to see Mr Tougher's grieving relatives who he has been in contact with over the phone in the past seven days.
Mr Minns said it was important to recognise how the death had affected paramedics and people across the state.
He said the illuminated sails paid tribute to all emergency service workers.
"Being a paramedic in NSW, in fact being an emergency service worker is often a dangerous and difficult job, and it's filled with young idealistic people that have joined up because they want to make a difference," Mr Minns said.
"Young people today can do any job they want, any job in the world is basically open to them and to see them enrol in paramedicine and become a paramedic is extremely humbling.
"It was so traumatic to see the the death of Steven last week, but [this is] a reminder that there are literally thousands of people that sign up to work on behalf of the people of NSW."
Mr Minns also spent his day in Wollongong touring BlueScope and parts of Wollongong Hospital, which he said was a signal of his government's commitment to the Illawarra.
"I wanted to come down here in the opening weeks of the new government... to clearly signal our intent to make sure the people of Wollongong are not left behind," he said.
"We believe that over the last decade and a bit government didn't put enough attention, energy and resources into this fast growing part of NSW.
"There's a particular energy and spirit in the Illawarra, there's so much potential down here, but we need to make sure that the taxpayers of these communities get their fair share."
At the hospital, he joined Health Minister and Keira MP Ryan Park, Planning Minister and Wollongong MP Paul Scully, Shellharbour Mp Anna Watson and new Heathcote MP Maryanne Stuart on a tour of refurbishment works underway or recently completed.
These included the reconfigured cardiology wards, refurbished inpatient wards, a new rehab area and gym and a staff cafeteria, which were underway as part of the previous government's capital works program.
"It was fierce lobbying from Anna, Paul and Ryan that resulted in this level of investment in the local health infrastructure, he said.
"Now we know more needs to be done."
He noted Labor had committed to a seven-day model for Bulli Hospital and allocated $2 million to refurbish the old Warilla library as an interim Domestic Violence Women's Trauma Recovery Centre.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
