🟡 Your local news in 7 mins

Including: Kempsey to be the first in the state to trial a mental health care in home model.

Ellie Chamberlain
November 26, 2025

⏱️ The 78th edition of our newsletter is a seven-minute read.

🙋‍♀️ Hello, it’s Ellie here – your reporter for the Mid North Coaster.

👋 Welcome to all our new subscribers!

📧 Remember, if you ever want to get in touch simply reply to this email.

⚡️Did you see that incredible lightning show on Sunday evening? I noticed flickers outside my bedroom window, but didn’t catch the electricity and colour in the clouds like a lot of you did across the region. I saw lots of pics and videos on social media from south of Taree to north of Coffs.

Here are some stunning shots that were shared with me.

👀 We’d love to see more! Send in your lightning pics by hitting reply.

I’m heading to Coffs today to meet with the newly elected leader of the NSW Nationals, Gurmesh Singh, and to hit the pavement and ask some questions about living in the area, so if you happen to see me – come say hi!

In today’s newsletter;

We’ll take a look at the redesign of Kempsey’s mental health services that will see the 10 beds in the voluntary mental health unit at Kempsey District Hospital relocated to Port Macquarie. There will also be four “virtual beds” introduced as part of the pilot Hospital in the Home service.
We’ll meet South West Rocks resident Elise Dalley, who has recently returned from a month-long ceramics residency in Japan.
And we’ll talk to Friends of Kempsey Pound resident about the new laws cracking down on unethical dog breeding and if it’ll be enough to deal with local issues.

Let’s jump in…

🐾 Will new laws cracking down on unethical dog breeding work?

New laws will be introduced across NSW in December that aim to crack down on unethical dog breeding.

Some of the changes will include state-wide identification numbers for professional breeders, as well as the introduction of caps on how many non-desexed female dogs can be owned at one time.

But not everyone’s convinced the new laws will have an impact.

🧐 What happened: The NSW Government announced the new laws on Saturday, as well as new penalties for those who break them, including a maximum $110,000 penalty for an individual and $550,000 for a corporation that exceeds the cap on female dog numbers. Individuals will also face potential jail time.

📃The new laws: The changes are part of the government’s plans to improve animal welfare across the state.

From December 1:

All breeders in NSW will be required to have a Breeder Identification Number (BIN).
All advertisements for the sale or transfer of dogs must include a dog’s microchip and the Breeder’s BIN or Rehoming Organisation Number if born after this date.
There will be a cap of 20 non-desexed female dogs over the age of six months to be kept on a premise, unless breeders have been granted an exemption.
Female dogs will be limited to five litters in their lifetime or up to three by caesarean.
One staff member to every 20 dogs must be introduced at the breeding premise.

🏡 Local Impact: President of Friends of Kempsey Pound (FoKP), Marion Crowley, told the Mid North Coaster she was not confident the new laws would be effective.

Crowley likened the new laws to current laws around stopping people selling un-microchipped dogs, saying “people still do, all the time.”

“We see so many [dogs] come into the pound un-microchipped,” Crowley told the Mid North Coaster.

Marion Crowley is the president of Friends of Kempsey Pound, a charity helping to find forever homes for cats and dogs in Kempsey Shire. Picture supplied.

Friends of Kempsey Pound is a registered charity with a goal of supporting local domestic animals and their owners, while improving the facilities and resources available to local pet owners.

📈With demand, there will be supply: The state government claims its new laws will make it easier for people to find an ethical and accountable breeder. However, Crowley believes that as long as there is a market for unethical breeders, it will continue to happen.

“It’s the people that are taking the puppies, or the dogs, that are not microchipped and who are buying off them. It’s the market,” Crowley said. “People will sell them on Gumtree. And there’s no repercussions. So I don’t think it will have much effect, I don’t feel.”

👮‍♀️Who’s going to police it? Crowley said the introduced fines don’t mean much when unethical breeding is so difficult to police, while the “huge problem” of registered breeders over-breeding their dogs is still a major issue.

“They can’t police un-microchipped animals,” Crowley said. “So how are they going to police backyard breeders?”

“They can’t even police that, so what are they going to do with the thousands of people that don’t desex dogs and don’t care if they breed – or they deliberately breed them so they can sell the puppies for $20”.

💡Boots on the ground solution: So what could the government do to improve animal welfare?

Crowley said in Kempsey alone there are “so many” unregistered backyard breeders, generally selling dogs that are not microchipped and unvaccinated for thousands of dollars.

“Where’s the incentive to stop that?,” Crowley said. “We’re never going to stop seeing the pound filled up with puppies, from both registered and backyard breeders, until there is some sort of forced responsibility from the breeder.”

Crawley also wants to see more local council or government run or desexing programs.

“There are people that want to desex but they just don’t have the money to do so,” Crowley said.

COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

🟡 Friendship Force home hosting program

A group of residents from Kempsey Shire and Port Macquarie-Hastings areas are celebrating “global understanding” through a home hosting program.

Guests from overseas come and stay on the MNC with their host family for one week.

“We learn about other cultures, as our guests learn about ours, and we aim to develop acceptance and respect through our shared humanity,” member David Payne told the Mid North Coaster.

“For a week, we share our culture and local attractions through hosting overseas guests –or hosting members of Australian clubs – visiting our beaches, Koala Breeding Park, Rural Fire Service, Lighthouses and our rivers.

“This Home Hosting program gives our visitors, or us as guests overseas, an intimate view of traditions, special festivities, food and culture.”

This year the group has hosted guests from Western Tokyo, and also Adelaide.The group also travels overseas and across the country twice a year.

ℹ️ If you’re interested in becoming a host or learning more, email Denise Payne at [email protected]

🤝 Meet the locals

South West Rocks resident Elise Dalley has been practicing ceramics for almost a decade.

She has recently returned from a month in the Japanese countryside for a ceramics residency where she learnt from local makers and created pieces using local clays and glazes.

The Mid North Coaster sat down with Dalley to hear about her time away – working six hour shifts feeding traditional Japanese kilns with wood every 10 minutes over five days, using handmade Japanese tools, and learning Kurinuki, among other things.

➡️ Dalley is selling some of the pieces she made in Japan, alongside other pieces made with locally-sourced clay and granite, on Saturday, November 29, from 9am - 5pm at 89 Gregory St, South West Rocks.

🏥 Kempsey's mental health services will be redesigned as part of state-first trial

A new, at-home model for mental health care is being introduced in Kempsey. The Mid North Coast Local Health District claims the restructure will reduce stigma associated with hospitalisation, provide more culturally considerate care plans, and reduce pressure on the Emergency Department and local police.

What’s happening: In 2026, Kempsey will become the first site in NSW to pilot a Mental Health Hospital in the Home (HiTH) program.

There are currently Mental Health HITH models in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.
“The pilot model of care being rolled out in Mid North Coast Local Health District has been adapted by NSW Health from Mental Health Hospital in the Home (HITH) models which have proven successful in other jurisdictions including South Australia and Victoria,” a NSW Health spokesperson told the Mid North Coaster.
Former Australian of the Year, Patrick McGorry, is the Executive Director of Orygen Youth Health, a Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, and a founding member of the National Youth Mental Health Foundation (headspace) board. McGorry told ABC News the at-home mental health treatment to patients in Melbourne has been “very successful”.
When will it happen: From January to February 2026, the pilot program will allow patients to receive specialist psychiatric care in their own homes or in a community setting.

This transition will coincide with the current 10-bed voluntary mental health unit at Kempsey District Hospital being relocated to Port Macquarie – more than 50-kilometres away.

About the new model: The Mental Health HiTH model is designed for voluntary patients who would otherwise require short-term inpatient admission.

Voluntary patients are not walk-ins.They require an assessment as well as a mental health diagnosis before being deemed as someone who will benefit from HiTH.
The patient can decline at-home care and instead present at another hospital for services.

The HiTH model includes:

• Daily clinical reviews and medication support from a psychiatrist
• Psychological and social work interventions
• Crisis response and step-up/step-down pathways planned around the circumstances and context of the individual
• Family, carer and network engagement.

The services provided are suitable for people experiencing acute symptoms of mental illness or thoughts of suicide.

Why the redesign? This month, the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) announced the current bed-based model in Kempsey is under-utilised and does not align with local demand.

Fewer than half of voluntary admissions to the 10-bed unit at Kempsey District Hospital had come from the Macleay community in the last 12 months.

The current voluntary mental health unit is not able to provide care for high-acuity or involuntary patients. These patients have always required transfer to inpatient units at Port Macquarie Base Hospital or Coffs Harbour Health Campus.

Show me the stats: Mid North Coast Local Health District reported:

60 percent of mental health admissions from Kempsey are transferred to Port Macquarie or Coffs Harbour as involuntary patients
Fewer than half (42 percent) of Kempsey’s voluntary unit admissions come from the Kempsey Shire community, with 38 percent from Port Macquarie
The unit has averaged 73 percent occupancy with highly variable demand, while local Kempsey Shire residents increasingly seek care through alternate pathways via community mental health services and outpatient programs.

During the HiTH pilot program, there will be four “virtual beds” – which means there is capacity to care for four patients in their homes.

Other support services: The HiTH service will operate alongside existing community-based mental health and wellbeing services, including addiction, disaster recovery, suicide prevention, case management, parenting support, and other services.

During the month-long pilot, the 10-bed voluntary mental health unit at Kempsey District Hospital will be repurposed into a mental health hub, including community mental health and alcohol and other drugs services.
Inpatient beds remain available in Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.

Along with the HiTH model, other mental health Services are being introduced to the area in early 2026. They include:

Aboriginal-led Safe Haven: a non-clinical home style space offering peer and professional support for people in acute distress.
Safeguards – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Specialist mental health support for children and adolescents in acute distress.

Safety measures: Mental Health HiTH aligns with mental health legislation and best practice, with thorough risk assessments, staff awareness of home environment, and dual working conditions.

If any concerns arise, the care provided will be moved to a hospital setting.

ℹ️ If you need support: The public can continue to visit the Community Mental Health Team located at River Street in Kempsey, open weekdays 8am to 5pm or call the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 – this is the general intake number.

📹 Will anyone fix the daily traffic jam near Port Macquarie Base Hospital?

If you missed the article, here’s the video version of what’s happening with Wrights Rd and Lake Rd intersections in Port.

Watch the video below:

That’s all for now

I hope you enjoyed reading. I’ll be back on Friday morning with another newsletter.

If you don’t already, follow the Mid North Coaster on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or check the website to keep up to date with local news.

👋 Ellie

P.S. Continuing the Christmas lights call out: If you know of a good street in your neighbourhood where the houses are extra festive with their lights and decorations, please send through the street name and town by simply hitting reply.

✍ I’ll get a list together to share with all the Mid North Coasters.