Friday 29 January 2016

Night Works on Swansea Bridge

Roads and Maritime Services will be conducting roadworks from Sunday evening along the Pacific Highway, at Swansea.

The resurfacing work will be done on the southbound lanes of Swansea Bridge for three nights from January 31.

Work will be conducted between 8pm and 4.30am, with southbound traffic diverted onto the northbound brdige, via contra flow.

Weather permitting, works should be completed by February 7.

During work hours, a reduced, 40 km/h speed limit will be enforced to minimise risk for both workers and motorists.

Additional information can be found on www.livetraffic.com.  Motorists can also download the Live Traffic App for smartphones, or call the Transport Management Centre on 132 701.

Image courtesy of Matthew Fern, via Flickr (LINK).

Thursday 28 January 2016

Hunter Breaks Rain Record

The Hunter is expected to have more rainfall for the rest of the week, following sunny skies for the Australia Day holiday.

Rainfall is expected to varied, with some parts expected to receive up to 60 millimeters of rainfall, while others may receive as low as 5.

Chris Webb from the Williamtown Weather Office says the showers will effect everyone.

"For the entire Hunter district tomorrow and Saturday, they'll be some showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon."

"At this range it's not possible to know where we'll get it, but we're confident there will be some about."

The upcoming rainfall will push this January into the wettest one in memory.

"We've got an old record of 404mm, 1895 it dates back to" says Mark Wilgard, Observations Officer at Williamtown Weather Office.

"As of yesterday, 9am we had 402.8mm, but since then we've got the 1.2mm."

"So the record's been equaled."

This weekends rain is being blamed on a low pressure trough which is moving itself across the Hunter.

"We think with the trough nearby there will be some showers and thunderstorms this evening" said Mr Webb.

"That trough will probably move across the Hunter on Saturday, causing more showers and thunderstorms."

The poor weather is expected to move on by Sunday.



Wednesday 27 January 2016

Layoffs at Scone Abattoir

A downturn in the Australian livestock industry has seen 155 workers losing their jobs at a Scone abattoir.

The JBS owned facility aims to combat the downturn by shifting from double to single shift work days, resulting in the layoffs.

Most of the workers came from labour hire firms (who outsource skilled and unskilled blue-collar workers) or are on temporary work visas.

Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union Secretary, Newcastle and Upper NSW Grant Courtney said the writing for the layoffs was written on the wall.

"When there's livestock downturn or when the market corrects itself, jobs are always lost and usually the areas that are dropped first are labour hire workers."

JBS has confirmed it is still committed to the future of its Scone operations.

Mr. Courtney said the focus should remain on keeping local workers.

"It's about career opportunities for local people, who are also looking for work."

"The company needs to have a look at itself and say "well okay, who are the people we should be keeping"."

"We want to make sure that there's a career path for permanent residents into the future."

It comes after the abattoir was sold by Primo to JBS in March 2015. At the time, New England MP Barnaby Joyce confirmed then Treasurer Joe Hockey had the authority to divest JBS of the meatworks.  

Image courtesy of Emma Brown, via ABC News (LINK).
 

Friday 22 January 2016

Hospitals to Beef up Security

The State Government has agreed to launch an investigation into the safety of staff and patients at hospitals across New South Wales.

The security audit will include looking at duress alarms, CCTV monitoring and the design of emergency departments.

John Hunter Children's Hospital/It comes after the near fatal shooting of a police officer and security guard at Nepean Hospital, in Sydney.

The increase in security is also linked to the rapid rise in ice and alcohol related violence, including a patient who attempted to grab a police officers gun at Manly Hospital, as reported by Fairfax Media.

Health Services Union Secretary, Gerard Hayes says ice and alcohol are becoming increasingly dangerous.

"Emergency departments in hospitals are becoming a dangerous place and we need to be able to engage and resolve those issues proactively as opposed to reactively."

"In John Hunter Hospital it's regular [that] there's violence through drugs like ice."

He says security guards with guns will not help the issue.

The issue also appears to be a bipartisan one, with Shadow Minister for Health, Walt Secord agreeing to help in any way.

"I want to work together with the [State] Government to find a solution.  The best thing we can do is put patients first."

"I'm willing to put aside any political differences and work with the [State] Government to improve safety in the emergency department."

Image courtesy of The Daily Telegraph (LINK).


Thursday 21 January 2016

EPA Continues Bengalla Investigation

The Environment Protection Authority is continuing its investigations in to the Rio Tinto owned Bengalla mine, near Musswellbrook.

The overflow follows heavy rainfall in the Hunter earlier this month.

EPA officers began interviews on Monday, while also carrying out an inspection and gathering water and sediment samples for testing.

So far, no pollution to water sources has been found.

EPA Hunter General Manger, Adam Gilligan says both parties have been able to coperate.

"Our officers worked with the mine on Monday and were pleased to see that they commenced dewatering of those dams so that they could get the water levels down.

"Particularly that's important before any further rainfall or storm event that might cause further overflowing."
A section of Bengalla's sediment dam

The EPA have also confirmed they are looking for additional information from the mine operator, including monitoring records and incident response details.

It's the third Hunter mine this month which has seen overflowing, with Warkworth mine (also Tinto owned) and Wambo mine being investigated for potential pollution.

"Certainly [it's] a concern to us that we've had a spade of these issues arising following the recent heavy rainfall" said Mr. Gilligan.

"What concern's us is making sure the sediment dames, etc on mine sites are constructed properly."

Image courtesy of John Crey, via The Singleton Argus (LINK).

Baldwin Staying in Paterson

Despite having his majority wiped out in the recent electoral redistribution in the Hunter, Paterson MP Bob Baldwin has ruled out moving away from the seat he's held since 2001.

MP Bob Baldwin with former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott
A report in The Australian on Thursday morning suggested Baldwin was considering defecting from the Liberal party, and running as an Independent for the seat of Lyne, currently held by Nationals MP David Gillespie.

The move was rumored because most of Baldwin's Liberal voters in Port Stephens and Dungog have moved into Lyne, while he's picked up Maitland and Kurri Kurri, traditional Labor strongholds.

A Coalition agreement means Liberal voters cannot contest a seat held by a National.

Before the redistribution, Baldwin held a 9.8% margin on Paterson however, the seat has now become a swinger, with a 1.3% swing to Labor.

Despite all the rumors, Baldwin is adamant he will stay in Patterson, calling the rumors rubbish.

But Baldwin wasn't the only one who saw major changes, with Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon seeing his electorate carved out between Pat Conroy's Charlton (to be renamed Hunter) and Deputy Nationals Leader, Barnaby Joyce's New England.

Despite the push-out, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has confirmed Fitzgibbon is likely to remain in politics.

Image courtesy of Andrew Meares, via The Sydney Morning Herald (LINK).
  

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Port Stephens Commit $200 000 to Fight Merger

Port Stephens Council has committed up to $200 000 to help fight against the State Government's decision to merge it with neighboring Newcastle Council.

Council had originally agreed to $150 000 however, the amount was increased to allow for additional rallies to help drum up support against the merger.

Funding will also be spent on establishing a submission to present to the State Government in February.

Deputy Mayor, Chris Doohan says the merger will be devastating for Port Stephens.

"This is nothing personally [sic] against Newcastle, it's just a crap deal for the people of Port Stephens that are going to have to fund the major amounts of dept incurred by poor Governments in the Newcastle City Council."

Fighters: Bruce MacKenzie and Chris Doohan
The outcry comes after the IPART deemed Port Stephens Council to be 'Fit for the Future'.  Both Lake Macquarie and Newcastle were at the time expected to merge before the final decision was made.

However, Doohan claims their is little reason to merge.

"They've given us a bunch of reasons why they [the Baird Government] want us to merge, but the only one's that got anything to do with local Government is the Newcastle Airport."

"The rest of them are all actually State Government type things, like hospitals and schooling, so the arguments flawed from the get go."

Council has also ruled out backing down should the submission be rejected, with Mayor Bruce MacKenzie evoking the ANZAC 'never give up' attitude, and quoting British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, saying "we will never surrender."

Deputy Mayor, Chris Doohan evoked the same attitude.

"We will fight until it's craved in stone that the merger has to happen."

"I won't even call it a merger, it's
a takeover as far as I'm concerned and it's a bum deal for the people of Port Stephens."

Image Courtesy of Stephen Wark, via Port Stephens Examiner (LINK).

Tuesday 19 January 2016

Proposed Merger of Newcastle City and Port Stephens Councils



Image sourced: Gordan, 2015, Newcastle Herald from
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3483836/mp-outlines-super-council-plan/

Former Mayor of Port Stephens, Craig Baumann, has expressed his concern at the proposal to merge Port Stephens and Newcastle City Council.

In his letter to local government, his key concerns were a lack of 'Communities of Interest', an unproportional percentage of representation for Port Stephens, and the implications on Newcastle's airport.

Mr Baumann in his letter alluded to the fact that a recent IPART report declared Port Stephens "Fit for the Future", also stating Newcastle Council has been "dysfunctional" for a long time and that it cannot manage its budget.

"The infusion of funds from Port Stephens will be great for the people of Newcastle in the short term."

It will be disastrous for the residents of Port Stephens and they will fight it tooth and nail,"he said.

He made further suggestions to improve the Hunter which included extending the Northern boundary of the town to include the Myall Lakes.

He encourages residents to lodge objections and make submissions to the government before final decisions are made.

Friday 15 January 2016

Radical Changes to Hunter Electorate Boundaries

The Australian Electoral Commission has made changes to the way Hunter residents will vote, by re-drawing the electoral boundaries in the area.

Under the changes, Hunter MP, Joel Fitzgibbon will be without a job as his electorate is split between Pat Conroy's Charlton and Barnaby Joyce's New England.

The northern parts of Charlton will be split between Newcastle and Shortland electorates under the changes.

The re-draw would have come to a blow for Paterson MP Bob Baldwin, who now has an uphill battle to hold his seat in the 2016 election.

Before the changes, Paterson was a Liberal seat with an almost 10% margin, but after moving South will become a marginal Labor seat with a 1.3% margin.

There is speculation that Fitzgibbon will take on Conroy's seat, which now includes his home base at Cessnock.

There is also talk Shortland MP Jill Hall will retire before the election, allowing Conroy to run in her place.

More will be known when pre-selection opens later this year.

Images courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald (LINK), The Daily Telegraph (LINK) and Athmitchell via Wikimedia (LINK).

Architects Urging Homeowners to Check for Leaks

After all the wild weather thrashed the Hunter two weeks ago, homeowners are now being asked to ensure their home's are free of cracks and leaks which have opened.

After heavy rain, leaky roofs can lead to dangerous situations where water can penetrate walls, get into the insulation and cause plasterboard to become moldy and weathered.

Homeowners are asked to also make sure guttering are free of fallen leaves, sticks and debris and to also ensure chimney's are structurally safe and secure against water damage.

Sydney architect and director of Archicentre, Michael Jones says residents should not try to do all the checks themselves.

"There's risk of loose electrical wires and that sort of thing so, moisture and electricity don't go together well."

"It needs someone with experience and the right tools and equipment and protection to up on the outside of the roof or up on the inside."

However, homeowners are still able to patch the problem both a professional can get the job done.

"If there's something very obvious and easy to deal with within reach they can put a bit of plastic over it or cover it up" said Mr. Jones.

"They should in the first instance photograph it, tak
e a record of it and ring their insurer, say they've got a likely claim."

"With professional advice, the insurance companies are far more likely to listen."

A full checklist for roof repairs is available on the Archicentre website.

Thursday 14 January 2016

Orica to Increase Ammonia Production

Orica has had its proposal to increase ammonia production at its Kooragang Island facility approved by the Department of Planning.

Under the application, Orica will increase its production from 350 000 to 385 000 tonnes per annum.

It into public exhibition in June of 2015, with returns coming from Newcastle Council, Fair Work NSW and the Environment Protection Authoirty.

No community submissions were lodged.

While ammonium production will increase, the application did not included the production of nitric acid and ammonium nitrate.

Disaster Relief Funding now Available for the Hunter

The Federal Government has agreed to provide disaster relief funding to affected regions of the Hunter.
Dungog bore the brunt of the storm

Local Government areas including Maitland, Port Stephens and Dungog have all been listed as natural disaster zones.

NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant made the announcement this morning, while also promising concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and not-for-profit organisations.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald has confirmed that “disaster funding starts to commence straight away.”

“LGA’s will get assistance with clean-up restoring some of that damage to public assets.”

MacDonald emphasised that some areas are in particular need of assistance since they “have been hit twice in one month.”

Image courtesy of Graham Chevalley, RFS via ABC News (LINK).

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Heavyweight Boxer Found Guilty in Domestic Violence Case

Newcastle heavyweight boxer Kyron Dryder was found guilty yesterday of causing actual bodily harm towards former girlfriend  Tori-Lee Hillery last September.

Dryden also pleaded guilty to breaching apprehended violence orders four times in Newcastle Local Court, he will be sentenced in March.

It's a case where social media has remained at the center of the ordeal after Dryden posted the assault to online site Snapchat.

After going public, Hillery received constant abuse from commentators also on social media, who called her "witch", "stupid" and a number of other unsavory terms.

Victims of Crime Assistance League Robyn Coterell-Jones social media can be positive in domestic violence cases, but "there's a lot of negativity".

"It's so much easier to blame the victim and we actually live in a society where blame the victim is very, very common."

One woman dies from domestic violence every week in Australia, yet it goes undocumented, with only 50% of cases going unreported.

"There are children at preschool who live in a who which is controlling and violent and frightening."  says Coterell-Jones.

"We need all our experts, our teachers ... our doctors, our lawyers, all sorts of people to learn about this insidious thing called domestic violence."




Thursday 7 January 2016

House Explosion at Aberdare

A husband and wife have managed to escape unharmed after an explosion occurred in their house at Aberdare this morning.

Police and fire crews were called to the Rawson Street property at about 2.30 where the couple had managed to extinguish a fire sparked by the blast.

Acting Inspector Jerry Bowden says there is reports that a motor vehicle was heard leaving the area at that time.

"While forensic services are currently on scene, Police are certainly treating it as suspicious," he says.

The couple was called in to the local police station for questioning.

Bowden says further investigation is required to figure the extent of the damage and possible motive for the attack.