Monday, 17 December 2012
Friday, 14 December 2012
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Port residents concerned over webcast removal
A decision by Port Stephens councillors to pull the plug on council meeting webcasts has been slammed by the Tomaree Ratepayers and Residents Association.
The broadcast system, installed for $19,000, was voted to be shut down on Tuesday due to debate and defamation risks.
Concerned members of the TRRA say the removal of the webcast will damage the transparency of council to citizens.
Residents Meet to Discuss Wild Dogs
Discussions on recent wild dog attacks on sheep in the Hunter Valley are have taken place in Pokolbin today.
The meeting at Harrigan's Irish Pub is garnering community support for co-ordinated control groups, and encourages residents to join.
Authority Ranger, Ben Serafin says the Cumberland Livestock Health and Pest Authority are looking at options such as 1080 baiting, targetting and reactive trapping as potential solutions to the livestock attacks.
Property owners encountering wild dog attacks are encouraged to contact the Cumberland Livestock Health and Pest Authority.
The meeting at Harrigan's Irish Pub is garnering community support for co-ordinated control groups, and encourages residents to join.
Authority Ranger, Ben Serafin says the Cumberland Livestock Health and Pest Authority are looking at options such as 1080 baiting, targetting and reactive trapping as potential solutions to the livestock attacks.
Property owners encountering wild dog attacks are encouraged to contact the Cumberland Livestock Health and Pest Authority.
Business As Usual at HSG
The Hunter Sports Group is maintaining its cool after the Australian Tax Office has sought action against the organisation, insisting it's business as usual for its Newcastle NRL and Soccer clubs.
The Knights and Jets could be placed into liquidation over debts piling up under owner, Nathan Tinkler.
A HSG spokesperson says they are surprised by the ATO's move and will pay outstanding fees as soon as possible, and prior to the reported hearing date in February.
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Monday, 10 December 2012
Foiled Robbery at Cessnock
It's alleged the men planned an armed raid on a Newcastle Licensed premises on Friday night, however police were able to foil the attempt.
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| Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Humphrey fronts the media. |
Three men were arrested following a police pursuit, with an fourth man being arrested near Horsehoe Bend near Maitland this morning after intially eluding the police.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Humphrey says two of the four arrested men are wanted regarding a similar armed hold-up on the Mary Ellen Hotel at Merewether last month.
Government Delaying Newcastle's Renewal: Robertson
State Opposition Leader John Robertson is in Newcastle today to discuss the city's urban renewal.
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| John Robertson discusses renewal at Newcastle. |
Mr Roberson says the O'Farrell government is delaying the city's renewal and has attributed the government's failure to the delay in releasing the State Environmental Protection Policy (SEPP), which is needed to provide certainty to developers wanting to undertake projects, particularly in the city's west end.
"I'm here because I wanted hear about the SEPP that is holding up urban renewal of the Newcastle CBD, I keep hearing everybody saying that it's so important and I agree it's significant."
"We've got the New South Wales Government and Barry O'Farrell sitting on the release of that and until that's the released it mean's we're not going to see the renewal process started".
Friday, 7 December 2012
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Air quality study given the go ahead in the Hunter
Air quality in the Hunter will undergo monitoring next week in response to increasing concerns about coal dust and its health implications.
The Coal Terminal Action Group, which represents 16 Hunter-based environmental groups, will monitor air pollution across 10 locations between Newcastle Port and Rutherford.
Equipment to carry out this process will also be installed in these locations.
Chair of the Dust and Health Study, James Whelan, says he would like to see air pollution managed and very closely studied.
Calls continue for West End revamp
The CBD's West End may finally regain its spark under an ambitious plan by Newcastle Now to clean it up.
The Business Improvement Association is staging a workshop today to inspire a collective revamp of the ailing precinct.
Newcastle Now Manager, Michael Neilson hopes the engagement of creative groups, businesses and council members in the place-making process will quickly reverse the fortunes of the precinct.
Students return to school after grenade scare
Students and teachers have returned to Hunter Christian School at Mayfield after being evacuated earlier today when a hand grenade was brought in for 'show and tell' by an 11-year-old girl.
Mistaken as an antique money box by the student, the grenade was examined by specialist police and Defence Force officers before being safely removed from the school.
Evacuated residents in surrounding Bull and Kerr streets have also returned to their homes.
Police say all students are safe and accounted for.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Monday, 3 December 2012
Former Hunter Priest Arrested in New Zealand
Former Hunter Christian brother Bernard McGrath faces extradition back to Australia to face 252 child sexual assaults charges laid against him following his Friday arrest at Christchurch.
The 65-year-old was was jailed in 2006 for similar offences at Marylands School in Christchurch and had been living in Sri Lanka before returning to New Zealand.
McGrath relocated to Sri Lanka shortly after 252 sexual abuse charges were laid against him
in an Australian court earlier this year, and it's understood some of the charges relate to his time as a brother at the
Kendal Grange College in Morisset.
McGrath appeared before Christchurch Courthouse today and has been granted strict conditional bail to face court again on December 17.
Hunter Valley buried under liquor licenses
Concerns have been raised over the steady increase in liquor licence's granted in the Hunter, as the state government looks at liquor licence density in the region.
Newcastle is now home to more than a third of the Lower Hunter's pub and liquor licence's, with Cessnock leading the Hunter in bottle shops with a total of forty eight.
Greens MP John Kaye expressed his concerns, saying licence's should not be granted without a full consideration of their community impacts.
"The O'Farrell Government should seriously look at buying back some of these licenses," said Kaye
"Evidence shows with more liquor licenses you have more domestic violence."
Robertson Opposes Planned Health Cuts
State Opposition Leader John Robertson is taking on the O'Farrell government's plans to cut hospital staff, claiming that the Hunter region will be impacted most by the planned cuts.
The ALP claims to have recieved details through Freedom of Information on plans to cull 800 hospital staff, including 103 in the Hunter New England Health region during this financial year.
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| John Robertson outside the John Hunter Hospital today. |
John Robertson says this decision will affect frontline staff such as radiographers, speech pathologists, physiotherapists and nursing unit managers and that the John Hunter hospital is already suffering from a lack of staff.
However, NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has refuted claims that mass job cuts are imminent.
"It's inaccurate to suggest that you can take a dollar figure, which is the health labour expenses cap and divide it by an average staff salary and come up with staff cut numbers, and that's exactly what Labor is doing. It's a scare campaign. The reality is we are employing overall extra frontline workers in the NSW health system, because this year we are funding an extra 50,000 emergency treatments, 30,000 extra overnight admissions and we've increased the health budget by $940 million dollars"
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