BY ISABEL EVERETT
The Hunter's roads, police stations, hospitals and sporting groups were among the winners in the 2020-2021 NSW Budget.
State Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet handed down the budget on Tuesday.
The New Maitland Hospital development will receive $220 million dollars over the next financial year, with $18 million also set aside for construction on a $30 million dollar carpark at the Hospital.
The hospital is a $470 million dollar project.
$16 million was also allocated towards the $780 million expansion of John Hunter Hospital.
A new police station will be constructed in Cessnock as part of a $52 million dollar program improving police facilities in regional areas, with 250 extra police officers to be stationed across the State.
Police Minister, David Elliot, says the Hunter will get their fair share of the new officers and he is looking forward to welcoming the recruits in the new year.
More than $60 million was allocated to predominantly fund the planning, rather than the construction of road projects across the region.
This included $21 million to plan the M1 Motorway extension, a 15-kilometre link between Black Hill and Raymond Terrace which will bypass Hexham and Heatherbrae, $20 million towards preparation works for stage five of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, and $8.5 million towards planning for the Singleton Bypass and the Muswellbrook bypass.
All of these projects were championed by the Hunter Business chamber in their Budget Submission.
$6 million was also included towards improvements works on Nelson Bay Road, as well as $6.7 million on planning the New England Highway upgrade between Belford and the Golden Highway and $2.1 million towards fixing pinch points on the Hunter road's, including $700,000 to upgrade the Northcott Drive and Kahibah Road intersections on the Pacific Highway.
The budget also included $2.7 million on “planning and pre-construction” on Hillsborough Road, $13.3 million for the "planning and preservation" of the Lower Hunter Freight Corridor and $4 million towards Lake Macquarie council's plans to extend the Fernleigh Track.
The Hunter Business Chambers also championed the following projects in their Budget submission;
- Funding to advance planning for the Hunter Park precinct in Broadmeadow
- Funding to progress the completion of the feasibility and business case for faster rail between Newcastle and Sydney
- Funding to support the continuation of the Hunter Defense Taskforce
All of which failed to attract any State funding.
“There may also be opportunity to derive additional funding from increased allocations to the Regional Growth Fund, the Regional Job Creation Fund and the $600 million for Special Activation Precincts, of which Williamtown is one," Hunter Business Chamber CEO, Bob Hawes says.
There was good news for Newcastle's sporting groups, who will now be able to apply for more money to fund infrastructure.
Up until now Newcastle was excluded from the two sporting infrastructure funds made available by the State Government, which covered the Greater Sydney area and regional NSW.
Local teams will now be able to access a $100 million Greater Cities and Regional Sports Facilities Fund.
Newcastle MP, Tim Crakanthorp welcomed the announcement.
"I have been advocating for Newcastle to get a slice of the pie, most recently to the Upper House Inquiry into grant integrity, and am thrilled that a new $100 million Greater Cities and Regional Sports Facilities Fund has been created which Newcastle will be able to access," Mr Crakanthorp says.
"Thank you to the Acting Minister for listening. I look forward to seeing further detail on this fund."
There was also $500 million for fixing bridges in regional areas, $13.5 million towards finishing the Wyee Sewer Connection project, and $300,000 for the ongoing management of the former Pasminco site at Boolaroo.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery says was hoping to see more funding towards flood mitigation works in her electorate.
"This is a safety and security issue, and an issue of maintaining jobs for small businesses in Wallsend. We know we lost a number of our signature businesses and restaurants in 2007 with the floods, who never returned."
"At the same time Hunter Water is delivering more than 200 million dollars for beatification in the Newcastle CBD, yet they can't even afford to spend $1 dollar on planning for canal widening and prevention of flooding in Wallsend, and we know it's going to happen again."
Around $6 million was allocated towards creating more social and affordable housing for Aboriginal communities in Toronto, Woodberry, Wallsend and Taree.
Dominic Perrottet
