The Department for Regional NSW will take over the Stockton Beach re-nourishment project.
The Department will keep NSW Public Works on as the project manager, so it may carry out initial dredging and sand placement, as well as investigations into long-term erosion solutions.
Minster for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty will become the Chair of the Stockton Beach Taskforce as part of the shake-up, and says a lack of clarity about who was in charge of the project was holding it back.
The Taskforce will meet next month for the first time since June last year.
Newcastle MP and Minister for the Hunter Tim Crakanthorp, says he looks forward to seeing the works finally go ahead.
"First of all, we've got the $6.2 million Commonwealth and City of Newcastle project to get 300,000 cubic meters of sand onto the beach; that's a bit of a stop-gap solution."
"Then, we've got the $21 million that I've committed through the Minns Labor government to come on and do the larger offshore dredging and get a whole lot of sand onto that beach," he said.
Mr Crakanthorp said it's about time there was an update on the progress of the project.
"The Taskforce hasn't met for some time; I'd been pushing and pushing the former government to meet which they refused to do."
"Now we're in government, I've directed that we have a meeting so we're getting it organised for June, and we'll start progressing that federal government grant in the initial sense and once that's expended, we'll get on to the larger $21 million in funding to get large volumes of sand onto that beach."
