Newcastle MP Fears 'Port Rort' May Be Terminal

BY SAM ISAAC AND LAUREN FREEMANTLE

NSW Minister for Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey has addressed the 2013 restrictions which prevent the Port of Newcastle from building their own container terminal for 98 years; ruling out a backflip anytime soon.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp used Question Time to grill Ms Pavey on the issue, after she has maintained silence thus far.

The Minister told parliament, "85% of containers that come into NSW... are distributed within a 40km radius of Port Botany. It is industry that decides, because of the population, where those containers are distributed."

Tim Crakanthorp is questioning why we have to enforce an anti-competitive ban on Newcastle's Port if business is booming at the Port of Botany.

"It's very hypocritical for them to say 'well, there's not enough demand for containers in Newcastle, but we're still going to impose a cap, just in case there is'," the MP said.

"It's an appalling restriction, it's anti-competitive."

The refusal to remove the restrictions comes after plans for Port Waratah's T4 Terminal were cancelled for financial reasons.

Labor believe the cancellation of the T4 project mean Newcastle's ability to out-compete Sydney is being further impeded, while the container terminal ban remains in place.

Port of Newcastle. 

Crown Lands Neglect Stockton Rubbish

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

After recent rough swell and bad conditions, a part of the former Stockton tip has become re-exposed, and Newcastle Labor MP Tim Crakanthorp is calling on the state government to step in.

He's launched a notice of motion, highlighting a lack of attention given to half of the site which is owned by Crown Lands.

The other half is overseen by Hunter Water, who have removed the refuse on their land back from the shoreline by 10 metres to prevent debris entering the ocean.

Mr Crakanthorp has commended Hunter Water for their response, but fears rubbish may roll into the sea from Crown land.

"I'm very concerned," he explained, "This is the very beginning of Winter and already a storm has battered [the tip] and we've got exposed rubbish, including old asbestos and other material...as it is now, it'll flow onto the beach," the MP said. 

"This government is absolutely failing to have a plan to manage this tip..."

Tim Crakanthorp addressed parliament yesterday, calling on Environment Minister, Gabrielle Upton to implement a long-term solution to see the rubbish problem dealt with properly. 

It's understood the EPA are liaising with Crown Lands to monitor their management of the site. 

Rubbish found at the Stockton tip site, March 2018. Image: The Herald. 

State government urged to bring ferry to Wickham

BY TARA LOUIS

Pressure is mounting on the state government to commit to building a ferry terminal at Wickham to create an increase in public transport.

Members of the Stockton Community Action Group, Great Life of Wickham and Fern Bay and Fullerton Cove Progress Association, today joined Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp in issuing the plea.

It follows reports that the Hunter Development Corporation is due to sell its last stretch of land at Honeysuckle.

Mr Crakanthorp says "they're the last blocks of land so whoever buys them needs to make a contribution... so we can actually get that ferry wharf locked in."

Mr Crakanthorp first floated the idea in 2015 and says the Government needs to take action with the "centre of Newcastle moving to Wickham."

"More and more commuters are coming off the interchange there (Wickham) and also so many apartments going in, we need another ferry stop."

Stockton Ferry. Image: ABC

Opal data suggests declining patronage, says Labor

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Claims made by the NSW Transport Minister about the number of people jumping aboard Newcastle buses is being disputed by Labor.

Newcastle MP, Tim Crakanthorp claims on March 6, Andrew Constance told state parliament, "I took the January 2017 patronage numbers compared them to January 2018. In January 2017, the patronage numbers were 304, 330. In January of this year, there were 319, 360."

That would have represented a significant increase of 15, 330 patrons, however, Opal card data, published on the NSW government's website, shows only 300, 448 using Newcastle bus services in January 2018.

Tim Crakanthorp has labelled Andrew Constance's claims "disingenuous," and said the 4000 person decrease for January and decline of 8000 patrons in February makes sense, given public outcry over the revised system.

"This makes a lot of sense...we've got huge support from the community on this particular campaign to call for a full review and proper consultation on this service.

"We had 1000 people turn up at a community meeting in Belmont and about the same come to a rally [in Gregson Park] just last week."

However, Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald has defended the Minister's comments, saying Mr Constance was referring to overall patronage sourced from both Opal and non-Opal data.

"The figures we rely on is overall patronage...the numbers, when combined, give us about a 9% increase.

"So we're getting that up-swing we've been expecting," he said.

"We can't just rely on the Opal data," Mr MacDonald continued, "because there are various concession users and people paying with cash.

"When we look at both the Opal and non-Opal figures, it is still quite encouraging."

Scot MacDonald emphasized the declining nature of the previous system as reason for the changed timetable.