Big Fall In Hunter Residents On JobKeeper

 BY IAN CROUCH

 New figures issued by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg show the number of people on JobKeeper in the Hunter has fallen significantly since September.

The media background document reveals 66 per cent of recipients in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and 68 per cent in the rest of the Hunter stopped receiving the payments between September and December.

It coincides with a turnaround in the region's unemployment rate, which peaked at 11 per cent in June and now stands at 6.5 per cent in December.

JobKeeper is due to run out next month but Josh Frydenberg is resisting calls to extend the scheme in targeted sectors, saying the government is tapering support as the economy improves.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg

Major Hunter Project Wins Funding In Federal Budget

BY IAN CROUCH

A long-awaited infrastructure project in the Hunter has been the big winner out of last night's federal budget.

$1.6 billion dollars has been allocated to the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace.

It's 80 percent of the cost, with the state government to be asked to contribute the rest.

However there's no clear timeline on when construction will start.

Elsewhere, $20 million dollars is going towards road projects on the Buckets Way, another $20 million for Clarence Town Road and $140 million for the Tenterfield to Newcastle corridor.

$4.7 million over 5 years was confirmed for The University of Newcastle to fund research into PFAS chemicals.

Federal Labor MPs in the Hunter have slammed the budget, saying the government's main budget priority is getting re-elected.

Tax cuts of $1080 dollars a year for more than 10 million taxpayers earning up to $126,000 was the big sweetener, along with a predicted surplus of $7.1 million.

However, there was no money for the Glendale Transport Interchange or the Singleton Bypass.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivering the 2019 Federal Budget

Hunter Business Chamber Outlines Budget Hopes

BY CATHERINE ALLEN

The eagerly awaited upcoming federal budget is due to be released tonight at 7pm, potentially making waves for the local region.

The latest budget is expected to include increases to infrastructure spending as well as tax cuts for big business in what is touted to be a "family friendly" budget.

The Hunter Business Chamber is pushing for regulatory changes benefiting small-to-medium sized businesses hoping to build on current export markets and create extra incentive payments for apprentice and trainee positions.

CEO Bob Hawes said that while aid for families is important; if people don't have a job the rest falls apart.

"There's a lot of things that the federal government can look at that impact all business and we've already put a few ideas forward and backed up the NSW business chamber on ideas around extending export grants, subsidies that they've had in place in recent years," he said.

"In relation to the Hunter, obviously we like to keep track of what's happening in Defence, that has an enormous impact in relation to what's happening at Williamstown and to a lesser extent Singleton, but also Health and Education."

Image: SBS