Palestine Protest outside office of Newcastle MP

BY JOHN THOMAS

Over 50 people gathered outside Federal MP Sharon Claydon's office in Newcastle on Thursday demanding the Government take grater action against Israel.

Protesters held props resembling dead bodies wrapped in white shrouds, to reflect the 40,000 Palestinian people killed by Israel in their latest attack on Gaza.

In the southern city of Rafah it's reported 1.4 million Palestinians of which 600,000 are children are trapped by the borders, the sea and Israel's military.

Community Spokesperson Dr Liam Phelan says "the Federal Government should cut all diplomatic and economic ties with Israel".

Young Voices Heard at Newcastle Youth Forum

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Young people from the Hunter had their say on a number of big-ticket issues at last night's Newcastle Youth Forum. 

Federal Minster for Youth Dr Anne Aly was joined by Federal Members for Newcastle and Paterson Sharon Claydon and Meryl Swanson respectively, for the event at Nobbys Surf Lifesaving Club. 

Talking points included youth mental health, reforms to the education system and participation in local live music. 

Dr Anne Aly, says the government needs to work with young people, as well as for them. 

"When we talk about youth, one of the things I think we've made a mistake on in the past, is looking at them as a singular group or a monolith, but we know the issues are different for youth in different regions, postcodes or cohorts," Dr Aly said. 

"It's really important to hear from young people in all their diversities." 

Youth Committee for The Hunter Members Dylan Shoesmith and Joel Mackaway were in attendance at the forum.   

Mr Shoesmith said it was a good opportunity to engage directly with policy-makers.

"Here in the Hunter we've got a lot of very passionate young people who are very keen on ensuring our region continues in prosperity," he said. 

"It's great to have some very high-profile politicians come along and be willing to really engage and listen to what young people have to say." 

"Hopefully we'll see some concrete action come out of it."  

Similarly, Mr Mackaway was pleased to have an opportunity to be given a seat at the table. 

"I think it makes it easier for young people to get involved in politics because it's usually a thing people find boring or just for older people," he said. 

"To have opportunities to speak your mind and talk to people that can actually make change is really beneficial for participation for young people." 

Labor to Fund Crisis Accommodation in Newcastle

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon says if elected, a Labor Government will provide $1.2 million in funding for domestic violence victims in Newcastle. 

The announcement comes in response to calls from the sector over many years for the Federal Government to invest in crisis accommodation and frontline workers. 

It is expected the investment into crisis accommodation will help to house as many as 108 women and children in the region. 

In addition to the large sum, Labor has also said it will fund the employment of an additional ten frontline workers to support people who are facing domestic violence. It is expected these workers will help support over 800 victims. 

Sharon Claydon said the affects of the pandemic has meant both victims and the family and domestic violence sector in Newcastle are at breaking point. 

"It is unforgivable that we would allow women and children to be rendered homeless, whether they are couch-surfing, sleeping in the back of their cars, out on the streets, or indeed returning to the perpetrator of violence because they cannot find safe accommodation in which to seek refuge," Ms Claydon said. 

She also claims the Liberal Government has been providing the sector with insufficient funding for nearly a decade. 

"Survivors are strong, resilient and remarkable people but they do deserve help to rebuild their lives and sadly, after almost a decade of Liberal Governments at a national level, there has been just zero leadership on this issue," she said. 

"I deeply regret that they have waited ten years to receive nothing to date."

Ms Claydon said there have been ample opportunities for the Federal Government to bring about lasting reforms for women in the home and workplace. 

Labor says it will tackle the scourge of domestic violence with the appropriate urgency. 

"If a Labor Government is elected on May 21st, there will be relief coming," Ms Claydon said. 

Labor will provide $1.2 million for crisis accommodation in Newcastle

Significant Number of Older Australians Left Waiting for Aged Care Packages in the Hunter

New data has revealed the Hunter-Newcastle region is in the top five regions nationally for the number of older Australians left waiting for aged care packages that have already been approved.  

The data, provided in response to questions in Senate Estimates, showed that 3,400 people are awaiting home care packages in the Newcastle-Hunter region – second only to the South East Sydney region in New South Wales.

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon said home care packages are a critical part of supporting older Australians with complex care needs to live independently in their own homes.

“Home care packages give older Australians support with daily tasks and provide caring services at home. They are often the difference between living an independent life at home and moving into a residential aged care facility,” Ms Claydon said.

“It’s natural that people want to stay in their own homes as long as possible, especially in the face of COVID-19. But without the right support, this can’t happen.”

Ms Claydon said the news compounds the damage inflicted when the Morrison Government excluded aged care organisations in the Newcastle Hunter region from applying for growth funding under the Commonwealth Home Support Program.

“This news just adds insult to injury after the Newcastle-Hunter region was one of four regions in New South Wales that were deemed ineligible for growth funding under the Commonwealth Home Support Program, which also offers services to older Australians living in their own homes.    

“When I wrote to the Minister on this matter, he had no answer to my questions as to why our region was abandoned, instead warning that ineligible organisations have no right to appeal because departmental decisions ‘are final’.”

Ms Claydon called on the Morrison Government to rectify the situation.

“The Newcastle-Hunter region has a higher median age than the national average but this isn’t reflected in the aged care investment we’re receiving. This isn’t good enough.

“It’s time for the Morrison Government to deliver the investment in aged care that older people in the Newcastle-Hunter region need and deserve.”

Many Novacastrians Paying More for Electricity Bills this Week

BY ISABEL EVERETT

Some Newcastle residents will be paying more for electricity this week, following a number of letters being sent out by Energy Australia warning of a price hike.

Newcastle MP, Sharon Claydon said she was contacted by a number of residents who received letters from Energy Australia, warning of the increase as a result of increasing supply costs.

Energy Australia states in the letter, "After two years of holding prices flat while supply costs have increased significantly, we've made the difficult decision to adjust our prices with inflation."

The MP is criticizing the Federal Government for asserting energy prices are going down, when whole sale power prices have apparently risen by more than 20 percent since the appointment of Energy Minister Angus Taylor in August 2018.

"At a time when electricity disconnections are already at record highs, and we've got incomes stagnating or indeed going backwards in some cases, another spike in electricity costs will just be the straw that breaks the camels back," she said.

Sharon Claydon says more focus on renewable energies would help combat these price hikes.

"We're in this crazy situation where we've got an incredible wealth of renewable resources in Australia, we could be riding a wave of renewable energy investment and forcing those power prices down," she said.

"But instead investment in renewable energy plummeted by more than 60 percent in the last year."

Labor Pledges More Funding for UoN

BY CATHERINE ALLEN

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon joined staff and students from the University of Newcastle to announce the Labor party's plans to invest $750,000 into student enabling programs both locally and nationally.

"The University of Newcastle is a national leader in enabling programs, having provided more than 60,000 students with an experience of university, resulting in many becoming the first in their family to go to university," said Ms Claydon.

The funding boost is earmarked for two programs designed to increase participation in higher education.

$500,000 of the funding will go towards the development of an online 'navigator resource' aimed at smoothing the prospective students' transition into university life.

"This four-week online navigator resource will be available nationally to give prospective students from a diverse range of backgrounds information about these alternative pathways to university,"

"It will allow people considering higher education to understand the pathways available in order to improve the access, retention and educational outcomes of diverse cohorts of people."

The remaining $250,000 is committed to supporting a pilot program offering students additional time with staff and support for regional students across the Hunter region.

"It can be hard for students in rural and regional communities to manage the challenges of study, work and family life when they live so far from campus," said Sharon Claydon.

"The funding will boost student outcomes by allowing them to engage face-to-face with university staff closer to home."

Dr. Anna Bennett, Luka Bungaree, MP Sharon Claydon, Katelin Smith, David Parsons. Image: Catherine Allen/2NURFM News

Labor Promises 2.4 Million-Dollars To Secure The Hunter's Clean Energy Future

BY HOLLIE HUGHES


The University of Newcastle has been granted another funding promise from Labor should it win the next election to support its next wave of cutting-edge renewable energy projects.

Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon alongside Federal Member for Shortland, Pat Conroy today announced a pledge of 2.4 million-dollars from Federal Labor to support work designed to look at some of the most challenging problems facing the national energy grid and find ways to get more renewable energy into the system.

Mr Conroy says the Newcastle Institute of Energy and Resources based at The University of Newcastle is a world class-research institution well-deserving of increased funding,

"These projects will look at ways to deliver stability to national electricity grid and support Labor's commitment to deliver 50 percent renewables by 2030 part of the Hunter's clean energy future...Newcastle has long been at the forefront of research to create smart energy, so it is perfectly placed to do the work and drive the breakthroughs of the future."

One of the projects established through the funding will create a 'living laboratory' for researchers and industry to demonstrate and test new technologies and applications to address challenges facing our electricity network grids,

"Researchers and industry players will have the opportunities to test solutions that will lead to a more resilient, efficient and reliable electricity network with the capacity to incorporate more distributed and renewable energy sources."

University of Newcastle Vice Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky AO says the funding will provide long-term energy solutions benefiting both the environment and the economy,

"The need to find more reliable and sustainable ways to generate and store energy is vital if we are to meet our social and environmental responsibilities and our University is committed to being apart of that solution."

Image Sourced: Hollie Hughes, 2NURFM Journalist.

Labor Commit to Boost Emergency Relief

BY TIM MOORE

The Labor Party have committed to delivering $491 000 of funding to emergency financial relief organisations in Newcastle.

This announcement comes in retaliation to the government's cut from emergency relief services which will take affect at the end of the year.

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said the funding would provide some much needed assistance for a lot people.

"There are these cost of living pressures that are affecting a new demographic group now, I believe, so it's not just people on fixed low incomes locked into social security that are feeling this pinch... but there are many working Australians who find and consider themselves in a really poor situation."

The promised initiative will also include restoring $73 000 to emergency relief funding for the Muloobinba Aboriginal Corporation to assist Indigenous families in need.

The plan also includes doubling the number of financial counsellors across the country and expanding low-cost alternatives to pay day loans, with the project to total a $40 million dollar nationwide investment.

Labor Senator Jenny McAllister stated, "this is about, really, dealing with poverty, people whose lives are really very hard. The broader Labor program is preventative."

Image source: https://www.facebook.com/SharonClaydonforNewcastle/

Newcastle MPs Push for Throsby Creek Funding

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Throsby Creek could be listed as a priority project to receive environmental works funding if the federal opposition is successful at next month's election.

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon is pushing for the project to receive the funding under Labor's Urban Rivers and Corridors program.

If the party is successful the $200 million dollar initiative will offer community environmental groups across the country small grants to restore and protect urban waterways.

"We're making sure that Newcastle is at the forefront of Labor's thinking when we're looking at projects to fund but there's an important process to be going through in terms of reaching out to the community now," said Ms Claydon.

The MP referenced Islington Public School's recent "Mullet Revolution" day to highlight the community's ongoing engagement with the restoration of the creek.

"Already school groups are thoroughly engaged, their parents, families, businesses are already on board but we want to ensure that this project is front and centre of our thinking."

Ms Claydon was joined by local state MP Tim Crakanthorp and Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water Tony Burke in Newcastle today to discuss the project's potential.

Today’s announcement means the creek has been selected as an eligible site for priority projects, which will be reviewed and checked before they are confirmed.

Tony Burke said Throsby Creek is the sort of location Labor had been looking for while designing the Urban Rivers program but there's still some community consultation to be done before he can announce the priority projects.

Mr Crakanthorp is chair of the Throsby Creek Government Agencies Committee and said any talk of funding for the catchment, which runs through most of his electorate, is very exciting.

"The tributaries and Throsby Creek itself have a huge amount of rubbish in it and one of our priorities is to see that rubbish stopped before it actually gets into the tributaries and creeks," said Tim Crakanthorp.

"What I would like to focus on is gross pollutant traps and litter traps to stop all of that before it gets into the water and also there's a new lot of litter traps that actually sit in the water as well and collect litter so I'm very interested in that."

Mr Crakanthorp said there's currently huge momentum in the community about the creek and the committee is due to publish the third iteration of it's Throsby Creek Management Plan.

"We've had the Mullet Revolution on Sunday at Islington Public School and just this week we got the publication of this amazing little photographic book on pollution and waste and rubbish in this catchment area,"

"So let's get under the momentum, let's get the community behind this and hopefully we can secure some funding in the future for this."

Anyone wishing to support Throsby Creek's nomination for priority can do so here.

Tony Burke, Sharon Claydon and Tim Crakanthorp look over the booklet on local pollution. Photo: James Forgacs/2NURFM News

Young Minds Gather at Newcastle Youth Forum

BY JESSICA KRAUSE

Around 40 young Novocastrians have met together today to attend the 2019 Newcastle Youth Forum at the University of Newcastle's NewSpace campus.

Shadow Minister for Young Australians, Terri Butler joined local Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon at the event in addition to Youth Mayor Monique Aganovic.

Young people were encouraged to discuss ideas and raise issues important to them at the Forum, including those surrounding climate change, and mental health.

Ms Claydon said it was important for Novocastrian youth to have continual ways for their voices to be heard.

"There is a strong, vibrant youth culture here in Newcastle, and making sure that there are avenues for young people, so they're not feeling as frustrated... is really important."

Shadow Minister for Young Australians, Terri Butler said she wanted the concerns and interests voiced at the Forum to have a significant place within government discussions.

"Something we want to do is make sure that young people's voices, concerns and interests are front and centre decision making and considerations of government," said Ms Butler.

Ms Butler also noted the hopes she had for the diversity of the group involved in the discussion.

"What I'm really excited about is the chance to listen to a range of views and a range of perspectives and to really understand some of the conversations that are happening here in Newcastle about what young people need."

Sharon Claydon said she hoped the different community groups involved would be able to collaborate in their endeavours.

"It's good to bring everybody together, there will hopefully be some alliances formed... where people discover they can help each other out in projects that they're trying to pursue."

Ms Claydon also noted overall significance of young people being involved in politics in Newcastle.

"It is very, very wrong to make the assumption that young people are not engaged in the political process.

"They are frustrated, and they do need assistance to figure out how to navigate that political system, and that's what this forum is a part of today" she said.

Monique Aganovic said she was grateful for the opportunity for youth to discuss issues that were bothering them, and have their opinions voiced.

"People think there's a disconnect between young people and politics, and it's just not true.

"We are here, we do care, we're screaming out to be heard, and we've shown that through our words and our actions."

Image Meghan Richardson/2NURFM News

MP Sharon Claydon Calling To Reverse University Budget Cuts

BY OLIVIA PORTELL

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon is calling on the government to reverse damaging cuts to the University of Newcastle, ahead of tonight's budget announcement.

She says modelling indicates the University is set to lose $69-million-dollars between now and 2021.

Ms Claydon claims the cuts will affect the whole region.

"These cuts are damaging in every way imaginable, they are short-sighted in terms of skills development- they are just plain silly in terms of the additional kinds of burdens and costs that they're going to be trying to shift," she says.

Ms Claydon says despite the university's best efforts at mitigation, the cuts would soon start to bite.

"I applaud the university for protecting the student places from the cuts in 2018, but that is simply not going to be possible for the university to maintain."

Sharon Claydon MP

Fears Of Massive Case Backlog In Newcastle Federal Court

BY IAN CROUCH

It's feared children will be the big losers when one of three Federal Circuit Court Judges is transferred away from Newcastle.

There's already a massive backlog in Family Court matters involving child custody battles, with the Newcastle judges handing 750 cases each - which is double the national average.

It's the second time in 12 months a Newcastle judge has been transferred, and it took the Turnbull government 8 months to find a replacement.

President of the Newcastle Bar Association, Michael Graham has told NBN, it's the children who suffer the most when cases are delayed.

"It's a manageable situation provided people act - and they need to act an act fast. It has a definite and long-term effect on the most vulnerable in our community, children," he said.

Michael Graham, Federal Newcastle MP, Sharon Claydon and Chair of the Hunter Valley Family Law Practitioners Association, Christopher White outside the Commonwealth Law Courts in Bolton Street