Work Underway to Widen the Hexham Straight and Extend the M1 Pacific Highway to Raymond Terrace

BY OLIVIA DILLON

The Federal Transport Minister joined a number of Hunter MPs in the region on Tuesday the 26th of July to announce work to widen the Hexham Straight is now underway. 

The project will see the dual carriageway along the the Pacific Highway between the Newcastle Inner City Bypass and Hexham Bridge widened from two lanes to three in each direction. 

It will also involve the demolition of Ironbark Bridge to make way for two new bridges at Ironbark Creek. 

Catherine King said the move will reduce traffic here in the Hunter, and allow motorists to travel from Sydney to Brisbane without encountering any traffic lights. 

NSW Roads Minister John Graham also attended the announcement and says he expects thousands of jobs will be delivered for the Hunter over the course of the Hexham project, and the extension of the M1 Pacific Motorway out to Raymond Terrace. 

He said the upgrade will deliver more reliable travel times for freight vehicles and commuters alike. 

"This is a notorious bottleneck; motorists have queued here over generations as the Pacific Highway has become smoother and smoother, but the run has often ended here in congestion. That will cease when these works are delivered." 

"It's great news for motorists right across NSW." 

The Hexham upgrade is expected to be completed by 2026, and the M1 extension should be finished by 2028.

( From Left to Right:) Kate Washington, John Graham, Dan Repacholi, Catherine King and Tim Crakanthorp

Newcastle's Lock-Out Laws To Be Stripped Back After 15 Years

BY-SHY-ANN ARKINSTALL

16 pubs and clubs in Newcastle's inner city and Hamilton have been approved for relaxed liquor rules which will allow them to stay open and accept entries later, and serve cocktails and shots after 10:00pm, reversing restrictions put in place in 2008.

The 2008 'Newcastle Solution' laws were created to make the city safer and reduce alcohol related crime.

The rules were relaxed for an 12 month trial in 2021-22, and after the trial was deemed "successful" the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority have allowed venues to apply for permanent rule changes.

The ILGA has said venues were assessed on a case-by-case basis, but Newcastle residents, including Alcohol Violence campaigner, Dr. Tony Brown, is concerned the blanket rule will have detrimental affects on patron and police safety. 

Dr. Brown, who is a lecturer at the University of Newcastle and a member of a Newcastle residential group told Newcastle Herald, "Newcastle in 2008 was a literal alcohol bloodbath."

Dr Brown said a 60-80% increase in assaults were reported at venues participating in the trial and is confused about how it's being considered successful. 

The ILGA have not yet released their reasons for deeming the trial a success.

The ILGA reported most participating venues saw improved patronage, overturn and employment opportunities during the trial.

"It's very interesting that those who are making the most profit out of selling excessive amounts of alcohol are calling the trial a success."

"It's not until we see more preventable deaths... that the government may finally put public and police safety ahead of pub profits," Dr Brown said.

Clubs such as King Street Hotel, Customs House, Finnegans, Argyle House and Queens Wharf Hotel are among those approved for the relaxed rules. 

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp was unavailable for comment but has welcomed the approvals and said the old rules were "outdated".

University of Newcastle announces mandatory placement for all undergraduate students

BY SHY-ANN ARKINSTALL

The University of Newcastle has announced all students commencing undergraduate courses from 2023 onwards will complete mandatory placement within a workplace in their chosen industry.

Although placement has been an important part of medicine and teaching programs for years, science, arts, and business students have not had the same experience and take longer to gain employment after graduation across the country.

Minister for Tertiary Education, Tim Crakanthorp says the program will allow students to experience in the vocation they intend to go into after graduation and make an informed decision about their education and career path going forward.

"I am a perfect case example as I did a degree, got into work, and realised it wasn't for me. This is a great program and I can clearly see the benefit," Mr Crakanthorp said.

The program is one of the first of its kind in Australia, showing the University is a leading force not only in the state but in the country.

The 2021 Australian Skills Commission report found 75% of employers look for experience before even considering an applicant, and 40% of roles were given to someone the employer already knew.

These findings show how important it is for students to gain industry experience while studying and to grow their network of contacts within their industry to improve their chances of future employment.

Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic at the University of Newcastle, Mark Hoffman says the university has great relationships with local businesses and "they are really passionate about supporting us in this program".

"This is possible particularly for the University of Newcastle because of the great industry support and relationships we have in the region and nationally," Mr Hoffman said.

Calls for Improvements on Light Rail's Fourth Birthday

BY OLIVIA DILLON 

Saturday marks four years since Newcastle's light rail service got up-and-running, however, rather than celebrating, there's been calls to improve the service's operations. 

Opal data shows public transport patronage in the city has dropped to barley half of what is was before the pandemic, going from 103,000 passengers in 2019, to 61,500 in 2022. 

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp, attributed the lack of passengers to a poor business plan, and said the transport route isn't affective in its current state. 

The service has struggled to increase patronage numbers to pre-COVID levels, prompting calls to make trips free across the city. 

In their recently-announced Transport Plan for Newcastle, The NSW Greens committed to the idea, saying they will eliminate fees if they form government next month. 

There's also been calls to extend the service across Newcastle to McDonald Jones Stadium, as the venue continues to book more international sports and music events. 

Tim Crakanthorp said, while State Labor has not considered making the it free, they would work to preserve and extend the network. 

"If we get elected, we'll give Transport for NSW a real hurry-on to get these transport corridors preserved. That allows us to free-up access points to Hunter Park." 

City and State in Stand-Off Over Stockton Beach Dredge

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Newcastle Council and the state government say, they're each on waiting on one another, to get started on a new nourishment program for Stockton Beach.

The federal government announced the project in October, funding most of the $6.2 million, alongside a council contribution. 

But there's now a stand-off as to whether the City or New South Wales is responsible for managing the works and getting the wheels in motion.

The Port of Newcastle has also raised concern, revealing it doesn't have a permit to dredge the harbour for sand nourishment works.

The Port's Chief Commercial Officer Simon Byrnes, told Newcastle Herald, they do not have "necessary provision to provide sand nourishment or perform dredging operations that are not required for maintenance purposes."

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp, said the project is proving to be frustrating for both residents and council. 

"This is ridiculous. This grant application was completed by the state government, naming one of their own agencies as playing a part, who are now trying to back-track," Mr Crakanthorp said.   

"The money is there. It should not be this difficult to get this project moving, and I have attempted to discuss this with the Hunter Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) on a number of occasions." 

HCCDC was identified as the operation's project manager on the original application. 

Mr Crakanthorp said the delays need to stop, and sand needs to be put back on the beach. 

"This project needs to be project-managed from start to finish, and HCCDC are the allocated government agency to do so. They need to start that process immediately." 

Labor MPs keen to build new trains in the Hunter

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Labor MPs are promising big things for the Hunter, with a swathe of policy announcements at the party's state conference over the weekend.

The Prime Minister has locked in a $500 million commitment to get started on a high-speed rail link from Sydney to Newcastle, including securing the corridor between the cities and across the Central Coast.

State Labor Leader Chris Minns also unveiled new plans to deliver a new fleet of trains, manufactured in New South Wales, if the party wins government next March. 

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp says he's optimistic the Hunter will have a role to play.

"Newcastle's got a proven track record," he said. "We're very well-positioned to manufacture these fleets, so I'd love to see some local companies in the mix when tenders open."

"Labor's committed to local goods, local jobs, reviving local manufacturing, and this will be the signature piece running up to the election."

"Build the Tangaras here in New South Wales."

Mr Minns told the conference he was again further privatisation, and criticised the controversial commitment deeds restricting the Port of Newcastle from container traffic. 

There's hope, a commitment to recruit 1,200 new nurses and 500 new paramedics will help alleviate staff shortages in the healthcare sector, while a plan to convert 10,000 temporary teachers to full-time is hoped to do the same for Hunter schools struggling to find hands. 

"Insecure work makes it harder to get a mortgage or a car loan," Mr Crakanthorp said. "Hard to lay down roots in a community."

"Job security goes a really long way, and I know that 10,000 casuals and part-timers coming onto permanency will be a great incentive for those people to stay teaching and not look for other jobs."

Calls for Former Stockton Centre to House the Homeless

BY OLIVIA DILLON

The State Government is facing calls from the Hunter, for the former Stockton Centre to be temporarily repurposed as emergency accommodation for the homeless. 

State member for Newcastle, Tim Crakanthorp MP was joined by the Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Rose Jackson MLC this morning, in launching the call. 

The appeal is also being supported by a number of local support services, including Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS), Nova for Women and Children, Jenny's Place, and the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service. 

The call comes as recent data indicates homelessness services turned away 114,000 Australians seeking help between 2020 and 2021, citing a lack of resources. 

Data out of Hume Community Housing backs up these figures, indicating the need for community housing in the Hunter rose by 24% between 2020 and 2021. 

The former Stockton Centre has eight renovated houses and two units on the site which are said be suitable for emergency accommodation.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp, said the building is owned by the Department of Communities and Justice, and should therefore be used to serve those in the community who need it most. 

"This asset belongs to the community, not some Minister in Sydney who says it’s all too hard. We need less talk and more action when it comes to addressing the housing crisis," Mr Crakanthorp said. 

"We've got a perfect storm. We've got an inflation rate going through the roof, we've got hardly any rentals available, and we've got people moving up here from Sydney and other places which is pushing up prices, making it even less affordable to even buy, let alone rent." 

The vacant site has sat dormant for almost two years, and Mr Crakanthorp says it's about time the government did something with it. 

"Every week I am dealing with people experiencing homelessness who are struggling to find accommodation. Whilst this is only a temporary solution, it's one that is desperately needed right now to get us through this crisis," he said.  

The need for community housing in the Hunter rose by 24% last year. 

Paramedics to Escalate Industrial Action

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Paramedics will escalate their industrial action from Monday, in response to state-wide ambulance shortages. 

The action comes after the Australian Paramedics Association NSW announced there were zero transport ambulances available for patients in Newcastle yesterday. 

Illawarra and the Central Coast have also been stung by the shortages and had no vehicles available. Meanwhile there were only 8 cars available in the Sydney LGA. 

An overflowing ambulance bay outside the John Hunter Hospital on Thursday also offered insight into the severity of the region's healthcare crisis. 

Secretary of the Hospital's branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, Rachel Hughes, told the Newcastle Herald this was a regular occurrence, with vehicles often forced to park on the road and in no stopping zones while they waited to offload patients. 

As part of the proposed action, participating paramedics not be putting patient billing information on their electronic medical records, making it much harder for NSW Health to send patients an ambulance bill.

They will also be refusing staff movements, which would see them relocated to another station once on shift, and are calling for an additional 1500 staff. 

State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said the sector's lack of support is bearing fatal consequences. 

"People are waiting enormous times to actually get an ambulance. We had the terrible situation of a death of a Lake Macquarie woman who waited 7 hours for an ambulance back on the 29th of April, and she passed away only ten minutes after being admitted; that's a catastrophe," Mr Crakanthorp said. 

A 31-year-old Maryland mother also passed away last year after suffering from anaphylactic shock and waiting an hour for an ambulance to arrive. 

In response, NSW Ambulance is currently reviewing a pilot plan to use taxis to transport non-emergency patients to general practitioners and pharmacies.  

However, there are concerns this would just transfer the workload onto already under-pressure GP's. 

Mr Crakanthorp wants all avenues to be considered, and said it's fair enough paramedics are fed up. 

"They're tired of apologizing for attending to patients hours late and they're passionate about their job, they're passionate about healthcare, and when they can't get to patients quickly enough, they're devastated and so am I," he said. 

"On behalf of the community and myself, I'm calling on the government to increase resourcing and wages." 

NSW Paramedics will escalate industrial action starting Monday.  

Call for Wickham School of Arts to be Included in Final Honeysuckle Plans

BY OLIVIA DILLON

State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp is calling on the NSW Government to ensure the former Wickham School of Arts building is included in the final development plans for Honeysuckle. 

The call follows a lengthy campaign from Mr Crakanthorp, council and community groups, which has already resulted in many repairs to the building's plumbing and exterior. 

The site stands on a section of land adjacent to the light rail stabling yard, and is part of the final three hectares of land open for expressions of interest from development partners. 

The 1882 building's local claim to fame includes its housing of 16-year-old bush poet Henry Lawson during his time working for Hudson Brothers in Wickham. 

However, no commitment has been made by the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC), to feature the building in their final precinct plans. 

Mr Crakanthorp continues to headline the campaign, and said the community clearly wants to see the building honoured. 

"The former Wickham School of Arts has local heritage significance and the community has been very clear that they want to see this heritage retained and honoured," he said. 

Image: Hunter Living Histories

"FineMania" Hits Newcastle

BY OLIVIA DILLON

New data revealed by the State Opposition shows fines issued to motorists in Newcastle from mobile speed cameras have increased 11-fold since warning signs were removed last year.

The data is broken down according to the residential postcodes of drivers and compares January, February and March 2021, after warning signs were removed, to the same months in 2020, when warning signs were still in place. 

The data indicates suburbs within the 2299 postcode suffered the biggest surge, with 122 fines being handed out in the first three months of the year, compared to just five fines given during the same period the year before. This represents a 2340 per cent increase. 

Whole-of state data reveals the increase is also replicated throughout NSW.

State member for Newcastle, Tim Crakanthorp gained access to the numbers through the NSW Upper House and is now accusing the government of revenue raising. 

Crakanthorp noted the figures from February 2021, in which the revenue from 28,000 fines totalled $6.1 million. This amounts to more than the entire 2019/20 financial year, which brought in $5.7 million. 

"I think we all expected to see some kind of rise when the warning signs were removed, but it has gone into absolute overdrive," he said. 

"When we see numbers like this it's hard not to believe that it isn't the Government revenue raising."

"The NRMA was completely opposed to the removal of warning signs because signs educate drivers and make them change their behaviour in real time, rather than when they receive a fine in the mail a few weeks later.

It's unpopular with drivers, unpopular with the NRMA and even the Nationals have spoken out against it, but I'm sure this move was very popular with the Treasurer."

In response to the exponential rise in fines, the NSW Parliament has launched an inquiry into the changes.  

State Member for Newcastle, Tim Crakanthorp

Government Condemned Over Hunter Disability Service

BY HANNAH-LOUISE ANDERSON AND EL FITCHETT

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp has condemned the Federal Government for allegedly failing to uphold funding promises to the Hunter-based disability service Ability Links.

Ability Links was established in Newcastle in 2013 to assist people with a disability and their families engage with the community. The service has since expanded across New South Wales employing four hundred people.

Last week the New South Wales Budget Estimate revealed only $8.5 million of an expected $28.5 million was provided. The service is now reportedly set to close its doors in late October.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp has called on the Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward to ensure the Government honors its commitment to the service.

"This minister needs to hold his federal counterpart to account and fully fund this vital service and explain what he's done to make sure they honor their commitments so that Ability Links New South Wales does not stop servicing all those disabled people and all those hundreds of employees don't lose their jobs."

"Tens of thousands of families are being let down by the closure of Ability Links. To know that the Federal Government has failed to meet their funding commitment is just rubbing salt in the wound."

"This state government is tying to fob off its responsibility while the federal government has broken a promise. This treatment of some of the community's most vulnerable is absolutely abhorrent." says Mr Crakanthorp.

Emblem Belonging to Ability Links NSW