Singleton calling for more cash as road repair bill blows out

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Singleton Council is calling for more funding from the State and Federal Governments, as its road repair bill blows out to $15 million.

Following a resolution on Tuesday, Council will join with Local Government NSW and the Country Mayors Association of NSW to declare a Statewide Road Emergency in the wake of floods throughout the year.

The toll on the local and regional road network is now estimated at $2.5 billion.

Singleton Mayor Sue Moore says Council's willing to put in $5 million, if the State and Federal Governments each do the same.

The town has already received $250,000 from a NSW pothole fixing fund.

Broke Road at Broke after the floods in July.

Deer in the headlights of new Lake Macquarie research program

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Work is getting started on a new research project, looking into the size and species of deer populations across Lake Macquarie.

Lake Macquarie Council is funding the researchers at the University of Technology Sydney, who are hoping to get a better picture of feral deer in the region and their impact on the environment.

UTS Environmental Sciences Program Director Dr Leigh Martin says they'll use the data to help inform management strategies.

"We're pretty confident that there are deer present in western and north Lake Macquarie," he said. "What we don't know is which species are present and their precise abundance and distribution."

"It's important to know exactly where they are and what the impacts are. The main strategies that are used to manage deer are culling and excluding them sensitive environments, so that might include fencing off areas of sensitive vegetation to reduce those grazing impacts."

While deer are considered common in neighbouring Cessnock, the extent of the animals isn't clear on the Lake's western shores.

Anecdotal evidence suggests it's likely there are deer in Lake Macquarie, but the animals are often hard to spot in the wild.

Researchers are set to start field research in November.

"It's not especially glamorous work," Dr Martin said. "It involves doing what we call fecal pellet counts, which means going out and counting the number of deer poos that are present, and also using camera traps to identify where the deer are."

COVID restrictions ease across the Hunter

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The easing of COVID restrictions is being met with relief and anxiety across the Hunter.

QR codes in most settings and density limits are already gone, with masks to disappear everywhere but hospitals and transport next Friday.

The check-ins will stick around for festivals and nightclubs.

It's still not clear how these rules will apply to schools. 

The State Government says it will consider bringing restrictions back if cases spike.

Kurri Kurri gas plant given the green light after email mishap

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The controversial Kurri Kurri gas plant will go ahead, revealed after an email bungle on Monday afternoon.

Key stakeholders found out about the approval when they received an email from the planning portal in error on Monday afternoon.

The Planning Minister has since formally approved the project, ticking off the last hurdle. 

It's likely to be Rob Stokes' last action in the role, after the portfolio changed hands in the Cabinet's latest reshuffle. 

Gas Free Hunter Alliance's Fiona Lee says it's not a shock it's been announced in the days before Christmas.

"We know that the State Government's trying to hide this approval by announcing it when people are just distracted," Ms Lee said.

"They want to slip it under the radar, they know it's a really unpopular project."

Construction of the new plant is set to begin next year.

The Federal Government's pushed the project as a necessary complement to keep electricity supply stable and affordable.

But Ms Lee says it just doesn't add up with the State's net zero emissions targets.

"We'll continue to try and stop the gas plant from moving ahead, at every stage," Ms Lee said.

"We'll be launching a legal case and looking at every other avenue to have this ridiculous waste of public money stopped."

Image credit: infrastructurepipeline.org

Rethinking Parking Strategies

BY MATT JOHNSTON

Following complaints from disgruntled locals, Lake Macquarie council are looking at updating their parking strategies to cope with increasing congestion. Increasingly, commuters and shoppers are finding it harder and harder to find adequate parking in the town centres.

Mayor Kay Fraser says due to the popularity of town centres like Charlestown, Warners Bay, Toronto or Glendale "you'll find it can be difficult to get a park at times. We've had complaints from residents that many streets in Charlestown are being parked out".

"We need to have a strategy in place for how we're going to deal with parking. In Lake Macquarie, we do love our cars... so it's sort of changing the mentality but it's also providing options."

More than 1400 comments have been received so far, which has given council plenty of alternatives to explore. While paid parking is the last thing anyone wants, it's nevertheless an option that's being considered.

Other measures up for consideration include timed parking, more rangers, 'smart technology' to make things easier for drivers and rangers, as well as lobbying the state government for improved public transport systems.

"We don't have great transport out here, and that's one of the factors," says Cr Fraser. "I'll be lobbying state government to see what we can do about that. We need to have proper public transport so people do have that option."

While there's a need for "efficient and effective" public transport, one of the simpler options is also one of the easiest. "We want to make our town centres walkable and liveable, so people can enjoy their walk to the shops or to their favourite café or restaurant."

The draft strategy is currently available online, at Lake Macquarie libraries, and at council's customer service centre.

Mayor Kay Fraser

Concerns raised about treatment of concussion in NRL

BY LAURISE DICKSON

Doctors from The University of Sydney are concerned about the impact of repeated concussions on NRL athletes. 

The issue was raised after the Newcastle Knights received a $50,000 fine for their poor concussion treatment of player Brendan Elliot earlier this year.

The Knights are also facing legal action from retired winger James McManus, who is suing the club for failure to manage the concussive injuries he received within his four years on the team.

McManus says the club's failure to conduct proper medical assessments following injuries to the head has left him suffering with ongoing disabilities, including memory loss, mood swings, headaches, anxiety and depression.

Dr Adrian Cohen, founder of HeadSafe, says research shows that concussion has become an increasing issue in recent years.

"There's no doubt our awareness of concussion has increased over the last decade, but certainly too is the number of concussion impacts," said Dr Cohen.

"Force equals mass times acceleration... they're getting bigger, they're getting faster, there's more concussions."

Dr Cohen says concussion has become a serious problem in the NRL, with many players past and present, facing long-term consequences.

"In the short-term, it's obvious when someone's knocked out or they can't return to work because they can't concentrate, they're seeing stars or hearing noises," said Dr Cohen.

"But in the longer-term, the potential exists for Chronic Neurological Impairment.  That means early dementia, Parkinson's Syndrome and emotional disturbances, up to and including depression and suicide."

Dr Cohen is urging athletes of the NRL and other contact sports to speak up if they are also suffering from the effects of repeated concussions.

"It's okay to say you're not okay," said Dr Cohen.

"If football is the cause of it, just like any other industrial workplace, football should be responsible for helping you out."

Former Knight's winger, James McManus PHOTO: The Daily Telegraph