Reinstate Cardiff Station on New Express Train.

BY DANIELLE RIES

The new morning express train beginning November 26 will cut out approximately 26 minutes off the journey to Sydney but isn't stopping at Cardiff Station.

Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison, along with Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, has this week launched a Notice of Motion by calling to add Cardiff Station as a stop on this new fast train.

Figures show 80 more commuters use Cardiff Station per hour compared to Broadmeadow Station, but despite these findings, Cardiff has been left out of the fast train service.

Jodie Harrison says the fast train will be a wonderful service, but Cardiff Station should be included.

"Cardiff Station is one of the busiest stations in the Hunter used by people who commute to Sydney for work and it's not being included as a stop for the new express train to Sydney.

"That express train will be a great service, it will reduce travel time by 26 minutes as against the current service, but Cardiff station really needs to be included so that the people can use that station don't lose out."

She also states commuters who regularly use Cardiff must swap trains in order to catch the Fast Train.

"I wrote to the Minister of Transport and the Parliamentary Secretary wrote back who said that instead of catching the 5:03am new express service from the Newcastle Interchange, that people who want to use Cardiff Station can instead get on the 4:53am service and change to the 5:03am service at Morriest or Wyong stations.

"We all know that people don't like changing modes of transport, they don't like changing trains and it will mean that people currently using Cardiff station for that service will miss out."

Cardiff Train Station
Credit- Leah Jay

Wallsend MP faces court today

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery is due to front Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court today accused of improperly gaining access to the electoral roll.

The Electoral Commission received a complaint from a woman who lives outside the Wallsend electorate after she received a letter from Sonia Hornery after pair had clashed on Twitter.

It's alleged the MP obtained the woman's address through the office of Charlestown MP, Jodie Harrison.

MP's are only allowed access to the electoral roll in their electorate.

Sonia Hornery is expected to defend the charge.

Government shoots down Labor Bill for Medicinal Cannabis

BY SARAH BARONOWSKI

Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison says it's disappointing to see the Government vote against Labor's Bill to legalise medicinal cannabis, claiming it's time for the law to change.

The Bill is aimed at protecting people with chronic pain and their carers from using or administering medicinal cannabis as a source of pain relief.

Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison

Jodie Harrison says the Government needs to do more to help these people improve their quality of life.

"The Government should be doing everything it possibly can to make sure that people with terminal illnesses and serious illnesses that create a lot of pain can actually live with a reasonable quality of life and their decision to not support Labor's Bill is a real same for all of those people who are suffering."

Under current laws, there is no distinction between people who use cannabis recreationally and people who use it as a source of pain relief.

According to the Charlestown MP, this means that people suffering from terminal or serious medical conditions are seen as criminals.

She says Labor's Bill could have changed this by creating a legal distinction between the two groups.

"What the bill does is to make it legal for people who administer cannabis related product for the purposes of relieving a serious illness and those illnesses are spelt out very clearly in the bill. In that way, people are protected who need to use medicinal cannabis but it also means that people who are just recreational users aren't captured by the bill at all."

"It is time for the law to change and remove the unnecessary hurdles sufferers of terminal and chronic illness must jump through to access medicinal cannabis," she said.

Calls for the Government to ban plastic bags

BY LAURISE DICKSON

Member for Charlestown, Jodie Harrison is calling for the NSW Government to support Labor's commitment to ban single-use plastic bags.

In giving her Notice of Motion, Ms Harrison commended supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths who recently announced their plans to phase out single-use plastic bags over the next 12 months.

The Labor Government are urging the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to follow in the footsteps of the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, who have all banned single-use plastic bags, with Queensland committing to do so next year.

"I call on the Premier to show some leadership and support NSW Labor in bringing an end to the use of these plastic bags," said Ms Harrison.

Ms Harrison believes the environment will continue to suffer if something isn't done to combat this issue.

"Plastic bags that are provided by retailers end up in our waterways and natural areas, and that damages our environment and our animals," said Ms Harrison.

"We've seen terrible photographs of turtles being caught in plastic bags and we know that fish end up with pieces of plastic inside them."

Ms Harrison says local residents can make a difference by choosing reusable bags over plastic bags when they shop.

"Whether they be cloth or silk, there are a lot of different bags that people can use."

Hunter Sports High redevelopment pushed back. Again.

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

Staff and students at Hunter Sports High at Gateshead will have to wait another two years for a promised major upgrade of their school.

In 2014, $20 million was allocated to the school in the state budget to demolish ageing and dilapidated classrooms with the government promising to have the work completed by January this year.

Demolition work did begin this year but in February, with the project's completion date blowing out to 2019.

Back in June 2014, the then Education Minister Adrian Picolli proudly boasted the government was getting on with the job of fixing the school.

"Now we're investing in this highschool, it's about getting on with the job making sure that we've got world-class facilities, budgets are always tight but we've made sure we've found the money to do this well overdue project"

But now three years later, Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison is extremely disappointed at just another demonstration of the government's disinterest in the region.

"This is another demonstration of this government's disinterest in the Hunter and in a school that is educating students from one of the most socio-economically disadvantaged suburbs in the State."

Hunter Sports High Image metrobc.com.au

Petition going to parliament for notorious Hillsborough Road

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Residents of Hillsborough and politicians alike, are continuing the fight for the government to address safety concerns on Hillsborough Road.

The notoriously dangerous stretch of road claimed the life of Jade Frith in April last year, one life too many, and Shadow Minister for Roads Jodi McKay says it shouldn't take the loss of a life for the government to stand up and listen.

The Shadow Minister for Roads joined Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison and local residents to inspect the road this morning when they were handed an 1,800 signature petition from locals.

Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison, Shadow Minister for Road, local
residents and Michael Nolan.

The petition will now be tabled in parliament by MP Jodie Harrison and it's urging the government to address the ongoing hazardous traffic concerns along Hillsborough Road and also expedite the release of the report on the roads condition which has now been four years in the making by the Roads and Maritime Service.

Local resident and organiser of the petition Michael Nolan has lived in Hillsborough for more than 20 years and says the community is acting on the issue and it's not a moment too soon.

"So the community of Hillsborough have been working tirelessly to raise awareness, hounding friends and family and anyone that will listen and anyone who can help try and raise awareness of the cause," said Michael Nolan.

"The suburb of Hillsborough consists of 600 plus residents who from about 7:15 in the morning until 9:15 in the morning are held hostage by traffic flow that is just constant."

With the state government budget right around the corner, everyone is hoping the government will do something to fix the notorious Hillsborough Road.

"The minister has indicated that there will be some sort of funding. Now the question is what that is and whether that is actually serious money that will fix all the issues on this road. We welcome that funding but it remains to be seen what that funding will actually contain," said Shadow Minister Jodi McKay.

Calls to fix Hillsborough Road

BY ARIANA GATTI and JESSICA ROUSE

Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison is again calling on the state government to address the ongoing dangerous traffic conditions along Hillsborough Road.

The Hillsborough suburb has two streets to enter or exit which both lead onto congested Hillsborough Road making it increasingly difficult for residents to find a safe gap in traffic to get onto Hillsborough road.

Jodie Harrison presented a motion in state parliament describing these issues residents are facing, saying it's causing an immense amount of stress to residents.

She says it is sometimes taking residents up to 20 minutes just to get out of Hillsborough onto the road and it's resulting in dangerous driving practices.

"It doesn't just affect the people that are coming out of Hillsborough the suburb, but it affects people who are using Hillsborough road and that could be people right across the Hunter."

"I've been calling for the release of the Hillsborough road traffic study which was funded by the government back in 2014. There is also a Hillsborough Road/Charlestown road traffic corridor study that's being developed now."

Since the end of 2014, Jodie Harrison has been pushing the government to do something and she says "the government should be pushing for those traffic studies to be released" and it is about time they did so funding can be allocated to the road to fix the problem.

"I really think it's time that the traffic studies are released and the government finally commit to funding the capital works that are actually recommended in those traffic studies."

Hunter MP's Involved in State Government Allowance Scandal

BY GEORGIA LUPTON

Charlestown MP, Jodie Harrison and Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald have been named as several State Government politicians claiming a living away from home allowance despite staying in their own investment properties.

The two-hundred-and-ninety-two dollar a night allowance granted to members in order to cover accommodation expenses for official parliament business in Sydney.

Jodie Harrison. Photo Courtesy:
http://gregwarren.nationbuilder.com/jodie_harrison

The Daily Telegraph reports at least four other State MP's have also claimed the allowance, despite staying in their Sydney based investment properties free of charge.

The Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal has determined members who travel a minimum of 70 kilometres from their principal place of residence to Parliament are eligible for the allowance.

Scot MacDonald. Photo Courtesy:
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/
members/Pages/member-details.aspx?pk=87

In a statement, Jodie Harrison says she meets requirements to claim the allowance. She stays at her own unit in Surry Hills while parliament is sitting.

Scot MacDonald was contacted for response but declined to comment.

The allowance costs taxpayers $1.6 million per year.

Baird Governemnt Accused Of Revenue Raising Over Speed Cameras

BY IAN CROUCH

 The Baird Government is being accused of revenue raising after secretly adding 113 new mobile speed camera locations across the state, including several in the Hunter.

The cameras will be deployed at several new locations including Minmi, Cormorant, Nelson Bay and Wollombi Roads as well as one on The Esplanade at Warners Bay.

It comes as the government confirmed it cut the Community Road Safety fund by $15.5 million last year amid record breaking revenue from red light and speed camera offences.


"It does seem to be a revenue grab given the fact the Community Road Safety fund is beig cut in such a substantial way," Charlestown MP, Jodie Harrison said.

Jodie Harrison