Muswellbrook Mayor confirmed as Upper Hunter candidate

BY JARROD MELMETH

Labor has announced Muswellbrook Mayor, Martin Rush will run as the Country Labor candidate for the Upper Hunter in the March 2019 State Election.

State Opposition Leader, Luke Foley made the announcement during a visit to the region this morning - describing the new candidate as having conviction and commitment to the local community.

In the Upper Hunter seat in the last election, Country Labor recorded one of the largest swings against the National Party of 20.8%.

Martin Rush said he believes that margin has narrowed even further since 2015.

"We had over $650 million dollars of commitment from all sides during the last campaign," he said, "because as the margin narrowed (and that became obvious to both major parties that the seat was up for grabs) there was some interest in the seat - and that was really refreshing."

Mr Rush believes this renewed interest will make for a hotly contested seat but promises it will be a fair campaign.

"From my perspective, we just want to get out and tell a positive story," he said, "we want it to be a solution-based campaign.

"So you won't see our side engaging in any confrontational or negative politics with the other side - that's just not us."

Mayor of Muswellbrook, Martin Rush. 

Woman Drowns While Kayaking Near Gloucester

BY IAN CROUCH

A woman has tragically drowned while kayaking in the Upper Hunter Valley.

The 54-year-old was walking through the water with her kayak on the Barrington River at Rawdon Vale,  about 40 kilometres from Gloucester at about 12.50pm on Sunday when she was swept under the water by rapids.

The woman was stuck under a log for a short time.

Family members tried desperately to free  the 54-year-old woman, but she died at the scene.

Police from Manning/Great Lakes Police District have launched an investigation and will prepare a report for the Coroner.

Gloucester Community Won the Battle

BY TYLER FARDELL


The proposed Rocky Hill coal mine near Gloucester has long been a contentious point for many residents and the battle appears to be over for now.

The NSW Planning Assessment Commission rejected the proposal of the mine, stating it was too close in proximity to Gloucester, have a significant visual impact and would exceed the maximum noise limits.

The news was welcomed by much of the local community, as well as Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"It's a win for the community, for the environment and for renewable energy", he said.

"Coal is the way of the past and it's about time the government realized that".

The residents who campaigned to stop the mine know the war isn't over yet, not until the State government buys back the licence to the mine.

Currently, Gloucester Resources still have the licence to build the Rocky Hill mine and have stated they intend to repeal the rejection by the planning commission in the Land and Environment Court.

A petition calling for the Government to buy back the licence has already amassed more than 4500 signatures, to end the issue once and for all.

Rocky Hill coal mine protest group
Source 'Green Left Weekly'

Newcastle remains king in housing approvals

BY JARROD MELMETH

The Housing Industry Association says the Hunter is still riding the housing approval wave with 4,476 dwellings approved in the region over the past year.

According to the latest HIA Scorecard report, Newcastle leads the Hunter in the number of approvals with 1,419 followed by Lake Macquarie with 1,149 and Maitland 907.

Meanwhile, Singleton experienced the largest increase in new dwelling approvals up 173 percent followed by Dungog up 79 percent and Gloucester 58 percent.

HIA Hunter Executive Director Craig Jennion says he expects the Hunter to continue to ride the wave well into 2018.

"The really good news is that we are starting to see some of the middle ring councils in the Hunter - by that I mean Singleton, Dungog and Gloucester - in that particular order they have had the largest increase in the last 12 months, off very low base.

"That is starting to show that confidence in what is a mining area, which has been on a downward spiral for a number of years is starting to pick up.

"We are continuing to build on the peak that we have seen for the past few years. It is a bit unexpected for the Hunter, we did start to expect to come off the boil a little bit, but at the moment our numbers are - both in detached dwellings and in unit approvals - elevated over recent highs in the past five or six years," Mr Jennion said.

HIA Hunter Executive Director Craig Jennion.

Atrium apartments under construction in Hamilton.
 Image: Jarrod Melmeth

Hang Glider Pilot Crashes At Dudley

BY IAN CROUCH

A hang glider pilot has been airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after crashing into the base of a cliff at Dudley.

The Hunter's Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called in to winch the 47-year-old off rocks at about 4.30 on Sunday afternoon.

He suffered multiple leg fractures in the crash and is now in a stable condition in the John Hunter Hospital.

Meanwhile, the rescue chopper was called out to a property near Gloucester on Sunday night where a 45-year-old man had suffered serious injuries when his tractor rolled on him.

Earlier, a 56-year-old man was winched out of dense bush in the Barrington Tops National Park after crashing his motorbike.

He was flown to the John Hunter with serious leg injuries.

And, two men aged 21 and 27 were flown to the John Hunter with multiple injuries after their car rolled down a 20 metre embankment near Dungog on Saturday night.

Department of Planning: Gloucester not a suitable site for Rocky Hill mine

BY JARROD MELMETH

Lock the Gate Alliance have welcomed a recommendation by the Department of Planning rejecting the development application for the Rocky Hill coal mine at Gloucester.

In an Environmental Impact Assessment to the Planning Assessment Commission, the Department has listed, the site not being suitable for the project; the impacts to residents due to the proximity to the town of Gloucester; visual and social impacts as well as the project not being in the public interest as reasons why the development application should be refused.

The report concludes that "the Department acknowledges that the amended project would deliver economic and employment benefits to the Gloucester region and State economies for the period that the mine would be operational.

"However, in the Department's view, the amended project is incompatibly located with respect to the southern fringes of the nearby urban area of Gloucester," the Environmental Impact Assessment said.

Lock the Gate Alliance spokesperson Georgina Woods says this is a common sense decision.

"It was never a good idea to dig an open cut coal mine right on Gloucester's doorstep and to subject the people there to air and noise pollution. We welcome it and congratulate the people of Gloucester who have rallied together to protect the quality of life and environment of their community," Ms Woods said.

Although the proposal for the mine has been amended by reducing operating hours as well as a range of other measures, the Department did not provide any recommended conditions of consent.

NSW Greens resources spokesman Jeremy Buckingham said it was time for the Planning Assessment Commission to now reject the mine and the government should cancel the exploration license for the area to give the residents of Gloucester some certainty for the future.

The Planning Assessment Commission has convened and elected a chair to rule on the matter although no deadline for a decision has yet been set.

Protesters against Rocky Hill coal mine. Image: Groundswell
Gloucester.

No one will ever achieve what I have: Mackenzie on his retirement

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Not two weeks after he pronounced no one is better for the job than he is, Port Stephens Mayor Bruce Mackenzie has now decided to retire.

After 49 years on council, he says the "time is right" and he's leaving the council in a good position to move forward.

"As I drive around Port Stephens no one will ever, ever duplicate the things that I have organised and the investments I've made for Port Stephens rate payers in Salamander, Raymond Terrace and especially Newcastle - take Newcastle, for instance, my investments are bringing in the Council excess of $2.25 million a year," said Bruce Mackenzie.

Image portstephensexaminer.com.au

Next year would have marked 50 years since Bruce was elected into council and he's played a big part on council ever since.

He says no one will ever achieve what he has during his time.

"There's that many councillors running, the people that are thumping their chest and say they're going to do wonders and some of the things they say they're going to do I just sit back and laugh and think mate you're just comedians."

Now Bruce says it's time to spend time with his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He won't be sitting still, he plans to tend to his 10,000 acre cattle property at Gloucester.

If he ever did decide to stand again, Bruce believes there's no doubt in his mind that he would win.

"I can't continue to stand and seek re-election because who's going to go there, I've just got to run my life after all of the service I've given to Port Stephens. And while I've got a lot of knockers, I've got a lot of supporters too."

Two tragically killed north of Gloucester

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Two people who died in a truck accident north of Gloucester this morning are yet to be identified.

Emergency services were called to Thunderbolts Way at Giro at around 4:30am after a southbound truck ran off the road and crashed.

Police say the two people were travelling in the truck at the time of the crash.

Police are yet to confirm what the truck was carrying.

Young girl raises alarm for her Mum after Gloucester crash

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

A little girl is being praised for her quick thinking and life saving actions after helping to save her mother in a quad bike crash north of Gloucester yesterday.

The 4-year-old girl witnessed her mother's quad bike roll several times down a steep slope yesterday afternoon leaving her trapped in the wreckage.

The pre-schooler ran to her mum and comforted her, falling and suffering a graze to her face along the way - before climbing back up the embankment and returning home to call triple-zero.

The 35-year-old mum was trapped for more than two hours before she was freed and flown to the John Hunter Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

The woman was flown in a stable condition, sustaining a broken leg and lacerations from the accident.

Police say the little girl will be formally acknowledged for her life saving actions.

It comes only days after the state government urged Hunter farmers to be safe when riding quad bikes and take advantage of free quad bike training to reduce the number of injuries and deaths on rural properties.

Image 9news.com.au

AGL Walks Away from Gloucester

After eight years of protests and poor results, energy supplier AGL has walked away from the coal-seam-gas industry in Gloucester.

AGL had high hopes that the Waukivory pilot would provide 15% of the State CSG needs by 2018 however, it has now decided that number is unobtainable.

Protests have been ongoing since the mine opened

"Unfortunately, the economic returns to support the investment of approximately $1 billion were not adequate" AGL said in a statement.

"Consequently, in the interest of our shareholders and customers, this is the most responsible course of action."

Groundswell Gloucester's Judy Lyford has been a strong advocate against the CSG industry and has welcomed this news.

"AGL were on a hiking to no where with the non-existent Gloucester gas fields because of all the inherit problems."

"We respect AGL's decision, now our focus is on the State Government and the collusion and culpability we fell has been happening for many years."

AGL's pull-out comes after Gloucester Council inquired to NSW Premier Mike Baird and asked to buy the CSG exploration license from the company back in November.

"Coal seam gas was a great concern to many people in our community, the lack of science and tech coming out from all over the world continuing unknown's was a real worry" said Gloucester Mayor John Rosenbaum.

"We need to move forward as a community."

"AGL, I'm hoping will be able to work with us and we're prepared to do that and I think the community will be at looking at the long term renewable energy source."

Ms Lyford says the focus now needs to shift to the conservation of the Gloucester environment.

"We to look at what's happening with the waste water, the holding ponds so there's a lot of work for AGL to do in that space."

"[Coal seam gas is] a shocking industry that has no guarantees of safety its been shown to be polluting."

"It's unacceptable and the State Government are really culpable for everything that's happened."

Meanwhile, Mr Rosenbaum is looking forward to getting on with the job.

"I'm looking forward to promote Gloucester (sic) without having this in the background."

"The beauty of Gloucester we have here, I can see the benefit is that now more people are assured that there's an industry [gone now] that they didn't want to live around, they can come and live here in this great environment we have."

"It needs to be protected for future generations."

Image courtesy of Ray Dawes, via ABC (LINK).

Gloucester Gas Fracking

A talk has been given in Gloucester today to highlight the risks of fracking to water supplies and public health.

The talk by American farmer, John Fenton, highlights severe impacts to water supplies and health in the U.S state of Wyoming, as gas company AGL plans to begin fracking in Gloucester in the near future.

Of public concern is whether the area is geologically sound for gas fracking with scientific officials  yet to release their reports on fracking in the area.