Hunter MPs Reveal State Budget Wishlists

BY EL FITCHETT AND RILEY TAYLOR

The State Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is set to hand down the 2020-21 NSW Budget tomorrow, and the Hunter's local MPs are hoping for a big investment in the region.

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Learning and Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison is hoping tomorrow's State Budget could bring long-awaited changes to her electorate.

She hopes to see investment to help reduce overcrowding in local schools, as well as improvements to traffic flow, safety and accessibility on Hillsborough Road at Warners Bay.

With over 400,00 children enrolled across 5,500 early childhood education services in NSW including more than 750 pre-schools, she is also urging the State Government to make preschool free for a further 18 months to boost workforce participation and kickstart the state's economic recovery.

Closing the workforce participation gap could boost Gross Domestic Product by $60 billion over 20 years.

"In the long-term, there's nothing more important than giving every child in NSW access to quality education. In this recession, with lots of families doing it tough financially, we want to make sure no children miss out," Jodi Harrison said.

Meanwhile, Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp believes there are a number of shovel-ready projects across the city which are ripe for funding.

He's calling for investment in the redevelopment of the Newcastle Art Gallery and the restoration of the Victoria Theatre.

"The budget is an opportunity to progress some long-announced projects so we can get boots on the ground sooner rather than later," Tim Crakanthorp said.

He's also looking for funding towards the Hunter Sports and Entertainment Precinct, Newcastle Education Precinct, and the redevelopment of John Hunter Hospital.

"In the midst of a global pandemic, fast-tracking the expansion and redevelopment of the John Hunter Hospital, one the state's busiest, is a no brainer," he said.

Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery is pushing for a funding commitment to infrastructure projects to create local jobs and boost post-Covid economic recovery in the region.

“There’s nothing better to create jobs than rebuilding a canal in Wallsend, and building the Glendale Interchange,” Sonia Hornery said.

The canal would provide a vital flood mitigation system in the low-lying area, which she says is essential to keeping Wallsend residents and their homes safe.

Sonia Hornery also wants to see the Government employ more public sector workers including teachers, police, and nurses and staff at the John Hunter Hospital.

She’s also backed calls for more affordable and social housing programs, along with Newcastle MP Tim Crackanthorp.

"While a serious commitment to social housing will provide numerous trades ongoing work, you can't put a dollar value on what it means to give someone the safety and stability of home, and the opportunity to thrive," Tim Crakanthorp said.

Compass Housing, a Hunter-based community housing provider, has lobbied for a major investment in the sector to tackle the shortage of housing options for homeless and low-income people in the region.

Compass’ Managing Director Greg Budworth believes while the New South Wales Government has been focusing on homelessness, and social and affordable housing, more is needed.

“Sometimes the Government has a will to invest in affordable housing, but they don’t have the money. But we’d like to see more done,” Mr Budworth said.

State Government Sinks Opportunity for Newcastle Cruise Terminal

BY MEGHAN RICHARDSON

The state government has attracted criticism after refusing to support the development of the world-class cruise ship terminal in the Port of Newcastle.

The original development was announced in 2016 with a $12.7 million dollar budget allocated for construction.

The Liberal Government has now backed out of their promise to fund the first-class cruise port.

Newcastle MP, Tim Crakanthorp pushed for a motion calling on the Government to reverse its decision to withdraw funding.

The motion was narrowly defeated with a vote of 47- 45.

The cruise ship terminal promised to bring in thousands of tourists into Newcastle and the Hunter.

It was theorised it could add a significant boost to local businesses and assist the struggling Newcastle economy 

Mr Crakanthorp  claims Government MPs are being hypocritical by refusing to support the Newcastle terminal while boasting about pork-barrelling funding for their own electorates.

"This Government has spent $55 million dollars on the port of Eden," Mr Crakanthorp claimed. "Yet when we want some money here in Newcastle, the second largest city in the state, for the same thing, we are rejected when we request that little bit more than that 12.7 million dollars"

He says the people of Newcastle are fed up with the Government's unfair treatment.

"I'm constantly being contacted by local people who are very unhappy about this government and their inability to facilitate a cruise ship terminal in Newcastle," Mr Crankanthorp says.

Mr Crankanthorp says he will keep pushing the state government but for now the possibility of a world-class cruise ship terminal for Newcastle seems dead in the water.

The scrapped designs for the terminal released in 2017

Labor Pledges More Vaccinations In Hunter Pharmacies

BY JOSH SIM

The NSW Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord and Newcastle MP Tim Crackanthorp have visited a Hamilton pharmacy today to make a Labor election pledge for Hunter Pharmacies.

The party is promising under the plan, that from September 1, 2019, it will expand in-pharmacy vaccinations, currently available for the flu, to cover Diptheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough and a second Measles vaccine.

The age limit for the pharmacy vaccinations would remain at 18.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp believes the benefit of the vaccines being readily available at pharmacies are two-fold, with both the expense of a GP visit and the timeliness being an added factor behind the party's proposal.

"It will enable [Newcastle Residents] to pop into the chemist and get vaccinated, it will be hugely beneficial in that manner," Mr Crackanthorp said.

The party also believes the proposal will have a flow-on effect in helping to raise the State's lower than acceptable vaccination rates.

Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord pointed out the Hunter had one of its worst years on record in 2017, with more than two-thousand confirmed cases of Influenza, while Pertussis (Whooping Cough) was also on the rise.

"The worrying thing this year is that we've already had 62 cases of Pertussis [in the Hunter]... while another worrying trend is the 3 people diagnosed with Mumps," Mr Secord said.

Labor believe by putting this proposal in place, it would complement the current vaccination programs, and reach out to those who normally don't get vaccinated.

Tim Crackanthorp, Pharmacy-Owner Anthony Piggott and Walt Secord discuss the proposal. 

Finally a Palliative Care roundtable for Newcastle

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The state government has now agreed to hold a roundtable on palliative care in NEWCASTLE following a concerted push by the opposition.

It comes after state member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp slammed the government for leaving the city out of such an important conversation.

"Its a huge issue for everyone and every family in the country in fact because everyone will die but people want to choose where they can die if they can and they don't want to die in the back of an ambulance or in the hospital where they can't necessarily be surrounded by their loved ones," said Tim Crakanthorp.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald announced late yesterday that the roundtable will be held next month and headed by Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health Leslie Williams.

Leslie Williams says every health district has its own needs and challenges and with 50,000 people already dying in NSW each year, something needs to be done with the figure expected to double by 2056.

Scot MacDonald is urging for the politics to be taken out of palliative care, "it is a difficult subject there's no question about it but the roundtable will come in early June. We'll look at what are we doing now, have we got the right resources, have we got palliative care where we need it, all those sorts of things. Everything should be on the table".

Roundtables are also scheduled for Lismore, Kempsey, Broken Hill, Tamworth, Griffith, Queanbeyan and Kiama.

The date and venue will be confirmed for the Newcastle roundtable later this month.

Scot MacDonald fights back affordable housing critics

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Not everyone is happy about the state government's announcement yesterday for thirty affordable housing units to be built in part of the former Newcastle rail corridor.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald has hit back at critics today, who have been arguing the affordable housing will be both taking up too much space and accommodate the wrong people.

"We said right from the very beginning  that the corridor would be a mix of private and public space and I think that is exactly what is playing out now. We will have roughly 75% for what we call public use, and that will be a range of activities such as the university, now this affordable housing and then quite a lot of green space," said Scot MacDonald.

The housing will reportedly only take up 3-4 per cent of the space on the corridor between Mereweather Street and the former Civic Station adjacent to the Newcastle Museum.

"I think the secret of success for somewhere like Newcastle isn't just having units, not just retail and not just (obviously) green space, but the mix of things. It's no longer a big country town, it is the seventh largest city in Australia and I think this development that you're seeing on the old corridor very much puts it on that pathway."

Artist impression of Market Street lawn. Image Newcastle Herald

One argument against the housing is that it will attract the wrong people and not benefit the right people.

Scot MacDonald says community housing providers will be asked to submit expressions of interest with preferred housing models for the site and the project will be supported by government and council.

The city is well on its way to being a global hot spot, and the Parliamentary Secretary believes these developments in the city centre are only going to elevate the city into the future.

"I don't think anybody, except for probably Tim Crackantorp would like it to go back now - I mean there are people that want to go back to sitting at a rail crossing in their car for five minutes or so, and want that ugly, ugly corridor that was there to stay" but it's quickly being reinvented.

State Government Silence on Newcastle Contamination

BY RACHEL STORER

A recent Macquarie University report has revealed that large parts of inner-city Newcastle contain soil with an alarming cocktail of heavy metals leftover from the city's industrial past.

Member for Newcastle, Tim Crakanthorp, has called on the State Government to act but has been met with silence.

In January Mr Crakanthorp contacted the NSW Minister for the Environment, Gabrielle Upton, to discuss the serious issue.

"The main issue is that this report was released in January and it's now April and nothing has been done," he said.

"The government is dragging their heels on this issue and Minister Upton needs to realise the enormity of the issue at hand."

Mr Crakanthorp is calling for further studies to be conducted to provide more information to the residents of Newcastle regarding the risks they may face and how to manage contamination if required.

Mr Crakanthorp has said Newcastle does not want another "Williamtown debacle" but it appears that the state government is happier to ignore the existence of the report than deal with it.

Newcastle MP, Tim Crackenthorp

Will Crackanthorp's chair be left empty?

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Newcastle Councillors will vote tomorrow on whether or not to fill the vacancy left behind after the departure of MP Tim Crackanthorp in late October.

Councillors will vote on whether or not a by-election should be held to fill the vacancy - a decision which will cost ratepayers $175, 000 in a by-election bill.

Meanwhile staff have recommended the chair be left empty with the decision on a proposed merger with Port Stephens still looming.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes says the option to leave the seat empty would have her full support, believing the community have had their fair share of elections and it would be an unnecessary costly process.

Changes to Light Rail Plans through Newcastle

BY BRIDGET GUNN

The NSW Government has announced changes to the plans for the Newcastle Light Rail to reflect suggestions made by the public.

These changes will include shifting from a raised track design to a track flush with the road, changes to the alignment at Worth Place and adding a second track at Stewart Avenue.

Newcastle MP Tim Crackanthorp says that although these changes will be an improvement for the Light Rail plans, the plans still require a number of changes.

"The Government needs to listen to Council, and their particular desire for mixed running into the city  for cyclists and pedestrians into the city otherwise there will be no parking down Hunter Street, and we will see a lot of businesses go under."

The planned track for the Light Rail through Newcastle
Source: The Conversation