BREAKING: Site Announced For New Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre

BY EL FITCHETT

The southern end of Lake Eraring has been selected as the location for a new Sport and Recreation Centre at Myuna Bay.

Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee and Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper announced the decision at a press conference held at the lake end of Payten Street in Eraring this morning.

The original Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre was closed unexpectedly in March 2019 following a safety report from Origin Energy warning the nearby Eraring Power Station ash dam posed a risk to those using the site.

"The former Sport and Rec Centre was in a flow path under some scenarios for liquefied ash to cross over and inundate large parts of the site. But the new site is well and truly remote from any risk from power station activities, certainly the entire village of Eraring is safe from any such risk as well," Greg Piper said.

Roughly a kilometre from the former Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre, the new site is situated on property owned by Origin Energy, with the construction funded by the company.

"Once construction is complete it will transferred to the State," Greg Piper said. 

The Office of Sport will be given a 99-year lease on the new site and will retain ownership of the original Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre.

The chosen site will allow a larger facility to be built, and will be the first new sport and recreation center built in New South Wales for 40 years.

"The evaluation of this site has been going on for quite some time. It ticks nearly all the boxes," Greg Piper said.

It's hoped the new facility will draw the Hunter's water sporting community back to the area for kayaking, canoeing, and stand up paddle boarding. Opportunities for water skiing and other activities are also being considered.

"It certainly won't just be what was at the original Sport and Rec Centre. I'm very keen to see water skiing accommodated at the site. We are looking at how that can be done, perhaps using the same waterway skiers used in the past," Greg Piper said.

"There will be community engagement with existing and historic user groups, and perhaps new ones that will come along. But I think this is an exciting opportunity for sport and rec centres in New South Wales," Greg Piper said.

"While Office of Sport is looking at what sports will be included, they will be simultaneously consulting with neighbors in the area to make sure they minimize any impact on them, if there is any impact at all."

"The consultation with the local community has to be genuine."

How many jobs will be guaranteed at the new centre, for those who were employed at the former centre is still unclear.

Staff were ensured they would be given priority re-employment when the new centre is opened.

"There will likely be more details on this when they start seeing the scale of what can do and what they can provide there," Greg Piper said.

Acting Sport Minister Geoff Lee and Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper address residents and stakeholders December 2019. Image: James Forgacs/2NURFM

Wyee Station Upgrades Finally Underway

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

After more than a decade of community campaigning, construction works to upgrade Wyee Train Station finally began on Wednesday.

Designs for the station were released in November 2018 and in April of this year construction firm Gartner Rose was awarded the contract for the project.

Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper has advocated strongly for the project and after years of discussions with multiple Planning ministers, builders have finally begun preparation works.

The Independent MP said current Transport Minister Andrew Constance indicated a couple of years ago that he would look at delivering the Wyee upgrades, and now he has.

"When I say I've been working on this for ten years, the community have been calling for these upgrades for a lot longer than that," said Greg Piper.

"So it's just fantastic that we can see it delivered."

The completed station will feature a number of improvements for accessibility and security including lifts, new stairs, better lighting and pathway upgrades.

Construction is expected to take around 12 months to complete, but Greg Piper said residents will be happy to see work is underway.

"We've been talking about this for such a long time that people could be forgiven for being sceptical about whether it was going to happen," said Mr Piper.

"But the state government, through Transport NSW, have been engaging with the community so they've seen things are happening, they've seen some nice images, and now we're actually in the early stages of construction work."

An artist's impression of the completed station

Parliamentary Secretary defends the NSW Budget

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald has defended claims the NSW government's 2017-18 budget is simply a "re-announcement" of already announced projects.

The budget is being criticised for announcing big spending on projects they'd already committed to including the Newcastle revitalisation projects, and various road upgrade works.

Scot MacDonald says there's no point in announcing funding for new projects while big projects are still underway - the important thing is current projects are funded and the government can and will continue to fund them.

"We do have to get these projects done first, you can't pile projects on top of projects without getting the footwork done and the substantial works done. So we're getting on with those major projects whether it be the Maitland hospital or whether it be the light rail."

The budget revealed what many believe to be a meagre amount for the yet to be built Maitland hospital with only $5 million allocated to go towards the $450 million project which has left local MP's to question whether it will ever be finished.

The government say they make no apologies for doing projects properly, unlike when Labor was in power and a hospital was rushed to be completed, leading to sewerage overflows and water leaking into surgeries. They say you either have the Labor way with sub-standard work, or you have a properly planned project which delivers a good product in the end.

Scot MacDonald Image dailytelegraph.com.au

"Yes there's a long planning process for money at many of these larger projects but as we've seen with the light rail the early expenditure is  pretty small and modest in terms of planning but then you hit construction phase and you see the hundreds of millions of dollars flow and that's what will happen with the Maitland Hospital," said Scot MacDonald.

Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper is welcoming the government's funding for numerous projects and he says while it may be the case the government can afford to inject funding into projects so they can continue, the whole Hunter region has missed out on more funding which it deserves.

"I think the region has been short changed. It is a good budget overall, there's been a massive spend on infrastructure, there have been some fantastic new contributions into services around policing, nursing but for the region, I think considering what we do in the Lower Hunter, we're being very much overlooked."

The Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange has been a hot topic throughout the region and was allocated $1.7 million for a revised strategic business case for all stages of the proposed project in yesterday's budget.

Greg Piper is welcoming the funding because he says the plan really does need revising as there is a definite discrepancy between what council think the Pennant Street Bridge stage of the project will cost and what the government was being advised it would cost

"I'm very frustrated as I'm sure many other people are just tired of hearing about the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange, it's been going on so long. Though I am pleased that they have actually gone ahead and set aside funds to actually go back and prepare that business case."

Invaluable funds for suicide prevention in Lake Macquarie

BY JESSICA ROUSE

As a part of a record $1.8 billion dollar annual investment in mental health care, a suicide prevention initiave in Lake Macquarie are getting a much needed funding boost.

The Bright Minds, Connected Communities initiative will receive $280, 000 which will give targeted resources for young people dealing with mental health problems.

"It's a real concern for the community generally right across the Western nations but certainly in Australia and we don't really understand what drives this so anything that can reduce the rate of suicide particularly with young people, is welcomed," said Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper.

MP Greg Piper Image Lakesmail.com.au

Greg Piper says the Bright Minds, Connected Communities is a great project and the funding will really go a long way to helping many young people in the community, and those working in what is a difficult area to work in.

Minister for Mental Health Tanya Davies announced the 'Suicide Prevention Fund' as a part of the NSW government's initiatives aimed at lowering the rate of suicide over a decade.

“While suicide prevention is an issue for everyone in our communities, we know many people at risk of suicide and self-harm will not always come into contact with mental health professionals,” she said.

If you or someone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

Palliative Care scare for Lake Macquarie

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Fears about the future of Lake Macquarie’s palliative care services have been voiced by local MPs following reports of a proposed shut-down of the Calvary Mater Hospital’s after hours home visit service.

It was revealed last week that the office of Newcastle MP Tim Crackanthorp had been contacted by concerned staff from the Mater, who warned that the hospital’s 24 hour palliative care service may be dropped in favour of an after-hours telephone hotline.

It is estimated that 300 people currently utilise the Mater’s after hours palliative care service.

Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper spoke in parliament on Tuesday, expressing concerns about the inequality of palliative care services across the Lake Macquarie region.

Residents who need palliative care who live north of the Fennel Bay bridge are currently serviced under the Calvary Mater’s scheme, receiving 24 hour care. However, residents outside the Mater’s “20 kilometre radius”, in areas such as Toronto and Morisset, are serviced by Westlakes Community Health Service, which already has an after-hours telephone hotline in place of round-the-clock care.

Greg Piper explains, “What we have to the north, for most of the area, is what I would call a high quality service that gives 24/7 nursing assistance to people who need palliative care. If you live to the south [of the Fennel Bay bridge] you get a budget service that doesn’t go anywhere near providing what other people get.”

Mr Piper is urging the government to consider the economic savings made by keeping patients who wish to stay at home out of hospital beds before palliative care services are scrapped. “Many people now wish to pass away at home…and the cost of hospital beds is also very high. We should take that into consideration.”

A spokesperson for Hunter New England Health last week refused to rule out changes to the Mater’s current palliative care scheme, citing the safety of workers going on house calls late at night as a cause for concern. 

Lake Macquarie MP, Greg Piper.