Williamtown a 'matter of urgency' for PM: taskforce

BY GARY-JON LYSAGHT

Meryl Swanson

A PFAS taskforce – currently investigation the Williamtown contamination –  and senior advisors have told Paterson MP Meryl Swanson it is a priority of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

In a meeting on Wednesday, the taskforce briefed Ms Swanson, in which they told her the urgency of the issue to the PM.

"I was assured by his [Malcolm Turnbull's] senior advisors that the Prime Minister see this as a priority and that the taskforce has been asked to report back to the government as quickly as possible," Ms Swanson said.

During the meeting, Ms Swanson said she also took the time to tell the taskforce the human stories she has heard since the outbreak.

“I took the opportunity to really tell them the stories of our people in Williamtown and what they’re going through,” she said.

“I think they were actually surprised, I know that some of the stories that I was able to convey to them they hadn’t before.”

The issue was

elevated to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in November 2016.

Part of the taskforce’s duties is reporting back to the PM with a report on how the clean-up is progressing, and also give considerations on how to help communities.

“They impressed on me they had to balance the speed of their response with knowledge of the science and evidence around PFAS contamination,” she said.

“I impressed upon them how our community had been through the wringer and was sick and tired of waiting.”

During Wednesday’s meeting, Ms Swanson extended another invitation to the Prime Minister, asking him to visit the region and talk to people in the ‘red zone’.

“When [Opposition Leader] Bill Shorten came, people really appreciated the fact that he taken the time – albeit a short amount of time – to come and sit down with some representatives from our community,” she said.

“If the Prime Minister has this as a true priority, he will come also and I extended that invitation.” 

MP: NBN Rollout "a disaster" for Small Business

BY GARY-JON LYSAGHT

Small business across the Hunter are at risk of failing because of the National Broadband Network’s rollout, says Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon.

Joel Fitzgibbon

It comes after four businesses in Morisset were left without phone or Internet services for weeks after being switched from their old network to the NBN.

“Not only are we seeing an inferior NBN service rolled out, but the transition is hopeless,” said Fitzgibbon.

“For a small business to be without a telephone service for weeks is a disaster.”

Labor have been critical of the Coalition Government’s NBN scheme, suggesting it is inferior and outdated as soon as it's switched on.

A strong small business sector was one of the talking points for the NBN, begun by Malcolm Turnbull in his capacity as Communications Minister and continued when he succeeded Tony Abbott for the top job.

But Joel Fitzgibbon said it only hurts them.

“Small businesses are going without telephone and Internet services literally for weeks.  That’s a disaster,” he said.

“The Government needs to apologise; to intervene and to sort these problems out.”

Jason Miles is one of the small business owners put out by the NBN.  He told the Lakes Mail it's severely hampered his business.

"I reckon we're running at about 10 per cent of what I'm used to.  Where I might usually get 100 people coming through the door per day, I'm down to 10.  Maximum," he said.

"The big problem is people don't have a choice to switch their landline over to the new system," Joel Fitzgibbon said.