Millions of Dollars in Lost Super Waiting for Hunter Workers

BY JESSICA ROUSE

There's millions of dollars of lost and unclaimed super just waiting for in accounts Hunter workers.

The latest figures from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) show that across the region there's $342 million lost super accounts and super being held by the ATO just waiting to be collected.

MAITLAND has the highest amount of untouched super with $19 million, followed by Wallsend with just over $17 million.

Next on the list is Charlestown where there's around $16 million, in Ashtonfield there's $15.8 million and in ADAMSTOWN there's $12 million.

The ATO considers 'lost' super to be accounts held by super funds where they've lost contact with the fund member. By law after a period of time, they're transferred to the ATO which is when they're considered to be 'unclaimed super'.

The ATO says it's easy for people to lose track of their super funds when we change jobs, move house or just haven't updated details with our super funds.

Lake Macquarie Couple are Over The Moon with $1 Million Win

BY JESSICA ROUSE

An unsuspecting Lake Macquarie couple have this morning discovered they're millionaires!

They're now eyeing off a new home and a well-deserved holiday after finding out they'd won just over $1 million in Saturday Lotto.

The couple who wish to remain anonymous were sceptical at first, but the winning wife was quick to accept the news.

"I think my husband is going to faint! This is just un-bloody-believable!

"We're just a couple of pensioners. We've both worked hard all our lives. It just means we won't have to worry about any finances."

Newcastle council's rate rise not as bad as first thought

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The rate increase confirmed for residents at last night's Newcastle City Council meeting may not be as bad as it seems.

What was initially said to be a 8 per cent rate rise, will actually be more like 7.2 per cent because council say they haven't increased the waste domestic surcharge which pays for weekly garbage collection for residents.

Lord Mayor of Newcastle Nuatali Nelmes says it really shouldn't come as a surprise to ratepayers as it had already been approved by iPart.

"The amounts of rates on people's rates notice won't seem as much because at the city of Newcastle we're keeping our costs and our overheads low in regards to our domestic waste service that people obviously rely on. We're keeping that charge fixed s we did last year as well, so we haven't increased our domestic waste service charge."

The increase will work out to be around $100 per annum per household over five years.

"This is the same decision that council made back in 2014 and that was approved by iPart. We are doing the special rate variation over five years at the City of Newcastle as is neighbouring councils. This isn't a new decision, this is a decision that was made by iPart back several years go and is part of our normal budget," said Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.

Newcastle Council also confirmed at last night's meeting that they will be putting money towards the revamp of Newcastle Art Gallery after a plea for funds from the state government was knocked back.

Some funds will likely come from proceeds of the 2012 special rate variation.

"The most significant investment in arts and culture in this city year on, year out, is Newcastle City Council and we'll be continuing to press the state government to pay their fair share of an art gallery redevelopment considering the hundred of millions of dollars they're putting into cultural projects in Sydney," said Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.

Man arrested following armed robbery at Abermain

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

A 35-year-old man has been arrested and held on multiple charges following an armed robbery in Abermain on Monday.

Police arrested the man at around 5pm yesterday after stopping a vehicle on Victory Parade, Jesmond.

It follows his alleged involvement in a break-and-enter at Abermain bowling club on Monday evening.

It is alleged the arrested man and another man forced their way into the bowling club, armed with a shortened firearm and sledge hammer, and approached a female employee before binding her hands and feet with duct tape. They then proceeded to ransack the premises, fleeing in a stolen vehicle with a large sum of cash.

Police attended the bowling club, where they untied the woman and established a crime scene. A stolen vehicle was found burnt-out in a nearby street.

The man has been charged with armed robbery, damage to property by fire and driving while disqualified.

He is also facing larceny charges relating to an incident on Sunday 11th June at a hardware store at Taylors Beach.

Investigations into the robbery continue, whilst the man has been refused bail and will appear at Newcastle Local Court today.

NSW Budget 2017: What's in it for us?

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Berejiklian government are basking in the glory of a $4.5 billion dollar surplus after Treasurer Dominic Perrotet handed down his first budget yesterday which included millions of dollars in infrastructure and roads funding for the Hunter.

The region will see $49 million dollars for roads, more than $205 million for Newcastle's revitalisation projects and funding boosts for many projects which have already started.

The key highlights include:
- $206.1 million in 2017-18 for Newcastle Light Rail
- $29 million for the New England Highway, Scone Bypass and $23.4 million towards Cormorant Road, Industrial Drive to Stockton Bridge in 2017-18
- $12 million to widen rail underpass for New England Highway, Gowrie Gates
- $5 million for New England Highway, Belford to Golden Highway upgrade planning
- $5 million towards building new hospital at Maitland
- $13.1 million for continued work at Muswellbrook Hospital
- $101.7 million towards 400 beds at Cessnock Correctional Centre
- $75 million in total Restart NSW funding for the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund
- $43 million to remediate Newcastle BHP sites
- $11.8 million for Lower Hunter Freight Corridor

Treasurer Dominic Perrotet Image abc.net.au

But the budget is being labelled by local Labor MP's as "Sydney-centric" and even "mean" with claims many of the announcements aren't announcements at all, but re-announcements of funding and projects everyone already knew.

Newcastle saw $206 million for the light rail and revitalisation of the CBD, and just under $5 million for upgrades to the Hunter Street and Tighes Hill Tafe campuses, but MP Tim Crakanthorp has accused the government of simply recycling old promises.

"I think it's just smoke and mirrors which is what we've come to expect from the budget. It's a very Sydney focused budget from a Sydney-centric government. There are millions of dollars flowing into Sydney but critical infrastructure in Newcastle misses out. We're the second largest city in the state and we deserve better."

At the other end of town in Maitland, the new Lower Hunter Hospital only received $5 million towards what is a $450 million project with the completion date also pushed back to 2024, 13 years after it was promised.

MP Jenny Aitchison has labelled the government as having "no vision for the future" and says the people of Maitland have every right to feel let down by their government.

"They're boasting down here in Sydney about supposedly billions of dollars of surplus but they can only find $5 million for Maitland hospital and they're going to spend $500,000 on a couple of the schools in an electorate which is one of the fasted growing in the state. It's just not fair."

However, Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes has welcomed the news of key investments into roads, rail, education, health and business.

He sees the continuation of funding for Revitalising Newcastle as a massive win to improve travel through the city centre, connect key activity precincts and connect the inner city to the foreshore.

Businesses generally will benefit from the budget as well, largely due to the cutting of red tape across the sector including a $7.5 million investment in the Business Connect Program as well as $96 million to the Jobs for NSW initiative to encourage business investment and growth and stimulate the labour market.

"We're encouraged by the continuation of investment in projects like Maitland's hospital and the revitalisation of Newcastle as well as a number of key projects and programs that link into business. So the continued investment by the government in business connect programs and $96 million for Jobs for NSW initiatives," said Bob Hawes.

Pokies pulling in the big bucks in the Hunter

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The NSW Greens have unveiled just how much communities in the Hunter are being ripped off when it comes to the money being made from poker machines by hotels and clubs.

It's been revealed a staggering $1.1 billion has been put through poker machines at Hunter pubs and clubs during the last three months of last year and only small portion of the gambling income goes back to the community.

They've purchased the data, which wasn't publicly available, and revealed throughout the state in the last quarter of last year the data also found:
- poker machines took nearly $2 billion from the NSW community
- each club-based poker machine removed an average $19,638fromthe community, each hotel-based poker machine removed $28,358
- the average turnover from machines in hotels and clubs is $217,936
-there are an average of 62 poker machines per club in NSW and average 15 machines per hotel.

NSW Greens MP Justin Field says buying the data has brought to light a serious problem in the Hunter.

"And what was seen in Newcastle just in the last three months of last year, $438 million went through poker machines in the Newcastle local government area. That's a loss to the community of $43 million. They're huge figures - we've got a pokies problem in NSW and in the Hunter."

The Greens say the problems with how the industry operates, its transparency and how the money is taxed, needs to be fixed in order to put an end to the societal breakdowns and the huge impact on Hunter families.

"It would be appropriate for more tax to be paid so that tax can be put into services to support those people suffering addiction. At the moment the grants that are provided by some of the pubs and clubs for community projects actually offset their tax liabilities as well so there is a range of problems," said Justin Field.

He also said with such huge figures only a fraction of a per cent of the profits go back into the community through grants "and you can think about how many additional school teachers and  nurses and new infrastructure could be built with that level of money."

17 year old on the run

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A 17-year-old man is on the run after approaching a 16-year-old in Thornton overnight threatening him with a small knife.

Just after 10:30pm, the 16-year-old was withdrawing money from a Westpac ATM on Taylor Avenue, as he walked away he was approached by the man who demanded his cash.

The 16-year-old handed over the cash and ran.

The offender also ran and is described as Caucasian and wearing a Adidas hoodie and grey pants with white joggers. He also has a piercing on his left eyebrow.

Anyone with information are urged to contact Crimestoppers or Maitland detectives.

Hunter councils are stashing the cash

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It's been revealed the Hunter's "big five" councils are hoarding million of dollars of ratepayers money.

In the Property Council's latest audit of section 94 infrastructure levies, they discovered Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens and Cessnock are stashing millions of dollars earning interest and bettering their balance sheets.

The five councils collected $200 million in cash from developer contributions for infrastructure and raked in nearly $50 million worth of levies, only half of which was actually spent within the 2015-16 financial year.

Hunter Director of the Property Council Andrew Fletcher believes the council would rather make their balance sheets look good, rather than spend the money on infrastructure the community wants, needs and are calling out for.

"This is money which could be going towards things like cycleways and sporting grounds today and it's just plain wrong that councils are hoarding this cash and improving their balance sheets while they rob the community of these vital assets."

Lake Macquarie Council is sitting on top with the most unused funds, with a total of $97 million, followed a little further behind by Maitland Council who have nearly $58 million.

Newcastle Council is sitting on just over $17 million, Port Stephens have about $13.5 million and finally Cessnock Council with nearly $7 million.

"Often we hear from local government about their infrastructure backlogs and cost shifting and the like but the numbers don't lie and with over $4.4 million in interest alone earnt in the last 12 months, it really points to the fact that councils need to start spending this money and start providing some of that infrastructure the community wants, needs and are calling for," said Andrew Fletcher.

Andrew Fletcher says councils defended their position saying the funds needed to be held and used to repair ageing infrastructure, and that the money reflects the growth of the city and the significant increase in the development of new land parcels in recent years.

Motorists won't be reaping any rewards from Green Slip reforms

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Motorists across the state won't be reaping any rewards when the NSW Government put forward their proposed reforms to Green Slips.

The reforms would see Hunter motorists Green Slip bills cut by $100, but the system of lump sum payments would be changed to weekly payments and those claiming serious injuries won't be able to claim for longer than two years for a loss of earnings, are just some of the changes which could come into fruition.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her government claim the changes would benefit taxpayers in a reduction of costs.

Not everyone agrees, least of all Swansea MP Yasmin Catley.

This isn't the first time the government have tried to make changes to the system, and if their bill is successfully passed in parliament this time it would come into play in December.

"They know that what they're trying to do is bad for motorists and that's why this is their third attempt. So we'll see what they have to deliver today but I'll tell you what Labor will be sticking up for motorists and making sure that the fundamentals of the CTP which are looking after people who have been injured through no fault of their own and that they are compensated and looked after into the future," said Yasmin Catley.

The reforms would also aim to enhance the power of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority to tackle fraud and regulate insurer profits which have averaged 20 per cent since 1999.

This is something Yasmin Catley does agree with saying "most importantly the insurance companies super profit has to be stopped. This government has been reluctant to do that. They're too soft on insurance companies and that's because people are lobbying for insurance companies and it's important that at the end of the day it isn't insurance companies that get the best end of this deal, it has to be the motorists of NSW".