Lake Macquarie to leap ahead with Trampoline Centre of Excellence

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Lake Macquarie is set to be the epicentre of Australian trampolining, with the NSW Government signing off on a $12.5 million grant for a new Trampoline Centre of Excellence at Glendale.

It comes alongside a $25.7 million expansion of the Hunter Sports Centre, co-funded by Council and the Commonwealth.

It's estimated, the centre will generate more than $2.5 million a year in visitor revenue, much of it from athletes, support staff, families and spectators travelling into the Hunter.

The facility will also feature a 1500sqm arena with nine trampolines, two tumbling strips, two double mini-trampolines, a foam pit, warm up areas and seating for 450 spectators. 

There'll also be space for other aerial sports, such as skateboarding and skiing.

The venue is expected to open in early 2025.

Business boom going strong in Lake Macquarie

 BY SIOBHAN HARVEY

New figures have revealed Lake Macquarie's business growth has forged ahead despite the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The news comes as the city prepares to recognise its best and brightest in the commercial sector for the Annual Business Excellence Awards, which will acknowledge and honour the hard work put in by local businesses and employees. 

The councils data showed that the number of registered businesses has grown over 500 in the last year alone, increasing from 12,571 in June 2020 to 13,113 in June 2021, with the number of businesses with a $10 million-plus annual turnover also growing, from 94 to 112. 

Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser says the growth expresses how attractive the city is in the eyes of businesses. 

"It is really promising, even on the back of COVID there has been a lot of investment and a lot of interest in Lake Macquarie and obviously businesses are looking to come to regional areas to set up, it's just a growth of the region," she said. 

"Lake Macquarie is seen to be very attractive to all of NSW and Australia, and I think people are looking to set up businesses in Lake Macquarie." 

This year's awards are set to feature a new award category to acknowledge diversity and inclusion in local businesses.  

"We've included the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion award because we know how important it is for businesses to be open to employ people from different backgrounds and different abilities. so we thought we would include that as a particular special category this year," said Cr Fraser. 

"It's really important to acknowledge our local businesses, to thank them and to recognise the wonderful work they've been doing." 

Entries to this year's awards are open now until 6 June, with the winners to be announced at a gala ceremony on 29 July. 

The winners will then progress to the Hunter Business Awards.

Image credit: Lake Macquarie Council 

Hunter retail workers calling for wage increase

BY OLIVIA DILLON

A new survey of nearly 10,000 retail, fast food and warehouse workers has highlighted the need for a national wage increase, both in the Hunter, and across the country.

The results of the survey from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), show members are struggling under falling living standards. 

SDA Newcastle branch secretary Barbara Nebart, commented on the survey results, and said workers across the country deserve better. 

"79 percent of people said that the rising cost of living is putting enormous pressure on their budgets, and their standards of living have decreased over the last five years," she said. 

"The vast majority also said any delay in the National Wage Case would cause them further hardship."

Ms Nebart said the SDA is now calling for a wage increase which reflects the latest inflation rate of 5.1%, as well as the increases in childcare and housing costs over the last year. 

"Over the last two years of national wage increases, retail and fast food workers- who have been essential workers throughout the pandemic- got delayed wage increases. They weren't payed on the 1st of July with everyone else. In 2020 it was delayed until February of the next year, and then last year it was delayed until September. What's the reasoning for that?" she said. 

Ms Nebart said Hunter workers have been particularly effected by rising housing costs and rental prices, as people sought to escape rising living costs by leaving the city. 

She also said an economic boost is particularly important for rural communities, with recent figures indicating retail wages contribute to over $15.7 billion per year to the economies of rural areas, country towns and regional cites. 

SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer said the National Wage Case needs to make up for a decade of sluggish wage growth.

He said "Retail workers are no longer working to get ahead, they are not even working to stand still, they are working hard to go backwards." 

 

Retail workers across the country are calling for a wage increase 

Council seeking feedback on Darby Street outdoor dining trial

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Newcastle Council is seeking community feedback on a proposal for a six-month trial to widen the Darby Street footpath for outdoor dining.

The plan would see a raised timber deck platform expanded across parking spaces along a stretch of popular cafes from Sanctum to Goldbergs.

16 parking spaces will be relocated to the Newcastle Art Gallery, and the speed limit will be dropped from 40 to 30kmh to accommodate the move.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen says it's a great move, as the city recovers from the COVID pandemic.

"Lots of Novocastrians are starting to return, and hospitality is booming in the city once again," Cr Clausen said.

"It's great, particularly given that it was an industry that was so hard hit during the pandemic and literally tens of thousands of Novocastrians were working in the entertainment and hospitality industry."

The trial is part of a Streets as Shared Spaces program, with $500,000 in funding from the State Government.

You can have your say on the project here.

Feedback closes on June 13. 

Image credit: www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au

Hunter families out-of-pocket after controversial Dinosaur Festival cancelled

BY DAKOTA TAIT

A controversial Dinosaur Festival event has been cancelled over the weekend, leaving hundreds of Hunter families out-of-pocket.

The company behind the event cancelled the event the same morning it was set to go ahead, claiming that muddy conditions at Wallsend Park made it unsafe.

It said on Friday, the Festival would be cancelled for that day only, and tickets were being still sold being for the weekend into the evening.

It's understood at least some of the exhibits and amenities were set up.

The festival made a statement on social media on Saturday morning, claiming it was not liable because the poor conditions at the site were out of its control. 

The company's claiming ticket-holders aren't entitled to a refund.

It was scheduled to go ahead February last year, but the festival has been postponed on a number of occasions, prompting Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery to contact the Fair Trading Minister earlier this year.

She says families deserve better, especially with current cost-of-living pressures.

"We're looking at $50 plus, sometimes hundreds of dollars per family," Ms Hornery said.

"I don't agree with the fact that it's out of their hands, that they can't provide a refund to people when they have made the decision to cancel yet again."

It's understood, a small number of people have managed to secure a refund over past postponements. 

The company maintains the Dinosaur Festival is a legitimate event.

Ms Hornery says the Fair Trading Minister needs to step up.

"We had warned people on Facebook to very careful about it all, that Dinosaur Festival seems to take advantage of people's goodwill and the fact that people want to get out and take their family to an event," Ms Hornery said.

"It's really concerning that they continue to do this, and it's even more concerning that the State Government is letting this organisation get away with not doing the right thing by the community."

Dinosaur Festival Australia has been approached for comment.

Image credit: Dinosaur Festival Australia.

New hopes to bring Barrington broad-toothed rat back from the brink

BY DAKOTA TAIT

A critically-endangered animal in the Hunter has been given new hope, after rangers found a small family in the wild.

Rangers with the organisation located a group of six rats in a remote part of the Barrington Tops.

The Barrington broad-toothed rat is on the brink of extinction, but Aussie Ark is optimistic the discovery is a chance to turn those odds around.

Aussie Ark's Deputy Managing Director Liz Gabriel says we shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

"Although it's a rat, it's absolutely beautiful," Ms Gabriel said.

"It's a habitat specialist, so it's only found in a unique part of the alpine swamps of the Barrington region.

"Saving it is critical to the environment that it lives in, and until recently, they've been extremely elusive."

The species is under pressure from feral pests like foxes and cats, as well as bushfires and the impact of climate change.

It's understood, the population has been in decline for years, and only hundreds remain in the wild.

Ms Gabriel says the organisation is looking forward to saving the rat.

"The team are just overwhelmed and so excited to be able to make a difference for another species," Ms Gabriel said.

"These founding animals will form the beginning of a insurance population that will grow and in partnership with the NSW Government, will then return back into the wild environment from which they come from.

"This is a critical step in saving this species from extinction."

Image credit: Aussie Ark.

Four teenagers arrested after four vehicle pursuit across Lake Macquarie

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Four teenagers have been arrested early this morning, after a police pursuit on the western side of Lake Macquarie.  

Officers attempted to stop four vehicles on Wangi Road at Dora Creek, around 4am, which were driving dangerously.  

An 18 and a 17-year-old were arrested when a stolen Ford Ranger ute, reported stolen from Maitland, crashed into another vehicle at Toronto.  

A 57-year-old man from Warners Bay has been taken to the John Hunter as a precaution.  

A 15 and a 16-year-old were arrested on Five Islands Road at Speers Point a short time later, with police using road spikes to stop a Suzuki Swift, which was also stolen from Dora Creek.  

A BMW, reported stolen from Merewether, was found dumped at Gateshead.  

It's been seized for forensic examination.

Inquiries continue into the whereabouts of the fourth vehicle, a motorbike, also stolen from Merewether.  

Police have also recovered a stolen BMW-3 from Eleebana.