Category: Newcastle News

Police are appealing for public assistance after a ride-share driver was stabbed in Merewether this morning.
About 2.35am this morning (Thursday 23 July 2020), a 22-year-old driver picked up a group of people at Windale before travelling to William Street, Merewether.
Police have been told one of passengers threatened the 22-year-old with a blade and demanded his car keys, wallet and phone.
The driver resisted before he was stabbed in the upper arm and leg.
The group fled the scene in the man’s vehicle before the driver called emergency services.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District attended and established a crime scene.
The driver was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before he was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment to non-life-threatening injuries.
The vehicle is described as a 2010 silver-coloured Ford Focus, with NSW registration plates BPX 15C.
Anyone with information about the incident or about the whereabouts of the vehicle is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Four teenagers have been charged over allegedly lighting a blaze at a fast food restaurant in the Hunter at the weekend.
About 3.30am on Sunday (19 July 2020), emergency services were called to a fast food restaurant on Allandale Road, Cessnock, after reports of a fire within the external playground area.
Crews from Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the flames a short time later.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District commenced an investigation into the cause of the blaze.
Following extensive inquiries, about 9am yesterday (Thursday 23 July 2020), police attended a high school in Cessnock, and arrested a 15-year-old boy.
Then about 2.40pm, officers attended another high school in Cessnock, where they arrested a 14-year-old boy.
Later that evening, two teenage girls – aged 16 and 17 – attended Cessnock Police Station where they were both arrested.
All four teenagers were charged with damage property by fire and were all granted conditional bail to appear at a children’s court on Monday 11 August 2020.
Inquiries are continuing into the incident.

City of Newcastle will shortly lodge an amended development application to further increase exhibition floor space for an expanded Newcastle Art Gallery.
Earlier this week the Lord Mayor and Gallery Director Lauretta Morton presented the revised plans to Federal Senator Hollie Hughes and NSW Upper House Member Taylor Martin MLC, along with the Newcastle Art Gallery Working Party Chair Cathy Tate and the Board of the Art Gallery Foundation.
^{(L-R): Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation Chair Suzie Galwey, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, Senator Hollie Hughes and Taylor Martin MLC at Newcastle Art Gallery.}
The expansion will see the 43-year-old building extended east along Darby Street and Queen Street with an eye-catching glass façade, a street-level café and retail shop, with overall exhibition space expanded by 250% which will include a dedicated display of the Gallery’s permanent collection. The additional exhibition space has in part been created by the removal of two shopfronts that were previously proposed in the approved DA.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the State Government had previously endorsed the project in its Cultural Infrastructure Plan 2025, which identified the Newcastle Art Gallery redevelopment as a regional opportunity.
“An expanded Newcastle Art Gallery would further develop the Civic Precinct and provide a wide range of benefits to the community including increased exhibitions, events, educational programs and upgraded facilities,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This is particularly important as a mechanism to help stimulate the NSW economy and create 170 jobs during this time of uncertainty. The annual impact on regional revenue would be more than $1 million, with 14,116 additional local visitors and tourists exploring what the gallery and the city has to offer.”
Senator Hollie Hughes said Monday’s meeting was positive and demonstrated a collaborative approach to the Gallery expansion.
“Newcastle Art Gallery is well supported by the local community and it was useful to hear more from the City’s representatives about plans for this project and how a collaborative approach may help bring it to life.”
Taylor Martin MLC welcomed the opportunity to be briefed on plans for the site.
“City of Newcastle has presented a well-considered proposal for its Art Gallery expansion including its recent amendments which will ensure the maximum exposure of its collection through more exhibition space.”
Chair of the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation, Suzie Galwey, said she was pleased to see plans progress.
“The Foundation’s mission is to build and nurture our highly acclaimed Newcastle Art Gallery collection, and this expansion is key to that.”
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said the redeveloped Gallery would be a major drawcard for the city.
“As Australia’s first purpose-built regional Gallery, Newcastle is custodian to a nationally recognised permanent collection of over 7,000 works of art, providing a time capsule of Australian art dating back to the earliest days of Newcastle more than 200 years ago when it became Australia’s second city to be settled,” Ms Morton said.
“The long-awaited expansion of the Gallery, which our Foundation, Society and the community have worked tirelessly towards, will offer the ability to share more of the City’s collection, displaying works of art of local, national and international importance for visitors to view and enjoy.
“This makes the Gallery one of the City’s biggest cultural assets, located in the heart of the city centre’s revitalisation directly across from the new 5-star Kingsley Hotel.”
City of Newcastle has committed more than $10 million to the project and to date invested $3.6 million towards the Art Gallery expansion.
Based on a 2019 quantity survey, $35.6 million is required to complete the construction of the expanded Newcastle Art Gallery.
BIS Oxford Economics completed a Preliminary Cost Benefit Analysis in March 2019 demonstrating that the benefits of the expansion proposal far outweigh the costs with a Benefit-Cost Ratio of 1.77 and a Net Present Value of $24.1 million, including 170 new jobs during its two year construction.
Benefits to the NSW Economy: 

• The Cost Benefit Analysis by BIS Oxford Economics positively demonstrates that the benefits of the proposal far outweigh the costs with a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.77 and a positive Net Present Value (NPV) of $23.8 million.
• The expanded NAG would further develop an arts and culture precinct within walking distance of the Civic Precinct: Newcastle City Hall, the Civic Theatre, Newcastle Library and Newcastle Museum.
• The estimated job creation from the expansion project has been estimated by Prosperity Consulting at 170 jobs; comprising 152 temporary jobs during the construction phase and 18 ongoing FTE jobs post completion.
• The 152 jobs compromise 76 direct jobs directly generated in the region in the areas of construction and consultancy from the project. An additional 38 jobs will result from additional production and an additional 38 jobs will be generated from the additional consumption.
• The redevelopment of NAG would provide a wide range of benefits to society associated with increased exhibitions, events, expansion of educational programs and upgraded facilities.
• The annual effect on regional revenue attributable to the Gallery’s expansion/ redevelopment is estimated at $1,099,830 with 14,116 additional local and tourist visits.
• Further additional visitation is estimated at 73,590 in relation to use of the additional Gallery facilities outside of exhibition spaces; generating revenue of $2.7 million in relation to the use of these facilities.

A police officer has been charged following an investigation into alleged neglect of duty.
In January 2020, an investigation was commenced by officers from a northern region police district after an officer allegedly failed to appropriately investigate a reported domestic violence incident.
Following inquiries, a male senior constable was issued a Future Court Attendance Notice yesterday (Tuesday 21 July 2020), for neglect of duty.
He is due to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Thursday 3 September 2020.
The officer is currently suspended with pay.

City of Newcastle has introduced a program to conduct COVID-19 safety inspections on food businesses in Newcastle.
The City’s Environmental Health officers will educate local businesses about COVID-19 Safety Plans and will also now undertake proactive compliance inspections of local cafes, restaurants and food courts.
The trial program aims to provide a positive impact to both food businesses and the community through improved COVID-19 safety compliance reducing the risk of virus transmission.
The program has been developed in response to requests for the City to support local food businesses to implement safety plans and will also respond to compliance complaints.
Food businesses must prepare and implement an effective COVID-19 Safety Plan in accordance with the NSW Public Health Order.
For further information on COVID-19 support including access to a food safety checklist, visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/

The Civic Theatre will serve up a much-needed dose of laughs to lift our spirits when the Newcastle landmark reopens its doors to the public from the 27th of July.
The 90-year-old iconic Theatre will begin welcoming audiences back with a staged reopening to allow for small scale shows and ensure COVID-19 safety measures.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the reopening of the Civic Theatre would help activate the city’s night-time economy in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions.
“COVID-19 has brought Newcastle’s vibrant live performance industry to a standstill, with restrictions and shut-downs proving devastating for the livelihoods of many performing artists,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Reopening the Civic Theatre is a positive step in our city’s journey towards recovery, allowing us to support our local performing arts community.”
Audience numbers will be capped to comply with social distancing requirements and manage the flow of patrons through the venue, with an initial limit of 150 people in the Civic Theatre and 50 in the Playhouse. Later this year it plans to increase the audience capacity to an allowable 500 under the current Public Health Order.
Civic Theatre Manager Leonie Wallace said the performance spaces would be reactivated with an intimate comedy event on 1 August, which will give audiences a whole new perspective on the venue.
“With restrictions around capacity and social distancing in place, we’ve decided to take the opportunity to show the Civic Theatre in a new light,” Ms Wallace said.
“The audience will enter via the loading dock to enjoy an intimate comedy club experience, being held in conjunction with Big Dog Comedy, with both the performers and audience together on the Civic Theatre stage!
“This will provide a unique ambience to welcome back anyone looking for a night out with a twist.”
Tickets for the show are now on sale, giving Novocastrians their first chance to experience the Civic Theatre’s new in-house ticketing system.
The Civic Theatre box office is now the authorised seller for all tickets to the Civic Theatre, the Playhouse and City Hall Concert Hall.
Tickets are still sold through the Civic Theatre website and the new system provides an enhanced online customer experience with lower transaction fees.

A man will face court today charged over the alleged sexual abuse of a young child in Port Stephens last month.
On Tuesday 30 June 2020, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation following reports a child was sexually abused by a man who was known to her.
Following extensive inquiries, investigators, assisted by officers attached to Brisbane Water Police District, arrested a 44-year-old man at a home at Narara about 7.45am on Sunday 5 July 2020.
The man was taken to Gosford Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of intentionally sexually touch child under 10 years.
Police will allege that the man sexually abused the five-year-old, while staying with her family in April this year.
He was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court today (Tuesday 21 July 2020).
The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.
Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. People should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Police are investigating a suspicious building fire at a fast food restaurant in the Hunter region.
About 3.30am today (Sunday 19 July 2020), emergency services were called to the business on Allandale road, Cessnock, following reports of a fire.
Upon arrival, an external playground and dining area was found to be well alight and the blaze was extinguished by Fire and Rescue NSW.
The restaurant was closed at the time and no one was injured, however, the fire caused significant damage to the outdoor area and roof.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire which is being treated as suspicious.
Inquiries are continuing.

A man has been charged following the alleged online grooming of a child in the Newcastle region.
On Thursday (16 July 2020), police attached to Newcastle City Police District commenced an investigation following reports a 15-year-old girl had been sent messages of a sexual nature by a man who was known to her.
Following extensive inquiries, detectives arrested a 45-year-old man at a home in Windale about 7.20pm yesterday (Friday 17 July 2020).
Police seized two mobile phones at the home which will undergo forensic examination.
The man was taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with use carriage service to menace/harass/offend, groom child for unlawful sexual activity and use carriage service to groom under 16 years for sex.
He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Bail Court today (Saturday 18 July 2020).

Newcastle Art Gallery will reveal the winner of the KILGOUR PRIZE 2020 via a livestreamed announcement by Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes on Friday 31 July 2020 at 3pm.
To comply with the latest advice from NSW Health and ensure social distancing is practiced, the KILGOUR PRIZE 2020 winner announcement will be strictly limited to KILGOUR PRIZE 2020 finalist artists, invited guests and media. The livestream will be available to audiences on the Art Gallery’s Facebook and Instagram.
One of Australia’s major art prizes, the KILGOUR PRIZE awards $50,000 for the most outstanding work of art selected by Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton and invited judges, who this year comprise Rachel Arndt – Gallery Programs and Touring Exhibitions Manager, Museums and Galleries of NSW and Stephen Gilchrist – Curator and Lecturer Art History, The University of Sydney.
The KILGOUR PRIZE also awards a People’s Choice of $5,000 to the painting voted most popular by the general public.
This year’s 30 finalists were selected from more than 350 entries received from across the country. The 2020 finalists include artists from the ACT, NSW, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The list also features two local artists, Michael Bell and Peter Gardiner, who have both been regular entrants to the KILGOUR PRIZE, with the latter winning the prize in 2016.
“Every year the KILGOUR PRIZE presents some of the best contemporary Australian portrait and figurative painting. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Australian arts sector, the KILGOUR PRIZE has been an incredible opportunity to encourage and support artists to continue producing and creating works of art. This year’s selected artists present diverse interpretations of the brief, resulting in a very dynamic exhibition,” Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said.
Funded by a bequest from artist Jack Noel Kilgour, the KILGOUR PRIZE has encouraged innovation within portrait and figurative painting since 2006.
The KILGOUR PRIZE 2020 will be on display from 1 August – 15 November 2020.
For information on the 2020 Finalists and Judges visit- www.nag.org.au/Exhibitions/Future/KILGOUR-PRIZE-2020
ABOUT THE KILGOUR PRIZE
Jack Noel Kilgour (1900–1987) was an Australian artist well-known for his academic approach to landscape and portrait painting. In 1987 Kilgour bequeathed funds for the creation of a major figurative and portrait art competition to be run in perpetuity. As one of Australia’s major art prizes, Newcastle Art Gallery is proud to be the home of the KILGOUR PRIZE.
More information:
https://www.nag.org.au/Kilgour-Prize