Category: Newcastle News

A man will face court today after allegedly sexually touching a child at a Newcastle shopping centre earlier this week.
About 2.20pm on Monday (13 July 2020), an 11-year-old girl was with a family member at a Newcastle West supermarket, when it is alleged a 49-year-old man sexually touched the child whilst inside the store.
The man fled and officers from Newcastle City Police District were notified, commencing an investigation.
Following extensive inquiries, a 49-year-old man attended St Mary’s Police Station and was placed under arrest.
He was charged with intentional sexual touching of a child and was refused bail to appear at Penrith Local Court today (Thursday 16 July 2020).

A man has been charged after an alleged brawl and glassing at a Newcastle pub at the weekend.
About 11.45pm on Saturday (11 July 2020), two groups of men were inside a licensed premises on Croudace Road, Elermore Vale, when they became involved in a verbal altercation.
It escalated into a physical altercation between two men – aged 26 and 38 – before a 24-year-old man allegedly hit the 38-year-old in the face with a schooner glass which shattered on impact, before a larger brawl ensued.
The older man suffered a deep laceration to the right side of his face, he was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District were called and commenced an investigation.
Following extensive inquiries, police attended a home on Nott Street, Edgeworth, and arrested a 24-year-old man about 8.30pm yesterday (Wednesday 15 July 2020).
He was taken to Waratah Police Station and charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and breach of bail.
He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Thursday 16 July 2020).

Police are appealing for information from the community to locate a man wanted on an arrest warrant for breaching his reporting obligations.
Fakatou Lokuvalu Heitonga, aged 41, is wanted for failing to comply with his reporting obligations as a registrable person on the Child Protection Register.
Mr Heitonga was last seen in the Mayfield area in March 2018.
He is described as being of Pacific Islander appearance, with an olive complexion, shaved black hair, a medium build and approximately 170cm tall.
Mr Heitonga has family in the Mayfield area and has previously held employment in the Thornton and Chester Hill areas.
Police have conducted numerous inquiries and so far, been unable to locate him.

A woman will face court today charged with alleged ongoing drug supply in the Hunter region.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District established Strike Force Lirki to investigate the death of a 36-year-old man at Cessnock on 25 September 2018.
A 34-year-old man was charged over the death and remains before the courts.
During the course of the investigation, detectives received information about the ongoing supply of methylamphetamine and cannabis in the Hunter region.
Following extensive inquiries, strike force detectives arrested a 33-year-old woman at a facility at Silverwater about 12pm on Thursday (2 July 2020).
She was charged with three counts of supply prohibited drug on an ongoing basis and one count of supply indictable quantity of prohibited drug.
The woman was remanded in custody to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Wednesday 15 July 2020).
 

A missing Lake Macquarie man has been located safe and well.
The 59-year-old Macquarie Hills man was reported missing this morning by members of his family.
About 5pm today (Wednesday 15 July 2020), the man was located in Cronulla.
Police would like to thank the public and the media for their assistance.

A bird’s eye view of all development applications in Newcastle is now available online via an interactive aerial map on the City’s website.
The map makes it easy for residents and interested parties to access information about current development applications (DAs), modifications, reviews and complying development certificates (CDCs), as well as all development determinations made in the 12 months prior.
Development locations are marked on a Google Earth-style map with a pin showing properties, street names, suburbs and local landmarks.
The coloured markers represent applications on exhibition (yellow), pending applications (blue) and those approved (green) or refused (red) in the past 12 months.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the map was a great way to see what development was underway in any part of the city.
“The map is a great convenience for residents and customers who previously had to search individual properties or streets on our website to obtain a list of proposed or approved developments,” the Lord Mayor said.
“For the first time, Novocastrians can, from the convenience of their phone or computer, scroll through an aerial map of developments across the city and see what’s happening and where.
“Users can also link to our development application tracker via the “more info” option when they scroll down in the pop-up box, which links to relevant documents, plans and application details.”
The map’s launch comes amid marginally increased development activity across Newcastle, despite the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City received six more development applications in the three months from March (332) than it did during the corresponding period last year (326).
“The number of development applications being lodged with the City of Newcastle this year is consistent with last year, including through the period since COVID-19 started to impact the economy,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Development applications for the three months were worth $141 million, which is estimated to sustain up to 830 local jobs.
“This indicates that there continues to be opportunities in the construction sector in Newcastle with a mix of development types – the majority on existing sites or home improvements.
“The HomeBuilder program, which is offering $25,000 to build a new home or substantially renovate an existing one, may create further opportunities for the construction industry in Newcastle over the coming six to 12 months.”

City of Newcastle has implemented safety precautions ahead of an east coast low forecast to build today and tomorrow.
The low-pressure system is expected to linger off the coast Tuesday and Wednesday with potential for heavy rain, strong winds and large waves which will pose risks along Newcastle’s coastline.
Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for swimming, surfing and rock fishing for all beaches and both ocean baths starting Tuesday until Friday.
City of Newcastle will prepare and monitor its coastal facilities and assets along the Newcastle coastline including areas in Stockton which may be impacted by coastal erosion.
Beach accessways in Stockton will be closed and current traffic controls in place at Barrie Crescent and Mitchell Street will be reinforced. Road closures at Barrie Crescent, Mitchell Street, Stone Street Corner and Griffiths Road may be implemented depending on weather conditions.
The City of Newcastle asks the community to follow all safety warnings, to abide by all road closures and to drive safely in the forecast extreme weather conditions.
Coastal erosion can change beach conditions dramatically and quickly. This can lead to sand cliff collapses without warning.
To stay up to date on the weather warnings, please follow the Bureau of Meteorology www.bom.gov.au, and for emergencies, the State Emergency Service at www.ses.nsw.gov.au  or phone 13 25 00.

Newcastle small business workers now have access to free accredited online training as part of an initiative of City of Newcastle delivered through TAFE NSW, the University of Newcastle and Novaskill.
The training packages include a focus on customer behaviour, digital and social media marketing, management and finance, and are part of the City of Newcastle’s response to the economic impact of COVID-19.
Training on business innovation and growth, community engagement, and leadership skills is also covered within the 14 online programs being offered.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Newcastle’s business community had been hit hard by the pandemic and the prolonged period of slower economic activity that had followed.
“The small business sector has been required to adapt quickly in order to survive the unprecedented effects of COVID-19 on our community,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This training is targeted at providing local businesses and their staff with an ongoing benefit during the recovery phase and beyond, as the economy returns to a ‘new normal’ state.
“By upskilling our local workforce and empowering people to learn, we can help provide a sense of positivity and support for the business community as they work to recover from this period of extraordinary economic and social disruption.”
Enrolments are now open at the three participating training organisations for anyone who works for a business within the Newcastle local government area that employs 20 staff or less.
Each ‘student’ is eligible to undertake one of the training packages, which are scheduled to be fully delivered by the end of November.
TAFE NSW Regional General Manager Jason Darney congratulated City of Newcastle for incorporating accredited training into the Community and Economic Resilience Package, which will provide meaningful professional development for small business employees.
“TAFE NSW short courses are perfect for training small business professionals in vital skills, which can be applied immediately to improve business functions,” Mr Darney said.
“The customised program of short courses support the specific needs of small businesses moving forward in the recovery phase of COVID-19.”
University of Newcastle Pro Vice-Chancellor, Business and Law, Professor Tony Travaglione said the City of Newcastle initiative aligned with a top engagement priority for the University, which was to respond to challenges in our regions and beyond.
“As the University for our region, any opportunity to help our community respond to the challenges brought about by COVID-19 is a high priority for us. The University of Newcastle is one of the top 200 universities in the world, so this is a great opportunity for businesses to access free world-class education to help support their recovery.”
Amanda Saunders, Novaskill’s General Manager, said the organisation was ready to help support local businesses as part of City of Newcastle’s package.
“It’s important for providers like Novaskill, who are specialist at responding to small business training needs, to be ready and able to support our community through such difficult times,” Ms Saunders said.
“By offering Newcastle business owners and their staff meaningful development opportunities for the future, we are creating ways to keep everyone engaged and prepared for navigating the ‘new normal’ we are all now facing.”
More information, including instructions on how to register interest in the training, can also be found on the City of Newcastle website www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au.

An investigation is underway following a suspicious house fire in the state’s Hunter region this morning.
About 3.30am (Thursday 9 July 2020), emergency services were called to a house on Hart Road, Loxford, following reports of a fire.
Fire and Rescue NSW attended and extinguished the blaze.
The house was vacant at the time and no injuries were reported.
Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Initial investigations suggest the fire may have been deliberately lit.
Investigators are appealing for anyone with information to contact police.

MEETING OF THE CITY TASKFORCE
The City Taskforce, a collaboration of 17 leading organisations and employers, chaired by Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes City of Newcastle, held its fifth meeting today via Zoom. The Taskforce was formed to develop a collaborative approach to the City’s response to COVID-19, from crisis to recovery and beyond. City leaders focused their discussion on the second edition of The Newcastle Response, highlighting significant impacts to the tourism sector, as well as commercial rental vacancies across the city and eroded business confidence in the context of further job losses and economic impacts as a result of COVID-19.
The Newcastle Response – Tourism Sector 
City leaders endorsed the second Newcastle Response, which provides local insights on one of the industries hardest hit by COVID-19: tourism. Developed in collaboration with representatives of Newcastle Airport and Alloggio, and supported unanimously today by the City Taskforce, the document recognises the valuable contribution the tourism sector makes to the city’s vibrancy and its role in sustaining local jobs. It calls upon State and Federal decision-makers to:

• Support an interstate destination marketing campaign for Greater Newcastle, as submitted by Newcastle Airport and partners in June 2020.
• List Newcastle as a destination independent of the North Coast on Destination NSW’s websites.
• Make available additional tourism product development training from Destination NSW, and pilot new training through the NSW First Program in Newcastle in 2020/21.
• Advocate for the reversal of about 200 Hunter Jetstar job losses, including 112 stemming from the closure of Newcastle’s Jetstar maintenance base.

The Taskforce also recognised the need for JobKeeper to be extended or alternative targeted support measures to be introduced for tourism businesses and other sectors that are “on ice”. Despite some restrictions easing, discretionary spending is down 58% at pubs and venues and 34% on travel compared to baseline levels. Among those travel and accommodation services suffering the biggest downturn are those that derive their revenue from regional, interstate and international travellers due to ongoing border closures.
Commercial rental vacancies erode business confidence 
The Taskforce heard how commercial rental vacancies across Newcastle had significantly increased from February to June, changing the city’s streetscape and eroding business confidence – an issue not localised to Newcastle, but which can be seen around the world as a result of COVID-19.
City leaders raised the concept of applying the Renew Newcastle model more broadly to redevelop and revitalise commercial precincts and the city’s overall amenity in parallel with discussions with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment around zoning and the night-time economy. Leaders agreed to workshop this further with key members of the City Taskforce, including the Hunter Business Chamber, Colliers International, Alloggio and Independent Creative Alliance Newcastle.
The Newcastle Response – Tourism Sector also advocates for the extension of the Retail and Other Commercial Leases (COVID-19) Regulation 2020.
City Taskforce work streams update 
City of Newcastle received $4.2 million in applications to its Industry Response Program, offering targeted grants to businesses, groups and organisations representing those industries hardest hit by COVID-19. A funding pool of $500,000 was made available by the City of Newcastle, with the successful applicants from a wide cross-section of the community – including live music, small business, tourism and the arts – to be announced in the coming weeks.
Engagement with the local evidence base working group continues to provide valuable, granular insights specific to the region, with representatives from the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health, Regional NSW, NIB and the City of Newcastle in the areas of research, innovation and data science.
The region’s youth unemployment rate remains a concern, affecting more than one in four young people. The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to have a generational impact on this cohort in terms of skills and employment gaps. This City Taskforce work stream has seen the establishment of a working group with representatives of Hunter Young Professionals, Youth Council, Hunter Regional Employment Facilitator, Community Disability Alliance Hunter and the arts and tourism sectors. Together they will look at creative ways of tackling the youth unemployment challenge.
Vale Matthew Morris, former Charlestown MP 
Taskforce members acknowledged the passing of former State Member for Charlestown, Matthew Morris, who sadly died of brain cancer. Mr Morris, 51, served two terms as the Member for Charlestown, elected in 2003 and again in 2007, and while he was a private person after he left office, his contribution to the community is his legacy.