Category: Newcastle News

Five people have been charged with more than 80 offences following investigations into multiple rural crime-related incidents in the state’s Hunter Region earlier this year.

During March and April 2022, multiple illegal hunting and malicious damage offences were reported to police in Hunter Valley Police District.

Investigators from the Rural Crime Prevention Team commenced an investigation and were assisted by NSW DPI Hunting.

Following inquiries, officers attached to the Rural Crime Prevention Team in Hunter Valley Police District to date have issued five future court attendance notices.

Three men – two aged 23 and one 29 – and a 17-year-old boy, have been charged with a total of 81 offences relating to alleged trespass and hunting offences.

Charges include enter agricultural land with hunting dog – aggravated, enter private land to hunt animal without owner consent, and destroy or damage property-related offences.

The 17-year-old boy will appear at a children’s court today (Wednesday 28 September 2022).

The 23-year-old man will appear at Singleton Local Court tomorrow (Thursday 29 September 2022).

The second 23-year-old man will appear at Muswellbrook Local Court on Tuesday 18 October 2022.

The 29-year-old man will appear at Scone Local Court on Wednesday 16 November 2022.

A 25-year-old woman has also been issued a future court attendance notice for two counts of owner not disclose identity of driver/passenger. She will appear at Singleton Local Court on Wednesday 9 November 2022.

A streamlined solution set to slash determination times for low-impact, decision-ready development applications will be considered by Councillors at tonight’s Ordinary Council Meeting following a three-month trial.

City of Newcastle (CN) has developed an Accelerated Development Application (DA) pathway for applicants, which starts with an online triaging tool to assess developments against eligibility criteria. Suitable applications are then fast-tracked and determined within five to 15 days.

Ninety six low-risk DAs were determined during the three-month trial with an average processing time of just 5.8 days, which reduced CN’s overall processing times by 25 per cent from 50 days to 37 days.

More than 1,650 applications were determined by City of Newcastle during the past 12 months. Over 30 per cent of these would have been suitable to be determined under the Accelerated DA pathway.

Eligible developments that are deemed low-risk and do not require a notification period can include residential and ancillary developments, demolition, secondary dwellings, change of use, torrens and strata title subdivisions, signage, modifications and industrial and commercial developments.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the service was a game-changer for processing times and congratulated City of Newcastle’s Planning team for their ingenuity and commitment to streamlining the development application pathway for applicants.

“Newcastle is in the midst of a development boom. Significant levels of residential and commercial development continue to unfold right across our city and there are no signs of this slowing anytime soon,” Cr Nelmes said.

“City of Newcastle’s Accelerated DA pathway presents an innovative approach to facilitating timely development outcomes, with some of the onus on the applicant to provide a quality submission that reduces the double-handling of information and speeds up the process.

“City of Newcastle’s fast, streamlined development pathway will ensure our city is a more attractive place to invest in bricks and mortar compared to other locations.”

CN’s Planning and Environment Executive Director Michelle Bisson said applicants can still expect the same standard of professional review for each application seen by the CN assessment team.

“By identifying low-impact applications for CN’s Accelerated DA pathway, simple applications won’t get slowed down by more complex DAs that our team are assessing,” Ms Bisson said.

“Our customers can get on with building their developments much faster this way and our assessors can process significantly more applications with greater efficiency.

“It is hoped the process is supported by the elected Council tonight and potentially gain interest state-wide.”

Following is a summary of resolutions from the Ordinary Council meeting of Tuesday 27 September 2022. NB: it is not a full record of resolutions.

Lord Mayoral Minutes

Honouring the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A Lord Mayoral Minute (LMM) was unanimously supported that acknowledged the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, and honoured Her Majesty’s service to the Commonwealth as the longest serving British monarch.

The LMM acknowledged City of Newcastle’s connection with the throne, following approval in 1947 by King George VI of its elevation to Lord Mayor, the first Australian non-capital city to receive the honour. In addition, the LMM noted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the City of Newcastle on four occasions, in 1954, 1970, 1977 and 1988.

Council supported writing to King Charles III expressing sincere condolences on behalf of the community of Newcastle and to congratulate him on his ascension to the throne.

NRLW Lord Mayoral Challenge
A Lord Mayoral Minute (LMM) was unanimously supported that congratulated the Newcastle Knights Women’s NRL team for progressing to the Grand Final on Sunday 2 October and wishes them the best of luck as they take on the Parramatta Eels.

Council supported hosting a celebratory Civic Reception for the Newcastle Knights NRLW Team at City Hall and accepts the challenge from Cr Donna Davis, Lord Mayor of the City of Parramatta to wear the winning NRL team’s jersey in the Council Chambers at the next Ordinary Council Meeting following the NRLW match.

Ordinary business

Public Exhibition of Our Sustainable Waste Strategy
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Our Sustainable Waste Strategy – Strategic Framework, White Paper and Delivery Plan on public exhibition for 42 days.

Public Exhibition of the draft Harbour Foreshore Masterplan
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Harbour Foreshore Masterplan on public exhibition for a period of four weeks.

Accelerated Development Application System
Council unanimously voted to endorse the Accelerated Development Application System.

Adoption of amendments to the Newcastle Development Control Plan (DCP) 2012
Council voted to adopt amendments to Section 4.02 Bush Fire Protection, Section 4.03 Mine Subsidence, Section 4.04 Safety and Security and Section 7.03 Traffic, Parking and Access of Newcastle DCP. The amendments will become operational from 1 November 2022.

Public Exhibition of draft Planning Agreement for 10 Dangar Street, Wickham
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Planning Agreement and Explanatory Note for 10 Dangar Street, Wickham on public exhibition for 28 days.

Public Exhibition of draft Local Social Strategy
Council voted to place the draft Local Social Strategy 2030 on public exhibition for a minimum of 28 days.

Public Exhibition of the draft Social Infrastructure Strategy
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Social Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2026 on public exhibition for a minimum 28 days.

Wilkinson Avenue, Birmingham Gardens – raised pedestrian crossing between Blue Gum Road and King Street
Council unanimously voted to approve the installation of a raised pedestrian crossing with kerb extensions and associated footpath connections on Wilkinson Avenue Birmingham Gardens.

Newcastle Light Rail – Transport Asset Holding Entity land transfer to City of Newcastle
Council voted to approve the transfer of four parcels of land in Hunter, Scott and Merewether Streets, from Transport Asset Holding Entity, allowing for the land to be dedicated as public road.

In addition, Council granted authority to the Chief Executive Officer or his delegate to execute all relevant documentation to affect the transaction.

Executive Monthly Performance Report
Council received the Executive Monthly Performance Report for August 2022.

Hunter And Central Coast Regional Planning Panel Alternative Memberships
Council unanimously voted to authorise City of Newcastle’s CEO in consultation with the Lord Mayor and Councillor representatives to the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel (HCCRPP) to determine staff or independent alternative representatives to the HCCRPP when Councillor appointed representatives or alternative representatives have declared a conflict of interest or conflict of duties or where they are otherwise unavailable to represent CN on the HCCRPP.

Notices of Motion

Residential EV charging
Councillors supported a notice of motion that noted the rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) ownership in Australia and noted that the NSW and Commonwealth Governments have announced electric vehicle strategies to increase EV ownership.

The motion also notes that a number of Australian local councils are developing strategies to enable at-home charging for properties without off-street parking and that some of these initiatives are being funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to trial EV charging points on power poles.

Council supported an action to develop an EV policy framework for Newcastle to include within the upcoming Environment Strategy.

EV charging – Adamstown Local Centre
Councillors supported a notice of motion that noted the rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) ownership in Australia and reiterated Council’s commitment to the upgrade of the Adamstown Local Centre at Brunker Road within CN’s popular local centre upgrade program.

Council supported requesting that public EV charging infrastructure be included as part of the Adamstown Local Centre future upgrade.

Recognition of carers and national carers week
Councillors supported a notice of motion that acknowledged the important role that carers play in our local community and supports the greater recognition and community inclusion of carers in the lead up to National Carers Week (16 to 22 October 2022).

Councillors supported writing to the NSW Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Services, the Hon. Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC, and the Shadow Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington MP, calling upon the NSW Government to include local government in the next Action Plan (2023-2025) by consulting with Local Government NSW and local councils to develop actions and measurable outcomes aligned to the priorities of the NSW Carers Strategy.

Councillors also supported writing to the Federal Minister for Social Services, the Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP, and the Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon MP, advising of the City’s support for action by the Federal Government.

Fossil fuel ad ban
Councillors supported the director’s recommendation.

Newcastle’s premier No. 2 Sportsground has been short-listed as a dedicated team base camp training site during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

More than 30 nations will be travelling to Australia and New Zealand for the month-long tournament kicking off on 19 July through to 20 August 2023, and Newcastle’s No. 2 Sportsground could become a home-away-from-home for one of the teams.

For the first time in FIFA Women’s World Cup history, 35 short-listed team base camp options are available for selection by Participating Member Associations to be used as a dedicated training site during the competition for their entire delegation.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Newcastle has cemented its reputation as a major sporting and events host destination and would jump at the chance to welcome a FIFA Women’s World Cup team.

“City of Newcastle is committed to elevating women in sport and we are excited at the prospect of welcoming some of the world’s best female footballers to Newcastle in their preparation for a month of elite and exciting international competition,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Newcastle’s No. 2 Sportsground is a world-class facility, home to the A-league Womens’ Jets and regularly welcomes elite-level sporting fixtures like the USA national soccer team who trained on the grounds in preparation for their games against the Matildas last year.

“In 2019, No. 2 Sportsground also played host to a women’s international rugby game between the Wallaroos and Japan.

“As the world’s biggest women’s sporting event, it is expected that more than one billion people across the world will tune in to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, and City of Newcastle would be thrilled to welcome one of the teams for their preparations.

“Hosting a team would provide an invaluable opportunity to showcase Newcastle’s broader attractions to players and their large support contingent whilst offering invaluable flow-on effects for the city’s local economy.

“In the event that Newcastle is selected by FIFA as a team base camp, City of Newcastle will work closely with impacted user groups.”

FIFA are expected to confirm team base camps by 15 December 2022.

Summerhill Waste Management Centre will be transformed into an innovative regional recovery hub under a 20-year vision to reduce waste, increase recycling rates, strengthen the economy and create new jobs in Newcastle.

The vision has been outlined in City of Newcastle’s (CN) draft Our Sustainable Waste Strategy, which will be tabled at tomorrow’s Council meeting ahead of a proposed six-week public exhibition period.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said developing a sustainable solution for waste was crucial for the future of our planet, our people and our prosperity, while also ensuring we’re able to manage the waste generation associated with ongoing population growth.

“During the next 20 years, Newcastle’s population is expected to grow by more than 15 per cent, which in turn will lead to an increase of almost 18 per cent in waste generation,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Our Sustainable Waste Strategy focusses on reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and changing the way we return, reuse, repair and recycle resources.

“Our draft Strategy will deliver significant benefits to the planet by preserving our finite resources and reducing emissions, while also protecting and creating new jobs in Newcastle and unlocking economic opportunities for local businesses and industry through the circular economy.”

“This is an important milestone for City of Newcastle in our journey to reduce our emissions, protect our environment and implement our commitments to sustainability under our adopted Climate Action Plan and Community Strategic Plan.”

Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the Strategy proposes a mix of infrastructure and service provision supported by educational campaigns and includes construction of the planned material recovery facility and organics processing facility at Summerhill.

“We’re committed to increasing our capabilities for the recycling and reuse of products in order to meet the State and Federal targets of diverting 80% of recycling and 50% of food waste from landfill,” Cr Clausen said.

“This includes investing in the infrastructure needed at Summerhill to allow residents to easily increase their recycling rates, with a recent kerbside waste audit showing that more than half of the waste in our red-lidded bins has the potential to be recovered in an organics processing facility, which can then be processed into compost for reuse in agriculture, landscaping and home gardens.

“By capturing more of the value from more of our waste, we’re localising a new resource steam, which may have significant benefits to local businesses and industry, kick-starting a local circular economy.

Pending approval from Councillors at tomorrow night’s meeting, the draft Our Sustainable Waste Strategy will be placed on public exhibition for six weeks before returning to Council later this year for adoption.

A mesmerising mass dance performance at Civic Theatre will provide a spectacular start to City of Newcastle’s flagship cultural festival when New Annual officially kicks off today.

Promising 10 days of unforgettable performances across the city centre from 23 September until 2 October, New Annual will allow locals and visitors to discover a different side of Newcastle through an immersive program of dance, music, theatre, visual arts and Indigenous workshops.

As part of the New Annual festival, City of Newcastle has also brought the multi-sensory experience of Van Gogh Alive to Newcastle’s premier major events space, Foreshore Park. As a major installation, Van Gogh Alive will extend beyond the New Annual festival, running to 23 October 2022.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said she was thrilled to see 12 months of preparation come to fruition today ahead of a packed schedule of events.

“Months of planning and hard work have culminated in a dynamic event that has broad appeal, attracting new audiences to the wealth of talent that exists within our thriving arts and cultural scene while also providing a platform for national artists to showcase their work in the city,” Cr Nelmes said.

“There is so much to see and do throughout the city during the 10-day festival period, including a busy program at the purpose-built Civic Park Stage, which acts as the festival hub for the duration of the event and will showcase everything from art-making workshops and dance performances to the National Young Writers Festival and Future Innovators Summit.

“The Civic Theatre will also play host to a myriad of shows throughout the festival, including the incredible spectacle of COLOSSUS, which makes its Newcastle debut tonight and features a cast of 50 dancers performing as one in a hypnotic display created by internationally renowned Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake.

“As with our inaugural New Annual, this year’s festival has a strong First Nations program that reflects our rich Indigenous heritage, with the Pavilion of Sand installation providing a base for indigenous cultural expression in Wheeler Place while the landmark musical showcase This Land celebrates the sound, soul, and spirit of the many nations in this country through an incredible line-up of First Nations artists curated by Jacob Ridgeway.

“With its mix of free, ticketed and family-friendly events, New Annual will allow everyone to experience the fun, festival atmosphere of our flagship event and I can’t wait to see everything it has in store for us.”

With the Civic precinct at its heart, New Annual will extend across the city to bring a diverse range of locations to life, including iconic sites such as Fort Scratchley, Civic Theatre and The Station, which will become temporary film sets as part of RADIAL, a collaboration between Civic Theatre, Tantrum Youth Arts’ Accelerate Ensemble and the internationally acclaimed Back to Back Theatre.

New Annual will also provide plenty of opportunities for the community to get involved in the action, including workshops by family-friendly favourites Curious Legends that invite festival-goers of all ages to help create a large-scale giant illuminated puppet, culminating in a community celebration on the last day of the festival.

Cr Nelmes said New Annual would provide an important economic boost across the arts, hospitality, and tourism sectors, while also celebrating and showcasing our creative city and was made possible with the support of presenting partners University of Newcastle and Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation, major partner Newcastle Airport and supporting partners Crystalbrook Kingsley, Foghorn Brewery, Equip Multimedia, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Newcastle and Newcastle Transport.

To check out the full New Annual program, purchase tickets or keep up-to-date with the latest information including wet weather cancellations, visit www.newannual.com

City of Newcastle (CN) will bring together 100 people of all walks of life to help shape how the community’s voice can best be heard to guide the city’s future.

‘Your Newcastle, Your Voice’ is a public workshop to be held at Wallsend Library on 15 October as an initiative to inform CN’s new four-year Community Engagement Strategy.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said CN’s approach to engagement was based on inclusiveness, transparency, and responsiveness and the new strategy would build on this to ensure all Novocastrians feel a part of the Council decision making process.

“By involving the community in shaping our community engagement strategy, CN will better understand how the community want to be engaged but also if there are barriers to participating in providing feedback that will help us adapt our approach,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We are committed to genuine consultation beyond any statutory requirements because we recognise the immense value of engaging early with the community to achieve better planning outcomes.”

Earlier this year, CN released its Community Strategic Plan, Newcastle 2040, which was developed based on the input of 4,500 people from a broad representation of the community who shared their aspirations and priorities for Newcastle’s future.

“Whether developing key strategies like Newcastle 2040, or major projects like Newcastle Ocean Baths upgrade, we achieve better outcomes with the community actively engaging in decision-making,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We want all members of our community to have the opportunity to shape the future of this city and through the ‘Your Newcastle, Your Voice’ workshop we will hear directly from the community about the best ways to achieve this.”

Using a series of past project case studies, the ‘Your Newcastle, Your Voice’ workshop will seek feedback from community participants on what has been effective and where CN can improve engagement with the community.

The ‘Your Newcastle, Your Voice’ community workshop will be held on Saturday 15 October from 10am to 1pm at Wallsend Library. The community can express their interest to participate in the workshop via City of Newcastle’s website.

A century-old bridge over Cottage Creek in Newcastle West is set for renewal, with City of Newcastle seeking to engage a consultant to progress the design for a replacement structure.

Hidden on Hunter Street, between Bellevue Street and Steel Street, the bridge plays a critical role in traffic movement in and out of the CBD.

City of Newcastle has been inspecting and assessing the condition of the bridge on a regular basis as part of its Asset Maintenance Program.

Interim Director of Infrastructure and Property Joanne Rigby said replacing the historic bridge is on the agenda for delivery in the coming years.

“We are currently looking at options for the replacement of the bridge, so we can deliver a solution that is fit for purpose into the future within this busy section of Hunter Street,” Ms Rigby said.

“There has been a lot of change in this area in the last decade and as our city continues to evolve, it is important that our infrastructure continues to support this.”

Early history of the bridge is unclear, with historic plans of the area showing a concrete structure was in place around the late 1880s.

In September 1900, newspapers reported the construction of a new bridge on Hunter Street spanning Cottage Creek in Newcastle West was underway.

NSW Public Works then widened the Cottage Creek stormwater channel running under the bridge and completed other improvements in 1927 to allow for the construction of shops along the Hunter Street frontage.

A tender for a detailed design consultant will be issued in the coming weeks to help develop the most suitable option for the eventual replacement of the bridge.

Industry Super Australia (ISA) analysis of 2018/19 tax file data shows 73,950 workers in the federal electorates of Hunter, Newcastle, Shortland and Paterson were short-changed on their super, those impacted lost on average $1,879 in a year.

This year the $450 threshold was removed – which means workers who earn less than that amount a month are now paid super – and the super rate increased from 10% to 10.5% of wages.  

But 29% of the region’s workers won’t get the full benefit of these changes because they are being ripped off on their entitlements. Missing out on super contributions can cost a worker up to $60,000 at retirement.   

To end the Hunter’s unpaid super scourge the government should change the law to require all employers pay super with wages.

While most employers do the right thing, some are exploiting an outdated rule that allows them to pay super quarterly, often despite what is written on the payslip. Without alignment of super and wages, workers lose track of payments and only discover they’ve been underpaid when it is too late.

Because super can be paid quarterly some small business owners also succumb to the temptation of using their employees’ super contributions for cashflow, which also leads to underpayments.

Paying super with wages would level the playing field for all employers, stopping the unfair commercial advantage exploitative bosses get by not paying their workers’ full entitlements.

The Australian Tax Office’s patchy enforcement action has only recovered a dismal 15% of unpaid super. With limited enforcement a growing chorus of organisations have backed paying super with wages to fix the problem, including industry super funds, Super Consumers Australia, employer representatives, unions, think-tanks, accounting bodies, law firms and two senate inquiries.

The Labor government’s commitment to creating enforcement targets and including super in the National Employment Standards are welcome but will not stop underpayments occurring, the only way to address the problem at its source is to mandate super is paid with wages.    

Super should also be added to the Fair Entitlements Guarantee, the government fund that pays unpaid wages after a company’s liquidation. Many businesses go bust owing substantial amounts of super to workers.  

Industry Super Australia Chief Executive Bernie Dean said:

“With super going up, and thousands of lower-paid workers finally eligible to receive it, it’s even more important for the government to make sure workers get what they are owed.” 

“There’s a growing number of organisations calling on the government to change the law to make all employers pay super to their employees when they pay wages.”

“By not mandating employers pay super with wages, politicians are effectively standing in the way of millions of workers getting money they’ve earned and undermining their future economic security.”

Table 1: Unpaid super by NSW federal electorate in the Newcastle and Hunter regions in 2018-19

Electorate	Persons	Percentage of electorate	Average underpaid	Total ($m)
Newcastle	18,650	28%	$1,995	$37.2
Shortland	18,150	31%	$2,017	$36.6
Paterson	18,800	29%	$1,871	$35.2
Hunter	18,350	29%	$1,633	$30.0
Regional total	73,950	29%	$1,879	$139.0

National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members at all University of Newcastle (UON) campuses will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday 21 September, following exhaustive efforts in Enterprise Bargaining to progress claims centred on job security, safe working conditions and fair pay.

Two weeks ago, NTEU members at the Callaghan, City, and Central Coast campuses voted overwhelmingly to escalate industrial action.

“Negotiations with UON management for have dragged on for more than a year,” said NTEU Newcastle Branch Vice-President, Associate Professor Terry Summers.  

“Our members are disappointed by a lack of movement on key issues such as safe workloads, a fair pay offer and job security. Staff are now taking action to defend the excellent higher education that we are committed to provide.”

“Last year, despite the University making a record surplus of $185 million, hundreds of colleagues were impacted by job cuts. Most staff at UON are employed casually or on short-term contracts. Job insecurity makes it harder for staff to provide the quality of education our students and our community deserve. We need protections against job cuts and improved pathways to more secure jobs.

“Because of these cuts, we have fewer staff being asked to do more with less. These staff are already overworked. This impacts quality of education and research.  We need improved leave rights and enforceable protections against overwork and unreasonable working hours to improve work-life balance.

“We also need fair pay to recognise UON’s strong financial position, productivity gains and the escalating cost of living pressures. Staff must be paid for all hours worked and have protections to stop rampant wage theft.

“Today’s action is a further expression of the NTEU’s desire to deliver fair enterprise agreements for all staff,” added Associate Professor Summers.  “Members want management to work with us to deliver new Enterprise Agreements for all staff that acknowledge our excellent work with fair working conditions.”