Category: Newcastle News

City of Newcastle is inviting the community to identify the barriers to social inclusion as it develops a new Social Strategy that will provide the foundations for a range of planning decisions to make Newcastle a more liveable and inclusive community.
Over the next three-months, the City will host community engagement activities such as workshops, community events, festivals and forums to ensure Novocastrians have multiple opportunities to share their voices and help shape the new Strategy.
The new Strategy will outline a vision and guiding principles for an inclusive Newcastle along with the role that City of Newcastle and its partners can take to lead and empower connected and liveable communities, with emphasis on vulnerable community members.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle is committed to making the city a more liveable and inclusive community for all Novocastrians to thrive in, by increasing social inclusion and creating more opportunities for community connection.
“As the region grows, challenges such as affordable housing, youth unemployment, and an ageing population emerging, we want to make sure that everyone feels able to grow with it and are acknowledged as integral members of our vibrant community. An inclusive community reduces the social and economic cost of mental health and wellbeing as well as being an important determinant of better educational outcomes for our children,” Cr Nelmes said.
“City of Newcastle values the contributions made by all people and believes that diversity strengthens the city. Through targeted services, programs and facilities we can provide all Novocastrians with equal opportunities to reach their full potential and take an active part in our community to the betterment of the city.”
Newcastle Councillor Carol Duncan said the new Social Strategy is about treating all people with respect.
“Newcastle has changed a lot over the years and continues to undergo significant change and growth. Today, our city is more diverse than ever, with people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, beliefs, socio-economic status, gender and sexual orientation, and disabilities,” Cr Duncan said.
“The City recognises the dignity and worth of all people by treating communities fairly and equitably. The new Social Strategy will outline a framework for treating all Novocastrians with respect, to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage amongst our community.
“Hearing from a diverse cross-section of our community is critical to ensuring the Social Strategy reflects everyone, so the planning decisions we make support all Novocastrians. “Individually, we may be very different but, together, we can all call Newcastle home.”
Visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/yoursay until August 2021.

Newcastle Museum has beaten some of the most prestigious cultural institutions across the country to earn the industry’s highest national accolade, the National MAGNA.
The innovative social history exhibition, 1X4, which was curated from Newcastle Museum’s own extensive collection, was named the overall winner at the 2021 Museums and Galleries National Awards (MAGNA) held in Canberra last night.

The City of Newcastle facility initially took out the Temporary or Travelling Exhibition Level 1 (for project budgets under $20,000) before being selected as the most impressive entry overall from 42 finalists shortlisted across the 16 categories. Newcastle Art Gallery’s On Stillness exhibition was also highly commended by judges in the Temporary or Travelling Exhibition Level 1.
The Museum’s award followed an announcement earlier in the day that its Director, Julie Baird, had been selected as the Vice President of the National Council for the Australian Museums and Galleries Association Incorporated (AMaGA).
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said it was a great honour for Newcastle Museum to become the first regional, Local Government-run museum to win the national award in its own right.
“Newcastle Museum is on the cutting edge of contemporary museum practice, creating insightful and immersive ways to interpret and preserve our city’s fascinating history,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Museum Director Julie Baird and the City of Newcastle staff involved in this exhibition should feel proud of their achievements, which saw them beat renowned institutions including the National Museum of Australia, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the Australian National Maritime Museum, whose exhibitions had budgets in excess of half a million dollars each.
“This is one of the most significant cultural awards Newcastle has ever won and is testimony to the skill and creativity of Julie and her City of Newcastle colleagues.
“Julie’s appointment as Vice President of the national council also reflects her expertise, innovative leadership and years of dedication to the Australian galleries, libraries, archives, and museums sector. It acknowledges the importance of Local Government funded museums in the cultural landscape.”
Ms Baird said Newcastle Museum’s exhibition was a massive team effort, conceived and created locally in less than a year amongst the uncertainty of COVID-19. Designed as a travelling exhibition, it is now going on tour, with Randwick City Council’s La Perouse Museum as its first stop in September.
“1X4 is an innovative, collection-rich, social history exhibition and website exploring the multiplicity of narratives each object can tell,” Ms Baird said.
“It has attracted widespread interest, with three museums already adding it to their touring exhibition program and requests for it through until 2023, while major UK institution The Victoria & Albert Museum tweeted about the innovation of the exhibition and local government-funded museums in Canada have been in contact and are interested in creating their own version of the 1X4 concept.
“It was a fantastic effort by all those involved in its creation, and we are so proud and shocked to have been acknowledged with the National MAGNA award.”
Newcastle Museum completed a clean sweep in Canberra last night after the 1X4 website also won the Program Website – Level A award at the Museums Australasia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards 2021, which celebrate excellence and quality in design of publications and multimedia produced for the museums sector.

Sourdough making classes, quirky art workshops and sight-seeing bike rides with a twist will be served up to tourists as part of a push to expand Newcastle’s tourism experiences.
Fifteen Newcastle businesses have been supported by City of Newcastle to develop and promote new products and experiences to a wider market under its Product Mentoring Development Program.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said increasing the number of bespoke bookable experiences in Newcastle is one of the priority initiatives under the City’s Destination Management Plan.
“Consultation with industry and experts during the development of our Destination Management Plan identified that Newcastle was lacking bookable tourism products and experiences, which are vital to sustaining and growing Newcastle’s visitor economy,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Our Product Development Mentoring Program provided 15 local businesses with training and business to business mentoring on how to develop tourism products that leveraged Newcastle’s unique offering in a way that would appeal to visitors from outside the region and abroad.
“The results have been fantastic, with new tourism products including the launch of a new business called Newy Rides. Other beneficiaries such as Baked Uprising and Mitch Revs Gallery explored new opportunities in the tourism market to enhance their core offerings. Urban Hum refined their tourism experience while other businesses have expanded their operations, employed new staff and relaunched products, which were put on hold by COVID-19.
“City of Newcastle has contributed $150,000 to these 15 local businesses to help them better prepare to meet visitor demands now and in the future.”
Cr Nelmes said program facilitators, Sparrowly Group, will provide another 10 businesses with training with funding from City of Newcastle’s NewSkills Program.
“Investing in the tourism industry is about building a thriving, diverse and robust economy, while also helping to reposition Newcastle as a premier tourism destination with focuses on events, experiences, natural assets and cultural heritage,” Cr Nelmes said.
The 15 participants in the initial program are:

• Baked Uprising
• Blackbutt Reserve
• Christ Church Cathedral
• CoastXP
• Earp Distilling Co
• Mitch Revs Gallery
• Newcastle Afoot
• Newcastle Backroad Tours
• Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club
• Newcastle Ghost Tours
• Newy Rides
• Nova Cruises
• The Lock-Up
• Underground Epicureans
• Urban Hum.

Kyle Liston from Baked Uprising said the program provided an invaluable insight into the opportunities available from the visitor economy as a non-traditional tourism operator.
“We’d never really thought of ourselves in the tourism market before, but this program allowed us to broaden our focus to think about the business in a different way,” Kyle said.
“Food tourism is a growing market in Newcastle’s offering as a destination. The program gave us the knowledge and confidence to develop a range of new experiences to be introduced in the future, from sourdough making workshops to intimate interactive experiences, showcasing Newcastle’s heart and soul as a city of makers, which in turn will encourage our customers to not only come back but bring their friends and visitors with them.”
To find out more, City of Newcastle have produced a two-minute video of the Product Development Mentoring Program.

A former Bunnings warehouse in Lake Macquarie will be transformed into the NSW Government’s second mass vaccination centre, further boosting the vaccine rollout across the state.
The mass vaccination centre will be located at 393 Pacific Hwy, Belmont with around 150 people to work on converting the site over six weeks.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the centre would have the capacity to administer up to 20,000 vaccines per week and is expected to open in mid-July.
“Our mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park has been a huge success, vaccinating more than 5,000 people a day already,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We are planning to replicate that model in the Hunter region, so we can quickly and safely vaccinate as many people as possible across NSW.”
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the centre would employ up to 100 nurses, 25 pharmacists or pharmacy technicians plus around 200 other support staff.
“The Newcastle community and indeed everyone across the Hunter New England Local Health District has been outstanding in presenting for COVID testing to help keep their loved ones safe,” Mr Hazzard said.
“More than half a million people to date have fronted for testing, so I am confident the community will register online to get vaccinated at this new centre, or with their GP, and encourage others to do the same.”
Michael DiRienzo, Chief Executive, Hunter New England Local Health District said he was delighted to host the state’s second mass vaccination centre in the Hunter.
“I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of our staff, and all the contractors, who are helping us to deliver this vaccination centre,” Mr DiRienzo said.
“It is no small task to transform an empty warehouse into a vaccination centre capable of inoculating thousands every day. It’s a great service you’re doing for our community.”
The Centre will administer both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine, with bookings required.

City of Newcastle has engaged specialists to carry out an updated flood study of the Throsby, Styx, and Cottage Creek catchments, to enhance current floodplain management and mitigate future flood risks.
The aim of early engagement is to inform the community of the study, identify concerns, and to build on the existing depth of knowledge about flooding in Newcastle by talking to flood affected residents, businesses, and community groups.
Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said City of Newcastle is committed to building flood resilient communities for current and future generations and encourages the community to share their personal experiences of flooding in their local area.
“The Newcastle community has experienced the impact and extent of flooding across the Local Government Area, and it is important that flood intelligence from the community is captured and included within the study,” Cr Clausen said.
“The results of the flood study will inform the Flood Risk Management Plans and improve the quality of City of Newcastle’s flood risk planning.”
“Residents, businesses, and wider community groups are urged to share their personal experiences of flooding in their local area, to deliver the best possible outcomes from the study and to enable smart floodplain management.”
The Throsby, Styx, and Cottage Creek catchments cover an area of 51 km² across the eastern half of Newcastle’s Local Government Area, generally characterised as land east of John Hunter Hospital.
“The flood study aims to define the extent, depth, velocity and flood hazard in the Throsby, Styx and Cottage Creek floodplains,” Cr Clausen said.
“These areas have a long history of flooding and are being investigated as a combined flood study. These catchments are steep around their perimeter, but drain to low-lying, flat areas, where it is difficult for floodwaters to escape.
“These catchments all drain to Newcastle Harbour leaving them prone to inundation during east coast lows when heavy rainfall combines with elevated ocean levels.
“Updating the Throsby, Styx and Cottage Creek Flood Study is the first step in updating the Flood Risk Management planning for these catchments.”
City of Newcastle has received grant funding support from the Department of Primary Industry and Environment to complete the updated Throsby, Styx, and Cottage Creek Flood Study.
Visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/yoursay by 5pm Friday 2 July 2021 to have your say.

City of Newcastle has been recognised with two major awards at the New South Wales Local Government Awards in Sydney on Thursday evening.
The City’s COVID-19 Community and Economic Resilience Package, as well as its Community and Civic Hub, which includes the Digital Library, Council Chambers and Customer Service Centre, won first place in their respective categories.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the two awards were testament to the City’s leadership and staff’s unwavering commitment to serve and support the Newcastle community.
“The awards are an outstanding achievement and recognise City of Newcastle’s innovation and culture of continuous improvement,” Cr Nelmes said.
“City of Newcastle is leading the way with its digital transformation and ability to provide support to the community.
“The City Administration Centre’s flexible ground floor layout is a brilliant space to learn and master new digital technologies that are now available free to everyone.
“With state-of-the-art technology, the space has been designed to optimise the customer experience. Visitors flow seamlessly between Customer Service and the Digital Library and on most Tuesday nights, the space transforms into the Council Chamber. The new digitally connected Chamber has allowed the elected council to meet in hybrid formats (remotely and in-person) thanks to the new technology.
“The project has transformed the way these elements operate in a co-located environment.
“Whether people need to enquire about a DA, speak with a Customer Service representative or access the many hundreds of thousands of items in the City’s e-Library catalogue, the City Administration Centre offers a seamless experience for the community to get the most out of a visit.
“We are extremely pleased our city boasts the most digitally-advanced library in NSW for learning, whether it be for children or adults.
“I am equally proud that City of Newcastle’s Community and Economic Resilience Package was acknowledged for helping locals through the unprecedented impacts of the pandemic, especially our most vulnerable and at-risk community members.
“Among the first governments at any level to develop and activate a comprehensive plan for social and economic support, the City’s package has been acknowledged for its targeted and swift response to the needs of the community.
“Working with government and local partners, the $5.5 million response package delivered support across targeted programs at a time when it was needed most. The response included financial relief, business and community support, free online training packages and community grant programs.”
“The City’s support for small and media enterprises has been highlighted as national best practice and a model for all local governments.”

City of Newcastle is inviting interested community members to join a working group to help with the development of the City’s Coastal Management Programs.
The group will help shape plans to enhance Newcastle’s dynamic and constantly changing coastal environment which is precious to its community and those who visit.
A Coastal Management Program (CMP) is a long-term strategy that sets a coordinated and adaptive approach to the management of coastal hazards such as beach erosion, shoreline recession and coastal inundation.
City of Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen encouraged people with an interest in ensuring the coastline and estuaries are managed and protected for future generations to submit an expression of interest to join.
“We’re looking for a broad group of people who are already engaged with our beaches and coastline to help to develop ways to ensure we enjoy these natural assets for years to come,” Cr Clausen said.
“Our coastline is loved by many people and in many ways and it forms a significant part of Newcastle’s identity as a liveable and sustainable global city.
“Newcastle is fortunate to boast some of the best beaches in the world and a spectacular coastline that provides countless benefits to both our local economy and our way of life.
“Our coastal management programs include long-term actions to help ensure we can manage these important areas, particularly in light of a predicted increase in coastal hazards.
“The objective of the Newcastle CMP Working Group is to provide strategic guidance on the preparation, certification and the review of Newcastle and Stockton Coastal Management Programs which are underway.
The first meeting of the Newcastle CMP Working Group will be held next month.
The formation of the working group follows the Love Our Coast Survey, which explored what the community values most about the city’s beaches and coastline.
Community members who are keen to be involved in the future management of Newcastle’s coastline and estuaries are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest before 19 June 2021.

The community has joined with City of Newcastle in celebration of World Environment Day by planting 5,500 native grasses, groundcovers, shrubs and trees in Jesmond this week to restore Newcastle’s urban ecosystems.
The 2021 United Nations World Environment Day’s theme of ‘Ecosystem Restoration’ has been acknowledged with community activities planned to enhance Newcastle’s urban forest.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said connecting with local school students and residents to plant a tree and learn about nature was a special way to mark the global event.
“Locals have volunteered their time and effort to create a pocket of habitat for local birds and other wildlife in Maclure Reserve, which demonstrates the value people place on greener public spaces,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Green spaces make our city ecologically richer, and a more beautiful and pleasant place to live.
“The City plants more than 300,000 tube stock each year, which makes a big contribution to restoring Newcastle’s diverse natural ecosystems.
“City of Newcastle has invested more than $1.3 million in caring for and restoring Newcastle’s bushland, creeks, wetlands, coast and estuary ecosystems so far this year and has committed $1.5 million in next year’s budget.
“Over the last four years City of Newcastle has invested $6 million in caring for our bushland, watercourse and wetland assets through design and delivery of on-ground habitat restoration works.
“In addition, the City invested $4.2 million in the street and park tree replacement planting program.
“The City cares for a wonderful array of natural ecosystems including 79 kilometres of creeks, 506 hectares of bushland, 65 wetlands, nine coastal rock platforms, 19 hectares of sand dunes along our 10 beaches, and over 90,000 street and park trees.
“These natural assets not only sustain our local biodiversity but also keep our city cool, absorb and store carbon, provide food and shelter for native wildlife, and keep our air and water clean.
“The greening of our urban landscape, by restoring urban forest areas, watercourses or wetlands has a positive impact on Newcastle and improves our community sense of wellbeing. It’s a win-win for the city.”
The urban forest planting events are another example of the City’s commitment to becoming an International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) City with Nature, recognising and enhancing the value of our natural surrounds, as well as our efforts to be a global local government leader in sustainability.
The Greater Bank partnered with City of Newcastle by donating new trees as part of its community tree planting program, which will see 20,000 additional trees established throughout Newcastle.
More community planting events are planned this month. Visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/living for more information.

An investigation is underway after two buildings were destroyed by fire in the Hunter Valley overnight.
About 10.20pm yesterday (Friday 4 June 2021), emergency services responded to reports of a fire on a property in Morpeth Road, Morpeth.
Officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and established a crime scene; the blaze was extinguished by NSW Fire and Rescue.
Two buildings on the property were destroyed in the fire, while another was badly damaged.
All buildings were unoccupied at the time.
At this stage the cause of the fire is unknown; however, it is being treated as suspicious.
As investigations continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Port Stephens-Hunter Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.