Newcastle News – Page 251

AUSTRALIA POST SERVICE CUTS KICK IN IN NEWCASTLE

From today, Newcastle is being hit by the largest reduction to postal services in history, with deliveries reducing from five days a week to once every two business days.
Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon slammed the changes and accused the Government and Australia Post of “using the cover of the global pandemic and dodgy figures to slash services”.
“In March, the Government and Australia Post said the situation was dire, with letter volume dropping drastically during COVID. Since then, we’ve learnt has revealed that not only is this not true, but that on the day the request for the cuts was made, letter volumes were actually four per cent above trend.
“How on earth can Australians trust the Morrison Government with our postal services when they can’t even be trusted to tell the truth about their own figures?”
Ms Claydon said Federal Labor had tried to overturn the service cuts in the Federal Parliament.
“Labor has been gravely concerned that these cuts to services would slash jobs and slow down business activity at a time when our economy is already on its knees,” Ms Claydon said.
“Labor put up a number of disallowance motions to get the cuts overturned but every time the Morrison Government used their numbers to ram them through.
“Since then, the Government has capitulated to Labor’s demands to save postie’s jobs, but these damaging cuts to local services still stand.”
Ms Claydon said she was particularly concerned about older and vulnerable Novocastrians.
“We know that older people and those on lower incomes disproportionately rely on postal services,” Ms Claydon said.
“These changes rip services away from the people who need them most.”
Ms Claydon was also highly sceptical about the Government’s claim that the changes would be ‘temporary’.
“The Morrison Government is shielding its internal Australia Post review from Freedom of Information requests and refusing to release it to the Federal Parliament,” Ms Claydon said.
“The Federal Government has demonstrated just how determined it is to dodge scrutiny about what it’s really doing. Why should we trust a word they say when they try to pretend these cuts are only temporary?”

Teens charged following alleged robbery and assaults – Hamilton

Two teenagers have been charged after an alleged robbery and assault in Hamilton yesterday.
Shortly after 4pm (Sunday 16 August 2020), two teenage boys entered a bottle shop on Beaumont Street, and approached a 28-year-old female employee.
When the employee asked the pair to leave the store, police will allege in court one of the teenagers threatened the woman before they took bottles of alcohol and fled the store.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District were called to the scene and began conducting inquiries.
About 6.30pm the same day, police will further allege the pair were inside a hotel on the same street when they were approached by a 41-year-old male employee.
The employee asked the pair to leave the venue when one of the teenagers allegedly punched him in the face and threatened him with a knife.
Several patrons intervened and the two teenagers exited the venue before allegedly becoming increasing violent towards other patrons.
Police arrived a short time later and attempted to arrest the pair.
Officers deployed OC spray before a short foot pursuit ensued and the teenagers, both aged 16, were arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station.
One of the teens was charged with two counts of common assault, and one count each of robbery in company, affray and resist officer in execution of duty. He was also charged with outstanding unrelated matters.
The second teen was charged with robbery in company, affray, resist arrest, assault police and a breach of bail offence.
Both were refused bail to face a children’s court later today (Monday 17 August 2020).

Fort Scratchley open Sundays only

Fort Scratchely will be open to the public on Sundays only, between 10am – 4pm, until further notice due to COVID-19.
The opening schedule has been amended to limit the number of volunteers required on site.
Modified access to the historic site includes the barrack grounds, galleries and shop, with social distancing to be practised by visitors.
Visitors to Fort Scratchley can witness the time-honoured tradition of firing the gun at 1pm on Sundays.
Other services such as paid tours of the historic tunnels, events, and group bookings, remain suspended.

Five charged following drug supply investigation – Hunter region

Five people have been arrested following a three-month investigation into the supply of methylamphetamine in the Hunter region.
In May 2020, officers attached to the Port Stephens-Hunter PD Proactive Crime Team established Strike Force Daman to investigate the supply of prohibited drugs, mainly methylamphetamine, in the Port Stephens-Hunter district.
Following extensive inquiries, investigators – with the assistance of officers from Operation Utah – executed four search warrants at homes in Raymond Terrace, Mallabula, Anna Bay and Singleton from 7am yesterday (Thursday 13 August 2020).
During the searches, police seized a number of items including amounts of methylamphetamine and cannabis, drug paraphernalia, weapons, an electronic stun device and mobile phones.
As a result, three men – aged 24, 45 and 52 – and two women – aged 46 and 51 – were arrested.
A 45-year-old man was arrested at a home in Raymond Terrace. He was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with 16 offences including supply prohibited drug, supply prohibited drug on an ongoing basis and participate in a criminal group.
A 52-year-old man was arrested at an Anna Bay home. He was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with seven offences including supply prohibited drug on an ongoing basis and participate in a criminal group.
They were both refused bail to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court yesterday (Thursday 13 August 2020), where they were formally bail refused to reappear at the same court on Monday 12 October 2020.
A 51-year-old woman was also arrested at a Raymond Terrace home. She was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with four offences including supply prohibited drug and participate in criminal group.
A 24-year-old man was arrested at a home in Mallabula. He was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with nine offences including supply prohibited drug and participate in a criminal group.
They were both granted conditional bail to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 31 August 2020.
A 46-year-old woman was arrested at a home in Singleton. She was taken to Singleton Police Station and charged with possess unauthorised firearm and not keep firearm safely. She was granted conditional bail to appear at Singleton Local Court on Thursday 27 August 2020.

Image released as arson investigation continues – Wallsend

Police have released a CCTV image as they continue to investigate several suspected arson attacks at a Wallsend property earlier this year.
Detectives attached to Newcastle City Police District have commenced an investigation in relation to three separate arson attacks at a home on Metcalfe Street, Wallsend, on Wednesday 24 June, Saturday 18 and Thursday 30 July 2020.
During the incidents, minor damage was received to the front and side of the home, a carport area and a vehicle.
An elderly woman was inside the home at the time of all three incidents, but she was uninjured.
As investigators continue their inquiries, police have released an image of a man who may be able to assist with their inquiries.
He’s described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander in appearance, between 170cm-180cm tall, with a solid build and facial hair.
Anyone with information which could assist detectives is urged to contact Newcastle Police Station or to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Man dies after New Lambton crash

Police are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination after a man died following a crash at New Lambton overnight.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District have been told the man was travelling north along Lookout Road about 6.40pm (Monday 10 August 2020), when his Ford Falcon sedan crossed a median strip and into oncoming traffic.
The sedan and a Holden Colorado ute, travelling in the opposite direction, collided.
Off-duty hospital staff were driving past at the time and stopped to render assistance.
They performed CPR on the driver of the sedan, a 26-year-old man, until emergency services arrived.
The Ford driver was removed from the wreckage and taken to John Hunter Hospital; however, he died a short time later.
The driver of the ute, a 30-year-old woman from Belmont, was also taken to John Hunter Hospital where she is being treated for injuries to her left foot and right wrist.
As police continue their inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash, anyone who may have witnessed the incident is urged to contact police.
A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.

City of Newcastle’s erosion plan for Stockton gets Ministerial green light

City of Newcastle’s long-term plan to manage erosion along Stockton’s coastline has been certified by the State Government.
This sees Newcastle become the first in NSW to have a coastal management program (CMP) confirmed under the Government’s new coastal management framework.
With the CMP included in the NSW Government Gazette published Friday, work will now begin on implementing the approved actions, including $4 million towards a sand nourishment program as well as the construction of essential infrastructure to prevent further erosion and risk to public and private assets.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the certification was the result of the immense effort of City of Newcastle staff and the community to work together on an outcome that met with the support of all relevant government agencies.
“The collaboration between City of Newcastle staff, the Stockton Community Liaison Group, agency stakeholders and the NSW Government has been essential during the preparation of the CMP,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Our shared passion and dedication to achieving a positive future for Stockton has enabled the timely development of this long-term solution for coastal erosion, which has mass sand nourishment at its core, and I thank all those involved for their commitment and genuine, cooperative approach.”
“We look forward to continuing to work with the NSW Government on addressing coastal hazards at Stockton Beach through this process and thank Minister Shelley Hancock for her continued support, and the Deputy Premier John Barilaro for his ongoing work in establishing the Stockton Beach Taskforce.”
The CMP was subject to rigorous consultation and extensive community engagement. Seventy-three per cent of community respondents indicated their support for the plan, which proposes a mix of immediate and longer-term measures to replenish the heavily eroded beach and protect Stockton’s coastal assets.
The CMP was also unanimously endorsed by the elected Council before being submitted to the State Government on 30 June this year.
Longer-term actions under the Stockton CMP include a mass offshore marine sand nourishment campaign of 2.4 million cubic metres and an ongoing 10-year maintenance program to provide the necessary protection for Stockton.
The Deputy Premier’s Stockton Beach Taskforce and the State Government will explore all opportunities to source sand for the mass offshore beach nourishment that is affordable and suitable, with the Taskforce having had its inaugural meeting on 16 June 2020.

City of Newcastle supports local tourism operators to grow the visitor economy

A new program designed to assist businesses to develop, promote and sell tourism products is being launched by the City of Newcastle.
Local tourism operators are invited to apply for the targeted program, which is being funded as part of the City’s Community and Economic Resilience Package.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the City of Newcastle was working with the local industry to help it survive and recover from the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19.
“We know Newcastle is an attractive city with a wealth of natural and built assets, a broad range of accommodation and tourism providers, and has a thriving café culture and dining scene,” she said.
“While more than 5 million people visit the city each year, research shows that Newcastle lacks a good mix of bookable tourism experiences.
“Under this program, expert consultants will work alongside local tourism businesses to improve their tourism offerings and enhance their ability to attract visitor dollars, which in turn will help promote greater industry resilience, drive destination awareness and grow the visitor economy even further.
“Pre COVID-19 figures showed about five million tourists visit Newcastle each year, which is a rise of around 60% over the past five years, while the value of the Newcastle tourism economy increased 57% to $1.13 billion in the 12 months to March 2019.
“With the right mix of products and experiences, Newcastle will be in the perfect position when travel restrictions ease to grow visitation, length of stay and expenditure.”
The business growth and optimisation program builds on the free accredited training already offered to local businesses by the City of Newcastle as part of its response to the economic impact of COVID-19.
A number of places are still available across the 14 online programs being delivered by TAFE NSW, the University of Newcastle and Novaskill, with training focused on areas such as customer behaviour, digital and social media marketing, business innovation and growth, and community engagement.
“By upskilling our local workforce and empowering people to adapt, we provide positivity and support for the business community as they work to recover from this period of extraordinary economic and social disruption,” Cr Nelmes said.
Expressions of interest in the Tourism Business Growth and Optimisation Program will open on August 17.

NEW DATA REVEALS 800 PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS IN NEWCASTLE

New data from Homelessness Australia has revealed 800 people are homeless in Newcastle and there is a shortfall of 3,100 social housing dwellings.
As part of the “Everybody’s Home” for Homelessness Week (3 – 8 August), the interactive heat maps show that our community is not immune to homelessness.
Decades of neglect, underinvestment and sell-offs have led to a projected shortfall of almost 500,000 dwellings nationally. Shamefully, the NSW Liberal Government has netted almost $50 million from selling off social housing in Newcastle alone.
It’s unconscionable that a rich country like Australia is failing so dismally to meet the fundamental needs of citizens. The Morrison Government needs to do more to address this crisis.
For months Labor has been calling on the Morrison Government to fund the construction of more social housing.
Regretfully, it has so far ignored the enormous potential to protect half a million jobs in residential construction and put a roof over the head of thousands of Australians.
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the critical importance of safe and affordable housing is. It’s also shown that we can move mountains when there is genuine political will.
In the last few months, more than 7,000 Australians sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough have been provided with a bed in one of the many empty motel and hotel rooms.
There is absolutely no doubt if the Morrison Government really wants to, it can slash the number of Australians sleeping rough.
The National Cabinet needs to make sure that the homeless Australians we helped at the height of the pandemic are not thrown back on the street in the next few months.
Some state governments are doing good work, but this is a national problem that demands national leadership.
During the Global Financial Crisis, the former Labor Government invested $5.638 billion in the construction of nearly 20,000 new social housing dwellings and repaired a further 80,000 existing properties. So we know this can be done.

Appeal to locate wanted man – Lake Macquarie

Police are seeking assistance from the public to locate a man wanted on outstanding warrants.
Daniel Dejong, aged 34, is wanted on outstanding warrants for stealing, fraud and driving offences.
He is described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, between 175cm to 180cm tall, of a thin build, with short dark hair and brown eyes.
Daniel previously resided in the Gateshead and Windale areas; however, his current whereabouts are unknown.
Anyone who sees him is urged not to approach him but instead call Triple Zero (000).