Category: Newcastle News

Three months after the Parliament agreed to re-establish a committee to oversee the implementation of the National Redress Scheme, the Morrison Government has failed to appoint four of its six members.
When Labor put forward a motion to re-establish the committee, the Government cynically used its numbers to dump the former multipartisan approach and wrested control for itself. Now, in the final week of Parliament for 2019, it has failed to appoint four of the six committee members it demanded.
The National Redress Scheme is the outcome of the four-year long royal commission into child sexual abuse in institutions but it’s failing to deliver on multiple fronts. It was projected to provide redress to an estimated 60,000 survivors. Yet, almost 18 months after its commencement, only 469 payments have been made, and some institutions still haven’t signed up to participate.
The Committee is a critical means of providing Parliamentary oversight of the National Redress Scheme.  It’s also one of the few ways survivors can share their experiences of the scheme directly with the Parliament.
Because the Government has been dragging its feet, the committee held its first meeting on the very last day of Parliament for 2019, which has all but ensured it won’t be able to get started on its important work before February 2020.
The Government’s failure to appoint members to the joint committee may be evidence of a concerning lack of interest – or, worse, an active attempt to hold off scrutiny for as long as possible.
Survivors deserve a fair, effective and timely scheme, but this will require the Government to participate fully and actively in the committee process.
The Redress Scheme is lagging. People are dying waiting for their redress payments. And key institutions are yet to sign up. Survivors deserve better from this Government.

The release of a scathing report into the NDIS has prompted Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon to write a letter to request that a hearing of the Parliamentary NDIS committee be held in Newcastle.
Ms Claydon said the independent report painted a picture of a system in crisis.
“This confirms everything my constituents have been telling me about an under-resourced system plagued with delays and inconsistency and gravely lacking in transparency,” Ms Claydon said.
“Many people in our community have also seen their NDIS plans slashed for no good reason. Regretfully, the situation seems to be getting worse with each passing year.”
Ms Claydon said the Liberals have ‘utterly neglected’ the NDIS in the six years they have been its custodians.
“The fact that that 1200 Australians died while waiting for an NDIS support package is damning evidence of this Government’s neglect,” Ms Claydon said.
“But in the face of the obvious and desperate need for proper resourcing, the Morrison Government instead choose to rip a further $4.6 billion out of the NDIS to prop up their ailing budget. That’s a recipe for disaster, not a remedy, and it’s time the Morrison Liberal government fixed this mess.”

A man will appear in court today charged by Strike Force Trawler detectives over the alleged online procurement of a child and possession of child abuse material.
In December 2019, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began engaging online with a man from the Hunter region.
Police will allege in court that the man believed he was speaking with a 13-year-old girl and engaged in conversations about sexually-explicit acts he wished to perform on the child and sent sexually-explicit material.
Following extensive investigations, strike force detectives arrested a 48-year-old man at Williamtown just before 12.30pm yesterday (Tuesday 21 January 2020).
Shortly after, a search warrant was executed at a home in the Hunter region, where detectives seized laptops, mobile phones and electronic storage devices.
The man was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with use carriage service to procure person under 16 years for sex and possess/control child abuse material using carriage service (x2).
The man was refused bail to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court today (Wednesday 22 January 2020).
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing investigation by the CEIU into the sexual abuse and exploitation of children facilitated through the internet and related telecommunications devices.

The overwhelming popularity of Newcastle’s light rail has helped free up more on-street parking in the CBD, with the number of parking transactions declining in 2019.
More than a million light rail passenger trips in the service’s maiden year exceeded City of Newcastle expectations, based on the State Government’s projection of 657,000, and saw the number of parking transactions decline by seven per cent to 916,704 in the second half of 2019, down from 983,392 in the final six months of 2018.
City of Newcastle Governance Director David Clarke said the resulting $335,000 decline in parking revenue was bitter-sweet because it was evidence that the general public is embracing public transport in the city.
“The fact that light rail has been more successful than anticipated is a good planning problem to have,” Mr Clarke said.
“The parking transaction numbers for 2019 tell us that plenty of parking remains available for inner-city shoppers and visitors, which is news we want both traders and shoppers to know about even though it amounts to a hit to our bottom line. Opal card data shows an average of 100,000 light rail trips are occurring each month, which translates into fewer cars in the city and 11,000 less parking transactions.
“The positive uptake of public transport helps reduce greenhouse emissions and traffic congestion and supports activation of our City, so it’s good to see plenty of people using the light rail, with ferry patronage also increasing by 34,000 rides last year.”
The City’s 2019/20 budget has absorbed a further $280,000 from temporary discounts offered to motorists who took up the EasyPark app, with phone transactions skyrocketing to 339,126 in the second half of 2019 to account for 37 per cent of all parking payments.
With just 77,799 transactions, or eight per cent made via the app in the same period in 2018, Novocastrians have enthusiastically embraced the digital convenience of EasyPark, which allows them to pay remotely and save money by receiving a refund for any unused paid parking time.
“Now that the app has been widely embraced to become the dominant platform for paid parking, it’s time to end the introductory discount to bring consistency back to pricing in line with that charged when paying at the meter with cash or by credit card,” Mr Clarke added.
“With that, the temporary 15 per cent discount applied to EasyPark transactions will cease from 1 February.
“The app’s popularity has been rising every month, to the point it now accounts for almost 40 per cent of all payments for on-street parking.
“We anticipate that more than three quarters of parking payments will be made through EasyPark within the next few years given the continued roll out of features such as parking refunds, the car-space finder and SMS reminders 15 minutes before your paid parking expires.”

Police are appealing for information and are urging the public to take extra care after homemade spikes were found scattered across a running trail in Lake Macquarie yesterday.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District were called to Alexanders Trail in Lake Macquarie State Conservation Park at Bolton Point, near Toronto, about 12.40pm (Monday 20 January 2020), when a runner found the devices.
Officers have been told the man was running the trail about 11.40am when he noticed a pile of leaves piled in the middle of the track.
Hidden in the leaves the man found wine corks with nails protruding from them, similar to historic weapons known as ‘caltrops’.
The man continued along the trail and found a further two piles hiding more spikes.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District were notified a short time later and attended the location.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the items has commenced and police are urging anyone who may have information or noticed suspicious activity in the area to contact Toronto Police Station on (02) 4088 1099 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Inquiries continue.

Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp has welcomed today’s announcement that 36 social and affordable housing units will constructed at Mayfield, as Newcastle’s social housing waitlist continues to grow.
Updated data from Family and Communities Services (FACS) shows that there are now 1216 people waiting for social housing in the Newcastle Allocation Zone, up from 1190 people last year.
Additionally, the wait time for a studio or 1 bedroom property has now increased to 5-10 years, up from 2-5 years.
Mr Crakanthorp said that while it was excellent to see new social and affordable housing come to the city, the FACS data shows that there is much more to be done.
“I am pleased that the Minister has heard my calls for more social and affordable housing in Newcastle, however there is still a long way to go,” he said.
“It was only in September that I stood with the Shadow Minister and a couple sleeping in their car demanding that more be done to address homelessness in Newcastle, and my office stills hears from people facing insecure or inadequate housing on an almost daily basis.
“With more people joining the waitlist I fear this will only increase.
“Everyone has a right to safe and secure housing, so we need the construction of new properties to keep up with demand.”
Today’s announcement follows the Labor Opposition exposing that the Liberal-National Government has sold 352 land parcels and social housing properties, for $333 million, in the last financial year. The Land and Housing Corporation plans to sell over 1000 social housing properties by the end of 2022/23.

Police are appealing for public assistance after three kangaroos were believed to have been deliberately injured in the state’s Hunter region yesterday.
About 8am (Sunday 19 January 2020), officers from Hunter Valley Police District were called to the Wollombi Park in Muswellbrook, after a bushwalker located three kangaroos seriously injured in scrubland.
Initial inquiries suggest two kangaroos may have been deliberately run over by a vehicle while a third kangaroo, which was found deceased, had suffered a wound to the chest.
Police established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
As investigations continue, any witnesses or anyone with dashcam vision in the area at the time is urged to come forward.

City of Newcastle is inviting community to attend a public memorial service for Jill Emberson on Thursday 23 January at Newcastle City Hall.
The 10am service will celebrate the life of the prominent journalist, Pink Meets Teal founder and 2019 Newcastle Citizen of the Year, who passed in December after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
Jill was a fearless campaigner for ovarian cancer research and awareness and played a pivotal role in the Federal Government’s landmark $20 million research funding announcement in 2019.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said that while Jill’s life was cut short, her impact on this world and in the lives of others was immense and inspiring.
“Jill touched the lives of countless people in our community as a family member, friend, through her work as a journalist and as a tenacious campaigner for ovarian cancer research.
“It’s fitting that Jill’s life is celebrated by the community and that everyone has the opportunity to pay tribute to the wonderful contribution she made to our city.
“Jill was an exemplary Citizen of the Year for Newcastle. She was incredibly generous with her time, despite knowing her cancer was terminal. I was in awe of her willingness to work with the city and her determination to make a difference, every moment she could.
“We hope the public memorial will see the community come to together to celebrate Jill’s life, her achievements and her incredible legacy.”
At Jill’s request, memorial donations can be made to the Hunter Medical Research Institute: https://hmri.org.au/jill

City of Newcastle is bringing the magic of cinema back to the city centre with the Civic Playhouse screening a selection of the most acclaimed productions from London’s National Theatre.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said locals can watch incredible international performances in all their theatrical glory thanks to an initiative known as National Theatre Live which broadcasts performances from London’s National Theatre.
“Cinema and theatre have a long and proud history in Newcastle’s CBD and we’re pleased to combine the two for the enjoyment of our community after the closure of the Tower Cinemas.
“A trial season at the Civic Playhouse has proven to be a massive hit and the City is now planning to continue this movie experience until Easter, and potentially beyond.”
While the new offering has been exceptionally popular with patrons of all walks of life, for those who can cast their memories back to before the mid-1970s, they know cinema viewing at the Civic Theatre was in fact a regular and much-loved pastime in Newcastle.
The Civic Theatre opened in 1929, and although designed as a live theatre, it was immediately leased as a cinema. Forty-five-years ago City of Newcastle decided to move towards more live productions and phased out cinema operations completely.
“The films have been really well received with lots of positive feedback from patrons who are eager for them to continue,” Civic Theatre Manager Leonie Wallace said.
“We have screened internationally acclaimed theatre shows like Arthur Miller’s All My Sons starring Sally Field and Bill Pullman and Shakespeare’s King Lear portrayed by Ian McKellen as well as the French comedy Slack Bay and foreign language film The Square.
“We’ve seen many of our patrons make repeat bookings. Our next step is to establish a pattern of regular screenings and to explore the possibility of programming children’s films during the school holidays.
“People love the fact we are revisiting something that historically occurred in the Civic Theatre. We have older Novocastrians who remember the past screenings fondly and are thrilled that the Playhouse is being used for movies.”
The initiative is part of the Civic’s Beyond the Stage program of cultural offerings beyond the traditional uses of the City’s jewels, Civic Theatre and City Hall. This has included the Civic Beats events at Civic Digest and lunchtime concerts at City Hall.
The Civic Theatre, City Hall, Playhouse and Wheeler Place are owned by the City of Newcastle for the people of Newcastle. They form a key destination where everyone is welcome and new connections and lifelong memories are formed.
For more information about the program of films and how to book tickets, visit https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au/Whats-On/All-Shows/Civic-Cinema-in-the-Playhouse

A man has died in a single vehicle crash north of Raymond Terrace in the state’s Hunter Region.
About 1.50pm (Friday 17 January 2020), a Holden vehicle towing a box trailer was travelling north along The Buckets Way, at Twelve Mile Creek, when it left the roadway and crashed into a tree.
The driver and sole occupant, a 32-year-old man, was trapped in the vehicle.
NSW Ambulance paramedics attempted to revive the driver, but he died at the scene.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended the scene and commenced an investigation.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Police are appealing for any witnesses or motorists who were in the area at the time and may have dam footage to contact Raymond Terrace Police Station on 02 4983 7599.