Category: Newcastle News

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon has called on the Morrison Government to fund a rebuild of the Boscawen Street Bridge at Wallsend to protect against future flooding.
Ms Claydon said Newcastle City Council had requested support for the $3 to $4 million Boscawen rebuild, which has been identified as a priority under the Wallsend Flood Mitigation Strategy.
“Boscawen is one of the three bridges that need rebuilding, along with Tyrell Street and Nelson Street, in Wallsend,” Ms Claydon said.
‘While Council has already allocated funds for the Tyrell Street bridge replacement, it is seeking funds elsewhere for Nelson Street, and I would like to see the federal government pitch in to rebuild Boscawen.”
Ms Claydon said the current structure presents an unacceptable flooding risk.
“A number of issues have been identified, including the low clearance on the bridge, the handrails and the intermediate piers, which have a high chance of trapping cars, shopping trolleys and items that come down through the drainpipes, causing blockages.
“To solve this, the bridge has to be reconstructed. It has to have those piers removed, creating a single-span bridge which would improve the flow capacity in large flood events, allowing for the future channel-widening project.”
Ms Claydon said the rebuild would bring peace of mind to the people of Wallsend and encourage business investment.
“It’s been nearly 12 years since the superstorm wreaked havoc on Wallsend, but every time it rains hard the people of Wallsend—the residents and business owners—are on tenterhooks wondering if this is going to happen again.
“Some shops are empty today for this very reason. These rebuilds will be a shot in the arm to drive confidence in the region.”
Ms Claydon said she wanted to build a strong community campaign to send a message to Canberra about the importance of the project and is urging people to sign her petition at www.sharonclaydon.com
“There’s a Federal Budget coming up in a few months, and this presents a great opportunity to put pressure on this government to commit to a very worthwhile local infrastructure project that is beyond the capacity of local government to fund alone,” Ms Claydon said
“Given we are so close to an election, I am also impressing upon my Labor colleagues the importance of this project.
“I think we’ve got a great chance. It’s a great project. And I’d like nothing more than to see it become a reality.”

A man has died following a single-vehicle crash at Morisset today.
Shortly after 10.30am (Tuesday 19 February 2019), emergency services were called to Wyee Road, after a Volkswagen Amarok left the road and hit trees before stopping in bushland.
The driver and sole occupant, 36-year-old man, was pulled from the vehicle. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he died at the scene.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, and whether the man may have suffered a medical episode prior to the crash.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

A man has been charged with mid-range drink-driving following a pursuit near Newcastle this morning.
Just before 1.20am today (Tuesday 19 February 2019), officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command were conducted stationary speed enforcement duties on the M1 motorway at West Wallsend, when they detected a Lexus sedan allegedly travelling at 178km/hr in a 110km/hr area.
The driver, a 39-year-old man from Neutral Bay, allegedly failed to stop as directed by police and a pursuit was initiated.
The man stopped the sedan a short distance away on the George Booth exit ramp and allegedly returned a positive roadside breath test.
He was arrested and taken to Toronto Police Station where a subsequent breath analysis returned an alleged reading of 0.109.
The man was charged with police pursuit – not stop – drive recklessly, drive with mid-range PCA, and exceed speed greater than 45km/h.
The man was granted bail to appear at Toronto Local Court on Tuesday 9 April 2019

A woman has died after her car crashed in the Hunter region overnight.
The crash happened about 7.30pm (Sunday 17 February 2019), when the 47-year-old driver lost control on Windermere Road at Lochinvar, and hit a tree.
Police, paramedics and Fire & Rescue NSW officers responded to the crash site; however, the driver had died at the scene.
It’s believed the woman lived in nearby Windermere.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner by officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District.
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 crime via NSW Police social media pages.

Police searching for a woman missing in the Lake Macquarie region have today located a body.
Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District have been searching for a 37-year-old woman, who was last seen on Wednesday (13 February 2019).
About 3pm today (Friday 15 February 2019), a body was located near Dudley Bluff.
While the body is yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of the missing woman.
Her death is not being treated as suspicious.
Police would like to thank the public and the media for their assistance.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

A large search is underway for a woman missing in the Lake Macquarie region as serious concerns are held for her welfare.
Ashly Bates, aged 37, was last seen on Wednesday (13 February 2019) at a home in Whitebridge.
Police were alerted when she failed to contact her family. Her mobile phone was then located by a member of the public near Dudley Bluff.
Police from Lake Macquarie Police District are conducting a large search of the area for Ashly, with assistance from PolAir and the Dog Unit.
Ashly is described as being of Caucasian appearance, approximately 168cm tall, with dark shoulder-length hair, fair complexion and tattoos on the inside of her wrists.
She was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and pyjama pants.
Anyone who sees her or believes they know her whereabouts is urged to contact police immediately.

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a man wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant in the state’s Hunter region.
Dwayne Perry, 32, is wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant over an alleged stabbing on Sunday 3 February 2019.
He is described as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander appearance, of a slim build, with tattoos of the words ‘MAY’ on his neck and ‘Perry Brothers’ on his back, and with brown hair and blue eyes.
Dwayne Perry is believed to be frequenting the Raymond Terrace and Hunter Valley areas.
Anyone who sights Mr Perry is urged not to approach him but to contact Triple Zero (000) immediately.

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon has joined in solidarity with the recently sacked workers from Newcastle and surrounds at rally in Canberra to save Australia’s shipping industry. The seafarers are among 80 who lost their jobs when Bluescope and BHP dumped the last two Australian-crewed coastal bulk iron ore carriers last month.
“The treatment of these hard-working seafarers has been utterly shameful – they were on the high seas thousands of miles away from home without any support or union representation when they found out they’d lost their jobs,” Ms Claydon said.
“Many of these seafarers have families and mortgages. Now they’ve been kicked in the guts, and will almost certainly be replaced by foreign workers on as little as $2 an hour. This is corporate greed at its most corrosive.”
Tighes-Hill based seafarer David Grant was in the middle of the China Sea on the MV Mariloula  when the email came through to the ship saying BHP had cancelled the ship’s contract and the crew had lost their jobs.
“It came out of the blue. And it didn’t help that we were in the middle of the ocean with terrible internet so it was really hard to get any information or contact our families,” Mr Grant said.
“We took a two-year wage freeze because they said they couldn’t afford to pay us. Now, when they’re recording bumper profits, they turn around and sack Australian workers.”
Mr Grant, who had worked on the MV Mariloula for three years, said he’d love to stay working on the water.
“I’ve been on the sea for seven years and that’s what I want to continue doing. But if we keep going this way, we’re not going to have an Australian shipping industry – full stop,” Mr Grant said.
“I’d like to see a cabotage model that prioritises Australian workers with Australian conditions on Australia’s coast. You can’t bring a foreign worker to run goods by road. Why are they allowed to do it on the Blue Highway?”
Ms Claydon said the Morrison Government is totally complicit in these job losses.
“Since the Liberals came to power they have relentlessly attacked the Australian shipping industry and tried to install legislation that would encourage companies to sack their Australian crew and hire foreign workers on as little as $2 an hour,” Ms Claydon said.
“The Morrison Government needs to stop granting temporary licences for routes like the ones travelled by the MV Mariloula and MV Lowlands Brilliance that are clearly permanent. This is a blatant abuse of the intent of the legislation.”
Ms Claydon said the revitalisation of Australia’s shipping industry would be a core priority for Labor if it wins Government.
“Aussie seafarers are among the best in the world but the Liberal Government has worked tirelessly to do everything they can to undermine these jobs.
“As the largest island nation, a strong national shipping industry is critical to the environment, to our skills capability and to our national security.”

ity of Newcastle (CN) has today launched a new interactive mapping tool to help residents track the latest civil works projects happening across our LGA.
From large road maintenance activities to major development projects, the interactive map provides a location and overview of the types of activities the City is delivering – all on the one page.
Its intuitive design makes it easier for people to stay informed and in touch with the City’s 2018-19 Civil Works Program.

“This online mapping tool will streamline communication to residents and fastrack important information about the current projects that have commenced,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“By simply logging on to the City’s Civil Works Update page, users can get an instant snapshot of the various works that are taking shape across the City in real time.”
A number of significant projects which will be delivered before 30 June include a $7.1 million upgrade of local bridges, $8.2 million towards Newcastle’s Smart City program, $8.1 million to renew and upgrade the existing storm water network and $7.9 million on a solar farm to be built at the Summerhill Waste Centre.
Renewing parks, open spaces and sporting facilities ($5.4 million), allocating money to our cultural facilities ($5.1 million) and increasing cycling links around the City ($2.6 million) are also included in the delivery program.
To take a look at the online map, visit http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Council/News/Projects-Works/Civil-works-update