THERE were few surprises for the Hunter and little relief for businesses battling challenging economic conditions from a conservative NSW Budget handed down last week, according to the region’s peak business body. Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes described Treasurer Daniel Mookhey’s third budget as “anti-climactic for the Hunter”, with the big-ticket new investments having been […]
THE NSW Government tabled the 2024 State of the Environment Report last week. Compiled by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the report is published every three years. According to EPA CEO Tony Chappel, the 2024 report indicates that climate change is already a major factor impacting many environmental trends. “In 2021-22, greenhouse gas emissions […]
AN E-PETITION is now available on the NSW Parliament website calling for upgraded support to assist Hunter and Mid North Coast communities devastated by the May flood. The petition calls on the NSW Government to maximise Category C funding and urgently declare Category D funding for devastated small businesses, primary producers and communities in the […]
A NSW Government committee has begun investigating access to publicly owned land and waterways in New South Wales, including national parks, marine reserves, crown land, state forests, water catchments and Aboriginal land. The Select Committee on Access Restrictions to Public Lands and Waterways was established by a resolution of the NSW Legislative Council on Wednesday […]
MIDCOAST Council Mayor Claire Pontin has written to Premier Chris Minns requesting him to seek a “Category D” disaster classification from the Federal Government. Cr Pontin recently met with key NSW Ministers, including Minister for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin, to push for a more substantial and long-term funding commitment – including Category D disaster funding […]
WITH residents still cut off in some rural parts of the region, MidCoast Council’s immediate focus for roads is to re-establish access to these areas and ensure damaged roads and bridges can be safely used. Council staff have been out inspecting the damage to the road network in the aftermath of last month’s devastating floods, […]
WHILE MidCoast Council staff and contractors continue the mammoth flood clean up, councillors have provided some relief to struggling ratepayers. At Wednesday’s Extraordinary Council meeting the impact of the recent floods was high on the agenda. Councillors agreed to provide some financial relief for the hardest hit. Some of the initial measures include: writing off […]
IMPROVING safety is the focus of work starting this month to install Audio Tactile Line Marking (ATLM) on sections of the Pacific Highway north from Karuah. From Tuesday 10 June, crews will start work on two sections of the highway. Section one covers 143 kilometres from Karuah to Frederickton, where 251 kilometres of ATLM will […]
RESIDENTS have more opportunities to attend a Community Conversation with MidCoast Council representatives in June and July. Community Conversations provide councillors and senior staff an opportunity to visit different localities, talk about the work Council is planning, and hear from community members about their concerns. This round of Conversations also features a short presentation on […]
THE first report of an inquiry into community safety has been tabled, highlighting an urgent need for early intervention to deal with the complex social drivers of youth crime in regional and rural NSW. Since adopting the inquiry on 20 March 2024, the Committee of Law and Safety received almost 200 submissions and conducted hearings […]
