Category: Newcastle News

A woman has been charged following an unauthorised protest in the Hunter Valley this morning.

About 8.10am (Saturday 29 June 2024), police were called to the rail corridor at Branxton following reports a woman had allegedly entered the rail corridor and were causing obstruction to trains.

Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District, with assistance from Police Rescue, attended the site and arrested a 24-year-old woman.

The woman was taken to Singleton Police Station where she was charged with cause obstruction to railway locomotive or rolling stock, enter inclosed non-agricultural lands serious safety risk, enter inclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse, cause/attempt to cause train or tram in motion to be stopped, and interfere with etc equipment etc without permission.

She was bail refused to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Sunday 30 June 2024.

A man has been charged following an unauthorised protest in Newcastle overnight.

About 6.45pm (Friday 28 June 2024), police were called to the rail corridor at Sandgate following reports a number of people had allegedly entered the rail corridor and stopped an eastbound train.

Officers attached to Newcastle City Police District, with assistance from Police Rescue, attended the site and arrested a 59-year-old man who allegedly climbed into an open carriage.

He was taken to Waratah Police Station where he was charged with enter inclosed non-agricultural lands serious safety risk and cause obstruction to railway locomotive or rolling stock.

He was refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court today (Saturday 29 June 2024).

City of Newcastle is leading the charge towards a net zero emissions city, inviting world renowned entrepreneur, author, and inventor Dr Saul Griffith to share his passion for power with Novocastrians.

Dr Saul GriffithThe free event known as Electrify Everything will take place at City Hall on 25 July where the community will learn about an ambitious action plan to electrify Newcastle, while creating new jobs and a healthier environment.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Dr Griffith has inspired communities across the USA and Australia.

“City of Newcastle is committed to achieving net zero emissions so we’re incredibly fortunate to have Dr Griffith visiting our city,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Among his long list of achievements, he created and led the non-profit organisation Rewiring America that helped to shape the US Inflation Reduction Act, the largest ever investment in energy transition and electrification in the world.

“Inviting Dr Griffith to our city aligns with a top priority from our Newcastle Environment Strategy, which is delivering community and business engagement programs that focus on renewable energy and electrification.”

Dr Griffith said electrifying our cars and our homes is the critical action all Australians can take this decade that will save money and our children’s future.

“I’m always energised after meeting passionate community groups driving change in the climate and energy space,” Dr Griffith said.

“We need community initiatives like this where local leaders are encouraging residents to be part of the solution to achieving a clean energy future.

“Communities have the most to benefit from an electrified future powered by our abundant solar energy – local jobs, healthier streets and lower energy bills.

“Households and small businesses are the heroes of this energy transition. It’s time Australia had an energy system that put them first.”

The evening will be part of a series of three events called Empowering Newcastle to be held at City Hall across July and August.

On 8 August, City of Newcastle will host a roundtable to discuss electric vehicles and low emissions transport.

A host of stakeholders will be invited, including Transport for NSW, the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, the University of Newcastle, Business Hunter and Port of Newcastle to discuss the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to electric vehicles and low emissions transport in Newcastle.

On 17 August City of Newcastle will invite the community to join NSW Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe and the Lord Mayor to hear about the renewable energy transformation in the Hunter and opportunities for all residents to be part of our net zero future.

“City of Newcastle is committed to achieving net zero with measures such as an accelerated uptake of solar and batteries, electric or zero emissions transport and buildings, as well as community renewable energy and battery storage projects,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We want to empower the people and business owners in Newcastle to be part of the solution to climate change.”

To secure tickets visit https://www.trybooking.com/CSVXK

A woman has been charged following an unauthorised protest in the Hunter Valley this morning.

About 5.30am (Friday 28 June 2024), police were called to the rail corridor at Branxton following reports a number of people had allegedly entered the rail corridor and were causing obstruction to trains.

Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District, with assistance from Police Rescue, attended the site and arrested a 28-year-old woman.

The Victorian woman was taken to Singleton Police Station where she was charged with enter inclosed lands serious safety risk, cause obstruction to railway locomotive, and enter inclosed land without lawful excuse.

She was granted conditional bail to appear before Singleton Local Court on Thursday 11th July 2024.

Newcastle City Hall’s iconic balcony will be transformed into a stage this September as renowned First Nations singer Mitch Tambo officially kicks off the 10-day New Annual festival.

City of Newcastle’s flagship cultural event will return on 27 September with a vibrant mix of immersive dance, music, visual art and theatre.

New Annual Senior Producer and Curator Adrian Burnett, Jeremy Goldstein (Truth to Power Café), Gambirra Illume (Tower Divas), Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, Megan Cope (Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House) and Jacob Cummins (Rising from the Ashes: An Orchestral Suite and Matricide) at the launch of the 2024 New Annual program.

An inaugural First Night street party will set the scene for New Annual’s 2024 program, filling the precinct around City Hall with a free, all ages opening night celebration. 

King Street will be temporarily closed off for the signature event of the festival headlined by Tambo, a proud Gamilaraay man who blends traditional Aboriginal sounds and language with contemporary beats. 

Captivating street performances, including the visually and sonically spectacular Tower Divas, will keep the party going while digital projections by Big Picture Fest and gourmet food trucks will ensure First Night delivers a feast for all the senses.

Music fans will be in for another treat the following night, when popular Australian indie rock band Middle Kids take to the stage at the iconic Civic Theatre on 28 September, while a bumper opening weekend program will offer a range of fantastic performances, exhibitions and events across the city.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said New Annual is the catalyst for Newcastle’s cultural events sector to take centre stage alongside national events. 

“Since launching New Annual in 2021, we’ve invested around $3 million into developing and delivering this flagship festival for Newcastle as part of our wider commitment to arts and culture in our city,” Cr Nelmes said.

“In that time, and on the back of its diverse and ambitious programs, New Annual has cemented its place in the events calendar, attracting 95,000 visitors to Newcastle across its first three years.

“The festival continues to strengthen Newcastle’s position as a cultural tourism destination, which generates an economic boost for local businesses through hotel stays and increased visitor spending in the city.”

The Civic precinct will play host to a range of events during the festival, including the return of one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies, Dancenorth Australia, whose Wayfinder production will explode onto the Civic Theatre stage in a kaleidoscopic fusion of dance, music, and visual art.

Internationally acclaimed live performance and digital theatre event Truth to Power Café will harness local stories to deliver a profound reflection on the dynamics of power at Newcastle City Hall, while the immersive installation Belongings at the Watt Space Gallery will share stories of displacement, resilience and hope from six refugees who took asylum in the greater Newcastle region.

Community engagement will also be at the heart of a temporary pavilion known as Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House, which will be purpose-built in Honeysuckle’s Harbour Square. Presented by Newcastle Art Gallery, Quandamooka artist Megan Cope will use the space to deliver a 10-day participatory project celebrating local oysters, collaboration and environmental stewardship.

Honeysuckle won’t be the only new performance space popping up in this year’s program, with local family favourite Curious Legends drawing audiences down to the sand at Newcastle Beach for their immersive oceanic experience Whale Song, which fuses large-scale puppetry, community art and singing.

Harold Lobb Concert Hall at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music provides the acoustically-rich setting for a number of performances, including Rising from the Ashes: An Orchestral Suite and Matricide created by local Indigenous composer Jacob Cummins and performed by the Newcastle Youth Orchestra.

The Youth Orchestra was one of four local creative organisations included on the New Annual bill thanks to City of Newcastle’s “Made New” expressions of interest process, with a total of $94,500 offered under the program as part of a five-year plan to support the region’s arts industry.

Other Made New program highlights include WonderCity, a participatory wayfinding art adventure through the city brought to life by Tantrum Youth Arts and The Cord, a provocative new contemporary dance work by acclaimed First Nations choreographer Jasmin Sheppard, commissioned by Newcastle-based dance company Catapult Choreographic Hub. Inter Human x Intra Digital offers an immersive visual art experience delivered by Art Thinking, while Morphology will see Built In-Kind and Everett Creative collaborate with members of the public through a series of workshops to create a single sculptural piece, which will be displayed in Wheeler Place, adjacent to the Civic Theatre.

Wheeler Place will also play host to the high energy, all-ages 10-Minute Dance Parties featuring one of Australia’s most exciting artists, Joseph O’Farrell (JOF), while two shows presented under Civic Theatre’s UpStage at the Playhouse program will take to the Playhouse stage during New Annual, Romeo & Juliet: A Reimagining and the locally-inspired Karma Kafe. 

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes with performers, Councillors and City of Newcastle staff at the New Annual program launch.

Councillor Carol Duncan, chair of City of Newcastle’s Community and Culture Advisory Committee and Public Art Reference Group, said New Annual highlights Newcastle’s identity as a creative hub.

“With local artists and performers accounting for more than 50 per cent of this year’s programming, New Annual provides a platform to showcase talented Novocastrians alongside national and internationally renowned practitioners,” Cr Duncan said.

“Supporting events such as Big Picture Fest as part of New Annual also adds to the city’s history of cultural expression, with the creation of six new large-scale murals during the festival set to enhance Newcastle’s public art scene whilst creating an artistic legacy for the community.

“I can’t wait to explore everything on offer in this fantastic program when New Annual returns in September.”

New Annual is supported by NSW Government grants under the Multicultural NSW “Stronger Together” program, Transport for NSW “Open Streets” program and Create NSW, as well as presenting partner University of Newcastle.

New Annual will run from 27 September to 6 October with a program of free and low-cost events. Visit www.newannual.com for more details about the program and to secure your tickets, which go on sale at 10am tomorrow. Book by 31 July to receive a 15 per cent early bird discount on eligible shows. 

Keep an eye out for a second program announcement in coming months.

A significant incident occurred yesterday at City of Newcastle’s facility, Newcastle Museum. 

All staff and community members in the building at the time remained safe and unharmed.

We thank our staff for their professionalism and bravery and NSW Police for their quick response.

The wellbeing of staff is of the upmost importance to City of Newcastle, and we are providing support to all those who need it in the wake of the incident.

A man will appear in court today as the Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) Sydney continues to investigate an incident in an office in Newcastle yesterday.

About 12.30 yesterday (Wednesday 26 June, 2024), officers attached to Newcastle City Police District attended premise in Workshop Way and arrested a 19-year-old man.

A number of items were seized when the man was searched and these have been taken for further analysis.

The man was taken to Newcastle Police Station and has now been charged with one count of Other acts done in preparation for, or planning, for terrorist act, contrary to section 101.6 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

Following further inquiries, police have become aware of the existence of a document that had been circulated to a number of public figures and media outlets.

The man, from Raymond Terrace, has been refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court today (Thursday 27 June, 2024).

There is no ongoing threat to the community relation to this investigation.

Inquiries are continuing.

A 19-year-old male has been arrested by Newcastle Police District after allegedly being found in possession of knives and tactical equipment.

About 12.30 today (Wednesday 26 June 2024) police received a concern for welfare report regarding a 19-year-old male.

Following inquiries officers attached to Newcastle Police District attended a premises on Workshop Way where they arrested the man.

Following a subsequent search police located a number of items which have now been seized.

The teenager was taken to Newcastle Police Station.

Following further inquiries officers became aware of the existence of a document that had been circulated to a number of public figures and media outlets.

The male is currently assisting police and there is no ongoing threat to the community relating to this investigation.

Investigations continue by Newcastle Police District with specialist investigators attending to assist.

Newcastle’s heritage is set for a triple win this week with City of Newcastle to pave the way for added protections for architectural sites in Hamilton, Broadmeadow and Mayfield.

Council will vote on whether to back the creation of a new Heritage Conservation Area for Cameron’s Hill, a 13.73 hectare parcel of land known for its Victorian and Federation-era homes that takes in areas of Hamilton and Broadmeadow.

Council will also vote to progress the potential listing of two residential dwellings in Mayfield, 22 Victoria Street and 14 Sunderland Street, as items of local heritage significance under the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan.

City of Newcastle will then seek gateway determination from the NSW Government for planning proposals on all three sites, which would then be placed on public exhibition for community feedback.

City of Newcastle Councillor Carol Duncan said creating a new heritage conservation area for Cameron’s Hill would be a fitting recognition of its place in history.

 “Our city has a unique mix of heritage conservation areas, archaeological sites, heritage-listed buildings and places that are recognised and protected for their character and significance,” Cr Duncan said.

 “The creation of a heritage conservation area for Cameron’s Hill will preserve this unique piece of Newcastle’s history for future generations of Novocastrians.”

Councillor Margaret Wood praised City of Newcastle’s approach to the city’s built heritage.

 “City of Newcastle has a clear commitment to celebrate, protect and promote our city’s unique heritage under the 2040 Community Strategic Plan and Heritage Strategy 2020-2030.”

Cameron’s Hill follows Denison and Everton streets, from Blackall Street, east towards Steel Street. It is dotted with federation houses that were home to mine managers and government officials of the mid-1800s.

Denison Street was once Hamilton’s main street and had several hotels that were incubators of friendship, commerce and sporting clubs. The blocks in Cameron’s Hill are among the largest in Hamilton, allowing for grand homes built mainly from the 1840s to the 1930s.

The area is named after James Cameron, publican of the Queen’s Arms Hotel. It is also home to the 1840s Australian Agricultural Company Mine Manager’s House, of State Heritage significance to the city’s industrial, social and economic past.

It would become the city’s seventh designated heritage conservation area.

City of Newcastle placed interim heritage orders on the two Mayfield dwellings earlier this year to prohibit the demolition or alteration of the properties while their significance was being assessed.

Since then, an in-depth heritage assessment found that 22 Victoria Street is historically significant as one of the only houses constructed on the Scholey subdivision designed by the prominent architect Frederick George Castleden.

Castleden designed or contributed to some of Newcastle’s most recognisable buildings including the former David Jones store, Newcastle Ocean Baths pavilion and part of Christ Church Cathedral.

The Victoria Street dwelling represents an early example of one of the core architectural phases of Newcastle and the growth and development of Mayfield as an attractive residential area in the early 20th century.

The assessment of 14 Sunderland Street found the late Victorian dwelling represents the residential development of the suburb of Mayfield and is one of few comparable places in the local area dating from the earliest phase of the Houghton Le Spring Subdivision. 

The dwelling was purchased, occupied and likely constructed by the Braye family during Thomas Braye’s first tenure as Mayor of Waratah. Thomas Braye was a well-known Waratah resident, from an early local family, known for being one of the youngest aldermen to be elected to council.

City of Newcastle is set to deliver a modest surplus for the third consecutive year as part of its $415 million Budget adopted by Councillors last night.

The 2024/25 Budget balances service delivery and outcomes for the community with fiscal responsibility through a modest $4.1 million Budget surplus forecast alongside an investment of almost $140 million into infrastructure throughout the Local Government Area. 

Through its Budget and Delivery Program, City of Newcastle will invest $415 million across 60 services and more than 280 projects in the coming financial year, including marquee projects such as the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion and essential infrastructure such as roads, parks and sports facilities. 

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle’s sound economic management is key to achieving the community’s vision of Newcastle as a liveable, sustainable, inclusive global city. 

“We’ve achieved financial strength through years of stability and responsible local government, which allows us to support Novocastrians in their everyday lives and deliver the infrastructure and legacy projects our state’s second-largest city deserves,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Our infrastructure investment will improve people’s lives, with $38.1 million for local roads, bridges, footpaths and community buildings, $7.7 million on stormwater upgrades to address flooding to property and businesses and $6 million for improving Newcastle’s cycleway network and transport. 

“We’re also giving back through our Community Grants, which for a fourth year will provide more than half a million dollars for initiatives to help vulnerable members of our community and reinforce the social, cultural, environmental and economic life of the city.” 

Highlights of the 2024/25 Budget include:

• $17.9 million on roads, footpaths and cycleways across the city
• $11 million on recreation and sports improvements, including Gregson Park Playground
• $5 million for Longworth Avenue and Minmi Road, Wallsend Road renewal$4.5 million on coastal management including Stockton coastline protection work
• $4.1 million on Memorial Drive Road embankment 
• $2.8 million on improving bushland and watercourses
• $2.4 million on Local Centre upgrades such as Orchardtown Road at New Lambton and Georgetown
• $2.4 million on resources and improvements for Libraries, Civic Theatre and City Hall
• $1.3 million on renewable energy projects including climate action and EV charging.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said City of Newcastle’s economic bottom line is a credit to the elected council and staff.

“I’m proud to be part of a council delivering this record investment that will be felt in every single community across our city and I’m proud of every single person at City of Newcastle whose hard work has made this happen.”

Acting CEO David Clarke said City of Newcastle will keep working hard to balance the needs and expectations of a growing community with fiscal responsibility and sustainability. 

“An operating surplus of more than $4 million is a sign of good economic management, despite ongoing inflation and rising construction costs,” Mr Clarke said.

“By investing in our community through this Budget, we’re meeting the needs of our residents while also helping to support local jobs and businesses, with estimates that our infrastructure program in 2024/25 will create 735 local jobs and increase total economic output in the LGA by up to $305 million.”