Newcastle councillors have called on the NSW government to reinstate the role of Minister for the Hunter and voiced concern over two key independent bodies being absorbed into a new "mega" planning department.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council approved on Tuesday a lord mayoral minute which noted "with disappointment" the decision last month to abolish the position of Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, a job filled by Liberal MP Scot MacDonald until he lost his upper house seat at the March election.
Councillors also resolved to write to Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who was the last Minister for the Hunter before the role was scrapped in 2015, pushing for the ministerial position to be restored.
A week after her government was re-elected, Ms Berejiklian announced a Cabinet reshuffle which returned Rob Stokes to a planning ministry with expanded responsibilities.
Nuatali Nelmes' lord mayoral minute noted Dr Stokes' new portfolio included "responsibility for all Planning, Local Government, Environment and Crown Lands legislation (179 Acts in total)", including the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, Local Government Act, Coastal Management Act and legislation covering development corporations.
The post-election changes included scrapping the Office of Environment and Heritage and the Office of Local Government, whose functions will be absorbed into Dr Stokes' planning "cluster".
Greens councillor John Mackenzie, who is a candidate in next month's federal election, told Tuesday's meeting that the changes were a "massive transformation of the political system in NSW" and should have been "taken to an election" rather than announced afterwards.
"The fact that the responsibilities for these otherwise independent ministries have now fallen under the mega department, the super department, of planning is cause for concern," he said.
"It's not clear whether we will have the kind of independent assessment ... the thin green line, that's provided by the OEH going forward, or whether those functions will be brought in and tamed under this new planning mega department to make sure local government and crown lands and the environment are all pushed in service of the force of infrastructure and planning under this new government.
"I hope that's not the case. I hope all we're seeing ... is renewed focus on how to better improve those organisations, but I'm very disappointed to see such vast and far-reaching machinery of government changes, with such a critical impact on the city of Newcastle, have been undertaken without any prior warning or any clarity provided to council."
Cr Nelmes told the Herald on Wednesday that if the changes led to "centralised control by Macquarie Street and ultimately disempower or impede local decision making, it will hinder the progress we have made in Newcastle in recent years".
She told Tuesday's meeting that the abolition of the region's parliamentary secretary was a "significant loss".
"It is not a good reflection on how the inner circle of Cabinet view the significance of this region," she said.
The Hunter Joint Organisation of Councils, which represents the region's 10 local government areas, wrote to the Premier on April 2 asking her to reconsider the decision to scrap the parliamentary secretary role.
"The decision by your government in the cabinet re-shuffle to not appoint a Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, without consultation, is extremely disappointing," the organisation's chair and mayor of Cessnock, Bob Pynsent, wrote.
"The decision has weakened the ability of the Hunter JO and the NSW Government to work together as intended under legislation."
Cr Brad Luke (Lib) said on Tuesday that Central Coast-based Liberal upper house MP Taylor Martin could help fill Mr MacDonald's shoes as a conduit to the government.
READ MORE
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
