What is it with Newcastle City Council and parking? As many have lamented before me, a significant number of parking spaces have disappeared in recent years - those on the northern side of Hunter Street, much of the parking at the western end of Honeysuckle and of course, the council car park in King Street.
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The unspoken agenda of council seems to be that by making it more difficult for us to drive into town, we will choose to take public transport instead. Even better, we might ride our bicycles into the city centre, presumably carrying a baguette and a bunch of flowers in the front. If that is the theory, it defies the evidence of decades. Novocastrians have long proven doggedly resistant to taking public transport. In the post-war years, as Newcastle became more prosperous and more of us could afford cars, we chose them over buses and trams. Starved of customers, the trams disappeared and now the buses have almost entirely done so.
Perhaps if the light rail line was extended to somewhere useful - the Junction, Merewether, Hamilton and Mayfield all come to mind - then more of us would hop on board Newcastle City Council's vision of a car-free utopia. But light rail, trains and buses only prosper when they are more convenient than cars. Making it harder to use your car but failing to replace it with convenient, frequent and rapid public transport capacity is just a recipe for the desertion of the city centre.
Mark Mathot, Mayfield
All eyes on Mayfield's next move
THE Federal Court's reasons for dismissing the ACCC's case against NSW Ports and the NSW government have implications for Mayfield Development Corporation Pty Ltd (Mayfield). Mayfield commenced an action against NSW Ports in the Federal Court in May, 2019. Mayfield alleged it was prevented from developing a container terminal at the Port of Newcastle by an agreement between the government and NSW Ports that contravened the Competition Act.
Mayfield and NSW Ports agreed to a stay on proceedings in August, 2019. The court ordered: "The parties have agreed to stay the Mayfield proceeding on the basis that the ACCC proceeding involves several issues for determination that are threshold issues with respect to the Mayfield proceedings, with significant overlap in the factual allegations". An application by Mayfield to lift the stay on proceedings was rejected by the court. Justice Jagot ruled on March 5 2020:
"In these circumstances, I consider it contrary to the interests of justice to lift the stay. The parties to the ACCC proceeding should not be prejudiced by the vacation of their hearing date to enable the MDC proceeding to be heard at the same time as the ACCC proceeding. It is not the responsibility of those parties that MDC finds itself in the position it is now in. It was MDC which commenced the proceeding when it did not have funding in place. It was MDC that consented to a stay of its proceeding on the basis that there were overlapping issues with the ACCC proceeding. It was MDC that did not secure litigation funding until many months after the stay had been in place, all the while with the ACCC proceeding progressing and being fixed for hearing. Having now secured litigation funding, the interests of MDC nevertheless would have been accommodated if it was reasonably apparent that the proceedings could be aligned and the matters heard together in October to December 2020. It is not reasonably apparent that this is so and while MDC may be able to do what it needs to so it is ready to be heard on those dates, the evidence from the respondents is that they cannot be ready. The ACCC, which is well placed to make a realistic assessment of the likelihood of the two proceedings being able to be heard together in October to December 2020, considers it so unlikely that it has advocated the immediate vacation of those dates if the stay is to be lifted."
Mayfield appealed the decision but the appeal was dismissed. The Federal Court website incorrectly lists the Mayfield case as being closed, however, the case that was closed was the appeal. Whether Mayfield proceeds with its action depends on how the court treated the "threshold issues" and the "significant overlap in the factual allegations". Since the court's reasons will be redacted in areas that are confidential, Mayfield's next move no doubt will be of keen interest to all parties to the ACCC case.
Greg Cameron, Wamboin
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We're a friend for those in need
THANK you Paul Scott for talking truth to spin ("Friends with benefits. Newcastle, you're simply the second best", Opinion, 12/7). Our city has indeed become the place to locate events that nobody else wants.
The SA Premier axed the Adelaide event, noting costs were too high and there was no future for residential street racing. Yet our council has been so keen to ensure Supercars returns for another five years that they are preparing to extend the big event space in the Foreshore Park to cater for their massive infrastructure requirements. In case Novocastrians think they have been "engaged" in this process, they should consider freedom of information acquired by local residents that clearly shows the new design was constrained all along by the need to accommodate Supercars.
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
Actions expensive but get results
I AM pleased on one hand to see a move forward on the freight rail bypass, yet I cannot get too excited by it as I cannot forget the pathetic path travelled by yet another bypass in Newcastle.
In 1935 a decision of the NSW government to construct the Inner City Newcastle Western Bypass began a long and sorry history of blind rabbit trails that have led to an appalling and inadequate plan that is being undertaken at present. On this proposal the congestion from Main/Cardiff Road to the John Hunter Hospital site will not be relieved but potentially made worse with the planned intersection arrangements at McCaffrey Drive. A tunnel would have been the best solution from the valley behind the hospital site through to beyond the Main/Cardiff Road intersection as often discussed during the 1980s through the early 1990s. But extravagant plans gave way to a compromised final proposal. This is still not complete some 86 years later.
This rail line has been discussed in the parliament and in planning departments for decades, as has the "missing link" of the M1 connection to the Raymond Terrace bypass. Perhaps my great, great, great grand-children will see the final planning stages of the project being completed. It is interesting to read that some $42.8 million has been allocated in the past seven budgets and yet only $4.75 million has been spent up to June 30, 2021. How serious is this project to be actually completed? It seems not very serious at this stage as the actual expenditure is less than 10 per cent of the proposed expenditure. Greater accountability of budget announcements must be the job of the community. An old adage from my youth: "Don't tell me what you may do - show me what you have done" is relevant here as words are cheap and actions are expensive but only actions produce results.
Milton Caine, Birmingham Gardens
SHORT TAKES
WHAT is the federal government thinking using a general, a defence minister and an actress in its COVID advertising? Shocking people doesn't work, educating them respectfully is much better.
Julie Robinson, Cardiff
JOHN Beach (Short Takes, 12/7), I feel was a bit black and white on his summarisation of the Supercars coming to Newcastle. He did forget about the 2015 Asian Cup and how we hosted more than one game including a Socceroos semi final which mostly people wanted to move away from Newcastle. Also we hosted the Trans Tasman Master Games. So Newcastle is not a poor second when it comes to major events.
Mark Creek, Adamstown
JOHN Beach doesn't want anyone to have some fun. I for one loved the Supercars and WSL. It's a shame COVID put paid to the State of Origin. I'm a ratepayer too and don't mind the council spending money to attract these events and showcase our city. Come on John. Lighten up mate
Ross St Claire, Merewether
BILL Snow, you need to chillax and have a cold one; comparing the premier's decision on COVID to the state's late night liquor trading hours is very crocodile brained.
Mick Porter, Raymond Terrace
IF you've got a medical exemption for wearing a mask because you have difficulty breathing while wearing it, you should be exempt from coronavirus causing respiratory difficulties.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
I SEE Bridget McKenzie has announced a $400 million program to councils for flood relief programs. Two questions. One, why has it taken so long to implement this program? Two, is there any point in councils in Labor-held seats applying for a grant given this government's history in allocating grants?
Jan Phillip Trevillian, Fennell Bay
HOW does Environment Minister Sussan Ley sleep at night? Her government's inaction on climate change is being highlighted at every turn yet she fires back at any suggestion of fault. Cheers to the eight children who won a Federal Court case declaring she has a duty of care to protect them from future impacts of climate change. Kudos to UNESCO for telling the world the Great Barrier Reef is in danger. Boo to Ms Ley for appealing the Federal Court decision. Brick bats for denying the reef is in danger when her own government report says its outlook is 'very poor'. What a shameful legacy.
Lizette Salmon, Wodonga, Victoria
THE POLLS
Have you changed your habits due to Sydney's COVID outbreak?
- Yes 84%, No 16%
Should Central Coast teachers, students travel to Newcastle schools?
- Yes 17%, No 83%