Port Stephens MP Kate Washington says the state government is exploring how disused Tomaree Lodge and the Stockton Centre can be used to help ease the Hunter's homelessness crisis.
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Ms Washington, then shadow housing minister Rose Jackson and Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp held a media conference in August last year to urge the former Coalition government to use the two defunct disability centres to house people needing crisis accommodation.
Ms Jackson, who holds the housing portfolio in the new Labor government, said at the time that it was "scandalous to have a facility like the Stockton Centre sitting vacant in the middle of a housing crisis".
Ms Washington, the Minister for Disability Inclusion, said on Friday that the two sites had been vacant for years and their future was "yet to be determined".
"In the meantime, the government is exploring every opportunity the sites might offer to vulnerable families and people facing homelessness," she said.
The Newcastle Herald understands Ms Washington has arranged to inspect both properties as the government weighs up their future.
The Department of Communities and Justice completed public consultation on the future of Tomaree Lodge in January and is assessing more than 500 survey responses and submissions.
A DCJ spokesperson said crisis accommodation was "best located in residential areas, close to support services with regular transport links".
"The DCJ will work with the new government to assess all opportunities to increase access to emergency accommodation, including a review of Stockton and Tomaree as required," the spokesperson said.
"Any decisions about the future use of both sites will be made in consultation with the community and other stakeholders."
Mr Crakanthorp said he had been engaging with his colleagues on the Stockton site.
"It's important that we keep all options on the table and investigate them fully, so the best decision can be made," he said.
The Stockton Centre is earmarked as a "town centre" with shops and houses in Port Stephens and Newcastle councils' joint Fern Bay North Stockton Strategy.
The Herald reported on Friday that Port Stephens Council was entertaining a developer's proposal to build a supermarket and shopping centre 3.5 kilometres farther north at Fullerton Cove.
"The strategy is certainly still well and truly valid but, with no timeframe for a decision over the Stockton Centre site, it was decided to move forward with the much-needed retail site for the people of Fern Bay and Stockton," Port Stephens mayor Ryan Palmer said.
A City of Newcastle spokesperson said the strategy had supported a mixed-use town centre in North Stockton "in a central location that is connected by transport, housing, tourist and visitor accommodation and great public spaces".
"This involves the revitalisation of the existing Stockton Centre," the spokesperson said.
"City of Newcastle has not made representations to the new state government about the future of the Stockton Centre at this time on the basis that new ministers are still in the process of being briefed on key projects within their portfolios.
"A neighbourhood centre to allow a smaller supermarket in the Fern Bay-Fullerton Cove area was included in the strategy as a direct result of community consultation and would appear to be a much-needed initial step in the delivery of the strategy."
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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.
