State Matters - 31 August 2026
GET READY!
Muswellbrook, Singleton and Upper Hunter Local Government Areas begin the Bush Fire Danger Period on Tuesday 1 September.
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) warning that now is the time to prepare by taking 10 minutes to think about your bush fire risk before an outbreak threatens your home, property or community.
Use the RFS My Fire Plan to work out what you will do if a bush fire threatens: www.myfireplan.com.au
Know your risk because embers can travel ahead of a bush fire and find their way into your home and around your property.
Five actions can take are: Trim vegetation around buildings; mow grass and lawns; remove leaves, twigs and debris; clear your gutters and prepare hoses, pumps and water supplies.
Get Ready Weekend, is 19-20 September, the RFS will host events across the state, providing free information, practical advice and resources to ensure you are prepared for the fire season: www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/news-and-media/get-ready-weekend-2026
EYE ON THE SKY
Storm season is also here and it’s time for Upper Hunter electorate residents to prepare their homes to stay ahead of the storm.
Every year between September to April, the weather gets wilder and the potential for impact to your property increases.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has launched its preparedness campaign to warn communities of the storm season and encourage proactive steps to ensure homes are ready.
The three tips from the SES - Plan early. Prepare properly. Act safely.
Steer Clear of Floods, despite repeated warnings, too many drivers still risk their lives by driving into floodwaters - so don’t get swept up in the moment because the decisions you make can have lifelong impacts.
Visit the SES website to learn more about how to plan and prepare for storms: www.ses.nsw.gov.au and monitor the Hazards Near Me NSW app:
FLYING FOX CENSUS
Upper Hunter electorate communities living near a flying-fox roost are being asked to participate in the next quarterly census to help learn more about flying-fox population trends.
The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) says the contribution to the National Flying-fox Monitoring Program will ensure governments around Australia can make informed decisions to protect the species and their ecosystems
The National Flying-fox Monitoring Program began in 2012 as a collaborative project between government agencies and scientists to improve the understanding of flying-fox population trends and provides current information on where there are large numbers of flying-foxes.
Three species of flying-foxes in Australia are at risk of extinction and listed as threatened species under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999.
The grey-headed flying-fox, which is regarded as vulnerable, is the only one of the three species that occurs in NSW and is listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
During the day, flying-foxes assemble together in groups, known as camps or roosts but they regularly move between camps, with the number of flying-foxes in an area always changing.
Become a citizen scientist by learning more at:
DUST BUSTERS
NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) officers are now out and about across the Upper Hunter as part of the annual Bust the Dust campaign.
Singleton and Muswellbrook coal mines are on notice to keep dust down this spring with EPA field officers out in force until mid-December, conducting unannounced inspections to ensure open-cut mines are taking appropriate steps to minimise dust to protect local air quality.
It follows strong results in 2025, when 34 inspections were carried out across 12 open-cut mines and found appropriate dust mitigation measures were in place.
Bust the Dust has made a positive impact according to the EPA with community reports to the authority about dust and air pollution having halved since 2023.
Mines found to be in breach of their licence can face penalties of $30,000 for a first offence and $45,000 for subsequent offences.
A community drop-in session in Singleton on Monday 14 September, will allow residents to ask questions and seek further information about the campaign.
The public is encouraged to report dust concerns to the EPA’s Environment Line by emailing: info@epa.nsw.gov.au.
HEALTH PETITIONS
I want to thank my shadow ministerial colleague and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, the Hon Sarah Mitchell MLC, for raising Upper Hunter maternity services with the Minister for Health during Budget Estimates last week.
A petition to Save Scone Maternity Services at the Scott Memorial Hospital is currently taking signatures on the NSW Parliament website: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/parliamentary-business/petitions/sign-epetition?epetitionId=854&ref=10902
Petitioners are asking the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to urgently intervene and ensure local families can continue to receive safe, accessible and sustainable maternity services into the future at Scott Memorial Hospital and throughout the Upper Hunter region.
A second petition is circulating in the Singleton and Branxton communities to support efforts to secure a new theatre unit and upgrades to the lower ground unit at Singleton Hospital.
You can sign petitions which have been placed at Drs surgeries, chemists, business’, hotels, clubs, cafes and many more locations.
If you would like to help or need further information contact Lyn on 65722235/0408985267.
RESCHEDULED SURVEY
EnergyCo will conduct its rescheduled aerial survey for the New England Renewable Energy Zone (NEREZ) between Muswellbrook and Armidale from Tuesday 1 September.
A helicopter will fly over the one kilometre-wide proposed transmission corridor for NEREZ to capture aerial video and photos.
The helicopter flyover is expected to take place over 10 days between the hours of 9am and 4pm.
Aerial footage and imagery captured will be used solely for the purposes to support project planning, environmental assessment, engineering investigations and preparation of the Environment Impact Statement.
To minimise potential impacts on farming operations, the flight path has been designed to avoid areas with increased sensitivity to aircraft activity with the helicopter generally operating at approximately 365 metres above ground level and will avoid direct flights over observed concentrations of livestock.
For more information, call 1800 061 114, email: nerez@energyco.nsw.gov.au and read the work notification at:
SCHOOL TOILET SURVEY
The Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW is seeking public input for a survey of Public School Toilet Facilities.
Parents and carers of students in NSW public schools are being asked to share their thoughts on the toilet facilities at their child/children’s school with the Federation.
Each survey is anonymous and will take about five minutes to complete.
If you have children in both primary and secondary schools, you will have the opportunity to complete the survey for each site.
The Primary Schools survey for Years K-6, can be accessed at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/8DMGR8F
With the Secondary Schools survey for Y7-12, available from:
Parents and carers views are important and can then be reflected in any position that the P&C Federation of NSW takes on the issue.
SPORT GRANT
Highbrook Park will benefit after Muswellbrook Shire Council secured funding through the NSW Rugby World Cup Legacy Program.
The $103,565 is for improvements to create a more inclusive and welcoming facility for players, volunteers, officials and supporters, while supporting the continued growth of grassroots rugby across the region.
Upgrading of Highbrook Sports Field amenities includes female-friendly change room remodel, replacement of plumbing fixtures, ceiling repairs and waterproofing, internal and external painting of amenities and canteen as well as installation of compliant disabled facilities.
The Rugby World Cup Legacy Program is administered by Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport.
ROAD SAFETY GRANTS
The latest round of the NSW Government's Community Road Safety Grants program is now open for applications.
Community organisations are invited to apply for a share of $500,000 in funding to deliver local road safety initiatives.
Eligible not-for-profit and charity organisations are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $5,000, or up to $30,000 to fund local road safety initiatives.
The grants allow local groups to deliver small, community-based projects that enhance the important message of road safety where it matters most.
Applications close on Monday 28 September at Transport NSW Community Road Safety Grants: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/community/community-grants
POLICE INVESTIGATION
Rural Crime investigators are seeking public assistance after a calf was shot dead at a rural property on Scone Road, Cobark.
Manning-Great Lakes Police District officers attended the property on Thursday 20 August
and found the deceased black Angus calf, believed to be only a few weeks old.
Initial inquiries indicate the calf had been shot between 4pm on Monday 17 August and 3pm on Tuesday 18 August.
The NSW Police Force Rural Crime Prevention Team wants anyone with information, including CCTV footage, to contact Taree Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 regarding the incident: Ref - E105273962.
BUSINESS BATTERY INCENTIVE
Eligible businesses including commercial and industrial operations will be able to get a new upfront discount on the cost of battery installation from 1 September.
Businesses are being helped by the NSW Government to lower their energy bills by cutting the upfront cost of batteries by around 20 to 40 per cent.
The discount amount is related to the size of the battery, meaning larger batteries attract bigger discounts.
The new incentive can be combined with the Australian Government’s discounted rooftop solar for commercial buildings scheme to further help businesses lower their power bills.
It also applies to apartments, for owners corporations to use in shared spaces.
The existing Virtual Power Plant incentive is being expanded to include batteries up to 50 kWh, so small businesses and homes that join could be eligible for an incentive of up to $1,000.
This will enable more businesses to connect stored energy to the grid, helping supply power during periods of peak electricity demand.
For further information on energy efficiency initiatives, visit: www.energy.nsw.gov.au/apartment-batteries or www.energy.nsw.gov.au/business-batteries
DATES IN FOCUS
A thought provoking contribution this week from OzHarvest for people who dislike wasting food including fruit and vegetables, which puts food labelling under the spotlight.
OzHarvest is challenging Australia's date labelling system which is causing up to a million tonnes of good food to be wasted every year.
Consumer uncertainty about date labels is estimated to be costing the average household up to $1,500 a year in food that is thrown out, according to OzHarvest research.
The new campaign, Not All Dates Are Red Flags, targets the largest food wasters (Gen Z) by using dating culture references to show best-before is ‘just a vibe check’ - in other words Sniff, Look, Taste – don’t waste!
OzHarvest suggests under the current legislation, ‘best–before’ dates are about quality whereas ‘use–by’ dates are about health and safety.
However, in practice, the same products under different brands can carry either date.
OzHarvest has defined clear changes to the date labelling system including removing date labels where they are not needed such as for bags of apples and long-life products such as salt, moving some products from a use-by to a best-before where safe e.g. milk, and providing more guidance near a best-before label, like “Sniff Look Taste”.
Visit the OzHarvest website for more details:
WATER METERING
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has updated the metering maintenance rules to make it easier for water users to meet their responsibilities and keep meters accurate and compliant.
Simple tools including a fact sheet, Frequently Asked Questions and a maintenance checklist are now available to help water users stay on track with confidence.
For a duly qualified person (DQP), the changes make it easier and more flexible to conduct meter performance testing.
Eligible meters can now be tested electronically, making the process faster and more cost-effective - for meters without electronic capability, volumetric testing still applies, with more flexible options.
Find more information at:
SAFE HAVEN RELOCATES
Hunter New England Local Health District has advised that Safe Haven Newcastle is now located in the McAuley building at the Calvary Mater Newcastle.
Safe Haven continues to offer the same free, peer-led support for people experiencing distress, suicidal thoughts or psychosocial challenges and has maintained its opening hours of Friday to Sunday, 4-9pm.
For more information, speak directly with the Safe Haven Newcastle team or email Safe Haven: HNELHD-NewcastleSafeHavenHub@health.nsw.gov.au
A Safe Haven is also located in Tamworth, at 214 Bridge Street West Tamworth, operating Friday-Sunday, 4-9pm.
Safe Haven is best placed to support people who are 12 years and above, with more information at: www.health.nsw.gov.au/towardszerosuicides/Pages/safe-haven.aspx
If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511, or Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.
KNOW YOUR DAM!
As Spring arrives WaterNSW wants visitors to Glenbawn, Glennies Creek and Lostock dams to be familiar with the local environment.
The water storages across the Upper Hunter electorate are made for exploring - just not every part of them.
When visiting stick to designated visitor areas, follow signs and barriers, and leave the restricted areas to the people who work there.
It helps keep everyone safe and protects you from hazards that may not be obvious.
You can help WaterNSW, for example, by staying off dam walls unless access is clearly permitted.
To learn more about staying safe at WaterNSW dam sites, check:
Contact:
Email address: upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au;
New Address: 94 John Street Singleton 2330
Postal Address: PO Box 60 Singleton NSW 2330
Ph: 6543 1065
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