State Matters - 7 September 2026
MATERNITY SURVEY
UPPER HUNTER electorate communities have two weeks to provide input into the Statewide Maternity Services Plan.
NSW Health is developing a future-focused plan to guide the planning of public maternity services across the state in the next five to ten years.
Feedback is being sought to build on what NSW Health has heard through Connecting, listening and responding: A Blueprint for Action – Maternity Care in NSW and a series of recent stakeholder consultations.
The plan will be informed by the insights and experiences of women and their families, clinicians and other stakeholders to ensure the best possible maternity care for women, babies and families in NSW Health.
This online survey closing on Sunday, 20 September, aims to gather feedback around the six focus areas which have been developed for the plan:
The Statewide Maternity Services Plan is expected to be finalised by December this year.
HVO CONTINUATION UPDATE
The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) is accepting written submissions until Wednesday, 9 September, on additional information it requested on the Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) Continuation Projects.
The Commission has received responses to two separate requests for information from HVO and the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
It considers that the IPC would be assisted by public submissions on the subject matter of the letters and has opened a one-week submission period.
The letters can be found on the Commission’s website:
The Planning Secretary has now extended the date by which the IPC is to make its decision on the HVO applications to 30 September.
FREEDOM OF ENTRY
One of Australia’s oldest civic and military traditions complete with some modern touches will be the centre of attention in Maitland on Saturday.
No. 2 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will exercise its right of Freedom of Entry to the City of Maitland marking the tenth anniversary of 2 Squadron first being granted the honour.
The Freedom of Entry Parade commences at 10am at The Levee Shared Zone, before the Squadron’s personnel proceed along High Street towards Maitland Town Hall.
As part of the special occasion, RAAF PC–21 pilot training aircraft from No. 4 Squadron will perform two ceremonial flyovers, prior to the challenge and during the inspection.
2 Squadron is the most decorated squadron of the RAAF and is currently equipped with the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning surveillance aircraft, which was deployed to Europe in recent years as part of Australia’s military commitment to Ukraine.
For more information on the ceremony, check:
TELSTRA MOBILE DISTRUPTION
Works by a third party will disrupt the Telstra mobile network in the Jerry Plains area from next Tuesday, 15 September, for a period of three days.
The Jerry Plains mobile base station will need to be switched off for periods of up to 36 hours to safely complete the work.
Telstra mobile customers will receive an SMS advising of the upcoming disruption.
When the Telstra mobile network is unavailable, compatible mobile phones will automatically attempt to connect to Triple Zero (000) via another available mobile network through emergency "camp on".
If your first call attempt does not connect within around five seconds, hang up and try again immediately - on subsequent attempts, stay on the line for up to 60 seconds to give your phone the best chance to access another available network and connect your call.
Some medical and personal safety devices, including fall detection systems, in-room monitors, alarm pendants and health monitoring devices, may be impacted if they rely on the Telstra mobile network.
Customers who use these devices should contact their service provider or manufacturer to understand any potential impacts and whether alternative connectivity options, such as Wi‑Fi, are available.
The work will not impact NBN, satellite internet services, PSTN landline services, or mobile coverage from other providers.
Businesses that use EFTPOS terminals that rely on the Telstra Mobile network should contact their bank or EFTPOS provider to check whether their terminal can connect via nbn or Wi‑Fi.
Keep up to date on this outage via: telstra.com/mobile-outages
PERMITS REQUIRED
Landowners and managers in the Liverpool Plains, Hunter Valley and MidCoast Rural Fire Service Districts are being reminded that fire permits now required.
The Bush Fire Danger Period officially commenced in the Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook,
Singleton and MidCoast Local Government Areas on 1 September.
The Lower Hunter RFS District covering the Dungog, Maitland and Cessnock council areas will have the Bush Fire Danger Period start on 1 October.
A Fire Permit is required for burning activities during the Bush Fire Danger Period in Rural Fire districts and, at all times in Fire and Rescue districts across the state.
Fire Permits help ensure fire is used safely and minimise the danger to you, your property and the community.
If you’re planning to burn on your property, you need to notify the RFS and adjoining neighbours at least 24 hours before you light up.
You can notify the RFS of your activity using the online form:
LEAVE THE CLOCK, FOR NOW
Spring has dawned with warmer temperatures over the past week and the amount of daylight is starting to lengthen at either end of the day.
But, the need to adjust your clock for the next stanza of Daylight Saving is still a few weeks away.
Daylight Saving 2026 starts on Sunday, 4 October, at 2am when clocks are moved forward by one hour to 3am, giving more daylight in the evening.
According to the NSW Government website, “Daylight saving has been implemented in NSW to make better use of daylight during the warmer months, provide more daylight for outdoor activities after work or school and reduce energy consumption by cutting the need for artificial lighting in the evening.
To prepare for the time intervention, we are encouraged to make gradual bedtime changes by adjusting bedtime by 15 minutes each night before the change to help your body transition smoothly and maximise morning light by going outside in the morning to help reset your body clock.
For your calendar, Daylight saving ends Sunday, 4 April, 2027 at 3am when clocks are turned back one hour.
SENIORS CHRISTMAS CONCERTS
The NSW Seniors Regional Christmas Concerts are coming up in November with tickets available from Tuesday 8 September.
Golden Guitar winner Darren Coggan and daughter, Olivia, will take their festive show to six regional NSW locations from 24 November to 9 December for an uplifting morning of country music and Christmas carols.
Upper Hunter concert goers will have a choice of performances at Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre on Tuesday, 24 November, and Gunnedah Town Hall on
Wednesday, 25 November, with both shows at 11am.
Accessible seating will be available at all venues, with additional accessibility features at selected venues.
Check out the NSW Seniors Regional Christmas Concerts website for more information on accessibility and tickets:
FREE TO INNOVATION
The 2026 Hunter Innovation Fest Roadshow will soon head into the Upper Hunter with free tickets available to meet the innovators shaping the Hunter region.
Cessnock hosts the roadshow on Tuesday 22 September, Maitland on Wednesday 30 September and Muswellbrook on Wednesday 7 October.
New Cessnock City Council General Manager, Natalia Cowley, will join the discussion on how Cessnock is rapidly becoming a powerhouse for driving its circular economy and innovating in health.
The spotlight at Maitland will be Industrial-Tech and Energy Transition as the hub of the Hunter rapidly becomes a powerhouse for advanced manufacturing and the energy transition.
Muswellbrook’s roadshow venue is the STEM Innovation Lab, The Melt in the Donald Horne Building, with two local innovators to explore regional economic evolution and local manufacturing growth.
Discover more about the Hunter Innovation Fest Roadshow, at:
BIODIVERSITY MONTH
The importance of healthy ecosystems and the species they support will be celebrated this September during National Biodiversity Month.
Invasive pest animals and weeds continue to place significant pressure on the Hunter region damaging native habitats, competing with native species, impacting agricultural productivity and reducing the resilience of the landscape.
Effective pest and weed management rely on more than individual action and requires coordinated planning and strong partnerships across all land managers.
Under the Biosecurity Act 2015, everyone who owns, occupies or manages land in NSW has a General Biosecurity Duty to take reasonable and practical steps to prevent, eliminate or minimise biosecurity risks.
Pest animals and weeds don't recognise fences or property boundaries and left unmanaged, they can quickly spread across neighbouring properties, threatening agricultural production, native wildlife and the health of the Hunter's natural landscapes.
You can visit WeedWise for identification and control of over 300 weeds or contact your local council weeds officer for advice: https://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/?utm_source=Hunter&utm_medium=email
Record pest animal activity in your local area by going to: https://feralscan.org.au/
TRIPLE ZERO AWARENESS
An information campaign about calling Triple Zero has been launched by the the Australian Telecommunications Alliance, mobile network operators and the Australian Government’s Triple Zero Custodian.
The information includes simple advice on steps to follow if a Triple Zero call doesn’t connect immediately, how mobiles automatically try to connect to other networks and
preparing your mobile device for an emergency.
When you call 000 from a mobile phone, it will first try to connect using your mobile network, if that network is not available, your phone will try to connect to another mobile network, if available, which is known as ‘emergency camp-on’.
You don’t need to change any settings or do anything yourself for ‘emergency camp-on’ because it works automatically at no cost to you, even without an active SIM in your phone.
All phones are different; if ‘emergency camp-on’ is available, iPhone will show ‘SOS only’. Android will show ‘Emergency calls only, ‘No service – emergency calls only’, or a small SOS icon.
If your phone shows ‘No service’, there is no mobile network coverage available where you are and you will not be able to call 000 using a mobile network.
In this situation use a landline telephone or public telephone, if available, or connect to Wi-Fi and use Wi‑Fi calling on your device.
Discover more, at: www.austelco.org.au/simple-advice-to-help-customers-connect-to-triple-zero/
SEPTEMBER ROUNDUP
The new Water Quality Data Framework will be unveiled during the September Water Engagement Roundup.
Water Group of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water hosts the monthly roundup with this month’s event on Wednesday, 16 September, 11 am-12 pm.
Water users will be briefed on the new Water Quality Data Framework and how it makes water quality information easier to access, understand and use.
A live demonstration will cover how data from multiple agencies has been brought together to support informed decision-making and greater public visibility.
Book you spot for the Water Engagement Roundup by going to:
PARLIAMENT UNPACKED
A special Parliament Unpacked event is being held on Wednesday, 23 September, on Making Australia.
The longest continuous serving Premier of NSW, Hon Bob Carr, will explore the ideas, personalities and compromises that brought six separate colonies together to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
The event will explore why the colonies chose Federation, the challenges of nation-building, and how the debates of the 1890s continue to influence Australia's political system today.
Whether you are a history enthusiast, educator or curious citizen, Making Australia will offer a fresh perspective on one of the most significant moments in Australia's history and what it can teach us about leadership, compromise and democracy in the 21st century.
To watch the livestream from the NSW Parliament Theatrette online, 6-7.15pm on 23 September, book at:
MORE CONSERVATION SUCCESS!
Aussie Ark in the Barrington Tops is preparing to stage the largest re-wilding of endangered freshwater turtles in its history.
In an unprecedented animal husbandry exercise of its scale, the turtles were laid and hatched at the facility from wild-sourced adults, cared for and monitored for months with regular health checks then transferred from the hatchery into large outdoor habitats.
This spring, 12 Bell’s Turtles and 85 Hunter River Turtles will be returned to the rivers where they belong, in a world-first wild release for Hunter River Turtles and a world-first for Bell’s originating from a captive-bred population.
But wait, there’s more from the Barrington’s sanctuary, with the annual winter pouch check of Eastern Quolls revealing 10 more joeys…and counting!
The joeys are even more significant this year as they have been sired by males introduced from the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program, making them genetically very valuable for the national conservation effort.
The new arrivals will either be released into the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary or transferred to sister organisations nationwide to keep the insurance population strong.
Contact:
Email address: upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au;
New Address: 94 John Street Singleton 2330
Postal Address: PO Box 60 Singleton NSW 2330
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