State Matters - 9 June 2025

WHAT AN HONOUR!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Upper Hunter’s Phillip Adams on receiving Australia’s highest civilian award in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.

The Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) is awarded for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or humanity at large.

First recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1992, Phillip receives his AC for eminent service to broadcast media, journalism, the arts, to cultural leadership and the community.

The host of Late Night Live on ABC Radio National for 33 years until his retirement in June last year, the Walkley Award winning journalist continues to write a weekly column for the Weekend Australia.

Other honours held by the Hunter Valley-based cattle farmer include being a Bush Heritage Australia Ambassador, a National Trust recognised National Living Treasure and a member of the Australian Media Hall of Fame.

FIX GRANTS ‘MESS’

I spoke in the NSW Parliament last Thursday about the recent floods and the resulting support that has been offered by the state and Australia Governments.

Whilst I acknowledged some great work on disaster recovery, I provided a candid assessment of the rollout of flood support which, I believe, has been absolutely atrocious.

I am very angry about how people in the Upper Hunter Electorate, who have been affected by the floods, have been treated when trying to access flood hardship grants. 

We need a system that works, when people are looking for support they are reaching out because they think they will receive support from their government.

The NSW and Australian Governments needs to sort this problem out - it is absolutely part of the remit of the Premier and the Prime Minister to get this sorted as soon as possible.

MORE ASSISTANCE ANNOUNCED

The Australian and NSW Governments have announced more funding under the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

The new funding will provide immediate and longer-term assistance for individuals, families and communities affected by recent flooding.

Support includes grants of up to $25,000 for eligible small and non-profit organisations to help clean-up and restore their business, and for eligible primary producers directly impacted by flooding to help with the clean-up and getting their operations back on track.

Grants of up to $10,000 for eligible rural landholders to assist with clean-up, repairs and recovery work, including fixing damaged fences, infrastructure or equipment affected by the severe weather and flooding in May.

For information on how to apply: www.nsw.gov.au/emergency/floods/recover/flood-recovery-updates/grants-payments-and-financial-support

CAMPING PETITION

A formal ePetition has been launched to oppose a Minns Labor Government proposal that will see a drastic increase in camping fees for NSW National Parks.

The NSW Nationals and Liberals have teamed up with Michael Atkinson, also known as ‘Outback Mike’, to bring the petition to Parliament after concerns fees in some parks could go up by 600 per cent.

When my Nationals colleague Kevin Anderson, member for Tamworth, asked the Minister for Tourism about this in Question Time last month, Labor refused to acknowledge the issue, despite the heavy impact it will have on the tourism sector by deterring people from wanting to camp in our National Parks.

The petition calls on the state government to fund national parks adequately rather than relying on new end-user fees, to remove the booking system for campgrounds that did not have one before the COVID pandemic, and to increase the number of campsites commensurate with park visitation.

The petition is open until 21 August at: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lc/pages/epetitions-list.aspx

WINTER ALARM CHECK 

Cold days and cold nights are here with the start of winter over the past week and NSW fire agencies want residents to check their smoke alarm.

The advice from Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) is to push the smoke alarm button.

If there is no beep, there’s no alarm, so it’s a good idea to replace it because your life might depend on it.

A working smoke alarm provides the earliest and most effective warning of a fire to give residents the chance to get out and call Triple Zero (000).

Fire and Rescue continues to urge the community to remain vigilant with the use of lithium-ion batteries this winter, especially for e-bikes and e-scooters.

And, the tip from the RFS is to keep looking when cooking – never leave cooking unattended and don’t throw water onto a fat fire as it will intensify the flames, use a fire blanket or extinguisher instead.

Residents can book a free fire safety visit and have a new smoke alarm installed all year round by visiting: www.fire.nsw.gov.au/visits.

TAKING SHAPE

An early peak at the new Murrurundi Youth and Community Building has appeared on social media in the past week.

Funded by the NSW Government through the Regional Youth Investment Program, Upper Hunter Shire Council reports the new facility is nearing completion and set to open next month.

In a huge step forward, the Murrurundi Youth and Community Hub will offer a safer, more comfortable and more functional space for young people, whilst the community gains a meeting room and shared facilities for community groups and events.

To see Murrurundi’s newest landmark go to: www.facebook.com/upperhunter.shirecouncil

TELL THE P&C

The Parents and Citizens Federation of NSW is currently conducting a parent survey on bullying in the state’s public schools.

Parents and carers are encouraged to provide feedback on experiences with bullying whether or not it was reported.

The P&C wants to gain an insight into how schools responded and how well they communicated with families.

Feedback provided will help guide future advocacy efforts to ensure schools provide safe and supportive environments for all students.

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/DXK8JM9

HEALTH TIPS

This week is Men’s Health Week, and the Stroke Foundation wants blokes to be more knowledgeable about stroke and its common identifiers. 

Men are more likely than women to have strokes but fewer men than women know the F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) signs of stroke. 

Gentleman, here’s where you will learn more: https://strokefoundation.org.au and www.facebook.com/strokefoundation

Plus, as the respiratory illness season picks-up, older people are being encouraged to know the signs and symptoms of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

Last year in NSW, more than 10,698 cases of RSV were reported in people aged 60 years and older.

The latest NSW Health State Respiratory Surveillance Report for the Hunter New England Local Health District shows that for the year to the end of May, there have been 3522 RSV cases, 2271 COVID-19 reports and 2250 cases of Influenza.

If you are unwell, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 where a registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer your call and connect you with the right place for the help you need.

If it’s life-threatening, call Triple Zero (000) or go to an Emergency Department.

For more information on respiratory illness: www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/respiratory/Pages/default.aspx

AFFORDABLE HOUSING REGISTER

The NSW Government is moving to streamline the regulation and access of affordable housing across the state.

The Community Housing Providers (Adoption of National Law) Amendment Bill 2025, was last week introduced to Parliament for the first time.

Currently, without central oversight, it is not known how many affordable homes there are in NSW.

The legislation aims to close existing loopholes in the system which can lead to poor compliance and mismanagement, including overcharging for rent and not providing priority access based on need.

It proposes creation of a public register of all affordable homes to track where homes are, who owns them and who manages them, plus establishing a new category of Affordable Housing Managers responsible for ensuring the eligibility of tenants and that affordable rents are charged.

WAR MEMORIAL GRANTS

Two Upper Hunter Electorate war memorials have secured funding from Round 2 of the 2024-25 Community War Memorials Fund.

Gloucester RSL Sub-Branch and Broke Residents Community Association are among 14 recipients to share in $134,636 of war memorial funding for their upkeep and conservation.

The Gloucester Memorial Clock Tower Project has secured $10,000 with the Broke War Memorial Project to receive $6195.

Applications are open until 25 June for the 2025-26 Community War Memorials Fund with more information at: https://www.veterans.nsw.gov.au/heritage/community-war-memorials-fund.

AERIAL LINE CHECKS

Transgrid will conduct helicopter inspections of the high-voltage electricity transmission lines in the Hunter Region next week.

The inspections are part of an annual bushfire prevention program critical to efforts to identify potential bushfire risks and ensure the safe operation of Transgrid’s network prior to next summer.

During the inspections, two helicopters will fly above transmission lines with the aerial perspective allowing specialist crews to inspect the lines and take photos, enabling the transmission network operator to proactively address any identified risks.

Weather permitting, the inspections will take in Newcastle and Hunter Valley from Thursday 12 June to Tuesday 17 June.

For further information on how Transgrid manages bushfire risk visit their website: www.transgrid.com.au/safety/managing-bush-fire-risk

COMMUNICATION UPGRADES

Work will be undertaken at several sites in the Upper Hunter Electorate over the coming months to expand and enhance the Public Safety Network (PSN).

Next to Australia’s Triple Zero emergency call service, the PSN is the most critical communications network in NSW.

The NSW Government’s Critical Communications Enhancement Program is expanding the footprint of the network for frontline responders to deliver interoperable communications for emergency services to communicate with each other during critical incidents.

Following detailed design construction work will begin over coming months at Mount Coricudgy, Widden and Glenrock, Tomalla.

GET HOOKED EXPANDS!

The NSW Government’s primary school fishing education program is set to expand into the state’s high schools.

The program integrates practical fishing skills with environmental education through subjects like Biology, Environmental Science, and Physical Education, helping students learn and take care of our waterways and resources.

The new high school program includes curriculum-aligned units such as Fishing in NSW, Understanding Fish Habitat, Conserving Fish Habitat with lesson plans, activities and assessments tailored for year 7 to 10 students.

The program is supported with funding from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust to allow

high schools to register for the free program and gain access to four online learning units designed to support sustainable fishing education.

For more on Get Hooked go to: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/resources/schools-education-programs/high-schools-get-hooked