Building better roads, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, planting trees and shrubs, improving parks and playgrounds are just some of the highlights in Newcastle City Council’s Annual Report.

Acting General Manager GRAHAM CLARKE says the last financial year was extremely challenging but very rewarding and the 2006/2007 Annual Report provides a snapshot of Newcastle City Council’s activities and achievements for the past financial year.

"The year ended as it began, with a challenge to the administration to demonstrate ongoing efforts to reduce costs while at the same time maintaining the high level of services the community has grown accustomed to."

"Much of the discussion throughout the latter part of the year was about addressing the recommendations made in the Percy Allen review of council’s infrastructure maintenance requirements and funding challenges. Being aware of the extent of the backlog was essential to be able to address the issue and at the end of the financial year Council has a $3.2million infrastructure reserve funded from cost and budget saving initiatives and service reviews."

Lord Mayor JOHN TATE says it is a credit to the General Manager, senior management team and all the staff at Council that they answered the challenge set by the elected council and the community.

"Council is now in an excellent position to meet the current and future needs of the city. We have the tools needed to ensure the Newcastle continues develop and exceed community expectations."

Some achievements of the 2006/2007 financial year include:

• Extensive consultation with community and business for the Newcastle City Centre plan
• An AA+ long term and A-1+ short term rating from Standard and Poors
• Launch of the TogetherTODAY partnership and unveiling of the ClimateCam billboard in Wheeler Place

Lord Mayor JOHN TATE adds "of course any wrap up of the year wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Queen’s Birthday long weekend storms and the huge effort of staff in the storm response and recovery. Many staff worked tirelessly over the days and weeks following to get the city back on its feet."

The Annual Report is available on Council’s website and the printed documents are available at Newcastle City Council’s administration centre and all branch libraries.

NSW has the distinction of being the worst funding State in Australia for contributions towards public libraries – by a country mile.

The State’s contribution now stands at around 7% of total running costs of public libraries.  This is a sad decline from 1980, when State contributions stood at 24% of running costs.

Now the State Government has cut a further $1.16 million from funds towards public libraries, making a bad situation even worse.

Public libraries have had enough of this disregard for public library needs and many libraries across NSW will be involved in a Day of Action on Thursday 29 November.  A key component of this Day of Action will be a rally on the steps of State Parliament.

Great Lakes Council is taking an active and unprecedented role in the Day of Action.  The Great Lakes Library Services will be closing its doors for one day on the 29 November and a busload of library staff, Councillors and library supporters will be attending the rally.

“This is an important and determined step taken by Council”, says Manager Library Services, Chris Jones.  “It shows how dire the situation has got and how vital it is that we draw the Premier’s attention to our plight.

“This isn’t a move taken lightly and we do apologise for any inconvenience it causes but we hope that the public realise that we’ve been forced into this situation and that ultimately we’re doing this in the best interests of the community.”

The library is keen to hear from anybody interested in joining the bus trip.  There is also a petition at all library branches that residents are encouraged to sign.

Contact details
Manager – Library Services
Tel: 02 6591 7256
Fax: 02 6591 7373
http://www.greatlakes.nsw.gov.au
council@greatlakes.nsw.gov.au

As the second round of the Hunter Valley Research Foundation‘s ground-breaking Wellbeing Watch survey nears completion, Hunter and Central Coast councils are beginning to explore how their residents rate on the wellbeing scale.

The Foundation’s Wellbeing Watch – begun as a 50th anniversary initiative in 2006 – involves collecting information annually as part of an ongoing study to help understand whether people are able to afford their day-to-day needs, are able to successfully balance work and family, and whether they feel part of their local community. Responses from 1,500 Hunter householders will be compared where possible with a further 500 collected from respondents in the balance of NSW.

Project Manager Shanthi Ramanathan says that Lake Macquarie City Council commissioned the Foundation in July to produce a Wellbeing Watch report on their local government area (LGA).

“Analysing our survey data to report on wellbeing levels for individual LGAs is one of the ways in which this research can contribute to improving the quality of life for Hunter and Central Coast residents,” Shanthi said. “By alerting local government to possible areas of dissatisfaction or disadvantage in their area, Wellbeing Watch can inform planning and the deployment of services.” 

As well as following up on questions asked in the inaugural survey, the 2007 Wellbeing Watch survey will investigate new issues including screening for selected cancers, the consumption of healthy foods, the relationship between wellbeing and spirituality and the impact of the June floods.

“Participation in the survey is voluntary but we urge people to take part in this landmark project, which needs to be based on a good representation of the community,” Shanthi said.

The Survey

The wellbeing telephone survey, which is currently underway, will be conducted over 10 weeks with randomly selected Hunter residents who are over 18 years of age being asked to answer questions on employment, access to health care, housing, family, transport, neighbourhood and community, leisure pursuits, education, institutional support, environment, spirituality and perceptions of wealth and prosperity.

A pool of 15 trained HVRF interviewers will mostly be calling people between 2pm and 8pm to complete the survey, which takes about 25 minutes. All information gathered will be strictly confidential and participants’ privacy is assured.

For more information on the survey or the Wellbeing Watch Project, call Shanthi Ramanathan on 4969 4566 ext 515 or email: shanthi@hvrf.com.au

Council projects such as the ECO¶STAR™ program and Water Harvesting and Reuse project, continue to strengthen Newcastle’s position as a leader in environmental sustainability.

Last Thursday I had the pleasure to launch the new Water Harvest System at Newcastle’s Stockton Tourist Park, which will be used for irrigation of the park and in the future flushing of toilets.

The new system adds another green star to the parks recent ECO¶STAR™ Rating. Smart hot water, dual flush toilets and AAA showers and taps have already been installed in the Park.

Launched in September 2005, the ECO¶STAR™ Project is helping to improve the way water and energy is used within our community facilities, through the installation of water and energy saving devices.

The program aims to improve the environmental performance of council facilities through the reduction of resource consumption and the implementation of waste recycling. The project also helps to generate awareness of importance of environmental sustainability and prove the benefits of taking action to improve it.

Newcastle’s Stockton Tourist Park and the City of Newcastle is setting an example of how energy and water efficiency as well as financial savings can be achieved, one that the community will hopefully be encouraged to follow in their own homes.

On a wider scale Newcastle and the Hunter Region are leading the way to create smart energy options for the whole community by submitting a bid in the Solar Cities program.

Solar Cities is a $75million federally funded initiative trial to identify new ways for communities to find smarter ways to use energy in their homes and business. The Solar Newcastle bid is still in the running for a share of the funding with two cities having already been announced.

I encourage the community to support the ECO¶STAR™ Project and its rated facilities and to continue to work together to cement Newcastle as a leader in resource efficiency.

For further information about Council’s environmental programs including ECO¶STAR™ call Steele Adams on 02 4974 2805.

Lord Mayor’s message

As Newcastle develops its reputation as a tourism hub and shrugs off its industrial image, the inner city has also begun to transform itself into a thriving urban centre.

Honeysuckle, Linwood and the surrounding foreshore and beach areas have become very desirable places to live and socialise and as these continue to grow so does the need to invigorate surrounding suburbs.

Planning is underway to revitalise Wickham, one of Newcastle’s oldest suburbs. Historically, Wickham has assumed an industrial character but as the city’s economy changes it is making a transition back to a more mixed use character as more housing is developed.

Council is keen to encourage a compatible mix of housing, light industrial and commercial development that respects the suburb’s history. Bringing back more people to live in the suburb is a key feature of future planning for the area.

A draft plan has been developed for Wickham which incorporates these ideas. Council is also proposing to increase the development intensity of Wickham with new maximum heights from three to six stories.

The draft Plan also seeks to improve access to open space by providing a direct link from the suburb to Wickham Park. This will dramatically improve resident’s ease of access to open space.

The draft Plan is another step in implementing Council’s Urban Strategy which is a 25 year vision for the City, and complements the State Government’s recently released Lower Hunter Strategy. It will also be considered as part of the State Government’s Newcastle City Centre Review.

I encourage interested residents to read the draft plan and supporting study and provide Council will their views for future planning in the area. The draft plan and supporting study can be viewed at Newcastle Region Public Library, Laman St, Newcastle and at City Administration Centre 282 King St, Newcastle

Lord Mayor JOHN TATE will launch a new online directory of Newcastle businesses, the first comprehensive directory of its kind, listing more than 8000 businesses.

The business directory is available on the Newcastle City Council website, www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au, and is a hassle-free way to find local businesses across all industries – from a cafe in Cooks Hill to a welder in Wallsend.

The Lord Mayor says the business directory is integral in promoting local businesses.

“The directory will not only assist locals in using local businesses but will help people outside the area peruse businesses in Newcastle, without necessarily having to know every suburb of Newcastle to search under.”

Newcastle City Council’s Economic Development Manager SHAWN DAY says the directory will also assist Council and business in researching the local business environment. 

“From year to year the directory will enable us to monitor trends and identify which industries are growing and which are reducing in their business numbers. This will help Council better understand and cater for these industries.”

“The directory will also be a useful way for local businesses to identify their competitors and business customers. Moreover, those from outside Newcastle looking to possibly open a business here can identify opportunities – for instance, where there is a gap in the market or where there are growth industries. ”

Local businessperson and football legend MARK SARGENT will also be speaking at the launch, discussing his experiences with doing business in Newcastle.

The launch will be held on Monday 5 November at 12noon at successful new Newcastle business, Bacchus Restaurant – 141 King St, Newcastle.

Photo opportunity: Lord Mayor and Mark Sargeant available for photos after 12noon.

Markets in Hunter Street Mall will be held to coincide with the arrival of international cruise ships this season in what will invigorate the city centre with a vibrant mixture of locals and international visitors.

Hunter locals are encouraged to converge in the Mall, shop at the quality stalls and businesses on offer when the Mercury visits three times this cruise season.

Attracting over 2000 visitors each port of call, the Mercury will visit on Friday’s 21 December, 18 January and 15 February.

Established businesses throughout Newcastle and the lower Hunter will be in an ideal location to benefit from these markets being held in the Mall. Passengers will be ferried from ship to Queens Wharf, which is within walking distance to the Mall. The markets will act as a magnet for the Mall attracting not only cruise passengers but also the local community to the City Centre.

David Brown of Cruise Hunter states “running markets in Hunter Street Mall will add an extra experience of Newcastle for these international visitors by providing quality local products in the City Centre”

“We welcome interest from stallholders and businesses that sell the best the Hunter has to offer. We want to provide visitors with an authentic Hunter and Australian experience. Products such as wine, jewellery and Hunter produce such as olive oils have sold best in the past” said Mr Brown.

Livesites will also contribute to this exciting initiative by providing entertainment throughout the Mall adding entertainment, colour and noise to the scene.

Expressions of Interest are being called from local businesses and stallholders who are interested in participating in this initiative being run by Cruise Hunter in conjunction with Newcastle City Council, Newcastle Alliance and Livesites.

Markets enquiries can be directed to Newcastle Alliance on 4929-4644 and cruise ship enquiries to Cruise Hunter on 4974 2884. Expressions of Interest close Friday 9 November

Newcastle City Council will be laying the foundation for a more positive dialogue with the community over the annual Management Plan with the first meeting of a new advisory group being held this week. 

In adopting this year’s Management Plan, the Council reflected on the difficult task of reflecting the community in the organisation’s annual operating plan and budget. It resolved to establish a new advisory panel to assist in providing the community with a framework to understand the Management Plan process and create an environment where issues can be discussed positively and openly.

An information session to discuss the Management Plan Advisory Panel will be held this Wednesday, 24 October from 6-8pm in the Lovett Gallery, Newcastle Region Library.

The first session will include a short discussion on Council’s Management Plan process and how the community can be better informed and involved in the process.

Lord Mayor JOHN TATE says Council is breaking new ground.

“No other council has a similar group so we are testing the water with a new model for community involvement.”

He says Council is responding to calls for earlier involvement in the process.

“There is a perception that while Newcastle City Council has always provided a great range of opportunities for community input into the management plan, some felt this was too late to really have any significant impact.”

“Two round tables held during this year’s Management Plan exhibition provided valuable insight into the underlying reasons behind community sentiment. “

Five main themes emerged from the round tables:

• The community wants ongoing dialogue with Council about budgeting and services.
• The community is not opposed to change but wants to be a part of establishing the philosophies that guide decision-making.
• The community wants transparency of process to be assured we are working to become more efficient.
• The community will agree to pay more if they feel they’re getting value for money.
• The community is looking for evidence of a long-term strategic approach based on shared and understood principles.

“We need a regular way to work together, to adjust ourselves to changing circumstances so we can build trust.” (business roundtable 9 May 2007)

The Lord Mayor says the panel process will put Councillors, the community and staff on an equal footing.

“We’ll all be starting the Management Plan process together so there’s opportunity to discuss focus and priorities. We’re hopeful this will be the start of greater understanding and the forging of positive relationships.”

Source: Newcastle City Council

Lord Mayor JOHN TATE says the resignation of General Manager JANET DORE is a sad loss for Newcastle but a win for Melbourne.

The General Manager has resigned to take up a senior executive position with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) of Victoria.

The Lord Mayor says the General Manager is also returning for personal reasons.

“Janet has been under considerable pressure over the past seven weeks following the diagnosis of a serious illness in the family.”

Ms DORE says leaving will be difficult.

“The last nine years has been both challenging and rewarding in terms of the transformation in Newcastle
and the working relationship with Council.”

“My greatest sadness in leaving at this time is knowing the challenges ahead over the next eleven months for the Council and the organisation.  I know this is not an ideal time for a leadership transition but I am confident the leadership group has the resilience and professionalism to continue to serve Council well.”

The Lord Mayor says the Council has made great strides forward under Ms Dore’s leadership.

“It was under Janet’s careful hand that the issue of infrastructure was finally put on the table.  While other Councils have been dubbed ‘financially terminal’ due to their inability to tackle the infrastructure issue, Newcastle is on the front foot and getting stronger.”

“The past nine years has also seen a vastly new approach to asset management which has made the organisation’s ability to plan ahead and proactively program maintenance in a way that cuts costs and increases efficiency significantly.”

He says the way we look at how to deliver services is also significantly different.

“We now see assets as a way to deliver services and not an end in themselves. It is a long term view, a sustainable view.”

The Lord Mayor says he will personally miss Ms Dore’s drive and dedication.

“There are just a few people we meet in this world who make a lasting difference.  Janet is one of them.”

7pm – Strategic Policy Committee meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, Second Floor, Newcastle City Hall. Items on the agenda include:

Briefing: Suggested enhancement of NO 2 Sportsground
Members of the Newcastle rugby community have approached Council to investigate the potential to modify No 2 Sportsground to a rectangular shape. The briefing will outline the proposals and how to progress the request.

Briefing: Good Sports
The program is an initiative of the Australian Drug Foundation to develop safer and healthier communities by helping sport clubs to manage alcohol responsibly.

Briefing: Newcastle Urban Forest Policy
The draft policy is being developed assist Council in managing Newcastle’s urban forest and outlines the benefits and challenges of doing so. 

Briefing: Newcastle Local Environment Plan 2003 Amendment 4
The amendment addresses exempt and complying development, additional draft heritage items and anomalies in the existing LEP. The amendment has been revised following public consultation. The briefing will outline changes prior to the amendment being reported to Council.

Beresfield Golf Course Draft Plan of Management for Exhibition
The plan was originally adopted in 2002 and a five year review has been undertaken. It is recommended Council place the updated plan of management for Beresfield Golf Course on public exhibition for 42 days.

Draft Ethnic Affairs Policy Statement
The statement identifies how Council meet the needs of Newcastle’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Notice of Motion: Lower House Review into Liquor Trading Hours

For Council to request the State Government to setup a committee to investigate operating hours and alcohol services at pubs and clubs in NSW.

8pm Tori Amos On tour promoting her latest album American Doll Posse. Amos will be performing both solo and accompanied by a three piece band. Civic Theatre Newcastle, tickets $119.90

Wednesday 19 September

12.30pm  Draft Pool Service Delivery model Consultation With school principals and student representatives. Lovatt Gallery, Level 2, Newcastle Region Library.

6pm Hamilton Business District Committee HP Chambers, 133-139 Beaumont Street, Hamilton.

6pm Public Workshop Newcastle City Centre Plan to discuss the Development Control Plan and the Civic Improvement Plan. Newcastle City Hall, King Street, Newcastle

7.30pm New Lambton Community Forum including draft Pool Services Delivery Model consultation. New Lambton Community Centre, Alma Road, New Lambton

8pm Stage Door Series – Glen Shorrock The audience will share the stage with Shorrock and enjoy a two course dinner. Civic Theatre Newcastle, dinner and show $165, show only $65.

Thursday 20 September

5.15pm  Draft Pool Service Delivery Model consultation Community meeting at Mayfield Pool, Ingall Street, Mayfield.

5.30pm Public Voice Committee meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, Second Floor, Newcastle City Hall. Items on the agenda include:

DA 06/2233 – 80 Orchardtown Road, New Lambton
For alterations and additions to the existing hotel including a 30 room motel, car parking and deck extensions.

8pm Arrebato Ensemble Contemporary Flemenco Over the last four years, Sydney-based contemporary flamenco outfit, Arrebato has been composing & developing a repertoire of original instrumental musical using the emotional lure of modern flamenco as a base. The result is a unique style of music that is appealing to wide range of musical audiences – from the flamenco aficionado through to jazz, world and classical music fans. Playhouse Theatre, Civic Precinct Newcastle, tickets $33.30.

Friday 21 September

8pm  Arj Barker One of the golden boys on the international comedy circuit, joined by stand-out Aussie comic Joel Ozborn, a regular at comedy clubs all over Australia. Get it quick this is world-class comedy. Civic Theatre Newcastle, tickets $34.90

Saturday 22 September

7pm  Blackbutt Reserve Creature of the Night Walks. Bring a torch and discover what our animals do when the sun goes down. Enjoy authentic Billy Tea and Damper by the camp fire. Adults $7.50 Children (under 14) $2.50 Bookings essential call 4904 3344.

8pm  Kate Ceberano- Nine Lime Adventure Tour Kate’s Dancing With The Stars partner John-Paul Collins is set to join the tour as a very special guest! The concert stage will be turned into a dance floor, so Kate and John-Paul can re-live some of Dancing With The Stars best moments! Kate and her wonderful six-piece band will then take audiences on a journey through her multi-award winning career. Civic Theatre Newcastle, tickets $59.

Sunday 23 September

10am  Spring Bridal Expo 70 exhibitors in one magnificent venue with two fabulous fashion parades at 11:30am and 1:30pm on the stage in the Concert Hall, City Hall Newcastle, entry $10.

At the Gallery

Darren Siwes: Mum, I want to be brown A series of large scale photographs, nocturnal performances are played out against colonial backdrops. Darren Siwes, of Aboriginal and Dutch descent, invokes the world of childhood to expose our racial and class based prejudices.

About men: Lucian Freud Celebrated British artist Lucian Freud reveals the depth of human experience in his depictions of the male nude. This exhibition features After Cézanne on loan from the National Gallery of Australia.

Alun Leach-Jones A celebration of twenty years of Alun Leach-Jones’ print making career, this exhibition comprises etchings, woodblocks, linoprints and screenprints recently gifted to the Gallery by Alun Leach-Jones.

Bruce Rowland: In the artist’s studio A retrospective exhibition of artwork by well-known Novocastrian artist, Bruce Rowland. This exhibition focuses on Rowland’s abiding concern for the human figure and spans drawing, printmaking and painting. Rowland’s studio will be reconstructed in the gallery space where he will work during the exhibition.

Embodied: Julie Rrap Through photography, video and installation Julie Rrap returns time and time again to her own body as the site of an insistent and intense investigation of gender and subjectivity.