News

Wollombi Valley Update - 3 September 2010

Date: Fri 03-Sep-10
Author: Peter Firminger
New Council GM, Wollombi Valley Events List, Cessnock Council update and New State Movement news.

Cessnock councillors split on motion

Date: Thu 02-Sep-10
Author: Donna Sharpe (The Herald)
AT a time when they should show a united front, Cessnock councillors were more divided than ever last night.
Greens councillor James Ryan's notice of motion to seek legal opinion on planning minister Tony Kelly's decision to strip the council of most of its planning powers created angry debate and name calling around the seating horseshoe.

Folk in Broke Newsletter - September 2010

Date: Wed 01-Sep-10
Author: Maureen O'Brien
Attached is our Spring newsletter... it's rather meaty and includes the saturday/sunday festival program... we've got a huge weekend planned for you with so much to hear, see, taste, and do - you won't want to miss it!

New general manager appointed to Cessnock City Council

Date: Wed 01-Sep-10
Author: The Advertiser
Mayor of Cessnock, Cr. Alison Davey has confirmed that Cessnock City Council has made an offer of employment for the position of General Manager with the organisation.
"It gives me great pleasure to announce that Ms. Lea Rosser has accepted the position of General Manager with Cessnock City Council and she will bring with her a wealth of experience gained in local government, public service and private enterprise."

Quorrobolong girl finalist in Optus Sound Scribe competition

Date: Wed 01-Sep-10
Author: The Advertiser
Budding music writer Jessica Willard could secure Cessnock a major gig through a national online blog competition. Jessica, of Quorrobolong, has made the top 40 of the inaugural Optus Sound Scribe competition.

36 Months of Wollombi Valley Online

Date: Wed 01-Sep-10
Author: Peter Firminger
Wollombi Valley Online continues to grow steadily into the third year of production. Still unfunded and totally independent.

Protection of the Environment Operations (Clean Air) Regulation 2010

Date: Tue 31-Aug-10
Author: NSW Legislation
The Regulation revises the local government areas in which the control of burning provisions apply, provides for an automatic exemption from the requirement to fit certain anti-pollution devices to certain table-top trucks used on farms (an application for exemption is currently required), revises the percentage ethanol content for petrol to be considered prescribed blended petrol and makes other minor amendments.

Greens MP resigns from NSW Parliament

Date: Tue 31-Aug-10
Author: ABC News
There is more movement on the Upper House benches of New South Wales parliament, with yet another resignation. Greens MLC Sylvia Hale was not planning to contest next March's state election but she has decided to leave early and will formally hand in her resignation on Friday. Her party has already selected her replacement - Sydney lawyer David Shoebridge.

A new state for New England

Date: Mon 30-Aug-10
Author: Jim Belshaw
Now that the combination of the independents with a resurgence of North Queensland new state interest has put new states back on the agenda, I have watched with a degree of bemusement as the same old arguments against are re-cycled.

It is now 150 years since the first attempt to create a new state in Northern New South Wales. From 1915, there were waves of sustained agitation for New England self-government. The name New England itself was adopted at a convention in Maitland in 1932. This agitation forced, among other things, two Royal Commissions in NSW, a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the constitution and the formation of an all-party Commonwealth Parliamentary inquiry into the constitution.

Sanctuary Villages - Emails raising queries

Date: Mon 30-Aug-10
Author: Joanne McCarthy (The Herald)
THE controversial Hardie Holdings' Sanctuary Villages development that could double Millfield/Paxton's population was comprehensively rejected when first proposed to former planning minister Frank Sartor, court documents have shown.
Mr Sartor "did not support any of it" and gave Hardies "a bit of a lecture" during a meeting with the company in December 2005, according to an internal Planning Department email tendered in evidence at a breach of contract case brought by former Hunter regional director Steve Brown.

Legal advice on Cessnock panel appointment

Date: Mon 30-Aug-10
Author: Donna Sharpe (The Herald)
CESSNOCK councillor James Ryan wants to obtain legal advice on whether Planning Minister Tony Kelly acted in a "reasonable and lawful" manner in appointing a planning panel to Cessnock City Council.

Joel Fitzgibbon re-elected

Date: Sun 29-Aug-10
Author: Jamie Fakes (Hunter Valley News)
The Australian Labor Party has maintained its power in the Hunter region with Joel Fitzgibbon being re-elected to the seat on Saturday.
While other Labor candidates may have struggled to maintain the same amount of support they received in the 2007 election Mr Fitzgibbon was again well ahead of his competition.

At the time of publication yesterday the returning Member for Hunter had just under 40,000 votes and 54.91 per cent.

Widow 'used and abused' by NSW Planning Minister

Date: Sat 28-Aug-10
Author: Joanne McCarthy (The Herald)
A MOUNT Vincent woman says she has been "used and bloody abused" after NSW Planning Minister Tony Kelly used her eight-year battle with Cessnock City Council to limit the council's planning powers, and then his department said this week there was nothing it could do for her.
"I don't believe any of them now," said Wendy Bishop, who has fought since 2002 to build a house on land bought at a council unpaid rates auction.

Spouse in Hickey affair may run against MP

Date: Sat 28-Aug-10
Author: Joanne McCarthy (The Herald)
THE man who raised Kerry Hickey's baby for six months until uncovering the Cessnock MP's affair with a parliamentary staffer has slammed Premier Kristina Keneally's "shameful" response and threatened to stand against Mr Hickey at the state election.
An outraged David Kuta called for a public apology to himself after Ms Keneally failed to mention him in a statement released to the Newcastle Herald on Thursday.

Council gets new manager

Date: Sat 28-Aug-10
Author: Donna Sharpe (The Herald)
FORMER general manager of Canada Bay and Auburn councils, Lea Rosser, has accepted a position as general manager with Cessnock City Council.

The power of one

Date: Sat 28-Aug-10
Author: Frances Thompson (The Herald)
Electoral backlash against the major parties could work for independents at the state poll, writes FRANCES THOMPSON. VOTER disapproval is forming against Labor in the Hunter Region and jostling has already begun in two vulnerable seats - Cessnock and Newcastle - that may see a wave of independent candidates at the March 2011 state election.

Wollombi Update - 27 August 2010 (late edition)

Date: Fri 27-Aug-10
Author: Peter Firminger
What an interesting week this has been! Mr Rabbit must have stopped the boats as he hasn't mentioned that massive invasion of diseased terrorists since last Saturday! Whew... Lucky we had an election to sort that threat out. It's amazing what can get fixed over a weekend every few of years (or weeks maybe).

Is Fracking Even Worse Than Drilling?

Date: Fri 27-Aug-10
Author: William Fisher (Common Dreams)
Although the natural gas industry rejects it, critics say fracking can poison water supplies. They also say it uses large amounts of fresh water and generates large amounts of wastewater with limited disposal options.

Pollution package ignores calls for health study

Date: Fri 27-Aug-10
Author: Di Sneddon (Singleton Argus)
The state government says they are listening to community concerns, but they aren't listening closely enough.

Ungooroo Aboriginal Corporation & Newcastle Yarteen College partnership

Date: Fri 27-Aug-10
Author: Singleton Argus
A NEW partnership between Ungooroo Aboriginal Corporation and Newcastle based Yarteen College will create better pathways to employment for Singleton's Aboriginal people.