TRACKWORK WEEK
TRAIN COMMUTERS and motorists are encouraged to be aware of essential maintenance and improvement works on the Hunter Valley rail line this week.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will carry out the work from 6.30am Tuesday 18 February to 6.30am Friday 21 February, as part of its annual maintenance program.
During the work the track will be closed between Kooragang Island and Turrawan, and between Muswellbrook and Ulan with tunnel works being undertaken at Kerrabee.
Coaches replace NSW TrainLink services with travellers encouraged to visit https://Transportnsw.info or call 13 22 32 for assistance to plan their journey.
Signage and traffic control will be in place at locations where motorists may experience short delays due to crossing works or adjacent corridor works.
Information on road closures and alternative routes can be found at livetraffic.com: www.livetraffic.com.
HOSPITAL FUNDS
Hunter New England Local Health District has been allocated $750,000 for upgrades to three hospitals in the Upper Hunter Electorate.
The Regional Minor Works Program will enable Scott Memorial Hospital, Muswellbrook Hospital and Dungog Hospital to each receive $250,000 for improvements.
An Emergency Department expansion at Scott Memorial, Scone will convert a temporary overflow area into a permanent space and support for the continuation of clinical care.
Muswellbrook Hospital is to receive a new palliative care room with an ensuite and carer support space.
New staff accommodation at Dungog Hospital will enhance safety and improve capacity for temporary staff.
Hunter New England Heath plans to complete the projects in the 2025-26 financial year.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
Year 10 and 11 History students currently have the opportunity to apply for the Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarship.
Up to 20 students from across the state will be selected to participate in the annual study tour during the Term 3 school holidays, departing Monday 29 September and returning on Friday 10 October.
Accompanied by a military historian, the tour visits significant historical sites to learn about and commemorate the service of Australian men and women in the World Wars and other conflicts.
The 2025 tour visits historic sites relating to Australia’s military history in the Republic of Korea and Singapore including the Demilitarised Zone in the Republic of Korea and the Changi Prison Chapel in Singapore.
Eligible students can apply online by submitting a personal essay, a letter of recommendation from their school and a parent consent form.
Applications close Sunday 9 March with application information at:
STORM ASSISTANCE
Residents and businesses impacted by storms that struck the Upper Hunter Electorate during mid-January may qualify for support from Ausgrid.
Residential customers, who experienced outages of 12 hours or more, can claim up to $250 for food spoilage with proof required, such as receipts or photos.
When you lodge your claim on the Ausgrid website you will receive a confirmation email with a reference number.
Ausgrid is experiencing high volumes of claim requests due to the recent storms and will appreciate your patience with claim processing taking around 90 days due to technical issues with its email system.
To make a claim go to: www.ausgrid.com.au/Contact-Us/Make-a-claim-Step-1
BRANXTON BOUNDARY
Branxton residents have until Sunday 2 March to have their say on a boundary change between Branxton and North Rothbury.
The Geographical Names Board (GNB) is seeking community feedback on a proposal by Cessnock City Council to amend the suburb boundary.
The proposed boundary amendment will extend the northern boundary of North Rothbury to include parts of the Hunter Expressway and the rail corridor.
The boundary amendment will facilitate the allocation of addresses to the new development precinct of Huntlee, support future growth and reduce potential confusion in the provision of services.
Residents of Branxton and North Rothbury can view the proposal on the GNB website.
All submissions will be considered before the boundary amendment is officially assigned, so find out more at: www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/proposed-suburb-change-cessnock-lga
INQUIRY REPORT
The Legislative Council’s Portfolio Committee No. 6 on Transport and the Arts last week tabled its report entitled 'Use of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility options'.
The inquiry was established in June last year with the committee receiving approximately 85 short submissions from individuals.
A total of 34 recommendations have been made by the committee including that the NSW Government develop a comprehensive framework to integrate private and shared e-mobility into the state’s transport system.
Among the committee’s findings, it noted the current ambiguity surrounding the bikes, including a lack of a clear definition and uncertainty regarding their permissibility, which hinders effective regulation and enforcement.
To read the committee’s report go to the NSW Parliament website:
GO4FUN FOR FAMILIES
Another new year’s resolution tip for those who have plans to make their household healthier in 2025.
NSW Health has the Go4Fun program now available on-demand to make it easier for families who want to make healthy changes to their lifestyle.
Go4Fun Online is a free, 10-week program for primary school-aged children and their families to learn fun ways to create healthier eating, exercise and wellbeing habits.
Based on the latest educational research it features games to play in real life, a call each week with your health coach and the ability to choose fun health goals that suit your family.
Also, you get to chat to other families participating in the program as well as earn reward
tokens each week that can be swapped for a prize at the end of the program.
Be curious and join in at: https://go4funonline.com.au
SENIORS FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN
The 2025 NSW Seniors Festival is now just two weeks away with activities to commence from Monday 3 March and continue for a fortnight.
Tickets for the NSW Premier’s Gala Concert have officially sold out, so if your plans have unfortunately changed then please return any unwanted tickets because they are in high demand.
Don’t be disappointed if you are unable to attend or didn’t get a ticket because you will still be able to join in the fun by viewing the Premier’s Gala Concerts livestream.
Register to watch the concert which will be online on Wednesday 12 March at 2.45pm:
PROPERTY LAW CONSULTATION
The NSW Government wants input on property law changes with improvements being proposed to conveyancing and real estate property legislation.
Proposals include strengthening protections for off-the-plan buyers and simplifying the process for removing obsolete restrictive covenants.
The Office of the Registrar General is exploring ways to improve these and other property laws to make buying off the plan more transparent, fair and certain for home buyers and simplify the process for removing out-of-date covenants on land titles.
Share your feedback on the Contracts and Covenants discussion paper by taking a survey or making a submission by 7 March: www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/offtheplan-contracts-covenants
REZ GOES TO THE SHOW
EnergyCo will hold its next community consultation on the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) at the Upper Hunter Show.
The upcoming opportunity will allow residents of the Muswellbrook and Upper Hunter shires to meet the EnergyCo team to ask questions and provide feedback.
The Upper Hunter Show visit at Muswellbrook Showground will be on Saturday and Sunday March 15-16, from 9am to 5pm.
For details about EnergyCo’s upcoming community engagement activities, see the pop-up schedule on its website: www.energyco.nsw.gov.au/ne/working-community
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