COUNCIL PAGE 10
LIFE & STYLE PAGE 14
INSIDE TE PAGE 16
OUR WONDERFUL SENIORS
TIPS FOR HOLIDAY PACKING
KEVIN ‘BLOODY’ WILSON HITS BACK
MARCH 27 2013 WWW.NEWCASTLEPOST.COM.AU
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT PH: 49 610 310
TESTING TIMES
The two-year itch
Maitland City Council will write to the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) about the flooding of Cessnock Road at Testers Hollow after flood waters inundated the road earlier this month, leading to its week-long closure. At the recent Council meeting, Councillor Bob Geohegan moved an urgent item of business asking Council to write to the RMS requesting that they urgently consider upgrading the road...
Local union campaign to ‘Rate Barry’ puts the spotlight on cuts TRICIA MOROSIN
U
nions NSW’s ‘Rate Barry’ campaign has continued to build momentum, with a protest and mobile billboard parked outside Maitland train station last week serving as a reminder to the community of the two-year anniversary of the O’Farrell Government. Unions NSW Secretary, Mark Lennon, was in town for the rally and encouraged Maitlandites to fi ll out a report card on the government’s performance to date. “A lot of people think Barry O’Farrell is a ‘do nothing’ premier,� Mr Lennon said. “The message we’re sending here is ‘no, he’s actually doing a lot, but none of it is to the benefit of working people in NSW’.� Mr Lennon listed the cuts to public service jobs, changes to workers’ compensation benefits and funding reductions to health and education, as just some of the flaws of this government, which he claimed needs to “lift its game�, and telling Mr O’Farrell to ask former PM, John Howard, about not taking into consideration the concerns of working people. Newcastle Trades Hall Council Secretary, Gary Kennedy, said the Hunter has experienced a “fairly substantial hit� and he urged locals to fi ll out the report card on the Unions NSW website, so they have specific feedback to present to local State Members. So far, local results from the scorecard (239 respondents) show an overall average rating of 1.7 out of 10 when it comes to Maitland residents’ satisfaction with the Government. When asked specifically about investment in jobs, transport, infrastructure, health, education and public assets, as well as looking after the community more generally, the results also
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SWEETER EASTER Flood of donations for families in need PAGE 8
SHINING VICTORY
Concerned Maitland residents and union members at Thursday’s protest in Maitland
consistently sat around the two out of 10 mark. The Post contacted Maitland MP, Robyn Parker, for comment, however, a spokesperson from her office said they would only respond if Unions NSW provided “some hard statistics to back their
claims�, also noting that they didn’t receive any advice about the event at Maitland Railway Station and were actually expecting a visit to the Electorate Office, but, “like the Federal Labor leadership spill, nothing happened�.
Knights beat Vulcans in fiery NSW Cup clash PAGE 24
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