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The Advertiser
a day ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
John Hunter only admitting patients with 'threat of limb or life loss'
Surgeons at John Hunter Hospital have been told to admit patients only with "threat of limb or life loss" amid an extreme bed shortage. Hospital management sent surgeons a message on Monday afternoon that said "John Hunter Hospital is going into the evening with minus 37 beds". The message, titled "extreme bed compromise", said "we are on life and limb". "This means any acceptance of patients into John Hunter Hospital must be via surgeons (not registrars) and must be for patients who have threat of limb loss or life loss," it said. "Please continue to ... identify all patients who can be discharged home or to HITH [Hospital in the Home]." This followed patients waiting up to four hours when arriving by ambulance to John Hunter at the weekend. The waits coincided with high presentations and admissions to hospitals across the state for influenza-like illness. "It's been pretty bad in the last 28 to 48 hours," said Brendan McIlveen, a Newcastle-based paramedic. Mr McIlveen, the Australian Paramedics Association NSW secretary, said "this is probably the worst it's been in a long while". More than 10 ambulances were seen lined up at the John Hunter on Sunday. One hospital staffer told the Newcastle Herald there were "40 patients in overflow". "The cardiac catheterisation laboratory and endoscopy recovery have been used for overflow patients. "Patients are waiting excessively because we don't have anywhere to see them. We have no movement of patients. "Staff feel overwhelmed and fearful that something will go wrong. They get scared that someone will die." The staffer said the hospital executive "refused to call a code yellow" on Sunday. "This would mean they recognise we have an internal emergency." In this scenario, moves could be made to ease pressure on the hospital. A Hunter New England Health spokesperson said on Monday: "John Hunter Hospital is currently experiencing a higher-than-usual volume of patients, including a significant number of seriously unwell patients". "In response to demand and to alleviate pressure in the ED, we are activating surge areas to temporarily increase our capacity as required. "During periods of high activity, we monitor inter-hospital transfer requests and prioritise the most unwell patients." Mr McIlveen said the patients brought to the hospital by ambulance on Sunday were "genuine cases". "It's not as though they could see a GP or be referred to an urgent care centre," he said. "It's flu season, so there were a number of unwell people on Sunday." He added that "trauma happens during weekend sports". "John Hunter does take all the trauma. It flows well, considering the number of ambulances and patients presenting in the waiting room as well," Mr McIlveen said. "It does show how well the nurses and doctors do to see as many patients as they do. They were doing everything they possibly could." But as the workload increases, so do delays at the hospital. "This does put a burden on the response available for the community," Mr McIlveen said. "The warmer weather will probably start again soon so that will hopefully settle all the respiratory cases down a bit." The latest NSW Respiratory Surveillance Report showed "influenza activity is still at a high level", but cases among children had fallen during the school holidays. "COVID is at a moderate level of activity and decreasing. RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] activity is decreasing and at a moderate level," the report said. ED presentations and admissions for bronchiolitis in young children were high, particularly in those aged less than one, but they were decreasing. While another month of winter lies ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast warmer than average days and nights in south-eastern Australia from August to October. The bureau said there was an "increased chance of unusually high overnight temperatures". Surgeons at John Hunter Hospital have been told to admit patients only with "threat of limb or life loss" amid an extreme bed shortage. Hospital management sent surgeons a message on Monday afternoon that said "John Hunter Hospital is going into the evening with minus 37 beds". The message, titled "extreme bed compromise", said "we are on life and limb". "This means any acceptance of patients into John Hunter Hospital must be via surgeons (not registrars) and must be for patients who have threat of limb loss or life loss," it said. "Please continue to ... identify all patients who can be discharged home or to HITH [Hospital in the Home]." This followed patients waiting up to four hours when arriving by ambulance to John Hunter at the weekend. The waits coincided with high presentations and admissions to hospitals across the state for influenza-like illness. "It's been pretty bad in the last 28 to 48 hours," said Brendan McIlveen, a Newcastle-based paramedic. Mr McIlveen, the Australian Paramedics Association NSW secretary, said "this is probably the worst it's been in a long while". More than 10 ambulances were seen lined up at the John Hunter on Sunday. One hospital staffer told the Newcastle Herald there were "40 patients in overflow". "The cardiac catheterisation laboratory and endoscopy recovery have been used for overflow patients. "Patients are waiting excessively because we don't have anywhere to see them. We have no movement of patients. "Staff feel overwhelmed and fearful that something will go wrong. They get scared that someone will die." The staffer said the hospital executive "refused to call a code yellow" on Sunday. "This would mean they recognise we have an internal emergency." In this scenario, moves could be made to ease pressure on the hospital. A Hunter New England Health spokesperson said on Monday: "John Hunter Hospital is currently experiencing a higher-than-usual volume of patients, including a significant number of seriously unwell patients". "In response to demand and to alleviate pressure in the ED, we are activating surge areas to temporarily increase our capacity as required. "During periods of high activity, we monitor inter-hospital transfer requests and prioritise the most unwell patients." Mr McIlveen said the patients brought to the hospital by ambulance on Sunday were "genuine cases". "It's not as though they could see a GP or be referred to an urgent care centre," he said. "It's flu season, so there were a number of unwell people on Sunday." He added that "trauma happens during weekend sports". "John Hunter does take all the trauma. It flows well, considering the number of ambulances and patients presenting in the waiting room as well," Mr McIlveen said. "It does show how well the nurses and doctors do to see as many patients as they do. They were doing everything they possibly could." But as the workload increases, so do delays at the hospital. "This does put a burden on the response available for the community," Mr McIlveen said. "The warmer weather will probably start again soon so that will hopefully settle all the respiratory cases down a bit." The latest NSW Respiratory Surveillance Report showed "influenza activity is still at a high level", but cases among children had fallen during the school holidays. "COVID is at a moderate level of activity and decreasing. RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] activity is decreasing and at a moderate level," the report said. ED presentations and admissions for bronchiolitis in young children were high, particularly in those aged less than one, but they were decreasing. While another month of winter lies ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast warmer than average days and nights in south-eastern Australia from August to October. The bureau said there was an "increased chance of unusually high overnight temperatures". Surgeons at John Hunter Hospital have been told to admit patients only with "threat of limb or life loss" amid an extreme bed shortage. Hospital management sent surgeons a message on Monday afternoon that said "John Hunter Hospital is going into the evening with minus 37 beds". The message, titled "extreme bed compromise", said "we are on life and limb". "This means any acceptance of patients into John Hunter Hospital must be via surgeons (not registrars) and must be for patients who have threat of limb loss or life loss," it said. "Please continue to ... identify all patients who can be discharged home or to HITH [Hospital in the Home]." This followed patients waiting up to four hours when arriving by ambulance to John Hunter at the weekend. The waits coincided with high presentations and admissions to hospitals across the state for influenza-like illness. "It's been pretty bad in the last 28 to 48 hours," said Brendan McIlveen, a Newcastle-based paramedic. Mr McIlveen, the Australian Paramedics Association NSW secretary, said "this is probably the worst it's been in a long while". More than 10 ambulances were seen lined up at the John Hunter on Sunday. One hospital staffer told the Newcastle Herald there were "40 patients in overflow". "The cardiac catheterisation laboratory and endoscopy recovery have been used for overflow patients. "Patients are waiting excessively because we don't have anywhere to see them. We have no movement of patients. "Staff feel overwhelmed and fearful that something will go wrong. They get scared that someone will die." The staffer said the hospital executive "refused to call a code yellow" on Sunday. "This would mean they recognise we have an internal emergency." In this scenario, moves could be made to ease pressure on the hospital. A Hunter New England Health spokesperson said on Monday: "John Hunter Hospital is currently experiencing a higher-than-usual volume of patients, including a significant number of seriously unwell patients". "In response to demand and to alleviate pressure in the ED, we are activating surge areas to temporarily increase our capacity as required. "During periods of high activity, we monitor inter-hospital transfer requests and prioritise the most unwell patients." Mr McIlveen said the patients brought to the hospital by ambulance on Sunday were "genuine cases". "It's not as though they could see a GP or be referred to an urgent care centre," he said. "It's flu season, so there were a number of unwell people on Sunday." He added that "trauma happens during weekend sports". "John Hunter does take all the trauma. It flows well, considering the number of ambulances and patients presenting in the waiting room as well," Mr McIlveen said. "It does show how well the nurses and doctors do to see as many patients as they do. They were doing everything they possibly could." But as the workload increases, so do delays at the hospital. "This does put a burden on the response available for the community," Mr McIlveen said. "The warmer weather will probably start again soon so that will hopefully settle all the respiratory cases down a bit." The latest NSW Respiratory Surveillance Report showed "influenza activity is still at a high level", but cases among children had fallen during the school holidays. "COVID is at a moderate level of activity and decreasing. RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] activity is decreasing and at a moderate level," the report said. ED presentations and admissions for bronchiolitis in young children were high, particularly in those aged less than one, but they were decreasing. While another month of winter lies ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast warmer than average days and nights in south-eastern Australia from August to October. The bureau said there was an "increased chance of unusually high overnight temperatures". Surgeons at John Hunter Hospital have been told to admit patients only with "threat of limb or life loss" amid an extreme bed shortage. Hospital management sent surgeons a message on Monday afternoon that said "John Hunter Hospital is going into the evening with minus 37 beds". The message, titled "extreme bed compromise", said "we are on life and limb". "This means any acceptance of patients into John Hunter Hospital must be via surgeons (not registrars) and must be for patients who have threat of limb loss or life loss," it said. "Please continue to ... identify all patients who can be discharged home or to HITH [Hospital in the Home]." This followed patients waiting up to four hours when arriving by ambulance to John Hunter at the weekend. The waits coincided with high presentations and admissions to hospitals across the state for influenza-like illness. "It's been pretty bad in the last 28 to 48 hours," said Brendan McIlveen, a Newcastle-based paramedic. Mr McIlveen, the Australian Paramedics Association NSW secretary, said "this is probably the worst it's been in a long while". More than 10 ambulances were seen lined up at the John Hunter on Sunday. One hospital staffer told the Newcastle Herald there were "40 patients in overflow". "The cardiac catheterisation laboratory and endoscopy recovery have been used for overflow patients. "Patients are waiting excessively because we don't have anywhere to see them. We have no movement of patients. "Staff feel overwhelmed and fearful that something will go wrong. They get scared that someone will die." The staffer said the hospital executive "refused to call a code yellow" on Sunday. "This would mean they recognise we have an internal emergency." In this scenario, moves could be made to ease pressure on the hospital. A Hunter New England Health spokesperson said on Monday: "John Hunter Hospital is currently experiencing a higher-than-usual volume of patients, including a significant number of seriously unwell patients". "In response to demand and to alleviate pressure in the ED, we are activating surge areas to temporarily increase our capacity as required. "During periods of high activity, we monitor inter-hospital transfer requests and prioritise the most unwell patients." Mr McIlveen said the patients brought to the hospital by ambulance on Sunday were "genuine cases". "It's not as though they could see a GP or be referred to an urgent care centre," he said. "It's flu season, so there were a number of unwell people on Sunday." He added that "trauma happens during weekend sports". "John Hunter does take all the trauma. It flows well, considering the number of ambulances and patients presenting in the waiting room as well," Mr McIlveen said. "It does show how well the nurses and doctors do to see as many patients as they do. They were doing everything they possibly could." But as the workload increases, so do delays at the hospital. "This does put a burden on the response available for the community," Mr McIlveen said. "The warmer weather will probably start again soon so that will hopefully settle all the respiratory cases down a bit." The latest NSW Respiratory Surveillance Report showed "influenza activity is still at a high level", but cases among children had fallen during the school holidays. "COVID is at a moderate level of activity and decreasing. RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] activity is decreasing and at a moderate level," the report said. ED presentations and admissions for bronchiolitis in young children were high, particularly in those aged less than one, but they were decreasing. While another month of winter lies ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast warmer than average days and nights in south-eastern Australia from August to October. The bureau said there was an "increased chance of unusually high overnight temperatures".
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'Just a little lie': the costly Jeremy Bath rumour Allan Robinson started
IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020. IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020. IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020. IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020.
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
'They would withdraw care': cracks in NDIS costing Hunter families thousands
IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them. IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them. IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them. IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them.
The Advertiser
22-07-2025
- Climate
- The Advertiser
'It's pretty grim': Port Stephens oyster farm devastated by acid
A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536. A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536. A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536. A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.
The Advertiser
20-07-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Public meeting to discuss views on plan to burn wood waste Redbank power station
A public meeting will be held to hear views on a contentious plan to restart the Redbank power station near Singleton using biomass fuel. Verdant Earth has submitted a state significant development application to modify the plant, which closed in 2014, to burn wood waste instead of coal. The company proposes to use up to 700,000 dry tonnes a year of biomass, which includes noxious weeds, as fuel. The power station has a capacity of up to 151 MW of dispatchable energy and would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If approved, the project would create about 330 construction jobs and up to 60 operational jobs. Verdant Earth chief executive Richard Poole previously told the Newcastle Herald that several "high net worth Australian families" had invested $80million in the company's biomass strategy. But environmental groups have slammed plans to reopen the Redbank power station. "It's extremely concerning that this polluting project is again rearing its head, and has progressed to the public exhibition stage," Nature Conservation Council of NSW chief executive Jacqui Mumford said previously. "Verdant Earth has been trying to claim that wood-fire power is "green" or "net zero" since they stopped burning coal at Redbank. "While branding themselves as renewable energy focused, Verdant Earth's PR campaign surrounding Redbank remains replete with talking points from the fossil fuel lobbyists." The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has completed a whole-of-government assessment and has referred this application to the Independent Planning Commission for determination. The commission is the consent authority because more than 50 unique public objections were received for the application. Verdant Earth has pointed out that the majority of objections were at least 100 kilometres away from the project, spread "along the eastern coast of NSW, up to the Queensland Border and around the Sydney area", while most submissions from the Hunter were in support. Commissioners Professor Neal Menzies AM (chair), Ms Alex O'Mara, and Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO have been appointed to determine the application. Key issues identified in the whole-of-government assessment of the development application include the types of waste proposed as fuel, greenhouse gas emissions, impacts on air quality, biodiversity and truck movements. The public meeting will be held at the Singleton Civic Centre, 12 Queen Street, Singleton on Monday, August 11, at 10am. Anyone wanting to present at the public meeting must register on the commission's website using the Speaker Registration Form. The deadline for speaker registrations is 12pm (noon) on Friday, August 1. The commission is also inviting the public to make written submissions, which can be lodged via the 'Make a Submission' portal on the commission's website. The commission will also accept submissions made via post or email. Written submissions will be accepted until 5pm, Monday, August 18. A public meeting will be held to hear views on a contentious plan to restart the Redbank power station near Singleton using biomass fuel. Verdant Earth has submitted a state significant development application to modify the plant, which closed in 2014, to burn wood waste instead of coal. The company proposes to use up to 700,000 dry tonnes a year of biomass, which includes noxious weeds, as fuel. The power station has a capacity of up to 151 MW of dispatchable energy and would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If approved, the project would create about 330 construction jobs and up to 60 operational jobs. Verdant Earth chief executive Richard Poole previously told the Newcastle Herald that several "high net worth Australian families" had invested $80million in the company's biomass strategy. But environmental groups have slammed plans to reopen the Redbank power station. "It's extremely concerning that this polluting project is again rearing its head, and has progressed to the public exhibition stage," Nature Conservation Council of NSW chief executive Jacqui Mumford said previously. "Verdant Earth has been trying to claim that wood-fire power is "green" or "net zero" since they stopped burning coal at Redbank. "While branding themselves as renewable energy focused, Verdant Earth's PR campaign surrounding Redbank remains replete with talking points from the fossil fuel lobbyists." The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has completed a whole-of-government assessment and has referred this application to the Independent Planning Commission for determination. The commission is the consent authority because more than 50 unique public objections were received for the application. Verdant Earth has pointed out that the majority of objections were at least 100 kilometres away from the project, spread "along the eastern coast of NSW, up to the Queensland Border and around the Sydney area", while most submissions from the Hunter were in support. Commissioners Professor Neal Menzies AM (chair), Ms Alex O'Mara, and Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO have been appointed to determine the application. Key issues identified in the whole-of-government assessment of the development application include the types of waste proposed as fuel, greenhouse gas emissions, impacts on air quality, biodiversity and truck movements. The public meeting will be held at the Singleton Civic Centre, 12 Queen Street, Singleton on Monday, August 11, at 10am. Anyone wanting to present at the public meeting must register on the commission's website using the Speaker Registration Form. The deadline for speaker registrations is 12pm (noon) on Friday, August 1. The commission is also inviting the public to make written submissions, which can be lodged via the 'Make a Submission' portal on the commission's website. The commission will also accept submissions made via post or email. Written submissions will be accepted until 5pm, Monday, August 18. A public meeting will be held to hear views on a contentious plan to restart the Redbank power station near Singleton using biomass fuel. Verdant Earth has submitted a state significant development application to modify the plant, which closed in 2014, to burn wood waste instead of coal. The company proposes to use up to 700,000 dry tonnes a year of biomass, which includes noxious weeds, as fuel. The power station has a capacity of up to 151 MW of dispatchable energy and would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If approved, the project would create about 330 construction jobs and up to 60 operational jobs. Verdant Earth chief executive Richard Poole previously told the Newcastle Herald that several "high net worth Australian families" had invested $80million in the company's biomass strategy. But environmental groups have slammed plans to reopen the Redbank power station. "It's extremely concerning that this polluting project is again rearing its head, and has progressed to the public exhibition stage," Nature Conservation Council of NSW chief executive Jacqui Mumford said previously. "Verdant Earth has been trying to claim that wood-fire power is "green" or "net zero" since they stopped burning coal at Redbank. "While branding themselves as renewable energy focused, Verdant Earth's PR campaign surrounding Redbank remains replete with talking points from the fossil fuel lobbyists." The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has completed a whole-of-government assessment and has referred this application to the Independent Planning Commission for determination. The commission is the consent authority because more than 50 unique public objections were received for the application. Verdant Earth has pointed out that the majority of objections were at least 100 kilometres away from the project, spread "along the eastern coast of NSW, up to the Queensland Border and around the Sydney area", while most submissions from the Hunter were in support. Commissioners Professor Neal Menzies AM (chair), Ms Alex O'Mara, and Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO have been appointed to determine the application. Key issues identified in the whole-of-government assessment of the development application include the types of waste proposed as fuel, greenhouse gas emissions, impacts on air quality, biodiversity and truck movements. The public meeting will be held at the Singleton Civic Centre, 12 Queen Street, Singleton on Monday, August 11, at 10am. Anyone wanting to present at the public meeting must register on the commission's website using the Speaker Registration Form. The deadline for speaker registrations is 12pm (noon) on Friday, August 1. The commission is also inviting the public to make written submissions, which can be lodged via the 'Make a Submission' portal on the commission's website. The commission will also accept submissions made via post or email. Written submissions will be accepted until 5pm, Monday, August 18. A public meeting will be held to hear views on a contentious plan to restart the Redbank power station near Singleton using biomass fuel. Verdant Earth has submitted a state significant development application to modify the plant, which closed in 2014, to burn wood waste instead of coal. The company proposes to use up to 700,000 dry tonnes a year of biomass, which includes noxious weeds, as fuel. The power station has a capacity of up to 151 MW of dispatchable energy and would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If approved, the project would create about 330 construction jobs and up to 60 operational jobs. Verdant Earth chief executive Richard Poole previously told the Newcastle Herald that several "high net worth Australian families" had invested $80million in the company's biomass strategy. But environmental groups have slammed plans to reopen the Redbank power station. "It's extremely concerning that this polluting project is again rearing its head, and has progressed to the public exhibition stage," Nature Conservation Council of NSW chief executive Jacqui Mumford said previously. "Verdant Earth has been trying to claim that wood-fire power is "green" or "net zero" since they stopped burning coal at Redbank. "While branding themselves as renewable energy focused, Verdant Earth's PR campaign surrounding Redbank remains replete with talking points from the fossil fuel lobbyists." The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has completed a whole-of-government assessment and has referred this application to the Independent Planning Commission for determination. The commission is the consent authority because more than 50 unique public objections were received for the application. Verdant Earth has pointed out that the majority of objections were at least 100 kilometres away from the project, spread "along the eastern coast of NSW, up to the Queensland Border and around the Sydney area", while most submissions from the Hunter were in support. Commissioners Professor Neal Menzies AM (chair), Ms Alex O'Mara, and Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO have been appointed to determine the application. Key issues identified in the whole-of-government assessment of the development application include the types of waste proposed as fuel, greenhouse gas emissions, impacts on air quality, biodiversity and truck movements. The public meeting will be held at the Singleton Civic Centre, 12 Queen Street, Singleton on Monday, August 11, at 10am. Anyone wanting to present at the public meeting must register on the commission's website using the Speaker Registration Form. The deadline for speaker registrations is 12pm (noon) on Friday, August 1. The commission is also inviting the public to make written submissions, which can be lodged via the 'Make a Submission' portal on the commission's website. The commission will also accept submissions made via post or email. Written submissions will be accepted until 5pm, Monday, August 18.
