Newcastle City Council  Bi-elections 2026

I am Milton Caine, a local family man, who is a wheelchair accessible taxi driver, has nominated as an Independent candidate for the Lord Mayor of Newcastle because of many concerns that are not being addressed by the council under the present leadership. Leadership of any Government department or council requires a person who is prepared to put the needs of others ahead of their own. Unfortunately too many are involved in politics to be able to get to the point of putting themselves forward as a candidate but they forget the reason why they are there in the first place, to serve the community with their whole heart and mind. I learnt in Christian ministry that the serving of others is really the purpose of truely living in a community. The Newcastle community has fractured in many ways and the leadership of council should assist in discovering the glue to bind us all together. There are issues on our streets where there is continual danger from the riders of e-bikes and e-scooters who do not exercise due care on our roads or on our footpaths. We must work together to bring this under control so our streets and footpaths are safer again. We have many people who do life in wheelchairs in our city and yet we have not made our streets and footpaths welcoming to them, so we must improve our setdown/pickup points and our parking bays on our city streets, including Hunter and King streets. We need to have suitable ramps between the streets and the footpaths, and the footparhs need to well maintained for both wheelchair and pedestrian use. Footpath development need to be extended through all of the city and suburbs.

The council leadership must be a voice to both State and Federal Governments for the various needs of the city including transport, jobs, afordable housing, tourisim and investment opertunities. Some years ago I spent time with the then transport Minister, with a complete transport overhawl plan for newcastle to establish transport services which would be fully intergrated. The minister only adopted a small part of the plan – getting all the buses that went near Broadmedow station to go to the station and to actually stop there – this was a small but important first move. we must do alot better. It is clear that the public – private arrangement in public ttransport has not worked well in Newcastle and it needs a significant change. The expansion of the ferry service is vital to deliver services to Stockton North and Fern Bay. The former Stockton Hospital should be developed into affordable housing for our community. I believe that the council should be able to manage public housing as councils have done in the past. (remember the words of the song “My old man is a dustman” one line includes “Lived in a council flat” – this is clear evidence that councils can and perhaps should manage public housing.

One of the failures of many public servant decision makers is that they spend public money too freely. It is important when spending other people’s money to be very accountable and cautious. This could reduce a lot of the waste in government spending if there was greater care in how public money was spent. In tough economic times the council must show restraint in the face of demands from the rate payers , so the budget must be managed to find where savings can be made, so that the rates can be kept at an achievable level.

Some issues:  

• The landslip at New Lambton Heights has seen extremely slow action because by now we should hsve a full scope of works in regard to the rehabilitation of the area.  as well very strong and public lobbimg of the Statr Government for financial assistance for the full rehabilitation of the site. 9  months and just a geotech report is just an insult for suchan urgent action.
• Currently pius platitudes are made about affordable housing without targeting the needs of the vulnerable, we neeed actions that actually reduce the costs.
• The return of the Newcastle 500 should only come on far better terms including a net financial benefit to Council, better access for residents with in the circut to move freely about their business ; and compensation for businesses adversly affected by the event.
• Unchecked ebike/escooter riders create extra hazards for those walking impaired, or in wheelchair

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMb0QrLp3pc

• The development of playing fields into housing estates is counter productive and unwise, we need sports and playing fields that are accessable to the public as required.
• The continual removal of parking in the CBD is unacceptable and so we must increase parling and setdown/pickup spaces in the ciry CBD
• The increase of vacant commercial properties in the CBD is evidence of a wrong direction, carful study as to why businesses re moving from the CBD and then developing of plans top reverse this trend must be developed
• The failure to maintain the outer suburbs roads from cracking and potholes. Pothole repair must be timely when they appear so as not to create more dangerous hazards on our streets
• The failure of maintaining the parks, gardens, pools and public spaces There are too many parks and gardens that are not cared for in a timely manner Our pools need to be maintained and open as much as posssible with at least two open all year round.
• The failure to supply adequate road space to new developments The developement at Minmi has road space that is insufficent for reasonable access for future potential traffic.Road space is more difficult to install after a development is completed and so inital plans must ensure thst ther is sufficent road space for the completed development potential traffic flow
• The failure to adequately address the flooding at Wallsend, the raising of the bridges in Wallsend does nothing to reduce he flood threat to Wallsend there needs to be more space for the water in the river and creeks before they over flow or the flooding will continue. There are a number of potential ways to address this
• The failure to seriously address the erosion of the shoreline of Stockton. The Hanzard discussion on this errosion goes back to 1039 so we have had enough pointless discussion we now need action.
• The huge rate increases that have been imposed in recent years. Serious discussion as to why the Value General is increasing the unimproved land values in the newcastle areas as these increases increase expectation on the value of the “improved value” making housing increasingly unaffordable.

…………..and so much more!

See:  https://christiansforcommunity.com.au/state-policies/housing/affordable-housing/

Milton Caine, Lord Mayor independent candidate isconcerned over several matters related to  the development at Minmi. The manner ofprocess of  the subdivision where all the vegetation is removed and the entire top soil is completely disturbed. As well the road access to this development already sufers from too much peak hour traffic and yet no plans to expand the road into a two lane each way roadway. I believe that the council must do a far better job in how we do subdivisions in the future.

https://rumble.com/v56za4t-milton-and-timothy-at-the-minmi-new-subdivision.html

Some of the issues we pledge to sort out!

• Back to bacis looking after roads, parks, footpaths and garbage
• Working through planning to get it right the first time – do it right once
• Working on a target of 50% of a single pension as first our aim on affordable housing (see the link above) with council,state and federal governments being serious to deliver housing to the vulnerable
• Parking increases so as to assist persons with disablities to access the city in their wheelchairs and walkers in a safe manner near to the place they must visit
• Parking increases in Newcastle CBD so businesses can survive, Including Wheelchair accessible vehicle set down/pick spots
• Work with residents to find a long-term solutions for Stockton erosion
• Work with businesses harmed by Newcastle renewal program
• Urgently widen Minmi Road and and Longworth Avenue – long overdue
• Creating access roads to subdivisions sufficient for future traffic flow
• Work to find real solutions to better manage flooding in Wallsend
• Better budget management to stop rate rises and other charges
• Protect our parks and playing fields from developers