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A month ago NSW premier Mike Baird wrote an open letter to the people of Newcastle apologising for the way the Liberal Party had let the city down.
Mr Baird regretted the way the actions of a few had tarnished the Liberal and National parties’ standing and acknowledged the breach of trust.
He closed his letter with a sentence saying: “And above all, while I lead this state, we will never again let the people of Newcastle down.”
Mr Baird, Novocastrians were not the only people in NSW shaking their heads in disgust as the bombshells fell during Operation Spicer.
Here in the Hunter Valley we’ve been pretty dirty, too, and we reckon we deserve an apology.
In case your geographical knowledge doesn’t extend past the coast, that “we” refers to, among others, your constituents in Maitland, Cessnock, Singleton, Scone and Dungog.
We might not live in the electorates of those who lost their political scalps to ICAC, but we stand to be hit hardest by the infrastructure decisions they had a hand in.
If you pursue your government’s decision to terminate the Newcastle rail line, you won’t just be affecting those who live and vote in the CBD of Newcastle.
You’ll be hurting us.
We use the rail line to visit medical specialists and the legal precinct.
It’s our gateway to the beach and the harbour.
It’s a lifeline for some commuters.
And it’ll be increasingly important to students.
We therefore celebrate today’s news that Greens MLC David Shoebridge has been successful in establishing a parliamentary inquiry into Hunter planning decisions.
Let the truth prevail.