Hunter group launches to put politicians under pressure

Well you're not alone (I'm assuming you said yes).

After four years of preparation, the Hunter Community Alliance is ready to launch, bringing together 36 organisations and hundreds of people, all dedicated to calling for the region to get its fair share. More than 400 people have already been confirmed from the regions' faith groups, unions, charities, community, indigenous, disability and environment organisations.

The Hunter Community Alliance will hold its founding assembly next week, on Wednesday, April 10, at the University of Newcastle Great Hall.

To celebrate, they've invited two politicians to grill; NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson and Federal Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen.

Hunter Means Business has been told they'll be asked to make public commitments to action and be followed up on previous commitments in front of a crowd of hundreds.

Andrew Vodic is the chief executive of Community Disability Alliance Hunter and one of three co-chairs for the upcoming assembly.

He said there were three words he wanted to hear from the two politicians: "yes, yes, yes".

Yes to affordable social housing in the Hunter, yes to federal funding for TAFE renewable industry courses, yes to funding and support for the energy transition.

"Most of all, we want them to return once a year to our assembly to track progress," Mr Vodic said.

It seems like we are hearing about new "strategic partnerships" or "coordinated working groups" every few months, which often amount to nothing more than a few buzz words. But this one feels different.

It's grassroots, it's highly organised, it's motivated and it covers a wide spectrum of the community - charities, unions, faith groups, environmental organisations, disability advocates.

The specific actions, funding and developments its lobbying for are based on thousands of kitchen table conversations within the community - a similar strategy to the one pioneered by former independent MP Cathy McGowan, which has since catapulted multiple 'teal' independents into Parliament.

"This is about a fair go for the Hunter that is too often overlooked," assembly co-chair Emeka Ordu said.

"We are organising the people's power to back it up."

Perhaps most importantly, the group has stepped up at the right time.

Many of the conversations Hunter Means Business has had this year with people from all walks of life end up revolving around a similar theme; our region is at an important junction in its history.

The Hunter is in the middle of a $66 billion economy transition, as the nation and the world shifts away from fossil fuels.

Newcastle feels like it's a couple of big announcements away from making the leap from NSW powerhouse to global city.

Hypothetically, imagine the city's new trajectory if, in the space of 24 months, the city secured funding commitments to support direct flights to New Zealand, a light rail extension to McDonald Jones Stadium, the long-touted Hunter Park precinct and a cruise ship terminal.

To be fair, the federal government appears to recognise this (emphasis on 'appears').

Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $1 billion to develop a solar panel manufacturing facility at the site of the former Liddell power station.

Three months into 2024, and the Prime Minister has already been to our region three times. That's got to be some kind of record (outside of an election).

And then there's the NSW government. Chris Minns is a year into his reign as NSW Premier and he's yet to visit Newcastle (but he has been to Hunter region three times in 12 months).

It's actually been 1278 days and counting since Newcastle had a Premier visit, when Gladys Berejiklian unveiled designs for the John Hunter Hospital rebuild on October 2, 2020.

Perhaps Mr Minns has his hands full putting out the many figurative fires in Sydney?

But if he leaves his back turned to the Hunter for too long, he might not be able to put out the spot fires that erupt from the embers that are quietly burning away.

The Hunter Community Alliance has also invited representatives of the Liberal Party, while Greens MLC Abigail Boyd has confirmed her attendance.