State Member for Wallsend, Ms Sonia Hornery MP, has called on the Government to fix the anomaly that the new $250 Seniors Travel Card has created in the Wallsend electorate.
The Newcastle Local Government Area has been excluded from receiving the new travel card but in some suburbs of the Wallsend electorate eligibility will see one end of the street get the card while their neighbours miss out.
Residents in suburbs such as Rankin Park, Elermore Vale and Black Hill will be split, with some residents receiving the card and others not.
In 2018, the NSW Government classified the Newcastle LGA as “Metropolitan” and declared that they would be excluded from numerous projects and grants programs aimed at regional LGAs.
Since then, the Newcastle LGA has missed out on the Community and Small Business CCTV Fund and the proceeds from the sale of the Snowy Hydro, but has also been ineligible for larger metropolitan grants with those only being available for Sydney based Local Government Areas.
Quotes attributable to Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery
“Yet again we see residents in the Wallsend electorate missing out because of arbitrary regional and metropolitan definitions.”
“We are being excluded from grants programs because we are no longer classified as regional but are also not eligible to apply for metropolitan grants because we are not in Sydney.”
“Some residents in Rankin Park, Elermore Vale and Black Hill will be eligible and others won’t. In streets like Elbrook Drive, Grandview Road and Lake Road, neighbours will miss out because they live on the opposite side of the Local Government boundary.”
“Whether it is sports, arts, tourism or transport funding, we are not receiving our fair share.”
“The Government needs to fix this and make sure residents in the Newcastle LGA are eligible for the new Seniors Travel Card.”