'Glass jaw and a keyboard': councillor aims fiery tirade at Newcastle MP over Horseshoe beach
The car park and the nearby dunes have become overrun with "vagrants", littered with needles and drug paraphernalia and are apparently so unsafe that the council's own regulatory staff have been told not to go there.
Cr Pull and his colleague Cr Jenny Barrie put forward a motion to Tuesday night's council meeting calling on Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to come to the table and fix the "dangerous eyesore".
Just hours before the meeting, Mr Crakanthorp took to Facebook, describing Cr Pull's motion as not only "disheartening" but "disingenuous".
"Transport for NSW has been conducting a progressive clean-up of the carpark, beginning last week," Mr Crakanthorp said.
"The councillor's decision to raise this motion now that the site has been cleaned is opportunistic and disappointing."
The post evidently did not sit well with Cr Pull, who suggested Mr Crakanthorp, "once crowned the whinger in chief of the NSW Parliament," deserves the new title of "professional buck-passer".
"The Member for Newcastle has had two years to do something about it, and the moment that Cr Barrie and I did something about it, his response was to make a sulky Facebook post," he said.
"Whilst I'm glad to see that the NSW government decided to start cleaning up this precinct after the notice of motion was submitted and published, if the Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp wants to take credit for the work of the past week, he also needs to take responsibility for the lack of action in the past two years.
"You don't fix issues like this by sitting behind a keyboard with a glass jaw typing up a sulky Facebook post; only action yields results."
Councillors unanimously voted to call on TfNSW to address safety issues around Horseshoe beach, signpost parking restrictions, and finalise a service agreement with the council.
A report to councillors said City of Newcastle (CN) had not been able to resolve an agreement with TfNSW, which would ensure maintenance and management of the precinct, since the end of Newcastle 500.
The council stopped all regulatory action in the Horseshoe beach area about 12 months ago.
Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said efforts to resolve problems in the precinct had been under way for several months, particularly with Homes NSW liaising with rough sleepers in the car park.
"Look, it has been a lot of work, and it has been an issue, and the fact that it got to this point is regrettable," he said.
"But I think the citizens of Newcastle should be assured that I think it's going to be a whole lot better in a month's time, or two months' time, than it's been for a long time."
With no signposted parking restrictions in place, the car park is being used for short and long-term parking and has become home to rough sleepers living out of their vehicles.
In his Facebook post, Mr Crakanthorp said the issue was complex, as many of the people occupying Horseshoe beach are experiencing homelessness.
"TfNSW, NSW Police, and Homes NSW have been working together to find a long-term and permanent solution for Horseshoe Beach and those living there," he said.
"Police and Homes NSW have been working to move on vans and rehouse rough sleepers at Horseshoe Beach with appropriate housing.
"I share the community's frustrations about the delays in this process, and that is why I went directly to the Minister to escalate this issue."
TfNSW told the Newcastle Herald last week it planned to replace "no overnight camping" signs, which were removed by unknown persons. The new signs will permit four-hour parking and the towing away of vehicles as required.
This week, a TfNSW spokeswoman confirmed crews had cleaned the site on Friday and were working with NSW Police to identify owners of some personal belongings in the car park.
A report to councillors said the council has made recommendations to TFNSW to address long-term parking in the area and has offered to make and install signage once TFNSW decides what actions it wants to take.
The council will write to Mr Crakanthorp, Minister for Regional Roads and Transport Jenny Aitchison and TfNSW to ask for the matter to be resolved.
LIBERAL councillor Callum Pull has had a crack at Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp in a fiery tirade over what he called the 'embarrassing' state of the Horseshoe beach precinct.
The car park and the nearby dunes have become overrun with "vagrants", littered with needles and drug paraphernalia and are apparently so unsafe that the council's own regulatory staff have been told not to go there.
Cr Pull and his colleague Cr Jenny Barrie put forward a motion to Tuesday night's council meeting calling on Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to come to the table and fix the "dangerous eyesore".
Just hours before the meeting, Mr Crakanthorp took to Facebook, describing Cr Pull's motion as not only "disheartening" but "disingenuous".
"Transport for NSW has been conducting a progressive clean-up of the carpark, beginning last week," Mr Crakanthorp said.
"The councillor's decision to raise this motion now that the site has been cleaned is opportunistic and disappointing."
The post evidently did not sit well with Cr Pull, who suggested Mr Crakanthorp, "once crowned the whinger in chief of the NSW Parliament," deserves the new title of "professional buck-passer".
"The Member for Newcastle has had two years to do something about it, and the moment that Cr Barrie and I did something about it, his response was to make a sulky Facebook post," he said.
"Whilst I'm glad to see that the NSW government decided to start cleaning up this precinct after the notice of motion was submitted and published, if the Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp wants to take credit for the work of the past week, he also needs to take responsibility for the lack of action in the past two years.
"You don't fix issues like this by sitting behind a keyboard with a glass jaw typing up a sulky Facebook post; only action yields results."
Councillors unanimously voted to call on TfNSW to address safety issues around Horseshoe beach, signpost parking restrictions, and finalise a service agreement with the council.
A report to councillors said City of Newcastle (CN) had not been able to resolve an agreement with TfNSW, which would ensure maintenance and management of the precinct, since the end of Newcastle 500.
The council stopped all regulatory action in the Horseshoe beach area about 12 months ago.
Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said efforts to resolve problems in the precinct had been under way for several months, particularly with Homes NSW liaising with rough sleepers in the car park.
"Look, it has been a lot of work, and it has been an issue, and the fact that it got to this point is regrettable," he said.
"But I think the citizens of Newcastle should be assured that I think it's going to be a whole lot better in a month's time, or two months' time, than it's been for a long time."
With no signposted parking restrictions in place, the car park is being used for short and long-term parking and has become home to rough sleepers living out of their vehicles.
In his Facebook post, Mr Crakanthorp said the issue was complex, as many of the people occupying Horseshoe beach are experiencing homelessness.
"TfNSW, NSW Police, and Homes NSW have been working together to find a long-term and permanent solution for Horseshoe Beach and those living there," he said.
"Police and Homes NSW have been working to move on vans and rehouse rough sleepers at Horseshoe Beach with appropriate housing.
"I share the community's frustrations about the delays in this process, and that is why I went directly to the Minister to escalate this issue."
TfNSW told the Newcastle Herald last week it planned to replace "no overnight camping" signs, which were removed by unknown persons. The new signs will permit four-hour parking and the towing away of vehicles as required.
This week, a TfNSW spokeswoman confirmed crews had cleaned the site on Friday and were working with NSW Police to identify owners of some personal belongings in the car park.
A report to councillors said the council has made recommendations to TFNSW to address long-term parking in the area and has offered to make and install signage once TFNSW decides what actions it wants to take.
The council will write to Mr Crakanthorp, Minister for Regional Roads and Transport Jenny Aitchison and TfNSW to ask for the matter to be resolved.
LIBERAL councillor Callum Pull has had a crack at Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp in a fiery tirade over what he called the 'embarrassing' state of the Horseshoe beach precinct.
The car park and the nearby dunes have become overrun with "vagrants", littered with needles and drug paraphernalia and are apparently so unsafe that the council's own regulatory staff have been told not to go there.
Cr Pull and his colleague Cr Jenny Barrie put forward a motion to Tuesday night's council meeting calling on Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to come to the table and fix the "dangerous eyesore".
Just hours before the meeting, Mr Crakanthorp took to Facebook, describing Cr Pull's motion as not only "disheartening" but "disingenuous".
"Transport for NSW has been conducting a progressive clean-up of the carpark, beginning last week," Mr Crakanthorp said.
"The councillor's decision to raise this motion now that the site has been cleaned is opportunistic and disappointing."
The post evidently did not sit well with Cr Pull, who suggested Mr Crakanthorp, "once crowned the whinger in chief of the NSW Parliament," deserves the new title of "professional buck-passer".
"The Member for Newcastle has had two years to do something about it, and the moment that Cr Barrie and I did something about it, his response was to make a sulky Facebook post," he said.
"Whilst I'm glad to see that the NSW government decided to start cleaning up this precinct after the notice of motion was submitted and published, if the Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp wants to take credit for the work of the past week, he also needs to take responsibility for the lack of action in the past two years.
"You don't fix issues like this by sitting behind a keyboard with a glass jaw typing up a sulky Facebook post; only action yields results."
Councillors unanimously voted to call on TfNSW to address safety issues around Horseshoe beach, signpost parking restrictions, and finalise a service agreement with the council.
A report to councillors said City of Newcastle (CN) had not been able to resolve an agreement with TfNSW, which would ensure maintenance and management of the precinct, since the end of Newcastle 500.
The council stopped all regulatory action in the Horseshoe beach area about 12 months ago.
Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said efforts to resolve problems in the precinct had been under way for several months, particularly with Homes NSW liaising with rough sleepers in the car park.
"Look, it has been a lot of work, and it has been an issue, and the fact that it got to this point is regrettable," he said.
"But I think the citizens of Newcastle should be assured that I think it's going to be a whole lot better in a month's time, or two months' time, than it's been for a long time."
With no signposted parking restrictions in place, the car park is being used for short and long-term parking and has become home to rough sleepers living out of their vehicles.
In his Facebook post, Mr Crakanthorp said the issue was complex, as many of the people occupying Horseshoe beach are experiencing homelessness.
"TfNSW, NSW Police, and Homes NSW have been working together to find a long-term and permanent solution for Horseshoe Beach and those living there," he said.
"Police and Homes NSW have been working to move on vans and rehouse rough sleepers at Horseshoe Beach with appropriate housing.
"I share the community's frustrations about the delays in this process, and that is why I went directly to the Minister to escalate this issue."
TfNSW told the Newcastle Herald last week it planned to replace "no overnight camping" signs, which were removed by unknown persons. The new signs will permit four-hour parking and the towing away of vehicles as required.
This week, a TfNSW spokeswoman confirmed crews had cleaned the site on Friday and were working with NSW Police to identify owners of some personal belongings in the car park.
A report to councillors said the council has made recommendations to TFNSW to address long-term parking in the area and has offered to make and install signage once TFNSW decides what actions it wants to take.
The council will write to Mr Crakanthorp, Minister for Regional Roads and Transport Jenny Aitchison and TfNSW to ask for the matter to be resolved.
LIBERAL councillor Callum Pull has had a crack at Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp in a fiery tirade over what he called the 'embarrassing' state of the Horseshoe beach precinct.
The car park and the nearby dunes have become overrun with "vagrants", littered with needles and drug paraphernalia and are apparently so unsafe that the council's own regulatory staff have been told not to go there.
Cr Pull and his colleague Cr Jenny Barrie put forward a motion to Tuesday night's council meeting calling on Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to come to the table and fix the "dangerous eyesore".
Just hours before the meeting, Mr Crakanthorp took to Facebook, describing Cr Pull's motion as not only "disheartening" but "disingenuous".
"Transport for NSW has been conducting a progressive clean-up of the carpark, beginning last week," Mr Crakanthorp said.
"The councillor's decision to raise this motion now that the site has been cleaned is opportunistic and disappointing."
The post evidently did not sit well with Cr Pull, who suggested Mr Crakanthorp, "once crowned the whinger in chief of the NSW Parliament," deserves the new title of "professional buck-passer".
"The Member for Newcastle has had two years to do something about it, and the moment that Cr Barrie and I did something about it, his response was to make a sulky Facebook post," he said.
"Whilst I'm glad to see that the NSW government decided to start cleaning up this precinct after the notice of motion was submitted and published, if the Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp wants to take credit for the work of the past week, he also needs to take responsibility for the lack of action in the past two years.
"You don't fix issues like this by sitting behind a keyboard with a glass jaw typing up a sulky Facebook post; only action yields results."
Councillors unanimously voted to call on TfNSW to address safety issues around Horseshoe beach, signpost parking restrictions, and finalise a service agreement with the council.
A report to councillors said City of Newcastle (CN) had not been able to resolve an agreement with TfNSW, which would ensure maintenance and management of the precinct, since the end of Newcastle 500.
The council stopped all regulatory action in the Horseshoe beach area about 12 months ago.
Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said efforts to resolve problems in the precinct had been under way for several months, particularly with Homes NSW liaising with rough sleepers in the car park.
"Look, it has been a lot of work, and it has been an issue, and the fact that it got to this point is regrettable," he said.
"But I think the citizens of Newcastle should be assured that I think it's going to be a whole lot better in a month's time, or two months' time, than it's been for a long time."
With no signposted parking restrictions in place, the car park is being used for short and long-term parking and has become home to rough sleepers living out of their vehicles.
In his Facebook post, Mr Crakanthorp said the issue was complex, as many of the people occupying Horseshoe beach are experiencing homelessness.
"TfNSW, NSW Police, and Homes NSW have been working together to find a long-term and permanent solution for Horseshoe Beach and those living there," he said.
"Police and Homes NSW have been working to move on vans and rehouse rough sleepers at Horseshoe Beach with appropriate housing.
"I share the community's frustrations about the delays in this process, and that is why I went directly to the Minister to escalate this issue."
TfNSW told the Newcastle Herald last week it planned to replace "no overnight camping" signs, which were removed by unknown persons. The new signs will permit four-hour parking and the towing away of vehicles as required.
This week, a TfNSW spokeswoman confirmed crews had cleaned the site on Friday and were working with NSW Police to identify owners of some personal belongings in the car park.
A report to councillors said the council has made recommendations to TFNSW to address long-term parking in the area and has offered to make and install signage once TFNSW decides what actions it wants to take.
The council will write to Mr Crakanthorp, Minister for Regional Roads and Transport Jenny Aitchison and TfNSW to ask for the matter to be resolved.
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'This is a clear attempt to intimidate us into backing down from our staunch support for the people of Palestine,' she said. 'It won't work on us.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Israel of breaching international law by stopping food from being delivered into the 13-kilometre-wide strip, housing 2.1 million people in an area half the size of Canberra. The World Health Organisation said there had been 63 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza last month, including 24 children under the age of five – up from 11 deaths total from January to June. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims 82 people died last month of malnutrition-related causes, including 24 children and 58 adults, taking Gaza's death toll from the war, which began in 2023 after Hamas militants killed more than 700 civilians in southern Israel, to more than 60,000. Albanese has also called on Hamas to release the Israeli hostages taken as part of the attacks on October 7, as Jewish-Australian leaders raise fears the protests will fuel antisemitism. Alex Ryvchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said Saturday's court decision had caused 'a lot of dismay in the community'. 'The court has allowed a professional protester who has cost the state millions of dollars to now paralyse our city,' he said. 'We take comfort knowing that the vast majority of Australians want no part of this. We continue to pray for the starved and tortured hostages still held in Gaza, whose fate is ignored or belittled by the protesters.' A spokesman for the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said they also acknowledged with disappointment the decision of the Supreme Court authorising the march across the Harbour Bridge. 'At a time of strained social cohesion, an iconic Australian symbol and key arterial road should not be used to bring a divisive foreign conflict onto our streets,' the spokesman said. 'It is imperative that tomorrow's march does not provide a platform for some of the hate we have previously seen at weekly demonstrations in the CBD.' An application for a counter-protest in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel by fringe pro-Israel group Never Again Is Now was withdrawn on Friday morning. NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said he respected the freedom to protest but allowing the takeover of the Harbour Bridge set 'the wrong precedent'.
