Hunter's Best

Dams levels steady

Source: Hunter Valley Newsroom

A small amount of rain over the region's water storages in the past week has seen levels remain constant as local water users prepare to meet to discuss their future.

Lake Glenbawn remained at 48.7 per cent of capacity this week after recording just four millimetres of rain at the dam wall.

Upper Hunter economy benefiting from strong economic growth in 2007

Source: Hunter Valley Research Foundation

Rising employment and income and high consumer confidence will lead the latest economic message from the Hunter Valley Research Foundation when it presents its findings over breakfast tomorrow.

Foundation Director of Research, Robin Mcdonald, says that increased housing demand and consumer spending, and a strong mining sector are also making a major contribution to the local economy. The ongoing strength of mining in the Region is assured for the current year, with coal prices set to rise and continued demand from China and Asia. 

Consumers to lead economic charge into 2008

Source: Hunter Valley Research Foundation

While Hunter residents remained optimistic despite November’s interest rate rise and the uncertainty generated by the Federal election, business people did not, according to HVRF Co-Director of Research, Robin Mcdonald,.

Australia's Newcastle Port Coal Shipments Fall 26%

Source: Bloomberg article by: Angela Macdonald-Smith

Coal shipments from Australia's Newcastle port, the world's largest export harbor for the fuel, fell 26 percent last week, helping prices jump to a record $130 a metric ton.

Loadings dropped to 1.47 million tons in the week ended Feb. 4, Newcastle Port Corp. said today on its Web site. Two spot market cargoes traded on Feb. 1 at $129 and $130 a ton, about 45 percent higher than the previous deal on Jan. 8, Tex Report said today.

REMOVING BITOU FROM NOBBYS - Newcastle Port Corporation

Source: Newcastle Port Corporation

Winning the battle to remove invasive bitou bush along Nobbys Beach is to enter a new stage thanks to a conservation program sponsored by Newcastle Port Corporation.

CEO, Gary Webb, said Newcastle Port Corporation was providing $22,000 in sponsorship during the next two years to enable the Hunter Branch of Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) to undertake the work.

Nobbys is the gateway to the port and to the Hunter Valley and it is good to see both local and international volunteers working under the CVA banner, said Gary.

Wine & Food Tasting gets smart - Hunter Valley Wine Country

Source: Hunter Valley Wine Country

Lovers of New South Wales’ Hunter Valley wine district will be treated to a new innovation in wine tasting when two new smartcard touring programs commence this weekend.

Developed by Smartvisit Solutions (SVS) and supported by Tourism New South Wales, the programs aim to provide visitors to the famous wine region a value-added and rewards focused experience.

Cellar Door Pass combines cellar doors and winery restaurants into a single flexible-itinerary package. It will retails for $99 and contains a total value to the consumer of over $200. Benefits to the consumer include up to $120 worth of premium wines, premium wine tasting, winery tours and other special offers for up to two people.

Nazis plotting Australia Day race riots - Newcastle

Source: News.com.au

WHITE supremacists are plotting to use Cronulla riot-style tactics to hijack Australia Day celebrations across Sydney - including a plan to push their racist views at the sacred Anzac Cenotaph at Hyde Park.

The attempt to co-opt the war memorial to create the impression "Hitler is coming to Sydney" has disgusted veterans, with the RSL calling it an appalling slur on the memory of our Diggers.

Other rallies will be held near the scene of the Cronulla riot and in Camden to protest the construction of an Islamic school.

The far-Right groups even promote an online handbook on how to combat police and avoid detection and infiltration when holding such meetings.

In an embarrassing display of incompetence, much of the material includes warnings about the need to keep such material secret from the media.

The racist material, which condemns migrants for not being able to speak English, is riddled with spelling mistakes and poor grammar.

Much of the activity has been co-ordinated through the neo-Nazi website Stormfront, whose Australian arm is moderated by 18-year-old Newcastle resident Rhys McLean.

Mr McLean said he was aware of the plans but said it was a matter for the individual organisers, not the website.

PWCS ACCEPTS ACCC DECISION RE PROPOSED 2008

Source: Port Waratah Coal Services

Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS) today said the Hunter coal industry would continue to face massive challenges managing demand, and that there was an onus on the entire industry to work together to find solutions to maximise export efficiency.

PWCS made the comments following today’s decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to reject an application for interim authorisation for the so-called ‘2008 Vessel Queue Management System’ (VQMS) proposed by PWCS and two other Hunter coal export service providers – Pacific National and Queensland Rail.

Australia Rejects Newcastle Port Coal Export Allocation Plan

Source: Bloomberg.com

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Australia's competition regulator rejected plans by the operator of Newcastle port and two rail companies to change the way export capacity is allocated at the world's biggest coal-export harbor.

The proposal, backed by Xstrata Plc and Rio Tinto Group, based export allocations on rail transportation contracts. It raised ``significant concerns'' that competition would be reduced, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or ACCC, said in a statement.

Newcastle Trades Hall - Hunter Valley says no!

Source: Blue Mountains Unions Council

Newcastle Trades Hall secretary Gary Kennedy says he expects local unions to spearhead the campaign against power utilities privatisation because the Hunter region will be the hardest hit in terms of potential job losses.

Mr Kennedy says the strategy will focus on enlisting community support to try to overturn the decision, but industrial action by power industry workers is a strong possibility.