Stockton Community Group Inc - SCG

13/04/2026

Next Public Community Group Meeting is This Wed 7:30 pm , April 15 upstairs at Surf Club

Main Agenda Item is a presentation from Orica (Dan Morton) about recent activities.
Charlotte McCabe has expressed an interest in attending.

10/03/2026

LAST DAY to SIGN the Petition.

The petition to Fix the Ferry closes on Thursday 12th March. Please sign up if you haven’t already. Don’t be complacent.

Tim Crakanthorp NSW MP advised the Stockton Community Group Inc meeting on 18/02/26:

“There is no timeframe for return of the ferry MV Hunter to Newcastle due to extensive corrosion issues discovered during the repair process in Sydney”.

The replacement ferry is being leased by NSW Government from the Captain Cook fleet, no timeframe/details of the lease arrangement provided.

There is no commitment from NSW Government to sustain the Stockton to Newcastle ferry service.
The 10 year contract for Newcastle Transport (Keolis Downer) is due to expire in July 2027.

The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.

01/03/2026

Stockton Recyclers have been busy of late and this note is to let you know what has been going on. Click on the name to go to their own page and you can choose to be a following to.

The objectives of this group are to reduce our waste footprint. One way is to make sure we use the council green and yellow bins. A more direct way is to reduce landfill from our supermarkets and coffee shops.

Stockton Recyclers have done three things of note in recent times that is worth mentioning:

1) We organized 'Clean up Stockton' day as part of the Clean up Australia initiative. We got 20+ volunteers on the day. Shout out to Lexies on the Beach (Lexies On The Beach) for providing coffee's afterward - much appreciated!!

2) We have started collecting (some) spent coffee grounds from Haze (www.haze.cafe) and taking it to our community garden for composting. Appreciate the extra effort.

3) Our volunteers collect vegetable waste from our local IGA and also take that for composting ( 1 day a week - but looking to expand). Thanks IGA management/staff.

Here a couple of pics from Todays clean up ( beach and ballast around ferry were prime targets). Thanks to Amy Lynch for liaising with the Clean Up Australia folk and handing out gloves/bags on the day. Some 20 odd bags were handed out & filled.

Stockton Recyclers meet 1st Wed each month around 6pm at the Gladdy.

17/02/2026

Next SCGinc meeting starts at 7:30pm this Wed (18th Feb) at the SLSC with speaker Tim Crakanthorp.

We expect Tim to provide overview from the NSW state gov't on several issues and expect rough camping on the ballast to get a mention. Given that City of Newcastle Council take responsibility for the bulk of the parklands (away from road parking), we expect Tim's ability to comment on council matters to be limited. Those expecting a clear-cut outcome here are likely to come away disappointed - but there is opportunity for Council to speak at future SCGinc meetings - particularly if they (i.e. the councilors in attendance tomorrow) witness a respectful meeting outcome.

If you want to shape how future talks and meetings might happen - feel free to join Stockton Community Group of a member or ask to be part of the executive team. We are a group of volunteers with limited resources -so when someone says - "who can fix this problem I've identified" - we suggest you go to the bathroom and look in the mirror - because that's what we have to do !! ( this is, of course, humour with a touch of reality added). )

12/02/2026

Next Public SCGInc Meeting: Wed Feb 18 7:30pm sharp. Stockton SLSC upper level.

Speaker: (Tim Crankanthorp,NSW LH member) + Guest Blake Cleary from N'cle Police Liaison & Crime Prevention

TIm has accepted our invitiation to present to the community. We supplied Tim with 3 questions to help focus his address, namely:
1. Long term planning/future proffing for ferry service
2. NSW gov't position on rough camping and working with councils
3. What does the 2025-2026 budget item that lists the Stockton Beach Nourishment budget over the next 5 years (ie 5 budget cycles) mean for sand placement timeline.

After Tim's talk, we anticipate 20minutes of question time from the floor. We will have a central micriophone stand and ask that those asking questions state their name, place of residence and limit themselves to 1 question. We ask that in order to allow more opportunity for others to ask their questions.

Note that SCGinc wishes questions to be asked in an orderly and respectful manner. Blake Cleary willl not be making a formal presentation, but is available to help answer questions.

We anticipate several Ward 1 councillors to be in attendance, and possibly available to participate in discussions.

If you plan to attend please arrive early as we have a fixed time to exit the surf club.
Declan Clausen – Newcastle Labor Tim Crakanthorp MP

26/01/2026

Proposal for Restricted Parking, Fullerton St, Stockton

A City of Newcastle (CN) document ( dated 15 Dec 2025) has recently been circulated on local social media.

The document states: "The proposal has been supported by the Stockton Residents Group".

SCG Inc has not been consulted about the (attached) proposal or asked to support it.

We are not aware of the Stockton Residents Group and have asked CN for further clarification.

Rough camping, in and around the ballast area, is a complex issue and represents a statewide problem that requires council and NSW gov't to work together to provide a fair and consistent position. We do support both council and our State member Tim Crakanthorp MP providing more community updates on this matter and how it might be addressed. We hope to share some information in time for our next surf-club community meeting on Feb 18. Keep an eye out for more information.

07/01/2026

Here's the petition link in case you need it :

The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.

07/01/2026

While a backup ferry has been sourced from Sydney - we remain anxious that many of the underlying issues responsible for 'future proofing' the ferry service are yet to be resolved. Time will tell.

We have an ongoing postcard drop (that links to the petition site) because obtaining maximum numbers shows the NSW gov't that we need a reliable ferry service in the coming years.

We have over 2,000 signatures so far - which is a good result - but we think by reaching out we can still get higher numbers.

Here's todays count in graphical form. If you've already signed - then reach out to your contacts to sign too ! (we've passed the 500 trigger to guarantee a response from the minister, next trigger point is 20,000 - which is looking challenging.)

30/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Q7LLSNdki/

29/12/2025

Edited to include link.
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=LArRcnAhakMHzTqsEXiQKw

The ferry petition has been up and running for nearly 2 weeks now. We have received good Herald and radio-station coverage and Tim C. has announced that Transport NSW will provide a backup ferry soon (as well as fix MV Hunter in Sydney)

We (SCG Inc.) are about to do a Postcard Campaign to generate even more support. Why ? because we need to send a strong message to Macquarie St - and maximizing the # of signatures does this.

FYI the key numbers are:
500 signatures to make the minister (for Transport NSW) respond.
20,000 for a debate in the legislative assembly.

As you can see - we are up to 1,600 signatures today .... but if we push hard 20,000 might be possible ( but it will need folk to reach out to friends and use their networks !!)

18/12/2025

Ferry e-Petition to NSW Parliament

If you are a resident of NSW and are concerned about our unreliable ferry service;
1. PLEASE consider signing our e-petition to the NSW govt., then
2. FORWARD this message for others to sign (important!! )

This petition calls on the Minister for NSW Transport to take necessary action to provide two working ferries for the Stockton to Newcastle run.

To sign the petition you need to provide your name, address and a valid email address. With enough signatures (our goal is greater than 20,000 signatures) – this ensures the matter will be raised in the NSW parliament after Feb 2026 (next sitting).

This e-petition was set-up by our local community group (SCG Inc.) after several letters to responsible ministers, including Port Stephens and Newcastle representatives asking for a reliable two-ferry service to be resumed. Despite writing directly on Dec 7, 2025 to the NSW minister for Transport (John Graham) on this matter we have yet to receive a reply. Tim Crakanthorp has agreed to present this petition to the legislative assembly (ie NSW parliament) if it succeeds in reaching target numbers.

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=LArRcnAhakMHzTqsEXiQKw

Lastly if you are not a member of SCG Inc. why not join (see membership form below) ?
https://stocktoncommunitygroup.com.au/contact-us/

As a community, we want to proactively influence how plans and developments are enacted, ensuring decisions are made with transparency, collaboration, and a genuine focus on what’s best for Stockton.