Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Lonely Planet recently named Newcastle the ninth best city in the world to visit in their Best in Travel 2011 edition. Lonely Planet wrote that:

Today’s ‘new’ Newcastle is a unique blend of imagination, sophistication and laidback surf culture.

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“Australia’s most underrated city” has transformed itself “from ‘steel city’ to creative hub.”

This transformation has been possible because of the hard work of our community, particularly through the efforts of Renew Newcastle to revitalise the city precincts and reconnect the community. Renew Newcastle, a creative initiative started by Marcus Westbury, has activated around 40 vacant buildings in the heart of the city with more than 60 creative enterprises and projects, giving artists a low-cost opportunity to showcase and retail their work. The Renew Newcastle framework for rejuvenating city spaces is now being rolled out across the country as Renew Australia. I commend their ongoing efforts to transform Newcastle into a connected and creative city and I encourage our government to consider ways to be a part of this innovation. Community driven urban renewal is a key to truly making Newcastle among the top 10 cities in the world.

I would also like to congratulate the Elder Street Medical Centre, which today has been short-listed for $300,000 of federal government primary care infrastructure funds. After the closure of the Lambton Medical Centre by Primary Health Care, our community called out for a new local medical centre. I am incredibly pleased that their calls have been heard and I wish the Elder Street Medical Centre continuing success.