Previous News and Events
Shoal Bay traffic lights
Shoal Bay has come under the national spotlight due to pedestrian accidents at the Shoal Bay/Government Road intersection. This has led to the junction being nominated for the Federal Blackspot Program under the Nation Building Program. This will involve works at Shoal Bay to instal traffic lights at the intersection of Shoal Bay Road/Government Road along with a new raised pedestrian crossing on Shoal Bay Road near the shopping precinct to be completed by 30 June 2016.
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Due to requirements to modify the original design proposed by Port Stephens Council the submission was re-presented to the NSW RMS (Roads & Maritime Services) and Federal Government for approval. The Association was informed that this approval had been delayed due to the Federal election. The approval has now been granted by all the authorities, works due to start shortly: SEE BELOW.
Tomaree Lodge
Shoal Bay's Tomaree Lodge, a state-run disability-care hospital capable of accommodating between 47 and 60 patients, celebrated its 30th birthday in 2015. However it faces an uncertain future following the NSW Government's announcement that Tomaree and Stockton disability care centres will be closed by 2018 because of a plan to privatise such services following the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
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SBCA has proposed that a Reserve Trust be established to manage the Tomaree Lodge Precinct following the transfer of residents to group homes. An SBCA delegation presented the proposal to the Minister for Disability Services in his office in Parliament House on 4 May 2016. Mr Ajaka said the proposal would be recorded for future reference, but that no decision on the future of the lodge would be made until after the residents were transferred.