EDUCATION services, the economy and community spirit were strong in the Hunter, but the mining industry's dominance, strain on the health system and the faster provision of infrastructure were the concerns residents say they want the State Government to tackle.
A meeting of more than 150 people at the Maitland Town Hall last night was told Premier Nathan Rees would do his best to address their problems.
The meeting was the fifth of 17 consultation sessions to be held across the state as part of efforts to "refresh" the State Plan, which was unveiled in 2006 and which sets a range of performance targets for delivery of services such as health.
"No doubt there will be some issues of great concern as there have been at community cabinets in the past, but I want the fingerprints of the people of the Hunter all over the new State Plan," Mr Rees said ahead of the meeting.
About 40 Tillegra Dam protesters, Save Our Rail members, Jail officers and NSW Nurses' Association representatives, waved banners outside the building, but inside the atmosphere was far more sedate than that of the last meeting Mr Rees attended in the Hunter.
At that, a community cabinet session in May at Warners Bay, Mr Rees was jeered by protesters and condemned by Orkopoulos whistleblower Gillian Sneddon for her treatment by the ALP.
Mr Rees said ahead of yesterday's meeting that he wanted to hear from local people, rather than interest groups, who tended to "hijack" meetings, or "people like the Mayor" [Peter Blackmore] who already had a forum to air their views.
However, yesterday's attendees included public servants, civic and business leaders, as well as residents and community group representatives, who were asked to list what they saw as areas of strong performance for the Government and priorities for improvement.
Common concerns were poor access to general practitioners, strain on hospitals, concerns about a lack of infrastructure, the need for better public transport and more frontline staff, such as police, and the increasing dominance of the mining industry in the region.
The economy's diversification, the Government's bid to reduce alcohol-related assaults, and education services were among the positives.
The feedback would be included in the draft State Plan, which the Government would outline when it returned to Maitland in October, Mr Rees said.
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