Hollie Hughes in the Hunter Region

Hollie Hughes is the Liberal Patron Senator for the Hunter Region.

The Region encompasses the Federal electorates of Hunter, Newcastle, Paterson, and Shortland.

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Soaring Gas Prices

The Government can't afford to continue in demonising gas companies as they did for the nine years the were in Opposition. Coal and gas are our main sources of energy, and the more that supply falls the more our energy bills will continue to rise.

Powering Community Groups in Shortland

The Morrison Government is supporting community groups in Shortland through the Powering Communities Program to enable not-for-profit groups to cut their power bills and carbon emissions and provide support to jobs in the Region.

Faster Broadband in Shortland

Households and businesses in towns like Cardiff South, Charlestown, and Macquarie Hills will be able to access NBN Co’s fastest internet plans of up to 1 gigabit per second on-demand by 2023.

Black Summer Grants for Shortland Projects

There were 524 projects funded under the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants program, and I’m delighted to announce two very important projects in my Patron Seat of Shortland.

Hunter Jobs Fair

With skills shortages in key industries across the Hunter Region, this is a great time to be looking for work. These job fairs are a fantastic way of meeting employers face-to-face and getting a foot in the door.

Labor & Greens Power Sharing Arrangement

Labor and the Greens getting into bed together means that at least 80,000 jobs across the nation are put at risk and half a trillion dollars worth of local community investments will be abandoned. We cannot risk the threat that a Labor-Greens alliance poses to our nation.

Newcastle Art Gallery Expansion

The expansion of the Newcastle Art Gallery will be great for locals as well as a timely boost for the tourism sector. This funding is further recognition of the Federal Government’s commitment to working with our state counterparts to deliver for our regions.

Major Airfield Works – A Boost For Hunter Region Economy

The Morrison Government has awarded a leading engineering company a $164.9 million contract with Downer EDI Works Pty Limited to support Australia’s air power capabilities and deliver a major boost to the Hunter region and the wider NSW economy.

NBN Upgrades Across the Hunter Region

Residents in the electorates of Hunter (Bonnells Bay and Muswellbrook), Paterson (Anna Bay), Shortland (Buff Point, Caves Beach, and San Remo), and Newcastle (Merewether) will benefit from being able to access ultrafast broadband.
Department of Infrastructure

Support for the Live Music Industry

The Shoal Bay Country Club has received $32,000 and the Criterion Hotel in Weston has received $26,340 through the Live Music Australia program to help grow a local, sustainable live music culture in the Paterson electorate.

20210920 – Hydrogen Hub in the Hunter

Today, the Morrison Government announced a $464 million grant program to stimulate the development of hydrogen hubs right across Australia. I am working to make the Hunter Region a major player in this sweeping transformation of Australia’s energy and export sector. This is a technology-driven and industry-led plan to invest and develop low emissions industries that create Australian jobs, particularly in our regions, as well as cheaper energy for all Australians.

Driver Reviver & Safety Boost for Paterson

$118,000 in Federal Government funding will be granted to upgrade the Medowie Road Driver Reviver site in Paterson to deliver Driver Reviver mass action sign upgrades. This forms part of the $7.2 million our Government is providing to upgrade 71 sites across the country to keep people safe on our roads.

$1 M Grant for Whale Tracking Business in Newcastle

Newcastle-based company Industrial Monitoring & Control Pty Ltd received $1 million in funding from the Federal Government for its innovative proposal of automating the detection of whales at sea through thermal imaging. Their proposal has the potential to enhance regulatory compliance and protect our natural environment for future generations.

20210916 – National Research Centre Opens to Secure Minerals for Future – The National Tribune

Read about the official launch the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals (COEMinerals) in the National Tribune. This Centre will consist of a collaboration between the University of Newcastle and 7 other Australian universities with links to the CSIRO and several major industry partners including FLSmidth, Amira Global and Jord International.

20210916 – ARC COE for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals – Official Launch Recording

I was honoured to officially launch the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals (COEMinerals). The Australian Government has provided $35 million of funding over 7 years through the Australian Research Council. The Centre will not only work take advantage of the new employment and exporting opportunities in sustainable mining technologies, but also promote sustainability in terms of energy and water use, pollution mitigation, and long-term environmental governance.

20210909 – Funding for Hunter Councils – Port Stephens News of the Area

Local governments have been a crucial delivery partner to the Federal Government when it comes to the implementation of the economic stimulus packages that have been created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read here about the Financial Assistance Grant programs that have been awarded to local councils in the Hunter Region.

Restarting the Arts Sector in the Hunter Region

Regal Cinema in Birmingham Gardens, Newcastle has received full funding of their grant request as part of the Morrison Government's $200 million Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund to assist the Australian arts and entertainment sector.

Extension to NBN Co’s Business Fibre Zone Initiative

2,347 businesses in the Paterson Electorate are set to benefit from the establishment of the Business Fibre Zone at Nelson Bay. This is one of the 44 zones that are being developed. These new zones will allow local businesses to access fibre with speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second. NBN Co's business fibre investments have a forecasted productivity benefit of up to 12% for businesses.

Newcastle to Benefit from $24 M Recycling Infrastructure Fund

Newcastle Council will receive $5 million in both Federal and State funding to build a materials recycling facility at the Summerhill Waste Management Centre. This centre in Wallsend will be playing a key role in increasing the Hunter’s waste diversity and recycling capacity. It will ease pressure on our environment, and create both jobs and economic investment.

20210729 – Tomago Clean Energy Business Gets Funded – Marian Sampson – Port Stephens News of the Area

The Morrison Government has committed to assisting Energy Renaissance in accelerating their research and development so that they may create a domestically developed lithium-ion battery energy storage system for critical energy storage infrastructures in Tomago, NSW. This will be the first battery manufacturing facility of its kind and will not only provide vast exporting opportunities for Australia, but also new local jobs for the Hunter Region.

20210724 – Tomago Firm to get $4.5 Million – Newcastle Herald

Congratulations to Batt Mobile Equipment on securing $4.5 million to build heavy battery electric vehicles for underground hard rock mines under the Morrison Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative. This will create enormous opportunities for the Hunter Region’s local economy.

Veteran Health and Wellbeing Supported in Shortland

Programs and activities supporting the health and wellbeing of our veteran community in Shortland will receive a share of more than $2.4 million worth of funding under the Veteran and Community Grants Program, announced today.

20200915 – Prime Minister Scott Morrison Visits Tomago Aluminium

I visited the Tomago Aluminium Smelter with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor for the National Energy Address hosted by the Hunter Business Chamber at WesTrac. We need to secure baseload power, so the Federal Government's post COVID-19 gas-fired recovery plan will include a gas power plant at Kurri Kurri if the energy sector fails to replace the capacity lost from the closure of Liddell power station.

20210202 Senator Hollie Hughes – Senate – Renewable Energy in Australia

Our first day in the Senate and we already have the other parties peddling ignorance and misinformation; they’re always happy to criticise but never able to come up with a plan. It was my joy to set them straight on the Morrison Government’s already remarkable achievements, and our real plans and practical action to further lower emissions and expand renewable Australian energy.