Steve George - Labor for Cessnock

09/09/2025

The Liberals are in chaos. If they are too busy fighting among themselves, how can they focus on delivering for you?

We reiterate to Sussan Ley - condemn Senator Price, and ask her to apologise.

We need your help to send both Ley and Price a loud and clear message. This is not okay.

Will you add your name? https://www.nswlabor.org.au/jacinta_price_apologise

09/09/2025

09/09/2025

👷🏻‍♀️ WOLLOMBI ROAD WEEKLY UPDATE 🚧

The Wollombi Road upgrade is the largest road infrastructure project undertaken by Cessnock City Council. To keep the community informed about progress on the upgrades, Council will be providing you with a regular update on works planned.

Our weekly works table outlines what the primary contractor, Symal, along with subcontractors, will be working on over the coming week (pending weather).

The weekly works table and community notifications are available here ⬇️ https://www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au/WollombiRoad

09/09/2025

Plenty happening in the Hunter Valley this weekend folks! 😊✌️

Hunter Valley - LIVE MUSIC
12th, 13th & 14th September 2025
For a full range of events:
What's on this week - https://www.winecountry.com.au/events/this-week
For a full range of experiences:
All experiences - https://www.winecountry.com.au/plan/experiences

08/09/2025

So the latest masterstroke from the freedom front is a change .org petition to “dismiss the Albanese Labour Government.” (Yes, they spelled Labor wrong).

We already have a petition system. It’s called a ballot slip. It comes around every few years. You tick the box, you drop it in the box, and the numbers decide. Last time we all did that, cookers got belted so hard at the polls they’re still seeing stars.

You don’t get to sook to mummy because you lost. That’s not how democracy works. You build a real opposition, put forward real policies, and convince the public.

Change .org isn’t going to topple a government. All it’s going to do is serve up another helping of false hope for the perpetually confused and another round of engagement farming for the grifters who know you’ll sign anything that looks angry enough.

07/09/2025

02/09/2025

For the first time in 30 years, school cleaning services will return to public hands – and it all starts right here in the Hunter and Central Coast.

That means up to 600 school cleaners in our region will be offered secure, permanent jobs with the NSW Department of Education.

This is about respect and fairness for the people who keep our schools safe and clean every single day, and about making sure our students have the best possible learning environment.

The union movement has fought hard for this reform, and I’m proud the Minns Labor Government has listened – and acted.

United Workers Union Courtney Houssos Prue Car MP David Harris MP

02/09/2025

Yesterday Labor passed a bill dropping the PBS script price to $25 a pop.

That’s down from $42 under the last mob.

Same meds. Same pharmacies. Less pain at the till.

Bit of history...
In 2018, the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommended 60-day dispensing for patients with stable chronic conditions.

The LNP government ignored it.

In 2022, Labor moved quickly to implement it... and the Pharmacy Guild and LNP Opposition launched a scare campaign claiming pensioners would "suffer".

Turns out the only ones suffering now are pharmaceutical lobbyists watching their profit margins shrink.

✅ Cheaper scripts.
✅ Fewer chemist visits.
✅ Urgent Care Clinics.
✅ A functioning health system.
✅ And Big Pharma executives weeping into their imported cognac.

And yet, somehow…
Cookers with a terminal case of Albo Derangement Syndrome (ADS) are also seething about this. They’re so deep in the conspiracy rabbit hole, they’ve come full circle and are unintentionally defending multinational pharmaceutical profits.

Yes, really.
The same folks screaming "Big Pharma bad!" are now cranky that Big Pharma lost a round in Australia. It’s like watching someone protest seatbelts because they heard Volvo invented them.

This is why the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) matters.

It’s not just about cheaper meds... it’s about keeping public health in public hands.

US pharmaceutical companies have lobbied Trump during past trade talks to pressure Australia into scrapping or weakening the PBS.

They want us paying US prices.

They want our system broken like theirs.

So when Labor strengthens the PBS?

That’s not just good policy... it’s a line in the sand.

Protect it. Defend it. And for the love of all that is pickled, don’t let a YouTube rabbit hole turn you into a lobbyist for pharmaceutical shareholders.

(Right. That’s my Labor shilling quota done for the month. When do I get paid? Do I invoice Albo or is it just direct deposit from the ABC?)

02/09/2025

"You don’t order The Pauline because you’re hungry. You order it because you’ve given up."

It’s Tuesday night. Took the kids for fish and chips as a treat.

Walked into the new local joint and asked for The Pauline.

The bloke behind the counter looked at me like I’d just asked if he served sushi. Then he shrugged and muttered, “Righto".

It came out wrapped in grease-stained butcher’s paper. No tray, no garnish, no dignity.

Just a pallid mass of chips that looked like they’d been boiled, then punished. Pale. Limp. Salted like someone was afraid of offending them.

I asked about sauce. He stared off into the middle distance and said, “None of that w*p stuff here".

So no tomato sauce, no chilli-mayo, not even a lemon wedge. Just dry carbs and cultural trauma.

The fish was battered, allegedly, but it was the same bleached tone as everything else... like it had gone undercover.
There was also a bread roll. White, soft, expressionless. Like a ghost of gluten past.
Not warmed. Not buttered. Just sitting there. Watching. Seething.

And there, nestled on the fillet... a single strand of red hair. Curled. Possibly p***c.
Not going to complain. It was the only splash of colour on the whole meal. A rogue flourish. A “f**k you” to public health, and general expectations around cleanliness.

The Pauline isn’t food. It’s a culinary threat. You chew, and the flavour is absence. You swallow, and the silence curdles into a smirk.

This isn’t dinner.
This is what happens when you ask your Nan what she thinks of multiculturalism and she says “I’m not racist, but…”

You don’t order The Pauline because you’re hungry. You order it because you’ve given up.

And when it’s done, all that remains is a smear of grease on your fingers, a lump in your throat, and the faintest whisper in your ear: “Please explain.”

01/09/2025

Prescriptions listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will be cut from $31.60 to $25 from January 1, 2026, after Labor passed new laws on Monday.