I am advised:

The Government is committed to the long overdue revitalisation of Newcastle. Since 2011, over $1 billion has been committed to Newcastle and the broader Hunter region for vital new infrastructure, including $650 million in funds from Restart NSW for projects including Newcastle light rail, urban renewal and the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, and $350 million for the Hunter Infrastructure Investment Fund for a range of projects across the region.

The next step is to build a vibrant transport network throughout the region to improve connectivity, reduce travel times and support Newcastle's tourism sector. On 5 November, the Government announced it would create Transport for Newcastle and seek a 'world's best' multi-modal transport operator to plan and run Newcastle Light Rail, buses, ferries and interchanges.

The new operator will be based in Newcastle and work hand-in-hand with the community to design and run a better transport network. This will be public transport run in Newcastle, for Novocastrians, not run from Sydney like today.