City of Newcastle Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal found that Newcastle City Council was not "fit for the future", it was recommended that the City of Newcastle merge with Lake Macquarie City Council. However, the Minister for Local Government subsequently proposed that Newcastle City Council instead merge with Port Stephens Council to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately 230,000. The outcome of an independent review was completed by mid–2016. On 14 February 2017, the NSW Government announced it would not be proceeding with further regional council mergers, including the Newcastle City Council and Port
1917 Newcastle state by-election reported that there had been "great indignation" about the state of the rolls, with voters who "had their cards and transfer notices" not being on the certified roll. The newspaper also noted that the time at which the polls closed and the location of the polling booth in Port Augusta differed from that at the Commonwealth elections one week prior. Butterworth lost the Senate race at the federal election, reclaimed his Newcastle seat at the 1918 state election and would go on to be a senior minister in state Labor governments during the 1920s. 1917 Newcastle state by-election The Newcastle