CESSNOCK MP Clayton Barr believes the NSW government's planned community consultation about the Fassifern to Hexham rail line has been "geared" towards "cutting out people's voices".
Mr Barr, who told the Newcastle Herald his office would conduct a "mail out to each and every household" to ensure no community is unaware of the proposal, said the process for informing residents living along the proposed 30-kilometre corridor had been far from ideal.
"People didn't know this was coming until they read about it in the Herald," he said. "They want to access details. Unfortunately, 99 per cent of stuff that comes out from governments these days is all online. About a quarter of our community, in the Cessnock electorate, don't have access to the internet.
"It's a big project, it's a big deal and it's going to have a big impact on some people's lives and their lifestyles, businesses and their communities at-large."
Mr Barr said the length of the consultation, which ends August 17, "raises questions" and holding online consultation meetings only would make sense in Sydney, "but the reality is, in the Hunter, we as communities are still, at this stage, gathering".
"We've got some pretty big clubs and auditoriums that could easily hold 100 people safely distanced, masks on, and they could have the information explained to them in person," he said.
"That is absolutely, today, an option and a possibility that should be looked into.
"I think the easier option to do it online has been preferred for all the wrong reasons. It seems like the consultation process has been geared towards that - cutting out people's voices."
