LABOR has backed City of Newcastle's bid to declare the erosion eating Stockton beach a natural disaster in the wake of damage to the strip on the weekend.
The Newcastle Herald has reported that work is underway to relocate parts of the suburb's caravan park after another battering in heavy surf left the beach even more depleted.
It prompted lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes to ask NSW emergency services minister David Elliott to make the declaration, which would speed up the process of finding a fix.
A spokesman for Mr Elliott said Stockton was one of several areas around the state that were being assessed following the weekend's extreme weather.
NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay said the threat to the caravan park just months after the childcare centre was demolished proved that something had to change.
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said it was a case of time slipping away while " Stockton is slipping faster."
"A natural disaster declaration would be a step in the right direction, but ultimately what we need is an urgent solution to this erosion crisis and this government must act now," Mr Crakanthorp said.
Ms McKay said she believed something had to change after no solution was found before the end of last year.
"The government's neglect of one of Newcastle's beloved beaches is unacceptable and it would not be allowed to happen at Bondi or Manly," she said.
"The people of Newcastle deserve better."
