Madeleine Ham
Proudly Novocastrian, proudly fighting for our future.
What I’ve learnt chatting to people at their doors
10 March 2025
A few weeks ago I knocked on a stranger’s door in Wallsend. The woman who answered had lived in that house for over 50 years. When she moved there from Stockton in the 1970s it…
2023
2021
No regrets
4 December 2021
Today is election day for the 2021 NSW local government elections. It’s been a long, exhausting slog and I’m glad it’s finally over but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a…
Why I’m running for Lake Macquarie council
21 October 2021
Today I’m excited to announce that I will be a candidate in the North Ward of Lake Macquarie City Council in the upcoming local government elections on December 4. I’m currently…
Real unemployment rate in the Hunter hidden by low participation rate
24 September 2021
The latest detailed ABS labour force statistics have been released for the month of August. The unemployment rate in the Hunter remains well below the peak during the initial wave…
The Hunter is ready to kickstart the offshore wind revolution
4 September 2021
The federal government is seeking to legalise the offshore wind industry in Commonwealth waters. Australia is yet to capitalise on significant offshore wind capacity despite the…
Our future must be our choice
31 August 2021
The last month has been tough for so many of us. The worry, the fear, it’s made us all look again at what matters most. What we care about and the things we hold close. So here’s…
We won, but the battle for our university isn’t over
21 June 2021
Mark Vaile has announced his resignation as Chancellor of the University of Newcastle. This victory wouldn’t have been possible without the huge grassroots wave of opposition to…
Labor can attack the government’s vaccine rollout without dangerous fearmongering
20 June 2021
Right now, people seem to be more scared of the AstraZeneca vaccine than they are of COVID itself. This is a dangerous mindset that has been propagated by our nation’s…
Future generations will not thank this government
24 May 2021
I have lived my whole life in the Hunter Valley, and I’m proud of our region’s coal history. My family has worked in the mines and on the rails for generations, helping to secure…
Overdue Newcastle Airport runway upgrade a good start, but a rail connection is still needed
7 May 2021
The federal government has finally committed to funding a $66 million upgrade to Newcastle Airport’s runway to bring it up to international flight standard. This opens up the…
Funding irregularities are a symptom of a deeper, systemic issue in this state
12 April 2021
Newcastle was shut out of more than $170 million in government grants in 2019. This funding irregularity is a symptom of a deeper, systemic issue that has long been present in the…
Not the end of the line for the South Maitland Railway
12 March 2021
Driving past stations like Neath along the South Maitland Railway is like looking at a chapter of our history frozen in time. Passenger services ceased on this line nearly 50…
2020
Coal pride lingers but power shift is lasting
5 December 2020
Growing up in the Hunter, I've been proud of a history of family in the coal industry. For all of my life, I can remember seeing endless streams of ships being pulled into our…
Striking for the climate is our only power
22 February 2020
When I was three years old, Kevin Rudd described climate change as "the great moral challenge of our generation." Later that year, Rudd would lead the Labor Party to an election…