NEWCASTLE council has beefed up security at its Australia Day celebrations with bus barricades to ward off vehicle-style attacks.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The commuter buses appeared on Thursday morning, blocking both ends of Honeysuckle Drive as crowds of people thronged to the city’s Australia Day concert on the harbour foreshore.
The barricades were being monitored by security guards.
It comes after a state government directive to local councils that major events have strengthened security measures in the wake of overseas terrorist attacks.
The measures prompted a dispute earlier this month between Blue Mountains Council and the state government, with the council claiming it could not afford enhanced security for its Anzac Day commemorations, but the feud was later resolved.
The increased security is in response to the deadly attack in Berlin, where 19 people were killed by a truck at a Christmas market.
Eighty people were also killed by a truck in Nice, mowed down as they celebrated Bastille Day.
It is believed to be the first bus barricade used for Newcastle’s Australia Day celebrations.
