The Port of Newcastle has unveiled its latest pitch to persuade the state government to green light a container terminal in Newcastle.
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The standalone Future Uncontained website is an overt attempt to mobilise public support for the project.
The Newcastle Herald understands that negotiations between the port and the government over how the container terminal would operate have ramped up in recent weeks.
In addition to providing technical information, the website argues the project would provide a significant economic boost to the region.
A Port of Newcastle spokesman said on Thursday that the port remained optimistic that a Newcastle container terminal would receive approval.
He said the website was designed for "everyone interested in creating a more resilient economy for the Hunter Region and advancing Australia's international competitiveness."
"The multi-purpose deepwater terminal is a $1.8 billion project that will help drive the diversification of the Hunter economy as well as create and sustain jobs for generations to come.
"It is estimated that it could contribute $3.3 billion in economic activity and over 15,500 direct and indirect jobs across Australia, injecting $1.3 billion into the Lower Hunter alone.
"For the foreseeable future, there are no other developments in the Hunter Region with the same level of scope or potential to generate such significant economic growth."
Port of Newcastle has hired several key staff in recent months has part of its bid to make the project a reality.
They include lobbyist Ross Cadell, former Hunter Business Chamber chief executive officer Glenn Thornton and former Aurizon executive Paul Brown.
The project is the subject of an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Federal Court case against the operators of the Botany and Port Kembla terminals.
The ACCC argues that fees imposed by the NSW government on Port of Newcastle to compensate NSW Ports, which runs the other two ports, are "illegal and anti-competitive".
Meanwhile, court documents reveal that Mayfield Development Corporation, a company now part-owned by Danish shipping giant Maersk, complained to the government in 2013 that the proposed container fees were illegal and competitive.
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
