IN the same week Newcastle council reaffirmed its commitment to being a nuclear-free city, Liberal councillor Callum Pull has called for it to relinquish that status.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Cr Pull said the city should drop its "largely symbolic" nuclear-free status to capitalise on the prospect of a domestic nuclear industry.
"There is an opportunity here to preserve our industrial roots as we move into a new energy future," he said.
"A domestic nuclear industry is now part of our national conversation, and the council should be making sure that Newcastle is in a strong position to take advantage of this prospect."
Just last week, the Newcastle Herald reported that a future Coalition government may compulsorily acquire the Liddell power station site at Muswellbrook for use as a nuclear power plant, even though its owner AGL has emphatically ruled out nuclear as part its future plans.
Cr Pull, who has advocated for Newcastle to become home to a naval facility to house Australia's future nuclear-powered submarines, believes there are 'high-skilled, well-paying' jobs on offer if the city can secure the base.
"The Labor majority council has made clear they won't even entertain the prospect of that base being hosted in Newcastle," he said.
"The best thing we can do to secure an industrial future for our city is to say loudly that we want these opportunities.
"We want it, we want the jobs, the technology and we're ready to fight for it. The first step towards doing that is by relinquishing the nuclear-free declaration."
Former prime minister Scott Morrison previously announced Newcastle as one of three potential options for the facility, alongside Port Kembla and Brisbane.
In 2022 Newcastle council shot down a motion to support building the east coast future navy base in the city.
Newcastle was declared a 'Nuclear Free Zone' on June 29, 1982 by former lord mayor the late Joy Cummings.
In 2021, on the International Day of Peace, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) declared its total opposition to Australia developing nuclear-powered submarines.
MUA Newcastle branch secretary Glen Williams said Cr Pull should be focused on delivering outcomes that the city needed now.
"It's an area that's transitioning, especially in regards to energy and we need new baseload power, offshore wind can provide that and it can provide it quickly," he said.
"This pipe dream and fallacy of nuclear energy is just that.
"In my opinion, there is no industry in Australia, the hurdles in place to get to it are so far out that by the time that happens, what are we going to do?
"We need to find the energy and jobs today, not in 20 years' time."
Newcastle council passed a lord mayoral minute this week welcoming a significant step forward in the Hunter Offshore Wind Project, with the awarding of a preliminary feasibility licence to the Equinor-Oceanex partnership.
As part of that motion, it reaffirmed its commitment to being a nuclear-free city.
Labor councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk said all councillors had the opportunity to debate the issue, but Cr Pull did not.
"As Liberal state Minister Matt Kean declared as the government's energy minister and treasurer, any push to pursue nuclear power in Australia is "chasing unicorns"," she said.
The potential Novocastrian Wind project has the capacity to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1.2 million homes.
At the council meeting, lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the only way the city could safely and securely transition the more than 16,000 jobs tied to fossil fuel energy production in the region was to invest in the renewable sector.
"It's particularly important, I believe, for us and our local economy here to remain the powerhouse of the NSW economy and make sure that we replace the jobs that we have already lost and we are going to lose in energy production in this region," she said.
"We were one of the first councils in the country to advocate for offshore wind, primarily because of the ability it has to generate baseload power and be a secure, reliable and stable source of renewable energy for our grid.
"But also because it has the opportunity to create and replace the jobs that we are already losing as I speak that are related to the fossil fuel industry."
Offshore wind manufacturing at Port of Newcastle has the potential to generate an estimated 300 ongoing jobs and a further 3000 construction jobs.
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
