A Bill seeking to remove restrictions on the Port of Newcastle’s ability to act as a container terminal is headed to state parliament.
Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper gave notice on Wednesday afternoon to introduce the Port of Newcastle Extinguishment of Liability Bill 2022, which would extinguish penalties that are currently in place of the operation.
The Port is currently limited by how many containers it can process, due to a deed which was signed off by the state government in 2013, which requires compensation to be paid to NSW Ports, should Newcastle exceed it’s cap.
Port of Newcastle CEO Craig Carmody has welcomed the Bill.
“We applaud the Member for Lake Macquarie, Greg Piper MP, for his leadership in recognising that the current container port monopoly is causing delays and shortages across the economy, and increasing costs for NSW.
“There’s a growing awareness in government that NSW can’t afford a further 43 years under a container monopoly – a position underlined very clearly this month by the Productivity Commission.
“We encourage other Members of Parliament to put the interests of their constituents first and join Mr Piper in calling for an end to the container embargo at Newcastle,” Mr Carmody said.
It’s hoped the Bill will be introduced by the next sitting period in October.
Although constrained legally to its container capabilities with a contract dispute, the Port of Newcastle is steaming ahead with is vision to one day be a fully functioning container terminal.
Two German-built mobile cranes sailed into Newcastle Harbour at the start of August and have been commissioned, with cargo and container handling due to start this month.
Image: Port of Newcastle.