Is it good for Wollongong that Mr. Nick Whitlam chairs the boards of both Port Kembla and Sydney Ports?

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In late February Treasurer Mike Baird and Roads and Ports Minister Duncan Gay announced the appointment of Nicholas Whitlam as Chairman of Sydney Ports Corporation.

This was in addition to his role as Chairman of Port Kembla Port Corporation.

Mr Baird said in a statement  “I’m sure his experience will be invaluable in his new role, as the Government prepares for the long term lease of Port Botany and Port Kembla.” 

In 2003 the NSW Carr Government released a NSW Ports Growth Plan. This set the scene for moving car imports to Port Kembla and an inquiry held by a NSW Legislative Council Committee. Their 2005 Final Report into Port Infrastructure in NSW gave recommendations, including “that the NSW Government consider completion of the Maldon to Dombarton line…”

This report also states  "that a container terminal at Port Kembla could potentially contribute $400 million to the regional economy." In todays terms this is over $500 million.

However, if the NSW Government leases Port Kembla and Port Botany to the same private sector company, there would be a reduced incentive to develop Port Kembla as a container port.

Quite simply, a common owner or leaseholder of both Port Kembla and Port Botany is likely to continue to use Port Botany as a sole container port for as long as possible. In this case, development of Port Kembla to handle containers and completion of Maldon Dombarton would be delayed.

In this case, the promised contribution of $100 million to regional infrastructure should be increased to regional value of a container port at Port Kembla. That is $500 million.

Gujarat NRE Coking Coal Ltd is now seeking approval for a big increase in road hauled coal

In fact, up to 3 million tonnes of coal per annum. The development could result in 682 truck movements daily at peak times on Bellambi Lane and the Northern Distributor, or one truck every 80 seconds, causing unacceptable public health impacts from coal dust, diesel exhaust, noise and traffic congestion.

Plus: the Southern Freeway and Springhill Road. All in all more heavy trucks about 12 km of busy public roads.

The proposal raises a number of transport questions.

1. The first question is how the proposal accords with the official 2006-2031 Illawarra Regional Strategy of the NSW Department of Planning to (p4) "maximise the efficiency of freight transport  [and] "increase the proportion of freight transported by rail"   

            Clearly, more coal on road would also reduce "the proportion of freight  

            transported by rail". 

2. The second question is why a Maldon Dombarton railway cannot be used to move run of mill coal from a western outlet  to Port Kembla ?
3. The third question is why does the Environmental Assessment not consider:

A.   The full impact, including cumulative impacts, on top of extra wheat trucks approved in late 2011 and the extra quarry trucks from Bass Point Quarry (let alone Boral's proposed extra trucks), of extra coal trucks from the NRE mine.

B.                            Alternatives such as the Maldon Dombarton railway.

Illawarra Residents for Responsible Mining Incorporated (IRRM) is a group formed in response to the current operations and proposed expansion of the Gujarat NRE No. 1 Colliery in Russell Vale.

Their website  http://www.irrm.org.au/  has further information.

Submissions on the Major Expansion Proposal will be accepted by Dept of Planning and Infrastructure until Friday 5 April. Please see:

http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=3448 for more information and how to lodge a submission by 5 April.