A Hunter Partnership

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday April 2, 2003

PREMIER Bob Carr gave an unequivocal guarantee yesterday that the future of some of the most important land in the State more than 900 hectares with waterfront access in the Hunter estuary would be decided by ``locals", rather than ``faceless bureaucrats from Sydney".

While that guarantee is welcome in a region that too often has seen its direction dictated by outside forces, it also poses a considerable challenge for the Hunter.

First, the region has to ensure that it gets the mix of uses right, so that there are enough sites for major job-creating industries that need harbour frontages without encroaching on the estuarine wetlands regarded as one of the world's most important birdlife habitats. Establishing the delicate balance will not be easy.

Then there is the matter of attracting the most suitable industries. Mr Carr has made the point several times recently that the State Government's role is to ensure that the infrastructure for industries is in place when needed. The actual choice of sites is up to the private sector. He has referred to the multi-purpose shipping terminal proposed for the former BHP steelworks waterfront, saying that as much as the Government likes the idea it is up to the shipping industry whether it goes ahead. Again, this means that the Hunter community will have to work hard to attract such investment.

For his part, Mr Carr will have to keep the Government's side of the compact. Time and again infrastructure has not been in place when needed. The coal export trade has repeatedly been hampered by a failure to keep railway capacity up to port ship-loading capacity. The inner Newcastle bypass road, which takes heavy vehicles away from residential and commercial areas, has proceeded in fits and starts and is far from finished.

The new Minister for the Hunter, Michael Costa, will have the double task of making sure that the Government is aware of the region's infrastructure and of pushing for it to be in place when it is needed.

While Mr Costa has said that he first wants to determine the region's priorities, there is one that he and Mr Carr should be pursuing immediately. That is the contract for the Navy's new patrol-boat fleet, soon to be awarded by the Federal Government. The project is vital for the future of the Hunter's shipbuilding industry. The Government needs to pull out all stops to make certain the vessels are built in Newcastle.

University farce

NEWCASTLE University has decided not to release the report of an inquiry into alleged plagiarism on the ground that it would not be fair to staff members named, even though no-one was found to have knowingly erred. This is a wrong decision because the university's limited statements about the report have done nothing to protect the reputation of the academic who uncovered what he believed to be plagiarism and who has been denied access to the report. Issues he raised remain unanswered. The situation would be farcical if there were not reputations, including that of Newcastle University, at stake. The report must be made public.