LIGHT RAIL PLAN Finish light rail project in Newcastle and establish a long-term plan to expand the network. COVERED COAL WAGONS Introduce new legislation requiring coal wagons travelling through residential areas to be covered or contained. CONTAINER QUESTIONS Come clean…
NSW Liberal Premier Mike Baird says he won’t be frightened by the Queensland election result into backing away from his own government’s asset sales program. That seems a reasonable stance, given the differences in the political climate in the two…
IFM Investors is believed to be looking to refinance Port Botany and Port of Kembla, less than two years after leading a giant $5.1 billion bid for the two ports. Lending sources said IFM and its coinvestors, including AustralianSuper and…
A container terminal could boost our port, writes Greg Cameron. A SECRET fee was imposed on future container movements at the Port of Newcastle in 2012. Premier Mike Baird steadfastly declines to disclose it. To do so would invite examination…
The New South Wales Greens have accused the state government of trying to cover up a deal to cap the number of container movements through the Port of Newcastle. Greens MP John Kaye said questions have been put to the…
By MICHELLE HARRIS Dec. 16, 2014, 9:30 p.m. THE state government has been accused of a ‘‘blatant attempt at a cover up’’ after two ministers claimed the other was responsible for answering questions about whether a secret cap exists on…
By GREG CAMERON Nov. 20, 2014, 9:30 p.m. IT is anti-competitive to prevent a container terminal being built at the Port of Newcastle by imposing conditions that make the investment unprofitable. A cap on container movements at the port that…
THE AUSTRALIAN NOVEMBER 08, 201412:00AM THE Newcastle Knights fans are making their way to the stadium for the last game of a glum year, a season in which the embattled businessman Nathan Tinkler forfeited ownership of the team. Former state…
THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is right to be concerned about the NSW government’s ports and stevedoring policy. When governments privatise assets, they naturally want the highest price they can get. That’s understandable, given that – in the case…
By IAN KIRKWOOD Oct. 30, 2014, 12:34 p.m. AUSTRALIA’S competition regulator says any restrictions on container trade through the Port of Newcastle may be ‘‘unlawful and . . . unenforceable’’. In an annual report on stevedoring published on Thursday, the Australian…