Farmers welcome Port appointment

NSW Farmers Acting President Rebecca Reardon has thanked the NSW Government for keeping its word on the Port of Newcastle.

“This is welcome news not just for the people of the Port and the City of Newcastle, but for all of those businesses and communities that will get great economic benefit from a container terminal,” Mrs Reardon said.

“NSW Farmers has been supportive of plans to expand operations at the Port of Newcastle as it will reduce costs and improve efficiencies for farmers in the state’s north who grow our food and fibre.”

At present, farmers in the north west have their produce trucked past Newcastle to Port Botany, which is wildly inefficient and results not only in extra wear and tear on our country roads, it puts more strain on an already-congested Sydney road network.

“Giving growers the opportunity to send more containerised produce through the Port of Newcastle in a more efficient manner would save farmers between $16 and $22 per tonne, or up to $2.8 billion over the next 30 years, allowing them to reinvest in their businesses and drive even more economic activity in the regions,” Mrs Reardon said.

“Improving the regional freight networks that drive so much economic activity is one of our key priorities, and I thank the NSW Government for playing its part in removing one of the roadblocks to future success.”