The NSW Premier made his unwise "nonsensical" remarks recently about the decision by the City of Newcastle not to support a one-year-only extension to the highly unpopular Newcastle 500 race in the city's East End.
Before his outburst, the race organisers had already cancelled the one-year extension. Oops! Why hadn't Chris Minns been properly briefed by his local government ALP members? This is curious as they clearly didn't want this highly disruptive event, particularly in the 2024 City of Newcastle election year, when ALP control hangs by one vote.
If Minns had considered the Supercars event's extension more carefully, he would have found a well-respected survey revealing that 59 per cent of constituents and 63 per cent of Ward One East End voters, who will be casting their ballots in the September local government election, opposed the return of this race. The Premier would have then understood fully why his ALP councillors, who are possibly staring at defeat next year, switched from initial support to opposition to the Newcastle 500.
The Minns government's recent state budget also delivered a penny-pinching thoroughly bad decision for the Newcastle CBD when the Treasurer decided to end the grouting fund. This provided the builders of the Newcastle apartment towers the security to construct with confidence, knowing there was financial compensation if they came across old mine workings when laying foundations.
I live in one of these towers, and our builder spent a lot of time pouring hundreds of tons of expensive concrete into the mine workings under our site before starting the build. This is a recurring problem for the city's tower builders because subterranean Newcastle is like Swiss cheese - there are still so many old remaining coal mining shafts.
The Minns government is winding down this grouting fund as a budget-saving measure. Without this financial guarantee, will the developers of future city high-rise buildings take the financial risk to proceed with their developments? This one ill-considered government funding cut may bring the Newcastle CBD building boom to a shuddering halt, with a consequent loss of jobs, amenities, and economic growth opportunities.
Finally, the 'bull in a China shop award' must go to the state government for riding roughshod over years of careful planning by the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) for what was planned to be built on the final parcel of land in the Honeysuckle HQ waterfront development.
Commenting on the state government's ill-considered last-minute changes to the proposal, a Newcastle developer has said: "It has been a rigorous process and the proponents have spent a lot of time and money on it over two years. It is like the grouting fund, Newcastle is plagued by bad government."
At stake in Honeysuckle is the most prized piece of open space left in the Newcastle CBD, which was set to become the centrepiece of good urban design and a key to the city's economic development. Adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange and the harbour, it was planned to form a dynamic gateway connecting the Hunter region to the new city centre.
The rumoured preferred HCCDC design by Walker Corporation is Honeysuckle Square, a mix of residential, commercial, hotel and hospitality - a great vision for the entrance to the Newcastle CBD.
The state government will now impose a significant variation to the three-hectare site by mandating that 30 per cent of affordable and social housing be included in the accommodation mix.
This is greatly needed in Newcastle, but why put it on the waterfront? There is plenty of room in planned redevelopment elsewhere, for example, at the Broadmeadow precinct.
Why does Sydney think it can do what it likes in Newcastle?
It is time to have some marginal seats in this part of the state, where the politicians would have to listen and act on what the people and the city decision-makers want, and not just arrogantly and capriciously impose their will from the remote capital city.
