The Campaign

In 2012 the New South Wales Government led by Barry O'Farrell announced plans to privatise Port Kembla along with Port Botany. The plan involves a 99-year lease arrangement between the State of NSW and a private, possibly international company. Port Kembla was established as a public-owned harbour from early 1900s. Its growth and future have always been intertwined with the public's interests, until now.

The Illawarra has a long and proud history of successful community campaigns. Save Our Ports Port Kembla developed out of a partnership between non-partisan community advocates and the South Coast Labour Council. More recently Wollongong City Council committed its support to the campaign, and Shellharbour City Council also voted against the privatisation of Port Kembla.

The campaign is the result of a dynamic partnership between three key groups. The Campaign Coordinating Committee (CCC) facilitates dialogue between the various stakeholders. The CCC meets on a weekly basis and members of the community are welcome to participate. The Save Our Ports Community Committee is independent of the CCC and plays a key on-the- ground activist role, organising events and community outreach. Finally, Wollongong City Council has a Working Group comprising Wollongong Councillors and members of the public. Membership of these committees also crosses-over, creating an engaging and democratic campaign based on dialogue, respect and community participation. 

The broad interests of the campaign are driven by a simple request to the State Government: don't privatise the Port. The reasons for this include a lack of certainty within the community about its future, the staggering lack of information from the Government about the plans, and the long term interests of waterfront, maritime and associated workers.

The O'Farrell Government has been sparse on the details about its plans for Port Kembla. The Government has produced no feasibility study, no scoping study and no figures to show how the revenue currently produced by the Port for the State will, once taken out of the public's hands, continue to be pumped into public infrastructure for the duration of the lease period. The Port's revenues will not be put back into the public purse, as they are currently - they will simply become profits for the lease holder and its shareholders for the next 99 years. 

The campaign is thus committed to seeking information from the NSW Government about it's plans for Port Kembla. It aims to generate greater dialogue between the Government and the broader community about the impacts of the changes. The campaign will promote community actions that draw attention to these questions.

The community of the Illawarra region seeks certainty about jobs and its future. It is after a better deal than the one currently on the cards. The Government's plans are a dud deal. They make no economic sense for the Illawarra region. The O'Farrell Government has provided no certainty that the privatisations will increase jobs and continue to be a source of income for the region and the State for the long term.

Photographs (c) copyright R. Worthington 2012. Please contact us for permission to reproduce images from this site.