Working Port Coalition spokesman and Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou has called on the NSW Government to reveal its plans for Glebe Island, warning that ongoing silence is “contributing to a sense of crisis” for operators relying on the port.
Glebe Island has been under review for more than a year as the government considers converting the site into high-rise housing near the future Bays metro station.
Despite receiving a report by former Treasury secretary Michael Schur months ago, no decision has been announced.
The Coalition has proposed a hybrid model retaining port operations on a smaller footprint alongside new housing, a compromise Nicolaou said would allow the government to deliver “thousands of new homes while retaining existing industries and maritime activities”.
“Uncertainty about Glebe Island’s future is the last thing our city needs,” he said, noting the port’s central role in staging New Year’s Eve fireworks and Australia Day events.
He added, “We have reached a crisis point where existing operators need certainty about the future of the port.”
Reports have highlighted Glebe Island’s significance to defence and freight, with the Port Authority of NSW warning closure would add 226,000 truck movements to supply Sydney.
Nicolaou also rejected claims the site could meaningfully ease the housing crisis, arguing it would instead form a “millionaire’s enclave”.
“The Government needs to engage and be open with the public as to what it plans to do at Glebe Island,” he said.
“It can’t be that hard for the government to say it is seriously considering the hybrid solution.”
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
