Don’t miss the chance to be part of our next event in our diverse 2018 program!
As reported in The Guardian, on 18th December last year, the new chair of the Port of Newcastle says there’s an urgent need to diversify the regional economy and the port’s business.
While Newcastle is now known as the largest coal exporting port worldwide, Roy Green, the new Chair, believes that “long-term outlook for coal is a threat to the port”
This is just one reason why the Committee of the Newcastle Institute is looking forward to the opportunity for our members and event attendees to engage with Roy Green who, as well as being a recent appointment as the Chair of Newcastle Ports, has a strong history of knowledge and leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship, with his profile available at https://theconversation.com/profiles/roy-green-3866 encapsulating a range of experiences which no doubt see him well placed to provide insight into the future of Newcastle Ports and the region generally.
Ever since the closure of the BHP and the work to remediate that site there have been various suggestions about the use of the site and possibilities for diversification. There have, for example, been a number of claims made about arrangements which mitigate against the use of the site for container handling. Newcastle residents would also recall the tactics used to heighten a scare campaign about increased container truck traffic through surrounding suburbs just prior to the 2011 State election.
Roy Green has been up front about this option, (the development of a container terminal), quoted in the Guardian piece as saying:
“Among our challenges will be ensuring a level playing field for the development of a viable and competitive container terminal.”
This suggestion, and his willingness to put this front and centre in the public policy domain, means that the opportunity to hear Roy Green speak at the Newcastle Institute and to take part in the Q&A session which will follow should be an engaging and entertaining one.
Summing up the value of Roy Green to the next years of the Newcastle Port, “the chief executive of Newcastle Ports, Geoff Crowe, said Green’s experience made him well placed to manage the transition.
“Professor Green also has a strong understanding of the Hunter region’s competitive advantages, having worked at the University of Newcastle through the 1990s, including close engagement with the BHP Newcastle Steelworks transition and Hunter economic development bodies,”
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We look forward to seeing you at Souths on 11th April, from 6pm. You can register using the Register button in the box at the right or simply click here to Register
Quotes in this piece have been sourced from The Guardian, at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/18/newcastle-worlds-biggest-coal-export-port-announces-shift-away-from-coal