An alliance of leading organisations have formed the Sydney’s Working Port Coalition to save Sydney Harbour’s last working port as the NSW Government considers permanently closing Glebe Island Port.
Warning of the devastating economic, environmental and heritage consequences for Sydney, the Coalition is calling for certainty for the continued operation of port facilities at Glebe Island and for the NSW Government to convene a roundtable on the importance of a working harbour to the State more broadly.
In an open letter to NSW Premier Chris Minns, the Coalition stated that Glebe Island Port was critical to Sydney’s construction supply chain and that “[without] it, building and housing costs will increase.”
The letter also stated that “[shutting] down Glebe Island will add thousands of extra trucks to Sydney’s already choked roads” and noted that by the NSW Government’s own calculations, there would be 226,000 extra truck movements each year on Sydney roads.
While the Coalition acknowledges the need for more affordable housing in the State, it is calling on the NSW Government to find a solution that balances this with preserving Sydney’s critical industrial capability.
Any plan to turn Glebe Island into only luxury, high-end apartments is not the answer. It will result in a millionaires’ harbourside enclave, while jeopardising billions of dollars in economic contributions and thousands of jobs in NSW.