The City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council, joint owners of the Newcastle Airport, have established an entity next to it which they intend to lease to weapons’ manufacturers, in contravention of an ethical investment and borrowing policy.
Newcastle Council’s policy explicitly rules out investing with companies involved with the production or supply of armaments.
The councils have leased a large parcel of land to Astra Aerolab, next to the commercial airport and the beefed-up Williamtown RAAF base.
It has been earmarked as a key location for the federal government’s defence manufacturing ambitions. According to its website “Stage 1 civil infrastructure works now complete and future development stages underway”.
Australian companies Daronmont Technologies and Plexsys — global defence contractors and weapons manufacturers — have had their development applications approved for Astra Aerolab.
While the City of Newcastle has adopted a policy that rules out investing funds with weapons manufacturers, Greens Councillor Charlotte McCabe was told that it did not apply to Astra Aerolab.
McCabe unsuccessfully tried to move for council to break ties with weapons manufacturers at a meeting on June 12. She put a motion calling on councillors to advise the Greater Newcastle Aerotropolis Pty Limited that “it does not support leasing to companies that contradict its own Investment and Borrowing Policy, including but not limited to BAE, Lockheed Martin, Electro Optic Systems, Raytheon, Daronmont Technologies, and Plexsys”.
The motion was defeated, with the two Greens councillors and only one Labor councillor voting for it.
A majority of councillors then voted for the executive director’s motion, which asserted that there was no contradiction in the policy as Newcastle Airport is “structured and governed independently”.
Astra Aerolab has already absorbed BAE as a tenant, McCabe said, adding that BAE maintains F-35s on the RAAF base.
“The Airport’s 2023 annual report confirms they have also secured Boeing, Daronmont Technologies and Plexsys as future tenants.” She said that Lockheed Martin is another likely future tenant.
The Newcastle Greens have initiated a petition campaign and are asking people to lodge an objection before August 14.
“There has been no opportunity for the Newcastle community to comment on the Astra Aerolab precinct, and yet Newcastle Council intends to collect revenue from these weapons manufacturers to spend on our council infrastructure and services,” McCabe said.
The Greens say such investment will divert skilled workers away from the critical transition to low carbon industries and renewable energy generation and councils must act in an ethical way.
The petition states that increasing ties between universities and weapons manufacturers is raising serious concerns among students, staff and the broader community.
The project is on toxic chemical contaminated lands, within the Tomago Sandbeds Catchment Area.
An independent review of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) substances must be completed before the High Technology Industry Williamstown DA can be finalised. There is insufficient information for managing PFAS contaminants and protecting the sand beds.
Meanwhile, residents are expected to show their opposition at the Hunter Defence Conference on August 21, where Astra Aerolab is a sponsor and Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry, is expected to deliver a keynote address.
[The deadline for the petition and submissions is August 14.]