The NRFC Board recently met in Newcastle, part of a series of engagements and events involving companies and leaders from across the Hunter region.
Hunter Board meeting
Our Board met at Newcastle University and the meeting was attended by Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres, who joined the Board for a discussion about the Government’s priorities for manufacturing in general and for the Hunter region specifically.
Supporting regional Australia, particularly regions that have been identified as impacted by the Net Zero transition, is a key part of our mandate and the visit to the Hunter offered an excellent opportunity to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in this area.
Hunter stakeholder event
Minister Ayres also joined our Board and Executive teams for a stakeholder event in Newcastle where we hosted more than 100 local companies, research institutions, investors and other leaders. We also had representation from Federal MPs representing the region: Sharon Claydon and Meryl Swanson.
Hunter manufacturing sites tour
The following day our Board and Executive participated in a series of site visits and meetings. We attended the Port of Newcastle to hear from CEO Craig Carmody about how the world’s largest coal port is working to diversify its business for a net zero future. Then we took a boat ride around the Port facility, joined by senior leaders from AGL and Orica to discuss their renewable energy transition plans.
In the afternoon, we visited Newcastle Airport to hear from CEO Linc Horton about plans to scale up international flights through the airport as well as grow the Astra Aerolab – an aerospace, defence and innovation precinct being constructed on airport land.
As a group, we left Newcastle having met many people and heard a great deal about plans to create a future Hunter region that is strong and resilient.