Global · Case study

Port of Newcastle (Australia), Social Licence and Community Engagement

Newcastle, New South Wales, AustraliaOngoing

The Port of Newcastle operates structured stakeholder engagement reflecting its position in a major regional community adjacent to the city of Newcastle, New South Wales (Port of Newcastle, 2024). In May 2021 the port announced A$515 million of sustainability-linked loans with NAB. The five KPIs include establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student internship program with the University of Newcastle and accrediting mental health first aiders in each department (Port of Newcastle, 2021).

The port has a Community Liaison Group of about 20 community, industry and business members, with government represented through Transport for NSW, which meets quarterly (Port of Newcastle, n.d.). The port acknowledges the Awabakal and Worimi People as Traditional Custodians and, under its Reconciliation Action Plan, engages with local Land Councils (Port of Newcastle, 2024).

The port reports progress against these commitments. In 2023 it completed two internships under its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander internship program, and 45 staff, about 34 percent of the workforce, were accredited mental health first aiders (Port of Newcastle, 2024).

Transferability

For DMC ports, Port of Newcastle demonstrates integrated community engagement in a regional urban context. Transferable elements include, among others, community KPI integration into financial instruments, structured engagement with Indigenous and traditional communities aligned with national frameworks, and transparent reporting on community programs. The Newcastle experience provides reference for ports balancing industrial operations with regional community expectations.

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.