A war of words has broken out between the State Government and One Nation’s Hunter candidate, Stuart Bonds, over the government’s 12 billion dollar plan to build a state-owned train manufacturing facility in the region.
The dispute began after Bonds queried the cost of the project in a social media post, suggesting the work could instead be done through overseas partners. The government’s plan aims to establish a long-term pipeline of train manufacturing in the Hunter, reversing a 12-year-old decision by the former Liberal-National Government to send the work offshore, and is expected to create up to 780 construction jobs and 550 ongoing positions, alongside decades of work replacing NSW’s ageing train fleets.
Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison criticised Bonds over the comments, given his background in coal mining.
“It’s extraordinary that a candidate seeking to represent the Hunter, with a background in coal mining, would oppose one of the biggest manufacturing opportunities the region has seen in decades,” Aitchison said, arguing the investment should be judged on its long-term economic value rather than a simple cost-per-job basis.
Bonds has since responded, saying his objection is to government ownership of the facility, not to manufacturing jobs themselves.
“I’m all for the government encouraging manufacturing to come back to Australia, but I’m not in favour of the government overseeing a manufacturing facility,” he said.
He also questioned why the government would build a 12 billion dollar facility aimed solely at the Australian market, when manufacturers in nearby Asian countries have access to broader export opportunities, and said Premier Chris Minns should have committed funding to a feasibility study if serious about the project, calling the announcement “an election promise with no legs.”
However Aitchison said the community want to see the Government investing in jobs locally, not overseas.
“While One Nation’s Stuart Bonds tries to reduce this announcement to dollars and cents, it appears he still hasn’t grasped the point of what’s at the heart of this policy,” she said.
“The Liberals and Nationals may be in the business of making deals offshore, but the Minns Labor Government is in the business of backing home-grown jobs, skills and local prosperity.”
