NEWCASTLE City Council is spending an estimated $2 million to bring the Supercars to Newcastle, although the organisation has said the cost is confidential information at this stage.
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At least some of the cost of the race was revealed at the ceremony last week when the Premier, Mike Baird, was in Newcastle to announce the five-year deal to have Newcastle host the final race of each season.
State government sources confirmed the council sponsorship, saying it was about $1 million in cash and $1 million in kind.
It is unknown how much the state government is contributing through Destination NSW, which lodged a combined bid with the organisers of the series, Supercars Australia.
Although the Supercar race has been widely welcomed by the community, support is not universal and even the Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald, said on Wednesday that it would be “silly to deny” that some people objected to the race.
Mr MacDonald confirmed that Gosford council had been vying for the race but said the bid was dropped once Gosford and Wyong councils were put into administration as part of the government’s local council reforms.
Newcastle council voted on July 26 to work with the government to bring the race to Newcastle, but the decision was taken in confidential session, and the report to councillors describing the deal remains confidential.
Minutes from that meeting show the council endorsed a “rights fee agreement” with Destination NSW, delegating authority to chief executive Frank Cordingley to “execute any and all necessary documents”. The report relating the race was to be “treated as confidential and remain confidential until council determines otherwise”.
The minutes show Greens councillors Michael Osborne and Therese Doyle asked that their names be recorded as voting against the proposal.
On Wednesday, Cr Doyle said “I must be living in a parallel universe because the idea of this race is about as attractive as walking on upturned tacks”.
“It’s bread and circuses to shut us up and I do not think it will generate the universal enthusiasm that the premier thinks it will, especially when some of the ramifications of running a race like this through city streets begin to sink in,” Cr Doyle said.
“It’s planning madness.”
In investigations this week the council and Supercars Australia have insisted the track is not finalised but it remains unclear whether they are talking about minor changes to the proposed Newcastle East track or whether they are still considering the Broadmeadow option that was reported in the Newcastle Herald before the July council meeting.
