The plan in question, the Kooragang Precinct Emergency Sub-plan, is the document that sets out the official "arrangements for control and co-ordination of the response to an emergency or imminent emergency" on the island.

Importantly, Mr Barr said, the plan had a list of the potential hazards on Kooragang, starting, of course, with the stockpiles of ammonium nitrate at Orica's production and storage facility.

READ MORE:

Initially, Mr Barr had been concerned that the plan - details of which are illustrated above - was last updated in 2015 and should be have been reviewed in 2018.

"The signatures, or rather lack of them, shows the plan is out of date," Mr Barr said.

Investigations then showed that the list of hazards on the island was itself out of date.

In the "infrastructure and risk" section of the report, Incitec Pivot was listed as a company that "stores and handles hazardous chemicals in excess of threshold quantities as defined" in the relevant legislation.

"The Major Hazard being Ammonium Nitrate - 4060 tonnes," the plan says.

Last week, however, Incitec Pivot told the Newcastle Herald that although it was licensed to store ammonium nitrate, it had not done so at Kooragang Island since 2014.

"Where required, we have interim arrangements with a licensed third party supplier at Sandgate to provide storage for our products," an Incitec Pivot spokesperson said last week.

Peter Crawford, managing director of that Sandgate facility, Crawfords Freightlines, confirmed that when asked yesterday.

Mr Barr said it was hard to believe the government had not checked the plan as soon as the Beirut tragedy transpired last week.

"Are they that out of touch that they don't realise, or don't care, that we have substantial quantities of that material stored here?" Mr Barr asked.

Mr Barr said he had confidence in the businesses handling ammonium nitrate, but it was a concern the government's storage records appeared wrong.

"Thinking there's a hazard there, when it looks like there isn't, could cause all sorts of problems if there was a real emergency, especially as that site is close to the Stockton Bridge," Mr Barr said.

A spokesperson for Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said the plan was not out of date.

"It is due for review in 2020, as per the December 2017 determination of the State Emergency Management Committee, that sub and supporting plans be reviewed on a five-year cycle," the spokesperson said.

Mr Barr pointed to page 22 of the report saying the plan was to be reviewed "at least every three years".

While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here

IN THE NEWS: