NSW Labor leader Chris Minns says opposition will have policy on Stockton beach erosion before election

Mr Minns met with residents at Stockton Surf Life Saving Club on Monday, days after his party copped public criticism from locals for failing to commit to resolving the problem after years of railing against the government over the issue.

The Labor leader would not commit to funding ongoing offshore sand dredging to replenish the stricken beach.

Instead, he said he was in Newcastle to listen to residents' concerns before discussing the matter in shadow cabinet.

"I understand this is a big issue, and it's been going in Newcastle for a long time," he said before the late-afternoon meeting.

"It's been a major point of concern and consternation for local residents.

"We've got to develop our policy as we head into the state election.

"We're determined to do that, and part of my meeting them this afternoon will be about listening to their concerns and making sure we've got a plan that looks at these pressing issues and deals with them."

Stockton Surf Life Saving Club secretary Callan Nickerson emerged from the "very quick" meeting with Mr Minns confident the Labor leader had "really listened" to the residents' concerns.

He believed Labor was considering the issue in depth but was unsure if the opposition would come up with a worthwhile policy before the election.

"If they don't, they'll cop it at the ballot box over here," he said.

"There were no commitments made today, but he said the Labor party would have something to say before polling day.

"It's getting close to crunch time. The election will be here before they know it.

"I know they've got bigger issues to contend with, but this has been a big issue in Stockton for a number of years."

Fifth-generation Stockton resident and real estate agent Lucas Gresham said he had expressed his concerns to Mr Minns in blunt terms and was confident the opposition leader had taken the challenge on board.

"I don't think he'll forget," he said.

Asked if the lack of a Labor policy was good enough, Mr Minns said: "I know the pressure will be on us as we head into the election to have a policy to take to the people of Newcastle.

"I think fair-minded people would say there's five months to go before the next election, Labor's been out of power for 12 years, they're taking these issues seriously."

The federal government and City of Newcastle have reached a deal to spend $6.2 million on a one-off replenishment of the southern end of the beach with 300,000 cubic metres of sand.

Mr Minns toured the UGL train manufacturing and repair factory at Broadmeadow as part of his visit, reiterating Labor's commitment to having 50 per cent of future rolling stock, including the looming replacement fleet for the Newcastle-made Tangara trains, made in NSW.

He also addressed another high-profile Newcastle election issue, Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper's bill seeking to scrap financial penalties on Port of Newcastle developing a rival container terminal to Botany and Kembla.

Labor has proposed amendments to the legislation which would place the decision whether to scrap the penalties in the hands of whoever is NSW treasurer at the time.

They say the treasurer can terminate the penalties only if an independent reviewer has certified the port lessee has "shown a genuine commitment to the construction of a container terminal at the port of Newcastle".

Mr Minns said the amended law would still compel a future government to scrap the penalties if Port of Newcastle demonstrated it was committed to a large-scale container terminal.

"I think these amendments are what we need given the circumstance we all face in relation to the port of Newcastle," he said.

"The worst privatisation in Australia's history requires a lot of clean-up.

"It will be self-evident to everyone in Newcastle and NSW that this shouldn't have been privatised in the first place.

"We want to make sure the private owners of the port do go ahead with the container terminal as per their publicly stated aims."

Mr Piper hopes to have an agreement signed off this week with the government to support his port legislation in some form, regardless of Labor's position on the matter.

Both sides of politics are keen to keep Mr Piper and fellow independent Alex Greenwich happy leading up to the vote as the two could hold the balance of power.

Mr Piper has said in the past that his support of the government was based largely on his respect for former premier Gladys Berejiklian.

If he and Mr Greenwich see Labor as a credible and more workable alternative to the Coalition under Dominic Perrottet, they could help Mr Minns form a minority government.

The two MPs are of like mind on most issues and, in the event of neither Labor nor the Coalition gaining a majority, likely would support one side as a pigeon pair.

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