Passions were high at a Supercars community meeting which spilled out of Newcastle City Hall as residents and businesses expressed their negative experiences of the event.
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The April 3 event, organised by the Newcastle East Residents Group, had the hall's Banquet Room at capacity with hundreds of attendees.
Among the crowd was Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp; Newcastle Liberal, Greens and Independent councillors; business owners, community groups and residents.
Ash Greenaway, who owns Hunter Street retailer The Lair, presented a survey she conducted of more than 60 businesses in the surrounding area.
She said the results showed just one business had a positive return, half had to close for several days during the race and most lost thousands of dollars during the race, bump in and out.
This included four businesses which registered losses of between $50,000 and $100,000 compared to the same period last year.
Rowena Foong, who owns Wolfe Street retailer High Tea with Mrs Woo, spoke as chair of the independent business group Makers and Traders of Newcastle.
She read out stories from local businesses including restaurant Scotties, retailer Honest Paper, Hunter Writers Centre, art collective Make Space and cafe Good Brother, which all had a "common thread".
"The Supercars event causes a significant loss of trade, loss of access to the city, loss of employment for staff," she said.
"Instead of enhancing business conditions it actually shuts the city down."
Becky Kiil from walking tour company Newcastle Afoot said she had tried to connect with Supercars visitors with no success.
"I haven't spoke to a tour operator who has said they have had any positive experience or business growth from Supercars," she said.
Kath Fielden, who owns family law firm Fielden Associates, said she had actually moved her five staff out of Bolton Street to Adamstown because of Supercars.
She said her WiFi was disrupted around the event and it was hard for her clients to access the building during track construction.
Resident Michael Bateman brought cable ties and pieces of rubber he had collected that had been left behind after the event, while fellow community member Alex Spathis made a presentation about noise recordings from the race.
Keven Jackson, who has expertise in global energy and carbon management, said he dug around to try and find information on emissions from the event, but the data wasn't publicly available.
Newcastle East Residents Group spokesperson Christine Everingham put a motion to the crowd, calling on the NSW government and City of Newcastle to:
- Cease hosting the Newcastle 500 through the residential streets and parklands of Newcastle East.
- Instigate a thorough and independent Performance Audit, conducted by the NSW Auditor General, to be undertaken on the Newcastle 500 event
- Begin the necessary discussions and negotiations to support a regional purpose-built motor racing circuit, open all year round for motor sports events.
It was supported unanimously.
During a question session at the end, a crowd member asked why Mr Crakanthorp wasn't speaking at the event, saying "are you on our side?".
Mr Crakanthorp said he was "here to listen" and had learned a lot. With a new Minister for Sport to be sworn in this week, he said he was "happy to put issues raised here tonight to the minister".
"I'm your elected representative and I'll advocate on your behalf," he said.
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Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
