Adam Marshall resigns from NSW parliament
Calling time on two decades of politics next month
I have announced I will draw my 20-year career in public office to a close next month and will be stepping down from State politics. I will formally hand my resignation as the Member for Northern Tablelands to the Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly on 13 May, some 11 years after I was first elected to the role. This is not a decision I have made lightly, but it’s one I’m now very comfortable with. Put simply, I feel it’s time for me to move on and take up new challenges. Coming into this role 11 years ago, it was never my intention to stay forever, believing that our region is best served by those prepared to get in, give it everything they have and then pass the baton on to fresh hands. Hopefully I have done this.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my years in public life serving the communities of Gunnedah Shire and now the people of the Northern Tablelands, as a Councillor, Mayor, State MP, and a Minister. Their support for me has been overwhelming and heart-warming. It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve rural communities and country people and I thank them sincerely for that opportunity over the last two decades. We have achieved some incredible things together and I will always cherish the friendships I have made and the interaction I have had with people during my time in the role.
Post politics, I intend to pursue opportunities in the corporate world and in my own personal life. This is a demanding and all-consuming role to do properly, and it inevitably takes its toll. I’ve come to the conclusion that despite absolutely loving our region, its people and my role as a local State MP, I cannot put this move off any longer. This will be the end of representative politics for me. While there will be plenty of time for reflection over the next five weeks and beyond, for me, I’m firmly focussed on the work I still have to do, which I intend to carry out with the same enthusiasm and energy as I always have.
Port of Newcastle unshackled with $13 million IPART determination
I have welcomed a decision by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), which will allow the Port of Newcastle to be unshackled with a $13 million one-off payment to the State. It is terrific news for the region and would mean the new container terminal at the Port of Newcastle could proceed, allowing for hundreds of millions of dollars of extra investment and export opportunities. This is brilliant news for our region and one of the final hurdles the Port had to jump over to get the green light to build a container terminal. Our grain growers have a gateway to world markets on their doorstep, and with IPART’s determination today, it will mean the Port of Newcastle is well and truly opened for business. Establishing a new container terminal at the Port of Newcastle has the potential of cutting the cost of grain rail freight by $16 to $22 per tonne, putting huge dollars back into the pockets of growers and the local economy.
The push by industry to unlock the Port was spearheaded by Independent Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper, with his bill, The Port of Newcastle (Extinguishment of Liability) Bill 2022. This bill was crucial to finally break the impediments placed on the Newcastle Port and was considered in IPART’s determination. When the Port of Newcastle was privatised in 2014, a Port Commitments Deed required the operators to reimburse the State Government for any compensation paid to the operators of Kembla and Botany. These provisions made establishing a container terminal and increasing capacity at the Port of Newcastle unviable – until now.
The Port of Newcastle was a shining regional jewel and a natural gateway to many parts of New South Wales. Our state has now opened up to more investment and export opportunities, backing in our hundreds of millions of dollars of investment into the regions.