The Newcastle Port Corporation is a corporation owned by the Government of New South Wales

Government of New South Wales

The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...

 providing wharf and other maritime facilities at the Port of Newcastle

Newcastle, New South Wales

The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

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The port is crucial to the economic life of Newcastle and the Hunter Region. Over 70 million tonnes of coal is shipped through the facility each year - making it the largest coal exporting port in the world. Total capacity is currently 103 m mt pa, with more expansions underway.

The corporation claims that the Port of Newcastle is Australia's first port. Coal was first exported from the harbour in 1799, 11 years after the start of European settlement in Australia.

The corporation

The Port of Newcastle is core to the city's economy and a vital part of Australia's coal industry. The Newcastle Port Corporation employs 99 people and is required under the State Owned Corporations Act 1989 and the Ports Corporatisation and Waterways Management Act 1995 to:

• be a successful business
• exhibit a sense of social responsibility towards the local community
• comply with its obligations under environmental legislation
• support regional development and decentralisation
• promote and facilitate trade through Newcastle
• ensure that its port safety functions are carried out properly.

The Port of Newcastle welcomes almost 1500 ships a year. In 2004-05, trade through the port totalled 83.5 million tonnes, with a value of some $7 billion. The Port of Newcastle remains the world's largest coal export port by volume, with 77.72 million tonnes passing through the facility in 2004-05.

In the 2004-05 financial year, the corporation's revenues were $42.6 million. Its after-tax profit was just under $8 million.

The corporation falls within the portfolio of the Minister for Ports and Waterways, Paul McLeay

Paul McLeay

Paul Edward McLeay , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Heathcote for the Australian Labor Party between 2003 and 2011. In 2010, McLeay resigned his position as a Minister on 1 September 2010 after he admitted...

. It reports to its two shareholders, the Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal

Eric Roozendaal

Eric Roozendaal is an Australian politician, serving as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2004. He is a former General Secretary of the Australian Labor Party....

 and Finance Minister John Watkins

John Watkins (Australian politician)

John Arthur Watkins is a former Deputy Premier of New South Wales, serving between 2005 until his resignation from Parliament in 2008...

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External links

• Newcastle Port Corporation website