A Newcastle councillor has expressed disbelief at the city council's decision to spend $105,656 on a community survey about the Astra Aerolab defence and aerospace precinct, questioning whether the money could have been better spent elsewhere.
Survey reveals divided community opinion
The controversy emerged during the November 11 council meeting where elected officials endorsed a report detailing an independent survey of community sentiment toward Astra Aerolab, the defence and aerospace park adjacent to Newcastle Airport and Williamtown RAAF Base.
The comprehensive consultation process included a representative survey of 600 Newcastle and Port Stephens residents, an opt-in online survey completed by 555 residents, and pop-up community events involving 178 residents.
Results showed strikingly different levels of awareness and support across the various consultation methods. Only 24 percent of representative survey respondents recognised Astra Aerolab when prompted, while 69 percent of opt-in online respondents claimed familiarity with the project.
Support levels varied significantly, with more than two-thirds of representative respondents backing the project and 84 percent of pop-up engagement participants expressing support. However, the opt-in online survey told a different story, with only 41 percent supporting Astra Aerolab compared to 52 percent opposed.
Councillor questions spending priorities
Labor councillor Peta Winney-Baartz didn't hold back her criticism of the expenditure. "It really blows my mind that we spent that amount of money to prove what I think is actually a pretty well-known community sentiment," she stated during the meeting.
Cr Winney-Baartz, who wasn't on council when it unanimously voted in 2024 to conduct the consultation, highlighted competing financial priorities. "This year alone, under the social inclusion grant stream here at council, those grants were exhausted. That $106,000 could very easily have gone towards funding some of the 35 projects that we were not able to support this year," she argued.
The councillor expressed discomfort with the spending level and urged colleagues to consider what the community had missed out on as a result.
Defence and division over consultation timing
Greens councillor Siobhan Isherwood pushed back against the criticism, suggesting it was inappropriate to single out this particular expenditure. "We could ask that of every single project we decide to invest money in," she noted, pointing to recent consultations on the Queens Wharf redevelopment and southern beaches coastal management plan.
Cr Isherwood acknowledged the survey revealed "strong concerns about militarisation in the region" alongside "strong support for jobs and manufacturing." She observed that the strong opt-in survey response indicated residents were clearly divided on the issue.
However, she shared concerns about the consultation's timing, noting it occurred "once the horse has already bolted" given that Newcastle Airport had already committed to defence and weapons manufacturing at Williamtown before residents had their say.
The Astra Aerolab precinct will become home to defence contractor BAE Systems and Australia's first missile factory, owned by Norwegian company Kongsberg. The survey also asked residents about Newcastle Airport separately, finding majority felt "mainly" or "very" favourable toward the airport itself.
