Newcastle council rules out city return for Newcastle 500 but keeps regional Hunter option alive

newy.com.au – Newcastle councillors have unanimously supported a Supercars return to the Hunter, after Liberal councillor Callum Pull put forward a motion at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Pull’s original motion was amended by other councillors, shifting council’s support away from the controversial Newcastle East street circuit towards a Hunter-based alternative. Tuesday night’s decision reaffirmed council’s 2023 stance against reviving the Newcastle street circuit, while leaving open the prospect of a future race elsewhere in the Hunter.

Pull’s notice of motion backed the event’s return and called for chief executive Jeremy Bath to begin discussions with Supercars and the NSW Government.

The motion also called for any future Hunter race proposal to learn from the earlier Newcastle events, suggesting shorter setup and pack-down times, better traffic management, support for affected residents and businesses, a review of alternative circuit options, and a full cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment before any event of that size goes ahead.

“If Supercars returns to the Hunter, it should be in a format and location that has broad and durable community support,” Clausen said. Explaining why he wanted Pull’s clause retained, he said those measures “should be prerequisites for any event of this scale no matter where it is”.

Pull told councillors he had brought the motion to test “under what circumstances” they would support the race’s return, and after the amendment was carried said the result would still be “a good outcome for the Newcastle community as well”.

The debate reopened the long-running argument over the event, with Liberal councillor Callum Pull leading the case that the race’s crowds, exposure and economic value should not be forgotten, while councillors Declan Clausen and Deahnna Richardson also acknowledged the benefits it had brought to Newcastle. But councillors Jenny Barry, Paige Johnson, Mark Brooker, Peter Gittins and Peta Winney-Baartz, along with Deputy Lord Mayor Charlotte McCabe, all stressed the disruption the event caused residents and small businesses in Newcastle East.

Councillors Pull and Johnson both referred to the 2025 Davidson review during the debate, while McCabe said she did not believe there had been a demonstrated economic benefit for the local government area because no cost-benefit analysis had been presented to councillors. The Davidson review found the event was seen as promoting Newcastle to a national audience and demonstrating economic benefits, but said there had been no detailed cost-benefit analysis prepared specifically for the city before it proceeded and that more thorough planning and risk assessment were needed.

Council had already resolved in October 2023 to support retaining Supercars in the Hunter through Cessnock City Council’s proposed Wine Country 500, and in November that year voted to begin restoration works in Newcastle East, including prioritising the replacement of temporary pedestrian crossings with permanent infrastructure. Tuesday night’s decision means council is still open to a Supercars event somewhere else in the Hunter, but not a return of the former Newcastle street circuit.

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