Business Savings
Relocating or establishing a business in the Hunter will immerse you in one of the country’s thriving economies.
As growth continues in traditional manufacturing sectors, there is also expansion into new technologies including the use of composite materials, computer systems and aerospace engineering.
The State Government’s 25-year vision for Newcastle CBD includes the creation of 10,000 extra jobs and thousands of homes for the 6500 new residents who will move into the city.
Receive financial assistance to relocate your business to the Hunter
The Hunter Advantage Fund is a New South Wales Government initiative to assist businesses moving to the region.
Find out if your eligible by contacting Industry & Investment NSW by visiting:
The Payroll Tax Incentive Scheme (PTIS) is another way for businesses to gain financial support to establish and grow in the Hunter.
The rebates offered are up to $144,000 a year for the first three years.
Each application is assessed on its own merit and economic outcomes.
Wages and Work Force
The Hunter’s work force is highly skilled and spans manufacturing as well as service and technology related industries.
Other benefits include:
- Lower wages costs for business
- Income in the Hunter is significantly lower than in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane
Access to markets
The transport network within the Hunter includes arterial roads with major highway and freeway links to adjoining regions, rail links, a seaport and a ferry service.
The port of Newcastle, Australia’s largest coal export port, has infrastructure to service a variety of trades. While bulk trades, such as coal, comprise the majority of the trade through the port, there are facilities to handle general cargo, bulk goods and containers.
The infrastructure includes coal terminals operated by Port Waratah Coal Services, bulk liquid terminals for vegetable oils, agri-food storage and loading, local and national road and rail access and storage sheds adjacent to berths.
The Hunter’s geographical location, along with Newcastle Port and Newcastle Airport, make it a significant gateway for the movement of freight throughout NSW and Australia.
Quick Facts
- Newcastle Airport is Australia’s fastest growing regional airport and now services one million passengers a year with direct access to Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne. Planning is currently underway for a $60 million expansion of the terminal and multi-deck car park.
- Newcastle to Sydney is a two-hour trip on the F3 Freeway.
- Daily scheduled seaplane flights from Newcastle Harbour to Sydney’s Rose Bay; the trip taking just 30 minutes.
- Three helicopter charter services operate in Newcastle with close proximity to the CBD.
Cost Savings
Newcastle offers considerable cost savings for office, retail and industrial space.
| Retail Shop Purchase Cost ($/metre frontage) | Small Industrial Site Cost ($/m2) | Large Industrial Site Cost ($/ha) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Suburbs | $54,854 | $160 | $57,846 |
| Sydney Suburbs | $172,630 | $907 | $648,318 |
Industrial opportunities
The Hunter region has a wide availability of land for a range of business needs, including existing industrial areas, new industrial estates and bulky goods sites.
There are currently 28 industrial sites in the region accommodating a range of businesses including engineering, transport, food production, office supplies, brewing, information technology, research laboratories and construction.
- www.hunterland.com.au
- www.steelriver.com.au
- www.control.rb.com.au/templates/buildev_content.aspx?pageID=1796
- www.bbretailcapital.com.au
Information Technology
The region’s IT industry is recognised for expertise in e-commerce, web development, engineering IT and telecommunications.
The Hunter provides an attractive proposition for IT business through:
- Skilled workforce
- Lower salaries
- Strong educational support
Call Centres
Many national and international companies operate their call centres from the Hunter because it offers experienced staff, low occupancy costs and technical infrastructure.
Call centres in the Hunter include:
- Arvato Direct services (German Financial services company)
- Energy Australia
- NIB
- Newcastle Permanent
- Wine Selectors
- Australian Taxation Office
- RTA
- Centre Link
- Commonwealth Bank
Utilities
Electricity
There are four power stations operating in the Hunter, producing 80% of the State’s electricity supply.
Energy Australia is one of the largest electricity suppliers in Australia and a market leader in providing broad-based energy solutions ranging from electricity and gas supply, to energy management and renewable energy alternatives.
It operates an electricity network of around 22,275 square kilometres and distributes electricity to Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter regions.
Energy Australia is currently undertaking a significant infrastructure investment program, committing $910 million to maintain and improve the performance of the electricity network in the Hunter.
Country Energy manages Australia’s largest energy supply network across 95% of NSW. In the Hunter it supplies Dungog, Gloucester and Great Lakes local government areas.
Water
Hunter Water is a State-owned corporation servicing the local government areas of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Maitland, and Cessnock. Recently Hunter Water expanded its operations to include Singleton, Branxton and Whittingham.
Water is sourced from Grahamstown and Chichester dams as well as Tomago sand beds.
There are 213,913 properties connected to the water network and 202,103 to the wastewater network.
State Water owns dams at Glenbawn, Glennies Creek and Lostock in the Upper Hunter and supplies water to Muswellbrook, Singleton and Scone.
Gas
Within the deregulated market place there are three major gas retailers. All three are also major electricity suppliers in the region.
They are:
- AGL
- Country Energy
- Energy Australia
Hunter Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd is constructing an underground pipeline to transport natural gas from Queensland to Newcastle. The $850 million project will provide greater security of gas supply to the Newcastle region helping to create a more competitive pricing choice for consumers in the NSW energy market. It also has the potential to deliver gas to areas where it is currently not available.
Sydney Gas Limited is working towards extracting natural gas from coal seams in the Hunter. The first two exploration wells were drilled in late 2004 and further works are being planned and implemented. Sydney Gas estimates the total resource is 673 billion cubic feet.
