TENSIONS flared at council as a debate about Supercars resulted in Newcastle's lord mayor comparing a Greens councillor to opposition leader Peter Dutton's "fear and misinformation" and "political tactics" around the Voice referendum.
What started as a discussion about City of Newcastle's (CN) commitment to attracting and hosting major events devolved into a debate about the future of Supercars, after Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe raised umbrage with background provided to councillors in a report.
Cr McCabe argued a point in the background about what would need to happen if the state government and Supercars proposed any multi-year event in Newcastle beyond 2024 "left the door open" for a future event and gave uncertainty to East End residents.
The background was not a part of the decision the council was voting on, and Labor lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes shot down multiple attempts by Cr McCabe to have it changed or removed from the report - claiming she was trying to "disseminate misinformation" about Supercars.
"It's quite unbelievable that you would have the audacity to call out Dutton's fear and misinformation campaign on the Voice and then try and use the same political tactics to try and drive that same fear and misinformation into the community ... on a resolution that obviously ends the five plus five-year agreement and is actually a celebration of the major events we've been able to attract here," she said.
Cr McCabe, who also raised concerns about the 169,000 attendance figure quoted in the background, and the way the results of the phone and online surveys were presented, pulled the mayor up on her comments as "completely unfair".
"I will not be compared with the opposition leader Dutton," she said.
"That is an attack on my integrity and that is an attack on my ability to conduct myself in a proper and respectful and professional manner, and I'm asking you to please retract that statement."
Cr Nelmes said not only would she not retract it, but told Cr McCabe she needed to "reflect" on what she was doing in the chamber and how that behaviour is likened to Dutton's - "and maybe not bring it back into the chamber again".
The mayor's sentiments were backed by Labor Cr Carol Duncan who shared her "disappointment" at Cr McCabe's "blatant dog whistle" on the issue.
The Newcastle 500 has been scrapped for 2024, after the council refused to sign a one-year deal following a back-and-forth with the state government that saw the city ultimately lose the event to Bathurst.
Labor deputy mayor Declan Clausen moved an amendment to Tuesday night's motion to see the council support Cessnock mayor Jay Suuval's bid to reinstate Supercars in the Hunter.
CN will encourage Destination NSW and Supercars to engage with Cessnock council on the proposed 'Wine Country 500'.
In its motion, the council pointed out the state government declined to support a five-year extension of the event and said a one-year extension was inconsistent with the community consultation it undertook in 2023 asking the public for their thoughts on a further five-year deal.
According to the council, a telephone survey revealed 55 per cent of residents and 59 per cent of businesses supported the extension, while an online survey showed just 37 per cent of residents and 41 per cent of businesses backed the five-year deal.
It was announced this week that Mount Panorama would become home to the axed Newcastle 500.
The original motion to council on Tuesday night started as something of a celebration of the major events the council had attracted to the city so far, including Supercars, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Pink in 2024.
The council argued that since holding the Newcastle 500 as the city's "largest ever event", Newcastle has attracted new and even bigger events of an international reach, attended by "hundreds of thousands" of locals and tourists in the last six years.
As part of Tuesday's decision, the council acknowledged Foreshore Park, including Camp Shortland, at Newcastle's premier major event space and committed to securing new major events in the city as a "central pillar" of the visitor economy.
