We are the Hunter Valley Statehood Movement. Our aim is to gain statehood for the Hunter Valley, in order to improve the way our region is governed. This would mean decisions on the Hunter Valley's future would be made right here in the Hunter, with a state government separate to New South Wales elected by the people of the Hunter. We are a grassroots movement of people across the Hunter who demand that our future is put into our own hands. Our group promotes statehood for the Hunter Valley through a range of activities, to make the case that the Hunter would be better running its own affairs, rather than our future being decided by politicians and bureaucrats in Sydney. If you would like to join our movement, let us know.
We launched in 2021 and since then have grown into a small but active group organsing a wide variety of actions in support of statehood.
1. To build a better, fairer and freer Hunter Valley for all.
2. To campaign for a referendum on statehood in the Hunter Valley, to be decided by the people of the Hunter.
3. A green industrial rebirth to build a sustainable post-coal future for the Hunter.
1. Royal Commission into feasibility of Hunter Valley Statehood as soon as possible.
Royal commissions are called to look into matters of great importance and usually controversy. These can be matters such as government structure, the treatment of minorities, events of considerable public concern or economic questions. We are calling on the New South Wales state government to hold a Royal Commission into the feasibility of statehood for the Hunter Valley to be held as soon as possible. There is no better way for us to get an answer on the viability of our region to become Australia's 7th state.
There is historical precedent for Royal Commissions into statehood campaigns. The New England New State campaign in the 1960s successfully pushed for a Royal Commission into statehood for the New England region which found the proposal to be viable. This finding led to the New England statehood referendum in 1967 which was ultimately narrowly defeated.
2. Referendum on statehood for the Hunter Valley by 2030.
A referendum on statehood for the Hunter Valley will directly give the people of the Hunter Valley a vote on our future. This vote will shape our region's future. It will decide which path the Hunter wants to take: do we want to remain locked in to decisions made by a Sydney-centric state government, or do we want to have the power to decide our own destiny? We are setting a deadline of 2030 for this referendum to give sufficient time for a Royal Commission to be held and for the referendum to be organised.
The Hunter Valley Statehood Movement pays our respect to the Traditional Owners of the land on which we organise, who have cared for this land for tens of thousands of years.
We acknowledge that this land was stolen from them, and that sovereignty has never been ceded.