Statehood for the Hunter Valley the only way to clean up our politics

1st October 2021, the Hunter Valley Statehood Movement has said that statehood for the Hunter Valley is the only way to clean up our politics after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced her resignation following ICAC’s commencement of investigations.

Bryce Ham, spokesperson for the movement, “Another NSW Premier has resigned due to corruption investigations. You can’t blame anyone in the Hunter for having zero faith in politicians after decades of broken trust and promises. One Premier resigning will not fix the culture of corruption and pork barrelling in this state. The Hunter has been left behind in NSW, not just in the last few months during the Delta outbreak, but for decades. We’ve seen our port sold off without a say in the matter. We’ve seen $800 million of our coal mining royalties every year spent on Sydney infrastructure projects while our projects face constant delays and downgrades.”

Ham, “The last 2 months have been tough for so many of us but the political circus in Sydney continues on as if people across our state aren’t struggling to make ends meet. We need statehood for the Hunter Valley because the only governments who will work tirelessly for the Hunter day after day will be Hunter governments elected by the people of the Hunter.”

The Hunter Valley Statehood Movement officially launched earlier this year following the Federal Court’s ruling against the Port of Newcastle’s planned container terminal. The movement says that widespread outrage over the last year as the Hunter continues to suffer from decisions made by the Sydney government has invigorated its supporters to push ahead with the campaign.

Ham, “This state has been built to serve Sydney and Sydney alone. It’s time that we said loud and clear, enough is enough. Newcastle and the Hunter Valley have been taken for granted by Sydney for too long. We have been neglected for decades and our region's future is uncertain because of that. But we can change this. It's time to put our future into our hands.”

The movement, which aims to hold its first major action in the next six months, highlighted that it is fighting for a Royal Commission into the feasibility of Hunter Valley Statehood to be held as soon as possible, and a referendum on Hunter Valley Statehood by 2030. It encourages people to visit its website and social media pages to learn more and find out how they can take action.

Ham, “With a Hunter Valley State, we will shape our own destiny. Decisions on our future will be made right here, not in a courtroom or parliament in Sydney.

Media enquiries: email media@hunterstatehood.com
More info: visit the movement’s website hunterstatehood.com