We’ve led and supported environmental advocacy campaigns in Newcastle since 2004

About our campaigning

The Hunter Community Environment Centre has supported and led community-based environmental advocacy in Newcastle since 2004.

Volunteers and campaigners at the environment centre have been involved in issues including forest and marine conservation, air and water pollution from mining and development, climate change and more.

Here are some highlights…

• In 2006, HCEC was instrumental in the campaign to secure 20,000 hectares of additions to the National Parks estate in the Lower Hunter, including the creation of Tilligery State Conservation Area as part of a “Green Corridor” from the Watagan Range, through Hexham Swamp to Port Stephens. 

• In 2008, HCEC campaigned for crucial Sanctuary Zones in the Port Stephens Great Lakes Marine Park, participating in the community consultative committee for the Parks’ zoning, and preparing detailed conservation analysis to ensure the biodiversity of the Park was protected. As part of its marine conservation work, HCEC analysed fishing catch data across New South Wales to assess the sustainability of commercial fishing activities. 

• In 2012, HCEC established the Coal Terminal Action Group, bringing together people from around Newcastle concerned about the impact of a proposed new coal export terminal on Kooragang Island on health, waterways and migratory shore birds. Two years later, after a widespread community campaign about the health impacts of coal dust and biodiversity impacts of wetland loss, Port Waratah Coal Services announced it was shelving the proposal. 

• Since 2018, HCEC has been campaigning for controls on heavy metal pollution in Lake Macquarie stemming from coal-ash waste dumps.
  We released our preliminary investigation in the “Out of the Ashes” report in 2019 and the results of our expanded NSW-wide investigation were released in October 2020. We’ve worked with community members in Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and Lithgow to push for the safe reuse of coal-ash waste.
  In March 2021, we expect inquiry findings and the NSW 20 Year Waste Strategy to deliver positive policy on coal-ash clean up and reuse.