What is the Newcastle 500 event?

The Newcastle 500 is a nationally significant event held in Newcastle NSW, with the 2023 event to be held from 10-12 March. The Newcastle 500 is Newcastle's most prominent event and operates under a three-way agreement between the NSW Government, Supercars Australia and the City of Newcastle (CN).

The first Newcastle 500 was held in November 2017, followed by 2018 and 2019. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 event was cancelled and 2021 was postponed until March 2023 (the last year of the five-year agreement).

There is an option to extend the Newcastle 500 for a further five years following the 2023 race. If the NSW Government and Supercars Australia first agree to extend the event, CN's elected Council will have the opportunity to decide if Newcastle continues as host city on terms equivalent to the current agreement.

Overview

The Newcastle 500 Community Consultation Strategy outlines the approach that we will take to engage with the community to seek their input into the decision about whether the city should host another five years of the Newcastle 500 Supercars event.

Prior to consultation commencing (in February 2023), we invited the public to comment on the Newcastle 500 Community Consultation Strategy and share feedback on our proposed approach to consultation.

It’s important to note that this public exhibition period was not about continuation of the Newcastle 500 Supercars event, but about the consultation approach that we will undertake in February and March 2023.

Public Exhibition Period: The draft Newcastle 500 Community Consultation Strategy was available for the public to review and provide feedback for a 6-week period (14 December 2022 - 25 January 2023).

In alignment with the Newcastle 2040 Community Strategic Plan, the Newcastle 500 Community Consultation Strategy uses a stakeholder engagement framework which ensures that our methods of consultation will be most effective in providing the community with ample opportunity to participate.

Thanks for having your say!

The purpose of a public exhibition supports consistency and transparency in alignment with our adopted strategies, guidelines and best practice.

Specifically, City of Newcastle acknowledges that the Newcastle 500 has a significant impact on the broader community. As such, public exhibition of the proposed community consultation strategy, is an important process that should be considered by the community, for the community.

Following a review of community feedback, the Newcastle 500 Community Consultation Strategy has been finalised.

Community Survey

Community consultation about the potential five-year extension of Newcastle 500 took place from February to April 2023. For more information about how we consulted the community and what we heard, click here.