The Australian Commercial Marine Group (ACMG), in partnership with MERC Asia-Pacific Ltd (MERC), hosted the Hunter Forum on Tuesday, 14 April 2026 at Newcastle Harbour, bringing together key industry stakeholders to explore the development of a proposed marine innovation precinct in the region.
Held at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, the forum provided a valuable platform for discussion on leveraging Newcastle’s deep-water access and strategic location to support future growth across the commercial marine sector. The session focused on building industry consensus around the need for a dedicated maritime innovation precinct, with discussions centred on demand, long-term vision and the opportunities such a precinct could unlock for the Hunter region.
David Good, CEO of ACMG commented; “The maritime heritage, deep water port, available skilled trades and proximity to Sydney are all reasons why Newcastle is an obvious solution to provide refit, maintenance, trade training and innovation opportunities for the marine industry. We need to coordinate marine businesses and gain government support to progress this further.”
The proposed precinct aims to support servicing and innovation across domestic commercial vessels, recreational vessels and superyachts, while creating a centralised location for businesses to invest, collaborate and grow. Drawing on successful national and international models, the initiative highlights the potential to drive job creation, attract investment, foster new technologies and strengthen career pathways within the marine industry.
This discussion follows ACMG’s recent release of the Economic Impact Study (EIS), which highlights Australia’s commercial marine industry as a $51 billion sector supporting more than 137,000 jobs, reinforcing the strength and capability of the industry and the opportunity for future regional growth.
The forum was well attended by ACMG members including Ampcontrol, Fibre Boats, Marine Lifestyles, Maritime Impulse, Moonshadow-TQC, Scope Marine/Jones Bay Superyacht Marina, SeaLink and Steber International, all contributing valuable insights into the future needs of the sector and the role Newcastle could play in supporting industry expansion.
Following the discussion, attendees continued conversations over lunch, providing further opportunity to strengthen connections and explore collaboration across the region.
Angus McDonald, CEO, Merc Asia-Pacific Ltd, commented on the Hunter Forum; “The Hunter has a long history of ship building and boatyards, and in this time of transition and uncertainty we need to reach back to the past to find a constructive way to the future for the Hunter’s young people. By gathering so many local organisations together we discovered that the need for this is huge, as is the opportunity if we get it right.”
“The future of so many of the types of vessels that Australians already build and export is electric. By bringing innovators and industry together we can advance marine electrification and create a real advantage for Australian boat builders and operators. By holding collaborative conversations with representatives from the Minister for the Hunter, the University of Newcastle, Dantia and Marine Futures, we could see how this precinct would tie together workforce training, economic development, marine innovation and local startups.”
ACMG extends its thanks to the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club for hosting the event and to MERC for its collaboration in delivering a productive and forward-focused forum.Top of Form
