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ABC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Tesla battery factory at Tonsley one step closer despite 'anti-Elon' sentiment
An Adelaide council has paved the way for the potential approval of a Tesla battery factory in the southern suburbs, despite strong opposition described as the "anti-Elon factor". The City of Marion voted eight to three on Tuesday night in favour of asking the state government to remove the community land status of Chestnut Court Reserve in Tonsley. Removing its community land status would allow the reserve to be sold to a developer for the construction of a Tesla factory, which, according to council documents, would be used for battery repurposing, vehicle servicing and a showroom. The vote followed a public consultation period in which 95 per cent of respondents — made up of 948 survey submissions plus six written responses — did not support the proposal. The key themes for respondents who did not support the proposal were the loss of trees and open public space as a result of the development, the environmental impacts from a manufacturing facility, the wish for the land to be used as social housing, and a "strong ideological opposition to Elon Musk and Tesla". A report prepared for the council noted that Chestnut Court Reserve has not been accessible to the public since 2016 and is "not fit for purpose as open space recreation due to historical contamination", and that the developer was "committed to replanting or offsetting" the impact on trees. It also said the proposal would provide about 100 full time jobs and an estimated $56 million in "economic output", and noted that Telsa would proceed with its plan in a different location if the Tonsley plan was unsuccessful. Some of the respondents' views on Tesla's chief executive officer Elon Musk were redacted in the council's report, but many were opposed to the development due to what one respondent described as his "unpopular behaviour". "Private entities should not be allowed to purchase public land. Especially land with many significant trees on it, even if that land isn't currently accessible to the public," one response read. The council's report stated that the project's benefits of "employment, innovation, emissions reduction and utilisation of land that is contaminated" outweighed the "geopolitical or symbolic criticisms expressed in submissions". City of Marion Mayor Kris Hanna said the "anti-Elon factor" expressed by a "large cohort of residents opposed to the project" was taken into account and "balanced against the economic factors". "[It's] certainly a very attractive idea to have 100 extra full-time jobs in the area," Mr Hanna told ABC Radio Adelaide. He said the other key issue was the clearing of more than 50 trees on the vacant site but said they received reassurance from the developer that at least three "significant" trees would be left. "They assured us that for every regulated tree that was removed they would plant two trees and for every significant tree removed they would plant three trees," Mr Hanna said. "There are strong feelings about it, but there are also economic reasons which can't be ignored." The minister for local government will need to sign off for the community land classification to be revoked. On Monday, Premier Peter Malinauskas said while he "would violently disagree with many of the views that Mr Musk espouses", he welcomed "any big major industrial investment in our state". "I mean, you can't have a situation where politicians start arbitrarily saying that someone's investment is not welcome just because they have a very different political view. That's not the way our country operates," he said. Mr Malinauskas said Tesla had a "pretty good track record" in South Australia, citing its 100-megawatt "big battery" built in 2017 in the state's north. "Just having a different political persuasion isn't enough justification to say you're not welcome," he said.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk wanted to build a Tesla factory that would have created 100 jobs in Australia - until NIMBYs stepped in
Elon Musk wanted to build a Tesla factory that would have created 100 jobs in Australia - until NIMBYs stepped in Adelaide locals don't want Musk in their city anymore READ MORE: Tesla will build the world's biggest lithium battery in South Australia The world's richest person Elon Musk will not get his Tesla factory built in Adelaide after locals vehemently opposed his plans. The City of Marion Council recommended it sell a 2,600 square-metre plot of contaminated land to Musk's company before a council meeting on Tuesday night. But council obtained almost 1,000 submissions from the public and more than 90 per cent of responses opposed Musk's planned battery factory. More than half of the submissions were from people living outside the council area, which showed how passionate some South Australians were about rejecting Musk. The sale of Chestnut Court Reserve, in southern Adelaide, would've generated about $56million in economic output and created about 100 jobs, according to the council. There were concerns from locals about environmental damage, loss of green space, and Tesla's reputation. Adelaide residents said the plan was 'a noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple to billionaires'. Musk's popularity in Australia has waned since he teamed up with Donald Trump ahead of his election win last year. Elon Musk has been told that a new Telsa factory was not welcome in southern Adelaide Chestnut Court Reserve, in southern Adelaide, is contaminated with trichloroethylene City of Marion mayor Kris Hanna said: 'There's certainly a core group that has very strong anti-fascist sentiment and they are directing that to Elon Musk and anything related to him.' Vandals have targeted Tesla vehicles in many counties while many ex-fans started selling their cars. 'Tesla is a horrible business for the City of Marion to even consider providing this land to,' one Marion resident said on social media. Members of a website 'Trees Not Teslas' said the proposed factory would be 'bringing protests to the area' and give the region a bad image. Mayor Hanna said before council was contemplating to sell off the land, that the billionaire would simply find another location to build if Adelaide residents didn't want his business. 'If the decision is not to allow the factory to proceed, it won't harm Elon Musk's interests because Tesla will just set up somewhere else in Australia that's more welcoming,' he said. Mayor Hanna also said that the 'green space' could not be used by the public anyway. Telsa's popularity in Australia is waning and some blame its owner Elon Musk Elon Musk has had a lot of negative feedback after he teamed up with Donald Trump 'The soil (at the Chestnut Court Reserve) is contaminated with the chemical trichloroethylene. It is safe if sealed over, such as at a factory and carpark, but not for recreation or gardening,' he said. State premier Peter Malinauskas told the Adelaide Advertiser that he 'violently disagrees' with Musk's politics but said if he wanted to put cash into his state, he was 'fine with that'. City of Marion as well as councillor Sarah Luscombe were contacted for comment.
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Tesla wins council approval for new factory in South Australia despite vocal anti-Musk sentiment
Elon Musk's Tesla is one step closer to opening a factory in an Adelaide suburb despite overwhelming community opposition from 'anti-Tesla and anti-Elon Musk sentiment'. On Tuesday night the City of Marion council voted to seek state government approval to sell the site to a developer who will build the factory. Environmental concerns and worries the site would draw protesters were also cited among the 95% of people who made submissions opposed to the plan for a battery factory. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Many voiced their opposition with words that were censored in the city's official records, such as 'Elon Musk and Tesla are a [redacted] on humanity'. Tesla sales have slumped amid a backlash against Musk for his work with the Trump administration, such as slashing funding for government departments through his department of government efficiency, as well as his ideology and actions such as what some saw as an apparent fascist salute. But Marion's mayor, Kris Hanna, said blocking the sale of the site would have no impact on Musk and would have cost 100 local jobs. Hanna said the soil on the site was contaminated and not safe for recreation, so 'it makes sense to have it sealed over with a renewable technology facility'. 'If we didn't proceed, it would have cost 100 jobs to local residents, but it would have had no impact on Elon Musk,' he said. 'Tesla would almost certainly find somewhere else in Australia to build their factory.' More details soon …
