Latest news with #EnvironmentalConcerns
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
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Anti-Musk sentiment runs high in Australian city as 95% of submissions oppose land sale to Tesla
Elon Musk's so-called 'brand destruction' is in full flight in Adelaide, where residents have voted overwhelmingly to reject plans for a Tesla factory. The city of Marion in South Australia is considering selling 2,664 sq metres of public land – which is contaminated and not publicly accessible – to Tesla which wants to build a battery factory on the plot. The council has consulted the community and written a report that says the benefits – including 100 full-time jobs, boosted rates revenues, $56m in economic output and 'Tesla-led training programs' – outweigh the 'geopolitical or symbolic criticisms expressed in submissions'. Of the nearly 1,000 submissions sent to the local council, 95% called for the proposal to be struck down, citing 'anti-Tesla and anti-Elon Musk sentiment' and 'Musk's influence on global discourse via social media platforms', as well as the environmental impact and potential loss of green space. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email While environmental concerns played a part, the Tesla boss was the main reason 95% of people voted against the project. Those against the proposal did not hold back on the reasons for their rejection – with the city of Marion choosing to censor some submissions. 'Because Elon Musk is a [redacted] human being and a [redacted]!' one person wrote. 'Elon Musk and Tesla are a [redacted] on humanity, another said. 'Elon Musk is a full blown [redacted],' was another's blunt assessment. While a further submission argued the site was not right for Musk: 'Destroying trees to build a factory for a company owned by a [redacted] would be a vile choice.' 'We should not support and put money in the pockets of a [redacted] who openly [redacted] salutes, is [redacted] human,' was another's take on Tesla moving into Marion. Another had a more prosaic concern: 'Please dear God', they wrote. 'It's not going to be good for anyone … [and] it would majorly interrupt my roller skating route'. More than half of the 948 community submissions came from outside the council area, but submissions from those in the immediate area of the site overwhelmingly opposed the development at 121 against and 11 for. Those who voted in favour welcomed the jobs that would be created by Telsa, the skills that would be taught, and the 'visionary approach' of the world's richest person. Musk has faced an ongoing backlash thanks to his role in the Trump administration, where he created the 'department of government efficiency' (Doge), that has seen crippling cuts to government programs. Tesla profits have dived recently, with analysts pinning the blame on a branding crisis thanks to Musk's role in the White House. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Musk has denied branding is an issue, and blames the 'macro demand for cars' in the current economic climate. The city of Marion mayor, Kris Hanna, said most Australians wouldn't approach the project from a political perspective. 'But 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,' he said. Hanna said there was both a 'natural' community response and a political campaign to increase the 'no' vote. '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. Dozens of submissions referred to Musk's interventions in American and European politics and his apparent Nazi-style salute earlier this year. One critic, citing Guardian reporting, wrote: 'I could not think of a worse developer to sell the land to. Tesla sales have been plummetting [sic] … this is likely to attract protests and negative attention that the neighbourhood does not need or want.' Tesla and South Australian government agencies emphasised the economic benefits to the region in their letters of support, while a handful of residents said the land should be put to productive use. Staff at the City of Marion officially recommended the council sell the land to Tesla, with the proposal to be discussed at a council meeting on Tuesday night.
