Latest news with #MarionCouncil
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
‘Noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple': Adelaide locals revolt over Tesla plan
Adelaide residents have erupted over a proposal to build a Tesla factory on community land in the city's southern suburbs, labelling the plan 'a noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple to billionaires'. Locals were informed by Marion Council in April that selling off Chestnut Court Reserve in favour of the development of a battery factory, servicing facility and vehicle showroom for the Elon Musk-owned company would reap significant financial rewards. The plan, however, was met with fierce opposition over the loss of public green space and tree coverage, and against the increasingly polarising Musk himself. Roughly 90 per cent (897) of the near 1000 responses to Marion Council's community consultation last month opposed the idea. Just 51 people were in favour. Public sentiment toward the world's richest man has grown progressively hostile, driven by his involvement in US politics. In addition to his vocal support for Donald Trump and the hundreds of millions of dollars in funding he contributed to the President's campaign last year, Musk has become an enthusiastic advocate for right-wing parties around the world. His savage cost-cutting measures as head of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has also done him no favours. In response, vandals have targeted Tesla vehicles across the globe, even prompting some owners to disguise their vehicles as other models, or sell them altogether. In Australia, demand for Teslas – once the nation's best-selling electric vehicle brand – has plummeted in recent months. 'Tesla is a horrible business for the City of Marion to even consider providing this land to,' one Marion resident wrote on Facebook, in opposition to the plan. Another described the potential factory as 'a noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple to billionaires'. On a website called 'Trees Not Teslas', community members also warned the facility risks 'bringing protests to the area, gives the community a bad image, and hurts Tonsley's reputation'. City of Marion councillor Sarah Luscombe has urged the council to 'think really carefully' about other options for the state-owned land, which has been closed to the public since 2016 due to heavy contamination. 'If council wants to do more to activate the land then it could be put out to open tender to more local companies who could innovate and do something with the land for conservation biodiversity (and) improve tree canopy,' she told The Advertiser. The proposal is 'unlikely to go ahead' if the council says no to it, Cr Luscombe added. The issue will be discussed at a council meeting on Tuesday. Tesla made more than $5 billion in revenue in Australia last year thanks to a 'remarkable turnaround' in its battery division, amid tanking global sales for its vehicles. Per its report for the 2024 calendar year, filed with the Australian Securities and Exchange Commission (ASIC), Tesla Motors Australia's revenue jumped by a third ($1.29 billion) from $3.81bn in 2023 to $5.1bn within 12 months, while profits rose from $39 million to $65m. That profit was in large part due to the sale, installation and operation of its batteries – at both grid and household scale – rather than its cars. Revenue soared nearly five-fold from $580m to $2.55bn between 2023 and 2024, in what Renew Economy described as a 'remarkable turnaround' for Tesla's battery storage arm. It also, for the first time, outpaced Tesla's vehicle sales, which declined from $3.18bn to $2.44bn – a slide that's continued since December. The genesis of Tesla's battery-based profits in Australia lies in a wager Mr Musk made with Aussie tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes a decade ago. At the time, Mr Musk told the Atlassian co-founder Tesla would install a 100-megawatt per hour storage plant, the world's largest lithium battery, in South Australia within a hundred days. Tesla delivered on the promise, prompting Mr Cannon-Brookes to concede he had 'never been more happy to lose a bet'. In late 2024, Tesla sought to find a buyer for the South Australian virtual power plant. That has yet to transpire.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Residents blast Elon Musk's 'ugly' Tesla plan in Aussie suburb
Passionate residents in the south are pushing back against a plan to build a Tesla factory on a disused community reserve, with locals describing the proposal as "ugly", saying it would be a "planet-destroying temple to billionaires". In April, Marion Council, in Adelaide's southwest, proposed selling Chestnut Court Reserve for a Tesla battery factory, service centre, and showroom, citing the potential financial benefits. However, many residents strongly opposed the plan, sharing concerns over its controversial owner, Elon Musk and the loss of green space. The world's richest man, Musk has faced mounting backlash in recent months for his close involvement in the 2024 US election, his personal ties to President Donald Trump, and sweeping cuts to public services in his role as head of the US Department of Government Efficiency. Tesla factories and showrooms around the world have recently drawn hundreds of protesters opposing Elon Musk's political ventures — a scene Adelaide residents fear could be replicated if the proposed site goes ahead. While the Chestnut Court Reserve has remained closed since 2016 due to contamination stemming from historical industrial activity, some 90 per cent of nearly 1000 community consultation responses rejected the proposal. A total of 897 respondents voted against the project, while just 57 were in favour. Community members have created a website dubbed "Trees Not Teslas" to oppose the facility, stating that it could soon "bring protests to the area and give the community a bad image". Hundreds of Teslas in Aussie car park exposes grim truth for Musk Warning after Tesla footage shows 'stupid' act that can cop a $2,200 fine Tesla's Australian nightmare continues as EV sales tank again "Clearing this public land will mean removing 58 trees, including mature trees that help cool the neighbourhood and support biodiversity. Once they're gone, they're gone. Replacing these lost trees by replanting saplings does not offset the harm, and new sapling growth can't be guaranteed," the site read. "The ground contamination, which was exacerbated by previous manufacturing (including car manufacturing) in the area, is larger and more widespread than most realise. "Putting a factory on top of it will not help, and promises from private companies to clean and decontaminate public land are ahistorical. The government should, and can, commit to decontaminating the land itself." City of Marion councillor Sarah Luscombe is against the idea. She said council should look at alternatives. "If council wants to do more to activate the land, then it could be put out to open tender to more local companies who could innovate and do something with the land for conservation biodiversity (and) improve tree canopy," Ms Luscombe told The Adelaide Advertiser. The land is positioned in two areas owned by the state and council, with Tesla reportedly looking to purchase the whole area. The issue is set to be discussed at the next council meeting. Yahoo News has contacted the City of Marion for comment. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
