LAST week’s meeting with the NSW Planning Minister and council representatives to discuss biodiversity certification has been described as “very successful” by Eurobodalla mayor Lindsay Brown.
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The meeting comes after the controversial Broulee bio-certification strategy was passed by the council on July 8.
The meeting was attended by councillors Liz Innes, Milton Leslight and Lindsay Brown, general manager Catherine Dale, planning director Lindsay Usher, Eurobodalla Ratepayers Association (ERA) member Geoff Plews and Broulee landowner Kim Elzerman, to air their concerns to Environment Minister Rob Stokes about biodiversity certification legislation.
Originally, ERA councillors and members were to meet with Mr Stokes separately to Cr Brown and council staff, but arrangements were changed and only one meeting was held.
Cr Brown said he was “very pleased” to have council’s concerns taken on board by Mr Stokes, who encouraged council to be involved in the review process.
“We put our view forward and he was supportive of where we are going,” he said.
Cr Brown said any legislation change would not be effective until the next term of Parliament, and was keen to make sure there was “meaningful community input”.
He said council would support any outcomes from the legislation review that will advantage our community.
Cr Innes said she could not have asked for a better outcome and would work with Mr Stokes on the review.
“He has thrown open his doors and said ‘please come and work with us’,” she said.
“He is more than happy for us to bring some ideas to the table.”
She also said Mr Stokes indicated there was a desire to see a collapse of all environmental legislations into one, which she supported.
“What we have seen in the last 20 years of threatened species legislation is a list that goes on and on,” Cr Innes said.
“There have been attempts over the years to make it more workable… but there has only been tinkering at the edges and we have ended up with a bit of a dog’s breakfast.”
Cr Innes said because the Broulee bio-certification process was approved before the review, any changes would not apply to the Broulee area.
“Mr Stokes has indicated that any changes to biodiversity certification legislation won’t be made retrospective,” she said.
“That to me is very unfortunate but it is what it is.”
Cr Brown said the Broulee Beach Estate developers had indicated they would continue work with the bio-certification process.
