A draft plan to disperse the Batemans Bay flying fox camp will be put together after Eurobodalla Shire Council voted to do so on April 26.
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In a mayoral minute, Mayor Lindsay Brown moved that council note professional advice had been sought to reassess the current situation, including at the Water Garden, Catalina and surrounds, to provide advice on current management options including dispersal, identify the costs, risk and likelihood of success of suggested management options including dispersal, scope of works be expanded to include the preparation of a draft dispersal plan for consideration, council expand existing resident support and council continue to advocate to other levels of government for a coordinated state wide program.
Councillors discussed the mayoral minute for over an hour. The motion was carried. Cr Milton Leslight was opposed, Cr Liz Innes abstained from voting and Cr Rob Pollock was absent.
This follows comments made by Cr Brown recently that dispersal was not an option.
Cr Innes said she did not vote because it was “just another talk fest”.
“What information do they have now, that they didn't know 12 months ago? If this mayor has any decency, he wouldn't have given us a mayoral minute the morning of the meeting. It should have read 'today we want to see a dispersal plan that we can take to the state government as soon as possible',” she said.
Cr Neil Burnside said dispersal was the risk of dispersal needed to be assessed. “Will we just end up with five camps of 20,000?,” he said.
Cr Gabi Harding said the community was divided on the issue. “I know we have a situation that is diabolical and needs to be addressed. This is unprecedented,” she said.
Cr Milton Leslight said he did not support the minute because “It doesn’t go far enough”.
Cr Brown said the reason he put the minute forward was to “inform the community on what is involved and then the community can comment”.
Meanwhile, Bega MP Andrew Constance has called on the council to immediately engage Dr John Martin, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney and Sally Padey from Mogo Zoo to oversee a community dispersal plan of bat colonies across Batemans Bay.
“The council should immediately move to dispersal – no more excuses. Attempts must be made to get these animals to roost in the national parks or State Forests,” he said.
“The community doesn’t want more consultants, more public meetings, or anymore excuses as to why dispersal won’t work.”
He said the mayoral minute was “a mere smokes screen and is very disappointing”.
“The mayor and his fellow councillors had an opportunity to stand up and direct the council bureaucracy to finalise a dispersal plan immediately. They failed,” Mr Constance said.
“This process will now take months and there is no light at the end of the tunnel for residents unless nature takes its course. We need dispersal now, not next year.”