On flying foxes
It’s clear our council may be cornered into developing a flying fox dispersal plan. A plan is all it is until the Office of Environment gives the OK for dispersal to occur under their agreed conditions at this time.
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Some Information about the Flying Foxes being circulated by the Eurobodalla Shire Council with the support of the elected Councillors to date has been lacking.
The shire’s elected representatives have been particularly lazy in seeking out accurate information about the animals too accepting other opinions with the chaotic mess, allowing the Flying Fox debacle to get out out of control. This, in turn, requires the state government intervention through the Local Member, which shouldn’t have been necessary in the first instance, but is likely to continue if the debacle isn’t resolved in a way that satisfies the shire’s residents who’ve been impacted on by lack of reasonable actions to date.
Allan Brown
Catalina
Melaleuca Park plea
Attention to The Eurobodalla Shire Mayor, all councillors, Kathryn Dale, Kathy Arthur, Lindsay Arthur, Jeff Morgan, The Bay Post.
We would like to voice our opposition to the proposed changes to Melaleuca Park in respect of the location of the proposed Muddy Puddles disability services development in the northern end of the park. I have grandchildren who visit the park when they visit us and there are no other alternatives close by for them to play on park facilities.
Regards
Brian and Gina Burgess
Catalina
Elitism or justice?
Public debate about the failed, unjust, elitist “trickle down” economics is timely. Social geographer Daniel Dorling emphasises injustice in terms a principle belief that; elitism is efficient, exclusion is necessary and despairs is inevitable.
Injustice underscores the Coalition’s elitist agenda by prioritising a $50 billion corporate tax cut and hoodwinking the public that corporate profits will “trickle down” through the economy.
If “trickle down” works why, over the term of the Abbott/Turnbull government, are wages of middle class/working class people stagnant and living standards declining by 3.5 per cent?
Why also should corporations get a tax cut when many of them pay not tax in Australia already?
In Gilmore electorate after 3 years of the Abbott/Turnbull government the projected health cuts are $57 billion with plans to privatise Medicare and no commitment to needs based Gonski funding. Nationally domestic violence front line services have been cut by millions of dollars.
Of course there is a limit to government funding. But governments have choices.
The Coalition’s elitist “trickle down” agenda to socialise costs to the public and privatise profits to the private sector is unjust, unsustainable and fails most Australians, leaving more and more people excluded and despairing.
Maureen Searson
Catalina
Questions over policy
Cr Innes calls for a Sunset Committee to overview the future of the Mackay Park Precinct including the recently purchased BB Bowling Club site but would Cr Innes, or any other game councillor, please comment on the validity of the purchase of the BBBC site in relation to Council’s Land Acquisition and Disposal Policy.
This policy aims to ensure ESC has open and accountable processes to consider the acquisition and disposal of land, to ensure best value is achieved in land dealings, and to establish the criteria under which Council will consider acquisition and disposal of land.
It goes on to say that it is to ensure due probity of process and optimal financial return (and minimal risk), and that council may acquire land for the purpose of exercising any of its functions. The same policy also requires that properties are to be identified taking into consideration the purpose for which they need to be acquired, the strategic nature of such properties and the value that such properties have to the community.
How, can it be said that the purchase was in accordance with the Policy when -
a. The process has hardly been open and accountable – council’s approval is not even minuted identifying the property.
b. Due probity of process is not ensured as a feasibility study - with best and worst case scenarios - wasn’t done to ensure optimal financial return at minimal risk.
c. There is still an absence of a plan, and therefore an absence of a purpose, for exercising any of its functions for the site.
d. Similarly, in the absence of a plan, the requirement has not been satisfied to establish “the value that such properties have to the community”
Why councillors, contrary to policy and without a plan, did you approve a $3 million investment?
Jeff de Jager
Coila Creek
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