Webinar on possibility of Council de-amalgamation

A webinar to be held on Thursday, March 2, will look at putting the “local” back into local government as key speakers discuss the amalgamation of Gosford and Wyong Councils in 2016 and the possibilities of deamalgamation.

The webinar will be hosted and moderated by Jackie Pearson from The Point ESG News site, who said it would be an opportunity to hear from grass-roots campaigners who have succeeded in starting a demerger process in their areas.

Speakers will be: Pip Hinman, from the Inner West Council area, who will speak about a successful community poll at the 2021 Council elections; Glen Moore, from the Gundagai Council in Exile, who has run a successful campaign for the demerger of the amalgamated Cootamundra Gundagai Council; and former Central Coast Mayor Jane Smith, who will talk about steps the community can take to restore democratic local government.

All three speakers are members of the Demerge NSW Alliance which has strong support from all of the 20 remaining merged councils across NSW.

Hinman says changes made to the Local Government Act in 2021 give communities a pathway out of the 2016 forced council amalgamations.

At the webinar, she will talk about how residents from the former Marrickville, Ashfield and Leichhardt Councils campaigned to make their new amalgamated council vote on holding a referendum at the 2021 elections to determine whether or not residents wanted to go back to their old local government boundaries. She will share the results of that referendum, and what’s happened since.

Pearson said Hinman’s experiences will resonate with anyone who has lived on the Central Coast since the forced merger of the former Gosford and Wyong Councils in 2016.

“Listening to Pip Hinman will make Central Coast residents feel less isolated and alone,” she said.

“The Inner West of Sydney is a very different community to the Central Coast but they’ve lost representation, lost services, they’re paying higher rates and they’ve lost their voice.

“It’s a very familiar story.”

Moore will share how he ran a successful campaign for the demerger of the CootamundraGundagai Council.

Smith, who operates Central Coast Friends of Democracy, said Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman and Premier Dominic Perrottet have both made election promises that there will be no more council mergers if they remain in government after March 25.

“(This) is a strong indicator that they are under pressure from their own political base,” she said.

“The NSW Government and the State Opposition have both underestimated the importance of local government to communities in NSW.

“Our community wants their local voice back.”

The webinar will be held via Zoom from 6-7.30pm on Thursday, March 2. Registrations are open now via Friends of Democracy https://ccfriendsofdemocracy. com/events

For more information email: jackie@thepoint.net.au.

Terry Collins

Labor pledges $8M to fix our footpaths

A Labor Government will provide $8M over four years to Central Coast Council to fund vital footpath projects across the region if elected on March 25.

Central Coast Labor MPs and Shadow Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said the funding will be part of Labor’s commitment to active transport and will support Central Coast Council’s Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan (PAMP) and Bike Plan.

The PAMP contains a prioritised schedule of 1114 footpath projects at a total cost of $74.2M with schedule 1 priority works costed at $9M. The report suggests a program budget of $2M per annum would allow one-third of the complete program to be delivered within 10 years including all priority works, the MPs said.

The Pacific Hwy upgrade at Lisarow is powering along ahead of schedule and should be completed by mid-year, months earlier than expected.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch said the Government is investing $178M in the upgrade between Ourimbah St and Parsons Rd.

The $8M in funding would consist of four annual payments of $2M.

Residents Owen and Lucy Brasier, who navigate a pram with a young child, are often forced to walk on the roadway.

“This is a fantastic announcement for the whole community which is long overdue,” they said.

“It will particularly enable parents with prams, children and the elderly to safely navigate our streets.”

Shadow Minister Haylen said every community in NSW deserves safe walking and cycling infrastructure.

“Being able to easily walk to your local shops or your kids being able to ride to school shouldn’t be a privilege,” she said.

“It should be something everyone is able to enjoy.”

Shadow Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said residents are constantly raising the issue of the need for footpaths, particularly connecting schools and transport.

“This funding will enable

Lisarow road upgrade will be finished early

“The upgrade will improve traffic flow, travel times and safety for about 30,000 motorists who use this 1.6-kilometre section of the highway each day,” he said. Liberal candidate for The Entrance Nathan Bracken said investment in key road infrastructure such as this was important to improve the safety of motorists and traffic flow.

Key features of the upgrade include a new rail bridge across the main Sydney to Newcastle rail line, two lanes in each direction of the highway, new traffic lights at the Railway Cres and Tuggerah St intersections and improved pedestrian and cycle paths.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the upgrade would be a huge win for the community and our freight industry.

“The project has also provided a boost to the local economy, providing work for about 1,400 people to date, including more than 150 separate suppliers and contractors,” he said.

Source: Media release, Feb 23

Council to better target ‘missing links’ in the Wyong electorate,” he said.

Member for The Entrance David Mehan said the funding would help ensure that essential footpath projects which would have been put on the backburner are completed sooner rather than later.

Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said families across the Coast have been crying out for pathways and active transport infrastructure for many years.

“This funding will finally put shovels in the ground and get footpaths built right across the Coast,” she said.

Source: Media release, Feb 23 Central Coast Labor MPs