Jamberoo residents told no sell-off for Jerrara Dam

At its June Meeting, the Jamberoo Ratepayer and Residents Association (JVRRA) was relieved to hear from Council Executives Jessica Rippon and Joe Gauadiosi in response to a question from the floor that Jerrara Dam was not part of the Council’s asset divestment program.

Following Councillor Warren Steele’s proposal for a report to be prepared to look at the site’s disposal at the April Council meeting, JVRRA had an extended discussion at its May General meeting, resulting in a letter being sent to Director of Infrastructure and Liveability to outline its concerns.

The letter highlighted the dam’s environmental significance and the need for habitat protection, the lack of community engagement in previous surveys, and the potential value of passive tourism activities such as birdwatching. It also raised the willingness of environmental groups to be more involved in maintaining and protecting the environment.

and several other species are considered rare in the lower parts of Jamberoo Valley.” weed control initiatives and improve the habitat.

Numerous studies, reviews, and surveys have identified the area’s unique flora and aquafauna, with over 178 bird species in the Jerrara Dam vicinity since May 2019.

Given the Council’s limited resources, JVRRA recommends Council prepare an updated Plan of Manage- ment, to incorporate and the preparedness of the community and environmental stakeholder groups to contribute to management of the site.

by Tracey Henderson

50 new Banksias

Neil McLaren, representing LandCare, expressed a keen interest in preserving Jerrara Dam under council ownership and restoring its natural habitat. McLaren suggested that the site could serve as an excellent outdoor education venue with cabins to accommodate school groups and visitors.

Greater Glider.

Brendon Foye

During his speech in Parliament, Minister Hoenig revealed some of the preliminary findings from a draft report by the Auditor-General, which found that just 43 of the 128 councils in NSW had qualified audit reports, while 94 were considered high-risk audits. The 2021-22 report found errors amassing $1.3 billion between each council. by

Council’s Jerrara Dam Plan of Management (1996) recognised Jerrara as ‘potentially one of the most valuable freshwater wetland habitats in coastal Illawarra’ and ‘the high environmental and scenic value of the site, there is potential for education and recreational activities such as bushwalking, picnicking, botanical research, birdwatching, and fishing.’

Kevin Mills wrote about Jerrara Dam in the 2014 publication Illawarra Life Studies, “(its) an important local reserve for forest birds as well as wetland species. Four threatened birds have been recorded in the reserve,

WIRES submitted a Development Application to the Council to lease a portion of land at Jerrara Dam to construct a wombat rehabilitation enclosure. This project received unanimous support during the Council meeting in November 2022.

In addition, Landcare Illawarra and WIRES have explored grant funding opportunities to support

Federal Member Fiona Phillips joined the Seven Mile Beach Landcare group to help with weed management.

She lent a helping hand in their activities at the Seven Mile Beach Crown Reserve, which is home to numerous endangered and threatened species and ecological communities, including the

Ms Phillips helped them to prepare and weed a site for the planting of 50 Banksias, which will be tended until they can survive by themselves.

The Seven Mile Beach Landcare group has been operating in the reserve since 2009.

“I think Ms Phillips was pretty proud of her weed haul on the day,” says Stephen Brazier from Gerroa who is the Landcare coordinator.

Dear readers,

The cost of living is getting harder. And that’s why I will always fight hard to protect measures that help ease cost of living pressures for locals.

Alongside locals, I’ve launched a community petition to fight to stop the MInns Labor Government cutting the Regional Seniors Travel Card.

Axing this travel card would represent a major blow at a time when our seniors need this assistance the most.

The $250 prepaid card can be used for pre-booked rail travel, coaches, taxis and even fuel for a private vehicle.

Axing this card would also impact aversely on local seniors who travel on public transport for cancer care treatment, various medical appointments, to visit their families, children, grandchildren and other important needs.

After lobbying the previous government, this card is now available to those on a disability support or carers pension (if you are of aged pension age), as well as those on an aged pension, service pension or a war widow pension.

Axing this program would be a heartless and cruel blow for our local seniors.

Please sign my community petition here to help save the Regional Seniors Travel Card program. A paper copy of the petition is also available at my electorate office for signing and distribution. We need 10,000 signatures to have this matter debated in the NSW Parliament.

Last week, I was absolutely delighted to be joined by more than 400 local residents in NSW Parliament House for lunch and a tour of the Parliament.

Whilst this event was a celebration of my re-election as your local MP, I love hosting local people, taking your questions and talking about the Parliamentary process.

If you are part of a community group who would like to visit Parliament and tour the building, please don’t hesitate to contact my office so we can help facilitate a fun and fascinating visit. We can also organise tickets to Question Time on sitting days.

Last weekend, I enjoyed joining with our local community to take part in the Kiama Fun Run. A great cause and what a stunning day it was! Thank you to each and every volunteer who put the entire day and Kiama Fun Run together and to our community for turning out in such large numbers.

I know my dog Oscar was very pleased as he literally walked away with a prize! Have a great week.

Kind regards, Gareth Ward MP Member for Kiama