Dredging in the State Funding to Dredge Ettalong Budget Each Year but We Have to Channel Following a Fortnight Sit Here and Wait

Edition 445 21 May 2018 Council goes for 50-50 dredge funding Central Coast Council has “The North Coast has a specifi c agreed to apply for 50-50 list item for dredging in the State funding to dredge Ettalong Budget each year but we have to Channel following a fortnight sit here and wait. “I can’t understand how anyone of sustained community and can say it is not a navigable political pressure, which waterway when it is a public saw 400 residents attend a transport corridor. meeting at Ettalong. “My interpretation of the The Council has also called, community meeting at the Diggers again, for the NSW Government was the long term solution was a to complete another round of State Government responsibility emergency dredging to ensure but short term people wanted to the navigation channel is at see Council apply for the funding. least restored, temporarily, to a “They were annoyed by the navigable state. stalemate and wanted to get it The indefi nite cancellation of done, with the State Government ferry services to Ettalong and being obstinate. Wagstaffe prompted a well- “A change of government was attended community meeting at the only way the meeting believed Ettalong Diggers on May 10. the State would take responsibility. Following the meeting, “As Cr Bruce McLachlan told chaired by Diggers chief Mr Bill the community meeting, the State Jackson, Central Coast mayor Government was not going to and councillors were advised of a move on this,” he said. motion calling for “joint funding by Cr McLachlan along with Council and State Government for Crs Jilly Pilon, Gale Collins and dredging of the Ettalong Channel Mehrtens spoke at the community area this month”. meeting. “A meeting attended by over An over-fl owing public gallery at Central Coast Council’s Gosford chamber on May 14 “I said I would be happy to look 400 people was held at the at any motion for 50-50 funding but Ettalong Diggers Club tonight, made at the meeting, some The debate was heated and Our Waterways program would not it also had to request that the State called by Ettalong Diggers, to concerning different viewpoints on frustrating with loud interjections provide an adequate solution to Government pay for emergency discuss the problems caused by funding responsibility. from the public gallery leading to the problems facing the entrance dredging as an act of good faith,” the suspension of the ferry service “However the community Cr Smith calling for a 15-minute to Brisbane Water. he said. to Ettalong and Wagstaffe, and its strongly expressed the need for recess. “The funding available is “We arrived at Council on diversion to Patonga,” Mr Jackson immediate action so that normal Gosford West Ward Councillor completely inadequate and that Monday night under the impression said in his post-meeting letter to ferry services can be resumed. Richard Mehrtens utilised the was one of the reasons we were there would be an emergency Councillors. “People at Patonga are having recess to write an amendment reticent to support applying under motion but when the Mayor asked “It is requested that Council diffi culties also, from the presence which he said better refl ected Rescuing Our Waterways,” he each of the councillors she was consider this matter at its meeting of the ferry there and the impact of the sentiment of the community said. told ‘no’. to be held on Monday, May 14,” the parking. meeting than the urgency motion According to Council the “When Cr Best arrived later letter said. “And there are major tourism, that Cr Gale Collins put to the maximum that can be applied for the Mayor also asked him and he “The following motion was business, recreation, family, and meeting, understood to have been by the state is $1.3 million and it replied ‘no’ but they were planning passed unanimously by those educational impacts, with people’s written by Cr Greg Best. may take until January 2019 for the to introduce the motion the entire present at the meeting, for work being curtailed (for example, “We fi nally moved a motion that outcome of the 50-50 application time and to do so without any consideration at the Council builders using the ferry to get to the dredging of the channel was a to be known. notice, without allowing the other meeting next Monday (motion Palm Beach) and family visits also State Government matter so we However, Councillors have been councillors time to read it was proposed by Ms Peta Colebatch, being stopped.” are still holding the government informed by staff that the annual incendiary. seconded by Mr Peter Mote): That It was standing room only in the to that standard and the majority cost of maintaining the channel is “It didn’t refl ect the motion that this meeting requests both the Gosford Chamber of Central Coast of councillors still have that same more than the total $3 million that Bill Jackson and the public meeting State Government and the Central Council on Monday, May 14, as belief,” Clr Mehrtens told Peninsula would be made available via a 50- had decided on so it was necessary Coast Council to work together to the community rallied to support News following the meeting. 50 agreement and then it would be to introduce an amendment to get fund immediate dredging works the Ettalong meeting’s call for an “Now what the Council is doing at the mercy of the State to provide something agreeable but it is not a (this month) so that the ferry immediate end to the impasse is being the more responsible the funding annually. long-term solution,” Cr Mehrtens service to Ettalong and Wagstaffe between Council and the State level of government on this while “We do need a longer term said. can resume (the Council to Government. the State is still throwing up road program for this waterway, SOURCE: submit a compliant application for An urgency motion was blocks,” he said. otherwise the State Government Urgency motion, 14 May 2018 funding to the State Government circulated to members of the “This is a thing that was made will be holding Central Coast Central Coast Council next week); and that this meeting public and media but, according very obvious at the Council Council to ransom every year. ordinary meeting requests that in the longer term, to Central Coast Council Mayor Cr meeting on Monday night, the “If we received $400,000 one Interview, 15 May 2018 Jane Smith, Central Coast Council a working party of stakeholders Jane Smith, none of the councillors State Government has the year and then missed a year it had informed her that there was an authority to dredge this channel, would take more than $800,000 Interview 16 May 2018 assess the appropriate approach Richard Mehrtens, Central urgency motion to be put. which is Crown Land, whenever it for the future, looking at the following year to get it back to Coast Council maintenance dredging, technical The meeting proceeded chooses to do so, it owns a dredge an acceptable standard. Letter, 10 May 2018 issues, environmental implications, according to the agenda, and on two occasions in the past “We have no guarantee we Bill Jackson, Ettalong Diggers community impacts (including frustrating the packed gallery until 12 months it came in one day, did will get the maximum $1.3 million Reporter: Jackie Pearson work, tourism, educational issues), Cr Greg Best announced there its scraping and left,” he said. when the maximum available for and funding. was an urgency motion but left it to According to Cr Mehrtens the all coastal councils is $6 million More on pages 8 & 10 “A number of comments were Cr Rebecca Gale Collins to move Council’s decision to apply for 50- and we are up against 13 other the motion. 50 funding under the Rescuing councils,” Cr Mehrtens said. THIS ISSUE contains 51 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Offi ce: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.centralcoastnews.net Page 2 - Peninsula News - 21 May 2018 News PPeninsueninsullaa Year to date rainfall CCommunityommunity AAccessccess NNewsews 50 per cent below average The gardens and reserves eeninsulaninsula NNewsews iiss a ffortnightlyortnightly ccommunityommunity nnewspaperewspaper of the Peninsula had only oownedwned bbyy WWoyoy WoyWoy CommunityCommunity MediaMedia AssociationAssociation P received 5.4mm of rain in the IInc.,nc., aann iincorporated,ncorporated, nnon-profion-profi t association.association. fi rst 18 days of May, 75.6mm Its aims include providing a viable, non-partisan news medium less than the monthly May and forum exclusively for the Peninsula and developing a sense of average since 2005. community on the Peninsula. According to Mr Jim Morrison See www.peninsulanews.info for all editions published of Umina’s rainfall data, only two Editor: Mark Snell days this month have seem falls of more than 1mm, May 12 (1.4mm) Commercial Operator: and May 14 (3.2mm). Cec Bucello for Central Coast Newspapers That means for the fi rst fi ve months of 2018 the Peninsula is Journalists: Jackie Pearson, Dilon Luke sitting on half its annual rainfall, Assistant Journalist: Kajal Buhagiar having received 321.3mm instead of the average 679mm. Graphic Design: Justin Stanley If the trend continues for the remainder of the month it will be the third consecutive year that the NEXT EDITION: PENINSULA NEWS 446 Peninsula has recorded below- average rainfall for May. Deadline: May 31 Publication date: June 4 May 2015 was the last to see Email: [email protected] Ph: 4325 7369 above-average rainfall for the fell.

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