It was reassuring that, in approving the Georges River Local Environmental Plan, the council's planning panel saw fit to retain the Foreshore Scenic Protection Area (which safeguarded flora, fauna, biodiversity, the river and views) in the former Hurstville LGA, and also approve its extension eastwards into the old Kogarah precinct.
The proposal was a source of much anxiety to thousands of residents in Oatley, Mortdale Heights, Peakhurst, Lugarno and Riverwood. Their leafy neighbourhoods could have been lost to increased subdivision and a proliferation of duplexes. This all could have been avoided if the council had simply requested local government minister Shelley Hancock for an exemption from declaring interests (as did most other councils). Councillors Greene, Grekas, Konjarski, Liu and Tegg appeared to defy logic in rejecting Cr Badalati's motion at the June meeting, which sensibly sought to transfer the decision-making process back to the councillors.
Apart from Crs Payor and Landsberry, (who spoke at the panel hearing), and Crs Badalati, Hindi and Kastanias, the other seven councillors showed no interest or leadership on this important issue despite all of them promising to look after community interests when elected less than three years ago.
Peter Mahoney
Oatley
Responsible Budgeting
Congratulations to the Mayor and Council for adopting a 'back to basics budget' that appears to adopt a more conservative approach to the delicate balance between rate increases and overall revenue that is available to spend in the best interests of the community.
The council's approach to prudent cash flow management is spot on given the tough times we have all faced lately.
Whilst it is impossible to keep all ratepayers happy, I for one, am heartened by what I read the council are planning to do to manage the budget per the article on page four of last week's Leader.
Simon Flack,
Oatley
Congratulations to The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader
Congratulations to our local paper, "The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader" on reaching 60 years publication, through good and bad times. Many are pleased the paper is printed in paper form as many in the community still have no technology and rely on the traditional means for their news.
Our first local newspaper was the "Kogarah Advocate", printed in a new printing works in Railway Parade soon after Kogarah Council was established. The paper had a contract for council printing until it began publishing stories the council didn't want ratepayers to know about.
The editor then moved to Bay Street, Rockdale starting the "St George Advocate". When this paper closed in 1905, Christian and Reid opened the "St George Call" in the same printing works as the first paper. From this paper, much of our local history is recorded. The next newspaper "Citizen" opened in Rockdale but was plagued by libel suits. In 1911 the "Hurstville Propeller" was started in Forest Rd. Hurstville by the Wenholm Brothers and another keen record of history remains.
Many local newspapers flourished. Under Tom Mead and his successor's management, the "Leader" was established and succeeded. In my readership, two "Leader" reporters have been banned from Hurstville Council Chambers for good research and truth-telling. Long term, local reporters, Jim Gainsford, Murray Trembath and John Veage, have served us well as have many others who have chronicled our district news.
As other local government areas have found, when the local newspaper disappears, we are all in the dark.
Brian Shaw, President
St George District Residents Network Inc.
Too many Georges River councillors with pecuniary interests
It's no surprise Georges River councillors want decisions on planning applications taken away from them. (Ban 'puppet masters' move, May 27) Unfortunately for the community, they are supposed to represent, too many of them have pecuniary interests so are unable to vote on planning proposals and the like. Pecuniary interests such as their office providing consultancy advice to a person with an investment property in the LGA, they or their family owning investment properties in the LGA, being associated with persons with various investment properties in the LGA.
So it's high time that property investors, as well as developers and real estate agents, be banned from running for council.
Anne Wagstaff, Oatley
Georges River Council; An agent for the United Nations?
Take a look at the Georges River Council site : PUBLIC EXHIBITION Draft Innovation Strategy. Benefits of Innovation.
The last bullet point reads:
'Help us create transformational changes required to meet United Nations sustainable development goals.'
Really? Last council election there was no campaign material telling the residents we were electing the UN to decide how our rates were to be spent.
Has Georges River Council read the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? (also known as SDG Agenda 2030) Please explain every one of them in detail. Email and post to every ratepayer to prove why you need to be answerable to the global UN bureaucracy instead of Georges River Council ratepayers who pay your wages.
In closing a legal expert's warning:
"We are preparing to abdicate our Australian sovereignty to "law" made by the United Nations.. Instead of Australians making their own laws, the laws are imported (as some sort of universal truths) from the UN...
...Our sovereignty is diminished by the fact that these superior laws are the product of an unelected body outside of Australia.'
Peter Faris, QC
Proceedings of the Twentieth Conference of
The Samuel Griffith Society, 22-24 August, 2008
Michelle Tesoriero, Beverly Hills