We should have had what some of us has been saying for some years, raise Buckenboura Weir build and the dam that was to be built a few years ago,

But no again the money was wasted before hand, so we put in a $32 million pipeline with no water to pump, and even now putting in a $24 million filter to filter the water that's not there, when are the people going to rise up and say enough is enough.

The rate payers should call one big meeting and stop all this waste.

Peter Nielsen

Tuross Head

Mayor’s Column

THE tragic drowning of a young man at Moruya Heads last week once again demonstrates the importance of swimming on beaches where there are either surf lifesavers or paid life guards.

The Eurobodalla Shire is blessed with so many wonderful beaches, some close to populated areas where it is just a matter of crossing a sand dune to access the surf. We also have many isolated and private beaches that appeal to a lot of locals and visitors alike.

It is impossible for Council to provide life guards on all of these beaches. The best we can hope to achieve is to educate people in “reading” or understanding the surf and to surf carefully and respect the prevailing conditions.

Vandalism in our communities destroys so much of what is good and what so many of us enjoy. The damage to the lights on the boardwalk at Narooma is such a senseless act.

So many people enjoy that walk during daylight hours and at night. A further act of vandalism was the removal of the cap on the shower head at Bar Beach in Narooma allowing our precious water to run to waste.

While on water, the efforts of Councillor Keith Dance in seeking approval for farmers to use treated waste water to fill their dams is gaining momentum.

It has been unfortunate that since raising the matter at Council, most of those at a Government level in Sydney have been on holidays. We need a decision at that level to allow treated water to be used for stock drinking purposes.

As the dry weather continues in our corner of the State and temperatures reach the low to mid 40’s, water is rapidly becoming a very scarce commodity. Hopefully we can get a decision soon that will allow better use of our treated water.

Australia Day is looming as the next big event on our local calendar. The Shire will be hosting its Australia Day ceremony at Corrigans Beach in Batemans Bay, starting at 9am on Tuesday, January 26.

The Eurobodalla Shire Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year will be announced at the ceremony. And in what has become a major part of any Australia Day celebrations, 13 residents will be receiving their Australian Citizenship.

Other celebrations will be held in Russ Martin Park, Moruya at 9.30am and in Ken Rose Park, Narooma at 11am. We are lucky to have two Australia Day Ambassadors visiting our area with Mr David Butcher, CEO of Greening Australia, attending the Moruya and Narooma celebrations and actor Damian Rice in Batemans Bay.

I encourage everybody to enjoy the day and celebrate with family and friends at either Batemans Bay, Moruya or Narooma.

Mayor Fergus Thomson

Time for Abbott to get serious

TONY Abbott announced his new environment pitch last week, appropriately as this is the Year of Biodiversity:

Murray – Darling Rivers, yes, fencing off riparian zones is over due.

And a “green army” revegetating clapped out landscapes.

The National Farmers Federation and some conservationists will applaud you.

But what’s the point if you don’t stop degradation and deforestation?

Everyone recognises the dire consequences in undeveloped countries; why not here?

We have cleared 75 per cent of woodlands and 50 per cent of forests and consequently species losses are endemic?

In times of drought there is no place to go for even once common species of koala, laughing kookaburras and swift parrots.

Do any pollies really understand what part bio-diversity plays in a resilient ecology?

Do they get the changes logging in Australia’s forests makes -from wet to dry - affecting climate, water supplies, die back and bushfires?

So if Tony Abbott is serious he would add that clearing woodlands and logging forests, primarily for low value woodchips, must stop.

Prue Acton O.B.E.

Wallagoot

Lobby groups need to get more done

OVER the last 15 years or so lobby groups who are in the main funded by taxpayers have expressed concerns about the quality of some of the main roads that service this Shire.

How much these groups have received to pay lip service I don’t know. It’s likely to exceed many hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money over the time they’ve been inexistence.

I would be surprised if the executive of these lobby groups have taken the time to even travel the main highways in a vehicle larger than a car to make an assessment of the main roads servicing not just our shire but the South Coast.

Once they’ve done so perhaps then they might begin to understand the real problems and design issues.

Planning and lobbying may then be able to be used to rectify the real problems. The band-aid approach should be forgotten.

Councillor Allan Brown

Batemans Bay

The fear of rising electricity costs

MANY Far South Coast residents have been in contact with me expressing concern about rising electricity prices in the region.

People are raising valid concerns and there is financial hardship that many people are experiencing due to this increase in electricity costs.

The NSW Labor Government's Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal released its draft determination on electricity prices in December last year. The recommended increases, including the forecasted effects of the Federal Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, will see a typical customer of Country Energy's bill increase by $893 by 2013.

Without the introduction of the CPRS scheme by 2013 prices will rise by an extra $594 for Country Energy customers.

These increases have largely been caused by the State Labor Government's failure to properly manage our energy infrastructure.

The Government has ripped more than $11.4 billion in taxes and dividends out of the State's electricity system over the past 15 years. Labor failed to properly use the money to ensure our energy infrastructure was maintained to keep pace with population growth and industry needs.

I believe it's completely unfair that the community have become the victims of Labor's mismanagement.

We have put pressure on the Government to ensure there are appropriate exemptions available and to make sure we see the best price possible for taxpayers in the Government's upcoming sale of the energy retailers.

We will continue to put pressure on the Government to make sure residents are treated fairly and their concerns are addressed.

Andrew Constance MP

Member for Bega