Missed opportunity
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Eurobodalla seems to have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to provide a vehicular and a pedestrian crossing point for current and future residents of North Narooma trying to exit Riverview Road onto the Highway at the northern end of Narooma Bridge.
After spending over a million dollars putting in an automatic bridge opening system, which also included traffic lights, the council (together with Roads and Maritime Services) did not think about utilizing the lights to allow Riverview Road traffic to enter the Highway safely?
Instead the plan by the council is to have a pedestrian walkway underpass for those few people who would ever care to use it thus forgetting about cars and trucks trying to do the same.
According to their plans the average daily traffic was 895 vpd (2011 survey). In future years this exit onto the highway will get a lot more traffic.
A missed opportunity to use the bridge traffic light system for this use. Now the council will waste a lot of money putting in something that can only be used by pedestrians.
Clive Cavey
Dalmeny
Councillors the ball with you
I wish to thank the organisers and sponsors of the wonderful Animals in the Wild Photography exhibition held at the Bodalla Gallery on the June long weekend. Thanks also to David Shoebridge, Greens MLC, for taking the time to visit and announce the winners; and to Valerie from Bodalla Gallery for opening her space for this memorable display of ‘shooting with a camera not a gun’.
Thanks also for the ABC for taking the time and effort to cover this exhibition and Huntfest for their 7pm Sunday night news. Why was the ABC denied access to film the Huntfest event and Huntfest organisers refuse to be interviewed? Did they have something to hide? Why were the faces of the shooters blotted out? I thought they were proud to show off their skills in killing animals for sport.
Does the man interviewed know the difference between humane slaughtering of animals for food and the thrill of killing animals for sport? Does the woman who was interviewed, who thought it was great that children were being taught to use a bow and arrow to kill innocent animals, know what that knowledge may do to affect a child’s attitude to violence in the future?
The majority of local councillors are to blame for this blot on our reputation as ‘Narooma - how life should be’, for allowing Huntfest to exist.
Narooma, is part of the Nature Coast and described as ‘The Scenic Gem of the South Coast…. pristine golden beaches, spectacular blue lakes, inlets and rivers and magnificent mountain scenery…. in tourist publications.
Where does, a festival of killing animals and the sale of guns and ammunition, fit into this picture?
Councillors, when are you going to start to listen to your community, represented by the ratepayers who voted for you? Why did you listen to people from outside the shire and from overseas who only have their own agenda and interests, and not that of Eurobodalla Shire ratepayers?
Councillors, when are you going to read and listen to independent legal advice provided to you?
Councillors, when are you going to question the advice provided to you by council staff? You do know that you are legally obliged to do this when in doubt.
Councillors, the ball is in now well and truly in your court.
Heather Irwin
Narooma
Dumb and Dumber statistics
Clr Neil Burnside ended his letter in the Narooma News on 3 June 2015 with part of the famous quote attributed to Benjamin Disraeli by Mark Twain – “There are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies and statistics”.
It seems then that it’s not new that politicians notoriously use statistics especially when it helps their making promises or statements mendaciously.
I took the trouble to read the report Neil mentioned, the one he had commissioned on Eurobodalla Shire Council’s standing in the so called benchmarking of staffing levels – it was tabled at council’s December 9 meeting – and also re-read IPART’s SRV determination which he also refers to his letter.
IPART did make some other comparisons that were not mentioned by Neil or in the Council report particularly those noting the ratios of population to FTE (Full Time Equivalent) employees.
In 2012/13, the latest numbers available, ESC had 1 FTE for every 80 residents (an increase from 1 per 87 in 2009/10), the Group 4 average was 1 per 126 and the State average was 1 per 127. That’s a significant variation and one that Neil might like to follow up.
As Neil pointed out, IPART noted the difficulties comparing Councils and they were using the same source of data as was used in the Council report of 9 December. So whose slant on the same figures do we believe, Neil?
Anyhow, I referred to “so called benchmarking” because such figures as Neil refers to are not benchmarking, they stop far short of that and are simply just comparisons. True bench marking is used by progressive organisations – they use comparisons with others to identify the best performances and try to emulate them. If these progressive organisations used averages as quoted by Neil from the 9 December report, they would be either making excuses for falling short, basking in complacency or worse, aiming to maintain their level of mediocrity.
Neil quotes from the report that ESC’s outlay on employee costs as a percentage of total expenditure is below that of 70 per cent of Councils in NSW. What if he had said we aim to be the best of the 30 per cent who currently expend less than us!
See the difference?
While I’ve singled out Neil because he wrote the letter, I think most of his fellow councillors look at the numbers the same way. Please guys, look outside the square!
Jeff de Jager
Coila
Don’t believe the hype
Maybe what this government is telling us is not so good.
With amazement, I was watching our government last week, gloating over some good figures in our economy.
I am not quite sure where they are coming from.
Maybe business went up after the storm damage in the north from here, due to the needs of repairs.
Selling fodder to the drought affected poor farmers in Queensland perhaps. Oh well, I don't know.
But, it just doesn't look right, when on one side the department of social services is telling us to maintain assets as a financial back up.
Our leaders do just the opposite, selling public owned assets.
They say it is good for the people in Sydney owning a house, having those enormous increases in property values.
I hope nobody of us believes that this so called bonanza is for real.
I am old enough to remember that my parents were once millionaires.
They needed that to get through one single day, when the currency lost its value in Germany at that time.
So this steep rise in the cost of living needs to be addressed.
The government even has the gall reminding us that houses outside of Sydney have not increased as much and remain over there affordable.
On the other hand if one would choose to get out of the big smoke, one would create a lifestyle issue for one self, not finding jobs and services there.
They tell us many jobs have been created. Are they full time ones?
Part time jobs will not do when renting a place or want to qualify for a mortgage in an area where jobs and services are.
Great that they help small businesses now, whether it will be enough in the end is an open question too.
After all they need customers able to spend.
What we will do is crossing our fingers that this government realises in time that they are creating a false economy.
K. Kruger
Tilba
Mayor's say… Seek out the facts
This week I write with a bit of frustration prompted by Mr Ian Hitchcock’s letter to the editor of June 3 headed 'Estuary Dwellers Excluded', which related to the preparation by council of a Coastal Zone Management Plan for the Eurobodalla Coast.
Mr Hitchcock's letter is symptomatic of much local commentary that I read and hear that spreads damaging misinformation.
It can be distressing for residents to read mistruths that they believe will impact their personal circumstances and property.
In this instance, Mr Hitchcock has chosen to ignore the detailed and factual information provided to him by council staff about the Narooma coastal inlets flood study that is expected to go on public exhibition next week.
Mr Hitchcock claims that properties around the estuaries will remain in an investigation zone, and that the removal of the current code be delayed. This is not correct.
The draft study will see these areas removed from the interim code, and the investigation zone, ahead of the other areas being addressed by the preparation of Coastal Zone Management Plan.
The draft flood study covers the coastal inlets of Mummaga Lake, Kianga, The Duck Pond and Wagonga Inlet and represents progress towards replacing Council's interim coastal hazard adaptation code.
The study is good news for property owners in the study area because once adopted, it will enable the replacement of the code currently in use by council and provide certainty for developers and residents, including those on the 'Narooma Flat', an area which is important to our local economy.
I encourage anyone with an interest in helping us prepare the Coastal Zone Management Plan and the Narooma coastal inlets flood study or the interim code to be part of the process.
I urge you to seek your facts from the extensive information council has available and to call council’s coastal and flood management planner Norm Lenehan on 4474 1000 if you need anything explained or clarified.
I am very keen to support growth and economic development across our shire and having good planning frameworks in place around areas like the Narooma Flat will make it easier and more attractive for developers and residents.
While it is always disappointing to read and hear about letters that contain factual inaccuracies, I trust that the majority of residents will try to find the facts for themselves and come to their own conclusions about this matter, and many others that continue to be debated with little regard for accuracy and reality.
Please let me know if there are any issues that council can assist with. You can contact me at mayor@eurocoast.nsw.gov.au or phone 0418 279 215.
Clr Lindsay Brown
Mayor of Eurobodalla Shire
Usual suspects ignored
I found your lead article last week on "crop circles" at Tilba most interesting.
However, despite the pleas of some locals that the circles were caused by extra-terrestrial sources, may I point out that two "usual suspects" were ignored.
The first, the Bunyip, the second, the Oozlum Bird.
The Bunyip holds an important place in Aboriginal folk history.
Because Tilba is so close to Guluga, which holds a special place in Aboriginal beliefs, it must be strongly considered as a source of the circles.
However, the Oozlum Bird is favourite in my book. This legendary bird has the ability to fly in ever-decreasing circles until it disappears up its own backside. It leaves no trace of its activities.
Subsequently in your Editorial you remark that the circles were probably made as a prank by school kids, throwing cold water on all the fun and hype. Spoilsport!
Speaking of cold water, you also noted that you felt that the local water "seemed warmer".
As you are a member of the all-weather "Numnutz" swimmers, you have your own in-built temperature sensors.
Alas, yours are not scientifically verifiable.
A regular check on the "marine CSIRO SST" map of Australia's coast shows six-day average ocean temperatures.
Currently (no pun intended) it is at 16.9c in these parts. This time last year it was at 17.1c.
So, dear editor, I think you must be getting tougher and hardier! Good for you!
Frank O'Brien
Narooma
Same disability
I would like to thank John Perkins for his letter to BDN 29.5.15, Denying Reality.
He has given me the answer to my puzzlement about why poor Tony Abbott is the way he is: he suffers from a mental illness, cognitive dissonance.
So, for Tony Abbott's and Australia's well-being, it would be a good idea that he be put away in a mental institution until he is better.
As our current institutions are overworked, maybe for his own comfort, we could send him offshore to the luxury detention centres that he has provided for the boat people that he has stopped.
While we are at it, we maybe should send half the members of the Liberal Party who have the same disability?
Peter Nicholson
Yellow Pinch
Super trawler woes
Seeing the newly named Super Trawler in last week’s Narooma News was devastating.
These trawlers have a track record of decimating fish stocks around the world.
There last effort was to deplete the blue mackerel, or slimies, stocks in Mauritanian and Moroccan waters down to 10 per cent of what it was previous to their arrival.
The local fishermen in the areas affected by those trawlers now do not have a job as the pelagic fish they used to catch have gone.
The data that was used to fix quotas in Australia was 12 years old and never meant for that purpose.
It also did not take into account the way these trawlers fish; the areas they hit are usually that decimated they do not recover.
So if you are out on a boat and see birds diving on baitfish that slimies have brought to the surface, take a photo so in years to come you can say 'Narooma how it used to be'.
Jonathan Trotman
Narooma