The announcement of a committee to draft a working plan for the Murrah flora reserves (Narooma News, 10 August), appears to be a last ditch effort to improve the NSW government’s otherwise appalling history around koala management. Over the past several years close to $10 million of public funds has been squandered on projects specifically to ensure logging could proceed in the new reserves. Very little information has been released on these projects. Most recently the NSW government forked out another $2 million to move the loggers on. All of these public funds have been allocated without consideration of the NSW Scientific Committee’s 2006 determination, identifying the major threats to the last koalas, particularly extensive canopy die-back. Rather, the NSW government has and continues to undermine publicly funded community efforts to address this threat to koalas. While this situation continues, there will be no improvement for koalas and forests will continue to decline. Under this constraint, the notion that the new committee can be taken seriously, will require a superhuman leap of faith. 

Springtime is usually the time we ‘spring clean’ our houses. Why not this spring, clean out the current local councillors and put some fresh new talent in there to manage Eurobodalla Shire. Did you know there are 55 candidates standing at this election? Ten of them would like to be mayor. How will you choose? Well you can start by eliminating those who were part of the last council and who voted to hold an arms affair in the shire on crown land. There are only four of the last council standing again so ask them. Did you vote for Huntfest? Three of them will have to answer yes and one will say he couldn’t vote because he had a ’conflict of interest’! Then ask the other 51 - do you support the proliferation of firearms in our community by holding a festival of hunting and killing in a public building on crown land? If they answer yes, then you can forget about them as well. So, of the ones that remain, you need to ask about their policies relating to leadership; accountability; transparency; communication and consultation with the community; economic development; employment; safety, health and well-being; caring for our natural environment. But most importantly they need to be asked what they know about social impact and the role it plays in the decisions they will make. There are some new groups and candidates who could answer very positively.  Let’s really step out of our comfort zones and have the courage to make it a really good 'spring clean’. 

In his letter to the editor (Bay Post 10/8/16) Dan Field challenged me to name the date on which Eurobodalla Shire Councillors “voted on or were asked to support gun proliferation in this area?”.  I'm happy to pass on the answer. At the Council's meeting of November 25, 2014, a majority of councillors approved the application by the South Coast Hunters Club for a number of changes to its Huntfest licence, including one that involved permission for gun dealers to display and sell guns and ammunition on community owned land at future Huntfests.  Five councillors voted in favour, including three councillors (Rob Pollock, Liz Innes and Milton Leslight) who are seeking re-election at next month's council elections.  On March 22, 2016, these particular councillors also voted to extend the Huntfest licence, including the display and sale of guns, through to 2022. A sensible person would accept that approving the display and sale of guns by gun dealers could be deemed as promoting the proliferation of firearms.  A sensible person would therefore assume that the particular councillors who approve such an activity are supporting gun proliferation. I would also like to thank Mr Field for promoting the Animal Justice Party's event 'Coast & Nature – a Narooma Festival', in early stages waiting for an appropriate weekend in 2018.  I hope to see him at our festival.

It won’t be long now before some people in the shire as well as absentee voters will be voting for the shires eight councillors and a mayor chosen by the shire’s eligible voters. One of the delays with the voting ballot draw, which determines who appears where on the voting paper seems to have been caused by nominations of individuals who were not registered to vote. That team leader should shouldn’t be supported at the election either if they can’t get their own things right. There’s a large number of candidates and groups again all hoping to be elected otherwise why would they nominate, the heads of the groups when voting above the line usually have a very good chance of being elected whether or not they know anything at all about how the council functions and is actually funded or for the real reasons councils are established. Voters need to consider whether they’ll take the easy way out and vote above the line and groups or vote for nine individuals below the line they think will produce community value if they get elected. From my perspective I think voting for individuals below the line is the best way in the present circumstances.