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Free newspaper pollution
HI Andrew, Well said buddy.
What a waste of paper and as stated such pollution in 2008?? Now think as you drive why you are polluting OUR atmosphere more than you need to and wasting FUEL??? You know of FITCH??? You have no excuse??
Kindest regards,
BILL
fitch fuel catalyst sthn nsw
Banning free newspapers is like insulting motherhood.
I have no beef about local newspapers - in fact I need the Advertiser to check the WCC notices, though it is not always delivered on time and sometimes not at all.
I sometimes wonder why papers are not delivered to me, but lobbed outside empty houses (and even 2 blocks of flats) with for sale signs outside.
Junk mail, on the other hand, is another matter. However, it does give someone gainful employment.
P Ferguson
Council Community Consultation
It is good to see that the council administrators are considering the re-establishment of the neighbourhood committees as the conduit between ratepayers and council. Even though the Local Area meetings replaced the NCs.
The current LAM of Ward 1 in March was pleased to see our two ex-councillors Dave Martin and Alice Cartan in attendance. They were warmly greeted all round. Even though some of the residents may not see eye to eye over local issues, everyone heartily endorsed Dave and Alice as local co-conveners. Dave Martin was one of the main instigators in having the original neighbourhood committees established. His 21 years in wealth of knowledge in council matters, along with Alice, will provide invaluable insight.
Dave Martin spoke of the intense gathering of evidence by ICAC. Cameras, recordings, etc. The ability of resources to do so much, more than any councillor with suspicions could do.
He also spoke of the frustrations of not even being able to achieve the simple accountability of recording who voted for or against at council meetings, an issue he raised over 9 years ago, passed but never instigated. No wonder residents wondered why there never seemed to be objections against controversial developments in council minutes.
Alan Bond
Questions can be asked
It was good to see MP Sylvia Hale raise further questions in Parliament regarding the former players in Wollongong City Council. This time former Mayor Alex Darling.
If something is not mentioned in a case or an inquiry like ICAC, as much as you would like too, you cannot talk about something that is not relevant to the subject at hand. If people are not tarnished in one thing, doesn’t mean they are not tarnished in something else. Most people understand that rumour and innuendo are not facts of evidence. But questions can be asked if something doesn’t appear to be what it seems with public officials.
This latest ICAC may be almost over, but that certainly doesn’t mean there won’t be more if people are brave and supported enough to come forward. Over things at least 20 years back. Corruption is corruption and a crime is a crime, no matter when.
Alan Bond All councillors are responsible and should go
I would take issue with the writer’s statement in the opening paragraph “or council officer mentioned trying to do the right or proper thing.”
Didn't the ICAC hear that a number of senior planners had left the council because of the interference from the CEO. They surely are the ones who came forward but would not be heard and put their careers on the line and paid the consequences of having high moral standards. It's easy to sit back and criticise on a popular stance, please give them a fair go.
Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion on the content of your article.
Michael Kelly
Michael – I don’t want to sound like a nitpicker but what I actually said was:
Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the ICAC inquiry is the almost complete absence of any Wollongong City councillor or council officer mentioned trying to do the right or proper thing.
The operative words being ‘almost’ and ‘mentioned’.
ac
Bottomline
Strikes me that disreputable is not the correct word
The hotels / bars in question were on the list of those hotels / clubs / bars that had the most anti-social (fights) on premises.
Again, no responsibility is put on the perpetrators of the violence who get so affected by alcohol that they are violent and irrational.
The ultimate responsibility must rest on the people who drink to excess … they MUST be held responsible for their actions. Alcohol is a part of the Australian culture, and no matter what the ‘blue-noses’ want, they will not change human behavior with their whingeing and complaining. Our laws encourage binge drinking … prohibition has never worked, never will work and never can work. So long as our ‘heroes’ drink and carouse and escape the consequences, the young and impressionable will emulate their obnoxious behaviours.
Henry Collier
Albion Park
2005 Berkeley Plan never acted upon
I'm about to bring to the fore again, my predicament and the predicament in Berkeley.
A Berkeley Plan was published in 2005 and never acted upon, a shop development was developed in Berkeley and it still has all the 13 developed shops on the main street empty and boarded up.
I set up a Fitness Centre in West Berkeley and have been required as part of the DA to pay for a $50,000 commercial car park for 9 parking spaces, when there's a 15 space car park running parallel to the building that is officially public road, and grassed.
I'll stop here.... but I'm mad as hell and about to hit the media again about the lack of interest and action regarding Berkeley along with my predicament where, as the result of an inefficient planning department, I could have to close down my business in a disadvantaged area.
Know anyone who can help and/or support me, the little person?
Regards
Susan Haynes
Land speculation around Helensburgh
It’s a pity Jim Bennett, lamenting his problems along with 200 landowners, about long term rezoning with WCC.. well, where, actually? For all his lamenting he doesn’t even to bother to mention the area he is talking about. However it is not hard to work out. It is all the speculated land around Helensburgh, again. Just a fact he happened to leave out.
Land speculation bought through promises by the sellers of land zoning changing, sometime. Obviously in the 28 years Mr Bennett has had his land, the sometime is turning into a long time. One loud spokesman patsy has loudly lamented his misfortunes, but he bought his land about 8 years ago, as rates default for $20,000 or so. He has said he would sell it for $40,000.
The land speculation is mainly on 7d Hacking River Catchment, soon to be E2 in the new LEP.
Not only is Helensburgh surrounded by Hacking River catchment land south and east. Garrawarra Conservation Area, and the Royal National Park, both now on the National Heritage List are to the North and North-east. To the west and south west is the Sydney Catchment Area, and somehow I can’t see these moving away.
There was a Commission of Inquiry which put a clamp on this speculated land years ago. But the loophole is that it doesn’t stop these land speculators trying with Council over and over again. I’m sure they’ll try with the new administrators.
Just before Fay Steward, in charge of Planning or something, and mentioned enough in the ICAC Inquiry, left Council, she signed off on a $20,000 ratepayer funded survey which was done on this very same speculated land area around Helensburgh. Our two former independent Councillors were surprised by the report. They had no idea it was done, or of that amount of money spent. Amazingly it came to the same conclusion as the COI, no further expansion outside the Helensburgh footprint. But there was room for at least 500 houses in the footprint.
That didn’t stop land speculators. One of these people wrote that if their land was rezoned and built on, that would help the world climate change problem! I guess your entitled to try anything.
When Bob Proudfoot ran for Mayor at the 2004 Council elections, not only did he receive over $20,000 from the ALP, he also got $1500 from the Helensburgh Land Pooling Group, the 7d speculators. Bob Proudfoot also got a donation from a company owned by Frank Vellar. What an illustrious group of backers. Of course they expected nothing in return. Let’s be clear on that.
Alan Bond A neglected point
Shaun Prince is doing some sanctimonious opportunistic ranting of his own in the Mercury when he complains about former councillor Dave Martin with lack of action over various issues.
What on earth this go at Dave Martin has got to do with the rest of his letter, is anyone's guess. Except that Shaun Prince certainly knows a lot of what went on in council. Not bad for someone who didn’t work there. He also neglects to mention that he was on Alex Darling’s election team for position of mayor.
He brings up the failed SAP computer software program as though he only just discovered it. But I’ve been writing about it ever since it happened. Along with the waste into energy fiasco that Joe Scimone was involved in. I don't recall his letters to the media about these issues.
Being on the mayor’s election team certainly would have put him in the right place to gain the answers to the questions he seems to be having a go at Dave Martin about. But then again, we know who ran council then. Obviously Shaun Prince doesn’t.
Alan Bond | 
