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‘PLANNING BLIGHT’ COUNCIL DIVIDES CALLING A SPADE FUNGHI ARE LAFFAN, STEPHENS STRONG MINOR SEMI P IN T KILLS HOUSE SALE ON RATE RISES A SPADE NATURE’S RECYCLERS AT MI6 ARTSPACE WIN FOR ’CHOOKS DISTRICT NEWS 3 COUNCIL REPORTS 7 LETTERS & OPINION 9 LAND & FOOD 11 ART & CRAFT 13 SPORTS REPORTS 16 Bungendore’s Community Newspaper Wednesday 12 August 2015 Year 2015/ Week 33 www.bungendoremirror.com.au IRRO
Campaign to restore Assistance Grants indexation John Mitchell Palerang Council has voted to support the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) in its campaign to restore the indexation, and to address the inadequacy of Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs). A staff report to the Council’s August ordinary meeting noted, “The Federal Government's decision in the 2014
Federal Budget to freeze the indexation of FAGs for three years beginning in 2014–15 will unfortunately cost councils across Australia an estimated $925 million by 2017–18. “ALGA and the state local government associations are seeking the support of Council for advocacy to have the Federal Government reverse the decision
to freeze the indexation of FAGs. “While the FAGs are paid through each state's Local Government Grants Commission, the funding originates with the Commonwealth and it is important it is recognised as such. Council, and every other council in Australia, has been asked to pass a resolution acknowledging the importance of the
“The current freeze on FAGs indexation will result in a permanent reduction in the base of the untied FAGs by 13%”
Commonwealth’s Financial Assistance Grants in assisting Council to provide important community infrastructure. “Council is also being asked to acknowledge the receipt of Financial Assistance Grants from the Commonwealth in media releases and council publications, including our annual report and to highlight to
the media a council project costing a similar size to the FAGs received by Council so that the importance and impact of the grants can be more broadly appreciated. “The current freeze on FAGs indexation will result in a permanent reduction in the base of the untied FAGs paid to Palerang Council for community infrastructure projects by 13%,” the report said.
Creek repair draws State’s ire
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Dimity Davy beside the restored creek. Grasses and reeds are now well established within the watercourse, birds and water rats and frogs are in abundance.. John Mitchell A decade long project to restore life to a section of the Turallo Creek has drawn praise from land carers and ecologists. But it has also drawn the ire of the NSW DPI Office of Water, who are asking that the improvements be removed, and that the creek be returned to its former condition as a lifeless drain. In 1982 Bill and Dimity Davy
purchased ‘The Gib,’ an overgrazed and underloved property on the outskirts of Bungendore. With hard work they restored the pastures, repaired and replaced fences, yards and sheds, and addressed substantial gully erosion to make it a model property. The 4.5km section of the Turallo Creek which ran through the property, however, remained a source of despair.
After heavy rain it would funnel huge amounts of water, soil and most of the creek’s flora and fauna down to Lake George, barely moistening the surrounding land. The creek hadn’t always been like this as Natural Sequence Farming crusader Peter Andrews had been telling anyone who would listen for years. Before European settlement the creeks were chains
“Before European settlement the creeks were chains of ponds with their verges held together by grasses and bushes..”
of ponds with their verges held together by grasses and bushes which had evolved for the purpose. Andrews had been working on his own creeks and watercourses, making ‘leaky weirs’ to recreate the ponds and planting anything, including exotic trees, and shrubs and grasses that would help hold the soil together. Some time ago Mulloon Creek landowner Tony Coote
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asked Andrews to prepare a scheme for restoring the section of Mulloon Creek which ran through his property. Coote shared the experience by inviting interested landowners and others to a series of workshops at various stages of the work. Bill and Dimity attended and were inspired, and they resolved to apply the same principles to their section of the P4 Turallo Creek.
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