Issue 157 of COAST Community News

MAY 4, 2017

YOUR INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

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ISSUE 157

Fifty six fully approved developments each valued at over $1.5 million in Gosford G

osford could be on its way to being the $1.6 billion city, but several key developers are running out of time to commence their projects.

A map prepared by Central Coast Council’s Environment and Planning Team shows the site of every approved development in Gosford City with a value of $1.5 million or more.

That includes 22 development sites on the west side of the train line and another 34 approved DAs east of the train tracks.

The total value of those 56 developments, according to Central Coast Council, is $1.6 billion.

“Council has laid down the platform to encourage development and the revitalisation of the Gosford CBD,” said Group Leader, Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox. Mr Cox said Council’s vision is to see Gosford become a “vibrant, smart, regional living city centre, and we will continue to lay down that foundation, particularly with the Central Coast Regional Plan that looks into the five different precincts in the Gosford CBD, and we will look at doing further planning around the five precincts,” he said.

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A map showing all approved developments valued at $1.5 million or over in Gosford City

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Source Central Coast Council

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net Mobile Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

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GOSFORD LGA EMERGENCY SERVICES DIRECTORY

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

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AMBULANCE, POLICE, FIRE 000 Family Drug Support 1300 368 186 G-line - Gambling Helpline 1800 633 635 Credit Helpline 1800 808 488 Child Support Agency 13 12 72 Australian Injury Helpline 1800 223 363 Veteran Affairs Net work 1300 551 918 Mens Domestic Violence 1800 000 599 Sexual Assault Resource 1800 199 888 Gay and Lesbian Counselling 1800 184 527 Gay and Lesbian Support 1800 249 377 Youth Sexuality Network 4320 2856 Vietnam Veterans 1800 043 503 Victims Support Services 1800 633 063 Translation and Interpreting Service 13 14 50

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Organisations Aboriginal Legal Service 8842 8000 Community Options 4351 3388 Bungree Aboriginal Association 4397 7700 Mingaletta 4342 7515 Aboriginal Home Care 4321 7215 Drug & Alcohol rehab 4388 6360 Respite Care Options 4351 3388 Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health 4351 1040 Darkinjung Local Land Council 4351 2930

Accommodation Dept. of Housing Gosford 4323 5211 Regional Youth Support Services 4323 2374 Coast Shelter 4324 7239 Neleh House 4340 1052 Elandra Women and Children’s Refuge 4396 4263 Kara Women and Children’s Refuge 4323 1709 Coimba Mens Refuge 4324 7239 Rumbalara Youth Refuge 4325 7555 Wyong Youth Refuge 4351 1922 Youth Angle 4341 8830 Woy Woy Youth Cottage 4341 9027 Maya Young Womens Refuge 4323 1636 Pacific Link Com Housing 4324 7617 Rumbalara Youth Refuge 4325 7555 Samaritans Youth Services 4351 1922 Youth Angle • Woy Woy 4341 8830 Temporary Accommodation 1800 152 152

Vegas’ which is a homage to many Vegas favourites like Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Nat King Cole, Sinatra’s Rat Pack, Michael Buble, Elton John amongst many more Vegas favourites.

The two-hour concert will showcase songs from the Kings Of Vegas album, performing hits from the likes of Mel Torme, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr, Tom Jones, plus a string of Harrison’s own hits from his first two records and you’ve got

oast Community News and AAA Entertainment have three double passes to give away to attend Harrison Craig’s ‘Kings of Vegas’ National Tour.

Harrison Craig, 2013 The Voice Australia winner, will be playing on the Central Coast at the Laycock Street Theatre, June 9.

The tour celebrates the release of his new album ‘Kings of

a show that you definitely don’t want to miss.

For your chance to win a double pass, write your name, address and day time phone number on the back of an envelope and mail it to Coast Community News Harrison Craig Competition, PO Box 1056, Gosford, NSW, 2250.

Entries close 5:00pm, Tuesday, May 16.

The winner of the Coast Community News Dubbo Zoo Competition was Elissa Jack of Wyong.

Family and Relationships Parents Helpline 132 055 Central Coast Family Support Service 4340 1099 Horizons (For men with children) 4351 5008 Interrelate - Family Relationships 1300 736 966 Uniting Care Burnside Gosford 1800 067 967

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All staff are also locals and between them, the three papers cover the entire Central Coast.

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All articles are sourced and dated so that readers will know when and where the information came from and where they can perhaps get more information.

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Contributions are welcome and are preferred in email form, ideally with any relevant photographs attached.

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This is not for publication but name and suburb will be published and anonymous contributions will not be included.

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Issue 113 March 28, 2017

April 11, 2017

Edition 417

APRIL 6, 2017

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he Central Coast Council has determined 3,000 development applications since it was created in May 2016, worth over $1 billion to the economy of the new Local Government Area (LGA).

New housing opportunities will be available close to one of the Coast’s greatest attractions, the beaches, with residential unit developments approved for Canton Beach, with more to come.

The Central Coast also remains an ideal place to build the family dream home with 914 additional lots created since the merger.

Council Group Leader, Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox, said Council’s role was to ensure it had the right planning controls in place

to continue to grow and encourage sustainable development on the Central Coast.

“We have a huge challenge to meet the housing and employment needs of our growing community while maintaining the enviable lifestyle and environment we all enjoy here,” Mr Cox said.

“We are in the process of consolidating our planning controls so that there is consistency across the Coast, as we want to ensure that we can facilitate the right development we want to see here.

“The growth in housing, particularly unit style development, needs to be where transport connections and opportunities are, in our town centres and tourism hubs, and we want to encourage development there.

“The mix needs to be right in delivering

a range of housing options to match various household needs, but also ensuring that the unique environment on the Coast is enhanced and protected.”

Council held its first Developers’ Forum on Monday, February 27, with over 140 industry leaders in attendance to start the conversation as to how Council and the development sector can work together to deliver sustainable development for the Central Coast.

Due to the strong interest in the Forum from the development sector, a number of industry members were unable to fit in, so Council will hold another informal Developers’ Forum in Wyong in May on a date to be determined.

Source: Media release, Mar 23, 2017 Media update, Mar 24, 2017 Central Coast Council media

Each 6,500 tonne concrete chimney, which have been a part of the region’s skyline for decades, were stacked with explosives and toppled in seconds.

The impact was felt throughout Lake Munmorah.

Lake Munmorah Power Station was closed in 2012, leaving behind a reputation as one of the state’s oldest and dirtiest power plants.

During its prime in the 70s, the station supplied up to 40 per cent of NSW’s energy.

Liberty Industrial

1960s, and was closed in 2012 after 45 years of operation.

“Its ageing infrastructure and cost of operation meant that it was no longer economically viable to compete against newer and more efficient plants,” said Delta Electricity Interim Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ray Madden.

“We’ve appointed Liberty Industrial to undertake this important work.

“Liberty Industrial have been selected for their expertise with large industrial

type of project extremely well,” Mr Dick said.

The demolition project aims to eliminate risks associated with any deterioration of the station, improve the visual impact of the surrounding environment and maximise the reuse and recycling of materials removed from site,” Mr Dick added.

What the cleared land could potentially be used for is currently unknown.

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

www.centralcoastnews.net

Source: Media release May 20, 2016 Ray Madden, Delta Electricity Dilon Luke, Journalist

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r Pat Aiken, who has recently announced he will be standing for election o the new Central Coast Council in September, has aised the alarm about what he believes to be thick asbestos roof sheeting exposed by storm damage at Wamberal Beach.

Looking across Correa Bay from the foreshore reserve with boat ramp in bottom right hand corner Photo Wikinomad

Iconic chimney stacks seconds before demolition

he most iconic have been handling the demolition projects and remnants of the demolition, with the their impeccable safety implosion record.”

Lake Munmorah chimneys’ Liberty Industrial Power Station, the signalling a half way point two 155 metre of sorts for the demolition Founder and Director, of the entire plant, chimney stacks, which is scheduled for Mr Clinton Dick, said the project is in safe hands. were demolished on completion in September “We have a proven Sunday, March 26, as 2018. track record with large part of site clearing “Munmorah Power industrial demolitions works.

Station was built in the and we understand this

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Correa Bay closed after sewage discharge Correa Bay boat ramp and the adjoining foreshore area were closed after the discharge of sewage into the bay during a severe thunderstorm on Wednesday, March 22.

Central Coast Council issued a public health alert at 4:55pm on Friday, March 24, two days after the storm, to advise the public that water quality may have been affected.

The council attributed the contamination to a combination of large storm water flows and a power outage at a sewage pump station.

As a precaution, Council closed the boat ramp and adjoining foreshore area and advised residents to avoid swimming, fishing and other recreational activities in the area until further

notice.

“Council continues to monitor the situation closely and is working with the NSW Environment Protection Authority and other relevant authorities,” the council statement said.

The boat ramp and foreshore area remained closed until 4:54pm on Monday, March 27, when it was reopened after the council confirmed “water quality is suitable for recreational purposes”.

The Central Coast Council has an Environment Protection Licence which states that the Council is required: to prevent as far as practicable sewage overflows and sewage treatment plant bypasses; to have proper and efficient management of the system to minimise harm to the environment and public health; and to have practical measures in

place to protect the environment and public health from sewage overflows and sewage treatment plant effluent.

As part of its licence conditions, Council is required to notify the EPA of the date, estimated start time and estimated duration of the bypass; the estimated volume of the bypass; the probable cause of the bypass; any actions taken to stop the bypass happening; and any actions taken to prevent the bypass happening again.

As licensee it must also record details in relation to each observed or reported overflow from the reticulation system and from the sewage treatment plant: the location of the overflow; the date, estimated start time and estimated duration of the overflow; the estimated volume of the overflow; a description

of the receiving environment of the overflow; classification as a dry or wet weather overflow; the probable cause of the overflow; any actions taken to stop the overflow happening; any actions taken to clean up the overflow; and any actions taken to prevent the overflow happening again.

Any risks to public health should also be made public “immediately” under the licence and the Department of Health and the Safe Foods NSW Shellfish Quality Assurance Program must also be informed where the bypass or overflow could have potential impacts on shellfish production.

SOURCES: Media releases, 24 and 27 Mar 2017 Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council Website, 30 Mar 2017 Environmental Protection Authority

Gosford by-election coverage, including candidate profiles and latest news from page 6

THIS ISSUE contains 59 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

According to Mr Aiken, who made a notification to the EPA about the xposed sheeting on Friday, March 31, it has been exposed, subject to he weather and accessible by the public since June 2016.

In a written statement, the EPA aid that it had responded to eports of bonded asbestos being iscovered on Wamberal Beach after being notified by a resident hrough Environment Line on March 31.

“Central Coast Council is the appropriate regulatory authority or this matter, and the EPA nderstands that they are treating his situation as a priority,” the EPA tatement said.

“The EPA is working with council and will provide assistance as equired.”

Central Coast Council said it ad received reports of exposed asbestos on Wamberal Beach ollowing the June 2016 storms.

“These reports were investigated and actioned with the property wners removing the material,” a media statement from the Council aid.

“It appears that further asbestos may have been exposed after the ecent wet weather,” the statement aid.

“We have investigated this and we are taking action to have it emoved.”

Mr Aiken said he believed the material may have been dumped as far back as the 1970s, but was xposed by the coastal erosion vent that impacted Wamberal Beach in June 2016.

“Since July 2016, Central Coast Council has known of the existence f environmentally inappropriate materials situated in the cliff face r escarpment formed by the

coastal erosion that occurred in June 2016,’ Mr Aiken said.

He said the Council was warned in a confidential report it commissioned in June 2016 that “environmentally inappropriate materials” were evident in the escarpment along Wamberal Beach.

“Council has not: publicly identified the exposure of the asbestos dumping; issued appropriate public warnings; taken action to ensure the removal of the asbestos cement debris from public land; and has most certainly not attempted to prevent exposure of the general public to this toxic contaminant,” Mr Aiken said.

“Despite many inspections by Council and State Government Officers, the debris remains in place and continues to represent a health risk to the general public,” he said.

Mr Aiken said he had taken photographs of the site in November, “but I didn’t realise at the time what I was taking.

“It has possibly become more uncovered because of the rain, but there is a massive amount, I reckon there would be a couple of wheel barrows of the stuff, I don’t know how far back it goes,” he said.

Mr Aiken described the material as resembling super thick roof sheeting.

In January, Mr Bruce Thom, the

current chair of the NSW Coastal Panel and Mr Phil Watson, a member of the Panel’s Secretariat, were photographed adjacent to the material (see page 3).

The photograph was taken on the day of a beach inspection for the Land and Environment Court case between Wamberal residents and the Coastal Panel over their development application to build a revetment wall to protect their properties from coastal erosion.

Mr Aiken said it would be difficult and pointless to attempt to “lay blame” for how the materials ended up dumped at the beach.

However, he said the issue remained one of public safety now.

“The asbestos is on public land, on the seaward side of a property in Ocean View Dve, but well past that property’s boundary with the beach,” he said.

“Council has an absolute responsibility either to order people to remove the materials or order it to be cleaned up, but in this case, it is on land they control.

“It will only need another storm to get the material spread right across the beach, so Council has an obligation to inform the public and they have to remove the material at their cost.

“They know about it because using GIPA (Government Information Public Access legislation), I gained access to a

heavily redacted Wamberal Beach Coastal Erosion Report, which says there was inappropriate material on the beach.”

The report was commissioned and obtained by Central Coast Council in June 2016.

The Wamberal residents fighting to build a revetment wall to protect their properties return to the Land and Environment Court on April 12.

The NSW Coastal Panel is the consent authority in the case, not Central Coast Council, because the Council’s Coastal Zone Management Plan has not yet been signed off by the NSW Government.

Major storm events in the 1970s resulted in homes being lost to the sea and a range of materials, including building debris, being used to protect other homes exposed to the same risk.

Federal, State and Local Governments were involved in these protection measures, and in 1978, there were real concerns that the sea would burst through the Wamberal Beach dune system at a location now referred to as the Ruins.

In June 2016, a severe storm caused damaged to private land and infrastructure.

Following the storm in June 2016, Central Coast Council commissioned a report titled, “Wamberal Beach NSW Storm Erosion Remediation Report

R16029-01-01”, prepared by Coastal Environment Pty Ltd. The report was kept confidential and not made public.

“The author, Mr Doug Lord, clearly identified extensive contamination of Wamberal Beach by ‘environmentally inappropriate materials’ and in an underlined statement, he called for the immediate removal of those materials and the many large pieces of debris in excess of 100kg sitting at height above the beach.

“Central Coast Council has not acted to remove those materials, and until recently, has withheld this critical information from the public,” Mr Aiken said.

Coastal Residents Incorporated applied for access to the confidential report in February, 2017, under the Government Information (Public Access) Act (GIPA).

Council decided, 30 days after the application, to provide highly restricted access to a heavily censored (redacted) version of the report.

Mr Aiken estimated that around 40 per cent of the document had been blacked out or redacted.

The document may only be inspected in the presence of a Council Officer, and three days’ notice must be given by the applicant wishing to inspect the censored report.

No more than four people may inspect the document at the same time, which has been divided into four sections for the purpose of inspection, and applicants must agree to sign a copyright statement.

The report was commissioned

by Council to identify and prioritise storm remediation works and assess the risk to the public areas of the beach front, as well as identify properties which may be at risk following the weather event.

According to a statement from Council as to its reasons for keeping the report confidential: “The report also forms a body of evidence that has been gathered

by Council in contemplation of future legal proceedings following the storm event.

“The likelihood of future proceedings is considered to be highly likely, as other areas within New South Wales, such as Byron Bay, have been subject to legal proceedings regarding matters of risk to beach front properties.

“Given the nature of the event that has occurred, Council considers the future prospect of proceedings to be highly likely.

“To release this information to the public would result in a prejudicial impact to Council regarding those proceedings.

“Other relevant factors against the release of this information taken into consideration are the reasonably expected prejudices to the exercise of Council’s functions in response to the impacts of the weather event.

“Council is still in the process of assessing the detail provided within the report and deliberating as to how it may exercise its functions accordingly.

“It is considered that if the information were to be released prematurely, before Council has had an opportunity to exercise any functions as it sees fit, the exercise of these functions may be prejudiced.”

Source: Media statement and interview, Apr 3, 2017 Pat Aiken, Coastal Residents Incorporated Jackie Pearson, journalist

APRIL 21, 2017

Gosford by-election coverage, including candidate profiles and latest news from page 6

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net Mobile Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Wallarah 2 Coal Project Inquiry hears submissions

catchment for current and future residents.

“The Environmental Impact Statement underestimates the potential impacts on groundwater,” she said.

Ms O’Brien said Council was also worried about the project’s impact on subsidence and the nearby Buttonderry Waste Management Facility on Hue Hue Rd, Jilliby.

were “light on at best”.

Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council’s CEO, Mr Sean Gordon, told the PAC hearing that the Wallarah 2 Coal Project was “unviable and unsustainable”.

Mr Gordon said Darkinjung were the largest private land owners around the mine, and that Wallarah 2 would negatively impact housing developments

suffered severe land dispossession since 1788, and had not been able to participate in its economic development, despite striving for years to turn their land into an economic opportunity.

Mr Gordon described the mine’s proponent’s offering of jobs and procurement as a “beads and trinkets offering”.

Former Wyong Councillor and current

smallest risk is too big a risk to take.

“After the drought that occurred on the Central Coast from the early 2000s to 2008, when our water supply dropped to only 9 per cent, it had been proven that water and not coal was the number one resource produced in the Wyong Valleys.

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

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ISSUE 156

MAY 4, 2017

The new Member for Gosford, Ms Liesl Tesch, with her team of volunteers Photo: Noel Fisher

Labor’s Liesl landslide Labor’s Ms Liesl Tesch was declared winner of the April 8 by-election in the NSW electorate of Gosford, achieving a swing (before preferences) of 10.9 per cent to Labor.

Ms Tesch won 49.5 per cent of the primary vote consisting of 22,931 votes that translated to 62.5 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

She won the primary vote in every polling booth in the electorate except four (Kulnura, Mangrove Mountain, Mount White

and Peats Ridge).

Her popularity on the Peninsula, where she resides, was resounding.

Four of her six biggest poll results were at Ettalong Public School (1216 primary votes out of a possible 2360), 1063 votes at Woy Woy South Public School (out of 1808), 1053 at Umina Uniting (out of 1806) and 1049 at Umina Public School (out of 2096).

Full booth-by-booth results are available on the NSW Electoral Commission’s website.

Liberal candidate, Ms Jilly Pilon achieved 14,202 primary votes,

an 11.9 per cent swing against the Coalition.

The Greens, who ran a strong candidate in corporate lawyer, Ms Abigail Boyd achieved 7.5 per cent of the primary vote but that was a swing of 1.5 per cent against the party in the Gosford electorate.

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate, Mr Larry Freeman, whose family has strong ties to the Peninsula, achieved 2376 primary votes or 5.1 per cent of the primary vote.

Ms Skyla Wagstaff from the Animal Justice Party and Mr Andrew Church for the Christian

Democratic Party both polled under 2000 primary votes.

The number of formal votes counted on the day was 46,279 representing 97.3 per cent of those registered to vote.

Ms Tesch celebrated her victory with supporters at Everglades Country Club, Woy Woy, on April 8.

Ms Tesch said she felt fantastically supported by the community and that she would be fighting for Gosford in NSW parliament for years to come.

“I will do all in my power to keep the Government accountable for the decisions they make that affect

the lives of people on the Central Coast,” Ms Tesch said.

Ms Tesch outlined the key issues identified by the people of her electorate during her time on the campaign trail, including feeling ripped off by the Council amalgamation and the removal of services throughout the electorate by the Liberal Government.

SOURCES: Press conference, 9 Apr 2017 Liesl Tesch, Member- for Gosford Website, 13 Apr 2017 Gosford by-election results NSW Electoral Commission

THIS ISSUE contains 54 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

The Lederer Group acquired Kibbleplex and adjoining vacant land from the former Gosford Council for $13 million on March 1, 2016.

The Sydney-based property owner and developer owns the adjoining Imperial Centre and has demonstrated longterm commitment to the enhancement of the Gosford CBD including the recent refurbishment of the Imperial Centre.

An $850 million Stage One Masterplan for the Kibbleplex property was lodged with Council by Lederer Group on March 6, 2016 which consisted of nine buildings including mixed-use residential, commercial and retail and the demolition of existing structures.

The DA was advertised and public comment invited in June and, according to the Central Coast Council’s Gosford online development application tracker, nine submissions were received during the month-long public consultation period.

Thirteen months after unveiling its grand plan for the site, the Lederer Group’s Development Manager, Mr Steve McGillivray, said the developer was waiting, along with others with development sites in the Gosford CBD, for Central Coast Council to finalise its new planning controls.

“We made our Master Plan application on the basis that

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ISSUE 157

Fifty six fully approved developments each valued at over $1.5 million in Gosford

he Lederer Group’s master plan for the empty Kibbleplex building on Gosford’s Henry Parry Drive cannot progress until Central Coast Council gets NSW Planning approval for its proposed new Gosford CBD planning controls.

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enlisted two independent consultants, Earth Systems and Pells Sullivan Meynink, to review the amended Development Application, and the consultants found that the risks were greater than those outlined in the Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the developer.

“The predictions of the Environmental Impact Statement are

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The rally outside the PAC public hearing into the amended DA for the Wallarah 2 coal mine

The hearing was conducted as part of the PAC’s process to determine whether or not to approve the amended development application for the Wallarah 2 longwall Coal Project.

The PAC will accept written submissions on the project until 5:00pm on Wednesday, April 12.

Central Coast Council’s Unit

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Kibbleplex Plan waiting for Council action

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She said the weight that they have planned Joint Regional Planning he community Manager, Development conservative,” she said.

Panel member, Mr Ken Ms O’Brien said of the waste when the for the area. stood united in Assessments, Ms Tanya He said Darkinjung Greenwald, also spoke opposition to the O’Brien, was first to the Dooralong and facility is filled is expected valleys, to be approximately 40 wanted to use its land against the amended DA. Wallarah 2 Coal speak, and confirmed Yarramalong “I am against the assets to develop land for Project at the NSW Council’s objection to the which lay above the million tonnes. project. proposed mine, form part She said the its people and asked the proposal to mine in the Planning and Ms O’Brien said Council of the region’s surface Department of Planning PAC hearing, “do people Wyong valleys because A s s e s s m e n t had serious concerns water catchment area, and Environment’s draft want to buy next to a coal of the risk that I believe it Commission (PAC) about the mine’s impact and urged the PAC to development consent, mine?” may have on the Central hearing in Wyong on on the local water supply. consider the future health which outlined 78 Mr Gordon said Coast Water supply, with April 5.

She said Council had and safety of the water conditions of consent, Aboriginal people had a view that even the

1 May 2017

Edition 418

18 April 2017

ISSUE 155

Asbestos at Wamberal Beach remains in place nine months after being exposed M

Iconic chimney Over $1 billion stacks demolished worth of development applications determined by merged Council

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3 April 2017

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Issue 114

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Edition 416

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osford could be on its way to being the $1.6 billion city, but several key developers are running out of time to commence their projects.

From left: The empty Kibbleplex looking across Kibble Park and the Lederer Group’s impression of how the site could look

the Local Environment Plan (LEP) would be changed before now,” Mr McGillivray said.

“We can’t do anything until the Council’s planning proposal is finalised,” he said.

The proposed changes to the Development Control Plan (DCP) and the LEP were expected to be finalised during 2016.

However, Central Coast Council extended the public consultation period for the proposed new planning controls until January 20 and held a public information session.

The planning controls sought to move the commercial core of the CBD to Kibble Park, create a living city and revitalise the CBD, according to Council.

They also involved changes to floor space ratios and height restrictions which were loudly opposed by the Community Environment Network (CEN).

CEN’s manager, Ms Jane Smith called the proposal “alarming” including the proposal for heights in the CBD of “up to 99 metres”.

CEN was critical of the fact the Council’s exhibition of the proposed changes to development controls came

out of a Statement of Strategic Intent that had been adopted without any public consultation.

Coast Community News has asked Central Coast Council’s Group Leader Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox, for an update on the proposed new development controls for Gosford’s CBD. His response will be reported in our next available edition.

The Lederer Group’s Master Plan also included a redevelopment of Kibble Park “to maximise its green footprint and create a popular family destination and event space that is the green heart of the CBD.” Former Gosford Councillor and member of the Central Coast Council’s Local Representation Committee, Ms Vicki Scott, said she had asked for a discussion about any proposed redevelopment of Kibble Park to be placed on the agenda for discussion at the LRC’s April meeting.

“I am concerned there are things in the pipeline to happen sooner rather than later with Kibble Park,” Ms Scott said.

“I am concerned about the lack of consultation with the

public,” she said.

She said she believed the future of Kibble Park was “too big of an issue for an unelected council” to decide.

Between October 2015 and the following March, the details surrounding the sale of Kibbleplex were kept confidential by Gosford Council.

Negotiations surrounding the sale of the property had been delegated to then Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Paul Anderson.

At an ordinary council meeting on October 27, thenCouncillor Vicki Scott resolved that the CEO was to present a detailed report to Council by the end of November detailing the original price Council paid for the building, why its sale was not put out to tender, why there had been no public consultation about its sale and the details of the sale.

A report was provided in November but, for confidentiality reasons, was not made public until after the sale to Lederer was settled on March 1.

According to that report, Kibbleplex was acquired by Gosford Council in February

2011 for $11 million, consisting of $4 million of Council’s own funds at $7 million from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.

A condition of the government funding was that the two upper levels provide 400 commuter parts for five years.

That commitment expired on February 29, 2016 but Lederer has continued to keep the carpark open to the public.

The building was not put out to tender because Council received “a strong expression of interest” and commissioned a valuation report which valued the property in the range of $11.5 million to $13 million.

The report also revealed that “there would be limited market depth if the property was offered for sale, the report suggested looming market risks.

Gosford Council also appeared to be racing against the clock as development incentives including 30 per cent bonuses on floor space and heights in the CBD were due to expire in April 2016.

The former Gosford Council

opted to go with the Lederer offer based on its knowledge of “a considerable looming oversupply of units proposed in Gosford” and “the assessed value may change unexpectedly over a relatively short period of time.

“Based on the valuation report, Council formed the following views: the assessed value may not be sustainable going forward and had more downside than upside risk.

“Time periods for any sale should be sensibly minimised if possible.

“The pool of potential purchasers would likely be very shallow.

“A proactive approach to buyers showing real interest would therefore likely be the best way to maximise price.”

Source: Interview, Apr 20, 2016 Steve McGillivray, Lederer Group Gosford Council report, March 2016 Kibbleplex (IR 21591089) Interview, Apr 19, 2017 Vicki Scott, Local Representation Committee Jackie Pearson, journalist

Ms Chrissy Fitzgerald with her superstar Halley

Peninsula exhibitors win at Royal Easter Show Ms Chrissy Fitzgerald of Umina has won the Best Baby Puppy of Breed title for her Finnish Lapphund Baby Puppy Bitch in the dogs section of the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Ms Fitzgerald is a seasoned exhibitor at the Show and said she was thrilled with the result for her puppy Halley.

“Dogs have been my passion for all my life,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“I’ve been showing dogs for

years and I’m a dog groomer by trade, but Halley represents almost 10 years of planning and effort and I’m delighted with the result at the Royal.

“She exceeded all my expectations.

“When she was placed in the Top 10 out of the 309 entrants for the category and then went on to win the title, I was amazed and so very humbled by the experience,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

Since the Show, Ms Fitzgerald

and Halley have been competing at events across NSW, with the most recent being at the Deniliquin and District Kennel Club, which yielded three champion in show titles.

Their recent success sees Halley ranked third on Dogzonline’s Rising Star list.

Brisbane Waters High School were also big winners at the Royal Easter Show, winning Champion Senior Boar of Show as well as the Grand Champion Purebred Heavyweight Steer.

Riverglen Herman, the 260kg boar, is currently under the jointownership of the school and his breeders, Mr and Ms Richard and Heather Cole.

Sheraton Skippy, the black limousin steer, 600kg, 14-month old Steer, fetched an impressive $8000 at the Show’s auction on April 6.

Skippy was handled at the Show by Year 10 student Kynesia Stapelton.

Mr Ron Unsworth and Mr

Richard Mckay, the school’s agricultural department assistants, have been helping the students prepare cattle and pigs for the Show for 23 years.

Mr Unsworth described Skippy’s win as the pinnacle of the cattle events at the show.

SOURCES: Media release, 16 Apr 2017 Sydney Royal Easter Show Media Centre Interview, 16 Apr 2017 Chrissy Fitzgerald, Umina Reporter: Dilon Luke

THIS ISSUE contains 48 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net Mobile Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

A map prepared by Central Coast Council’s Environment and Planning Team shows the site of every approved development in Gosford City with a value of $1.5 million or more.

That includes 22 development sites on the west side of the train line and another 34 approved DAs east of the train tracks.

The total value of those 56 developments, according to Central Coast Council, is $1.6 billion.

“Council has laid down the platform to encourage development and the revitalisation of the Gosford CBD,” said Group Leader, Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox. Mr Cox said Council’s vision is to see Gosford become a “vibrant, smart, regional living city centre, and we will continue to lay down that foundation, particularly with the Central Coast Regional Plan that looks into the five different precincts in the Gosford CBD, and we will look at doing further planning around the five precincts,” he said.

Continued P3

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11 5 9

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2 8

4 7

6 10

A map showing all approved developments valued at $1.5 million or over in Gosford City

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Source Central Coast Council

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net Mobile Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

www.gosfordnews.org Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.centralcoastnews.net - Mobile Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

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NEWS PAGE 3 MAY 4, 2017

Fifty six fully approved developments each valued at over $1.5 million

G

osford could be on its way to being the $1.6 billion city, but several key developers are running out of time to commence their projects.

From P1 The $1.6 billion worth of construction projects that are on the books as having development consent, either from Council or the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) or both, are at various stages of commencement or working towards commencement.

A development cannot commence until it has a construction certificate, attainable through either a private certifier or through Central Coast Council.

“A construction certificate can take hours or months, it depends on what requirements of the consent need to be met before a construction certificate is issued,” Mr Cox said.

He said Central Coast Council does not have any authority to direct a developer or landowner to activate a construction project once a DA has been approved.

“All we can do is make sure that the site is kept safe in terms of hording or adequate fencing,” he said.

“I am aware of talk that a number of private developments will commence this year, such as Waterside and Bonython Tower, but in terms of construction certificates, I have not seen any as yet,” Mr Cox said.

Many of the larger projects that are yet to lodge construction certificates have two-year consents.

“Time is running out on their consents, so they will need to act quickly if they want to get physical commencement and start those developments,” he said.

“It is not an unlimited timeframe.”

Crunch time is fast approaching for a number of

key sites.

The development consent for the $157 million Mariner Plaza on the corner of Donnison and Mann Sts expires on May 21.

Another $36.6 million development consent on the corner of Erina St and Henry Parry Dve has a consent that expires on May 20 and no construction certificate has been lodged.

December will be another pivotal month for the future of the Gosford CBD, when the $234 million triple tower DA on the corner of Mann St and Georgiana Tce runs out, along with the John Singletonbacked Bonython Tower in Mann St, valued at $17.63 million.

There is an opportunity for developers to seek an extension for a third year, but that is the maximum that was allowed under the incentives put in place by the former Gosford Council in an effort to kick start a CBD revitalisation.

“They are not likely to want to lose the bonus floor space and

height incentives, especially when the hard work has been done in gaining approval.”

Mr Cox said there is a regular dialogue between Council and developers with approved projects in Gosford.

“We have ongoing discussions, particularly because once a consent is granted on large developments, there are a lot of amendments made, normally to progress towards a construction certificate.”

Central Coast Council received 138 submissions relating to its proposed rezoning in the Gosford CBD, which included changes to floor space and height limits, based on the proposed Lederer Group development in the old Marketplace shopping centre (Kibbleplex).

“We are still working through the submissions to put up a recommendation to the Administrator.

“We will be making amendments to the Development Control Plan,

which is a separate document, to include guidelines around the commercial core, based on feedback that the proposal we exhibited was too prescriptive and not flexible enough.

“We are taking that on board and seeking endorsement to re-exhibit the DCP, and the whole community consultation process for the DCP.” If the planning proposal and DCP are endorsed by the Administrator, it will then be up to the NSW Department of Planning and the Minister, Mr Anthony Roberts, to approve.

“It goes into the mysterious Department of Planning; it is a decision for the Minister,” Mr Cox said.

“I can’t answer what Gosford is going to look like in the future, but we have already started to lay down our platform and will encourage developers to deliver a vibrant city with a full range of business, retail, cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities.

“The private developments under way will create hundreds

of accommodation facilities, brand new restaurants and services adding to the local economy.

“The construction of the ATO site is under way, and along with that the finance building.

“That alone is going to provide an additional 1,000 jobs to the local community and then you add all the construction jobs, all adding to boost the CBD economy.

“Confidence is a big thing,” Mr Cox said.

“Once you get a major private developer to start, it will add confidence, and with each development comes Section 94 contributions, so council can do public domain improvements,” he said.

Source: Interview, May 2, Scott Cox, Central Coast Council Jackie Pearson, journalist

See page 4 for the latest news on the highest valued approved developments

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PAGE 4 MAY 4, 2017

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Current status of top ten approv T

he following 10 DAs are a selection of the biggest in terms of dollar value within the $1.6 billion worth of approved developments sitting on Central Coast Council’s books.

The 11th project profiled is the Lederer Group’s $850 million masterplan for the former Kibbleplex building, which has not yet been approved by the Joint Regional Planning Panel.

All information included about the following developments was taken from the Central Coast Council’s online Gosford Development Application Tracker and was current as at May 3.

MAP REFERENCE 1

MAP REFERENCE 2

MAP REFERENCE 3

MAP REFERENCE 4

MAP REFERENCE 5

Gosford Hospital redevelopment and health and wellbeing precinct (Holden St, Showground Rd, Bean St) State Significant Development Application (SSD 6913) Value: $368 million Lodged: June 2015 Approved: December 2015 Construction under way and completion expected in 2018

New Hong Kong Macau Australian Pty Ltd (50 to 70 Mann St and 114 Georgiana Tce) DA40746/2015: Mixed use commercial, residential shop top housing, cinema, hotel and tavern.

Value: $234.36 million Lodged: January 2015; Approved: JRPP December 18, 2015; No construction certificate; Consent expires: December 18, 2017

Gosford City Development Pty Ltd (108 Donnison and 110 to 118 Mann Sts) DA46256/2014: Mixed use development, commercial, retail, supermarket, hotel and shop top housing Value: $157 million Lodged: August 2014 Approved: JRPP May 2015 No construction certificate Expires: May 21, 2017

Rola Property Group (27 to 37 Mann St) DA46209/2014: Mixed use retail, commercial, restaurant, residential development Value: $53.7 million Lodged: August 2014 Approved: JRPP December 2016 No construction certificate Consent expires: December 15, 2018

AO Gosford Pty Ltd (122 to 124 Erina St and 138 to 142 Henry Parry Dve) DA46274/2014: Retail and shop top housing (180 units) Value: $36.67 million Lodged: August 2014 Approved: JRPP May 20, 2015 No construction certificate Consent expires: May 20, 2017

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The Coastal Open Space System (COSS) is a network of reserves supporting natural vegetation that are now managed by the Central Coast Council for environmental and community values.

The COSS scheme is unique to the former Gosford Council area and was established in 1984. Land identified as having significant ecological, cultural and historical value were earmarked for future protection and conservation by the council. Existing COSS lands have been voluntarily acquired by the former Gosford Council for the benefit of the community. Approximately 70% of those lands identified have now come into public ownership.

COSS is an important legacy - many say that it’s the best planning decision Gosford Council ever made.

However, there are a number of threats to our COSS lands Key to these is the lack of action and commitment by the current Council. The previous Gosford Council called on the State government to create a new zoning to protect our COSS lands, the E5 zone - and the State government agreed!... However, after 5 years we are still waiting.

For much of the last 33 years, there has been a COSS Committee to oversee the process of working with landholders, promoting COSS and voluntary acquisition of lands. History has shown that without the committee there is very little action - and that appears true now. CEN is also seeing attempts to develop and clear COSS lands - we are waiting to see how this current Council responds to these attempts.

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Habitat for Wildlife - Native Bees Workshop CEN is pleased to be holding a Native Bees workshop on Saturday 13 May, 2017 from 2-4pm, as part of its Habitat for Wildlife Program.

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The workshop is free for CEN, HFW & LFW members and for non-members will cost $5 for adults and $2.50 for children. Numbers are limited and bookings are essential. Go to: www.cen.org.au/events Habitat For Wildlife is a program that encourages residents to improve their backyards as habitat for native bird life, frogs and other native animals. Joining HfW is free. New members receive two free plants, an information pack, a membership card providing discounts at participating nurseries and special invitations to workshops. HFW members can also purchase a sign for their front yard for just $10. To join HFW email habitatforwildlife@cen.org.au.

CEN Photographic Competition: Flora, Fauna and Foam CEN is launching a Photographic Competition to mark our 20 year anniversary. Opening Night will be on Friday 26 May. Naturally, the photographic competition has an environmental theme.

Entrants are asked to photograph the flora, fauna, waterways (including underwater) and landforms of the Central Coast / Lake Macquarie area.

There are two categories for youth and adults with cash prizes and medals for each category, plus the "top shot" award as voted by the visiting public. Entry fee is $8 per photo.

Photo courtesy Barry Collier

Entries to the photographic competition close on Wednesday, 17 May, 2017. For more information visit: www.cen.org.au

Fri, 26 May Opening Night: Flora, Fauna and Foam 6:30-8pm The Entrance Sat, 10 June Mooney Mooney Creek Catchment Crawl 9am-3pm Free - Starts at Somersby For many events there is a small charge.

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Bookings are essential FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK - VISIT www.cen.org.au/events

Follow in the footsteps of renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in new panel display At the Central Coast Marine Discovery Centre, Terrigal until Sun, 1 June www.ccmdc.org.au

Our Central Coast - Worth Protecting The Community Environment Network (CEN) is an alliance of individuals and groups that work for ecologically sustainable development.

Support CEN - Become a member - Volunteer - Make a donation

www.cen.org.au

Ph: 4349 4756

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NEWS

PAGE 5 MAY 4, 2017

ed developments in Gosford City

MAP REFERENCE 6

MAP REFERENCE 7

MAP REFERENCE 8

MAP REFERENCE 9

MAP REFERENCE 10

MAP REFERENCE 11

Government Property NSW (32 Mann St) DA49685/2016: Mixed use commercial development Value: $34.21 million Lodged: April 2016 Approved: JRPP February 2017 No construction certificate Consent expires: February 2022

M Eskander, Merindah Apartments (21-23 Mann St, 92 Henry Parry Dve) DA46272/2014: Residential flat building, 140 units and demolition of existing structures Value: $34 million Lodged: August 2014 Approved: JRPP September 2015 No construction certificate Consent expires: September 22, 2017

Doma - Australian Taxation Office (38 Mann St, 99 Georgiana Tce) DA49223/2016: Five-storey commercial building with associated car park Value: $20.69 million Lodged: February 2016 Approved: JRPP June 2016 Construction certificate lodged December 2016 Construction well under way

Bonython Tower (159 Mann St) DA47056/2015: mixed use development including restaurant, offices and shop top housing and demolition of existing buildings.

Value: $17.63 million Lodged: January 2015 Approved: December 2015 No construction certificate Consent expires: December 8, 2017

LMNO One Pty Ltd (17 Mann St) DA28605/2005: Mixed use development, 33 residential units plus commercial space and car parking Value: $5.96 million Lodged: September 2005 Approved: May 2013 No construction certificate Expiry date unclear from Council’s DA tracker

NOT APPROVED Lederer Group (136146 Donnison St, former Kibbleplex) DA50002/2016: State one masterplan for nine buildings, mixed use residential, commercial and retail use and demolition of existing structures Value: $850 million Lodged: June 2016 Referred back to applicant November 2016 Not included in $1.6 billion Source: Website, May 2 and 3 Central Coast Council Gosford DA Tracker Jackie Pearson, journalist

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Major upgrade proposed for Pacific Highway between Narara and Lisarow SW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) have announced that work on the proposed Pacific Highway and Manns Road upgrade would be carried out in two stages, with planning for the project continuing.

N

According to RMS, the NSW Government committed $2 million in 2016-17 to plan for the future upgrade between Narara and Lisarow to improve traffic flow and safety.

“The proposed Pacific Hwy and Manns Rd upgrade would improve user safety and reduce congestion,” an RMS statement said.

“Almost 400 residents and businesses gave feedback on the proposal in September and October last year, which helped refine options for the proposed upgrade,” it said.

A community consultation report summarising the feedback is available to view at: rms.nsw.gov.au/ nararatolisarow.

Based on the community

The proposed roadworks

consultation, and due to the length of the 4.7km upgrade, the proposed project would be completed in at least two stages, with more information expected to be provided later this year.

RMS has also committed to investigate upgrading the Narara Valley Dve and Deanne St intersection with traffic lights.

It has removed a proposed Pandala Link Rd from the design in relation to the proposed upgrade.

An updated preferred design for the section of road between Parsons Rd at Lisarow and Narara Creek Rd at Narara has been prepared following community comments.

Key features include two lanes in each direction on the

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Pacific Hwy and Manns Rd with a central median, and new bridges along Manns Rd over Narara Creek and the railway line.

Traffic lights will replace roundabouts at the Manns Rd and Pacific Hwy intersection; and at the Manns Rd and Narara Valley Dve intersection.

New traffic lights will be placed on the Pacific Hwy at

Berrys Head Rd; Parsons Rd; Newling St; Lenna St, Pierce St; Nurra Rd, Argyle Ave; and Brooks Ave. New traffic lights will be installed on Manns Road at Adam St, and Reeves St and Showground Rd. Other features include improved pedestrian and cycle paths along the Pacific Hwy and Manns Rd and a new

all-directional intersection at Apanie Ave to provide left and right turns in and out.

A new bridge will be built south of Newling St and there will be a new northbound and southbound u-turn intersection at Pacific Hwy and Parsons Rd, with a new roundabout at Parsons Rd and Newling St. Carrington St will be closed and become a no through road.

Bus stops and indented bus bays will be provided along the length of the project to help the flow of traffic and improve safety.

Drainage will also be improved along the Pacific Hwy and Manns Rd. The next step in the project will be an environmental assessment.

More detail on the entire upgrade proposed will be made available when the review of environmental factors goes on public display.

Source: Media release, Apr 3 Josh Matthews, NSW Roads and Maritime Services Website, Apr 3 Narara to Lisarow Pacific Hwy and Manns Rd upgrade, RMS NSW

At the last election Malcolm Turnbull and Lucy Wicks promised to protect Medicare. r over ie m re P W S N le k c ta s Nurse Hospital g n o y W e s ti a v ri p to plans they don’t if ed is m ro p m co e b l “Patients wil hospital.� have access to a public bruary 2017

Daily Telegraph, 9 Fe

GP FEES RISE T O $78 AS DOCTO RS ABANDON BUL K BILLING

“As the Medicare free ze bites‌ a flood of doctors are abandonin g bulk billing.â€?

Herald Sun, 19 Oct

ober 2016

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cuts could mean in n o li il m 0 5 6 $ d “The propose ut for tests.� o rk fo to e av h ld u o patients w ess Advocate, 13 Central Coast Expr

May 2016

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PAGE 8 MAY 4, 2017

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Ward boundaries could be in breach of Local Government Act

C

entral Coast Labor has sought clarification from the Office of Local Government (OLG) regarding the ward boundaries in the new Central Coast local government area (LGA).

According to the President of the Central Coast Labor Local Government Committee, Mr Jeff Sundstrom, the way the ward boundaries have been drawn up could breach NSW regulations.

According to the Local Government Act 1993: “The division of a council’s area into wards, or a change to the boundaries of a ward, must not result in a variation of more than 10 per cent between the number of electors in each ward in the area.”

“The proposed wards may have significant voter population variations,” Mr Sundstrom said.

“As far as we can see, the difference in sizes of the West Gosford (38,000) and East Gosford wards (30,000) represents a considerable size difference, well above the 10 per cent limit.

“OLG spokesperson, Mr Tim Hurst, suggests in reply to our concerns, that the matter would be best dealt with after the September 9 elections.

“By design or incompetence, this has all the hallmarks of a gerrymander,” he said.

“Representation for residents has already been reduced through this amalgamation.

“Now it appears some 30,000 residents will benefit from a lower voter to councillor ratio than other voters.

“Waiting until after the election will mean that voters will have to wait until the next election before they vote, and are located in wards that are not compliant with the Act,” he said.

Mr Brian Glendenning, Central Coast Council’s Executive Manager of Governance, said the number of electors for each ward had been calculated by a table issued by the NSW Electoral Commission on January 24, 2017, but the ward boundaries were drawn up prior to the proclamation that dissolved the Gosford and Wyong Councils and created

the Central Coast Council almost a year earlier, on May 12, 2016.

According to the January 2017 numbers, the number of electors in each ward did not vary by more than 10 per cent: Budgewoi had 50,225 voters; Gosford East had 49,724; Gosford West 49,825; The Entrance 48,639; and Wyong 49,752.

In January 2017, the NSW Electoral Commission also responded to questions from Coast Community News about how the boundaries were drawn up for the wards within the new Central Coast Council.

Coast Community News had conducted its own research, with assistance from Dr Van Davy of Pearl Beach, and found

that, based on voter numbers at each polling booth in each of the five wards at the 2016 Federal election, the variation between wards was greater than 10 per cent in some instances.

In a written statement at that time, the NSW Electoral Commission said: “Boundaries for the new wards in the Central Coast Council were reviewed by the NSW Electoral Commission.

“The NSW Electoral Commission used the electoral roll and geo-spatial analysis tools to assess and review the number of electors in each proposed ward, as required under section 210A of the Local Government Act 1993.

“The wards proposed for the

Central Coast Council met this requirement at the time of the review.

“Electors are allowed to vote at any polling place for any Federal Division in Australia, and hence polling place attendance figures are not a reliable indication of local council enrolment numbers.”

However, the carefullyworded statement did not clarify that it was, in fact, the NSW Electoral Commission that determined the ward boundaries for the Central Coast Council in the lead up to the May 12, 2016 Council merger.

Coast Community News also asked the then Minister for Local Government, Mr Paul Toole, for further clarification, as it was understood that most decisions made relating to council mergers were made within the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.

The following statement came back from Mr Toole’s office: “New council ward boundaries were authorised by the NSW Electoral Commission to ensure they complied with the ten per cent variance rule’ in accordance with the Local Government Act. “In some instances major roads, residential roads, railways or parks were used as the boundaries for the wards to ensure the ten per cent variance rule was met,” the statement said.

The Minister’s office also clarified that all further questions relating to data used to determine ward boundaries should be directed to the NSW

Electoral Commission.

Coast Community News was also told, by the Minister’s office, that the five Central Coast wards ranged in enrolment from 48,400 to 49,500 – a different set of figures to those provided to NSW Labor by Central Coast Council.

A former Gosford councillor, who did not wish to be named for fear of being ejected from the Central Coast Council’s Local Representation Committee, said they also believed the ward boundaries clearly discriminated against residents in the former Gosford City LGA. “Only two of the five wards are Gosford City wards so the representation of the former Gosford council ratepayers has arguably fallen from 10 councillors to six,” the former councillor said.

None of the NSW Government sources consulted by Coast Community News thus far has produced primary documentation clarifying what data was used to set the ward boundaries prior to the proclamation on May 12, 2017.

Central Coast Council has a map of the ward boundaries on its website.

Source: Media release, May 2 Jeff Sundstrom, Central Coast Labor Media statement, Jan 11 Ashley Gardiner, office of Paul Toole Media statement, Jan 11 Charles King, NSW Electoral Commission Jackie Pearson, journalist

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NEWS PAGE 9 MAY 4, 2017

Draft Gosford Beaches Coastal Zone Management Plan sent to the Minister for approval plan to manage the beaches, coastal lagoons and estuaries of Gosford City has been considered by Central Coast Council Administrator and will be sent to the NSW Minister for the Environment for certification.

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The Draft Plan was originally prepared by the former Gosford Council and submitted to the then Minister for Planning and Environment, who returned it requesting revision in consultation with a NSW Government Agency concerning the management of land at Patonga and Pearl Beach.

Those consultations have resulted in agreement about the future management of those sites, and enabled the amended Plan to be endorsed for submission to the new Minister.

The primary purpose of the plan was to describe proposed actions to be implemented by Council, other public authorities, and by the private sector to address priority management issues in the coastal zone between 2015 and 2025.

According to the draft plan, “These issues include managing risks to public safety and built assets, and pressures on coastal

ecosystems and community uses of the coastal zone. “The primary objective of this plan is to protect and preserve the beach environments, beach amenity, public access and social fabric of the Open Coast and Broken Bay beaches while managing coastal hazard risks to people and the environment,� the draft plan said.

The Draft Gosford Beaches Coastal Zone Management Plan will not take effect until it is certified by the Minister.

Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the Plan provided the foundation for the development of appropriate planning controls that would protect the coastline now and into the future. “This will be welcome news for those who live along the coast as it will provide firm guidelines on what can and cannot be built on privately owned or public land,� Mr Reynolds said. “The Plan sets out clear roles and responsibilities for private landowners, Council and other public authorities to plan and manage the coastline as well as respond to coastal hazards as the need arises. “Our beaches are one of our greatest natural assets and we need to ensure that there is a

proper framework in place that balances the need for sustainable development, where it can happen, while ensuring our coastal environment is protected and enhanced now and well into the future.�

The draft plan, which was prepared by consultants, WorleyParsons, described Gosford City’s coastline as “diverse and spectacular� and including “amongst the most dynamic beaches on the east coast of Australia�.

According to the draft plan, it complements the development of Plans for the Lower Hawkesbury River Estuary (2009), Brisbane Water (2012), Pearl Beach Lagoon (2014) and Gosford’s Coastal Lagoons (2015).

The draft plan was put together following a coastal zone study and community and stakeholder consultation during 2015, and a Coastal sub-committee of the former Gosford Council was also instrumental in the formulation of the draft plan.

Once the draft plan has been adopted by the Minister, the next step is to implement the management measures listed within the plan over a 10 to 15 year timeframe.

According to the draft plan,

certain measures can be implemented quickly “such as development and building controls, hazard education, public awareness and dune management programs�.

However, the draft plan also acknowledged that “availability of funding will determine when certain options can be implemented�, such as structural measures or voluntary purchase of property.

Management actions in the plan have been recommended for each beach, based on the specific coastal hazard risks identified, along with the effectiveness of existing coastal management measures, recommendations of previous studies and specific issues of importance raised by the local community.

It stated that “the major challenges across the beaches relate to land use and development�, and that Coastal adaptation options have been developed for each beach aligned to four broad strategies for managing future coastal risk: defend; accommodate; retreat; and maintain the status quo.

The draft plan explains each broad strategy.

The plan intends that some management options will be applied to all beaches covered

including a beaches water quality improvement plan in the first year of the plan.

This will assist Council in identifying pollutant sources and implementing a management response through works, catchment controls, compliance and education activities.

Another short-term action required by Council under the plan will be the development of emergency action processes in the form of a Coastal Erosion and Inundation Emergency Response Plan.

Council will also establish a centralised information system for geotechnical information relevant to coastal frontage development.

An ongoing beach and infrastructure monitoring program is also to be developed by council with a one-year timeframe.

Within two-to-five years, according to the plan, Council will implement an ongoing public education program on coastal management issues at a cost of $20,000 per year.

A beach nourishment strategy will be another two-to-five-year management action for all beaches covered by the plan, at a cost of $50,000.

A $210,000 dune management

and beach scraping strategy is also included in the plan with a two-tofive year timeframe.

This would include dune vegetation mapping, weed mapping and vegetation profiling, developing a works program for individual beaches, preparation of environmental assessment and obtaining relevant licenses, investigating reactive scraping following storm events and proactive scraping to build dunes while there is sand available on the beaches, and community engagement and involvement of dune care and bush care teams.

Council, in conjunction with the State Government, will also undertake an inventory and management strategy of rocky shore habitats across the study area.

Coast Community News will report on the specific measures proposed for each beach within the Gosford City area over coming editions of the newspaper.

Source: Media release, Apr 26 Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council Document, Apr 3 Gosford Beaches Draft Coastal Zone Management Plan, WorleyParsons Resources and Energy

PAGE 10 MAY 4, 2017

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New public notification procedure for land use developments to go on public exhibition

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roposed changes to the way the public are notified of development applications will go on exhibition following endorsement by Central Coast Council’s Administrator.

Proposals to amend Chapter 7.3 of the Gosford Development Control Plan 2013 are part of the Council’s ongoing process to harmonise the development controls of the former Gosford Council with those of the former Wyong Council.

Council’s Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, endorsed the exhibition of a draft amended Chapter 7.3 at the ordinary meeting held in Wyong on Wednesday, April 26.

The public exhibition period will be 28 days.

Key changes include a proposal to allow a development that achieves compliance with key planning controls to be “streamlined and allowed to progress to determination without the

need for public exhibition on the basis that the application has satisfied the objectives of the DCP�, according to a report to Mr Reynolds from Council staff.

The amendment also “recognises that for significant and sensitive development proposals, the public should be given additional time to provide submissions. “These proposals will now be notified for 21 days where previously in most cases they were placed on notification for 14 days.�

To clarify: “For minor, small scale development types like single storey dwelling houses, including ancillary developments such as granny flats, which comply with building height and setback requirements, adjoining owners will not need to be notified and the DA won’t need to be advertised in a newspaper. “For larger and more sensitive development proposals, such as boarding houses or significant mixeduse developments, the

exhibition period will be for 21 days,� the report to Mr Reynolds said.

According to a table that compared the former Wyong and Gosford DCPs in relation to public notification of DAs, the new provisions strengthen those of the former Gosford Council in some areas.

The notification period for a DA to build a boarding house was not specified in the existing Gosford DCP, but the proposed amendments will specify that such a DA would require a newspaper notice, notice to adjoining owners and a 21-day submission period.

The Gosford DCP also did not specify notification requirements for group home DAs, but the proposed amendments would require a newspaper notice, notification to adjoining owners and a 14day submission period.

In the instance of the change of use for a property in industrial or business zones, the proposed changes would require adjoining owners to be given notice, which was not the case under the existing

Gosford DCP. The submission period for a child care centre DA would increase from 14 to 21 days.

Likewise: crematoriums and cemeteries; drug rehabilitation facilities; educational establishments outside business, industrial or special use zones; land subdivisions for 10 or more lots; places of public worship outside business, industrial or special use zones; private waterfront developments; shop top housing; and, hotels.

Setback variations for single-storey developments would, under the proposed amendments, need to be notified to neighbours with a 14-day submission period, which was not previously required by Gosford Council.

In other areas, the existing Gosford DCP would be, arguably, weakened.

For instance, the existing Gosford DCP required neighbours to be notified and given a 14 day submission period for DAs for dwelling houses of two or more storeys whether setback requirements

are complied with and building height doesn’t exceed 8.5 metres.

Under the proposed changes, neighbours would not need to be notified.

Under the existing DCP, DAs for secondary dwellings where setbacks and building height are complied with had to be notified to neighbours with a 14-day submission period.

The proposed changes would remove this requirement, so granny flats, for instance, could be built without notification. “The review of the notification requirements contained in Chapter 1.2 of WDCP 2013 and Chapter 7.3 of Gosford DCP 2013 has identified an opportunity to develop a single set of requirements for the notification of development applications across the Central Coast Local Government Area,� the report said.

The existing chapter of the GDCP will be amended, rather than a new unified chapter written, because Council is not permitted to have two separate DCPs applying to the same land.

“In order to achieve a consistent single approach to notification, and until such time as a single consolidated DCP is adopted for the Central Coast LGA, Council with need to amend existing DCPs of the two former Councils.�

According to the report, the proposed amended chapter will have a “simple and easy to understand table format identifying the notification procedure for land uses. “The amended Notification Chapter also addressed issues raised by residents and applicants in the past including: how Council will notify modified applications and application reviews; how Council will notify DAs that fall outside of the DCP such as Designated, Integrated and Complying Development; and, clear guidance on the extent, type and form that notification will take.�

Source: Agenda item 2.6, Apr 26 Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council

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NEWS PAGE 11 MAY 4, 2017

Feedback sought on combined single dwelling development control plans

Currently two different sets of planning controls apply to dwellings across the two former Local Government Areas.

Under the NSW Department of Planning and Environment issued Guidance for merged Councils on planning functions, amalgamated Councils must look for differences and inconsistencies in these controls and also look for opportunities to harmonise them.

Council administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the community was looking for consistency in planning rules across the Coast and this plan would deliver that for housing. “This Plan will harmonise planning controls for single dwellings across the Coast only, not for multi-unit developments,� Mr Reynolds

said. “More consistent housing development controls will help reduce development application turn-around times, align terminology, reduce and simplify the information needed, basically cut red tape and make it really clear what residents can and cannot build on their property. “We want to align the controls so the same rules apply for homeowners across the Coast.�

The Draft Housing Development Control Plan will shortly go out on exhibition and residents are encouraged to review the proposed changes and have their say via Council’s Your Voice Our Coast website.

At the March ordinary council meeting, administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, resolved to endorse the exhibition of the draft amended chapter 2.1 of Development Control Plan 2013 for the Wyong Shire and Chapter 3.1 of the Gosford 2013 DCP. The public exhibition will be for a period of 28 days.

Under the provisions of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, Council is not permitted to have two separate development control plans applying to the same land.

Until such a time as a single consolidated DCP is adopted

by Central Coast Council, the DCPs of the former councils will need to be retained. “This means that if the proposal proceeds, the WDCP 2013 and GDCP 2013 will still both have a housing chapter, however the controls in each housing chapter will be aligned.

According to a report to the administrator, the proposed alignment of the two DCPs involves changes to the site coverage, rear, front and side setbacks, building heights and car parking.

A site coverage control is not currently used under the existing GDCP but other controls, such as floor space ratio and landscape area, have been relied on to achieve the desired outcome.

The WDCP, on the other hand,

required a maximum of 60 per cent site coverage on lots with an area less than 250 square metres and 65 per cent on lots with areas greater than 250 square metres.

The proposed DCP would require a maximum of 60 per cent on lots less than 450 square metres, 50 per cent on lots of between 450 and 900 square metres, and 40 per cent on lot sizes of 900 to 1,500 square metres.

In terms of front setbacks, the GDCP required six metres, Wyong required 4.5 metres and the proposed alignment would be for 4.5 metres or “as per adjacent dwellings�.

Rear setbacks in the GDCP will change from three metres to six metres for up to 4.5 metre height, and 3 metres for more than 4.5 metres height.

The GDCP rear setbacks for outbuildings have been three metres, or 900mm if the building height is less than four metres and the building floor area is less than 20 square metres.

The draft proposal would change this to 0.5 metres plus

one quarter of the height of the building above 3.8 metres for buildings from 0.5 metres, which is an adoption of the existing Wyong provision.

Under the former Gosford DCP, outbuilding areas were limited to 60 square metres which will be changed to a sliding scale similar to that of the existing Wyong DCP. Outbuildings on land less than 600 square metres can be 45 square metres in size.

If the block is between 600 and 700 square metres, the outbuilding can be 60 square metres.

Under the proposed aligned DCP provisions, blocks of land between 700 and 800 square metres can have outbuildings up to 75 square metres; blocks 800 to 900 square metres in size can have out buildings up to 85 square metres, and lots above 900 square metres could have outbuildings up to 100 square metres in size.

The building height for outbuildings and detached ancillary development in the former Gosford LGA will be reduced under the proposed

alignment of the DCPs from five metres to 4.8 (as per the former WDCP).

The GDCP required two car parking spaces for residential developments with a floor area of 125 square metres or more.

The aligned version will require two car spaces per three bedrooms, in line with the former WDCP requirement.

Some of the elements that cannot be aligned and will remain as per the existing GDCP are house building height which will stay at 8.5 metres (generally) in residential areas (as opposed to 10 metres under the WDCP); floor space ratio which will stay at 0.5 to 1, and foreshore building lines which will remain six metres for single storey dwellings and 10 metres for two-storey houses.

Source: Media release, Mar 22 Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council Agenda item 2.4 Housing DCP review, Mar 22, Central Coast Council ordinary meeting

Notice of Planning Assessment Commission Meeting Calga Sand Quarry MOD 3 Crushing System The Department of Planning and Environment (DP&E) has completed its assessment of the above proposal. The application has been referred to the Planning Assessment Commission (the Commission) for determination, under the terms of the Minister’s delegation.

The Commission to determine the application comprises Mr Stephen O’Connor (chair), Mr Paul Forward and Dr Maurice Evans.

Due to the level of public interest in the proposal, the Commission will be meeting to hear public views on the Assessment Report and recommendation, prior to determining WKH SURSRVDO 7KLV LV D Ć“QDO RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU LQWHUHVWHG SDUWLHV WR FRPPHQW RQ WKH '3 (Ĺ?V assessment and recommended conditions of approval, before a decision is made.

The Commission meeting is scheduled to commence at 2:30pm on Thursday, 25 May 2017 at the Peats Ridge Public School Community Hall, 1231 Peats Ridge Road, Peats Ridge NSW 2250. The meeting is open to the public to observe the proceedings. ,I \RX ZLVK WR FRPPHQW RQ WKH '3 (Ĺ?V UHFRPPHQGDWLRQ DW WKH PHHWLQJ \RX PXVW UHJLVWHU WR VSHDN E\ FRQWDFWLQJ Philippa Vale on (02) 9383 2115 before 1pm, Tuesday, 23 May 2017.

The Assessment Report (including recommendation) is available on the Commission’s website www.pac.nsw.gov.au (reference: Calga Sand Quarry MOD 3 Crushing System – D464/17). Other documents associated with the application are available on the DP&E’s website via majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au (reference: DA 94-42004 MOD 3).

NSW Planning Assessment Commission /HYHO (OL]DEHWK 6WUHHW 6\GQH\ 16: Email: pac@pac.nsw.gov.au

Please note that any information provided to the Commission may be published on the Commission’s website, unless it contains a clear statement that you do not want it to be made public. For documents provided by individuals, personal contact details, other than names, will be removed from the document before it is published. However personal information is sometimes provided to relevant government departments.

Before writing to the Commission, please read the Commission’s Privacy Statement which is available at www.pac.nsw.gov.au or by calling (02) 9383 2100.

For more information: Enquiries Alana Jelfs (02) 9383 2107.

A06583

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ouncil is seeking c o m m u n i t y feedback on a plan to align housing development controls across the Central Coast.

PAGE 12 MAY 4, 2017

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Extraordinary Council meeting to consider draft budget and Operational Plan

Fire Levy to be added to rates notices instead of home T insurance premiums

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entral Coast Council, along with all NSW councils, will be required to collect the Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL) from property owners alongside rates, on behalf of the NSW Government, from July 1.

Currently, only insured property owners contribute directly to the funding for NSW Fire and Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service, to protect the community from fire, floods and other natural disasters as part of their premiums.

As a result, NSW property owners who insure their properties are subsidising households who don’t purchase home and contents insurance.

Central Coast Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the levy, to be paid by all

property owners, and collected

by Council, will be clearly identified as a separate item on the rates notice. “The amount of the Fire and Emergency Service Levy for each property will be set by the NSW Government and determined by land classifications and unimproved land values,� Mr Reynolds said. “The NSW Valuer General is responsible for determining unimproved land values, while councils identify which land classification properties fall into.�

To introduce the FESL, the NSW Valuer General has recently completed a review of all land values in NSW, including the Central Coast.

This aligns all NSW properties with a single valuation base date so the FESL can be applied more equitably.

Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the levy, whilst billed and collected by Council,

will be passed on straight to the NSW Government to fund fire and emergency services.

A letter explaining the new levy will be sent to all Central Coast Council ratepayers with their April rates notice.

Ratepayers will also receive a letter from the NSW Valuer General detailing their new land value.

The NSW Government will provide an online calculator so property owners can compare the new levy with the amount they currently pay through their insurance.

The new land values must also be used for levying Council’s rates from 1 July 2017, meaning there may be an impact on some ratepayers’ rates despite the ‘rate path freeze’ set by the NSW Government for merged Councils.

Source: Media release, Apr 26 Central Coast Council media

he community will have 30 days to make submissions if Central Coast Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, approves the exhibition of a draft Operational Plan for 2017-18.

Central Coast Council will hold an Extraordinary Council meeting on Monday, May 15 to approve the exhibition of the draft plan and budget for

2017-18.

The meeting will be held at the council’s Wyong chambers at 5:30pm.

The Operational Plan incorporates the actions Council proposes to undertake during the next financial year including setting a budget, fees and charges, as well as detailing a capital works program to deliver infrastructure and services to the community.

If the draft plan is approved for exhibition, submissions will

be sought from the community during a 30 day consultation period.

All submissions will be considered prior to the adoption of the final plan and budget at the June ordinary meeting.

The meeting will be open to the public and can also be viewed live on council’s YouTube channel.

Source: Media release, May 2 Central Coast Council media

Cyber Security Strategy of benefit to all

F

ederal Member for Robertson, Ms Lucy Wicks, said the Central Coast community was more cyber secure as the Government marked the one-year launching anniversary of Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy.

“Governments, businesses and individuals all have an important role to ensure Australia’s cyber security,� Ms Wicks said.

“Cybercrime is the most visible and damaging aspect of the cyber threat for the majority of internet users on the Central Coast. “According to the Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy first annual update, almost twothirds of organisations in Australia detected a businessinterrupting security breach at least once a month last year. “That’s why the Government is putting more digital cops on the beat and working closely with partners to understand how to counter cybercriminals.

“We have been delivering key initiatives from the Cyber Security Strategy to further enhance cyber security and to position Australia to take advantage of a safer digital world. “We are also improving education and pathways for young people so they can target a career in the growing field of cyber security,� said Ms Wicks.

Source: Media release, Apr 21 Tim Sowden, Office of Lucy Wicks

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NEWS PAGE 13 MAY 4, 2017

Bill Shorten visits the Coast State Government legislates to transfer Crown Lands to Councils

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ash strapped Councils may be tempted into selling off highly valuable showgrounds once they come onto their books under changes to Crown Land laws, according to Shadow Minister for Lands, Mr Mick Veitch MLC. The new Crown Lands Management Act 2016 signals an escalation of efforts to transfer a wide range of Crown Land, including showgrounds, community halls and sporting clubs, to local Councils and other government agencies.

There are164 showgrounds in NSW located on Crown Land, around 85 per cent of all showgrounds in the State.

Labor echoed concerns raised by the Agricultural Societies Council (ASC) of NSW, the peak body for agricultural shows in the State, over “lousy” laws that could put pressure on the future of many country showgrounds.

ASC President, Mr David Peters, said the government’s new Crown Lands legislation would “Open the doors for showgrounds to be potentially sold off and slated for other development”.

“Country shows are a quintessential part of regional towns, and also help form the heart and soul of larger shows like the Sydney Royal Easter

Show.

“NSW Labor sought to move amendments to the Crown Lands Bill in 2016 that would have prevented Councils reclassifying Crown Land as ‘operational’ land that could be sold off,” Mr Veitch said.

The Liberal-National Government also rejected amendments that would have prevented Crown Land from being shifted to other Government agencies like Property NSW, which is now controversially selling off public housing.

“The future of historic tracts of land, like commons, are also coming under threat, with the government proposing new legislation to repeal laws governing the use of these lands.

“Showgrounds, commons and community halls were set aside for good reason, to ensure we have appropriate public land for a range of recreational, social and agricultural purposes.

“Some Councils will be eyeing off many strategically located showgrounds across country NSW, and looking at them as an income source, not a community asset.

“This is yet another example of the National Party failing rural and regional communities,” Mr Veitch said.

Gosford Showground Trust Chair, Ms Roma Stonestreet, has not been advised of

any alteration to legislation currently in operation at the Gosford Showground.

However, Minster for Lands, Mr Paul Toole, said the NSW Government has no plans to sell off Crown Land that is of state significance.

“Showgrounds play an integral role in regional towns across NSW and I greatly value the commitment of the community volunteers who manage Crown land.

“The NSW Government remains committed to ensuring showgrounds continue to be properly managed for regional communities to enjoy,” Mr Toole said.

“While the Crown Land Management Act 2016 allows for locally significant Crown land to be transferred, this option will only be available to councils through entirely voluntary negotiations.

“It’s important to remember that most land transferred to councils will be classified as ‘community land’ under the Local Government Act, which means it is subject to stringent conditions and cannot be sold,” he added.

Mr Bill Shorten and Ms Anne Charlton on site

L

Source: Media release, Apr 20, Mick Veitch, Shadow Minister for Lands Media statement, May 2 Roma Stonestreet, Gosford Showground Trust Media statement, May 2 Lucy Brennan, office of Paul Toole Dilon Luke, Journalist

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abor’s candidate for Robertson, Ms Anne Charlton, joined Labor leader, Mr Bill Shorten, and Senator for NSW, Ms Deborah O’Neill, on April 19, to reaffirm Labor’s commitment to support local manufacturing job creation and deliver better access to affordable healthcare.

Ms Charlton joined Mr Shorten and Sen O’Neill for a tour of the CSR Hebel manufacturing plant in Somersby.

CSR Hebel employs 118 workers and will soon be the largest aerated concrete manufacturer in the world.

However, the manufacturer will likely face energy bill increases of 25 per cent, year on year.

Mr Shorten used the opportunity to warn of a growing crisis for manufacturing jobs in Australia.

“The price of gas is going up and up and up” Mr Shorten said.

“The truth is this; Australian gas belongs to Australians and Australian companies.

“They should get the opportunity to buy it first” Mr Shorten said.

“We don’t want to see the future jobs growth of blue collar jobs, manufacturing jobs, Australian jobs, jeopardised because we’ve got a federal government too weak to stand up to gas companies.”

Ms Charlton joined Mr Shorten’s call for affordable gas supplies and more local job creation.

“Local manufacturers, like this one, need the security of an affordable gas supply to keep their doors open and employ more locals,” Ms Charlton said.

“In March the ABS revealed that the Central Coast shed more jobs, with youth unemployment rising by 0.7 per cent to 15.6 per cent in February.

“Unemployment also continued its stubborn high of 5.3 per cent in February.

“The ‘Jobs and Growth’ slogan of Mr Turnbull from the last election campaign has been exposed as all talk but no action,” Ms Charlton said “Locals want to see a representative who fights and delivers jobs for our community not a government of sloganeers,” she added.

Mr Shorten, Ms Charlton and Sen O’Neill then joined local health professionals including representatives from Brisbane Waters Private Hospital, local nurses and GP’s to discuss health issues affecting the region.

“Labor’s commitment to Medicare is ironclad and we are determined to deliver affordable healthcare for the Central Coast,” Ms Charlton said.

Source: Media release, Apr 19 Anne Charlton, Labor candidate for Robertson

PAGE 14 MAY 4, 2017

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Community consultation period for Peat Island extended to at least three months

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The Planning Proposal, seeking to rezone the land to permit a mix of residential, community, environmental recreation and employment uses, has been referred to the Department of Planning for a gateway determination following the Central Coast Council meeting on March 22.

Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, assured the

community that the referral was just the start of what may be a very long process with a great deal of community consultation before there is any rezoning at or in the vicinity of Peat Island.

“This is just the first step, the beginning of a potential rezoning,” Mr Reynolds said.

“The planning proposal will go to the Department of Planning and Environment for what the legislation calls a “gateway determination”, and if there is a gateway determination, then the proposal goes out for formal public exhibition, and this is when the community has the formal opportunity to comment on the proposal,’ Mr Reynolds said.

“In my view, any such exhibition should be at least three times as long as the

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dministrator of Central Coast Council, Mr Ian Reynolds, has decided to discontinue a planning proposal that had been under consideration by Gosford Council since 2011.

A

Proposed land use changes for Peat Island

he community consultation period to examine the planning proposal for Peat Island and surrounds will be extended to at least three months, and a decision ultimately made by the newly-elected Central Coast Council.

Academy of Yoga Science planning proposal rejected but the business can continue to operate

normal period to ensure that there is sufficient time for public assessment and input,” he said.

“I have indicated that community information sessions need to be held in the local area during the exhibition period.

“I have also made it clear, in the resolution, that any final decision will be made by a future elected Council, rather than by me as the Administrator.”

The site is owned by the State Government, with the first proposal for a rezoning lodged with the former Gosford Council in August 2014.

Key changes which have been incorporated in the new proposal included the reduction of residential dwelling numbers to 268 dwellings; reduction of building heights from 17 metres to 12 metres; and the amount of land dedicated to national park increased from 2.6 hectares to 11.3.

Publicly accessible open space has also been increased from two to 10 hectares.

The revised proposal will provide opportunities for public access to new areas of the foreshore and Peat Island that are not currently available.

The proposal will now be referred to the Department of Planning requesting a gateway determination.

Source: Media release, Mar 22 Central Coast Council media

The proposal was to rezone land to allow for the expansion of an existing Academy of Yoga Science (AYS) on Mangrove Creek Rd, Mangrove Creek.

Mr Reynolds resolved to discontinue preparation of the planning proposal on the grounds that it was inconsistent with a Ministerial Direction on planning for bushfire prone land.

He adopted the recommendations in a staff report that stated that any consequential development on the site would pose a potential risk to life and property.

“The proposal has been unable to adequately address the objections and issues raised by NSW State Government agencies,” the staff report said, particularly the NSW Rural Fire Service and NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.

According to the report, “The Academy of Yoga Science operates on an isolated site in Mangrove Creek.

“In 1983, an enabling clause was inserted in an Interim Development Order (IDO 122 Gosford) to permit a recreation establishment in a conservation and scenic protection zone.”

IDO 122 defined a recreation establishment as including a health farm, religious retreat, rest home and the like.

The enabling clause made permissible, with consent, the establishment of the AYS on the two lots in question.

“Subsequent to the amendment of the IDO122 in 1983, the AYS purchased three adjoining lots not covered by the enabling clause to accommodate an expanded operation.

“This expanded business is now an accredited provider by the NSW Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board and includes teaching of yoga, including by correspondence, site visitation / accommodation, retreats and festivals.”

In October 2011, a planning proposal was lodged to use two existing lots, and add three lots, for use as an educational establishment under the IDO 122, and in March, 2012, Gosford Council resolved to support the proposal.

That May, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment issued a gateway determination which has had three extensions, up to the last in May, 2015.

The land was zoned E2 Environmental Conservation in the Gosford Local Environmental Plan which came into effect in 2014, and so the planning proposal was amended to have the land rezoned to SP2 Educational Establishment, including accommodation and associated recreational

Source: Agenda item, Apr 26 Central Coast Council ordinary meeting

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activities.

The gateway determination required consideration of directions in relation to bushfire hazard and environmental issues, and required consultation with the NSW Rural Fire Service and Office of Environment and Heritage.

Further amendments were made, including reductions of the area to be rezoned, and retention of an E2 zone in an effort to address RFS concerns.

“Council and the applicant have explored a variety of options for the site, however the RFS cannot support the planning proposal in any form,” the report to Mr Reynolds said.

“In their review, the RFS identified that the development constitutes a Special Fire Protection Purpose development, and that support of the planning proposal cannot be provided due to the isolation of the site and the increased occupation and use of the land which is classified as bushfire prone.

“On this basis, the planning proposal cannot be progressed beyond the government agency consultation phase under Section 56 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.”

The report said the business will continue in its current form and scale in accordance with any development consents which have been issued.

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Mr Colin Gellatly AO, Mr John Gordon and Mr Carl Millington, have been appointed after responding to an Expression of Interest process to join the Committee.

Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the Committee would help provide a foundation for sound decision making in Council, and a vehicle to help deliver improvements in how Council delivers services to the community.

“We had over 50 applications for membership of this Committee, and the quality of the applicants was very good.

“These three people really stood out,” Mr Reynolds said.

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to appoint such highly skilled and widely respected community

members to this Committee.”

Dr Colin Gellatly has had a long and distinguished career in the public service, including as Director General of the Premiers Department.

He also has extensive experience in local government, most recently as the Chair of Newcastle City Council’s Audit and Risk Committee.

Dr Gellatly has also been appointed Chair of the Committee.

Mr John Gordon has spent the last 40 years practising as a Chartered Accountant, Certified Practising Accountant and Chartered Secretary, specialising in audit, risk management and corporate governance.

Mr Carl Milligan is a senior audit and assurance partner in a Charted Accounting firm in Sydney and has held a number of senior roles on the Local Government Auditors’ Association of NSW. “Their extensive experience in local government and financial matters will hold the new committee in good stead, and I look forward to working with them to deliver positive results for Council and

the community,” Mr Reynolds added.

Administrator, Ian Reynolds, and CEO, Rob Noble, will make up the two other positions on the Committee until the election of the new Council in September.

According to the Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Mr Scot MacDonald, “Having Dr Col Gellatly chair Central Coast Council’s audit committee is a smart move.

“Dr Gellatly has had extensive experience in the public sector at the highest levels.

“The new Council's financial systems and obligations are large and complex.

“Having a diligent Audit and Risk committee is critical to governance.

“Administrative processes and security can always be improved, and it is wise to have effective oversight looking for flaws and misuse of tax payers assets."

Source: Media release, Apr 26 Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council Media statement, May 1 Kit Hale, office of Scot MacDonald

Investors help drive high levels of interest in commercial property

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o m m e r c i a l property on the Central Coast has benefited from high levels of interest from self-managed superannuation fund investors.

Brett Hunter of Raine and Horne Commercial, Erina, said healthy demand on the Central Coast market was being driven by a variety of factors that included large volumes of commercial tenants who wanted to own their premises, low interest rates, and strong interest in commercial property among self-managed

super funds.

Yields for prime Central Coast retail, industrial and office property with strong tenants and long-term leases, were from five to six per cent.

These yields were down from seven to eight per cent this time last year, and were expected to remain largely unchanged during 2017.

Vacancy rates varied according to the type of property, sitting at low levels for retail, and rising slightly for industrial, while remaining high for office properties.

The vast majority (90 per cent) of properties being sold were established buildings

and virtually all sales (upwards of 95 per cent) are conducted by private treaty.

As a key driver of the market, self-managed super funds were highly active in the Coast’s commercial market, particularly in the under-$2 million price range.

Trustees were typically hoping to secure yields of four per cent or better.

Some of the best picks in the area were industrial properties with low yields, leased to blue chip tenants.

Source: Media release, May 1 Brett Hunter, Raine and Horne Commercial, Erina

NEWS PAGE 15 MAY 4, 2017

Tesch greeted with bipartisan cheers

Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee members appointed ouncil has formally appointed three independent members to its inaugural Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee to oversee all Council’s operations, including compliance, financial management and governance.

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Liesl Tesch enjoying the occasion of her Swearing In as the new Member for Gosford

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he Lower House of the NSW Parliament erupted with cheers in a bipartisan show of support as Ms Liesl Tesch AM was sworn in as the member for Gosford on Tuesday, May 2.

Seven time Paralympian, Ms Tesch, was elected to the NSW Parliament in the Gosford by-election to fill the seat of Ms Kathy Smith MP, who was forced to retire due to ill health.

Considered one of the most marginal seats in the state with a 0.2 per cent lead for Labor prior to the election, Ms Tesch brought home a swing of over 11 per cent.

The popular high school teacher from Woy Woy is the first wheelchair parliamentarian elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly.

An active advocate for the region and social justice, Ms Tesch has wasted no time in immersing herself in her new role.

Before even receiving keys to her new office or being placed on the payroll, so to speak, she was already talking to community leaders about issues such as homeless veterans in the region.

Ms Tesch was excited as she wheeled through the foyer of Parliament House ready to take her oath to serve the people of Gosford and NSW. Source: Event notes, May 2 NSW Legislative Assembly Noel Fisher, Photo journalist

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PAGE 16 MAY 4, 2017

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STL launches coast wide campaign for local government elections

Tuggerah Lakes was the original focus of STL

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he re-branded Save Tuggerah Lakes Party has launched its campaign for the September local government election naming a candidate in each of the five Central Coast Council wards.

The former Wyong LGA organisation has re-branded itself as STL Save Our Waterways to give it broader

appeal and a wider area of interest.

“The only locally-registered political party will be contesting each of the five wards across the Coast,” Mr Taylor said.

Mr Pat Aiken will run as STL’s candidate in the Gosford East ward and Mr Carl Veugen, a former Wyong STL councillor and Umina resident, will stand for the Gosford West ward.

Former Wyong councillors, Mr Lloyd Taylor and Mr Adam

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Troy, will contest The Entrance and Wyong wards respectively.

Ms Helaine Taylor, a nurse and Toukley resident, is standing for Budgewoi Ward.

This is the first time a locally registered party has contested seats across the new Central Coast Council local government area.

The party held its launch at the Wamberal Beach ruins, which it said were a symbol of the problems of the Coast and the need for a fresh approach.

“STL wants to build on the achievements of our last term on Wyong Council,” Mr Taylor said.

“Whilst water quality in the Lakes improved, there is much more to be done,” he said.

“The job in the southern part of the Coast to clean up the mess left by the outgoing Gosford Council is immense,” Mr Aiken said.

Mr Troy, who is the party’s leader said: “As someone who’s born and bred on the Coast, I am proud to lead this team of locals determined to clean up the Coast.

“Our platform is to clean up the Coast, by fixing our roads, by fixing the $1.4 billion Gosford asset write down, and by cleaning up our waterways,” Mr Troy said.

“We will be out and about over the next few weeks, talking to locals about their views to incorporate into our detailed policies.”

Source: Media release, Mar 29 Adam Troy, STL

Greens raise the fate of remaining Gosford School land in Parliament

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hile local Central Coast politicians have remained silent about the imminent fate of the remaining Gosford Public School land, NSW Greens Member of the Legislative Council, Mr David Shoebridge, has posed questions in Parliament about the use of some of the land.

He questioned the use of land by Doma on the former Gosford Public School site and the Crown Land ‘paper road’ known as the Baker Street extension.

Mr Shoebridge asked: “Is the Doma Group paying the government to lease the land at the old Gosford School site while they are using it for equipment storage?

“If so, which department is the money going to and what is the amount paid per week?” he said.

The question was asked of the Minister for Primary

IndustriesMr Niall Blair.

Mr Blair’s response was that the former school was not located on crown land administered under the Crown Land Act 1989, but currently held in freehold title by Property NSW. He said the question was a matter for the Finance Minister, Mr Victor Dominello.

Mr Blair’s response did not address the use of the Baker St extension, previously used as part of the Leagues Club Field and fenced off when the ATO construction commenced.

Mr Shoebridge’s office said they intended to ask the question again of Mr Dominello.

The fate of the remainder of the school land still hangs in the balance.

Property for NSW told Coast Community News on March 8 that the Request for Tender to purchase the remainder of the land, incorporating the DAapproved NSW Department of Finance building, was “at an advanced stage and expected to be announced shortly”.

All local politicians, from both the major parties, have gone silent about the land’s fate.

The land was clearly earmarked in the Our City Our Destiny Masterplan as in the area identified for arts and entertainment.

Coast Community News has reviewed the 2012 Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE) submitted as part of the development application to move the school from Gosford to Faunce St. “The proposed development is for the relocation of Gosford Public School to facilitate the implementation of the master plan vision for the waterfront and associated arts and entertainment precinct.”

Source: Transcript, May 1 David Shoebridge, NSW Member of the Legislative Council Statement of Environmental Effects, March 2012, BBC Consulting Planners Jackie Pearson, journalist

Ecovillage a step closer to Australia’s best communityowned energy network

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key element of the Narara Ecovillage’s ‘smart grid’, a $165,000 tapchange transformer, arrived at the village in late April.

According to the Ecovillage Project Director, Mr John Talbott, the arrival heralds the village’s next step towards producing the smartest and cleanest community owned energy network in Australia.

The development of the smart grid, including the purchase of the transformer, has been made possible by a grant of $965,000 from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The ecovillage’s power will come entirely from solar photovoltaic panels, mounted both on private homes and on

community buildings.

The ecovillage’s smart grid will then calculate how much power should be used, and how much should be stored, or returned to the grid.

It will do this by predicting both future demand and the amount of energy that will be produced by the solar panels.

The system will even take into account changing weather conditions like cloudy days and can export surplus energy back to the State-owned grid.

All of this will be made possible by the newly arrived transformer.

Ms Lyndall Parris, ecovillage founder, welcomed the funds.

“We’re so thrilled to have secured the grant from ARENA,” she said.

“The smart grid is a fundamental requirement of

our goal to be a ‘leading-edge’ sustainable community and will supply the power needed for normal home use, charging electric vehicles, supporting small businesses and even treating our own water on-site.

“One day we may even be able to sell power to the neighbours,” she added.

ARENA CEO, Mr Ivor Frischknecht, said, “While direct savings in energy costs will benefit the members of the Narara Ecovillage community, the knowledge gained in developing these advanced and cutting edge technologies will benefit many other towns and communities around Australia in moving to a sustainable future.”

Source: Newsletter, May 1 Lyndall Parris, Narara Ecovillage

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NEWS PAGE 17 MAY 4, 2017

Bipartisan welcome to reversal of cuts to legal aid centres

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ederal Member for Robertson, Ms Lucy Wicks, said she welcomed the further injection of funding by the Coalition Government to the legal assistance sector as part of the 2017-18 Budget.

The Turnbull Government will provide a further $55.7 million, over the next three years, to Community Legal Centres (CLS) ($39 million) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSIL) ($16.7 million). “$1.73 billion is now going to Legal Aid Commissions, Community Legal Centres and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services over five years to 2020, which is more than ever before,” Ms Wicks said.

Ms Wicks said the additional funding to Community Legal Centres would be directed to frontline family law and family violence services.

“This is the latest in a series of commitments made by this government to support the work of the legal assistance sector and women and children affected by family violence.

“As the national conversation on domestic and family violence continues, more people are coming forward to seek a range of assistance measures and the Turnbull Government has listened and responded,” Ms Wicks said.

The funding announcement builds on the Turnbull Government’s existing additional investment of $45 million for frontline legal assistance and family law services as part of the $100 million Women’s Safety Package and $100 Million Third Action Plan.

The funding allocation will be finalised with the states and territories under the National Partnership Agreement.

In addition, Ms Wicks said the government is providing

$16.7 million over the next three years to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.

“The Government is committed to achieving real and positive change in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, including by providing culturally appropriate access to justice,” Ms Wicks concluded.

Gosford solicitor and current NSW Law Society President, Ms Pauline Wright, welcomed the Federal Government’s budget commitment.

Ms Wright said the commitment would help address chronic funding shortfalls that have plunged the sector into crisis.

“CLCs are the go–to emergency legal service for people who cannot otherwise access or afford help,” Ms Wright said.

“People in personal turmoil, including those facing family violence, people who find themselves in severe debt with no options other than for legal aid, and people confronting a crisis in housing, turn to CLCs for help every day.

“ATSILS also provides vital frontline services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

“It is a first port of call for crisis advice for people living in remote or regional areas who otherwise have nowhere else to turn.”

Ms Wright said that while CLCs helped hundreds of thousands of people every year, chronic underfunding forced them to turn away 34,000 disadvantaged and vulnerable people in NSW last financial year, leading to further unmanageable pressures on already underfunded courts and police.

According to Ms Wright, the scheduled plans to cut funding in July would have sent shockwaves through the sector.

“The Federal Government’s previous plans to slash

millions of dollars from CLCs would have amounted to a 30 per cent shortfall, resulting in job losses and thousands more desperate people being left without legal advice,” Ms Wright said.

In a media statement, NSW Senator, Deborah O’Neill, joined the Central Coast Community Legal Centre in noting the government’s “long overdue” decision to end the “devastating cuts” planned for July 1.

According to Sen O’Neill, the government had committed to cut Central Coast Legal Centre’s funding by 30 per cent, which would have decimated legal advice services for some of the Central Coast’s most vulnerable residents.

The government announced its decision to reverse these cuts in late April.

“For the past three years this government has held these services to ransom” Sen O’Neill said.

“Shadow Attorney General, Mr Mark Dreyfus, and community legal centres across the country, have been crying out for these cuts to be reversed since their inception.

“This government has come back with its tail between its legs,” Sen O’Neill said.

According to Sen O’Neill, this funding announcement also carries a high degree of uncertainty, because it is reliant on ratification by states and territories under the National Partnership Agreement.

“This funding is still not set in stone,” Sen O’Neill said.

Source: Media release, Apr 24 Tim Sowden, office of Lucy Wicks MP Media release, Apr 28 Marianna Papadakis, Law Society of New South Wales Media statement, May 3 Rhys Zorro, office of Deborah O’Neill Dilon Luke, Journalist

Other Regional News - In brief Coast Community News focuses on news specifically relating to post code areas 2250, 2251 & 2260. Given the advent of a Central Coast Council, following is a

summary of news articles published in the most recent edition of each of our sister Central Coast publications.

The full articles and more, as well as all previously published editions, can be seen on line on our website

www.CentralCoastNews.net Copies of these other publications may be obtained from our offices in Gosford, by subscription, or from a myriad of locations in the areas covered by each publication.

Issue 115 April 26, 2017

Your independent community newspaper - Ph: 4325 7369

Strategic Plan is your chance to have your say about the Coast’s future Residents young and old from every one of the Central Coast’s diverse and interconnected communities, are being asked to contribute to the first ever combined Central Coast Council

Rezoning request by quarry owner likely to be rejected A request by the owner of Crangan Bay Quarry to rezone 79 hectares of land, was expected to be declined by Central Coast Council at its ordinary meeting on April 26.

Menindee Ridge residential housing development celebrates three years of We Care Uniting will launch their Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land winter charity drive, May-B-Baby, Council (LALC) has celebrated this May. three years since the first concrete slab was laid at its Menindee Ridge residential housing development.

Uniting Church launches winter charity drive May-B-Baby

Submissions sought The community has until May 15 to make submissions in response to an amended planning proposal for the proposed Education and Business Precinct at 30 Jack Grant Ave, Warnervale.

Residents’ meeting calls for more EPA air pollution monitoring A heated community meeting of residents who live near the Eraring and Vales Point power stations has called for the NSW Government to get serious about monitoring air pollution from coalfired power Changes proposed The process of harmonising the development controls of the former Wyong and Gosford Councils continues, with a review of how development applications are publicly notified being the

Attempt made to entice Google HQ to Warnervale

Old Mardi Farm retail tourist village proposal not to proceed

Google Australia should consider moving its Head Quarters to Warnervale, according to State Member for Wyong, Mr David Harris.

A planning proposal to enable the development of a retail tourist village on the Old Mardi Farm site was expected to be discontinued by Central Coast Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, at

Wyong Regional Chronicle focuses on news specifically relating to post code areas 2258, 2259, 2261, 2262, & 2263. The full articles and more can be seen on our website www.centralcoastnews.net

e Frkeeone!

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1 May 2017

Edition 418

Peninsula exhibitors win at Royal Easter Show Ms Chrissy Fitzgerald of Umina has won the Best Baby Puppy of Breed title for her Finnish Lapphund Baby Puppy Bitch in the dogs section of the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Free morning activities

Flying fox colony at Everglades

Sandstone steps to be installed on coastal walk

A new grey-headed flying fox colony has Striking sandstone steps will be part of been established near the Everglades an upgrade of the coastal walk at Bouddi Country Club, close to food sources in both National Park. the Bouddi and Brisbane Water National Parks.

Fox bait warning

Rotary presents Opera proceeds

The Peninsula Community Centre will Pet owners have been warned that a The Rotary Club of Woy Woy has host free morning activities from 10am on fox baiting program will be undertaken in presented funds to beneficiaries of its 12th May 10 for Neighbourhood Centre Week Bouddi National Park during May. Opera in the Arboretum. and National Families Week.

Council website lists 60 Peninsula projects More than 60 council roads and drains projects have been or will be undertaken on the Peninsula this financial year, according to a new Central Coast Council website.

Rotary provides early morning tea and biscuits

New president for community group

The Rotary Club of Woy Woy provided Ms Cathy Gleeson is the new president of early morning cups of tea and Anzac the Bays Community Group. biscuits at the Woy Woy Anzac Day dawn service.

The full articles and more can be seen on line on our website www.CentralCoastNews. net They can also be seen on www.PeninsulaNews.info

PAGE 18 ONTTHEBEAT MAY 4, 2017

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Police are looking for these two males

Missing group of bushwalkers located safe and well

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missing group of bushwalkers were located safe and well in the Dhurang National Park, Mangrove Mountain.

Just before 9:00am, Thursday, April 27, a 72-yearold female, 69-year-old male and 65-year-old female set out on a walk through the Dhurang National Park, Mangrove Mountain.

They informed family members of their expected return time.

When they did not return by the allocated time, family members contacted police.

A search and rescue operation commenced.

Shortly after 9:00pm, the police rescue helicopter crew sighted a fire in bushland in

the search area.

The search team located the missing walkers at 11:37pm, sitting around the fire.

The walkers were checked

by NSW Ambulance personnel and did not require medical assistance.

They were later re-united with their families.

Source: Media release, Apr 28 NSW Police Media

Two men to face court over two robberies

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wo men will face court charged in relation to robberies that occurred in Gosford

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risbane Water Police are currently investigating a stealing incident which occurred at a licensed premise in Erina at approximately 3:39pm on Tuesday, April 4.

Police are seeking the assistance of the community to identify the persons of interest depicted in the attached images who are described as: Person of Interest 1: Male,

approximately 20 years old, Caucasian appearance, short/ shaven brown hair, small build wearing grey hooded jacket and light coloured shorts and, Person of Interest 2: Male, approximately 20 years old, Caucasian appearance, small build wearing black/white hate, black hooded jacket, and khaki coloured shorts.

Source: Website, Apr 28 Brisbane Water LAC Facebook page

Anyone with information about these incidents should call

Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page:

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NSW Police released CCTV footage of the man after he robbed Morisset McDonalds in March, where we threatened the store manager before stealing a sum of cash.

Lake Macquarie LAC officers attended the scene and

Source: Media release, Apr 28 NSW Police Media

http://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/ Information provided will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

Hamburglar apprehended risbane Water LAC have apprehended the Coast and Lake Macquarie’s own Hamburglar after photos of the man, who robbed several McDonalds outlets within both regions, were circulated online.

At about 3:30am Saturday, April 22, a man was waiting for a taxi in Mann St, Gosford, when he was approached by a group of three men.

A conversation took place before the three men allegedly assaulted the man.

The group took the man’s wallet, watch, shoes and belt.

The group approached a

second man who was seated on the platform at Gosford Railway Station.

A conversation took place before the group allegedly assaulted the second man.

The group took the man’s phone, wallet and shoes.

On Thursday, April 27, one man attended Gosford Police Station where he was charged with two counts of robbery in company.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Gosford Local Court on May 30.

A second man attended Penrith Police Station where he was charged with two counts of robbery in company.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Penrith Local Court on May 16.

Enquiries are continuing to locate the third man.

launched the investigation.

On April 8, Brisbane Water LAC posted to their Facebook page that the thief had been apprehended.

Source: Website, Apr 8 Brisbane Water LAC Facebook page

Fatal crash on M1

P

olice are investigating a fatal crash on the M1, Somersby.

At about 10:20am, Tuesday, May 2, emergency services were called to the M1, about one kilometre north of the Kariong turnoff, following reports of a crash.

Initial investigations suggest a van and a truck travelling north crashed.

At about 10:00am on the same day, a prime mover with a single trailer was stationary

in the northern breakdown lane, approximately one kilometre from the Gosford turnoff at Kariong.

A Ford panel van was travelling in the northbound lane, when it struck the rear of the stationary prime mover.

The 49-year-old front seat passenger in the van was deceased at the scene, and the 46-year-old driver of the van was conveyed by Care Flight to Royal North Shore

Issue 113

Issue 114

March 28, 2017

April 11, 2017

Iconic chimney stacks demolished

he Central Coast Council has determined 3,000 d e v e l o p m e n t applications since it was created in May 2016, worth over $1 billion to the economy of the new Local Government Area (LGA).

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New housing opportunities will be available close to one of the Coast’s greatest attractions, the beaches, with residential unit developments approved for Canton Beach, with more to come.

The Central Coast also remains an ideal place to build the family dream home with 914 additional lots created since the merger.

Council Group Leader, Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox, said Council’s role was to ensure it had the right planning controls in place

to continue to grow and encourage sustainable development on the Central Coast.

“We have a huge challenge to meet the housing and employment needs of our growing community while maintaining the enviable lifestyle and environment we all enjoy here,” Mr Cox said.

“We are in the process of consolidating our planning controls so that there is consistency across the Coast, as we want to ensure that we can facilitate the right development we want to see here.

“The growth in housing, particularly unit style development, needs to be where transport connections and opportunities are, in our town centres and tourism hubs, and we want to encourage development there.

“The mix needs to be right in delivering

a range of housing options to match various household needs, but also ensuring that the unique environment on the Coast is enhanced and protected.”

Council held its first Developers’ Forum on Monday, February 27, with over 140 industry leaders in attendance to start the conversation as to how Council and the development sector can work together to deliver sustainable development for the Central Coast.

Due to the strong interest in the Forum from the development sector, a number of industry members were unable to fit in, so Council will hold another informal Developers’ Forum in Wyong in May on a date to be determined.

Source: Media release, Mar 23, 2017 Media update, Mar 24, 2017 Central Coast Council media

Source: Media releases, May 2-3 NSW Police Media

Issue 115 April 26, 2017

Your independent community newspaper - Ph: 4325 7369

Your independent community newspaper - Ph: 4325 7369

Wallarah 2 Coal Project Inquiry hears submissions

Strategic Plan is Rezoning request by your chance to have quarry owner likely your say about the to be rejected A Coast’s future

Your independent community newspaper - Ph: 4325 7369

Over $1 billion worth of development applications determined by merged Council

Hospital with critical injuries and is currently in an induced coma.

The truck driver was not injured and returned a negative breath test.

Police from Brisbane Waters Local Area Command are continuing investigations into the incident, and have appealed for anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward.

request by the owner of Crangan Bay Quarry to rezone 79 hectares of land, was expected to be declined by Central Coast Council at its ordinary meeting on April 26.

Wycob Pty Ltd wanted to have the property at 475 to 535 Pacific Hwy, Crangan Bay, rezoned from E3 Environmental Management to RU1 Primary Production, as part of a draft Major Amendment to the Wyong

Iconic chimney stacks seconds before demolition

he most iconic remnants of the Lake Munmorah Power Station, the two 155 metre chimney stacks, were demolished on Sunday, March 26, as part of site clearing works.

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Each 6,500 tonne concrete chimney, which have been a part of the region’s skyline for decades, were stacked with explosives and toppled in seconds.

The impact was felt throughout Lake Munmorah.

Lake Munmorah Power Station was closed in 2012, leaving behind a reputation as one of the state’s oldest and dirtiest power plants.

During its prime in the 70s, the station supplied up to 40 per cent of NSW’s energy.

Liberty Industrial

have been handling the demolition, with the chimneys’ implosion signalling a half way point of sorts for the demolition of the entire plant, which is scheduled for completion in September 2018.

“Munmorah Power Station was built in the 1960s, and was closed in 2012 after 45 years of operation.

“Its ageing infrastructure and cost of operation meant that it was no longer economically viable to compete against newer and more efficient plants,” said Delta Electricity Interim Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ray Madden.

“We’ve appointed Liberty Industrial to undertake this important work.

“Liberty Industrial have been selected for their expertise with large industrial

demolition projects and their impeccable safety record.”

Liberty Industrial Founder and Director, Mr Clinton Dick, said the project is in safe hands.

“We have a proven track record with large industrial demolitions and we understand this type of project extremely well,” Mr Dick said.

The demolition project aims to eliminate risks associated with any deterioration of the station, improve the visual impact of the surrounding environment and maximise the reuse and recycling of materials removed from site,” Mr Dick added.

What the cleared land could potentially be used for is currently unknown.

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

Source: Media release May 20, 2016 Ray Madden, Delta Electricity Dilon Luke, Journalist

The rally outside the PAC public hearing into the amended DA for the Wallarah 2 coal mine

he community stood united in opposition to the Wallarah 2 Coal Project at the NSW Planning and A s s e s s m e n t Commission (PAC) hearing in Wyong on April 5.

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The hearing was conducted as part of the PAC’s process to determine whether or not to approve the amended development application for the Wallarah 2 longwall Coal Project.

The PAC will accept written submissions on the project until 5:00pm on Wednesday, April 12.

Central Coast Council’s Unit

Manager, Development Assessments, Ms Tanya O’Brien, was first to speak, and confirmed Council’s objection to the project.

Ms O’Brien said Council had serious concerns about the mine’s impact on the local water supply.

She said Council had enlisted two independent consultants, Earth Systems and Pells Sullivan Meynink, to review the amended Development Application, and the consultants found that the risks were greater than those outlined in the Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the developer.

“The predictions of the Environmental Impact Statement are

conservative,” she said.

Ms O’Brien said the Dooralong and Yarramalong valleys, which lay above the proposed mine, form part of the region’s surface water catchment area, and urged the PAC to consider the future health and safety of the water catchment for current and future residents.

“The Environmental Impact Statement underestimates the potential impacts on groundwater,” she said.

Ms O’Brien said Council was also worried about the project’s impact on subsidence and the nearby Buttonderry Waste Management Facility on Hue Hue Rd, Jilliby.

She said the weight of the waste when the facility is filled is expected to be approximately 40 million tonnes.

She said the Department of Planning and Environment’s draft development consent, which outlined 78 conditions of consent, were “light on at best”.

Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council’s CEO, Mr Sean Gordon, told the PAC hearing that the Wallarah 2 Coal Project was “unviable and unsustainable”.

Mr Gordon said Darkinjung were the largest private land owners around the mine, and that Wallarah 2 would negatively impact housing developments

that they have planned for the area.

He said Darkinjung wanted to use its land assets to develop land for its people and asked the PAC hearing, “do people want to buy next to a coal mine?”

Mr Gordon said Aboriginal people had suffered severe land dispossession since 1788, and had not been able to participate in its economic development, despite striving for years to turn their land into an economic opportunity.

Mr Gordon described the mine’s proponent’s offering of jobs and procurement as a “beads and trinkets offering”.

Former Wyong Councillor and current

Joint Regional Planning Panel member, Mr Ken Greenwald, also spoke against the amended DA. “I am against the proposal to mine in the Wyong valleys because of the risk that I believe it may have on the Central Coast Water supply, with a view that even the smallest risk is too big a risk to take.

“After the drought that occurred on the Central Coast from the early 2000s to 2008, when our water supply dropped to only 9 per cent, it had been proven that water and not coal was the number one resource produced in the Wyong Valleys.

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

Continued P4

esidents young and old from every one of the Central Coast’s diverse and interconnected communities, are being asked to contribute to the first ever combined Central Coast Council 10-year strategic plan.

Ms Julie Vaughan, Council’s Group Leader of Connected Communities, said that the process of putting the plan together was in the first of its critical phases.

“Between April and June, we will be using a range of avenues to gather data from the community about what it wants to see in the strategic plan,” Ms Vaughan said.

“We are saying that here is your opportunity to shape the future of where you live,” Ms Vaughan said.

“Do you want to help shape the future of the Central Coast, share your thoughts to help us create a shared vision and direction for the whole Central Coast?

“We need to get this

right, we have got one opportunity.

“Part of the challenge is making sure we get broad representation.

“We need to plan as a region, but we also know that what is important to the community is their own local community and their own back yard.

“We understand the plan needs to consider what is great about Kulnura and about Terrigal, but also what those residents imagine for the broader Central Coast.

Continued on P4

“No strategic planning investigative reports have been submitted to Council to inform the proposed rezoning.

“RU1 Primary Production is not an appropriate zone for the site, as this land is not suited for any rural activity other than the current existing use,” the report said.

“Rezoning to RU1 Primary Production would create an isolated pocket of rural land.

Continued on P3

Residents’ meeting calls for more EPA air pollution monitoring

A recent Council pop up at Bateau Bay is one of the ways Central Coast Council is engaging with the community to put together its new strategic plan

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Local Environmental Plan 2013 (WLEP 2013).

A report from Council’s Planning Department to the Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said Wycob’s request was “contrary to the existing strategic planning for the area as outlined in the Central Coast Regional Strategy (CCRS), North Wyong Shire Structure Plan, Central Coast Regional Plan 2036 and Council’s Settlement Strategy”.

Other reasons given for the recommendation to decline the rezoning request included that

A

h e a t e d community meeting of residents who live near the Eraring and Vales Point power stations has called for the NSW Government to get serious about monitoring air pollution from coalfired power stations.

Residents at the meeting in Wyee were angry that there was only

one EPA air pollution monitoring station on the Central Coast and it is located far from the power stations.

The meeting called on the government to dramatically increase monitoring.

Community members also expressed concern that the power stations would continue to pose a public health threat long after their scheduled closure in the next decade or so.

They called on NSW Environment Minister, Ms Gabrielle Upton, to make sure power station owners were held responsible for the costs of decommissioning, rehabilitating and managing their toxic legacy.

“We urge the NSW Government to hold bonds to protect community health

Continued on P5

Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

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Wyong Creek dredge should be used in Brisbane Water

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he dredge that has been used to clear Wyong Creek has been idle for months.

Council could send it down on a low loader and start dredging the channel at Half Tide Rocks.

It isn’t an ocean going dredge, but it could at least be used when the seas are calm, besides which, Broken Bay is part of the Hawkesbury estuary and not open coast in terms of rough seas.

We also need dredging in other channels inside Brisbane Water.

The 2012 Coastal Zone Management Plan for Brisbane Water Estuary makes provision for extensive dredging in Brisbane Water.

Opening up major channels will improve the quality of the water, and it will improve

FORUM Letters to the editor should be sent to:

COAST COMMUNITY

NEWS

PO Box 1056 Gosford 2250 or editorial@centralcoastnews.net

See Page 2 for contribution conditions navigation, making it safer, while opening up Saratoga, Bensville and Kincumber to a ferry service.

I am certain the oyster growers would welcome improved water circulation as well.

Recreational activities, including swimming and fishing, would also benefit.

The State Government is offering funding on a 50 per cent cost basis.

This is common for many of the grants that Councils take up and they pay their share in kind using existing staff and assets.

They don’t lose.

Council will come up with every reason why the dredge can’t be used, but it is time they actually did something besides their focus on setting up the Central Coast Council.

After all, Mr Reynolds and Mr Noble told us that we weren’t too badly off financially, despite the Gosford Financial Crisis.

The Central Coast needs Brisbane Water to be as good as we can possibly make it.

Brisbane Water together with our beaches and the Tuggerah Lakes System is, after all, why people moved here and still keep coming.

Email, Apr 18 Pat Aiken, Saratoga

Community meeting comments are appalling am appalled and disgusted by the comments made by Chris Golden on the Orana Care project (Orana Care development proposal rejected by community meeting, Coast News, April 21).

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To say that single parents are universally responsible for “violence, drunkenness,

FORUM drugs and, generally, trouble for the complete community and social disruption” is so reprehensible that I should be ashamed to be a member of his NIMBY group.

If parents at the meeting actually said that “they do not want their children, on the way to and from school, to be

exposed to the sort of people that social housing exists for”, I suggest that they should move to a country more congenial to their way of thought.

Let us hope that these are not the “Australian values” that our glorious leader is proposing should be a test for Australian citizenship.

Email, Apr 27 Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy

What is the role of security staff in Kibble Park? have written to Central Coast Council’s Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, and CEO, Mr Rob Noble, asking them to explain the role of security personnel in Gosford’s Kibble Park.

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I recently witnessed and recorded two security people harassing a homeless person to empty her belongings out of a shopping trolleys so it could be returned to the retailer in

FORUM the nearby shopping centre.

I would like Council to let the public know if the role of security in Kibble Park is to remove trolleys from the area and return them to local businesses.

I also asked Mr Reynolds and Mr Noble to explain the brief for the engagement of security staff in Kibble Park.

Who pays for the security in Kibble Park?

Is it their role to ask homeless people to remove their belongings from the trolleys so they can be returned to private businesses?

Do the security staff in Kibble Park have the authority to touch the possessions in trolleys of the people there?

What is council’s policy in ensuring homeless people in the council area are cared for and assisted to find housing?

Email, Apr 3 Joy Cooper, Green Point

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FORUM PAGE 19 MAY 4, 2017

For the record

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anagement and staff at Central Coast Newspapers don’t officially have opinions on the issues that arise from time to time, but privately, each one of us has our own opinions.

Our role is to present all sides of an issue in as much detail as possible so that you, the reader, can decide.

It sometimes feels like we are giving too much voice to the naysayers in our community by giving them equal voice, whether they do or do not represent the same number of people.

Any individual can have their say in our Forum section, and this appears to be a popular forum.

Any organisation can also tell us what their group believes, and we give that the same strength as say a Council media release, because without a large poll on each issue, we have no idea what the majority of readers believe given that most our readers are the vast, silent majority.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that we agree with either side.

So for the record, and after considerable thought, I would like to make my position clear on what I believe is best for the Central Coast.

I believe that the Central Coast needs three key pieces of major infrastructure and the rest will all fall into place, based on the normal demand and supply rules of economics.

The first, but not necessarily in this order, is the Central Coast Airport at Warnervale.

Having seen first-hand the high usage of regional airports in Canberra, Coolangatta and Cairns, I have no doubt that a simple, very regular shuttle service in a medium sized plane from Warnervale to Kingsford Smith would be a

very popular way for anyone traveling interstate or overseas to start their trip.

One only needs to see the large numbers of travellers with suit cases using the train and the many shuttle buses travelling up and down the motorway to the airport daily.

My experience is that a train trip from the airport after peak hours usually takes an average of three hours.

Shuttle buses are quicker, but can take two hours in total and is three or more times as expensive as the train.

Driving is usually out of the question because of prohibitive airport parking costs, whereas I would expect free parking at Warnervale.

If it can be done from Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie etc, why not from the Central Coast?

If the tourism potential of the Central Coast is marketed well, l would expect to see plane loads of Australian and International tourists comingto visit and stay on the Coast with the obvious boost to the economy that will accrue.

The second key major infrastructure item required is a university-TAFE-Community College Campus based in Gosford.

I have seen many cities in Austria and Germany with populations of around half of that of the Central Coast with their own university campus, and having students in residence, brought such life to the city that it was a pleasure just being there.

Bars and cafes were full, people were walking along the river and in parks etc creating a wonderful atmosphere not present after hours or on weekends in Gosford.

Cafes, bars, picture theatres and other amenities would appear, both privately and publicly funded.

The third key piece of major infrastructure is a fast ferry service from Gosford, Woy Woy and Ettalong to Circular Quay.

The benefits, much talked about over the years but never realised, would be enormous, not just for the daily commuters but for the tourist potential.

Many tourists would love to swap a ride on a ferry to Manly for a ride on a ferry to the Central Coast, through the heads and along the coast.

Tourism organisers could add this to their package, perhaps even flying one way and catching the ferry back.

With ferry loads of people arriving at key areas, private enterprise would quickly fill any gap in places to go.

So as an even bigger picture perspective what will this do for the Coast?

Many projects currently in abeyance would proceed knowing that the influx of students and tourists would make the projects more viable.

There would be more jobs available for locals, reducing unemployment and the need for many to travel to Sydney or Newcastle for work.

Projects such as the Carrs Park raceway, Chinese Theme Park and others would also proceed knowing that the area is more accessible.

More tourist resorts would be built as demand increased, and with Council’s current policy of ensuring that development happens in accord with the surrounding environment, designed to improve the area not detract from it, creating more employment opportunities and enhance the local economy.

We all know that we live in a beautiful area that visitors would love and it would be selfish of us not to be willing to share that beauty as well as make it a better place for residents and visitors alike, let alone the employment and economic benefits that would be created as a result.

Cec Bucello, Publisher, Central Coast Newspapers

PAGE 20 MAY 4, 2017

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Free 2017 Health Connection to be held on June 17

Draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan on public exhibition

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ong term disability rights activist, Mr Gary Blaschke, has resigned from the Central Coast Council’s Disability Inclusion Reference Group, following his scathing criticism of the council’s draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan which is on public exhibition.

Brentwood Village, the venue for the Health Connection

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he 2017 Health Connection will be held at Brentwood Village, Kincumber, on Saturday, June 17.

The Health Connection was launched in June 2014 as a free family well-being event, with entertainment and activities for all ages, and proudly returns for its fourth year.

Free all day activities for the children will include eco inspired arts and crafts workshops from Art Tank, Taronga Zoo Reptiles Display, Free Face Painting, a Magician, The Big Yellow Bus Kids Gym, Jumping Castle and Party

Chameleon Circus Games, whilst the live music, yummy fresh food, soups, cakes, juices and lifestyle talks can be enjoyed by all.

This year will feature more interactive health checks for the whole family including diabetes testings, hearing checks, spinal checks and podiatry checks in a festive ambience, but there will also be quiet spaces where patrons may take the opportunity to sample a natural therapies treatment, live yoga, meditation or movement class.

“It is always a great atmosphere,” Ms Colette Baron, manager of the Kincumber Neighbourhood

Central Coast

Centre, said.

“It’s a beautiful venue with superb gardens and a fabulous auditorium that can accommodate the whole event in the case of rain, so it’s an all-weather, as well as an allages event.”

Local wellness practitioners will present reflexology, massage, naturopathy, sound therapies, food solutions, orthopaedics, herbalism, organic skincare, yoga, hemp information, food talks and meditation, and sound healings for patrons to try, or perhaps simply to chat and discover more about them.

This is a great opportunity for the local community, families, residents, local businesses and health practitioners to attend the event again and be interactively involved in this family wellness event with an expected 3,000 plus people attending.

Source: Media release, May 2 Bianca Cardis, Fixx Events

Proudly catering to the Central Coast community for almost 50 years.

Mr Blaschke, who is National President of the Disabled Surfers Association, which regularly holds events for disabled surfers at Ocean Beach, said that under the 2014 legislation, all local government bodies were required to have a disability inclusion plan in place by July 1.

“Panic stations have hit the Central Coast Council,” Mr Blaschke said.

“Gosford Council had been working on the plan for 14 months prior to amalgamation, but Wyong were not even thinking about it,” he said.

He said at the first meeting of the Central Coast Disability Inclusion Reference Group, he had asked for a budget so audits could be carried out throughout the new LGA “to look at what we have got and what we need”.

“I was told instantly that it was all part of the normal process of council and that it would be under the operational budget.

“The panel just had to put forward the issues and convince the upcoming council that the issues had to be addressed.”

Mr Blaschke said he had already completed audits of Umina Beach and the Woy Woy tidal pool for Gosford Council “but I received no reply back from the actual audits that I

sent them”.

Mr Blaschke said the Council appeared to be overlooking issues such as the size of its disabled access signs.

“People who are driving by who need to find a disabled toilet need signs that are big and clear enough so they can actually see it from the road, but such things are not understood, because people making the decisions don’t live disability.”

Before the draft plan was presented to Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, at the March Council meeting, Mr Blaschke said he was told the draft plan would be sent out to members of the Inclusion panel.

“The problem is that it has gone to council and the community for their input prior to this committee getting a copy or having a say in it.”

Mr Blaschke said he was also concerned that too little of the $9 million provided by the NSW Government for community projects as part of the council amalgamation had gone towards disability inclusion projects.

“I am all for building ramps at community halls, but a budget of $500,000 to upgrade community facilities. Well who came up with $500,000?

“I am concerned that whatever money is going to be allocated to it will be used to retrain council staff, but there has to be an outcome for the disabled.

“We need to do it from a passionate community perspective to allow local people and visitors to have a decent holiday to be able to get down onto the beach.”

Mr Reynolds said the draft plan on public exhibition outlines strategies and actions that Council will implement over a four year

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period, enabling people with a disability to better access services, facilities and support.

He said the draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan would see work undertaken across the community to improve accessibility.

“The plan will see Council make changes to internal process and practices; improving access to information, creating employment opportunities and supporting community activities for people living with a disability,” said Mr Reynolds.

“The development of this plan has been carried out in consultation with staff, residents, local organisations and our External Reference Group, providing informed and diverse insight into the actions and outcomes within the plan.

“This is a fantastic initiative that will go a long way to ensuring that the Central Coast is an inclusive and accessible community, and I’d like to congratulate everyone who has contributed to this project so far.”

In addition to the exhibition of the Disability Inclusion Action Plan, Council has recently allocated more than $1.3 million of Stronger Communities funding to disability access improvements in Council facilities and natural spaces across the Central Coast.

Group Leader of Connected Communities, Ms Julie Vaughan, said that outcomes within the plan would be incorporated into Council’s Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.

“It’s important for us to be accountable for the actions in this plan, so residents can see what we’re doing to create liveable communities for everyone,” Ms Vaughan said.

“This plan, along with our accessibility projects, are a real illustration of Council’s commitment to leading the community on accessibility and inclusion.”

Copies of the Plan are available to view at Council’s Customer Service Centres and Libraries, or online at yourvoiceourcoast.com Source: Interview, 6 and 30 Mar, Gary Blaschke, former member Central Coast Council Disability Inclusion Reference Group Media release, 22 Mar Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council

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300 Disability Services and Out Of Home Care public sector jobs slashed

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he NSW Government has slashed 300 public sector jobs on the Central Coast, with the privatisation of Disability Services and Out Of Home Care now also eating away at the community, said the Public Service Association (PSA).

“This is a government that just builds roads, not communities or a society,” said PSA General Secretary, Mr Stewart Little.

“The Central Coast is out of sight and out of mind as far as this government is concerned, with the highest rate of vulnerable children in Out Of Home Care of all FACS districts in the state.

“The government’s ongoing privatisation agenda is setting up the Central Coast to fail spectacularly,” Mr Little continued.

“If the government really wants to make a difference to the lives of the people of NSW, it should urgently rethink the catastrophic plan to privatise the Land Titles Registry, a move condemned by everyone from academics to property developers, and pull back from the forced transfer of state disability services.”

“The government trumpets

its efforts on ‘life-changing projects’ but what could be more life changing for millions of people across NSW than to lose the security on their property?

“What could be more life changing for tens of thousands of families than to have the care of loved ones with disability thrown into free fall after the government completely steps away from that space?

“NSW will be the only state in Australia with no government safety net for people with disability.

“On the Central Coast alone, that will impact on 2,735 clients.

“This is a Government that washes its hands of all social responsibility, whether it’s starving the world class TAFE system of funds while throwing millions at dodgy private providers, or pushing vulnerable kids into a nongovernment Out of Home Care system and then reading the horror stories in the media,” Mr Little concluded.

The NSW Government employs almost 10 per cent of all workers on the Central Coast and is by far the largest employer in the region.

Source: Media release, Apr 4 Ali Donaldson, Public Service Association

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ore than 1,000 letters containing confidential personal and medical information from Gosford Hospital patients were found dumped in a communal bin at an Ashfield apartment block.

The confidential letters were dumped by a subcontracted employee of Global Transcription Services, a private company used by NSW Health to send letters.

Executive Director of the Central Coast Local Health District, Dr Andrew Montague, confirmed that the District was advised by Global Transcription Services that a number of the District’s follow up letters from specialists to referring general practitioners or other specialists had been found by a member of the public in a bin at an Ashfield apartment block.

“The correspondence mostly related to treatment progress reports following clinic attendances of 136 patients who had attended either Gosford Hospital’s Outpatients or the Central Coast Cancer Centre in December 2016, but there were also letters pertaining to patients of other hospitals and private clinics,” Dr Montague said.

“Global Transcription Services were contracted to provide some transcription, printing and postage services for Gosford Hospital’s Outpatients and the Central Coast Cancer Centre,” he continued.

“The District has ceased using their printing and postage services following this incident.

“The District acknowledges that this incident may raise concerns for patients of these services, but wants to reassure patients and their families that a review of the correspondence, conducted on Friday, April 14, by senior staff and clinicians in NSW Health, showed no evidence of

PH: 0400 322 591 JASON LITTLE www.jpjlhomephysio.com.au

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1,000 confidential letters found dumped

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Dr Andrew Montague

a need for immediate clinical intervention or for individual patients to be contacted.

“The review by NSW Health did identify 16 letters relating to the District’s services requiring prompt attention.

“Clinicians from the District reviewed these letters and these patients’ medical records and found no significant issues with patient continuity of care.

“These clinicians also reviewed the remaining letters related to our services and also found no clinical concerns or compromised care.

“The District has forwarded the follow-up letters, with a cover letter addressing the delay, to the intended recipients to ensure the patients’ medical records are complete.

“Anyone with concerns regarding their care should contact the District’s Clinical Governance Unit,” Dr Montague said.

Shadow Minister for Health, Mr Walt Secord, labelled the incident a “sloppy and dangerous bungle” and said that it is a breach of patient privacy, the second for Gosford and Wyong Hospital patients this year, after medical records were found in the Gosford Hospital carpark in March.

“Another day, another

problem in the NSW health and hospital system that lurches from crisis to crisis,” Mr Secord said.

“It is absolutely frightening that private medical records were left in rubbish bins in a Sydney apartment block.

“This just should not happen.

“Medical records are deeply personal.

“They contain private

information about your medical history that you would share with very few people.

“It is extremely distressing for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment to find out that their personal medical details have been handled this way,” Mr Secord said.

Mr Secord said he wanted the proposed KPMG review into the processes of transcription services in NSW public health facilities expanded to include private health facilities.

Mr Secord said that for too long, the State Government had washed its hands of any responsibility in the private health system.

In addition, Mr Secord wanted the results and recommendations of the KPMG review to be made public.

Mr Secord said that the NSW Government had to guarantee that all public and private patients had been notified of the breach.

The Central Coast Local Health privacy breach track record stands at recorded 16 breaches in 2015/16 and more than 30 in 2014/15.

The 2014/15 data was reported by the District, but the 2015/16 data was not due to a change in reporting requirements.

Source: Media statement, Apr 19 Walt Secord, Shadow Minister for Health Media statement, Apr 26 Dr Andrew Montague, Central Coast Local Health District Dilon Luke, Journalist

Veterans affairs card holders welcome

Dr Michael Kotis (BDS SYD UNI)

PAGE 22 MAY 4, 2017

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Free workshops for parents

C

entral Coast Local Health District will be hosting a variety of mental health workshops for parents with children aged 2 to 12.

The workshops encourage parents to develop better relationships with children, as well as learn some different strategies in assisting parents.

The aim of the program is to make parenting easier and more enjoyable and

offers suggestions, ideas and practices around positive parenting techniques.

A variety of topics will be covered during the workshops, including: positive parenting; possible causes of child behaviour problems; mental health and parenting; developing positive relationships with children; managing misbehaviour; and developing family plans.

The program is free and consists of five weekly group sessions (2.5 hours) and four

individual follow up home visits to help implement new strategies.

The sessions will commence on May 9 and will continue to June 6, with the sessions being run on Tuesday’s, between 10:00am-12:30pm.

The sessions will be held at the Wyoming Community Centre, at 147 Maidens Brush Road.

Source: Newsletter, Apr 26 Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School, Wyoming

Shadow minister to spoke on Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill he Central Coast Group of Dying with Dignity NSW, will present Ms Lynda Voltz on Friday May 19, in Committee Room 3, The Hive, Erina Fair, from

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10:00am-12:00pm.

Ms Voltz is a member of the NSW Parliamentary Working Group on Assisted Dying, Shadow Minister for Sport and for Veteran Affairs.

Ms Voltz will speak about

the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill which will be presented to NSW Parliament later this year.

Source: Media release, Apr 21 Beverly Symons, Dying with Dignity Central Coast

School wins ‘Spend for your School’ campaign ur Lady of the Rosary (OLR) Catholic Primary School at Wyoming took first place in the Imperial Centre’s ‘Spend for your School’ campaign.

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The campaign was popular amongst shoppers and appeared to generate friendly rivalry amongst the local school community.

By claiming first prize, OLR, Wyoming are the recipients

of $3000, which will assist the school in getting closer to completing its multi-purpose court.

Newsletter, Apr 26 Our Lady of the Rosary School, Wyoming

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Narara

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arara Public School’s Mother’s Day Breakfast and stall will be held at the school from 7am on May 5.

This year the school will serve scones and jam for the breakfast.

All those that RSVP’d are reminded to collect their breakfast tokens from the front office.

Community group calls for stand-alone palliative care facility

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he community group known as Elsie’s Retreat is dedicated to campaigning for a stand-alone palliative care facility on the Central Coast.

Spokesperson for the organisation, Ms Anne Charlton, said: “Elsie was a registered nurse who died in a nursing home inappropriately, in pain, and her neighbour and good friend realised that it was not OK. “As a result of Elsie’s death, the Lions Club of Tuggerah Shores took on fund raising for a stand-alone palliative care facility for the Central Coast,” Ms Charlton said.

“Elsie’s Retreat is comprised of various members of the community who have all come together with a joint cause to support quality palliative care services for local residents regardless of their age or circumstances.

“We have a terrific community based service at the moment, but it is stretched to its limits.

“We are the largest region in NSW that does not have its own stand-alone palliative care unit.”

Ms Charlton said the needs of the patient, family and carer during their end of life period vary over time and care setting, so services need to be responsive, coordinated and flexible in meeting those changing needs.

“We propose to establish a specialty sub-acute standalone Palliative Care Unit on the Central Coast to provide a group of services in the continuum of care required

for patients experiencing a life-limiting illness within the Central Coast Local Health District.

“A stand-alone unit is a cost-effective solution to house a dedicated Palliative Care multidisciplinary team to meet patients’ end-of-life preferences and needs,” she said.

The Elsie’s Retreat campaign is similar to that mounted by the local community to establish the now highly successful Central Coast Cancer Centre at Gosford.

“Similar Australian models to our suggested approach have demonstrated consistent improvement in patient outcomes and experiences in Palliative Care Outcome Collaboration (PCOC) data, reduced need for transfer of patients at end-of-life, staff and patient survey data and individual patient stories collected.

“Conversely, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care undertook scoping and preliminary consultation work to identify the key factors affecting the quality of end of life care when patients are admitted into acute hospital beds.

“The study found that acute care focusses on diagnosis, treatment, cure and discharge rather than end-of-life care.

“Deaths are evaluated in terms of unexpectedness and potential preventability, rather than on quality of end of life care.

“Care is frequently provided by strangers and in urgent circumstances with a lack of holistic approaches.

“This approach does not

provide the necessary, impeccable care to the dying patient that the patient, families and our community expect and deserve.

“The service as described could potentially either be run as part of the Local Health District such as the stand-alone specialty sub-acute Palliative Care Unit at Wauchope District Memorial Hospital, or by an Affiliated Health Organisation (AHO) such as the Mater in Newcastle.”

According to Ms Charlton, the cost of keeping a patient in an acute hospital bed was $1800 per day compared to $1000 per day for a palliative care hospice staffed by palliative care specialists (nurses and doctors).

The investment by the State Government would be in the region of $4.5 million per year but would be offset by the reduced requirement for acute beds, ambulances and would free up the existing burden on the region’s emergency departments.

The Rotary Club of Umina has also offered its support for the fund raising and awareness raising efforts of Elsie’s Retreat.

“Members of our committee are speaking to service clubs and organisations across the community every week at the moment.

“There is nobody who has told us it is a bad idea.”

Ms Charlton said the Elsie’s Retreat committee would shortly be organising a charity ball.

Source: Presentation notes, Apr 24 Interview, Apr 26 Anne Charlton, Elsie’s Retreat Jackie Pearson, journalist

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Model United Nations Assembly to be held at Erina

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he Central Coast Model United Nations Assembly (CCMUNA) will be held at the Erina Centre on Thursday, May 18, and will see 23 teams from local high schools debate current global issues.

The CCMUNA is organised by the combined local Rotary Clubs and is part of Rotary’s ongoing commitment to youth development.

MUNA aims to nurture goodwill, world peace and understanding through modelling the debates of the United Nations General Assembly.

The concept emerged from a need for young people to express their views on significant and timely international issues in an

internationally recognised forum.

The combined Rotary Clubs of the Central Coast, with the assistance of the University of Newcastle, Central Coast Campus, hosts the CCMUNA annually.

The unique, one-day event simulates the workings of the UN General Assembly by having teams of school students represent member nations of the UN. Students engage in informed and cordial debate on matters of world political and social concern.

Schools can enter at least one team and a second team can be entered at the committee’s discretion.

Each team is comprised of three students from years 9-12, consisting of two speakers and an adviser.

CCMUNA provides students with the opportunity to

develop their public speaking and debating skills through informed and researched comment on international issues.

Preparing for and participating in the event helps young people to foster an empathetic understanding of other nations’ perspectives on global issues.

This year’s issues will focus on sustainable tourism and development goals, the refugee crisis, climate change, a proposal to move the UN headquarters out of the USA, and each team will address a peace resolution.

Central Coast Council’s administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, will officially open the event and Rotarian, Bruce Larkin, will present the winner’s trophy aided by the UONCC. Source: Newsletter, Apr 21 Rotary Club Northlakes Toukley

Students to start work on school gardens he Green Team at Narara Public School will be starting work on the school’s gardens during Term 2.

T

Teacher, Mr Jacob Ramm,

said the Green Team was also hoping to start two or three worm farms as part of the school’s environmental education program.

“For this, we will need bath tubs,” Mr Ramm said.

“If anyone in our community

has an old bath tub lying around, please contact the school if you are willing to donate it,” Mr Ramm said.

Source: Newsletter, Apr 28 Jacob Ramm, Narara Public School

Two new teachers welcomed at Narara

S

chool Principal, Mr Dave Stitt, has welcomed two new teachers to Narara Public School at the beginning of Term 2.

“We extend a warm welcome

to Ms Nicole Lansdown and Ms Narelle Jones who come onto our teaching staff,” Mr Stitt said.

“Ms Lansdown will be working each Wednesday with students from a non-English speaking background,” Mr

Stitt said.

Ms Jones will be working as a relieving performing arts teacher at Narara for the next few weeks.

Source: Newsletter, Apr 28 Dave Stitt, Narara Public School

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

EDUCATION PAGE 23 MAY 4, 2017

Children march on ANZAC Day

C

hildren from Our Lady of the Rosary School, Wyoming, participated in the Gosford ANZAC Day March on April 25, and marched proudly in their

school uniforms Australian flags.

with

When the students finished the march, they acknowledged the soldiers who had fought for Australia by participating in the minute’s silence.

Our Lady of the Rosary (OLR), Wyoming, laid wreaths in memory of the families of OLR. Source: Newsletter, Apr 26 Our Lady of the Rosary School, Wyoming

Community newspaper advertising vs online only advertising It seems like it’s almost every month that we hear about the death of an advertising medium.

Over the years, we’ve all heard about the death of print, the death of radio, the death of traditional advertising in general.

Of course it’s not true, but it can make it harder for businesses who might be thinking of turning to online advertising instead, to know what’s the most effective.

Figures suggest that the most effective advertising campaigns are multi-channel, mixing social, paid search and traditional advertising to build awareness and generate leads and sales.

The challenge comes when an advertiser has a limited budget and has to choose where to focus.

Following are some facts and figures that can help advertisers understand the benefits of community newspaper advertising and what it could do for their business.

• Research by Future Foundation for FEPE International found that 22% find press advertising ‘most trustworthy’ and just 3% find online advertising ‘most trustworthy’, so if advertisers want to build trust, then newspaper advertising is likely to be the best approach.

• Research by Nielsen showed that consumers ranked print newspapers as an effective advertising source, and figures from Newsworks showed that 70% of people who read press ads said they would like to find out more.

• Newspaper advertising was seen as being old-fashioned, but that’s changing. With the rise of online and tablet versions of newspapers running stories in print and online, newspaper advertising is embracing technology. It seems these new formats keep the same high level of engagement too. Research by GfK showed that tablet versions of ads had the same level of recall as print adverts.

• We all know that there’s more and more content available online as time goes by. The rise of social media, content marketing and online advertising mean that there’s now more noise to cut through to get your message across. The situation doesn’t look set to improve either. Research from the eMarketer shows that digital ad spend was up 15% last year. That translates as more ads and more competition, or more expensive advertising. Either way, small businesses can cut through this by looking to newspaper advertising instead.

• Figures from eConsultancy show that clickthrough rates from online ads is falling – from 9% in 2000 to just 0.2% in 2012. That means that online ads are becoming less effective for those businesses to generate leads or sales. The situation is unlikely to improve. The launch of iOS 9 came with a flurry of attention, as it now supports content blockers. That means users can choose to block online adverts, which includes paid search ads. That’s likely to have a big impact on the effectiveness of online ads.

So if businesses want to ensure they reach their audience in a targeted area, community newspaper advertising is a good approach.

• Central Coast Newspapers has been publishing community newspapers on the Central Coast for over 17 years, having started with Peninsula News in March, 1999. During that period, the focus on specific areas covered by each newspaper, the independent, balanced reporting style and the standard of journalism has built a huge loyal readership throughout the Coast. The 100,000 copies distributed each month are eagerly sought after. Advertisers have also seen the importance of this loyal readership and the high penetration to their target market and have chosen to associate themselves with it. Many advertise nowhere else and rely on the papers for their ongoing business.

If you have a business on the Coast and want to reach more customers, call 4325 7369 to see how inexpensive it is.

PAGE 24 OUT&ABOUT MAY 4, 2017

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Autumn Fayre at Fairhaven

Political documentary exposes Australia’s outrageous behaviour

n a first for local disability organisation Fairhaven Services, this year’s Autumn Fayre charity fundraiser will include an antiques and collectables auction.

I

P

o l i t i c a l documentary, Time to Draw the Line, which explores the relationship between Australia and East Timor, will be screened at Avoca Beach Picture Theatre on May 29.

The evening will begin with Sister Susan Connelly, a longtime activist and supporter of justice for Timor-Leste, followed by the screening, and then a Q and A session with Sister Connelly and Timor Sea justice activist, Mr Tomas Freitas.

The film follows the abandonment of a multibillion dollar oil and gas treaty following allegations of spying on Australia’s behalf and tells the story behind this.

Two months before East Timor’s independence, Australia withdrew from the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, for the delimitation of maritime boundaries.

The subsequent 2006 treaty, which is now being scrapped, placed the issue of a permanent maritime boundary in the deep freeze for the next

Time to Draw the Line at Avoca Picture Theatre

50 years.

Australia has negotiated permanent maritime boundaries with every country in its region: New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, but not with East Timor.

East Timor wants a boundary and that it be drawn halfway between the two countries in accordance with international law (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).

Australia has resisted both.

This film is an emotional study of Australia’s long connection to Timor-Leste revealing a chequered relationship of friendship, courage, mistrust and betrayal.

Through a wealth of interviews and archival footage, the film unravels this contemporary David and Goliath story.

The film engages and motivates Australians about the need to draw a just and permanent border in the Timor Sea. “The Demand Film screening requires that a minimum of 60 tickets be reserved in the next 30 days in order for the screening to occur”, according to the film’s Associate

Producer, Janelle Saffin.

“Any extra proceeds from the event, if we can sell more tickets, will go towards The Timor Sea Justice Campaign.

“So please come along and help spread the word.

“Tell your friends and have them join us for this special one-time screening of Time to Draw the Line on the Central Coast.

“Support Timor-Leste through your attendance at this event,” Ms Janelle Saffin said.

To reserve a ticket, visit the Demand Film Event webpage.

The Autumn Fayre event is on Saturday, May 6.

It also features an eclectic mix of 40 plus stalls, music and entertainment, great food, activities for the kids and more.

The inaugural antiques and collectables auction will run from 12pm.

Treasures up for auction include a rare J Lebegue and Co Terrestrial Globe, circa early 1900s, a first edition of Ginger and Pickles by Beatrix Potter, a range of Australiana, books, crockery and a late nineteenth century wooden work box.

The auction will attract people interested in collectables and antiques, bargain hunters and those who want to help people living with disability.

Fairhaven’s resident antiques and collectables appraiser, Mr Mitch Gordon, said “At our recent Spring Market when we first opened the antiques and collectables room, it attracted huge crowds.

“This time there will be a wider range of treasures for

people to discover.

“We have almost 30 lots for auction at the Autumn Fayre.

“Each piece is unique.

“We had terrific fun collecting for the auction over the last few months, and I’m so thrilled to be offering such a diverse selection at our first auction.”

The full list of auction items is available on Fairhaven’s website.

Fairhaven CEO, Ms Monique Cardon, said: “Fairhaven Services has a proud history of supporting people living with disability in the community for over 50 years.

“But what people might not know is that our Vintage Fair precinct at Point Clare offers an op shop and a café.

“It’s a great place to come and have a browse, relax with a coffee and to feel good about helping our charity to do good work.”

The Autumn Fayre historically attracts over 1,500 people to the Point Clare site at 209 Brisbane Water Dve. Federal member for Robertson, Ms Lucy Wicks, will be the honorary guest auctioneer.

Source: Media release, May 1 Tracey Honig, Fairhaven Services

Source: Media release, May 2 Janelle Saffin, Time to Draw the Line

CENTRAL COAST POTTERS SOCIETY AUTUMN EXHIBITION & SALE

INSIDE OUT Friday 5 - Wednesday 17 May 9.30am - 4.00pm daily Locally handcrafted ceramics for both indoors and out to decorate both your garden and home.

Perfect gifts for you or a Mother's Day treat.

The Community Gallery Gosford Regional Gallery 36 Webb Street, East Gosford.

More information: www.ccpotters.org

The 5 Lands Band & guests Night Kite + Sunday 28th May The Rhythm Hut, Gosford All ages, entry by donation Drum circle 5pm, music 6.15pm Dinner, bar & desserts for purchase therhythmhut.com.au

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OUT&ABOUT PAGE 25 MAY 4, 2017

Toast the Coast raises over $54,000 for Coast Shelter

Central Coast StartIT innovation industry group launched

Mr Raffie Nercessian being presented with the car

G Mr David Abrahams addressed the launch of Central Coast Start IT

T

he founders of two established local start-ups were the guest speakers at the launch of the Central Coast’s digital innovation industry group on May 2.

Women on Boards cofounder and Managing Director, Ms Claire Braund, and Central Telecoms cofounder, Mr Graeme Johnston, were to be interviewed by local innovation champion, Mr David Abrahams, to formally launch Central Coast Start IT. Mr Edgar Adams, publisher of the Central Coast Business Review, gave a history of some of the innovative startup businesses birthed on the Central Coast.

Around 80 people from a broad group of interests and

industries attended the launch at the Central Coast Leagues Club.

Mr Abrahams said Gosford was perfectly placed to be the innovation capital of the nation.

“Gosford is the perfect place for innovation,” he said.

“Gosford is an affordable place for disruptive idea makers to live,” Mr Abrahams said, “and many innovators can enjoy the full force of fibre to premise NBN, which is an incredible advantage that Gosford has,” he said.

Source: Media release, May 1 Meaghan Buddeke, Central Coast START IT Inc Media release, Apr 19 Interview, Apr 20, David Abrahams, Central Coast Start IT Jackie Pearson, journalist

osford City Rotary Club has celebrated the success of the 2017 Toast the Coast with a donation of $54,500 to Coast Shelter’s Domestic Violence programs.

Blessed with a magnificent sunny day in the middle of days of rain, Toast the Coast at Gosford Entertainment Grounds, hosted almost 100 food and wine stall holders who provided fare to more than 8,000 visitors.

“Everyone came away from the event happy and asking for the next one,” Mr Michael Goodwin, President of Gosford City Rotary Club said.

“With the assistance of Mr Chris Holstein and his magnificent team of volunteers, we managed to sell 15,500 raffle tickets for a Mini Ray donated by Worthingtons Mini Garage.

“The car was won by Mr Raffie Nercessian from Simply Smashing Auto Group, and we were thrilled to present him

MARKETS Mangrove Mountain Hall Hall & Fairview Fundraising bric a brac • flowers • books • Food • home style preserves • Live Music & pony rides

EVERY MONTH ALL WEATHERS 2ND & LAST SUNDAY EACH MONTH NEW STALLS WELCOME - 3 MARKETS FREE THEN 20% OF TAKINGS

Ryan PH 0405 416 289 - Margaret PH 4374 1255

with the keys,” Mr Goodwin added.

Based on the success from the last two years, the Toast the Coast Committee is looking to making it an ongoing annual event.

“Unfortunately, incidents of domestic violence in our community continue to rise and it is truly wonderful to see

our Rotary Clubs raising funds to prevent it, and to provide accommodation and support for victims of this terrible scourge in our community,” Mr Laurie Maher, Executive Officer of Coast Shelter said.

“Supported by our local police patrols, other support programs and the Central Coast Domestic Violence

Network, Coast Shelter is providing a range of services to address issues surrounding domestic violence and Gosford City Rotary Club is more than happy to assist wherever possible,” Mr Goodwin concluded.

Source: Media release, May 2 Laurie Maher, Coast Shelter

FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

RESIDENT BAND

BLUESANGELS This month’s special guest artist BlueMtns folksters Hallett/Flood

May 6 - 7pm till 11pm

PAGE 26 MAY 4, 2017

NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATIONS DIRECTORY

ARTS & CULTURE ART STUDIOS GALLERY & COOPERATIVE

CENTRAL COAST SUNDAY LUNCH BUNCH (Singles over 55) Luncheons 1st and 3rd Sundays monthly at various licensed venues 43321 695 (after 2pm)

4304 7065

GOSFORD-NARARA NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

Terrigal Uniting Church 380 Terrigal Dre, Terrigal 9.30am to 12 noon 4367 9600

www.pcfa.org.au School Holiday activities, playgroup, multicultural Artworks by members and local programs, community activities - CENTRAL COAST PROSTATE artists through solo and group CANCER SUPPORT GROUP Rooms for Hire exhibitions and community 4329 4477 events. Classes available.

GOSFORD NORTH (WYONG) admin@gnnc.com.au 4339 3349 Meet last Monday Month PROBUS CLUB www.artstudioscooperative.org Toukley RSL Club Meets 4th Tuesday at the Grange Homes Ave Toukley GREEN POINT COMMUNITY Hotel Monthy meeting 4th 10.00am to 12 noon CENTRAL COAST Tuesday Grange Hotel 10am CENTRE 4356 9300 43225560 OOSH cave, exersize classes, ART SOCIETY www.pcfa.org.au school holiday programs, Lectures, demonstrations and discussion. Weekly paint-outs PROBUS CLUB OF AVOCA playgroup, arts & craft, room hire, DYING WITH DIGNITY NSW, and much more.

Tuesdays 4349 5860 for locations 10.15am 3rd Mon 4367 7591 Workshops - 4363 1156 Avoca Beach Bowling Club CENTRAL COAST 9.30am - 12.30pm 1st and 3rd 4382 3372 Working to give those Wed Social Meetings 1.30pm www.probussouthpacific.org/ suffering unrelievedly from KARIONG NEIGHBOURHOOD 4th Wed microsites/avocabeach terminal or incurable illness CENTRE Gosford City Arts Centre. the legal right to request & Early childhood clinic, free family 4325 1420 receive medical help to die SENIORS COMPUTER law advice, active playgroup, publicity@artcentralcoast.asn.au Quarterly Meetings CLUB CENTRAL COAST INC. computer classes, OOSH services, 4369 8053 fitness classes, arts & crafts, Classes Mon to Fri for over 50 CENTRAL COAST over 50’s friendship group, youth Basics: Mon , Tues and Thurs GAMBLING SOLUTIONS group, social groups and many HANDWEAVERS, SPINNERS 10am to 12noon Counsellors provide free, more services.

Different programs every day, AND TEXTILE ARTS GUILD confidential, professional service 4340 1724 10am - 12noon or 1-3pm Spinning and weaving, patchwork to gamblers, family and friends. wwww.knc.net.au Apple-Mac: Mon, Tues, Wed and quilting, felting and other Woy Woy, Kincumber, Gosford, fibre and fabric crafts, community All at Kincumber Neighbourhood The Entrance.

Centre KINCUMBER quilting bees - Day and Night 4344 7992 02 4307 9421 Groups NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE 4325 4743 • Exercise classes GROW Support Groups www.cottagecrafts.net.au TERRIGAL WAMBERAL • Yoga for adults and children Small friendly groups formed to • Community eco garden RSL SUB-BRANCH learn how to overcome anxiety, FELLOWSHIP OF At Breakers Country Club pension • Room hire depression and loneliness and to • Health support groups and welfare offi cers available to AUSTRALIAN WRITERS improve mental health and wellassist with DVA compensation • Counselling A friendly and supportive being. Anonymous, free and open • After school activities claims and benefits group for new and old writers. to all. Weekly at Woy Woy, Bateau 4363 1044 Wed & Fri 10am – Midday Encouragement and critique Bay and Wyong www.kincumber.nsw.au Meetings 2nd Sat 10am of work. Workshops and 1800 558 268 43842661 competitions 10am 3rd Sun www.grow.org.au rsl@breakerscc.com.au MINGALETTA ABORIGINAL Conference rm. Gosford Hotel 4363 2627 TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER centralcoastfaw@live.com

COMMUNITY GROUPS ABC - “The Friends” Support group for Public Broadcaster.

Aims. safeguard ABC’s independence, funding, & standards. Meetings through the year + social afternoons Well-known guest speakers 4341 5170 www.fabcnsw.org.au

BIG FUTURES IN SCHOOL MENTOR PROGRAM Become a volunteer mentor 2 hrs/ week, Free Training, No qualifications needed Be a young persons champion 0413 624 529 www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.au/ bigfutures

CENTRAL COAST COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRE Not for profit service providing free legal advice.

Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm 4353 4988 centralcoast@clc.net.au

CENTRAL COAST SOCIAL GROUP Social contact, entertainment events, new friendships, for 30’s-60’s - Live music, house parties, dinners, BBQs, picnics, trips away etc.

Monthly Meet & Chat 0422 243 101 cco30s@live.com.au

CENTRAL COAST 50+ SINGLES SOCIAL GROUP

U3A CENTRAL COAST Mature age people are invited to participate in a wide range of courses to broaden the mind and make new friends 0408 704 701 www.centralcoast.u3anet.org.au

GOSFORD GUMNUTS PLAYGROUP Parents and children meet socially. Make friends, learn more about parenting. 0 to 5 yrs Wed - Fri 10am-12noon Gosford Uniting Church Hall 129 Donnison St Gosford 4325 3695 gumnutsguc@gmail.com

VOLUNTEERING CENTRAL COAST Refer potential volunteers to community organisations.

Provide support to volunteers and community organisations.

Provide training to volunteers and managers of volunteers Information sessions “Bridge to Volunteering” held regularly.

4329 7122 recruit@volcc.org.au

WILDLIFE ARC We rescue and care for injured and orphan native animals. 24hr/day, 7days/ week. Come join us.

Gen Meeting 3rd Sun Wyoming Community Centre, Maidens Brush Rd Wyoming at 10am 4325 0666

COMMUNITY CENTRES COMMUNITY CENTRES provide the local community with a meeting place and hub for groups, services and information.

Invites Ladies & Gents for dinner, dancing - BBQs & socialising each w/e.

Friendly group monthly GOSFORD 50+ LEISURE programme all areas AND LEARNING CENTRE 0412 200 571 Handicraft, Painting, Knitting, Tai 0437 699 366 Chi, Scrabble, Darts, Table Tennis, 50pssg@gmail.com Indoor Bowls, Patchwork, Yoga, Fitness, Gentle Swimming, Line Dancing, Cards, Variety Social, Womens Group, Zumba, Crochet, Computers

CORPORATION A meeting place and referral hub for education, health, well-being and cultural programs through consultative services and community programs.

Mon-Fri 9am-4pm 6 Sydney Ave Umina 4342 7515 admin@mingaletta.com.au

TERRIGAL FIFTY PLUS LEISURE AND LEARNING CENTRE Activities include fitness, yoga, bridge, mahjong, zumba gold, line dancing, tai chi, painting, craft and computer classes.

43845152

WYOMING COMMUNITY CENTRE Yoga & Zumba classes, Art and Craft classes, Playgroup & Vacation Care, Support groups, Book Club, Community Garden, Rooms for Hire, Work Development Orders, Centrelink Volunteer hours 4323 7483 reception@wyomingcc.org.au

HEALTH GROUPS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS meet every Wed 12.30pm Someone cares - Anglican Church 3 Mann St Gosford 4323 3890

MEALS ON WHEELS

Delicious meals delivered free Join us for a midday meal Help with shopping and cooking classes 4363 7111

HISTORY GROUPS CENTRAL COAST FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY INC. Help and advice with your family history research. Tue to Fri, 930am to 2pm Lions Community Hall, 8 Russell Drysdale St, E. Gosford.

4324 5164 www.centralcoastfhs.org.au

BRISBANE WATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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SOUNDWAVES

LIONS CLUB OF WOY WOY

Men’s acapella 4 part harmony chorus - all ages 7pm Mon Central Coast Leagues Club Kieran - 0407 267 675

1st and 3rd Mon. Woy Woy Leagues Club Make new friends and have fun while serving your community.

0478 959 895

khutton58@gmail.com jbthomson51@gmail.com

MUSIC

NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION CENTRAL COAST

Twice weekly bush walks, varying distances and grades of difficulty.

Explore, enjoy scenery, fauna, Cultural organisation performing Active community minded club. floral, history. Keep fit and make at various venues to promote Many projects focussed on friends. the Welsh culture with singing, assisting youth. Support our great 4389 4423 or 4332 7378 Also performing for charity fund projects, get involved with our fun raising. club. Graham Black SPIRITUALITY IN THE PUB 4369 3378 0410 509 071 Ecumenical & Interfaith Speakers grahamblack@iprimus.com.au Forum & Q&A with focus on TEMPO TERRIFIC developing understanding and COMMUNITY SHOWBAND ROTARY CLUB OF encouraging dialogue about Active showband available to spirituality through people KARIONG/SOMERSBY play at your community function. sharing their life journeys.

International service club Wide ranging repertuore. Always 1st Tues March to October improves lives of communities seeking new members, come and in Australia and overseas. Fun2nd Tues November have fun with music. Follow us on filled activities, fellowship and 7.30 to 9pm Facebook - Every Mon 5 - 7pm Grange Hotel Wyoming friendship breakfasts. Phillip Kincumber Uniting Church 4328 2596 - 0498 588 261 House, 21 Old Mount Penang Rd 4365 4414 (opp Shell) - Fri 7:15am www.tempoterrific.com 4340 4529

ROTARY CLUB OF GOSFORD NORTH

tempoterrific@live.com

kersuebay@philliphouse.com.au

POLITICAL PARTY

SPECIAL INTEREST

BPW CENTRAL COAST

OURIMBAH/ NARARA BRANCH

www.cclcbridgeclub.asn.au cclcbridgeclub@westnet.com.au

SUB-BRANCH WOMEN’S AUXILIARY

WOMEN’S GROUPS

Empowering women of all ages in the areas of work, education, CENTRAL COAST GREENS BIZ PLUS NETWORKING well-being and friendship.

The Central Coast Greens Monthly dinner meetings and ASSOCIATION For a fairer, more transparent and speaker.

Attention business owners - if accountable government based you keen to grow your business Community transport available to on democratic principles and from centre and in the process build Local, state-wide, national Chris Levis 0438 989 199 worthwhile relationships, attend a and international issues and bpwcentralcoast@hotmail.com Biz Networking breakfast. campaigns - Council and www.bpw.com.au/central-coast Every Thur 7:15am - 9am parliamentary representation Erina Leagues Club Developing a new economy Geoff Neilson COUNTRY WOMEN’S Protecting our environment network@bizplus.com.au ASSOCIATION (CWA) Peaceful conflict resolution Quilting, patchwork, spinning, Community participation CCLC BRIDGE CLUB knitting, crochet and more We meet monthly every 3rd Duplicate Bridge-partner not 9am-2pm Thu - Details and info: required for most sessions.

Every Fri, Opposite centralcoast.nsw.greens.org.au Central Coast Leagues Club Terrigal Bowling Club centralcoastgreens@gmail.com 12.30pm Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri. 4385 9503 or 4384 3696 Sat 1.30pm Wed 7.15pm Mon AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY 4325 9854 GOSFORD RSL Discussion/action community issues - 3 levels of Government Niagara Park Primary School 7.30pm 1st Mon each month 0410 309 494 kyle.macgregor@hotmail.com

POLITICS IN THE PUB CENTRAL COAST Discussion of important political, social, economic, education, and philosophy issues in a non partisan manner - The Grange Hotel 4th Thur besides Dec

PUBLIC SPEAKING

For anyone interested in early history or early family histories.

Don’t need to be a First Fleeter.

Point Clare Community Hall 2nd Sat 10:30am 4311 6254

10:30am 2nd Fri - Feb to Nov 4322 1505

SYDNEY WELSH CHOIR

• Coach tours • School educational tours • Annual Street Stalls • Participation in History Develop confidence by improving Heritage Week Celebration your speaking skills. Meetings are Margaret Pearce entertaining and educational.

4325 2270

FELLOWSHIP OF FIRST FLEETERS CENTRAL COAST

WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU

BRISBANE WATERS BREAKFAST TOASTMASTERS CLUB 8:30am-10:30am 2nd and Last Sat - The Hive and Library, Erina Shopping Centre 0459 240 183

BLUE GUM FLAT TOASTMASTERS Mthly meetings 1st and 3rd Mon 7.15-9.30pm Ourimbah RSL 4362 7227

CENTRAL COAST CAKE DECORATORS GUILD Sugarcraft demonstrations conversation and lunch Visitors welcome 4th Sat - 10am 50+ leisure and Learning Centre Gosford 4382 6236 lsroe@bigpond.com.au

CENTRAL COAST GOJU-KAI KARATE Traditional Karate & Self Defence for Teens & Adults No Contracts, Cheap Rates Wamberal - Mon 630pm Kincumber - Thurs 715pm 0417 697 096 www.centralcoastgojukaikarate.com.au

CENTRAL COAST LAPIDARY CLUB MINERALS & GEMS Learn silverwork, Cabochons, Faceting, Enamelling, Stone Field-trips & fossicking Weekly Workshops Tues and Thurs 8.30am 2.30pm. Thurs 6-10pm 10 Ourimbah Creek Rd Ourimbah 4362 2246

Raise money for the welfare of veterans and their families. RSL Club West Gosford 4th Mon 2pm 4323 7336

CENTRAL COAST WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE Counseling, therapeutic and social groups, workshops, domestic violence and abuse issues. All services provided by women for women 4324 2533 www.cccwhc.com.au

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL BRISBANE WATER Making a difference in the lives of women and girls through Awareness, Advocacy and Action by supporting local and national projects 2nd Thur 7 pm Breakers Country Club, Dover Rd, Wamberal sibrisbanewater@@siswp.org www.siswp.org

WOWGIRLS WAVE OF WISDOM INC

WOWGIRLS Wave of Wisdom connects women and local CENTRAL COAST businesses around a common Brass Band entertainment for the BETTER HEARING SOARING CLUB INC theme of well-being. to share community playing all types of AUSTRALIA CENTRAL Gliding Club, Learn to fly, wisdom and explore life’s popular music COAST Instruction FREE to members potential.

Rehearsal every Tues.

Hearing loss management 14 and up for Training Regular Powwows, WOW Wisdom 7.30pm-10pm Support and educational group INNER WHEEL CLUB Flying at Bloodtree Rd Mangrove gatherings, WOW days and WOW 0419 274 012 7 groups across the coast Mountain Thur, Sat, Sun ( weather courses check our website for OF TERRIGAL Providing practical experience permitting) activities.

Share friendship, social activities COASTAL A CAPPELLA and confidence www.wowgirls.com.au 0412 164 082 as well as fundraising for local, Dynamic award winning Learn the benefits to hearing aids women’s a cappella chorus info@wowgirls.com.au 0414 635 047 national and international 4321 0275 www.ccsoaring.com.au new members projects. 3rd Mon, 12noon www.centralcoast. always welcome.

Terrigal 50+ leisure centre, Music eduction provided betterhearingaustralia.org.au CENTRAL COAST PENSION Duffy Rd Terrigal Lots of Performance 4369 0302 - 4384 1490 & WELFARE OFFICER opportunities, or hire us CENTRAL COAST PROSTATE terigalinnerwheel@gmail.com NETWORK for your next event.

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP Group of Volunteers, trained by 0412 948 450 (GOSFORD) coastalacappella@gmail.com DVA, to look after servicemen Meet last Friday Month & women. Ourimbah RSL Club

BRISBANE WATER BRASS

SERVICE GROUPS

If you would like your Community Organisation listed here, call us on 4325 7369 or see www.centralcoastnewspapers.com Entries in the Not For Profit Community Organisations Directory are free. However, we require each organisation to subscribe to each newspaper to ensure that someone from that organisation keeps their entry up to date.

Australia Post is about to increase their postage rates by over 42% and we can no longer continue to absorb these increases. Subscription rates have therefore needed to be increased from $50 to $75 for 25 editions.

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W

The award is unique to the Central Coast and Hunter region.

Board member and a director of Lifeline, Ms Anne Charlton, said: “The awards came about because Lifeline wanted to recognise and reward fabulous women in our community that contribute, but have come through adversity themselves.”

A passionate advocate for suicide prevention, Ms Charlton said it is a national emergency, with 3,027 deaths across Australia annually, “representing one death every three hours”.

Guest speaker for the event was, Chelsea Bonner, the owner of Bella Management, a modelling agency that has successfully challenged the

stereotypes of the fashion industry, who spoke of the importance of acceptance as people and not a focus on how people look.

Ms Malonyay was selected from six finalists by an independent judging panel for Lifeline.

The other finalists were: Ms Marie Andrews (Ettalong); Ms Jilly Pilon (Wamberal); Ms Peta

Ralph (Point Clare); Ms Donna Robertson (Erina); and, Ms Ingrid Scott (Somersby).

Ms Malonyay’s daughter, Kate, was murdered by an exboyfriend in Sydney in 2013.

Ms Malonyay now works with the Homicide Victims Support Group and is fundraising to build Grace’s Place, a world first trauma recovery centre for children and young people who are affected by the homicide of a loved one.

She also speaks to trainee police and detectives on the impact of homicide from a family member’s perspective.

Her story was featured in the 2016 ABC Four Corners Documentary, Hitting Home.

Ms Charlton said she was glad she was not one of the judges tasked with selecting a winner from an array of women who “are only separated by a hair’s breadth.”

Source: Report, May 3 Noel Fisher, Photo journalist

The Gosford Diary For events in post code areas 2250, 2260 and 2251

If you’ve got something happening in Gosford LGA area over the next few weeks, let us know about it and we’ll list it here for you, for free. Contact details are on page 2.

See the Peninsula News for events in post code areas 2256 & 2257 and the Wyong Regional Chronicle for events in post code areas 2258, 2259, 2261, 2262 & 2263

Thursday, May 4

Friday, May 12

Monday, May 15

Children’s Medical Research Institute community stalls, William St Plaza, Gosford, 9:00am to 2:00pmMarijke Greenway Exhibition, the Palm House, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, until May 18

Duo Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp to perform at Laycock Street Community Theatre, 8:00pm. Bookings essential

Cancer Information and Support Society, Arts and Crafts Centre, Henry Kendall Gardens, Bellbird Drive, Wyoming, 7:00pm Paul Murray from Sky News live at Central Coast Leagues Club, 9:00pm.

Saturday, May 6

Central Coast Opera presents Carmen, Laycock street Community Theatre, North Gosford until May 20 Businesses and Eco Villages talk, Narara Eco Village Blues on the Mountain featuring the Swamp Stompers, Mangrove Mountain Heritage Hall.

Healthier Homes, Healthier You talk, with Mikala Dind, building biologist, Narara Eco Village, bookings essential, 2:30pm to 5:30pm

Narara Music Festival, Mt Penang Gardens, Kariong, from 10:00am Autumn Fair, Fairhaven, 209 Brisbane Water Dve, Point Clare, 9:00am to 2:00pm First Saturday Blues and Roots, Hotel Gosford with Blues Angels and Hallett/ Flood, from 7:00pm Four Villages Walk, Kincumber Ben Woodham, Terrigal Hotel, 7:30pm Fairhaven’s Antiques and Collectables Charity Auction, 12:00pm to 1:00pm.

Central Coast Comicon, Gosford Showground, 6:00pm to 10:00pm.

Bookings essential.

Saturday, May 13

Wednesday, May 17 Texture 2 exhibition, Art Studios Cooperative, Mann St, North Gosford, until June 11

Permaculture on display at the Central Coast Regional Show 2017

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ver 6,000 people enjoyed all that was on offer at the action-packed Central Coast Regional Show held at the Gosford Showgrounds on April 29 and 30.

“The new configuration of space really worked, with the main entertainment stage placed in a huge marquee in a central tarmac area and another trackside that always had full audiences,” said Chair of the Gosford Showgrounds Trust, Ms Roma Stonestreet.

“With the weather outstanding, the happy mood of the event never wavered, performances from the Brisbane Water and Central Coast Concert Bands setting the tone early on both days,” Ms Stonestreet said.

“The many crowd favourites included the IWA Pro Wrestling, Farmer Dave and the Canine Roadshow, the Vanguard Medieval Combat and Displays, the Sporting Horse Shootout on the main arena, and the always favourite animal nursery, pony rides and carnival rides.

“The great food and trade stands were kept busy on both days, the halls were full of various agricultural competitions and plenty of blue ribbons were won.

“Mr Don Burke OAM officially opened the show, giving very positive comments on the make-up of the show and the importance of keeping this community event going.

“Special congratulation to 2017 Teen Showgirl Winner, Ms Maikiira Barber, and Runner-Up, Jemma MassoudPsaila.

“Another special competition was the Dress Up Pet Parade, the owners being very inventive in their costumes.

The Border Collie, Lola the Wonder Woman, was a big favourite for Medium Pet, with Sunny the Sun Conia bird, which perched on the shoulder of owner 10 year old Marshall

Davis throughout the show, was the overwhelming crowd and judges’ favourite for Most Unusual Pet and Grand Champion.

“The Saturday evening’s entertainment and fireworks was a real highlight, bringing crowds of almost 1,000 and lots of good feedback.

“The Central Coast Regional Show Committee of the Gosford Showground Trust will now go away and build on the success of this year so as to present an even better event for the community in 2018.”

Source: Media release, May 2 Roma Stonestreet, Gosford Showground Trust

Fireworks at the Central Coast Regional Show

Friday, May 19 Shawn Lidster, Foghorn Brewhouse, Erina, 8:00pm Dying with Dignity NSW, Central Coast, Committee Room 3, The Hive, Erina Fair, 10:00am to 12:00pm

e Frkeeone!

e Frkeeone!

3 April 2017

e Frkeeone!

Ta

Ta

Edition 416

Sunday, May 14

Edition 417

18 April 2017

Ta

1 May 2017

Edition 418

Looking across Correa Bay from the foreshore reserve with boat ramp in bottom right hand corner Photo Wikinomad

Saturday, May 20 Blues on the Mountain Mother’s Day Picnic, in the grounds of the Mangrove Mountain Union Church featuring the Little Quirks Band

MAY 4, 2017

Regional Show a great success

Wendy Malonyay receives Steel Magnolia Award endy Malonyay was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Lifeline Steel Magnolia Award.

OUT&ABOUT PAGE 27

Central Coast Council Pop Up, Erina Fair, 10:00am to 1:00pm Central Coast Australian Plants Society, NSW APS gathering, Phillip House, Kariong, 2:30pm.

Correa Bay closed after sewage discharge Correa Bay boat ramp and the adjoining foreshore area were closed after the discharge of sewage into the bay during a severe thunderstorm on Wednesday, March 22.

Central Coast Council issued a public health alert at 4:55pm on Friday, March 24, two days after the storm, to advise the public that water quality may have been affected.

The council attributed the contamination to a combination of large storm water flows and a power outage at a sewage pump station.

As a precaution, Council closed the boat ramp and adjoining foreshore area and advised residents to avoid swimming, fishing and other recreational activities in the area until further

notice.

“Council continues to monitor the situation closely and is working with the NSW Environment Protection Authority and other relevant authorities,” the council statement said.

The boat ramp and foreshore area remained closed until 4:54pm on Monday, March 27, when it was reopened after the council confirmed “water quality is suitable for recreational purposes”.

The Central Coast Council has an Environment Protection Licence which states that the Council is required: to prevent as far as practicable sewage overflows and sewage treatment plant bypasses; to have proper and efficient management of the system to minimise harm to the environment and public health; and to have practical measures in

place to protect the environment and public health from sewage overflows and sewage treatment plant effluent.

As part of its licence conditions, Council is required to notify the EPA of the date, estimated start time and estimated duration of the bypass; the estimated volume of the bypass; the probable cause of the bypass; any actions taken to stop the bypass happening; and any actions taken to prevent the bypass happening again.

As licensee it must also record details in relation to each observed or reported overflow from the reticulation system and from the sewage treatment plant: the location of the overflow; the date, estimated start time and estimated duration of the overflow; the estimated volume of the overflow; a description

of the receiving environment of the overflow; classification as a dry or wet weather overflow; the probable cause of the overflow; any actions taken to stop the overflow happening; any actions taken to clean up the overflow; and any actions taken to prevent the overflow happening again.

Any risks to public health should also be made public “immediately” under the licence and the Department of Health and the Safe Foods NSW Shellfish Quality Assurance Program must also be informed where the bypass or overflow could have potential impacts on shellfish production.

SOURCES: Media releases, 24 and 27 Mar 2017 Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council Website, 30 Mar 2017 Environmental Protection Authority

Gosford by-election coverage, including candidate profiles and latest news from page 6

THIS ISSUE contains 59 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

The new Member for Gosford, Ms Liesl Tesch, with her team of volunteers Photo: Noel Fisher

Labor’s Liesl landslide Labor’s Ms Liesl Tesch was declared winner of the April 8 by-election in the NSW electorate of Gosford, achieving a swing (before preferences) of 10.9 per cent to Labor.

Ms Tesch won 49.5 per cent of the primary vote consisting of 22,931 votes that translated to 62.5 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

She won the primary vote in every polling booth in the electorate except four (Kulnura, Mangrove Mountain, Mount White

and Peats Ridge).

Her popularity on the Peninsula, where she resides, was resounding.

Four of her six biggest poll results were at Ettalong Public School (1216 primary votes out of a possible 2360), 1063 votes at Woy Woy South Public School (out of 1808), 1053 at Umina Uniting (out of 1806) and 1049 at Umina Public School (out of 2096).

Full booth-by-booth results are available on the NSW Electoral Commission’s website.

Liberal candidate, Ms Jilly Pilon achieved 14,202 primary votes,

an 11.9 per cent swing against the Coalition.

The Greens, who ran a strong candidate in corporate lawyer, Ms Abigail Boyd achieved 7.5 per cent of the primary vote but that was a swing of 1.5 per cent against the party in the Gosford electorate.

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate, Mr Larry Freeman, whose family has strong ties to the Peninsula, achieved 2376 primary votes or 5.1 per cent of the primary vote.

Ms Skyla Wagstaff from the Animal Justice Party and Mr Andrew Church for the Christian

Democratic Party both polled under 2000 primary votes.

The number of formal votes counted on the day was 46,279 representing 97.3 per cent of those registered to vote.

Ms Tesch celebrated her victory with supporters at Everglades Country Club, Woy Woy, on April 8.

Ms Tesch said she felt fantastically supported by the community and that she would be fighting for Gosford in NSW parliament for years to come.

“I will do all in my power to keep the Government accountable for the decisions they make that affect

the lives of people on the Central Coast,” Ms Tesch said.

Ms Tesch outlined the key issues identified by the people of her electorate during her time on the campaign trail, including feeling ripped off by the Council amalgamation and the removal of services throughout the electorate by the Liberal Government.

SOURCES: Press conference, 9 Apr 2017 Liesl Tesch, Member- for Gosford Website, 13 Apr 2017 Gosford by-election results NSW Electoral Commission

THIS ISSUE contains 54 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

Ms Chrissy Fitzgerald with her superstar Halley

Peninsula exhibitors win at Royal Easter Show Ms Chrissy Fitzgerald of Umina has won the Best Baby Puppy of Breed title for her Finnish Lapphund Baby Puppy Bitch in the dogs section of the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Ms Fitzgerald is a seasoned exhibitor at the Show and said she was thrilled with the result for her puppy Halley.

“Dogs have been my passion for all my life,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“I’ve been showing dogs for

years and I’m a dog groomer by trade, but Halley represents almost 10 years of planning and effort and I’m delighted with the result at the Royal.

“She exceeded all my expectations.

“When she was placed in the Top 10 out of the 309 entrants for the category and then went on to win the title, I was amazed and so very humbled by the experience,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

Since the Show, Ms Fitzgerald

and Halley have been competing at events across NSW, with the most recent being at the Deniliquin and District Kennel Club, which yielded three champion in show titles.

Their recent success sees Halley ranked third on Dogzonline’s Rising Star list.

Brisbane Waters High School were also big winners at the Royal Easter Show, winning Champion Senior Boar of Show as well as the Grand Champion Purebred Heavyweight Steer.

Riverglen Herman, the 260kg boar, is currently under the jointownership of the school and his breeders, Mr and Ms Richard and Heather Cole.

Sheraton Skippy, the black limousin steer, 600kg, 14-month old Steer, fetched an impressive $8000 at the Show’s auction on April 6.

Skippy was handled at the Show by Year 10 student Kynesia Stapelton.

Mr Ron Unsworth and Mr

Richard Mckay, the school’s agricultural department assistants, have been helping the students prepare cattle and pigs for the Show for 23 years.

Mr Unsworth described Skippy’s win as the pinnacle of the cattle events at the show.

SOURCES: Media release, 16 Apr 2017 Sydney Royal Easter Show Media Centre Interview, 16 Apr 2017 Chrissy Fitzgerald, Umina Reporter: Dilon Luke

THIS ISSUE contains 48 articles - Read more news items for this issue at www.peninsulanews.info Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

PAGE 28 CLASSIFIEDS MAY 4, 2017

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Visitors invited to plant society meeting

T

he Australian Plants Society (APS) NSW Ltd, a non-profit community organisation with more than 20 groups in NSW will be hosting a meeting on May 20, at Phillip House, 21 Old Mount Penang Rd, Kariong.

The public is welcome to join the group for a sausage sizzle

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Classifieds advertising rates in print and on-line Classified advertising is the cheapest form of newspaper advertising. This newspaper is published on line on the night before publication date, and is read that way by hundreds of people. All advertisements, including these classified advertising pages, appear in full on-line as an additional benefit for free.

See www.CentralCoastNewspapers.com or www.

CentralCoastNews.net Central Coast Newspapers’ advertising rates are relatively much lower than in other newspapers and at the same time much larger than in other newspapers, with the minimum size being 50mm X 42mm. Approximately 16,000 copies of each newspaper are printed and distributed every fortnight.

Coast Community News also has a website especially designed for use on the latest mobile phones – www.CoastCommunityNews.com.au Classified advertisements in Coast Community News will also appear in a directory on that mobile website for free, with up to two live links to phones, websites, or email addresses for each advertisement. The mobile website has over 40,000 regular users and 10,000 unique readers every month.

Personal and Not For Profit Organisations As Central Coast Newspapers are community newspapers, the cost of advertising not for profit organisations’ events is subsidised. This makes them the same rate as non-business advertisements.

A mono 5cm advertisement only costs $40. Each additional cm costs $8 as does colour, and/or a photograph or a logo. Private advertisements need to be paid for at the time of booking.

Business rates The minimum size of 5cm X a single column only costs $50 + GST in mono and an extra $8 + GST for colour, a logo or a photograph, every two weeks. Most businesses choose to advertise on an ongoing basis and discounts apply for multiple bookings, if they are paid for in full, in advance.

Having an advertisement run for 3 months only costs $275 + GST, for 6 months it is $495 + GST, and for 12 months advertising, the total cost is only $940 + GST – Approximately $18 per week.

Artwork is free and advertisers are encouraged to change their advertisements frequently.

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plants during the lunch break and at afternoon tea.

The growers usually have expert knowledge of what plant might grow well in your circumstances.

A $5 entry includes afternoon tea and the chance of a lucky door prize.

Source: Media release, May 2 Barbara Melville, Central Coast Australian Plants Society

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at $2.50 or they can bring their own lunch.

Guest speaker will be Ms Olga Blacha, a horticulturalist, landscape architect and designer who is co-owner of Sustainable Natives, a wholesale nursery located at Somersby.

Ms Blacha’s topic will be attracting birds with native plants.

Several growers of Australian native plants will be selling

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Live webcasts of council meetings to continue esidents who are unable to travel to Central Coast Council meetings held in Wyong will be able to continue to view those meetings using live webcasting.

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The live webcasting of Central Coast Council meetings is set to continue following adoption of a recommendation

by Council at its April meeting in Wyong.

One of the first decisions of the new Council was to trial live webcasting of Council meetings due to the need to service a large local government area and to ensure the decision-making processes of Council were accessible to as large an audience as possible.

Council Administrator, Mr Ian

Reynolds, said Council had received a lot of constructive feedback over the past six months and was now taking the necessary steps to improve the service for the Central Coast community.

“I believe it is important the decisions of the Council are as open and accessible as possible and webcasting can help deliver that effectively,” Mr Reynolds said.

“Over the next few months there will be refurbishments made to both Chambers to accommodate the fifteen newly elected Councillors, and at this time, adjustments will be made to incorporate webcasting, including improving the sound quality.

“That was the feedback we got that sometimes the audio dropped out, so we are making appropriate steps to fix this

Subscribe now and don’t miss an edition Peninsula News Community Access

1 Year (25 editions) to Peninsula News $75

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Phone: 4325 7369 120c Erina Street, Gosford To order online

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Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net

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OUT&ABOUT PAGE 29 MAY 4, 2017

4-Villages Walk to acknowledge shipbuilding industry

issue.”

The webcast will be available for viewing until the next meeting of Council, meaning those who cannot view the meeting at the time it is broadcast will have an opportunity to do so at a time that suits them.

Live webcasting of Council meetings can be viewed via Council’s website and youtube channel.

Source: Media release, Apr 26 Ian Reynolds, Central Coast Council

Joel and LeRoy turn all four judges’ chairs entral Coast indie rock act, Joel and LeRoy, stormed Channel Nine’s hit series, The Voice, on May 1, turning all four judges’ chairs, with their rendition of Fifth Harmony’s ‘Work From Home’.

C

Mr Joel Leggett, of Forresters Beach, and Mr LeRoy AshfordMeehan, of Catherine Hill Bay, have been friends and jam buddies for a couple of years.

The duo grew up on the Coast, where Mr Leggett attended Green Point Christian College, and Mr AshfordMeehan attended Mackillop Catholic College, Warnervale.

The pair were hard pressed to choose their coach with their pick of the four superstar judges.

The boys went with home grown music icon, Delta Goodrem, and will battle it out on Team Delta in the next round of the show.

Central Coast talent has a history of storming The Voice, with the series’ first winner, Karise Eden, and last winner, Ellie Drennan, both hailing from the Coast.

Source: The Voice Artist Profile, May 3

Beatties Ship Building Yard during WW2

he 4-Villages Walk through Kincumber, Yattalunga, Saratoga and Davistown, to take place on May 6, has been organised by the Rotary Club of Kincumber.

T

The walk aims to enhance awareness of the Shipbuilder’s Memorial on the Kincumber foreshore and to increase knowledge of the environmental and heritage value of the four villages that were at the core of the region’s ship building industry.

There are five historical displays that highlight the history of shipbuilding in the area, starting with the Aboriginal bark boats by the Darkinjung people.

There are additional displays at Kincumber Hotel, and a sculpture on the water reserve

by Central Coast artist, John Woulfe.

Davistown Progress Hall will also exhibit a model railway, a Gosford Library shipbuilders display and a Brisbane Water Historical Society display.

To be able to experience these five historical displays, a $5 4-Villages Passport has to be purchased, with children’s passports free if accompanied by an adult.

Light meals will be provided

throughout the day at Kincumber and Davistown, with a mobile café operating alongside walkers.

Source: Media release, Apr 27 Peter Rea, Rotary Club of Kincumber Website, May 3 Madeline Trevethan, Journalist

The Shame File

Central Coast Newspapers has a very liberal credit policy for advertisers and realises that from time to time, people, businesses and organisations get into financial difficulty and may need assistance and time to get things back on track.

However, some people, businesses and organisations take advantage of this generosity they use advertising but simply don’t pay their account after several months and need to be taken to court to do so.

From time to time, as necessary, we will name these people, businesses or organisations as a warning to our readers so that they will be wary when dealing with them.

• Renotek, Tascott

Sutherland, Gosford

North

• Michelle Umback - 2 • Ezy Homes - Freddies Funky, Terrigal Warehouse, Gosford • Tony Fitzpatrick Central Plaza trading as Futurtek • Thomas James Roofing Clinton, Trading • Shelley Walker as TMA Products & Previously trading as AthroBalm & Effective Headmasters Hair Business Solutions of Design, Park Plaza Ettalong Gosford • Ashley’s Family • Jessica Davis - A1 Restaurant, Gosford Cleaning Services, George Nouri Erina • Decorative Fabrics & • Inspire P/L trading Furnishings - Steve as CUP Computers McGinty formerly of Gosford • Dean Lampard • Modern Asian Trading as Lampard Cuisine, Victoria Street Painting East Gosford • Coast and Country • AAA Coastal Painting Removalists - Gosford Service, Greg

PAGE 30 MAY 4, 2017

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Big wins to Terrigal Avoca and Gosford in AFL

T

errigal Avoca Panthers flexed their muscles with a 135 to 55 win over Cardiff Hawks at Hylton Moore Oval, in round four of the Black Diamond Cup competition on Saturday, April 29.

The Panthers had to withstand a strong early challenge from the Hawks before stamping their authority after half time and going on to win by 80 points.

Cardiff were missing a number of players, and then lost Liam Gibson and Jack Pratt early in the game, however they had no answer to Terrigal Avoca’s running game and pressure, often turning the ball over at crucial times.

Jayson Van Dam, who played his 200th game, kicked the first goal of the game.

Both teams traded goals

before Terrigal Avoca managed to lead by six points at quarter time.

Panthers coach, Mark Skuse, had done his homework on the Hawks, with plenty of pressure being applied to Cardiff’s prime movers.

Terrigal Avoca opened up the second term with the first three goals, however the Hawks were able to answer with two of their own before late goals to the Panthers saw them lead by 24 points at half time.

With the Cardiff bench lacking personnel, Terrigal Avoca tightened the screws with their miserly defence, and by keeping the Hawks goalless in the third quarter, they were able to open up a 40 point lead at the final change.

With Cardiff resistance broken, the Panthers ran amok in the final quarter to record an 80 point win, a margin which was not a true reflection on the

contest.

Kurt Fleming was outstanding for the winners picking up numerous possessions around the ground and also kicking four goals.

Veterans Peter Van Dam and Alastair Richardson made great returns after missing the previous round, whilst coach Mark Skuse was a smooth mover.

Sam Ellis had a great battle in the ruck with Yensch whilst Damen Smith was part of a strong back six.

In the Black Diamond Plate competition, Gosford made it two wins on the trot with a 63 point win over Lake Macquarie, with veteran Tim Eather kicking eight goals.

Gosford’s women’s team defeated Lake Macquarie 88 to 18.

Source: Match Report, May 1 Gary Burkinshaw, AFL Black Diamond

Bridge Club Presentation Day he Central Coast Leagues Club’s Bridge Club recently held their Presentation Day at the club.

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It was in the form of an Academy Awards and to add to the fun, each of the 66 members present had an alternative persona.

Tide Chart

FORT DENISON LAT 33° 51’ S - LONG 151° 14’ E - TIME ZONE - 1000 Times and Heights(m) of high and low waters

Time - Height(m) Add one hour to the times below when Daylight Saving is in force

0252 1.64 0940 0.50 THU 1558 1.40 2143 0.73

4

5 FRI

0359 1.60 0457 1.57 1035 0.51 1123 0.50 1655 1.46 SAT 1744 1.54 2249 0.69 2347 0.63

6

0548 1.56 0036 0.58 1204 0.50 0632 1.54 SUN 1826 1.61 MON 1242 0.50 TUE 1904 1.67

9

0119 0.54 0714 1.52 1315 0.51 1939 1.71

0159 0.51 0235 0.49 0753 1.50 0830 1.47 WED 1347 0.52 THU 1418 0.55 2013 1.75 2045 1.76

12

0313 0.48 0909 1.44 1450 0.58 2118 1.77

7

8

10

11

FRI

Mr Clark Gable and Ms Vivienne Leigh collected a number of awards including the Remembrance Day Pairs and the Monthly Shield.

They were especially honoured when Ms Leigh (alias Dorothy Berzins) was presented with her Life Member’s Badge, only the fourth given out by the club, and Mr Gable (alias Peter Berzins), was recognised with a small tribute for 30 years long service as a Director of the club.

The Bridge Club play six afternoons a week as well as Monday evening.

Source: Email, Apr 30 Tony Ramsey, CCLC Bridge Club

Colts XV win Tier 1 Rowlands Cult Cup The Central Coast had a mixed showing at the NSW Country Championships, with the Colts XV taking out the Tier 1 Rowlands Cult Cup and the Seniors XV and Women’s Sevens posting mixed results.

The highlight of the weekend was the great win by the Colts over long time rival Hunter, taking out the Tier 1 Rowlands Colts Cup for the first time in many years.

This team has been in this final many times, but had been unable to secure the win.

However, the Colts finally got through for the victory.

The Colts started the match very well and led by 11 points to nil very early on, after a try to Lachlan Peruch and two goals to Isaac Barnes.

This score line, after only 14 minutes, was the best possible start.

However, the remainder of the match was a very dour battle, with both teams having

chances to place final points on the board, it was Hunter who responded, with a try prior to the break, to reduce the lead to 11-5 at halftime.

Hunter kicked a penalty goal early in the second half as well, narrowing the score to 11-8.

Play went from one end of the field to the other, but no points were posted.

At one stage Central Coast had two players in the sin bin, but still they hung on with some very gritty defence.

A penalty goal to the Colts close to fulltime gave them breathing space, with the score 14-8, but they still had to show some very dogged defence late in the match to hang on for victory.

It was a great achievement by this team and the win places them at the top of NSW Country Colts rugby.

The Seniors had a disappointing day on the

Narara to hold Cross-Country event

N

arara Public School’s CrossCountry will be held on Friday, May 12, with the back up date the following Friday.

All parents are invited to attend and watch the proceedings.

The event will kick off at around 9am.

All children (K-6) are

encouraged to attend and participate.

Children turning 8 and above will be part of the official event with opportunities to represent the school at district level.

Other student, 5-7, will participate in a modified run.

0350 0.49 0430 0.51 0511 0.54 0947 1.41 1027 1.37 1110 1.33 SAT 1524 0.61 SUN 1600 0.65 MON 1640 0.70 2153 1.76 2230 1.73 2309 1.68

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14

15

0556 0.57 0645 0.60 0043 1.58 1156 1.30 1247 1.28 0740 0.61 TUE 1724 0.75 WED 1815 0.79 THU 1345 1.29 2352 1.63 1915 0.81

16

17

18

APPROX. TIME LAG AFTER FORT DENISON Ettalong 40 min, Rip Bridge 2hrs - Wisemans Ferry 2 hrs 30 min, Koolewong 2 hrs 10 min

In view of the variations caused by local conditions and meteorological effects, these times are approximate and must be considered as a guide only. They are not to be relied on for critical depth calculations for safe navigation. Actual times of High and Low Water may occur before or after the times indicated

WAR MEMORABILIA WANTED

Source: Newsletter, May 1 Dave Stitt, Narara Public School

Saturday.

They had a tough day with two very hard fought clashes.

They were defeated by Far North Coast by 50 to 41, and then lost to Mid North Coast by 23 points to 12.

In both games, the team had their chances, but things just did not go their way.

They were close but just not quite there.

They fought back well on the Sunday, with a very good win over New England by 59 points to 21, but because of the results on the first day, they were not going to appear in the overall winners’ circle.

The Women’s Sevens had two losses early on, but fought very well to record two very pleasing wins in the final matches.

Source: Media release, May 1 Larry Thomson, Central Coast Rugby Union

Win to Narara arara Public School’s netball team played its first game of the PSSA competition against Niagara Park Public School in May.

N

Narara played extremely well in both offence and defence and came away with a convincing 20-4 win.

They will progress to round two of the competition.

Source: Newsletter, May 1 Dave Stitt, Narara Public School

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PAGE 31 MAY 4, 2017

Gosford Kariong Storm’s season is underway

Annabel LeMaistre dashes clear for the Storm U10(3)s

The Gosford Under 7s captured in high spirits, warming the bench at Woy Woy Photos: Andrew Stark

T

he Central Coast junior rugby league competitions have kicked off for the 2017 season with the opening fortnight offering the Gosford Kariong Storm mixed results.

Gosford Kariong U13(2)s halfback Kyle Dowling attempts to slice between a couple of Roosters

Robert ‘RJ’ Warwick scored both the Storms’ tries during the Open Grade loss to the Warriors

The most emphatic victory of the opening round garnered a 46-0 score line as the Storm under-12(3)s ran roughshod over the luckless Raiders at Blue Haven.

The Michael Sam’s coached twelves include a handful of members from last year’s under-11(1)s, after the premier division squad were forced to disband during the off season following the loss of a host of players and a coach.

The Storm have lodged an appeal with the CCDJRL in a bid to have the side regraded into division two and the lopsided nature of their first up win only adds weight to the

claim.

The Gosford under-10(3)s are another side to have begun the new season brightly.

A narrow 10-8 win at home against the Tigers in round one was followed up with a comprehensive 24-8 victory at Woy Woy. First half tries to Angus Bills, Ryan Sanchez and Jacob Bond provided the visitors with a 12-0 half time lead, and the Storm boys and girls continued to run freely after the break.

Powerful forward, Dylan Wade, who suffered the misfortune of breaking a forearm last season, had a tremendous game up the middle, while utility player, Sunny Mayles, was at his bustling best.

The highlight of the early morning contest however, was provided by a young lady playing in just her second game of rugby league.

Annabel LeMaistre split the Roosters defence from well inside her own half and strode out into open field with all the grace and form of an Olympic sprinter, before a frantic cover defence managed to rein her in just metres shy of the corner post.

In other results; the under-13(2)s bounced back from a heavy loss at Wyong in round one to edge out Woy Woy 14-10, having trailed by six early in the second half.

A try in the right corner to winger, Max Zonno, was followed shortly after by a barnstorming charge up centre field from prop, Jake Sutherland, all of which helped push Gosford to the lead.

Sadly, the game ended four minutes early after the aforementioned Jake Sutherland received an accidental knock to the head and required a precautionary

trip to Gosford Hospital via the back of an ambulance.

Thankfully, young Jake was back home later in the afternoon with all of his faculties intact.

The Rod Godoy coached under-11(1)s are the club’s sole division one side this season and have given positive indications that they will be competitive in the premier grouping, having pushed last season’s runners up, The Entrance, during a 30-18 loss in their most recent outing.

While up in the senior ranks, the injury-plagued Storm Open Grade side led by four, midway through the second half against the Warriors in their round five clash, before conceding three late tries to fall to a 22-10 defeat.

Source: Media release, May 1 Andrew Stark, Gosford Kariong Storm RLFC

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