14 NOVEMBER 2019
YOUR INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
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PH: 4325 7369
Prime Minister makes a flying visit to the Central Coast but has nothing new to offer
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rime Minister Scott Morrison reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to investing in the Central Coast region during a brief but largely unremarkable visit to Gosford on November 12.
Morrison popped into town to be keynote speaker at Gosford, Erina and Coastal Chamber of Commerce’s November luncheon meeting, en-route to Canberra, where he was expecting an update on the dire bushfire situation which continues to ravage NSW. He told around 250 attendees that local businesses were “the beating heart” of any community and noted that the Central Coast region had seen 1,500 new businesses start up since 2015. “This government believes very passionately in small business,” he said. “A strong regional economy is the only way to guarantee the provision of essential services, things like roads and
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison in Gosford on November 12
schools, and we are strong on investing in small business to give it a chance to grow.” “This is an incredible environment and you all get that,” he said. “More and more people are also getting it and moving to the Coast.
“We have big plans for the Coast which we will continue to roll out.” Morrison highlighted the government’s commitment to the $72.5m Central Coast Clinical School and Research Institute now under construction at Gosford
Hospital, jointly funded by the Federal Government and the University of Newcastle. He also highlighted government commitments of $70M in road upgrades, $1.6M on the M1 upgrade and $35M for commuter carpark upgrades at Gosford and Woy
Woy. Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, who introduced Morrison at the meeting, said: “The desire to drive investment in Gosford like the university campus was a vision long before I became the Member for Robertson,” she said. “Providing opportunities for people to work where they live is what drives me and I know drives the Prime Minister.” Chamber president, Rod Dever, said the Prime Minister had shown a real understanding of regional issues. “He made it clear we were on his radar and that we are no longer the forgotten Central Coast,” Dever said. The Prime Minister was not available for questions from the media despite our many attempts to ask more specific local questions. Source: Gosford Erina and Coastal Chamber of Commerce meeting, Nov 12 Media release, Nov 13 Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks Reporter: Terry Collins
Catastrophic Fire Danger survived
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he Central Coast survived a Catastrophic Fire Danger warning on November 12 virtually unscathed, although the Rural Fire Service warns that residents should remain vigilant, with rain not predicted for some time. Several schools were closed on the Coast in view of the warning and thick smoke filled
the air for most of the day. RFS Central Coast public liaison officer, Stuart O’Keefe, said there were a “couple of minor ignitions” which were dealt with quickly. “There was a report of fire at Warnervale but nothing was found, and smoke sightings reported at Woy Woy Bay and Green Point required no firefighting,” O’Keefe said. “However, there is a heightened level of awareness in the community and a certain level of anxiety at the moment
and we would encourage people to report any suspected fires quickly and we will respond accordingly.” O’Keefe said firefighters had “planned and had resources for the worst possible scenarios” following the Catastrophic listing and news that southerly winds due late in the day could lead to a heightened fire risk. “Fortunately for us, none of that preparation was required,” he said. “But the message is that although the high
temperatures and winds have abated for the moment, they are likely to return “The bush is very dry and drought affected and even on calm days fires can take hold and burn quickly. “We would ask everyone to remain vigilant and maintain the highest level of preparation. “Ensure your bushfire survival plan is regularly reviewed, especially in the current situation. “The situation will not really
resolve until we have flooding rains and these are not predicted for months.” O’Keefe said smoke on the Central Coast was coming from the Gospers mountain region, 50km to the west. “I urge everyone to keep up to date with the Fires Near Me app,” he said. Source: Interview, Nov 13 Stuart O’Keefe Public Liaison Officer, Rural Fire Service Central Coast
ISSUE 220
Leagues Club Field work to commence
W
ork on the $10M redevelopment of Leagues Club Field on the Gosford waterfront is to start in December. See Page 3 for more
Loss of temporary Terrigal car park
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he loss of 33 car parking spaces in Church St, Terrigal, became inevitable when the former Gosford Council made the decision to sell the land to a private developer in 2015, Central Coast councillor, Chris Holstein, said this week. See Page 8 for more
Cluster home builder goes into liquidation
M
embers of the Narara Ecovillage have been left with 18 incomplete cluster homes after their contracted builder went into liquidation. See Page 11 for more
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