20 MAY 2020
ISSUE 189
YOUR REAL INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NORTHERN NEWS
Panel of experts commences work on Tuggerah Lakes’ water quality
News
Forty-one years ago, in 1979, Peter Mauger was working at Clifford’s Fish Shop and decided one day that instead of taking the scraps of fish to the tip, he would feed some of the local pelicans See page 8
Education
School is officially back in session for all public school students, with the NSW Government ordering a return to full time schooling from May 25.
See page 20
Out&About
Announcing the Tuggerah Lakes expert panel, Parliament Secretary Central Coast, Adam Crouch, NSW MLC Taylor Martin, Central Coast Councillor, Jilly Pilon, and 2019 State election Liberal candidate, Brian Perrem
A team of experts has now been tasked with finding the best ways to improve water quality in Tuggerah Lakes. The panel comprises industry recognised experts in the fields of catchment management, water quality, coast and estuary dynamics, aquatic ecology, stormwater management, water sensitive urban design and community engagement. Associate Professor William Glamore is Chair of the panel. He has, in the past 20 years, undertaken independent studies on estuarine and coastal systems globally. He is extremely well qualified and highly awarded for his work, and his expertise has been sought worldwide. His focus is on large scale estuarine, coastal and tidal wetland environments, with
particular emphasis on estuarine processes, climate change, habitat restoration, catchment wide prioritisation methods, maritime infrastructure and on ground technical solutions. Other members of the panel are Dr Katherine Dafforn, Sian Fawcett, Dr Angus Ferguson, Dr Damian Maher, Nicole Ramilo, Dr David Wainwright and Stuart Waters. This will be different to previous approaches to Tuggerah Lakes, says Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, and will do more than just produce another report. “Its purpose is to pull together all previous reports to identify water quality solutions, and investigate what has been done in the past, what science says should be done in the future and what issues the
community wants addressed,” Crouch said. “This will help guide Central Coast Council in formulating their future strategies and actions,” he said. However, State and Federal Labor MPs on the Central Coast say the announcement of the panel lacks detail. They want the NSW Government to supply more detail as to the purpose of the panel, how the community can interact and make submissions and what, if any, long-term funding commitment is being made towards the work required to maintain the health and quality of the Tuggerah lakes system. The State MPs for Wyong, The Entrance and Swansea, and Federal Members for Dobell and Shortland, say that their electorates are directly affected by the decisions that this panel
will make, but there hasn’t been any tangible communication about how the panel will operate, including how it will interact with Council and the longer term involvement of the State Government. “The government needs to outline tangible outcomes from this exercise, they need to make public the terms of reference, and they need to give the community confidence that they will make significant funding available to address the identified issues,” Shadow Minister for Central Coast and Wyong MP, David Harris, said. “They can’t just produce a plan and hand it all over to Council,” he said. “The communities around the lakes want action, not another report.” The Entrance MP, David Mehan, said the solution required a bipartisan approach
and the government had again failed on that level, leaving aside any lack of courtesy. “This is a significant area bounded by thousands of residents and they need to be part of the solution, and consultation is vital in ensuring that the process has wide support.” Chair of Tuggerah Lakes Care, Tony Chiappazzo, said his group and others focused on lake rehabilitation have been looking forward to meeting the new expert panel to discuss issues concerning the lakes. “While everyone is talking about improving the water quality in the lakes, our group’s focus has been on the problems caused by the excessive amount of wrack on the edge of the lakes,” he said.
One thing the coronavirus won’t stop is the annual migration of humpback whales as they make their way through waters off the Central Coast headed for warmer climes.
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See page 27
Sport
With the Doyalson Lifestyle Group (DLG) officially clearing the first hurdle towards its major housing and recreation development, the four sporting clubs that call The Doylo’s sporting fields home have been given their marching orders.
Puzzles page 24
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