Alectura lathami (Suburban Turkey!)

Last year my neighbour Christine announced the arrival of the Scrub Turkey below Channel 9. Well this morning at 8.00am on my morning walk through Artarmon Reserve, who should strut out across the railway path not 2 metres ahead of me but said turkey! I imagine that it won’t be long before the Council starts getting complaints from residents about these birds “ruining their gardens” with their scratching & nest making – can’t wait (Thanks Neil - for this photo of our bird!)

The impact of positioning NSW as “Open for Business” is being felt keenly in local government. We are experiencing a sustained and far reaching erosion of local democratic process as the Iemma government eagerly fosters the business of property development. As the Greens have brought very much into focus, the property development industry is the most generous contributor to (major) political party campaign funds. The state government’s overhaul of S94 (developers) contributions will prevent us from providing the infrastructure residents have come to expect and the “Standard Template” for Local Environment Plans (LEPs) reduces our capacity to protect and preserve local environmental values along with our ability to achieve (with community endorsement) a higher level of ESD than the state government prescribed / lowest common denominator approach (e.g. BASIX).And as regards our funding base, the Productivity Commission in its Draft Report concluded that:

A wide variety of legislative and regulatory restrictions are imposed by jurisdictions on the raising of ownsource revenue by local government, although generally these do not appear to be significant impedediments to revenue raising in most jurisdictions, with the exception of rate pegging and concessions in New South Wales (my emphasis)

At the same time, a recent seminar run by the Environmental Defender’s Office examined the latest raft of the NSW government’s “Planning Reforms”. It was great to see Progress Association reps from Willoughby in attendance (Castlecrag & West Ward), in fact there was good representation from the northside generally (Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby and Pittwater) and especially good to see that they are getting organised. That’s about it for the good news though. Planners, lawyers, academics & environmental activists were joined by these (self described) ‘ordinary folk’ giving voice to deep concerns about the shutting down of public participation in NSW planning processes. Following on from the notorious Part 3A amendments last year, significant changes are proposed to :

• The process of Plan Making (particularly our LEPs)
• Development Assessment (including introduction of 3 levels of Planning Panels (highly controversial where they have been implemented e.g. in South Australia)
• Exempt & complying development – to be expanded to 50% of all developments (no notifications & no qualitative criteria)
• Private Certifier’s role extended to include discretionary matters & possibly subdivisions
The deadline for submissions is February 8th - find the EDO’s recommendations here

And finally about the Netball trial at Artarmon Reserve, the proposal was introduced at a Committee meeting late last year. I moved and was supported by Barry Thompson, to have the Council Officer’s report circulated, inviting your feedback. I thought it a bad idea at the time and judging by what you have copied me in on – I’m in good company!

New Office for Old Souls

In a totally unique collaboration, 7 northside Councils are working together to help protect and promote our Aboriginal Heritage. Cost shared and with support from the NSW Heritage Office the Aboriginal Heritage Office is a bridge for Councils in our Area with the Metro Land Council - the legislated body recognised as having responsibility for promotion and protection of Aboriginal heritage in most of urban Sydney, east of Parramatta. It is therefore a real honour for us to have the office located in Northbridge, as of about a month ago. Check out the website and see what's on in the way of guided walks and information resources. Every year the office participates in the Guringai Festival a series of events held throughout the region, from May through to July.
Pictured here are Sue Pinckham Social Planner, Dave Watts Manager, and Phil Hunt Archeologist. Looking forward to the official opening I am.

Graffiti

Grafitti generates a lot of heat at Council.
Personally, lots of other things bother me more. Although I do find some graffiti technically impressive and sometimes attractive, tagging is almost always tedious and at times (when it repeatedly defaces signs which people might want to read and natural features like tree trunks and rock faces) it is highly insensitive. Sadly, it is not often interesting so I am pleased to 'thow' this one up as I do quite like it!!
As some might recognise, it currently adorns the unlovely bike locker placed (at Council's request) at Artarmon Station, next to the permaculture garden at the Library.

2008 projects for Naremburn

As I'm still on holidays I have been out and about, swapping New Year's greetings and inspecting some of the prettiest gardens in Naremburn. First I went to see Alan and Dorothy in Dalleys Road. Alan had been saving me a cutting of the white crysanthemum I admired last year. Amongst other things, they remarked upon the number of strollers and prams being pushed around our suburb. At the 1996 Census, there were 382 children under 4 years old resident in Naremburn, in 2001 this number had grown to 463. Last year there were 596! Shame on our shortsighted state government for closing & selling off the greater part of the public school site/s some 10 years ago. This unfortunate decision has now led now to Council deciding to withdraw its Out of School Hours Service (OOSH) at the Community Centre (see Nov 13 blog entry). A remnant of the former site now called the North Harbour Unit, provides a valuable but not local use of the site, specialising in work with children who have behavioural issues. So why not reclaim the site as an Infants School?
Later on I visited John and Pat who told me that recently, the former residents of their house in Donnelly Street had come by and as well as being able to name every (former) resident in the street, they had stated that there was a park where the freeway is now! Why not reclaim that one too? Pat and John are most supportive of the Infants School proposal as almost every second house in their street is home to a young family now, every one of which will in all likelihood, be driving their cars, ferrying their little ones to schools at Cammeray, Artarmon or Willoughby - all of which are bursting at the seams on sites littered with demountables.
Got a view? Make it known - vote in the poll on this Blogsite! Should there be significant support our Council can take this one right up to the NSW government!