Hello OFAG Team,
General Statement of Philosophy
I am running for Council to prevent further encroachment by property developers into the natural bushland. The Narrabeen lagoon catchment area is crucial to the health of the lagoon and only 35% is classified National Park. I will be lobbying the appropriate authorities to increase the size of the National Park. Other crucial bushland areas also exist in Terry Hills and Duffys Forest. The failure of the State government to privatise the Electricity Network means they did not receive $15b and now are broke. The pressure will be on all Councils but in particular Warringah to sell off all Crown land. The Council will have a huge task on its hands to repel this pressure and we need to get some people on Council who are competent enough to win this most important battle. The earlier invitation to property developers to do business in Warringah must be cancelled and the infiltration of Council by developers and real estate agents should be illegal. Some of the previous Council members are running again and if they are successful the results will be tragic.
Answers to Questions
1. Without having studied the latest version in some detail I can only say that if it encroaches on existing bushland it is unacceptable and will not get my support.
2. No, it is oversize, out of character with the area and environmental vandalism
3. Yes, for reasons outlined above
4. Yes. The Administrator has been criticised for boosting the Councils legal team and wasting $1.5m in the process and it does sound like a lot of money wasted. However if the Council is to have any chance of winning battles against property developers and the State Government it may be that the legal expertise in Council needs to be increased further.
John Thornton