Posted 6/7/08

MRRA Asks:  Is The Writing On The Wall For Victoria?

MRRA received the following from head of Save Our Suburbs (Sydney), Tony Rescei.

In spite of strong protests from community groups, the Local Government Association, the National Trust, the media and the public our politicians passed the Environmental Planning and Assessment Bill in the dead of night.  A letter, in pride of place in Sydney Morning Herald (June 21 2008) by SOS member Councillor Anne Field says it all:

Why planning needs the voice of the community

"The passage of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Bill 2008 late last Tuesday night will sound the death of community participation in planning in NSW.

The then premier Neville Wran introduced in 1979 the original Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. In the decade before this, Sydneysiders saw the emergence of green bans and the rise of resident action groups. The end result of this activity was the push for planning to change.

Jack Mundey, a former recent chair of the Historic Houses Trust, was instrumental in campaigns in the late 1960s and 1970s in saving The Rocks, Woolloomooloo, Centennial Park and Kellys Bush in Hunters Hill. It was the actions of Mundey and the Builders Labourers Federation - which imposed green bans at the requests of conservationists, residents and community groups - that apparently influenced Wran's legislation.

The original planning legislation was based on consultation, something that is foreign to the current legislation. Consultation on the discussion paper "Improving the NSW Planning System" was limited.

The rights of residents will be eroded so they will not have a say about how their neighbourhood develops. What impact will this have on our streetscape, our heritage and our environment? The end result will inevitably be conflict between neighbours.

The residents in Kogarah municipality are proud of their homes, their streetscape and their suburbs. The mums and dads will only recognise the scope of the legislation when a neighbour attempts to build an inappropriate design next to their property.

Then, Minister Sartor, you'll see the rebirth of community activism across our local communities.

May the ballot boxes of September 13, in the local government elections across NSW, send strong signals in your direction that the legislation is to the detriment of our heritage, our environment and our communities.

Anne Field Kogarah"

Don't cross the Minister or potential donors

Shocking revelations in 20 June 2008 ABC TV Stateline program point to what can happen if one crosses a NSW State Minister.

STATELINE PROGRAM:

The program reports that Dr Michael Booth, who was director of the Centre for Obesity, performed a study on obesity among young people. This involved a state-wide survey of 5,500 children from kindergarten to year 10.

He found that over-eating and not lack of exercise is the key cause of Australian children getting fatter.  This is contrary to the arguments of the fast food industry.

He also showed that without urgent intervention, large numbers of young people were likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes.

For some reason the then Minister of Health, John Hatzistergos had Dr Booth's report in his possession for eight months without officially releasing it.  However the Department of Health gave Dr Booth permission to discuss his findings at the NSW Diabetes Summit.

After this the Minister's office expressed its extreme dissatisfaction at the release of the study information and Dr Booth was dismissed.

The reason given for the dismissal was based on an unrelated technicality – see the program transcript for details http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s2281600.htm.

A person interviewed alleges that the university did not want to put the Government off side for fear that future funding will be compromised.  It wants to appease potential donors to the university and also the government. 

The Minister’s office and the university declined to comment further.