(letter to Braidwood Times, published March 3, 2010)

With deliberations on the new Palerang LEP working draft just begun, it is clear that environmental issues will not receive the support that some may have expected. At last Thursday’s meeting, Clause 26D, Ecologically Sustainable Development (local), was the first to go. It stated: Before granting consent for development, the consent authority must have regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development as they relate to the proposed development. Not long after that, the fifth objective of the section RU1 Primary Production was debated - to ensure that the development and management of the land has proper regard for the environmental constraints of the land and has a neutral or beneficial impact on environmental assets including waterways, riparian land, wetlands and other surface and groundwater resources, soil fertility, remnant native vegetation, and existing and potential fauna movement corridors. With Cr Turley safely out of the room after it was suggested in no uncertain terms that she had an unexempted pecuniary interest, this clause was successfully deleted also, with the casting vote of the mayor. (more…)

(printed in March 2 edition of the Canberra Times)

Since your January 26 story “Koalas face big logging threat”, nothing much has changed except that, despite numerous representations to Ministers and further attempts to highlight the issue in the media and elsewhere, logging may begin as soon as Monday March 1. The support given by current and past governments to the ongoing, taxpayer-subsidised woodchipping of native forests and these governments’ blatant disregard for the protection of forests for biodiversity, water quality, habitat, climate change mitigation and tourist attraction reasons is hard to comprehend. How does continued logging of native forests in this way, without even value-adding in Australia, contribute to the nation’s financial or environmental well-being? (more…)

It is beholden on us at the local government level to ensure that activities like mining do not make it impossible for our residents to live in their own homes. It is appalling that a mining company’s activities override the rights of people to live simply and comfortably and have adequate sleep. The general situation with mining in this country, which has a long record of destroying farmland, damaging ecosystems, polluting waterways, destroying Aboriginal sites of significance, sucking out huge amounts of underground and riverine water and generally impacting negatively on communities, is unacceptable to anyone who puts social justice and quality of life before gold and the dollar and I hope that we will do everything we can to lessen the impact of this particular goldmine on our residents.

Catherine Moore, Questions and Statements, February 4 Council meeting

(The Braidwood Times asked councillors to provide approximately 150 words on their hopes and wishes for Palerang for the coming year. Seven out of nine councillors responded.)

My priority would have to be the finalisation of our new LEP, which I hope will be a forward-thinking planning instrument based on Council’s recognition that water is precious and drought is not an unusual event but something that we will have to accept as the norm.

I hope we can get away from the idea that unending growth is the solution to all our financial and social problems.  Ideally, all new sub-division proposals need to be formulated to go gently on the land and be acceptable to the communities they affect.

It would be good to see better communication and consistency amongst State Government departments, especially those involved with planning, industry/engineering and the environment. Situations like we have at the moment with the RTA pumping large amounts of water out of the Shoalhaven for roadwork need to be reassessed so that not only river health but water supplies to the settlements that rely on them are guaranteed.

Happy New LEP Year to everyone in Palerang.

Catherine Moore

Contributions from Cr Moore, including Matters arising (that demolition again, the Araluen Progress Association’s missing submission, and Cr Gardiner’s report card); councillor remuneration; the mayoral bid; meeting venues; and Questions and Statements (including the death of Christoph Alternburg, thanks for support): (more…)

Matters arising, controversial developments and caretaker mode, discussion papers and submissions, questions and statements, at this last meeting of the inaugural Palerang (previously ECCR) Council (Greens councillor contributions)

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(councillor contribution for August edition of the Palerang Bulletin)

At the last Council Meeting Cr Matt presented Part One of his report card for Palerang Council and suggested that other councillors might like to do the same, as we come to the end of our term. It’s a good idea, but if I’m to give my personal perspective, I am hard pressed to come up with much that’s positive.

The last four years have provided some of the more unpleasant experiences of my life. I’ve talked before on these pages about my early attempts to introduce safe meeting procedure, rejected by nearly all around the table. And when things deteriorated, I requested that we have team building and conflict resolution, but the professional employed to talk to us all individually and then come up with a plan to help us sort out our differences and get on with the job came to the conclusion that it was a lost cause, and that there was nothing he could do for us. (more…)

Business Arising, notes for agenda items, including Amendments to the DCP, Telstra towers, questions and statements (more…)