Huskisson Woollamia Community Voice – Minutes
General Meeting – Monday 12 October 2020, 7pm
Huskisson Community Centre
Chair: Sue Smith
Attendance: 16
- Acknowledgement of Traditional owners
Chair acknowledged traditional owners and elders past and present. - Welcome and apologies:
Chair Susan Smith accepted apologies and welcome to new faces.
Apologies: Leslie Lockwood, Alan Burrows, Shirley Fitzgerald, Margaret Hughes, Jan Bruck - Previous Minutes:
Moved Nigel Marsden Seconded Mark Wareham that Minutes from the meeting 10 February 2020 be accepted. Motion passed. - Business arising
Some actions from previous meeting not completed – Secretary committed that these would be completed by next meeting.
Most matters have been reported on in Email updates. Telstra, re maintenance and artwork on infrastructure, has said that they would report by the end of this week. - Treasurer’s report
Balance of $2753.50
Expenditure of $39 for use of Community Centre room for meetings, $134 to Australia Post for PO Box, $227.27 for Micro Maze (Internet), $237 to Officeworks for flyers re 44 Duncan St, $350 for dog tidy bags.
Income of $500 support from SCC, $25,000 from CBB Partnerships for adult change room in conjunction with VRRA.
Closing Balance: $27,266.23
Mark queried that there should have been 2 x $50 donations. Jason to check.
Moved Evan Christen / Seconded Rachel Marsden that the Treasurer’s report be accepted. Motion passed. - Correspondence in/out:
Penny noted that correspondence has been going out in Email Updates. A couple of items were missed:Vincentia Matters highlighted the need to keep up the conversation around a flyover on the Jervis Bay Rd / Highway intersection.Letter from Marine Estate Authority – will be included in next Email update VRRA is undertaking a Community Led Strategic Plan - Joint CCB Meeting
A joint CCB meeting was held in late August.
A CCB Exec meeting was held with Council via ‘Teams’ where an update was given by the CEO, Jane Lewis and Kevin Voegt. A link to the meeting notes was in last Email update. There was little opportunity for discussion, and the Joint CCBs have asked to liaise with relevant staff on the issues raised at the Joint CCB meeting. - Bay and Basin Community Strategic Plan
Jason reported that the steering group is currently finalising a survey which should be finished next week. The survey will have open ended questions and be linked to Council website, and there will be three face-to-face date collections points: IGA St Georges Basin, Owen St Huskisson, Market Place Vincentia. - Other business
Query to Clr Gash from Eddie Smith
Community was very disappointed with outcome for 44 Duncan St – what can the community do to prevent blocks of 17 units being built on other R3 sites?
Clr Gash: that all R3 would have 17 units is hypothetical, each case is taken on its own merits. The zoning is a huge process.
Penny Davidson: but it is true there are only limited reasons Council can refuse a DA?
Clr Gash: gave example of DAs for wedding function centres. Three DAs were approved but 3 others were knocked back because of public interest and noise considerations.
Ed Smith: every resident in Huskisson was opposed to 44 Duncan St – doesn’t that constitute ‘public interest’?
Clr Gash: public interest is where Council acknowledges concerns and calls the DA in.
Evan Christen: many aspects of the design and proposal contradicted the guidelines
Clr Gash: that was not the case
Ed Smith: getting back to my question – what can we do to protect the rest of R3?
Clr Gash: you can complain through the CCB, request a rezoning through the CCB, ask for another heritage study – this was done in Nowra.
Council conduct – Jo Warren
Jo has been made aware of an issue of conduct relating to the selection of community representatives on the Shoalhaven Coastal Advisory Committees. Evan Christen had nominated for the Coastal Advisory Committee. It was clear in the video and paperwork she now has copies of that at a workshop on 14 Sept all nominations were reviewed and selections made for the committees. This list was put to council on 6 October for ratification, and Evan Christen was selected as one of the community representatives for the Central committee.
However at the council meeting on the 6th a councillor asked for Evan to be removed, and replaced with someone else, with no reason given.
A rigorous process had been set in place to establish membership of these committees. We need to be sure that if we’re going to have a rigorous process that it can’t be undone by the whim of a politician.
The concern is about process.
Jo has emailed Clrs White, Wells and Proudfoot who were on the original workshop group selecting committee membership, and has rung Kelly Clark in the Environmental Services team.
She spoke at length to the Council Complaints officer, who suggested writing a formal code of conduct letter and she will do that.
Asks that HWCV write a letter to expressing concern that a community member has been removed from a committee without following process, or providing justification.
Noted that Jo Gash did not attend that meeting.
Motion: the Voice write to council noting that a community member was nominated to the Coastal Management Committee, are deeply disappointed and we want to understand the reason why and how this could occur. Voice sees it as a very worrying, intervention by one councillor.
Moved Sue Smith
Seconded Sue Tolley
Concern over Triathlon – Maureen Noonan
Maureen had heard that the Triathlon will be held at the end of October and concerned how such an event could be COVID safe. She contacted the police who had only just been told, and who were surprised it had been approved. She had been given contradictory information re how many people would participate.
Mark Wareham: believed approval hadn’t come through yet. Noosa is on the following weekend and so Huskisson will certainly be a smaller than usual event.
Sue Smith: confident they will run in a COVID safe way – they have too much to lose if they don’t.
Peter Dooley: participated in a Cross Country event – but held in a different environment and context to Huskisson village so comparisons can’t be made.
All children’s events have been cancelled.
Motion: Voice write expressing concern to council. Community is not aware of what is happening and is receiving contradictory information. How was the approval made. How will the event be conducted in a COVID safe way?Moved Tim Peach / Seconded Tony Lim.
New bike signs
Motion: write to Council thanking them for the new signs that alert motorists that cyclists are ahead.
Moved: Tony Lim / Seconded Steve Murphy
DA Moona St – Sue Tolley
120 submissions objecting to the proposal were presented to Council. People are concerned about environment and aesthetics and ongoing health of Jervis Bay. Our Future Shoalhaven is in its infancy, and seemed a good vehicle to coordinate. There is now a Moona campaign to raise concern which has been going for 3 months, with media team, resource team, history team and so on. There will be an event between now and Christmas at Moona Moona Ck to help people find out more.
We are seeking to have a public meeting, requested initially by the HWCV, with councillors and mayor. We are also investigating legal alternatives.
Currently Council have asked for a lot of extra reports from the developer which have not been produced yet; when they’re available we will have more material to work with; and we’ve been promised the public meeting will be held.
Clr Gash confirmed best to have a public meeting.
The meeting has been agreed to, mayor believes COVID shouldn’t stop it, but best to have it after reports in.
Motion: Voice to ask council for a follow up on the request for a public meeting to discuss the development.
Moved Sue Tolley / Seconded Mark Wareham
Rubbish in Huskisson – Sue Smith
The rubbish in Huskisson over the long weekend and holidays has been disgraceful. Sue rang Woollamia depot which was very helpful. Suggest that we all keep an eye, take photos and contact council. Council’s efforts fell apart over the long weekend, and amount of rubbish was very nearly a health hazard.
Seems that the Tourism department is not letting other council sections know what is happening.
Clr Gash suggested that we ring councillors when problems like that arise.
Motion: Voice writes to Council asking that they reassess their rubbish collection because of the density of visitors; we are now getting Christmas numbers on weekends. Additionally the litter in the carpark near bottle shop washes directly into stormwater without any filter. The community and infrastructure is ‘under the pump’ – this is what happens at this level of development – judging by litter, roads, parking it is already looking like the area has exceeded its tourism carrying capacity.
Moved Evan Christen / Seconded Sue Smith
Jet ski concern – Maureen Noonan
Concern over the jet skis approaching the beach – they are allowed to do this to pick up people.
Meeting closed at 8:00pm.
Next meeting: 7:00pm Monday 9 November 2020 at the Huskisson Community Centre.
Summary of Actions from meeting:
Tasks not done from previous meeting
Check with Telstra – week starting 19th Oct
Loss of veg in Woollamia – contact state dept as per before
Contact other CCBs re 45 degree rule
Follow up Tourism response to special event questions
Check that Mark Wareham’s 2 x $50 were received
Adjust signatories on bank account – add Secretary
The Voice write to council noting that a community member was nominated to the Coastal Management Committee, are deeply disappointed and we want to understand the reason why and how this could occur. Voice sees it as a very worrying, intervention by one councillor.
Voice write expressing concern to council. Community is not aware of what is happening and is receiving contradictory information. How was the approval made. How will the event be conducted in a COVID safe way?
write to Council thanking them for the new signs that alert motorists that cyclists are ahead
Voice to ask council for a follow up on the request for a public meeting to discuss the Moona development
Voice writes to Council asking that they reassess their rubbish collection because of the density of visitors; we are now getting Christmas numbers on weekends. Additionally the litter in the carpark near bottle shop washes directly into stormwater without any filter. The community and infrastructure is ‘under the pump’ – this is what happens at this level of development – judging by litter, roads, parking it is already looking like the area has exceeded its tourism carrying capacity.