Alan Stephenson is a highly respected orchid expert. While he discovered the population of orchids at the Yerriyong site, he is in no way responsible for the legislation at both federal and state level that protects them.

He certainly does not deserve the hate, veiled threats and ridicule directed his way in the social media fever swamp.

He’s not the only one copping undeserved abuse. Shoalhaven City Council is also in the crosshairs of the baying social media mob, which makes no sense at all because it supported the project most enthusiastically. 

The fury that’s been unleashed by Motorcycling NSW’s decision to back out of the project would be better channelled into a reasoned argument for legislative change.

Even staunch Liberal Joanna Gash recognises this. It was the Howard government which enacted the legislation that protects such orchids and puts obstacles in front of so many projects.

Many would agree with Cr Gash that we can’t just lock the gate when it comes to development. Many also agree there must be safeguards so we don’t continue down the dry gulch of species extinction. Somewhere there needs to be a balance between the needs of the environment and the needs of the local community.

This is what the keyboard lynch mob would be better off pursuing.

Council also needs to do some soul searching. When it received advice back in 2012 that there were serious environmental constraints with the chosen site, it should have listened.

Instead it chose to bend over backwards out of fear it would lose the project, continuing what is almost a cargo cult fixation on grand schemes and projects, very few of which have come to fruition.  

So, too, Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis, who secured $9.75 million in federal funding towards what was then an unapproved project.

She dismissed concerns about this saying there were only a couple of boxes to be ticked. Now that grant money will go back into consolidated revenue.