Big plans cost big money
Mr Dean is very good at putting words into other people’s mouths - trying to paint me as a fanatic who fails to grasp the concept of what he and others are trying to do to bring to fruition a motorcycling facility for the Shoalhaven. Mr Dean also seems to have some political aspirations for me that I do not currently hold.
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What is not amusing though, is like Mrs Gash and Mr Watson, Mr Dean seems unable to comprehend that the land at Yerriyong is constrained by NSW government legislation and federal government legislation. When the last masterplan application was submitted to the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP), the information was in serious deficit. MNSW spent $1 million on the master plan and would have been forced to spend up to $300,000 more to start to address the issues raised by OEH, a cost that would have to be worn by council.
Submitting a master plan is not a cheap, shortcut exercise to approvals, and specific DAs for each stage of the plan still need to be submitted with details. Any DA from this point onwards is effectively a brand new proposal.
The burning question is – if council spends $300,000 to find out that there are $10 million or more of offsets to be purchased and there is no purchaser is it money well spent to get to that size of a hurdle?
Mr Dean has been a long-term opponent of rate rises, yet he thinks it’s OK to embark on a project with an open cheque book.
A. Findley, Shoalhaven Mayor
Lost opportunity costs
I totally understand that the Shoalhaven is desperate for jobs and there is potential to grow the economy with a motorsports facility. This facility won’t fix all the job woes and it could take years to come out of the planning cycle, so the question is: What opportunities are lost while we are all distracted by chasing a dream?
I would also like to respond to some of the points made by J. Howsan regarding the beautiful rainbow flags erected in the Nowra CBD. This was not funded by ratepayers but by Marriage Equality Gilmore, a local organisation which comprises members of both the LGBTI and straight communities who not only support the basic human rights of our LGBTI community but also strive to support them during what is proving to be a very difficult time for many.
Using the arguments that parents would lose control of their children through safe schools teaching, that it would somehow undermine freedom of speech and that the constitution was developed with a Christian ethic for the good of all just shows that he has no understanding of the real issue and in fact no valid argument against it.
I was under the impression Christianity was about caring and showing compassion for others but the lack of caring and compassion for our LGBTI community and the effect this vote is having on them shown in this letter leads me to question this.
A. Alldrick, Tapitallee
Some inconvenient truths
To B. Cumberland and the other Neanderthals who do not believe in climate change or that it is caused by humankind, a few facts for you.
Firstly, the vast majority of world scientists believe it is as do the climatologists who have studied climate variances for several decades and recognise the incidence of extreme weather has increased more than just the odd storm or two.
Weather in NSW during the last weekend in September was in many places 9 to 18 degrees above the monthly average and six towns in NSW breached 40 degrees. The 2017 winter was officially the driest on record.
Also, when watching world news on recent hurricanes in the Bahamas the terms frequently used were “the most intense”, the strongest winds recorded” and “the most northerly extent”. If these are not indications of climate change then I suggest the Neanderthals should stay in their caves.
