Pittwater Life July 2023 Issue

Editorial
Govt’s ‘Winter of Discontent’
It’s shaping as a ‘Winter of
Discontent’ for many on the
Northern Beaches following a
series of backflips by the new
State Government.
Despite gaining the trust
of locals with pre-election
pledges and assurances on
key issues including the
potential commercialisation of
Barrenjoey Headland, support
for Council demergers and
ruling out the controversial
Lizard Rock housing project at
Belrose, the Minns Government
have gone all wobbly legs on
these and other matters.
After ‘talking the talk’ they
have lost their voice.
In the past month the NSW
Government has kept the
book open on short stays on
Barrenjoey, allowed Lizard
Rock to progress to the next
stage of assessment and moved
to make it nigh on impossible
for Pittwater to return to its
own local Council governance.
That’s because while the
Government is supportive of
Councils that wish to demerge,
that’s only if new Councils can
foot the cost of demerging.
Further, local sporting
associations fear for the
future of their codes’
participation levels after the
State Government drastically
overhauled the Active Kids
Vouchers scheme, relied on by
thousands of families to help
cover the cost of their children’s
sports enrolments.
On positive notes, Pittwater
MP Rory Amon has been first
out of the blocks to take the
necessary steps that would
see the controversial PEP-11
gas and petrol mining licence
scrapped for good; Mr Amon
has called on the Government
and cross benchers to support
new legislation that would
effect this.
And Mackellar MP Sophie
Scamps has moved to see junk
food ads restricted. Bravo.
– Nigel Wall
The Local Voice Since 1991
JULY 2023 3