The Mangrove Mountain and Spencer Advisory Committee held its second meeting at the Mangrove Mountain Hall on Tuesday, February 27.
Dr Stephen Goodwin from the Mountain Districts Association said he believed the committee was “still settling in”, but he was hopeful that members could focus on what they hoped to achieve as a result of the committee’s work. “At the first meeting, 32 issues were listed for future discussion and people were asked to identify their 10 priorities,” Dr Goodwin said. He said Council staff had then collated each committee member’s top 10, to come up with 10 over-arching priority topics for future discussions. “I flagged at the end that I really thought the first discussion would be to identify the outcomes the committee wants.
“In my presentation at the first meeting, I made some recommendations about outcomes and they were ignored. “I am going to send Council staff those recommendations and they will be circulated to other committee members can comment,” he said. Mr Gary Chestnut gave a presentation at the meeting based on the Mountain Districts Association’s submission to the NSW Government calling for a commission of inquiry into the landfill. “Committee members who had not been privy to the information before were shocked by the presentation,” Dr Goodwin said. The committee’s next meeting will be held at Spencer.
Dr Goodwin said he believed that the issue of how the committee dealt with sensitive information needed to be addressed by Council and that some issues may need to be dealt with in a confidential session. At the February 12 Central Coast Council meeting, Councillors Greg Best and Bruce McLachlan attempted to force community members of the Mangrove Mountain and Spencer Advisory Committee to execute binding confidentiality agreements. Mayor Jane Smith had moved at the meeting that council noted the first meeting of the committee and adopted the terms of reference as set out in the meeting’s agenda. Clr Best then moved an amendment, seconded by Clr McLachlan: “That Council require all members of the Mangrove Mountain and Spencer Advisory Committee to execute binding confidentiality agreements.” Clr Best’s amendment also asked: “That Council request the Acting CEO to report to Council regarding how best to minimise legal liabilities and risks to the ratepayer purse with regard to the operation of this committee.”
During the debate, Clr Best asked Acting CEO, Mr Brian Glendenning, whether the committee would be able to report or recommend “what is and is not happening at Mangrove and Spencer”. “What authority has the committee got?” Clr Best asked. Mr Glendenning confirmed that the committee’s role was merely advisory and had no delegated functions or powers. “Can the committee compel any organisation, group or individual to provide information?” Clr Best asked, to which Mr Glendenning responded, “No”. Clr Best said he was concerned the committee could not receive confidential information or make clear recommendations back to Council. “From the get-go, this committee was formed in haste, on the back of a mayoral minute, and we didn’t have time to make consideration,” Clr Best said. Mayor Smith said she wished to correct Clr Best’s perception that there had not been sufficient notice or opportunity to clarify the role of the committee. “This committee has no mechanism to receive confidential information,” Clr Best continued.
“The committee should be given the opportunity to receive confidential information,” he said. “This Spencer issue, we are buying into something, if you go in to fix something, you are going to be responsible. “What I would like to do is deal with the environment at Spencer. “For public theatre, is that what we are doing this for, because this is going to cost a fortune if it goes pear shape,” Clr Best said. In speaking in favour of his amendment, Clr Best said: “If you don’t do this tonight, it is a bit like the general manager debate, if you do knock this down tonight your committee for the next three months will not be privy to information, an extraordinary volume of information, that will come as this unpacks. “This is an exercise in trying to get this committee to give Council good advice so that the committee working up there on our behalf don’t get this wrong. “This can’t be cobbled together councillors.
“We have got to know from Mr Glendenning that this committee cannot minute things and say things that could prejudice this council in the future.” Clr Doug Vincent spoke against Clr Best’s amendment. “It is hard to work out where Clr Best comes from, but normally there is an agenda running in the background, and an alternative agenda to what he is trying to do… he wants to lock it down, he doesn’t want transparency, he doesn’t want people to be able to express a view openly,” Clr Vincent said. The amendment was put to the vote and declared lost, supported by only Councillors Gale Collins, Pilon, McLachlan, Burke and Best.
Source: Interview, Feb 28 Stephen Goodwin, Mountain Districts Association Minutes, Feb 12 Meeting notes, Feb 12 Item 3.3, Central Coast Council ordinary meeting Jackie Pearson, journalist