Confusion reigns over the regional status of the Central Coast with Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, launching a petition calling for the LGA to be declared a stand-alone region.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, says the Central Coast’s identity as a stand-alone region with Gosford as its capital city has already been enshrined in law, thanks to changes in NSW legislation made in 2020.
But Wicks says there is confusion over “what that actually means or how it is applied by government bureaucracy” and the extended COVID-19 lockdown has highlighted the need for the Central Coast region to be excluded from the Greater Sydney catchment definition.
“I have lobbied my Liberal Party colleagues over this issue for over 12 months, and this extended lockdown is confusing residents and businesses (as to) why they are being lumped in with COVID restrictions in Greater Sydney,” she said.
“The Coast needs to be declared a region in its own right, with Gosford as its capital, or true city.”
Wicks said more than 8,000 residents signed her petition in just three days and close to 100,000 people had engaged on social media about the issue.
She said there is no consistent definition applied to the Central Coast and a quick survey across 18 different government departments and agencies, at all three levels of government, reveals the Central Coast region is lumped in twice as often with other regions as it is referred to in its own right.
“Results from the survey across more than 18 government departments and agencies (federal, state and local) show the Central Coast is classified as Greater Sydney, Hunter, Central Coast and Hunter, Central Coast and Lake Macquarie and Central Coast alone,” she said.
“There is a lack of clarity as to whether our region is classified as regional, metro, outer metro, or a host of other classifications.
“These classifications are important because they determine which government programs that Central Coast businesses, community organisations and residents are eligible for, and to ensure we do not miss out on funding and investments.
“We need our own true city, so that all levels of government recognise and prioritise programs and infrastructure funding to support the needs of a growing region.
“The best example of how a true city status can transform a region is Parramatta city.
“Changes that occurred in Parramatta and Western Sydney region as a result of the recognition of Parramatta as a true city speaks for itself.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes, signed a Ministerial Order in August, 2020, declaring the Central Coast as its own region, separate from the Greater Sydney and Hunter regions.
The Central Coast boundary, the local government area, is mapped out in the Central Coast Regional Plan released in 2016, which also recognises Gosford as the capital of the region.
Parliamentary Secretary for Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said all agencies and departments of the NSW Government formally recognised the Central Coast as a stand-alone region.
“I’ve worked hard to ensure our region receives and retains its own Local Health District, a district within the Rural Fire Service, stand-alone Police Districts, Education Department directorates, and dedicated teams of staff within the departments of Regional NSW and Planning, Industry and Environment,” he said.
“Central Coast Council is already reaping the rewards of our regional status having received tens of millions of dollars of grant funding that is not available to metropolitan areas like Newcastle and Wollongong, and on my watch this will continue.”
Shadow Minister for Central Coast and Wyong MP, David Harris, said it wasn’t clear what Wicks was calling for or who it was addressed to.
“It just says that the NSW Government should make the Coast a stand-alone region, but that’s already in policy,” he said.
“It just needs the government departments to implement the policy that’s already there.
“All she has to do is go to the Prime Minister and say that she needs to put an edict out to the government departments that what is actually set out in legislation is actually respected, that’s the problem.”
Confusion notwithstanding, Gosford Erina Business Chamber, Wyong Regional Chamber of Commerce and Regional Development Australia Central Coast (RDACC) have all come out in support of Wicks’s move.
“Giving the Central Coast its own regional identity would ensure we are eligible for state and federal government funding for a range of circumstances that would directly benefit our community here on the Coast, rather than having to be shared with other parts of Greater Sydney or the Hunter regions,” RDACC Chair, Lawrie McKinna, said.
Sue Murray and Terry Collins
We are on the commuter belt between here and Sydney. It makes sense at this stage for us to be included ias Greater Sydney. Same as Wollongong.
Well if Gosford is the “Capital City” for the coast why are administrators then nominating the sale of assets from the city eg Council Chambers
Time for the Central Coast to be its own regional entity, there maybe some who commute as anywhere but this does not mean it should be part of greater Sydney. It is demographically not a metro city, does not have the benefits of a metropolitan city, is clearly geographically separated with only a few connection routes, a national park and a large river between us. Some clarity is required, either it is a regional area or if it is a metro area then let’s have the faster transport systems to make that connection real.
We need our area to be free from lockdown, we have been fine so far and we are very careful..
We here are known as The Central Coast from all over Australia and not Sydney Central Coast.So you see it should be so easy for parliament to put it into practice.We shouldn’t have to put up with another 2 weeks of lockdown as big and small businesses around here are struggling.Some have already closed there doors as we have ran out of stock for our small home business.We can’t get stock as we drive to Sydney to pick it up.We are not allowed to drive any further than 10klm radius or for that fact shouldn’t leave home.So come on Central Coast pollys get with it so we can be a true stand alone community and get back to our own lives and not Sydney’s…..