Call for Premier to declare a state of emergency

Central Coast Council will call on NSW Premier Chris Minns to declare a state of emergency due to severe coastal erosion across the region’s beaches posing significant widespread and ongoing risk to lives and property.

It will also call on the Minister for Emergency Services to issue a natural disaster declaration for the Tuggerah Lakes flooding “of May 2025”.

The council will convene a further extraordinary meeting on Tuesday, May 13, in the event that the Premier does not declare a state of emergency by 3pm on Friday, May 9.

The aim of the next extraordinary meeting is for staff to report on possible solutions and for Council to decide on actions.

Council also called on the State Government to develop rapid approval frameworks to cater for residents in emergency situations, saying it recognised that it was impractical in a coastal erosion emergency for affected owners to submit development applications for approval of even temporary emergency works due to statutory obligations and time frames.

And finally, Council requested an urgent meeting with the Premier, relevant state ministers and relevant federal government representatives along with the mayor, the CEO and interested councillors.

That meeting is to be held no later than two weeks from the date of the extraordinary meeting held on May 6.

The urgent meeting request was part of an amendment from Councillor Kyle MacGregor and the movers of the original motion, Councillors Kyla Daniels and Trent McWaide agreed to add it to their motion.

They also agreed to changes requested by Councillor Rachel Stanton.

Stanton got the words changed from a state of emergency for Wamberal and North Entrance beaches to all Central Coast Beaches and she also moved that the floods at Tuggerah Lakes be declared a natural disaster.

Speaking to the motion, Daniels said she had gone to Wamberal to see the damage herself and could not stand in good conscience and do nothing.

“We have to work together to come up with a plan for all the people of the Central Coast to feel safe,” she said.

McWaide thanked State MPs Adam Crouch and David Mehan for their assistance and staff for their work getting the briefing and meeting underway.

He said council was a small player in a somewhat large and serious issue but it could play an important and active leadership role and he urged all levels of government to work together.

The extended motion was adopted 8-7 with the Liberals and Team Central Coast councillors supporting it and Labor and two independents voting against it.

The one hour meeting, chaired by Acting Mayor Doug Eaton, was marked by procedural motions, interruptions, disagreements on whether amendments were acceptable or should be foreshadowed amendments, points of order, a motion of dissent, and complaints about not being allowed to speak.

The meeting was live streamed on YouTube. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnu6gaHWzcA

Councillor Corinne Lamont moved an amendment, asking Council to provide a legal position, duties and ramifications on acting or not acting on what impacted property owners are requesting from Council.

She wanted this legal position to be explained to the community in the interest of transparency.

Eaton would not accept the amendment saying it was not seconded.

Both Councillor Sharon Walsh and Councillor Kyle McGregor said they had attempted to second the amendment. 

The YouTube vision shows Walsh with her hand up trying to get the attention of the Chair.

McGregor, one of four councillors who had zoomed into the meeting, said he too had his hand up to second the amendment.

Later in the meeting, Eaton said it would appear the councillors would be holding another extraordinary meeting next week and Lamont could put her motion to that meeting.

Lamont asked how many houses were in immediate danger; she understood that councillors were told yesterday that it was three – one at Wamberal and two at North Entrance.

A staff member said Lamont was maybe referring to properties which had been identified as being at specific risk due to “inappropriate piling at the two locations during coastal erosion event”.

“There may be other considerations as to what level of risk those or other properties are at, beyond that,” the staff member said.

It was revealed that a confidential briefing was given to the councillors on Monday night which lasted a couple of hours, with the original motion ruled unlawful.

That motion had called for residents to be given a month to do whatever they needed to do to protect their properties without needing council approval. 

The councillors were briefed on Council’s legal options and the legal ramifications of any decisions.

The CEO said “most if not all councillors were there and participated in that”.

MacGregor said all councillors wanted the best outcome for residents.

“The best way to go about this is to rely on the expert advice of staff and lawyers, and get the people who can make the real decisions in the room and out to North Entrance and to make the decisions,” he said. 

Councillor Jane Smith tried to seek advice from the CEO on why the Chair had ruled a motion from McGregor a direct negative and the Chair said it was his ruling and it was not a matter for the CEO.

As Smith tried to continue to talk, Eaton interrupted by saying “no” a number of times and said Smith would be ruled out of order soon.

Councillor Belinda Neal was also in trouble, ruled out of order at one stage and told to stop interrupting.

Commenting on Facebook page Central Coast Council Watch after the meeting, Member for Wyong David Harris said the whole thing demonstrated an ignorance of procedure for declarations and the processes involved. 

“The councillors raising correct, factual points were ignored,” Harris said.

“It was actually embarrassing as a ratepayer to witness such an amateur event; thoroughly disgusted.”

He said a Natural Disaster Declaration (NDD) in NSW is made when the NSW Government, after consulting with the Australian Government, determines that a disaster is of a scale that warrants assistance measures. 

“This is done through the Rural Assistance Authority (RAA),” Harris said. 

“The RAA analyses information from various sources to assess the disaster’s severity and then advises the NSW Government, through the Minister for Emergency Services, on whether an NDD should be made.”

Harris listed the process and said disaster declarations can be issued for various events like bushfires, floods, storms, and other natural disasters.

“Affected Local Government Areas (LGAs) can access a range of assistance measures with a disaster declaration,” he said.

He also said “we” are happy to meet Council and discuss options. 

He said he had personally spoken to the CEO on Thursday and offered assistance and the Premier had already offered to meet after the Federal election in response to the Mayor.