Much input needed on the Voice
When first I read about draft legislation for a Voice to Parliament, I thought -that’s a bit late! We need it at policy formulation and review. So I was much…
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Where were our state MPs?
An informative night was held at Council Chambers on April 27 to discuss what can be done with regard to the housing crisis. It was attended by about 50 people…
Free de-sexing would stop cat dumping
Two kittens were found in a park at Woy Woy on April 29. We’ve got to have access to free cat de-sexing so people won’t dump litters continually. If everyone…
Urgent action needed on global warming
Fire and flood is growing more frequently and is more intense as the atmosphere gets warmer. Just 1.1 degrees of warming produced the unprecedented Black Summer fires (and smoke) and…
A young woman’s reflections on being a candidate in the recent elections
Emily McCallum, candidate for Gosford, for the Animal Justice Party (AJP) writes about her experience running in the recent State election: Being a first time candidate, I have learnt so…
Development controls should be adhered to
Central Coast Council just spent a couple of years producing a new Development Control Plan, to replace the old Gosford/Wyong ones. Supposedly, there was widespread consultation on its provisions, although…
Alternatives to the “Big Four” banks
The major banks giving up cash, along with their ATMs, thus creating a market for extortionate privately-owned machines is indeed a problem (CCN 386). However there are alternatives. You can…
Council’s public hearing just ticking the box exercise
A group of concerned Central Coast residents attend a public hearing on March 30 regarding the reclassification of Community land to Operational land known as 73-75 Mann St, Gosford. The…
Higher rates and fewer targets reached
Despite massive rate hikes, Central Coast Council has proposed further reductions in performance targets across a range of key services, including kilometres of road resurfacing and drainage, response times for…
Cashless banks a growing problem
Many have wondered if the banks are trying to go cashless. A major Australian bank has canned over-the-counter cash transactions in some branch locations, in a move towards a cashless…
Let down by council and other levels of government
I wish the people of the Central Coast region would stop referencing Central Coast Council in all forms, due to the fact that there are no councillors and only an…
Please don’t release balloons
I pulled this balloon (pictured) and pieces of a couple of others from the field on April 10. My sheep had already been chewing on them. For those who let…
Sale of land for $1 a joke
I refer to the article in the Coast Community News of March 9 about affordable rental housing at The Entrance. The Council has had to borrow large sums of money…
Nuclear subs won’t make us a truly independent player on world stage
I’m afraid that I have to disagree with Sonnie Hopkins on the subject of nuclear submarines (“The time is right for nuclear submarines”, CCN 385). There is a fundamental difference…
We need to have a Plan B for energy supply
An old adage for investment management is: Do not put all your eggs in one basket -diversification reduces risk. This applies equally in regards to the options available for replacement…
Specialised manufacture would be complicated
Sonnie Hopkins makes an arguable case that the manufacturing sector could make a bigger contribution to Australia’s economy than the basic support I suggested, in my letter of March 23,…
Apparent split in Council attitudes to land sales
After visiting the Central Coast Council display in Kibble Park and talking to employees several things were quite clear. There are two sides in Council and they do not agree…
The time is right for nuclear subs
Both Richard Pryke and Paul Corkeron pour scorn on Australia having nuclear-powered submarines (CCN 384). The former dismisses them as a threat to China while the latter implies the present…
Sub spend not so clever
Three nuclear-powered submarines is the best use those geniuses down in Canberra can come up with for $368B (yes, billion) of government spending? With those we’ll “threaten” (ha!) the world’s…
What use will nuclear subs be?
At a cost of $368B and (with) the first nuclear submarine to be delivered in the early 2040s, what use will they be when they do come into service in…