Ed,

The NSW Government’s oversight of Bushfire Local Economic Recovery funds (BLER) directed the recipients to identify projects worthy of receiving the funds with a completion date of 30 June 2024 (which has now been extended to 2025 because of the 2022 floods in the Northern Rivers).

The Clarence Valley Council (CVC) identified the Treelands Drive Community Centre as one of its projects and held three sessions in October/November 2022 (with a fourth being held because of community pressure) to inform the community and to survey them as to which of the two options was preferred. According to that unscientific and totally unrepresentative survey, Option A won the day. This because or despite (at least) one CVC staff member telling community members that they should notate their vote with “Wooli St precinct not to be sold to pay for this”.

Submissions to the December Council meeting convinced the majority of Councillors that the Wooli St precinct should not be sold and therefore Option B would have to prevail. CVC then decided to apply the moneys to the Grafton Pool (Aquatic Centre?) instead and that was promulgated in the Council’s glossy magazine.

The limitations placed on BLER funds dictated that they could NOT be transferred and had to revert to the nominated project – the destruction of a building which was opened in 1999! i.e., one not yet 25 years old! AND the sale of the Wooli St precinct because “We never want to refuse free money” (or words to that effect)!

On 30 Jan 23 level four (severe) water restrictions were imposed on the entire CVC area because we’ve had too much rain. This after months of level one restrictions due to ash and detritus from the 2019/20 “Black Summer” fires. All of this because CVC chose a White Elephant Taj Mahal project instead of something of REAL NEED for the community – a filtration plant! The filtration plant that the Health Department has told CVC must be installed. “Yeah, yeah but it’s expensive y’know” seems to have been CVC’s continued response.

We elect Councillors to represent us and our needs/requirements/interests, yet we get Option A forced upon us in spite of inadequate water treatment, no evacuation centre for Woombah nor Nymboida. When I raised these matters with the Council staff at one of the “information/discussion/consultation” sessions I was told “oh they didn’t apply”. Didn’t we elect these Councillors to care for our needs? Do we now need to apply for each pothole to be filled or each bridge to be replaced? No then why wouldn’t OUR council tend to OUR needs in these matters? Does someone want their name on a plaque?

Yes, we NEED a library proportionate to the needs of the population but surely common-sense dictates that one doesn’t bulldoze the entire house to add an extra room or renovate the bathroom.

Is this the sort of thing being investigated by the NSW Upper House probe into inappropriate use of BLER funds?

Ian Warlters, Yamba