We get involved with it each year – and it’s a great spectacle – the annual South Sydney bird show at Coronation Hall on Botany Road at the corner of Coward Street on Saturday June 9. Budgies, parrots, canaries, finches – about 800 of them – make up the South Sydney Avicultural Society’s 54th Annual Show. There are rare and specialist budgerigars, lizard canaries, finches and much, much more. In previous years I’ve watched the great joy many of our local children (and the not-so-young’s) get as they wander through the hall looking at all the varied and colourful birds on display. The show is open to the public at 1.00pm after the judging and everyone is welcome. It’s free of charge and the South Sydney Avicultural Society puts on a magnificent display, which you don’t want to miss. A couple of birds you really should see – some new colours on parrots and lovebirds and the unusual plain headed canaries, which haven’t been seen for some time.
May 31, 2012
May 30, 2012
Competitions, prizes and Daceyville’s 100th
A few days ago I mentioned the cakes, biscuits, jams and lollies competitions that are part of the Daceyville centenary celebrations . The entry forms aree on Council’s website at http://www.botanybay.nsw.gov.au/index.php/home/1/254 and already interest is growing. Apart from the competitions revolving around culinary endeavours, there’s also the costume competition for the kids – split in two, under 8’s and over 8’s. All you need to do is dress up in costumes reflective of early Daceyville, face the judges, have some fun and maybe pick up a nice prize. Click on the Daceyville 100 on Council’s home page and there are a few photos to give you an idea of what the kids were wearing in the early years of Daceyville. We’ve also been working with the local schools to get into the swing of the costume competition, which will add to the period theme of the centenary celebrations
May 29, 2012
Where Does All This Local Traffic Come From?
Like many of our residents, I continue to feel the frustration that, of the volumes of traffic clogging many of our streets, most of it belongs to “rat runners” who are trying to find a way through our congested state road systems.
The failure of the state road systems to cope with the ever expanding traffic has been coming for many years and is something we have predicted for many years. Our concern about failure to provide proper transport plans has always fallen on deaf ears, not only by successive governments but also of our judicial system as well.
While there are many significant causes for the traffic congestion in our residential streets, the two major causes are Port Botany and Sydney Airport.
Proposals for expansion of both Sydney Airport and Port Botany were not only opposed by the Council but were also fought to the bitter end.
Sydney Airport was taken by this Council to the High Court of Australia where the Council lost. The expansion of Port Botany was taken to the Land Environment Court, where Council lost.
It was always our position that locating Australia’s major international airport and Australia’s major sea port in what is a geographically boxed in location, our area could not possibly cope with the expanded traffic generation that would eventuate. Not only were we ignored, no plan was put in place to cater, or cope with, the impending disaster that was going to occur on our roads.
Some may recall the Council was even criticised for fighting those proposals to the bitter end and spending residents’ money in so doing. It gives me no pleasure, and it gives the residents no comfort to say we were right, because we have to live every day with these failures of Government and the failures of the Courts to protect our people.
What point is the law if it does not protect our people in this democracy of ours? What point is the law when it allows the law makers and the executive government to preside over these types of disasters?
It is of little consolation when Paul Broad, now from Infrastructure Australia finally in 2012 points out that solving the Sydney Airport, Port Botany, M5, M4 chaos is the most important problem to be addressed. Where have you all been for the last twenty years asleep at the wheel?
Is there any wonder why the public has such a low opinion of politicians when those who have presided have left the legacy that we, in future generations, will have to try and remedy and, more importantly, have to life with.
What is happening as a result of the congested state roads system is that drivers of motor vehicles, to avoid the Eastern Distributer, the county link road, Botany Road, Mill Pond, Bunnerong Road and Foreshore Road are all worming their way through the residential streets of this City trying to find new ways to bypass congestion.
Even with speed humps and traffic management devices designed to deter through traffic, many motorists find it preferable to sitting on the Eastern Distributer for 40 minutes without moving.
Council has for many years embarked on strategic planning directions in replacing many of the industrial zone lands with residential lands.
Whilst I have heard, and continue to hear, some criticism on the basis that this strategy increases traffic generation, I should remind members of the community that many of the former industrial areas employed thousands of people and, as they came to and from work every day, traffic was generated. In addition, the industrial complexes were the destinations for thousands of trucks and semi trailers making deliveries.
One of the latest complaints I have heard from some residents who live in the Booralee Park area is that the increased residential development in that location will cause future potential traffic problems.
Clearly these residents did not live at the time of the old Half Case outlet or at the time when hundreds of trucks were lined up in William Street and Jasmine Street and Banksia Street and Bay Street to deliver goods. On top of that, as I’ve said, there were the thousands and thousands of workers who came to and from those locations every day.
The mess and failure of the road system, as members of this Council predicted, is inconveniencing us. However, though things within our authority and control, such as trying to make land available for living and residing for future generations, the current situation is a vast improvement to the container terminals, and stinking tanneries, and hazardous industries that so permeated and threatened our area for generations.
The failure of the state road systems to cope with the ever expanding traffic has been coming for many years and is something we have predicted for many years. Our concern about failure to provide proper transport plans has always fallen on deaf ears, not only by successive governments but also of our judicial system as well.
While there are many significant causes for the traffic congestion in our residential streets, the two major causes are Port Botany and Sydney Airport.
Proposals for expansion of both Sydney Airport and Port Botany were not only opposed by the Council but were also fought to the bitter end.
Sydney Airport was taken by this Council to the High Court of Australia where the Council lost. The expansion of Port Botany was taken to the Land Environment Court, where Council lost.
It was always our position that locating Australia’s major international airport and Australia’s major sea port in what is a geographically boxed in location, our area could not possibly cope with the expanded traffic generation that would eventuate. Not only were we ignored, no plan was put in place to cater, or cope with, the impending disaster that was going to occur on our roads.
Some may recall the Council was even criticised for fighting those proposals to the bitter end and spending residents’ money in so doing. It gives me no pleasure, and it gives the residents no comfort to say we were right, because we have to live every day with these failures of Government and the failures of the Courts to protect our people.
What point is the law if it does not protect our people in this democracy of ours? What point is the law when it allows the law makers and the executive government to preside over these types of disasters?
It is of little consolation when Paul Broad, now from Infrastructure Australia finally in 2012 points out that solving the Sydney Airport, Port Botany, M5, M4 chaos is the most important problem to be addressed. Where have you all been for the last twenty years asleep at the wheel?
Is there any wonder why the public has such a low opinion of politicians when those who have presided have left the legacy that we, in future generations, will have to try and remedy and, more importantly, have to life with.
What is happening as a result of the congested state roads system is that drivers of motor vehicles, to avoid the Eastern Distributer, the county link road, Botany Road, Mill Pond, Bunnerong Road and Foreshore Road are all worming their way through the residential streets of this City trying to find new ways to bypass congestion.
Even with speed humps and traffic management devices designed to deter through traffic, many motorists find it preferable to sitting on the Eastern Distributer for 40 minutes without moving.
Council has for many years embarked on strategic planning directions in replacing many of the industrial zone lands with residential lands.
Whilst I have heard, and continue to hear, some criticism on the basis that this strategy increases traffic generation, I should remind members of the community that many of the former industrial areas employed thousands of people and, as they came to and from work every day, traffic was generated. In addition, the industrial complexes were the destinations for thousands of trucks and semi trailers making deliveries.
One of the latest complaints I have heard from some residents who live in the Booralee Park area is that the increased residential development in that location will cause future potential traffic problems.
Clearly these residents did not live at the time of the old Half Case outlet or at the time when hundreds of trucks were lined up in William Street and Jasmine Street and Banksia Street and Bay Street to deliver goods. On top of that, as I’ve said, there were the thousands and thousands of workers who came to and from those locations every day.
The mess and failure of the road system, as members of this Council predicted, is inconveniencing us. However, though things within our authority and control, such as trying to make land available for living and residing for future generations, the current situation is a vast improvement to the container terminals, and stinking tanneries, and hazardous industries that so permeated and threatened our area for generations.
May 27, 2012
Public Exhibition of draft Botany Bay Local Environmental Plan 2012
Council has recently prepared new planning controls for the City of Botany Bay, known as the draft Botany Bay Local Environmental Plan 2012. These new controls are in response to the State Government’s requirement of all Councils to prepare a standard format LEP. The draft Botany Bay Local Environment Plan is a statutory planning document that sets the direction for growth in the City of Botany Bay.
The draft Botany Bay Local Environmental Plan 2012 will replace the Botany Local Environmental Plan 1995. The new Local Environment Plan is consistent with the Standard Instrument, which was introduced by the State Government in March 2006.
The Local Environmental Plan applies to all land within the City of Botany Bay, except for the industrial lands covered by the Major Development State Environmental Planning Policy.
It is on exhibition till Friday 22 June 2012 and comprises two parts – the written instrument and the maps. It is unlikely that council will finalise the Local Environmental Plan until much later in the year, if not towards the end of the year, so there is plenty of time for residents to make their submissions if you can't by the due date.
All related documents can be downloaded from Council's Website www.botanybay.nsw.gov.au. The plain speaking document is available for download at http://tinyurl.com/d775c82
The draft Botany Bay Local Environmental Plan 2012 will replace the Botany Local Environmental Plan 1995. The new Local Environment Plan is consistent with the Standard Instrument, which was introduced by the State Government in March 2006.
The Local Environmental Plan applies to all land within the City of Botany Bay, except for the industrial lands covered by the Major Development State Environmental Planning Policy.
It is on exhibition till Friday 22 June 2012 and comprises two parts – the written instrument and the maps. It is unlikely that council will finalise the Local Environmental Plan until much later in the year, if not towards the end of the year, so there is plenty of time for residents to make their submissions if you can't by the due date.
All related documents can be downloaded from Council's Website www.botanybay.nsw.gov.au. The plain speaking document is available for download at http://tinyurl.com/d775c82
Draft Community Strategic Plan on Exhibition
Council's Draft Community Strategic Plan is currently on exhibition until 20 June. I would welcome any residents comments. It can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/c6pgkof
M5 and Port Botany
Last week, the Deputy Mayor, Cr George Glinatsis represented this Council at the meeting of the M5 Taskforce, a grouping of local government authorities stretching along the M5 corridor from Camden to our City. At the Taskforce meeting, a representative of Infrastructure NSW gave a briefing on the overall Sydney freight task, the expansion of Port Botany, the M5 East and M5 West upgrades and the overall impacts on the economies of both the State and the nation.
It was, as the Deputy Mayor advises, a comprehensive briefing. But it had a few holes, papered over with the catchcry from Infrastructure NSW to wait for a report the organisation is making to the State Government in September.
We will wait until September to see if and when the M5 corridor is to be expanded to meet the growing demands of both container traffic from Port Botany and private motorists.
The Taskforce has been consistent with both the State and Federal governments – this corridor must be upgraded and expanded and as soon as possible.
While bureaucrats sit and ponder, the new terminal at Port Botany is fast nearing completion and the extra number of containers will be a reality. And, we don’t have the transport and logistics infrastructure to handle the increased numbers. I have said this repeatedly and will continue to say it.
However, there was one aspect of the Infrastructure NSW briefing that does cause me concern.
It is almost a given within the maritime and transport bureaucracies in this State that the 3.2 million container cap at Port Botany is non-existent. Transport for NSW, Sydney Ports Corporation and Infrastructure NSW seem to take the view that the legally imposed cap is a hindrance and something that will be dispatched whenever required.
There is an even more pressing reason for the State Government to have the cap removed. The Government has placed Port Botany on the block – a 99 year lease of the port is to be offered for sale. And, the value of a lease is quite different between a 3.2 million container cap and a port that will move over seven million containers. Why would private capital buy an asset that cannot be grown? That is not what capitalism is about. You buy an asset to grow that asset and its return on the initial investment.
The State Government will seek to maximise its return for the sale of the lease and hence my concern about the status of the legally binding cap. When quizzed about the cap and any move to lift it, the representative of Infrastructure NSW implied that there would be movement soon on this issue.
The only movement that can occur is an application to the Department of Infrastructure and Planning for an amendment to the approval granted to Sydney Ports Corporation for Terminal 3 and that the 3.2 million cap be removed. If such an application is made – and there is no way I know of where the State Government can get around it – then that application must be accompanied by a realistic transport and logistics strategy that will address the movement of containers to and from the port.
We don’t want talk and reports and ideas – smoke and mirrors – we want actual work. We will wait to see when an application is made and then we will review it to ensure the right outcomes for our residents. If that is not the case, then we may all end up in the courts.
Youth Week Art Comp Winners
Young local aspiring artists were asked to be part of the Youth Week Art Competition – with all work to be based on music. After considering the entries, the judges decided on the winners:
1st – Alex McGlegor from JJ Cahill Memorial High School;
1st – Alex McGlegor from JJ Cahill Memorial High School;
2nd – Eda Baysol from Eastlakes.
Congratulations to them – and all the other entrants.
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