Susanna Freymark
Climate change was on the agenda at the Kyogle Council meeting on Monday, April 8.
The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan was presented and most councillors voted to accept it.
Councillor Maggie May is on the council’s climate change working group.
“We haven’t looked at the whole of the LGA including businesses re climate change adaptation,” Ms May said.
“This plan is a broader focus.”
“This report is timely and is a solid investment in our future.”
Councillor James Murray read out a prepared speech.
“Two weeks ago, I sat in these chambers and had to sit through almost an hour’s advice/rubbish served up by a left-wing American career bureaucrat,” he said.
“It was meant to be thought provoking but it was politically driven and she emphasised that there was no one that doesn’t believe in climate change. That climate change was real.”
Mr Murray didn’t agree with that at all.
“Well, I can honestly tell you that a large majority do not subscribe to this opinion. We have federal and state governments sending our country broke in their pursuit of this unsubstantiated ideology/cult,” he said.
“To this end, it is clear that our country’s economy is heading for tough times and as a result, our council will be feeling the pinch too.
“Kyogle Council has seen too much money wasted on like all project schemes such as koala counting $30,000, $170,000 so some delusional person can walk circles in search of themselves in the so-called self-funded labyrinth, under utilised EV chargers cost council almost $100,000, red chairs for the Fairymount Project for what?
“Our council is facing many challenges which now, thanks to the newfound transparency and trust between councillors and staff, have come to the fore.
“The underfunding of the Clarence Way, the Wellbeing Hub cost blow outs, non-compliance at waste stations, sewerage treatment upgrades requiring $800,000 in council funding – we have a ghetto full of permanent homeless at the showground and a virtually unused caravan park, rural roads in need of rehabilitation, a community calling for simple stuff like clean footpaths.
“There’s a 90 year old woman out this way who is provided with bags of lime to spread over raw sewerage following storms. A 90 year old woman. That’s what they do they give her bags of lime.
“And here we are voting to line the pockets of a consultancy firm to do a copy and paste thesis on an ideological crisis that many believe doesn’t exist. How many other councils are doing this same exercise? A government-funded Ponzi scheme? Is it a case of following the money trail?
“I won’t be supporting this motion as I believe the money and effort should be better spent on actual improvements within our shire council,” Mr Murray said.
The council report said after a detailed assessment, Meridian Urban was selected to prepare the council’s adaptation strategy and action plan.
To put the plan into action will cost $79,600. An amount of $85,000 has been included in the Environment Health budget for 2024-25 to complete this piece of work.
Mayor Kylie Webster said Mr Murray’s statement was “democracy at work” allowing for different opinions.
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