The title of this article is part of a  recent quote from Brad Hazzard, NSW Minister for the Department of Planning and Infrastructure,

“The problem that property owners face is that some councils have been casting potential longer-term issues as a clear-and-present danger,” Mr Hazzard said.  “We just need to get councils to jump away from that doomsday scenario.”

Minister Hazzard was quoted as part of a story in The Australian entitled  “Climate Doomsday powers to be eroded”. This story highlights the State government’s revised planning directions to councils.

CCPA-Wooli members may recall from our last article,Backwards or Forwards, that Wyong Council has decided to follow State advice and “jump away from the doomsday scenario” in their coastal planning. Unfortunately, as you’ll see in that article Clarence Valley Council (CVC) continues to treat 86-year modelling forecasts as clear-and-present-danger in their Coastal Zone Management Plans, including the one for Wooli beach. Comparing the beach today to the dire forecast in this clipping from the Daily Examiner in 1997 indicates the difficulty of forecasting out even 17 years, much less 86.

Coastal Hotspot communities understand that coastal management is a complex problem for all our councils and one they are struggling to manage as highlighted in this recent report in the Byron Bay Echo (thanks to our CCPA member Ian Oelrichs for sending it in).

CCPA-Wooli is continuing to work with CVC, the relevant State government departments and the Hotspot community groups to pull together to  find a balanced solution.