Two Years on

Hi all, Here it is nearly two years since the last election. From my perspective things are moving quite slowly. As always happens, the alliances begin to show and "politics" rather than principles becomes the name of the game. For me the things that initially inspired me to stand for Council are still motivating factors. the Environment, Companion Animals and improving the lot of the Local Aboriginal Community are still high on my personal Agenda.

On these matters, the Environment Levy has now been running for around 11 years with about three years of the current levy to go. I recently made an attempt to convince Councillors to support an "In Perpetuity Environment Levy Application" to the Minister, but the motion was defeated. I will make another attempt in the coming year and hope that goods sense prevails.

A quick perusal of the achievements of the Levy over the last decade will highlight the important role that it plays in maintaining environmental credibility in the Shire. without it we would be doomed!

Environment Levy Back Ground

In the late 1990s, Wingecarribee Shire Council recognised the need to address an array of environmental issues which had accumulated in the Shire over a period of rapid population growth spanning at least two decades. Some of these problems included the proliferation of environmental weeds, the choking of our watercourses, the clearing of endangered vegetation and the maintenance of water quality in the important catchment areas of the Shire, especially as the Shire is in the headwaters of the Sydney water supply area. The Shire has experienced unparalleled population pressure which has aggravated environmental problems which in turn have threatened the lifestyle values which are central to life in the Highlands and the popularity of the Shire.

Council was granted State Government approval to implement an environment levy, which was introduced in July 2000 for an initial period of three years, then consecutively extended until June 2013. The levy is being used to fund the Wingecarribee Our Future Environment (WOFE) programme.

In the first years of the environment levy significant effort was put into prioritising areas of the Shire for investment into natural resource restoration works.

The Wingecarribee Biodiversity Strategy provided a blueprint for ecologically sustainable development and environmental management in the Shire by providing practical information on the distribution of significant flora and fauna and guiding the implementation of ‘on the ground’ works.

The second key strategic planning document developed was the “Wingecarribee Shire Wetlands Management Strategy” which set out principles to ensure the conservation and management of the Shires wetlands in ways that maintain their ecological, commercial, social and cultural values for the benefit of the present and future generations.

The environment levy funding is a critical element in Council being able to fund its obligations under State government legislation for the sustainable management of our natural resources.

The 2008 – 2013 Wingecarribe Our Future Environment (WOFE) programme has four primary project areas:

n River health & wetlands

n Urban environmental sustainability

n Community capacity building

n Bio-diversity conservation

Achievements of the Levy

· 135 rehabilitation projects completed or underway.

· Weed management in 40 Council bushland reserves.

· Environmental auditing of over 300 industrial and commercial premises

· 220 hectares of bushland regenerated

· 30 hectares of riparian zone being restored

· 473 hectares of privately owned endangered bushland conserved under incentive program

· Reduce negative impacts of urban areas

· Proactively work to improve sustainable practices of local business and industry

· Environmental levy has supported and improve capacity of local businesses to comply with environmental legislation

· From July 2000, the environmental levy has annually supported 19 community environmental groups.

· From July 2000, community groups supported by the environmental levy have contributed approximately 43,000 hours of volunteer environmental works.

· Over $1,000 000 of external government funding has be matched with environmental levy funding.

· Over 160 active bushcare and landcare volunteers are supported on a weekly basis.

· Environmental levy supports local schools in environmental programs and awareness raising events. (Schools Environmental Fair, over 500 students)

· Environmental Levy supports sustainability education and awareness programs.

Statistics on Councils Natural Resources

· Council is also custodians of over 4000 Ha of public land, much of which contains valuable biodiversity resources.

· The Wingecarribee Biodiversity Strategy (2003) identified approximately 63% of the Shire as being covered with vegetation communities.

· Wingecarribee Shire supports six Endangered Ecological Communities; covering an area of nearly 11,000 ha.

· The Wingecarribee Shire covers an area of 2,700 square kilometres, with approximately 50% agricultural rural lands and 41% managed natural and forest vegetation.