Open letter to Tweed Shire Cr Barry Longland
As a local resident I can personally confirm that David Norris is the voice for a majority of the residents who live in Black Rocks by the Sea, enjoying wide ranging support and appreciation of his efforts from the local community.
Given the working hours that most of us are obliged to however, we do not have the opportunity to devote as much time to the issue as we may otherwise like to. However rest assured that Dave has the utmost respect and support from the local community with his endeavours. He is far from a principal protagonist; he should better be described as a person of unwavering volition, with genuine concern to a seriously threatened species that we all should be doing more to protect.
Working in a professional capacity in commercial construction and dealing regularly with respective stakeholders, sometimes at the state level, I have first hand dealings and experience with the sensitivities and complexities associated with developmental procedures.
We should be learning from our mistakes, endeavouring to progress our local economy and population in a diligent and holistic manner. I am certain that this can be achieved without affording detriment to our local koala population.
Genuine concern and appreciation of the concerns raised by Dave Norris and others like him, should form a key component of any stakeholder committee reviewing any form of future development in our area. Only by harnessing all of the passions of all of the stakeholder positions is one able to make effective and holistic decision making, without such diligence surely the integrity of any decision making comes into question.
I remind you that as elected officials it is your ethical and moral responsibility to represent the general will of the population you are representing.
May I politely ask the last time that any form of broad based community consultation was undertaken to garner the local communities opinion on the future development of the Pottsville area?
Joshua Fergusson, Pottsville
