The long-awaited dredging of the Richmond River mouth at Ballina and nearby North Creek will go ahead after the state government and Ballina Shire Council each lobbed in around a quarter of a million dollars towards the project.
Lands minister Paul Toole and Northern NSW parliamentary secretary Ben Franklin were joined by Ballina Mayor David Wright at North Creek on Wednesday (January 18) to announce the funding.
Mr Franklin said the dredging project will be funded to the tune of $230,700 under the NSW Liberal & Nationals Government’s Rescuing Our Waterways program.
‘Ballina Shire Council will also contribute $230,700 to this important work,’ he said
‘This funding will help improve the accessibility, health and safety of North Creek, which is enjoyed by recreational and commercial users throughout the year.
‘Ballina Shire Council will use the grant to assess any environmental impacts for large scale dredging along the waterway to improve navigation for vessels and increase tidal flushing for improved water quality,’ Mr Franklin said.
Mr Toole said more than $1 million has been allocated to councils across the state for essential dredging projects in the latest round of funding.
‘The inlets, lakes, rivers and creeks along the coast are the lifeblood of many communities and the NSW Government is pleased to fund this work to improve waterway safety and access.
‘All coastal councils are eligible to apply for up to 50 per cent of the cost of dredging projects under the Rescuing Our Waterways program,’ Mr Toole said.
Some of the funds from the state government’s dredging program should be put toward cleaning up the mess on the Main Beach at Evans Head caused by dredging more than two years ago and to prosecution of the operator of the time for failing to observe the requirements of the Consent. Not only was dredge spoil taken from ‘no go’ areas in the river, but spoil incompatible with Main Beach sand was dumped day after day on the beach.
Some of the funds also need to be put toward a tooth and spine transplant for the EPA which failed the community badly in doing virtually nothing to hold the operator of the time to account.
After decades of mismanagement of our Richmond River and it’s tributaries now tax payers are to pick up the bill to fund the destruction of our waterways resulting from the negligent and or willfull blindness of those who held/hold the power in government.
It’s good to see our local member Tamara Smith MP working with all stakeholders to address the root causes of the destruction of this iconic waterway such as the removal of native species that helped clean our waters . Waters that once supported oysters, prawns and had vessels going up to Lismore.
Rescuing our water ways? This smells of hypocracy! Didn’t Mr Franklin vote for the devastating land clearing/ biodiversity laws after the murder of public official Glen Turner near Moree even before his murderer the vile Mr Turnbull was sentenced? (See Cultivating Murder which Focused on illegal native species removal and the habitat destruction of the Koala and Glens Murder.
Rescuing our rivers waters ways ! If you genuinely want to do start by repealing your parties destructive environmental laws that your national / Liberal government and pawns in the upper house passed Mr Franklin!
One can only wonder if appropriate dredging of the Richmond River prior to the February 2022 flood may have saved destruction of homes at Wardell, Empire Vale, South Ballina, Ballina etc. etc.??