Jan Barham, Broken Head
The bypass issue is very complex but doesn’t need to be. It’s simple: we just need to check what’s there before it’s destroyed.
Council’s unwillingness to listen to community and expert concerns and deny permission for investigation and open processes has become farcical. The refusal (twice) to allow an independent vegetation survey to determine if lowland rainforest is present is explained by saying that the process in 2014 /15 was rigorous, despite no survey in the disputed area.
So why did Council produce a 2017 map that shows subtropical rainforest in the bypass route? They say it was only desktop and photo analysis. Will they deny it was ground-truthed as rainforest?
And, why deny further investigation, why would a council that states a commitment to being open and transparent, not be? Why isn’t all documentation on the website? In April I requested Council defer the contracts to explore the concerns raised by David Milledge but they ignored that request. Over the last few months I attempted to gain answers privately. Councillors have refused to answer my emails and staff haven’t answered requests for information. I’m disturbed by this but unwilling to give up on investigating the truth.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
