Edgar Adams' Editorial

Unless you have been living on Mars for the past 10 or more years you would know that the entrance to Brisbane Water is silting up. In fact it's been silting up for a lot longer than that. It may sound an insignificant issue but apart from the major safety issue that it is, if it isn’t fixed quickly it will have a significant impact on our economy.

Twelve months ago the then Mayor of Gosford, Clr Laurie Maher issued a press release saying that plans were underway for dredging the entrance to Brisbane Water. That was in June 2007. “Council has alerted the Department of Lands, which owns the estuary bed, to the situation and has met with Lands Minister Anthony Kelly to see assistance to prioritise the dredging of the shoal,” said the Mayor.

This press release also said, “suitable models and ecological data for the dredging operation already exist.”
It went further, “The Department of Lands are preparing tendering contracts and seeking expressions of interest to undertake the work.” That was in June 2007.

Then, in July 2008 – a year later – Council puts out another press release: “Gosford Council has again called on the State Government to expedite dredging of the entrance to Brisbane Water."

Director of City Services, Stephen Glen said, “Council has an interest in representing the community in ensuring that the entrance to Brisbane Water is navigable. It is essential to the functioning of the vital ferry service... etc. etc.”. This press release then said, “The seabed of Broken Bay and Brisbane Water is Crown land administered by the State Government and the Minister for Ports and Waterways has the responsibility for the dredging and maintenance of navigational channels."

So, last year it was the Lands Department and this year it is Ports and Waterways. The point of all this is that the Government and the Council are playing ducks and drakes. Worse, they are treating us like mushrooms. Gosford Council needs to lay the issue on the line and take a leadership stance. 

Twenty years ago Council spent a million dollars trying to blow the face of The Skillion away so that some fool fisherman wouldn’t get killed by the odd falling rock. The silting of the entrance to Brisbane Water has the potential to cause a major calamity. So Council should just get on with it and bash the Government over the head with the bill. It's only two years to the next state election.

At the end of the day this is a State Government issue and it doesn’t matter whether the Minister for Lands, the Minister for Ports, the Minister for the Central Coast or the Minister for Somethingelse has to have a say. What we should be doing is writing to each Minister personally and pointing out that the people of the Central Coast hold them personally responsible for any injury or death that may occur due to their negligence or disinterest in addressing the issue. 

Perhaps the Minister for Occupational Health & Safety, the Hon. John Della Bosca might like to comment!

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