Edgar Adams' Editorial

Firstly, our congratulations to the Central Coast Manufacturers’ Association and the Committee, headed by Ray Atkinson, for a tremendous job in winning for our Region an Australian Technical College. Their work and the help of our two local Federal Members, Jim Lloyd and Ken Ticehurst is to be lauded. This is a $16 million dollar project that will see our local young people encouraged into trade apprenticeships.

This is a great example of everyone working together for the common good of our community.

But one has to wonder what is in the water on the Central Coast (other than fluoride!).

In Wyong we have a Mayor who has become paranoid about the place and in Gosford the whole council lives on another planet. All pander to every minority group that exists.

The end result is that the Central Coast as a region has virtually ceased to exist.

The two Councils can’t agree about our water supply. All that has been achieved in getting the WaterPlan 2050 adopted is threat that the Government might take over.

Wyong Council is doing up their caravan parks and are now promoting them as Central Coast Holiday Parks. But as soon as you get on their web site almost all reference to our Region is dropped. It’s all about Wyong. Council is a reluctant member of Central Coast Tourism but no mention whatsoever is made on this website about this highly successful tourism promotion organisation. The result is that visitors are not being told about all the opportunities our Region offers.

Wyong Council has even refused to be part of the Central Coast Tourism Gateway Centre. Simply because it is at Kariong, in the Gosford Council area, on the road that leads into the Coast.

In June the Mayor of Wyong, who is also a director of the Central Coast Mariners was part of a large contingent who visited Orange to support them at one of the pre-season games. When asked to speak at a reception by the Mayor of Orange all Councillor Graham was interested in was promoting Wyong – and the Mariners main sponsorship of $300,000 is to promote our region!!

Similarly, while being interviewed on the Sunday morning ABC radio show Australia All Over at Erina Fair recently this Mayor made much of Wyong over Gosford further devaluing the region.

Whether Councillor Bob Graham likes it or not Wyong is as dependent on Gosford as Gosford is dependent on Wyong. However, he, with the support of other Wyong councillors has driven a wedge into our regional identity.

At the same time but on a different tack, because Gosford Council does see itself as part of the Central Coast region, this Council does everything it can to stop all forms of economic growth.

It seems that personal politics and ego are the drivers in Gosford.

The “Closed for Business” sign is well and truly up in Gosford regardless of what the Mayor of Gosford and his councillors might say. Any investor who comes to Gosford and is thinking big soon gets cut down to size.

The Terrigal Rapedo project is just one case but there are others, like the Gosford Spurbest development where the developers were fooled around by successive Council Mayors and Councillors. In the end they put their property on the market and found no one would pay enough to get them out of their investment.

Last month Council achieved what the anti-progress people of Terrigal have wanted for the past eight years. The $80 million Rapedo Project is dead. Killed off to satisfy a tiny group of people who want nothing to happen anywhere. Developer, Dino Seraglio has had enough and is getting out. He will sub-divide the land and sell it off - undoubtedly to Terrigal’s long term detriment.

While our two councils are going in different directions, the State Government appears to have given up. Why would any Minister or his staff want to support a community that is so disunited that it can’t agree on anything?

There is only one answer.

Amalgamate the two Councils and form a Central Coast Council.

The parochial jealousies and personal egos that are impeding the growth of our Region have got to be stopped.

Its time to start the debate.

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