Dear News Of The Area,

RECENTLY you quoted the opinions of Catherine Cusack MLC concerning the sale ‘by mistake’ of part of the Mambo wetlands.

Modern Media: Advertise with News Of The Area and you get your ad in 1) in Print, 2) on the News Website (like this ad), and 3) on our Social Media news site. A much more efficient way to advertise. Reach a HUGE audience for a LOW price TODAY! Call us on 02 4983 2134. Or media@newsofthearea.com.au
Or CLICK FOR ADVERT QUOTE

She nominated options for reversing her government’s ‘mistake’.

Her first option is that the developer should ‘hope for Labor to be elected in 2019 delivering a windfall profit to the developer’.

What does that mean?

Is she referring to a buyback of the land, either by negotiation or compulsory acquisition, by a future Labor government?

If so, she should be aware that the determination of compensation following the compulsory acquisition of land in NSW is governed by the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991.

It doesn’t matter which political Party is in government, the heads of claim for the determination of compensation are the same for all NSW governments (and Local Government).

So how is this ‘windfall’ supposed to happen?

I can only assume that Catherine Cusack either hasn’t read the Land Acquisition Act or doesn’t understand it.

Or was her statement nothing more than a cheap attempt to undermine the efforts of the Member for Port Stephens, Kate Washington, to return the land to public ownership?

This is what Kate has been advocating since September 2016 and can be achieved by the compulsory acquisition of the land as a ‘Nature Reserve’.

Catherine Cusack’s preferred option is to pass the the buck onto Port Stephens Council. Typical.

If she genuinely cared about this issue, why didn’t her government act on the pleas of residents and not go ahead with the sale in the first place?

Grant Kennett
Corlette