IN an unusual turn of events at last Thursday’s Nambucca Valley Council meeting, councillor Susan Jenvey voted against her own motion to address affordable housing issues in the region.

The mayoral candidate in the upcoming local government election spoke passionately on her belief that Council needed “to develop a more inclusionary supply of housing with not-for-profit values and provisions” and “to develop a plan for more affordable housing with options that don’t stress the financial capabilities of families”.

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The motion found much support among councillors, with the majority supporting the recommendations to establish a fact sheet for the community, to advocate for regional community housing targets, and to consider affordable housing for inclusion in Council’s Community Strategic Plan.

However, councillor James Angel then moved that Council also write to the Federal Government requesting urgent release of funds from the $10 billion Housing Australia Fund – so that appropriate government and non-government organisations could immediately purchase existing homes for sale.

At this suggestion, councillor Jenvey decided to no-longer support the motion.

“I’m not going to support the amendment because I wouldn’t be telling the Federal Government what to do,” Cr Jenvey said.

“They have a goal to build 1.5 million houses,” she said.

“I think the Federal Government is doing its best to do this.”

Mayor Rhonda Hoban then reminded Cr Jenvey that the first three items of the motion were exactly as she had dictated them.

“The motion includes your things as well,” the Mayor said.

“You try telling someone that’s sleeping in their car tonight that the government has $10 billion in their pot,” Mayor Hoban said in support of the inclusion of Cr Angel’s amendment.

In standing against the motion, Councillor Jenvey said, “I’d like it reported also that writing to the Federal Government and telling them what to do, I don’t think goes very far.

“I don’t think it is the appropriate thing to do when you’ve got a lot of grants in…”

In closing, Mayor Hoban reminded councillors present that a key role as local government officials was to “represent our community to the higher levels of government”.

By Ned COWIE