16 OCTOBER 2020
ISSUE 264
REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS
No bail out, No exemptions
News
The rollout of the New Intercity Fleet on the Central Coast rail network became a little closer on October 9 with the delivery of the first train in the fleet... See page 6
Out&About
A baby possum has been saved after surviving a hit and run in his mother’s pouch. "I'm committed to finding a solution and moving forward" - Mayor Lisa Matthews
The State Government will not bail Central Coast Council out of its financial hole and there will be no legislative exemptions, which effectively puts the kybosh on any attempt by Council to access restricted funds in addressing its cash crisis.
Among a range of decisions made in an emotion charged meeting on October 12, councillors resolved to look at borrowing $100M either from restricted funds or external sources to help mitigate liquidity problems. Permission to access restricted funds, which could
include developer contributions, domestic waste management funds and unrestricted cash within the water and sewer funds, would need to be obtained from the Local Government Minister. The meeting, which lasted for more than six hours saw councillors hone in on the
financial mess Council confessed to being in on October 6, with the deficit set to blow out to $89M. Mayor Lisa Matthews said acting CEO Jamie Loader would write to the Minister for Local Government seeking urgent assistance. “Council has been in daily
See page 19
contact with the Office of Local Government and we expect the arrival in the coming days of a financial expert and human resources adviser, as outlined by the Minister for Local Government last week,” Cr Matthews said. Continued page 5
Ella and Billie returned to the sea
Members of Australian Seabird Rescue were jumping for joy recently as they re-released two green turtles into the sea after they had been cared for on the Central Coast for some months.
Members of Australian Seabird Rescue re-release the turtles into the sea
Central Coast co-ordinator, Cathy Gilmore, said because of the organisation’s name, many people didn’t realise it cared not just for birds, but also for marine reptiles, including turtles and sea snakes. The two turtles, Ella and Billie, had been in care for six and four months respectively.
Business
“Ella had been rescued after an alert from divers in the Cabbage Tree Bay area and was found to have swallowed a balloon with a 2.5 metre long string,” Gilmore said. “It took her two days to excrete them and that was followed a few days later by the excretion of a plastic bag. “But she was still very ill. “She had septicemia and pneumonia and when our vet saw the x-rays he said if green turtles weren’t endangered he would have recommended she be euthenised. Continued page 24
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg met an enthusiastic reception when he popped in to check out progress on a Terrigal building site on October 13. See page 25
Sport
Five new CCRU Premiers have been crowned on a Grand Final day in which almost every match went down to the wire. See page 40
Puzzles page 22
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