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EDITION #538 THURSDAY, 4 JUNE 2026
YOUR WEEKLY INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER
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News
P6 Ferries are back in business
Legacy marks 75 years supporting vets’ families P10
Out&About
Former Central Coast NSW Legacy President Rick Cranna presents a rose to one of the Legacy widows at a function
IPART takes another look at assessing water rates The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has acknowledged resident Kevin Brooks’ complaints about potential conflicts of interest in IPART’s processes in determining Central Coast Council’s submission for a water rates rise. It issued a media statement on Friday, May 29, explaining it will go through the process again, to take effect from July 2027. It will commission an independent assessment of the concerns about the independence of consultants involved in the pricing review. IPART will issue a one-year determination in coming weeks. But Council had two submissions with IPART and the second one has been approved.
Kevin Brooks
The second one was for an increase of 12.67% to the general rates. The 12.67% rates increase is partly the rate peg of 3.2% and the rest is
the cost of the transfer of the stormwater drainage charge which has been part of residents’ water rates. This decision will see the charge of about $130 a year come off the water rates. This, combined with IPART’s decision to review its water pricing decision, could see water rates reduce from July 1 but that won’t be clear until later in the month. CEO David Farmer said on ABC local radio on Monday that it could be significantly less in the coming year but then significantly higher the following year. Kevin Brooks said that while he was pleased IPART had effectively binned its draft report into Council’s application for an 11.9% water rate
BABBA bound for The Art House
Sport
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hike, ratepayers needed clarity on what the actual increase would be. He said any increase above CPI (consumer price index) would be unacceptable. “CPI is the status quo, so any increase above that would mean accepting at least part of Council’s application as approved by a tainted and unreliable process,” he said. “IPART has now acknowledged potential conflicts of interest in the pricing process and accepted there needs to be an independent investigation. “To be genuinely independent, however, IPART cannot commission or set Terms of Reference itself.”
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