CCBR Business Review

14 C E N T R A L CO A S T CO U N C I L N E W S Referendum to determine Councillor numbers will proceed this September Central Coast Council will engage private provider Australian Election Company Pty Limited to conduct a Referendum on 4 September 2021 to determine community support for the reduction of Central Coast Councillor numbers from fifteen to nine. Council Administrator Rik Hart said that while Council had previously resolved to engage the NSW Electoral Commission to conduct the referendum, it has since advised Council that it is no longer in a position to provide the referendum services on 4 September as originally planned and costed. “The NSW Electoral Commission advised that it may be able to conduct a stand- alone referendum in March 2022. While serious consideration has been given to this option, this creates a challenging time- frame,” Mr Hart said. “Should the referendum be carried for- ward to March, this would leave insufficient time for review and consultation of ward boundaries in time for a potential Council election in September 2022. “For these reasons, and to provide the Central Coast community the opportunity to have their say on this important issue, Australian Election Company Pty Limited will be engaged for the conduct of a Referendum on 4 September 2021, when local govern- ment elections are being conducted in NSW.” Voting in the referendum is compulsory for all Australian citizens over 18 who reside in the Central Coast Local Government Area. Independent review set to crack down on councillor bad behaviour The NSW Government has commissioned a review of the statutory framework for crack- ing down on badly behaved councillors to ensure it continues to allow quick and effective action to be taken for misconduct. Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said the independent review would examine if penalties for councillors breaching the code of conduct remain suf- ficient, and ways to reduce the time and cost of complaints handling. “Residents rightly expect high standards of behaviour from their elected representa- tives and the NSW Government has zero tolerance for councillors who put petty politics and egos ahead of serving the local community,” Mrs Hancock said. “The Model Code of Conduct sets strict standards of behaviour for the 1,300 coun- cillors at the state’s 128 councils to help ensure the ethical, accountable and trans- parent operation of local government. “While the majority of councillors do the right thing, the NSW Government is deter- mined to ensure those elected representa- tives who breach community standards face the consequences.” The review will examine the effectiveness of penalties available to councils, the Office of Local Government and the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Mrs Hancock said it will also look at the processes for making code of conduct complaints, the timeliness of disciplinary action, and misconduct frameworks imple- mented in other jurisdictions. “The review will make recommendations for any legislative, policy and operational changes required to ensure NSW has the strongest system in the country to target bad behaviour and enforce high stand- ards of conduct in our local councils,” Mrs Hancock said. “The NSW Government is committed to ensuring that councils and the Office of Local Government are well placed to take quick and effective action against council- lors who engage in misconduct so the pub- lic can have confidence in the people they elect to represent them.” At its June 29th meeting Central Coast Council will consider a proposal to lift building heights on the Ettalong beach- front from Pacific Parade to the recently completed Atlantis building. According to Council’s Agenda papers for the meeting the proposal seeks to lift the maximum building height for the former Ettalong Beach Motel and other properties from 43-46 The Esplanade from 11.5m, or about three storeys, to 17m or about five sto- reys. It also seeks to increase the floor- space-ratio (FSR) of 1:1 to 1.75:1. The current height limit was capped a number of years ago in 2014 by Gosford City Council under the Gosford Local Environment Plan (LEP) to limit over- shadowing the beach and was in effect a means of stopping development. Commenting on the proposal President of the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Matthew Wales said, “those controls were redundant given the approval of the seven-storey Atlantis development next door, the approval of a boutique apartment block and the five-storey Ettalong Hotel behind the lots.” “Development of the site is vitally important for Ettalong and fills in the missing link on the foreshore between the Mantra Hotel to residential housing east of Picnic Parade,” he said. “Concept plans were for a five-storey shop-top housing development with retail on the ground floor and about 40 high-end apartments indicate this will inject about $20-30 million into Ettalong’s local economy. From the chamber’s perspective this is a great basis for Ettalong to emerge as the pre-eminent tourism destination on the Central Coast,” he said. The Local Planning Panel endorsed the proposal earlier this month with a range of conditions and the report to the council meeting, recommends council endorse the proposal before sending it to the NSW Department of Planning for a Gateway Determination. The request to amend the maximum building height, FSR and consolidation of lots is considered to have strategic merit, as it allows infill development in an area that is supported by existing infrastructure and at a scale that is con- sistent with surrounding development. can be potentially liable (in line with Work Health & Safety Legislation) to “a person conducting a business or undertaking”. Given the publicity early this year, it is also unsurprising that the Commonwealth Government’s Bill proposes amendments to the current Sex Discrimination Act, expanding its coverage to include mem- bers of Parliament, their staffers and people who are a Commonwealth Judicial Officer (i.e. Judges). Finally, the Bill also increases protections for people making harassment complaints under the Sex Discrimination Act by includ- ing a victimisation provision. The provision makes it unlawful for a person to victimise another person on the basis that the lat- ter has brought forward a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment on the grounds of sex to the Australian Human Rights Commission. When it is enacted, and it is unlikely to be opposed by Labor, it will be time for employers and persons that control venues and worksites to revisit their bullying and harassment policies. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 Prevention is always better than a cure – Increased Protection in the Workplace for Sexual Harassment Council expected to approve newEttalong building heights CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW JULY 2021