The sand mining mayor who loves a deal

Macka 3ABC Radio National – Background Briefing – 8:05 Sunday 04 October 2015

The Link above is to audio of the full show. The show was certainly an insight on how things get done by our Mayor at Port Stephens Council. This is the result of about 22 Hours of recordings done by Anne Arnold in her research into this issue. If you missed it, they are repeating it on Tuesday evening at 9:00 PM on ABC Radio National (FM 98.3 up here) As soon as the transcript is available I will post it here. We are sure the lawyers will be studying it closely……..

Full Transcript Now Available HERE (click on ‘show’)

Follow up Interview on ABC 1233 Newcastle with Kate Washington 05 October 2015

TRRA is preparing a response to the revelations in the show,  to be sent to the Minister for Local Government, which will confirm and reinforce the concerns raised by us in the past on this site, and in previous letters to the Council, the Government, the Ombudsman and ICAC  calling for an inquiry into this very behavior.

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Update 17 December 2015: Our Submission and the Ministers’ Response

151008 Letter To Minister Toole Re Background Briefing Program

151217 Response From Minister Toole Re Background Briefing Program

This is the pathetic response received to our submission to the Minister for Local Government  10 weeks after it was acknowledged as received by the Department, bearing in mind that this program and the allegations raised in was aired on 04 October 2015. The Minister suggests that we complain to the Council General Manager or ICAC. Been there, done that, and got absolutely nowhere. 

This matter has progressed even further now with the Environmental Protection Authority becoming involved and allegations of Acid sulfate contamination by local residents seem to be vindicated: 

“The state’s environmental watchdog has expanded an “ongoing criminal investigation” of alleged dumping of building waste at Port Stephens mayor Bruce MacKenzie’s family business to include the dumping of contaminated building waste at a council-owned Salt Ash equestrian park.”

Newcastle Herald 17 December 2015Port Stephens mayor Bruce MacKenzie faces more questions about soil dumped at a Salt Ash park

TRRA Asks: ‘How much more of this sort of behavior will be tolerated by this Government and its Minister before some action will be taken?  It is all over the press, on the National Broadcaster, raised in Parliament by the Local Member Kate Washington, the subject of numerous Codes of Conduct, letters and submissions from Community Groups, pleas to ICAC, all to no avail. It seems that the only recourse that the long suffering constituents of this LGA will have is at the ballot box in the Council elections next year. The message sent then may focus the Ministers mind on his inaction and the fact that he might be next! ‘

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Cabbage Tree Road Sandmine
Local MP Takes On PSC Mayor
An Evening With Macka……………
ICAC – Local Govt. Minister: Please Finish The Job!
ICAC, Mackenzie & McCloy – Should Property Developers be Mayors Too?
Preview – ABC Radio National – Background Briefing 8:05 AM Friday 02 October

The link above is to a PREVIEW, and an ABC story on the show posted on the ABC RN website which was to be aired on Sunday.

Click HERE for the Audio Link

The sand mining mayor who loves a deal – Background Briefing – ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A pro-development mayor has clashed with locals over an unusual sand mining tender on the NSW coast. Community meetings over other development issues have turned ugly, and there are more questions about potential conflicts of interest, including at the local horse park. Ann Arnold reports

This is a must listen for the ratepayers and residents of Of Stephens. If you miss it live we will be putting links on our site so that you can play it later, or you can load it as a podcast and listen to it on your mobile phone. Don’t miss this!
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