Standing Room Only

Feb 2 2007

(Background to the Mudgee story can be found here.)

The Mudgee Business Association organised a public meeting on Tuesday this week to listen to a guest speaker, Prof. Robert Baker from the UNE. We promoted it pretty heavily locally, had a lot of general feedback from the community in support but had no idea how it was going to go.
Standing room only. It was amazing, the auditorium was packed. At least 350 ratepayers were jammed into the largest venue we could get, support was overwhelming in opposition to the Stockland development. Our Mayor, who supported the DA came and spoke, you've got to give him credit for showing
up, he knew he was walking into a hornet's nest but he still came and put up with the jeering crowd. I'm sure the local Councillors who supported this obnoxious development are starting to feel a little nervous about their futures in politics now. 
No feedback from the developer, a fax campaign has started to the Stockland head office, we now have no chance of a Council rescission motion but inquiries are continuing by the Ombudsman and Local Govt Departments into Council conduct in all this, so this still has legs.
From the meeting, a unanimous vote was carried to form a new ratepayers association, the first in our 150 year history. This new association, along with the local business association will now ramp up the public pressure on Stockland to scale back this development.
The fight now begins in earnest...
Karl

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